GRANDMA'S RECIPE

“It’s sad to grow old, but nice to ripen.” - Brigitte Bardot

October 1st is celebrated as the International Day for Older Persons. The General Assembly of the United Nations the designated this day as the International Day of Older Persons by resolution 45/106 of 14th December 1990, following up on initiatives such as the Vienna International Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted by the 1982 World Assembly on Ageing and endorsed later that year by the General Assembly. In 1991, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons (resolution 46/91). In 2002, the second World Assembly on Ageing adopted the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing to respond to the opportunities and challenges of population ageing in the 21st century and to promote the development of a society for all ages. The theme for this year is “Older Persons and the Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.”

The world’s population has continued on a dramatic transition path from a situation of high birth and death rates to one characterised by low birth and death rates. This has resulted in the growth in the number and proportion of older people. This is something we see for the first time in the history of civilisation. One out of every ten persons is now 60 years or above; by 2050, one out of five will be 60 years or older; and by 2150, one out of three persons will be 60 years or older. The majority of older persons (55%) are women. Among the oldest old, 64% are women.

Differences between developed and developing countries are marked: One out of five Europeans, but one out of twenty Africans, is 60 years or older. In some developed countries today, the proportion of older persons is already one in four. During the first half of the 21st century that proportion will be close to one in two in some countries! Based on the latest available information, approximately half of the world’s older population live in urban areas.

The UN Principles for older persons aim to ensure that priority attention will be given to the situation and status of older persons. The UN Principles address the independence, participation, care, self-fulfillment and dignity of older people. This is in appreciation of the contribution that older persons make to their societies and the faith in a society that will assure the older person of their share of fundamental human rights.

It is fitting today therefore for Food Friday to give a recipe that my grandmother used to make. This is a traditional Greek recipe that is also widespread in the Middle East. It uses semolina, butter, and almonds, all bound together with a syrup and spiced up with cinnamon and cloves.

Greek Pot Halva
Ingredients
1    cup butter
1/2    cup chopped blanched, toasted almonds
2    cups semolina
1    stick of cinnamon
3    cloves
For the syrup
3    cups sugar       
4    cups water

Method
Prepare a syrup by boiling the cinnamon, cloves, sugar and water for 10 minutes. In a shallow pot place the butter until it melts and warms through. Add the semolina heating through until golden brown. Stir often and ensure the semolina is toasted well. Pour the prepared syrup into the semolina mixture and continue heating while stirring, until the syrup is well absorbed.
Remove the halva from the heat and cover the pan with a tea towel and the lid over that, until the mixture is barely warm. Mix in the toasted almonds and spoon into a mould packing in the mixture well. Unmould into a serving platter and dust with ground cinnamon.
You may also wish to add a handful of sultanas in this dish.

INTERSTELLAR JOURNEY

“The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago... had they happened to be within the reach of predatory human hands.” - Havelock Ellis

Imagine yourself and your family entering a huge interstellar spaceship. You are joining another few hundred families and a few hundred crew members that will start a journey across trillions of kilometers of space and which will last a few generations. Your spaceship is a self-contained small world that will sustain and nourish not only its original passengers, but their children and grandchildren, their grandchildren, and so on. If all goes well, this starship colony will have travelled for nearly 200 trillion kilometers in a journey that has lasted for hundreds of years into deep interstellar space, aiming for a distant small red sun the constellation of Libra…

Your descendants on the spaceship will finally be able to gaze out of their portholes and see the distant sun their ship was aimed at for so long… It is the sun Gliese 581, a red dwarf star, around which there are six planets orbiting. The destination of this interstellar expedition is Gliese 581g, an earth-like planet, orbiting in the habitable zone of this sun. On this world there is liquid water and there are habitable regions in which life may be possible. “May be possible” being the operative words.

The planet is “tidally locked” to Gliese 581, which means it does not rotate; the side facing the sun would be perpetually hot, and the side turned away, perpetually cold. However, the twilight zone between light and shadow would be fit for human life. This is the zone that our starship has been directed at, to begin a new colony of humanity. This is of course assuming that everything else on the planet is right, including the gravity, the atmosphere, lack of indigenous hostile life-forms, etc etc… All of this of course would have been checked before the starship began its journey. And even if everything was deemed to be OK before the trip started a “second option” planet in the neighbourhood would have been selected.

Does all of this sound a bit like a sci-fi fantasy story? Well, I agree maybe yes, but part of it is all true. The planet Gliese 581g does exist and has just been discovered. This planet is not alone in the astronomers’ list of possible planets that can or do harbour life. Various calculations based on data that has been collected over the years and complex formulas, have resulted in the assertion that as many as one in 5 stars in the universe is orbited by a planet that can sustain life. This means that of the 200 billion stars in the universe, maybe 40 billion planets have the potential for life.

If you go out and gaze into the sky right in the midst of the constellation of Libra, you will not be able to see Gliese 581 with the naked eye, you will need a telescope, as Gliese 581 is about one third as bright as our sun. However, the descendants of the starship passengers that establish a colony on Gliese 581g will be able to gaze into the sky and see with the naked eye a bright star in the firmament which they will know is the sun of the world on which their ancestors evolved!

All of this may be in the future, of course, but we are ruining our earth in such a precipitously rapid rate that we may need to go scrounging around the galactic neighbourhood in order to find other planets that we can colonise and start ruining afresh.

ON DYING

“We understand death for the first time when he puts his hand upon one whom we love.” - Madame de Stael

I was chatting with a friend today and the talk turned to the topic of death. We questioned whether we would prefer to die quietly and imperceptibly, as in one’s sleep for example, or whether it would be preferable to die in a way that one was aware of the moment of death. The former was his preference, the latter mine. I guess as far as I was concerned I would want to die and have that experience as the last experience of life.

I wonder if one is aware of one’s death as it approaches? Is it perhaps like that no-man’s-land between wakefulness and sleep or is it a case of an on-off switch – awareness to non-awareness? Surely it would depend on the cause of death and the circumstances of the death. One may die peacefully in one’s bed or die a violent and painful death. One may slip away or fight for each breath, trying to hang on to dear life. It is a fascinating topic and perhaps we cannot not answer that question of “how does it feel to die?” as we do not know what happens after death.

A poem by Christina Rossetti today that touches upon approaching Winter (and death), but also the promise of Spring and rebirth…

Withering

Fade tender lily,
Fade O crimson rose,
Fade every flower,
Sweetest flower that blows.

Go, chilly autumn,
Come, O winter cold;
Let the green stalks die away
Into common mould.

Birth follows hard on death,
Life on withering:
Hasten, we will come the sooner
Back to pleasant spring.
            Christina Rossetti (1830–1894)

OUR POOR QUEEN...

“Whenever monarchs err, the people are punished.” – Horace

Over the past few years there has been a great debate in Australia about whether we should become a republic or remain a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II officially the Queen of Australia (which is a title and role separate from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms). Since Queen Elizabeth lives in the United Kingdom, in Australia the executive powers vested in her by the Constitution are normally exercised by her viceroys, who are the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level. These viceroys, by convention, act on the advice of her Ministers – that is, the elected Australian Government. However, this situation can also have dramatic and unforeseen consequences that demonstrate the power of the crown. The proof was the Governor-General’s reserve powers outside a Prime Minister’s request resulting in the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975…

So until we become a republic, our queen is Queen Elizabeth II. This is a state of affairs (pun intended!) that I find amazing in this day and age. Kings and queens are a relic of times past when monarchy was widespread throughout most of the civilised world and a hereditary royal office was de rigueur! That we still have these relics of the past amongst us, and more importantly, that there are still staunch royalists around underlines the fact that so many people still live in childhood dreams and pad out their humdrum lives with fairy tale fantasies of kings and queens, princes and princesses (as a peek in many a popular magazine will show).

Through information released under the Freedom of Information Act, it has recently become apparent that in 2004 “our” Queen through a Senior Aide applied for a “poverty heating grant” from the Government of the UK to cover the rising costs of heating her palaces!. The Aide sent the UK Government a written request to assess the Queen’s eligibility for assistance from a £60 million anti-poverty fund dedicated to saving energy and helping those in need cope with heating bills. The Aide justified the request by saying that the cost of Royal utilities, which doubled in 2004, stood at £1 million per year and had become “untenable”. This was further justified by pointing out that the £15 million government grant to maintain the Queen’s palaces was inadequate…

When I read about this in the newspaper I was stunned! The sheer monstrous audacity of the request was mind-blowing! The Queen of England is one of the richest people in the world with a personal fortune close to half a billion dollars, and this does not count the palaces, crown jewels, and other treasures she and her heirs enjoy, as technically they belong to the British state (unless of course, she says like Louis XIV: “Je suis l’ état. L’ état c’ est moi.”). The enormity of the transgression of asking for money that was put aside for the down-and-outers is incomprehensible!

At least, I am glad that the Government Department administering the poverty heating grant turned down the request in an apologetic email that explained the purpose of the grant: The handouts were to help low income families cope with no money at all for heating. There was also an expressed concern that if Buckingham Palace were to be given money from the fund it would lead to “probable adverse press coverage”. This latter part was probably what closed the matter for Buckingham Palace – there has been so much bad press these last few “anni horribiles”.

Queens and kings are a thing of the past. They have a place in history books and fairy tales, packs of cards and chess boards. Their currency is passé and their days are numbered, I should hope. Behaviour such as that outlined above is proof enough that we as a society should rid ourselves of this antique parasite. God knows we have enough modern parasites in the guise of politicians, pop singers, sports personalities and film stars to maintain in the style we have accustomed them to…

THE GAME - MOVIE MONDAY

“Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can.” - Danny Kaye

We watched an interesting film at the weekend, one that has been around for quite a while but which we missed when it was first screened. It was the 1997 David Fincher film “The Game”. This is a psychological thriller of some punch (even if the plot is somewhat contrived and improbable), which is nevertheless quite subtle in the way that it projects its message and its moral. One may watch it, enjoy it and take it in superficially, but I believe it is on reflection that one can really assess it and process it in such a way so that it becomes personally relevant.

David Fincher is of course famous for “Fight Club” and “Se7en” but is also responsible for “Panic Room” and “Alien 3”. Therefore, he is well-seasoned in directing a satisfying thriller. He does very well with “The Game”, keeping the viewers on their toes and ensuring they experience one emotional roller coaster ride after the other. The plot’s twists and turns help of course, with scriptwriters John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris having done a good job in providing some good material. Once one gets over the improbability of some of the scenes, one can concentrate on the essence and enjoy the movie.

Michael Douglas is not one of my favourite actors, although he has played in some excellent films and he generally does well with his roles. In this film he is excellent and gives an acting recital, especially as his role is very demanding and he is needed in almost every scene. Sean Penn does well in supporting Douglas, and Deborah Kara Unger is also very good. The rest of the cast is also very good and overall, production standards are very high. All of these features maintain viewer interest and engagement in what is arguably a long film (130 minutes or so).

Now for the plot: Douglas play Nicholas Van Orton, a billionaire financier, who has everything that money can buy. He is the typical tough, ruthless businessman who has sacrificed everything in order to be successful. He has a younger brother, Conrad (Penn), who is the opposite. Conrad is pleasure-seeking, wayward, free-spirited and “unsuccessful” by Nicholas’ standards. For Nicholas’ birthday Conrad gives him an unusual present (what else could you get someone who has everything?), a gift certificate from a company called the Consumer Recreation Services (CRS). Nicholas is skeptical as Conrad is a problematic sibling that has had to cope with addictions, “interesting” life experiences and all sorts of scrapes. However, both Nicholas and Conrad love each other and have over the years supported each other in coping with their father’s suicide (he fell to his death from the roof of their mansion).

CRS is in the business of providing to clients a real life entertainment experience where a game is played within the participants’ lives and is tailored to their own individual needs, lifestyle, deficiencies and strengths. Nicholas takes up the challenge of participating in the game and after a series of physical and psychological tests, he becomes embroiled in a dangerous game that exposes his repressed emotions, his fears and anxieties, disrupts his life and forces him to re-examine it in order to find out what makes himself tick. As mentioned previously it is the constant twists in the plot that keep one guessing and even to the last scene, one is left wondering if it is true or not.

Overall, we enjoyed this film greatly and then got into an animated discussion about it, which was the best part about it. Discussing a film with someone you have seen it is great fun and analysing it, disassembling it, evaluating it, extracting the essence is a great way of prolonging its enjoyment – or in some cases value-adding on a mediocre film. I’d recommend this particular film highly if you haven’t seen it and you love psychological thrillers!

MATISSE AND FAUVISM

“An artist must possess Nature. He must identify himself with her rhythm, by efforts that will prepare the mastery which will later enable him to express himself in his own language.” - Henri Matisse

For Art Sunday today, Henri Matisse. He was born on December 31, 1869 in Le Cateau Cambresis, France. He first got a degree in law but then decided to become an artist. He studied for three years with Gustave Moreau. He learned a lot by copying paintings by other great artists, such as Raphael.

Matisse was one of the founders of a type of art called Fauvism, a style of painting with vivid expressionistic and non-naturalistic use of colour that flourished in Paris from 1905 and, although short-lived, had an important influence on subsequent artists, especially the German expressionists. The term Fauvism is from the French fauve ‘wild beast.’ The name originated from a remark of the French art critic Louis Vauxcelles at the Salon of 1905; coming across a quattrocento-style statue in the midst of works by Matisse and his associates, he is reputed to have said, “Donatello au milieu des fauves!” (‘Donatello among the wild beasts’).

Matisse liked to compose his paintings with people in them as it made it easy for him to express his feelings about life. He especially liked to paint women, because he said they held the answer to the mystery of life. Matisse also did many pieces of art using cut paper. He was also a sculptor and an etcher.

Towards the end of his life, Matisse developed cancer and he became confined to a wheelchair. From his wheelchair, he completed one of his most famous works, painting the inside of the Chapelle du Rosaire. Matisse died in 1954.

Illustrated here is his “Le bonheur de vivre” (The Joy of Life) 1905-1906; Oil on canvas (175 x 241 cm). The characteristic swathes of bright non-naturalistic colour evoke strong emotional responses in the viewer, while the subject matter makes it clear as to what the artist believes is essential in life for a joyful existence.

SONG SATURDAY - TONY BENNETT

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.” - Mark Twain

What a day today! Spent most of it gardening and weeding and getting things done around the house. It was Grand Final day today and all of the Australian Rules Football aficionados were either glued to their TV set or in the ground cheering on. Turns out the big game ended in a draw, which last happened in 1977. Now they’ll play again next Saturday! Football is not my cup of tea so it was a Saturday just like any other today.

I had a very special Saturday afternoon with nice music, pleasant conversation, then a wonderful dinner and a special person to cuddle up next to! The rain came after and we watched it over the bay while lying in bed…

Here’s a special song that I love. Tony Bennett sings “The Shadow of Your Smile” from the motion picture “The Sandpiper”, it won the 1965 Grammy for Best Original Song and was awarded the 1966 Song of the Year. The music was written by Johnny Mandel, the lyrics by Paul Francis Webster.

GREEK ORANGE CAKE

“An orange on the table, your dress on the rug, and you in my bed, sweet present of the present, cool of night, warmth of my life.” - Jacques Prévert

We had a lovely Spring day today – at least during the middle of the day as it was sandwiched between between a gray drizzly morning and a cool gray afternoon. The temperature went up to about 19˚C and the sun felt quite warm for a while. I went for a walk and enjoyed the sunshine and then back inside… Tonight it’s quite cold and the evening has fallen quite abruptly. Winter is still lingering!

And seeing the last of the Winter oranges are still around, what better way to say goodbye than with a Greek Orange Cake!

Greek Orange Cake
Ingredients
500 g fyllo pastry
4 eggs
1 glassful vegetable oil
250 g Greek style yoghurt
zest of two oranges
1 heaped tsp baking powder
vanillin sugar to taste

For the syrup
3 cupfuls of water
2 cupfuls sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 glassful freshly squeezed orange juice

Method
•    Beat the eggs, oil and vegetable oil in the mixer bowl and add the orange zest, the baking powder and the vanillin sugar.
•    Brush the fyllo pastry leaves well with vegetable oil and lay them down ruched next to each other in a medium-sized baking dish. Reserve a couple of sheets. Cut them transversely and pour on top the mixture that has been prepared in the mixer bowl. Lay on top the pleated oiled reserved pastry sheets and press down gently to ensure they contact the mixture.
•    Bake at 180˚C for 30 minutes.
•    In a saucepan, place the sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Boil for five minutes, stirring all the while. Add the freshly squeezed, strained orange juice and remove from the flame immediately.
•    Pour the syrup over the cake that you have removed from the oven while still hot.
•    Allow to cool and cut into squares to serve.
•    Delicious with a dollop of double cream.

EQUINOX ETC

“If your life at night is good, you think you have everything.” Euripides

In the northern hemisphere it is the autumnal equinox today and there is a full moon out, it is the day of the Autumn Moon Festival, while in the southern hemisphere it is the vernal equinox. It is also the second day of the Jewish Sukkot Festival. Sukkot is a Hebrew word meaning “booths” or “huts” and refers to the Jewish festival of giving thanks for the autumn harvest, as well as the commemoration of the forty years of Jewish wandering in the desert after Sinai. Sukkot is celebrated five days after Yom Kippur on the 15th of Tishrei and is marked by several distinct traditions. One tradition, which takes the commandment to “dwell in booths” (Leviticus 23:42–43) literally, is to build a sukkah (a booth or hut). A sukkah is often erected by Jews during this festival, and it is a common practice for some to eat and even live in these temporary dwellings during Sukkot.

Tradition calls for one family to enter the sukkah, recite the Motzi prayer over the meal to be eaten, and then add a special blessing: “Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu leishev basukah.” - Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us through Your mitzvot and commanded us to dwell in the sukkah. Another custom of Sukkot involves extending hospitality, especially to the needy. Tradition is that there are certain guests of the festival, ushpizin, who are present in spirit in every sukkah: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, and David. In addition, many Jews will invite guests outside of their families to join them for a holiday meal.

There are two more symbols associated with Sukkot that deserve attention. Lulav is a Hebrew word meaning “palm branch” and refers to a unique ceremonial object associated with the holiday of Sukkot. Lulav is also a generic term, describing a three-sectioned holder with a single palm branch in the center, two willow branches on the left, and three myrtle branches on the right. Etrog is a Hebrew word meaning “citron,” and refers to the special lemon-like fruit used in conjunction with the lulav in the Sukkot ritual.

Euripides, the ancient Greek dramatist was born in 484 BC on this day. He wrote some 90 plays, of which 17 survive complete, while another 17 survive as fragments. He is one of the foremost of the ancient Greek tragedians and his plays are often about women in tragic situations (e.g. Medea) and his plots are very realistic and concentrate on the situations that elicit violent emotional reactions from them. He was criticised fro his often used device of deus ex machina where a god or goddess appears at the play’s end to provide a contrived solution to an intractable problem… Towards the end of his life, he accepted the invitation of King Archelaus I of Macedon and stayed with him in Macedonia, allegedly dying there in 406 B.C. after being accidentally attacked by the king's hunting dogs while walking in the woods.

The plant for the birthdays falling on this day is the common field mushroom, Agaricus campestris. Because some poisonous mushrooms may resemble the edible ones, the mushroom in the language of flowers suggests the meaning “suspicion”.  This confusion is also at the bottom of the warning couplets:
    When the moon is at the full,
    Mushrooms you may freely pull;
    When the moon is on the wane,
    Wait ere you think to pluck again!
The Welsh call poisonous mushrooms bwyd ellyllon = “meat of the goblins”.  Fairy rings, are the term given to the ring of mushrooms that form as the spores are ejected from around the rim of the fruiting body of the parent fungus, in the belief that they arose from the feet of fairies dancing in a circle.  Dreaming of gathering mushrooms is an indication of the lack of attachment on the part of a partner.  Astrologically, the mushroom is under the dominion of Mercury in the sign of Leo.

In Japan the autumnal equinox is termed Higan, meaning the “other shore”, implying heaven. Buddhists will pray in temples and in cemeteries for the souls of the dead in ceremonies reminiscent of All Souls’ Day.

Today is also the national day of Armenia and Saudi Arabia!

Armenia is the smallest of the 15 republics of the former USSR that gained its independence in 1991.  It is about 30,000 square km in area with a population of 4 million people.  It is East of Turkey and North of Georgia. The capital city is Yerevan with other main centres being Karaklis, Kumayri and Kamo.  It is a mountainous, landlocked country with small but fertile regions of arable land.  The main industry is machine-building with chemicals and textiles also contributing to the economy.  Farming and raising of sheep, goats and cattle is also important.

Saudi Arabia is the largest country of the arid Arabian Peninsula. It became independent in 1913 after the occupying Turks were expelled. It has an area of 2.4 million square km and a population of 15 million people. The country is extremely arid with no permanent rivers and very low rainfall, extremely hot in the Summer. In the mountainous West there is sparse vegetation and it is only in the coastal oases that date palms and cereal crops flourish. The economy is dominated by oil, which is Saudi Arabia’s major export and source of wealth. The petrodollars pay for irrigation schemes and land reclamation projects intended to raise food production. The capital city is Riyadh with other major cities being Mecca, Jeddah, Medina, Ta’if, Najran and Abha. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Muslims from all over the world converge on Mecca to complete the “Hajj”, or visit, which every devout Muslim must make at least once in their life.

AUTUMN MOON IN SPRING

“There is something haunting in the light of the moon; it has all the dispassionateness of a disembodied soul, and something of its inconceivable mystery.” - Joseph Conrad

As is the case with every trip, when I return to the office there are a number of things to do and lots to catch up on. Today was no exception and the day flew by with non-stop meetings, people dropping in to see me, correspondence to attend to. I was in at seven in the morning and managed to sneak away at 5:30 p.m. For lunch, I had a couple of fruits at my desk and that was while I was answering emails. A pleasant surprise was a Chinese colleague who came in and brought me a moon cake as tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This is also called the Chinese Moon Festival (中秋節), which is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional holidays for the Chinese. Many legends abound regarding this Festival and the story of Houyi is told at this time:

Houyi was very good at archery. There were once ten suns in the sky, which made plants wither, and fierce beasts to run wild and imperil people. It was too hot to live under the ten suns. To save the people, Houyi started to shoot the suns. He shot down nine of them one by one, and he might have shot the last one if he was not called off by the people. Thus the severe drought was gone and the wild beasts went away. It is said Houyi’s wife was Chang Er, who swallowed the elixir stolen from her husband, and she flew to the moon and became the goddess of the moon. She has lived in the palace on the moon ever since. Houyi was killed by Fengmeng, a disciple of Houyi who learned to shoot from him. You might see Chang Er dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon songs. With the full moon, the legends, the family reunions and the poems, this is a special time. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without clouds and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romantic night together eating moon cakes with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for couples who can’t be together, they too can enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so they can feel that they are together at that moment.

Here is a poem I wrote for this occasion:

The Autumn Full Moon

Gazing at the clear sky on this Spring night
And looking at the full moon of September,
A distant northern Autumn I remember
When you were near, and your eyes were bright.

The stars are sparkling and the garden fragrant
The night is cool and air crisp as a crystal bell.
Spring flowers bright, in moonlight flagrant
But memory’s fallen leaves sad tales will tell.

We shared a moon cake under full moon’s light
And laughed as autumn winds blew candles out;
Now I can find no trace of you about –
I loved, you left, the moon’s the mistress of the night.

The Autumn full moon in Spring is mocking
My thoughts, remembrances, feelings frozen;
My life so empty, and your absence shocking
This lonely path we tread as we have chosen.

Tell me pale Moon, does she too gaze on you tonight?
Could she perhaps be thinking of me, in your silver light?

KING'S PARK IN PERTH

“God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” - Martin Luther

Yesterday evening, after work I managed to visit King’s park in Perth. This is a magnificent site a stone’s throw away from the city centre and consists of extensive parklands (400 hectares!), botanic gardens, function rooms, a café, a restaurant, a gallery and tourist shops. Although the park is good to visit all year round, it is exquisite in September when the native wildflowers are in bloom. I took the free Red Cat bus from the city centre to the Havelock St stop just near the park entrance, and then walked up the magnificent ghost gum lined driveway to the park’s main tourist area. The panoramic views from there, even from a stationary vantage point, extend across the city, to the hills, and down the river. The city views make for an obligatory photograph from the top of the hill and one can see the numerous tourists lining up and pointing the camera at the panorama.

However, King’s Park offers far more than breathtaking views. Of its 400 hectares, approximately two thirds are bushland, which during the wildflower season (September and October), comes alive with colour. The famous wildflowers of the Western Australian outback are well represented here and even if you cannot make it to the wilds off the beaten track, you can enjoy the wildflowers about 1.5 km from the Perth city centre. The remaining third of King’s Park comprises beautifully landscaped gardens, picnic and barbeque areas and playgrounds.

Because of its extensive size, the park is fully serviced by roads to make it accessible to cars, but also more importantly, there are many paths and trails for the visitors on foot. Although one can explore them oneself, one can also take a free guided walking tour. These start every day at 10 am at the Karri Log. Most of the flowers and trees are identified by their scientific and common names with small plaques, making it easy even for the layperson to know what is growing in the Park.

King’s Park is also a site highlighting certain aspects of Western Australia’s history. In addition to the main war memorial, which contains the names of all soldiers lost during the first and second world wars, the Park’s roads are lined with trees, at the base of which there are plaques laid in memory of individual fallen soldiers. This is a touching reminder of the toll Australia had to pay while fighting wars on distant foreign lands. Standing by one of these trees and reading a name on a plaque that reminds one of a soldier long dead, killed in the prime of youth for an idea, for freedom; and gazing up at the tall green tree is a humbling experience.

In Summer, King’s Park is a must to visit at night. The drive up the main road in King’s Park lined with ghost gum trees that are spot-lit and look like an otherworldly marching army of sentinel guards. Recently, during Summer, the people of Perth have been treated to cinematic and thespian delights in Kings Park. The Sunset Cinema, which screens outside in the Lakeside Picnic Area shows classic, art-house and cult movies. Also, local and interstate theatre companies often put on a production, usually Shakespeare, in the idyllic surrounds of the Park, including recent productions of “Taming of the Shrew”, and “Romeo and Juliet”.

One of my favourite areas of the park is the Federation Walkway, which rises high up amongst the treetops and not only affords magnificent views of the surrounds, but also makes for a good platform for observing the birdlife and flora. The Walkway extends 620 metres through the Botanic Garden along a combination of on-ground pathways and a spectacular elevated 52 m glass and steel arched bridge suspended amongst a canopy of tall eucalypts.

Another favourite of mine is the water garden, which wends its way through multiple levels and incorporates waterfalls, rock gardens, cascading rills and tranquil pools where ducks dive and swim, providing the visitor with the venue for a tranquil walk and a wonderful soul-raising experience.

Back home tomorrow, with an excellent trip both work-wise and as a change to the routine!

MOVIE MONDAY - CHILDREN OF MEN

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” - Neil Postman

On Saturday night before my trip we got a chance to see a very good movie, which was quite powerful and confronting, but also hopeful in an understated way. It was Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 film “Children of Men”. It was a stark, violent, harrowing science fiction story of a near-future dystopia, set in a post-apocalyptic England where the future is not so bright nor the world so brave and new.

The movie is set in 2027 AD, where because of an unexplainable, world-wide infertility epidemic, no child has been born for 18 years. Scientists are at loss to explain the reason and the population is gritting its teeth to cope with the mass desperation that this grim reality engenders. African and East European societies collapse and their dwindling populations migrate to England and other wealthy nations around the world in order to survive. In a climate of nationalistic violence and racial hatred, Theo Faron a London peace activist (now turned bureaucrat), joins forces with his revolutionary ex-wife Julian in order to save mankind by protecting a woman who has mysteriously become pregnant.

It is a film that actively questions our present society, its values and morals, its intolerance and lack of understanding. It looks at the problem of refugees, both political and economic, and the violence that can be generated in the wake of renascent nationalism, which is blighting many parts of the world nowadays. These problems are put into context and are given their relative importance by the hypothetical situation: “What if there were no more children born any more?” From this perspective, the other issues covered by the film become almost irrelevant as humanity is confronted with the grim reality of its own extinction – not with a bang but with a whimper…

I found the film especially poignant given the large number of stories that are regularly being aired now of babies killed, abandoned or thrown in the rubbish. The latest example was that of woman who gave birth in the toilet of an aeroplane, disposed of the newborn in the toilet rubbish bin and returned to her seat as though nothing had happened. Fortunately, the baby was saved but this action (whatever its motive) highlights our society’s ills on a fundamental level. The preciousness and sanctity of human life that is immediately obvious when one holds a newborn baby in one’s arms should inspire awe and humility. The film underscores this core idea of humanity that should be inherent in all of us. The disposal of unwanted babies is contrasted with the situation illustrated where no babies are born worldwide and the immense consequences for humanity that this has.

A particularly gripping scene that drove home the message particularly violently was one where the main characters wander into an abandoned primary school, which has become deserted, dirty, unkempt. Vestiges of children’s presence are seen in a few faded and torn drawings, abandoned stuffed toys thrown on heaps of rubbish and rusty playground equipment. “What if there were no more children?” the scene asks and one sees degeneration, decay, extinction.

On the flip side of this is the attendant misfortune of an ageing population and increasing number of elderly people who more than the few young ones see the world without children through eyes that were used to having babies and children around them all the time. People who should have been parents and grandparents see the world change for the worse, consumed by violence and anarchy and there is no hope of a better life, no salvation.

The acting was excellent, with Michael Caine taking great relish in his role as a marijuana-growing senior citizen looking after his invalid wife. Julieanne Moore has a small role, which she plays well, but the honours go to Clive Owen as the reluctant hero Theo Faron. Kee, the young pregnant woman is played ingenuously by Clare-Hope Ashitey and there are some good cameo performances by a variety of character actors. The cinematography is well done and the secondary theme of pollution and environmental despoliation is brought out in all of its awesome dread.

An excellent film, although full of violence and images that may shock some people, I recommend it most highly as a movie that will make the viewer think and ruminate upon many of the current issues that plague our society this day and age. The movie is based on the 1992 novel by P.D. James, and although the film is an adapted version, it is said to have pleased the author.

ART SUNDAY IN PERTH

“Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.” – Oscar Wilde

The flight to Perth was uneventful and surprisingly short – just under three-and-a-half hours instead of the usual four. On landing in Perth, I set my watch two hours earlier, which gives one an idea of the vastness of Australia. The weather was perfect: Sunny and a balmy 18˚C, which was soon to climb to an equable 22˚C. Tomorrow the temperature will reach a maximum of 23˚C and on Tuesday, 26˚C! I went for a walk and admired the beautiful flowers in bloom everywhere – Spring is truly here in Western Australia! By chance I came across an exhibition in the Perth Town Hall, which I hastened to view. It was the City of Perth Black Swan Prize for portraiture.

In 2010 artists from across Australia vie for the Lester Group Prize of $30,000 and the Perrine People’s Choice Prize of $7,500. All paintings submitted for this competition/exhibition must be of well known or well respected Australians. The exhibition was quite amazing. There were over 40 paintings, with a vast array of styles and techniques, but all of them exceedingly well-crafted and as far as capturing the essence of the person who sat for the portrait goes, most of them were quite successful in presenting a cameo of the persona of the sitter. I liked several of these portraits (and you can view all 42 finalists on the site above), but the one I have posted was definitely one of my favourites. It is a portrait of Robert Juniper by Nigel Hewitt. The painting is rather somber, befitting the subject. Juniper is a Western Australian artist who studied commercial art and industrial design at Beckenham School of Art in England.  He returned to WA in 1949 and taught art. Since 1974, Robert Juniper has devoted himself full-time to painting, sculpting and printmaking. Recognised as an artist of poetic and spontaneous vision, Juniper has established himself as one of Australia's leading painters. He is best known for his evocative depictions of the West Australian landscape. His main influences range from English painters of the early 1900s, Paul Klee, and Japanese work of the 19th century, through to his contemporary, Australian artist, Sam Fullbrook.

Nigel Hewitt is a visual artist based in Perth, Western Australia. His images are most frequently mixed media on canvas, with subjects ranging from contemporary environmental and political issues to the personal and ambiguous notions of discovery and existence. His portrait of “Bob” is intimate and powerful. The artist’s aged face and distant gaze challenges approaching death that is symbolised by the skeletal ram’s head behind him. Although he is supported by a stick, his powerful hands grasp firmly and he looks into the light, like a true visionary. An artist paints another artist with an understanding that may be lacking if the sitter has different profession…

It is interesting that most of the portraits were photorealistic and unfortunately that means for quite a few of them quite lifeless. One or two that strove for originality were rather mundane but one or two were very quirky and hence memorable. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and just right for Art Sunday!

Borders had a sale of CDs, with any four CDs in the store for $30. I couldn’t resist of course and bought quite a few good ones, saving about $150 on the regular prices! It was quite an amazing buy, also considering that many of the ones I bought I wouldn’t have found in Melbourne at that price… I also bought a new shirt and tie for tomorrow as they were also on special (not in Borders)!

I finally went by our campus and inspected the facilities. The cleaners had done a good job, everything was in order for the panel tomorrow. Thus assured, I finally came back to the Hotel and had a lovely bath, soaking in the tub for about 40 minutes. There’s nothing as restful after a long trip and a few hours of walking. I dined at the club rooms and had some excellent little tidbits washed down with champagne, finishing off with some luscious and sweet strawberries that smelt delightfully and tasted even better.

BEETHOVEN ON SATURDAY

“The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks.” - Tennessee Williams

Another busy Saturday today with lots of chores done around the house and garden and also some shopping. Tomorrow I am leaving for Perth to spend three days there for work. Not the best way to spend one’s Sunday – airports and planes, but once again we have to please our regulators and when they say “jump” we can only reply, “how high?”

We had all sorts of weather today: Rain, sunshine, warm, cold… We did a bit of work in the garden in one of the sunny spells and it’s beginning to look greener with many more flowers beginning to bloom.

Here’s a very spring-like Beethoven piece. The first movement from his Septet in E flat.



The Septet in E-flat major, Opus 20, by Ludwig van Beethoven, was first performed in 1800 and published in 1802. Scored for clarinet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and contrabass, it is in six movements:

1. Adagio; Allegro con brio 2. Adagio cantabile 3. Tempo di minuetto 4. Tema con variazioni: Andante 5. Scherzo: Allegro molto e vivace 6. Andante con moto alla marcia; Presto

The overall layout resembles a serenade but Beethoven expands the form by the addition of substantial introductions to the first and last movements. The main theme of the third movement had already been used in Beethoven's Piano Sonata, (Op. 49 No. 2), which was an earlier work despite its higher opus number. The finale features a violin cadenza. The Septet was one of Beethoven's most successful and popular works and circulated in many editions and arrangements for different forces. In about 1803 Beethoven himself arranged the work as a Trio for clarinet (or violin), cello and piano, and this version was published as his op. 38 in 1805.

YOM KIPPUR

“The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and confidence for ever.” – Isaiah 32:17

Today is the most important holiday of the Jewish year, Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. Even those Jews who do not observe any other Jewish holiday or custom, will not work, will fast and attend synagogue  on this day. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of the Jewish month Tishri, as instituted at Leviticus 23:26 et seq.

The day is set aside to “afflict the soul” and atone for the sins of the past year. It is a day of awe when God inscribes all the names of the faithful in His book. On Yom Kippur, the judgment entered in these books is sealed. This day is, essentially, one’s last appeal, one’s last chance to change the judgment, to demonstrate one’s repentance and make amends. Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and God, not for sins against another person. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible. That must all be done before Yom Kippur.

Yom Kippur is a complete Sabbath; no work can be performed on that day. It is written that people should not eat or drink (even water) on Yom Kippur. It is a complete, 25-hour fast beginning before sunset on the evening before Yom Kippur and ending after nightfall on the day of Yom Kippur. The Talmud also specifies additional restrictions that are less well-known: Washing and bathing, anointing one’s body (with cosmetics, deodorants, etc.), wearing leather shoes (Orthodox Jews routinely wear canvas sneakers under their dress clothes on Yom Kippur), and engaging in sexual relations are all prohibited on Yom Kippur.

As always, any of these restrictions can be lifted where a threat to life or health is involved. In fact, children under the age of nine and women in childbirth (from the time labour begins until three days after birth) are not permitted to fast, even if they want to. Older children and women from the third to the seventh day after childbirth are permitted to fast, but are permitted to break the fast if they feel the need to do so. People with other illnesses should consult a doctor and a rabbi for advice.

Most of Yom Kippur is spent in the synagogue in prayer. In Orthodox synagogues, services begin early in the morning (8 or 9 a.m.) and continue until about 3 p.m. People then usually go home for an afternoon nap and return around 5 or 6 PM for the afternoon and evening services, which continue until nightfall. The services end at nightfall, with the blowing of the tekiah gedolah, a long blast on the shofar.

It is customary to wear white on the holiday, which symbolizes purity and calls to mind the promise that our sins shall be made as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). Some people wear a kittel, the white shroud in which the dead are buried.

Jewish families traditionally eat a Meal of Cessation (Seudat Mafseket) before the Yom Kippur fast. A good way to o this is a meat meal for lunch, and then high carbohydrate dairy dinner directly before the fast. The meat menu could include, for example, low-salt vegetable soup, breaded chicken, potatoes and dessert. The dairy menu includes egg soufflé, whole wheat bagels with various spreads and fruit salad. At the end of Yom Kippur, traditionally  a joyful Break Fast meal is shared with family and friends. The Yom Kippur Break Fast is generally a festive breakfast menu consisting of foods such whole wheat bread or bagels with various spreads such as tuna, egg salad, cheeses, butter and jam. Egg soufflé may also be served again.

Blessing on you on this holy day of Yom Kippur!

Kosher Egg Soufflé
Ingredients

•    1/4 cup flour
•    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    pepper
•    6 eggs
•    1 cup cottage cheese
•    2 cups (250 grams) grated cheese
•    1/2 stick (60 grams) butter, melted
•    1 small onion, finely chopped
•    120 grams sliced mushrooms
•    1 tomato, sliced
•    fresh parsley

Method
1.    Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease a 9x9 inch casserole dish.
2.    Mix flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3.    Beat eggs. Add all cheeses, butter, onion and mushrooms. Mix well.
4.    Add flour mixture.
5.    Pour into casserole dish.
6.    Place slices of tomato on top and push in slightly. Sprinkle with parsley.
7.    Bake at 180° C for 40 minutes.
8.    Serve with bagels or toast and fresh fruit salad.

ALL ABOUT OZONE

“When we heal the earth, we heal ourselves.” - David Orr

Today is the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, as declared by the United Nations (UN). The day commemorates the signing of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer on September 16th in 1987. The meeting of representatives from 24 countries in 1987 had a conference and announced to the world that it was time to stop destroying the ozone layer. In so doing, these countries committed themselves, via the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, to rid the world of substances, such as fluorocarbons, that threaten the ozone layer. On December 19, 1994, the UN General Assembly proclaimed September 16th to be the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer. The day was first celebrated on September 16, 1995.

The earth’s ozone layer plays an important role in protecting human health and the environment. In 1974, U.S.A chemists Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina were the first to sound the alarm about ozone layer depletion. That year, they published the first scientific article predicting the near disappearance of the ozone layer in 75 years. They were remarkably accurate; in the early 1980s, a hole in the ozone layer was observed for the first time at the Earth’s poles. And the numbers were frightening. Over the Antarctic, 70% of the protective gas had disappeared, while 30% had been depleted over the Arctic. Rowland and Sherwood won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1995 for their work in atmospheric chemistry.

Ozone is present is two layers of the atmosphere. About 10% of ozone is present in the troposphere (lower layer of atmosphere), located at a distance of about 10-16 km from the surface of the earth. The major part of ozone comprising of the remaining 90% is present in the upper layer of atmosphere called stratosphere located at the distance of about 50 km from the surface of the earth. It is this layer that is called the ozone layer. The sun radiates large variety of radiation including ultraviolet radiation, which is very harmful to humans. The ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet radiation and prevents it from coming to the surface of the earth thus saving human beings from harmful rays. This ozone layer in the stratosphere is considered to be “good ozone.” The ozone layer occurring naturally in the lower layers of the atmosphere helps remove the pollutants from the surface of the earth.

On this day primary and secondary school teachers around the world organize classroom activities that focus on topics related to the ozone layer, climate change and ozone depletion. Other activities are organized by different community groups, individuals, schools and local organisations across the world and include: The promotion of ozone friendly products; special programs and events on saving the ozone layer; the distribution of the UNEP’s public awareness posters to be used for events centered on the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer; and the distribution of awards to those who worked hard to protect the earth’s ozone layer.

ozone |ˈōˌzōn| noun
A colourless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odour and powerful oxidising properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in having three atoms in its molecule (O3).
• Short for ozone layer .
• informal Fresh invigorating air, esp. that blowing onto the shore from the sea.
DERIVATIVES
Ozonic |ōˈzänik| adjective
ORIGIN mid 19th century: From German Ozon, from Greek ozein ‘to smell.’

SPRING IN MELBOURNE!

“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

I had a very busy day at work today, catching up at my desk after the day in Sydney. My secretary brought in a bunch of Spring flowers and their fragrance filled the office. The day outside was cool and wet, still gray, but the flowers and a few errant beams of sunlight promised that Winter was on its way out. Thoughts of Spring and a few flowers, a stray sunbeam here and there are enough to put one in a silly enough mood to write doggerel!

Springtime

In early Spring as rain still falls and falls
And nights are cold and mornings gray,
The sleeping sun awakes and gently calls
To warm and lengthen more each day.

The roses start to bud and leaves unfurl
The bulbs all bloom, bright as a rainbow;
The daisies smile and like a youthful girl
Shine full of beauty, eager up to grow.

As heady fragrance fills each stirring garden,
Winter starts to depart and then lingers;
It freeze a young shoot, then begs its pardon,
Yielding to sunlight’s caressing fingers.

The birds for so long absent, silent,
Fly back and fill the air with trills;
The leaves young green, lush, vibrant,
The air astir with expectation, thrills.

My blood begins to warm and tingles
As it succumbs to springtide stimulations.
My sleeping flesh rejuvenated kindles
Fires for my heart’s new immolations.

Spring’s here, awake, renew, rejoice!
To chase Winter away, lift up your voice.

SPRING IN SYDNEY

Allegro: “Springtime is upon us. 
The birds celebrate her return with festive song, and murmuring streams are softly caressed by the breezes. Thunderstorms, those heralds of Spring, roar, casting their dark mantle over heaven, Then they die away to silence, and the birds take up their charming songs once more.”
Largo: “On the flower-strewn meadow, with leafy branches rustling overhead, the goat-herd sleeps, his faithful dog beside him.”
Allegro: ‘Led by the festive sound of rustic bagpipes, nymphs and shepherds lightly dance beneath the brilliant canopy of spring.” – Vivaldi, Spring Sonnet for his Concerto.

I was in Sydney for the day for work today and most of the day I spent indoors as we were being audited. A regulatory body audit is dreaded by most businesses, but I don’t mind them at all. In fact some of them I actually enjoy! Today proved to be one that I quite liked, with my team of colleagues and I working well together and answering all questions to the satisfaction of the panel. This outcome was really the result of good preparation and having material that was up to the level of scrutiny that an audit panel subjects such material to. The final oral report was very favourable and we now expect the written report, which will be also favourable.

The day here in Sydney was rainy and cool, so just as well I had to spend the day inside. The sky was quite leaden and the rain kept falling in sheets. Definitely a day of spring showers and lingering winter grays. On the drive to and from the airport, however, there was a sure sign of Spring on the median strip in the form of Gymea lilies (Doryanthes excelsa) that have started to bloom. These are a kind of most imposing and spectacular Australian native flower, with long, one metre leaves that resemble sword blades and a central thick flower spike that grows to two metres tall (and up to six metres!). On its top there is a compact cluster of crimson, nectar-filled flowers.

The wattles and the grevilleas are also blooming and the rose bushes have just started to sprout, their unfurling leaves still dark crimson and russet. The bulbs are making their final show, with daffodils, hyacinths, anemones, bluebells, tulips on their way out and the freesias, ranunculus, grape hyacinths and sparaxis still flowering. Winter may linger but Spring is in the air. One of these weekends coming up soon, we must go to the Botanic Gardens as it is a glorious season to visit it. Although the natives are often not as spectacular as the introduced species, the Botanic Gardens have a good variety of plants, both native, as well as exotics. It’s funny how the rose, the Madonna lily, the chrysanthemum and the lilac are all considered exotic species here in Australia!

MOVIE MONDAY - BRAVEHEART

“If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.” - Alfred Hitchcock

At the weekend we watched Mel Gibson’s 1995 film “Braveheart” again as we were given a Bluray disc with the 15th Year Anniversary re-release. I had forgotten much about this film, although I remember that I had enjoyed it the first time round. Now, in the comfort of our own living room, quite relaxed and with the remote control firmly grasped (seeing the film was about three hours long, a couple of breaks were required!) we were able to take it in very objectively and with the benefit of having read an encyclopedia entry on William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Edward I, just before watching it.

The screenplay of the film is based loosely on historical facts, but there are several fictional interpositions and some gross misrepresentations of the historically verified events. For example, Princess Isabelle was only nine years old at the time of Wallace’s death and her son (later to be crowned Edward III), was born in 1312, which is seven years after the death of Wallace and five years after the death of Edward I. Hence there is no way that she was “Princess of Wales” as the film suggests and also there is no way that William Wallace fathered Edward III. But it makes a good story and people love scandal!

The story centres on the historical figure William Wallace, who is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward I (“Longshanks” as he was 6’2”), who wishes to take the crown of Scotland for himself. When William was a young boy, his father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses his wife to the barbarity of the English, William Wallace begins his bloody struggle to make Scotland free once and for all, thus giving assistance to Robert the Bruce, the heir to the Scottish throne, to become the king of Scotland.

The film was good enough and Mel Gibson manages to direct well and star in it at the same time. Sophie Marceau looks delightful as the Princess. The cinematography is truly stunning and some of the Scottish landscapes are absolutely breathtaking. The brutality of many of the scenes is quite striking and seeing that Gibson got into trouble with “The Passion of the Christ” for excessive violence, I am wondering if this is one of his trademarks or some penchant of his… There are crucifixion-like images in the film and visual imagery of martyrdom, too.  It is a formulaic Hollywood film and panders to the Scottish nationalistic ideals. The English are depicted as absolute barbarians and heartless, cruel oppressors – which may have an element of truth in it, however, the Scots are no angels either, considering the treachery of some of their lords, also shown in the film.

The movie failed to move me somehow. It was entertaining, amusing, diverting, rousing, sometimes sad, but there was a lack of true emotion and poignancy in it. There was a feeling of authenticity in some scenes, but in others I felt that it was a little phony and the Hollywood view of the history of the world came through more strongly than the illusion of reality. Now why wasn’t it emotionally engaging? I don’t know. Maybe it was Gibson and his hair – we couldn’t take his long locks seriously! Maybe it was the obvious embellishments in the real history to make it more cinematic? Maybe it was the whole package?

Nevertheless, the film is enjoyable and worth seeing (or seeing again, to see what you think 15 years later). It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Director – which doesn’t mean much, except that it followed Hollywood’s rules and Hollywood recognised these efforts. And did I mention the music by James Horner? Nice unobtrusive generally Celtic-sounding music that sounded a lot like the “Titanic” music. I’m being overly critical maybe, but no, we enjoyed it, truly…

ART SUNDAY - JULIAN BEEVER

“We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. The artist must know the manner whereby to convince others of the truthfulness of his lies.” - Pablo Picasso


Trompe l’ oeil is a French term that literally means ‘deceives the eye.’ It describes visual illusion in art, especially as used to trick the eye into perceiving a painted detail as a three-dimensional object. Usually it applies to hyper-realistic art that is contrived in such a way that through the use of context and perspective it creates a powerful optical illusion that what is depicted ‘jumps out’ at the viewer in verisimilitude of life.

Anamorphosis is a technique where a distorted projection or drawing appears normal when viewed from a particular point or with a suitable mirror or lens. The angle that one views an anamorphic drawing or painting may be crucial to viewing the image correctly, or alternative, one may not view it at all except through special equipment, such as curved mirrors, lens arrangements or special projection equipment.

For Art Sunday today, an exponent of both trompe l’oeil and anamorphosis, Julian Beever, who is an English artist famous for his art on the pavements of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia, Belgium and many more countries. Beever gives his drawings an anamorphic view, with his images drawn in a way that gives them three-dimensionality when viewing from the correct angle. Since the mid 1990s, this artist has created pavement drawings for over ten years, using chalks and pastels to create impermanent masterpieces that are soon washed away by the rain and erased by the shuffling feet of people on the pavements that he uses as his canvas. The pavement drawings have included both renderings of old masters plus a wealth of original inventive pieces of work.

Besides this pavement art, Beever also paints murals in acrylics, replicates the works of masters, paints in oils and creates collages. Some of his other works are drawings, typically with a musical, whose size may measure up to 7 metres long by 7 metres high.

Beevers’ art has mass appeal and is easily appreciated by a delighted crowd. He is often sponsored by advertisers, who pay for his efforts, this ensuring his art stays accessible and acknowledged by his public. He says: “My art is for anybody, it’s for people who wouldn’t go into an art gallery. It’s art for the people. Art shouldn’t be locked away in galleries and libraries and books. Art should be for everybody and not just art boffins, historians and so-called experts.”

And yet, there are some who consider his art as “just graffiti” and a defacement of public thoroughfares. Once in Birmingham his drawing was swilled away from the pavement due to a mix up with permissions from the local council. Beever takes it all in his stride and even if he has worked for a few days on one of his pieces, he doesn’t blink an eyelid as it gets washed away, as long as he has taken a photograph of it. “The important thing for me is to get a photo of it at the end. For me, I’m working towards building a photograph as my end result, and if I get that I’m happy.”

I like this artist. He has fun and he gives the viewers of his art great delight and pleasure. He demystifies art and brings it to the masses. He inspires and engages people who may otherwise have never gone into a gallery or a studio and he interacts with people in a positive and accessible way. Art is a firing up of the imagination, an invitation to journey to unknown lands, an adventure and a thrill. Beever’s escapades engage and stimulate the public. Here is a time-lapse video of the artist creating one of his pieces.

http://media.cnpapers.com/chalk/