HOLOGRAM TECHNOLOGY

“Technology... the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.” - Max Frisch

I read in the paper today that American researchers have developed a holographic system that can record a moving 3D image of a person or object in one place and display it at another location in close to real time. The technology involves a “clever” plastic material that updates the 3D holographic image every two seconds and is the basis of the new system developed by a research team led by Nasser Peyghambarian, of the University of Arizona. The researchers said that although the system was still slow, and the 3D image produced so far was very small, they demonstrated that it could be done and was no longer something in science fiction.

Increases in image size, updating speed and wide colour range were needed before the system would become a commercial proposition, possibly within seven to 10 years. Professor Peyghambarian predicted there would be many applications, including telemedicine, advertising, teleconferencing, entertainment and engineering design. A demonstration of the technology, using a model jet plane, is reported in the premier science journal “Nature”. In the prototype system, 16 cameras were used to take pictures of the subject from a variety of angles. This information was fed into a computer and sent down a fast internet connection to a different location where lasers produced a coloured 3D image of the subject in the 25 centimetre photorefractive polymer screen.

The 16 pictures that are captured are sent to the laser recording system, which imprints the view into the special polymer at a four-inch-squared size (made up of 120, 3D pixels, called hogels). Each hogel looks different from different angles. The next image is taken and used to refresh the display two seconds later. The more cameras that are used, the more life-like the image would be, with up to 100 different perspectives possible with the holographic technology, compared with only two in 3D movies, such as Avatar, the researchers stated.

This is the first time researchers have demonstrated an optical material that can display “holographic video,” as opposed to static holograms found in credit cards and product packages. The prototype looks like a chunk of acrylic, but it’s actually an amazing material, called a photorefractive polymer, with remarkable optical properties making the rendering of holographic images possible.

The pace at which technology is advancing is quite amazing! When super 8 movies became available for home use, as I remember from my childhood, I thought it was a fantastic thing. Then of course we had video tapes and video cameras, which were a further advance, so much easier, cheaper and simpler to use. Everyone was astounded! We then had the advent of digital recording on USB sticks and memory cards, DVDs and further ease of quite high-powered video and editing capabilities put in the hands of the ordinary person. Now there is 3D technology afoot, and soon 3D holograms! In 10 years the world will be an even more fantastic and amazing place with half of the things that we see now as the peak of scientific and technological advancement being already obsolete. Just when you thought it was safe to upgrade your DVD collection to BluRay, think again!

technology |tekˈnäləjē| noun ( pl. -gies)
The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, esp. in industry: Advances in computer technology | Recycling technologies.
• Machinery and equipment developed from such scientific knowledge.
• The branch of knowledge dealing with engineering or applied sciences.
DERIVATIVES
technologist |-jist| noun
technologise |-ˌjīz| verb
ORIGIN early 17th century: From Greek tekhnologia ‘systematic treatment,’ from tekhnē ‘art, craft’ + -logia ‘branch of knowledge’.

MY HEART, LIKE A POMEGRANATE

“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams.” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I have had a very busy day today with meetings, individual telephone calls, conference calls, scores of emails and much proof-reading to do. Although I was in at work at 7:00 am and kept going without break until 5:00 pm, I still had a mountain of unfinished business on my desk. But, that was it, I’d had enough and decided to leave it all – tomorrow is another day…

A poem from my old notebook today, speaking of the trials and tribulations of young love. Pomegranates figure prominently in Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern lore and traditions both as symbols as well as an essential item of the diet. The pomegranate is symbol of both life and death, hope and fortune, as well as symbol of loss and deception.

The Pomegranate Tree

My heart a pomegranate fruit,
Cracked open wide,
Bleeding blood, drop by drop,
As each grain of fruit’s released.
A drop that falls, transforms
Into a blood-red anemone in my hand.

I kiss the flower and give it you,
And you accept it absently.
You pluck each petal nonchalantly,
And I stumble on each of your “loves me nots”.
Each petal flies away to become a moth
That loses itself in the shadows,
Like my hopes that flee at night:
Bluebirds vanishing high up.

My love under its greenwood veil,
Hides within a fresh, living leaf,
Which under autumn skies ages,
Yellows, withers, falls…
Falls like the sea-salty tears
From my eyes that water
With toxic drops
My single-fruiting
Pomegranate tree.

A MOVIE ON MELBOURNE CUP DAY

“And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.” - George Bernard Shaw

It was a public holiday in Melbourne today, this being the day of the running of the Melbourne Cup, “The Horserace that Stops a Nation”. It was the 150th time this famous horserace was being run this year and despite the cold, grey and wet conditions, the flooded car parks and the threat of much disruption to the racing, the crowds turned out in the tens of thousands to participate in the festivities and mayhem of this most famous horse racing event in Australia. The winner of the 2010 Melbourne Cup, “Americain”, was an American-bred, Australian-owned horse trained by a Frenchman and ridden by a Hong Kong-based jockey exemplified that this horse race is a global event. As was usual, the favourite (Bart Cummings “So You Think”) failed to win and was relegated to third place.

For someone who is not a gambler like me, the Melbourne Cup is a curiosity and a welcome excuse for a holiday. I just pity the poor horses running the races… In any case I had taken work with me and spent all morning doing it, but it was a luxury not to actually go in to the office. A special friend came around for morning tea, so we turned out the freshly-baked scones, jam and cream, this being a very pleasant diversion. As the day became more rainy and grey, we decided to stay in and after lunch watched a movie.

It was the classic action thriller, star vehicle, Michael Mann’s 1995 “Heat”, starring Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer. It was a bit of an odyssey, with 170 minutes filled with violence, swearing, killings, guns, cops and robbers, murderers and amoral psychopaths in a horribly seamy Los Angeles that is not given much of a chance to be a place likely to attract tourists. This is not the sort of movie that will make you say: “I want to visit Los Angeles soon!”

Yes, the acting and direction were good, the action scenes well-handled, the “private lives” of both cops and robbers inserted seamlessly into the action, but it was neither original as a story nor engaging enough to be seen as an exceptional film, even in its well-worn genre. It is rated 247th in the top 250 films and it is hardly surprising given its subject matter, its moral ambiguity and the sheer unattractiveness of its characters. Ugh!

I sometimes think that if more enlightened times come in the future and the human animal ever becomes evolved into a higher type of spiritual and intellectual being, whether these film seen by our descendants will be reason for them to hide their head in shame and bemoan the fact that they are descended from such savages. I suppose it is the same way we now feel about cannibalistic savages that enjoyed killing and eating their neighbouring tribe, or the way that we feel about Hitler and his killing sprees, or what the way that we view the ethnic cleansing of the former Yugoslavia, or the way the Conquistadors subjugated the Americas, or, or, or, or…

Come to think of it, maybe even to think of the human animal as ever being a more intellectual or spiritual species is a joke!

BYZANTINE MEATBALLS

“Time in its irresistible and ceaseless flow carries along on its flood all created things and drowns them in the depths of obscurity.” - Anna Komnené

The Byzantine Empire succeeded the Roman Empire and officially began when Constantine the Great (St Constantine - 272-337 AD) moved his capital in 330 AD from Rome to Byzantium, renaming it Constantinople (now Istanbul). Constantine had chosen the site for his new capital with care. He placed Constantinople on the frontier of Europe and Asia, dominating the waterway connecting the Mediterranean and Black seas. It was a crossroads of trade, of cultures and with a great tradition going back to prehistory. From 330 AD to 1453 AD Byzantium reigned supreme, and while Western Europe languished in the dark ages, Byzantium flourished.

The most salient aspect of Greek Byzantium was the transmission of classical culture. While classical studies, science, and philosophy largely dissipated in the Latin west, Byzantine education and philosophy still zealously pursued these intellectual traditions. It was in Byzantium that Plato and Aristotle continued to be studied and were eventually transmitted first into the Islamic world and then back into Western Europe. A basic education in Byzantium consisted first of the mastery of classical Greek literature, such as Homer (largely unknown in the West during this period) and almost all of the Greek literature we have today was only preserved by the Byzantines.

The Byzantine emperors reigned over a vast empire of fabulous wealth. Life in Constantinople was extremely civilised and the emperor’s court and his nobles lived a lavish existence, dressed in silks, adorned with gold and precious stones and eating the best and freshest foods spiced with the richest condiments the Orient had to offer.

Nicholas Tselementes (1878 - 1958) the most distinguished Greek chef of modern times, traced back to Byzantine times such dishes as Keftedes (fried meatballs), Dolmades (grain and/or meat stuffed into vegetables or plant leaves and cooked), Moussaka (a layered dish of meat, cheese and pasta or grain), Yuvarlakia (meat and/or grain dumplings cooked in broth), and Kakavia, the Greek version of Bouillabaise (mixed fish soup). He also traced back to the ancient Greeks the making of white sauce - using flour and fat to thicken a broth or milk mixture.

Although some of these dishes are now known to the world by Turkish or European names (even the Greeks call white sauce “béchamel”), their origins are Greek. We know that Byzantine Greeks ate three meals a day - breakfast, lunch and supper. They had many fast days that coincided with the church year cycle, similar to what modern Orthodox Greeks observe now. While the lower classes made do with what they could get, the upper classes were served three courses at their midday and supper meals consisting of hors d’ oeuvres, a main course of fish or meat and a sweet course.

The Byzantines ate all kinds of meats including pork, and numerous types of fowl. They ate large amounts of fresh fish and seafood. There were many types of soups and stews and salads were popular. They liked a variety of cheeses and fruits were eaten both fresh and cooked. Fruits included apples, melons, dates, figs, grapes and pomegranates. Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios were used in many dishes as well as being eaten by themselves.

Here is a Byzantine dish that would have been enjoyed by the middle classes of merchants and shopkeepers, but which in its modern Greek version is still staple fare:

KEFTÉDHES (BYZANTINE MEATBALLS)
Ingredients

• 500 g lean beef or veal, ground
• 1 large onion, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 egg, beaten lightly
• 3 slices of bread, crusts removed, soaked in water and squeezed lightly
• 3 tablespoonfuls finely chopped parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh mint
• 3 tablespoonfuls red wine
• 2-3 tablespoonfuls water, if necessary
• Freshly ground cinnamon (pinch)
• Freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• Freshly ground nutmeg (pinch)
• Freshly ground allspice (pimento - pinch)
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup of barley, powdered in the blender
• Olive oil, enough for a frying depth of 2 cm

Method
In the authentic recipe, the meat would probably be pounded or finely minced with a knife instead of ground.
Mix all ingredients except barley and olive oil, and refrigerate for an hour.
Pinch off small pieces of the mixture, the size of walnuts, form into a ball and dredge in the barley flour.
Heat the oil to a smoking point and fry the meatballs until crisp, turning constantly. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.
Serve with a green salad and crispy bread, accompanied by a gutsy red wine.

MAGRITTE FOR HALLOWEEN

“There are very few monsters that warrant the fear we have of them.” - Andre Gide

For Art Sunday today, a painting by René Magritte (1898 – 1967), the Belgian surrealist artist who produced some startling and thought provoking works. While some of his canvases are quite chilling, this illustrated work, while superficially simple and innocent has quite a frightening atmosphere the longer one contemplates it. There is something disquieting and quite disturbing about it. The twilight and palpable darkness of the house and tree in the foreground contrasts with light of the sky and the feeble streetlight. The lit upstairs windows of the house, partly obscured by the dark tree foliage are particularly sinister, especially as they contrast with the shuttered downstairs windows. The same contrast that makes the painting unsettling is the light, almost daytime sky with the incongruous night-time scene below.

This is one version of a series of works by Magritte, all called “Empire of Lights”. This is the first Empire of Light (L’ Empire des lumières), 1953–54. It is Oil on canvas, 195.4 x 131.2 cm and is found in The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice.

I though this apt for Halloween night, as it’s the sort of house you would not want to go trick-or-treating at!

Happy Halloween!

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
                       Scottish Saying

FUNERAL MARCH FOR A MARIONETTE

“And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” - Gilbert K. Chesterton

It was a busy day today with lots to get done, and much running around. The rain did not help which was quite heavy. At least our reservoirs are filling up with the total capacity being up to 50% full. Tonight I went out with friends to a restaurant in Southbank (“The Red Emperor”, a favourite Chinese restaurant of mine) and that was very enjoyable.

The restaurant was full as it was Derby Day today (poor horses must have swum to the finish!), so all the women were in their finery and millinery. Add to that the young people dressed up in fancy dress for Halloween and it was a very festive atmosphere. We had a Chinese banquet which was delicious and there was much mirth and conversation, laughter and gaiety. Everyone’s horse seems to have won…

For Music Saturday today, I am continuing on the Halloween theme: Here is Charles Gounod’s “Funeral March of a Marionette”. The music in the beginning represents two members of a Marionette troupe that have had a duel and one of them has been killed. A party of pallbearers is organised and the procession sets out for the cemetery in march time. The music soon takes on a more cheerful spirit, for some of the troupe, wearied with the march, seek consolation at a wayside inn, where they refresh themselves and recall the many virtues of their late companion. At last they get into place again and the procession enters the cemetery to the march rhythm - the whole closing with the bars intended to reflect upon the brevity and weariness of life, even for marionettes.

“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” is well known for its title sequence, which uses this music as its signature. The camera fades in on a simple line-drawing caricature of Hitchcock’s characteristic profile. As the program's theme music, Charles Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette, plays, Hitchcock himself appears in silhouette from the right edge of the screen, and then walks to center screen to eclipse the caricature. He then almost always says “Good evening” and introduces the programme…

PUMPKIN RECIPES

“Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days.”

With Halloween approaching, Food Friday must pay an obligatory tribute to Halloween food and drink!

Pumpkin Fritters
Ingredients

500 grams mashed pumpkin (not too young a pumpkin, as it can be watery)
125 grams flour
2 level teaspoonfuls baking powder,
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Ground nutmeg, mace and fenugreek to taste
1 beaten egg
A little milk if the consistency is too viscous
1 extra egg and breadcrumbs for coating
Vegetable oil for frying

Method
Mix well all ingredients and dip into beaten egg before coating with breadcrumbs
Drop with a tablespoon into hot oil
Lightly brown both sides
Drain on absorbent paper and serve hot

Pumpkin Scones
Ingredients

2.5 cupfuls self-raising flour
1 cupful mashed pumpkin
55 grams butter
1 egg
0.5 cupful milk
1 teaspoonful of salt
1 teaspoonful of mixed herbs
Pinch nutmeg
Pepper to taste

Method
Beat butter until soft
Add pumpkin and egg and mix well
Add milk, mixing well
Slowly add flour
Turn dough onto a floured board and knead well
Roll out dough to 2 cm thickness and cut with cookie cutter into 5 cm circles
Place on greased baking tray
Bake at 200˚C for 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Milkshake
Ingredients

1/3 cup cold mashed pumpkin
1/4 - 1/2 cup cold milk
1/4 teaspoonful vanilla essence
1/2 teaspoonful ground cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A pinch of ground mace
2 tablespoonfuls brown sugar
2 cupfuls vanilla ice cream
1-2 cinnamon cookies

Method
Place all ingredients except for the cinnamon cookies in a blender
Start with 1/4 cupful milk and then slowly add more if needed to make the blender process it all
Sprinkle with crushed cinnamon cookie crumbs and dust with cinnamon before serving.

A BOOK REVIEW - THE KITE RUNNER

“For my part I believe in the forgiveness of sin and the redemption of ignorance.” - Adlai Stevenson

I am reading a book by Khaled Hosseini, “The Kite Runner”, first published in 2003. Khaled Hosseini was born in 1965 in Kabul, the Afghani capital. His father was a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother taught Farsi and History at a large high school in Kabul. The Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris in 1976 but when they were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, Afghanistan had witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The Hosseinis sought and were granted political asylum in the United States. In the autumn of 1980, Hosseini’s family moved to San Jose in California. Khaled graduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California School of Medicine in San Diego, where he graduated with a Medical Degree in 1993. He now lives in northern California.

While in practicing medicine, Hosseini began writing his first novel, “The Kite Runner”, in March of 2001. In 2003, as soon as the novel was published it immediately became popular and has since become an international bestseller, translated widely and published in 48 countries. In 2006 Hosseini was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency). His second novel, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” was published in the Spring of 2007. Khaled has been working to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through “The Khaled Hosseini Foundation”, which he founded after an emotional trip to Afghanistan made by the author in 2007 with the UNHCR.

“The Kite Runner” is well written, but part of its appeal is its superficial simplicity through which the author touches on some important, profound concepts, and evergreen but also contemporary issues: Friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, guilt, redemption, childhood, sacrifice, politics, terrorism, nationality, violence… The novel reads like a memoir and obviously the author was inspired by some events of his own life, but it really is a novel, not a biography. The numerous and startling twists and turns of the story (sometimes implausible) make for good reading and there are many poignant moments. However, the characters are memorable and through an Afghani’s eyes we see his own anguish over his birthplace and the sad state of affairs that have made this previously obscure country, fodder for the first pages of the press every now and then in recent times.

The story of the novel centres on Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, who is raised in a privileged and protected environment. His friend Hassan, is the son of the servant of Amir. The two children live an idyllic childhood in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s and become inseparable. They fly kites, tell stirring stories of magic places and brave warriors until a violent event forever changes their relationship, eventually bonding them in ways than neither of them could have guessed. After Amir and his father escape to America, Amir remains haunted by his past actions and his betrayal of his friend. The major part of the book is Amir’s attempt to exorcise the demons of his past and his efforts to redeem himself of the cowardice that motivated his actions in childhood.

If you haven’t read this book I recommend it most highly and although many parts of it are harrowing, it is full of humanity and deeply felt emotion.

redemption |riˈdemp sh ən| noun
1 The action of saving or being saved from sin, error, or evil: God's plans for the redemption of his world.
• [in sing.] figurative A thing that saves someone from error or evil: His marginalisation from the Hollywood jungle proved to be his redemption.
2 The action of regaining or gaining possession of something in exchange for payment, or clearing a debt.
• archaic the action of buying one's freedom.
PHRASES
Beyond (or past) redemption (of a person or thing) too bad to be improved or saved.
ORIGIN late Middle English: From Old French, from Latin redemptio(n-), from redimere ‘buy back’.

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY

“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” - Stacia Tauscher

In Australia today we celebrate National Children’s Day, which is marked every year on the fourth Wednesday of October. It is not a particularly well-known or well-observed commemorative day, which may be partly because it conflicts with the “Universal Children’s Day”, taking place on November 20th annually. There is also an “International Children’s Day” celebrated in some parts of the world on June 1st. Many other nations declare days for children on various other dates. I guess that is because every day is children’s day really, as children are the future of our world and they need to be loved, nurtured, protected and educated.

In honour of this day, a poem that celebrates childhood.

Childhood

Through a small child’s eyes
The world’s a place of wonder,
And time cannot run fast enough
To keep up with the turning wheels
Of its mind’s new, shiny machine.

A child’s heart still pure and gentle,
Has enough love in it to spread
Around the world and still have
Some left over to give generously
To whoever needs it most.

A child’s questions ever asked,
Will often cause a wise man
To muse over and in perplexed vexation
He will not answer, his wisdom not enough,
His ponderings unfruitful…

A child’s touch is a breath from God,
Living reminder that He is not yet
Discouraged of sinful Man;
Allowing the human race to run its course
In hope through new generations.

A child needs love, tenderness, affection
Understanding, guidance, counsel.
The young mind like a sponge absorbs,
The young heart simply trained
To love, equally as easily to hate.

The child, a being of light and optimism,
Of endless prospects and untold possibilities;
How grave the duty to have and raise a child,
How immense such a responsibility,
How profound and critical such a commitment!

IN PRAISE OF MELBOURNE

“My hometown was so dull that one time the tide went out and never came back.” - Fred Allen

Well, it’s official! Melbourne is the best city in Australia to work, play and live in. We Melbournians knew that all along of course, but kept it a secret just incase we had an influx of immigrants that want to share our good fortune! A national survey was just published indicated that our nation’s Number 1 tourism destination for sport, culture, shopping, theatre, restaurants, bars and nightlife is Melbourne, eclipsing Sydney and the up-and-coming pretender Brisbane… It is the country’s sporting capital and confirmed as the best Australian city to host sporting events, as well. Melbourne was also commended for being home to world-class golf courses, a capable host for musical and theatre experiences and also for having top regional experiences close to the city.

Well, I can’t be an objective commentator as I love my hometown and I am proud of Melbourne. Its lifestyle and facilities, its parks, its galleries, museums, roads, public transport and also of course its people are amongst the best in the world. Melbournians are generally friendly, approachable, cosmopolitan, fashion-conscious, trend-setting, cultured and with a good sense of humour. Having lived here for several decades I have seen Melbourne blossom into a world metropolis from what originally was a large town masquerading as a city. Progress has been staggering and the development that has occurred in the last couple of decades is astounding, to say the least!

Progress though, comes at a price… I shall now be the devil’s advocate and try to become less subjective. The already immense population increase in our city has statisticians predict that Melbourne will become Australia’s most populous city in the next few years, rapidly overtaking Sydney. This will create all sorts of issues that have city planners cringe. Increased traffic, demand for living space, housing, resources, pressure on the surrounding countryside, inadequate public transport and roads, are all bound to become very real threats in the immediate future. Increasing crime, pollution, smog, overcrowding, creation of ghettoes and rising property prices are also anticipated. We are already experiencing some of these problems and no doubt we should brace ourselves because they are likely to worsen, given the refractory nature of bureaucracy and city planning.

It should be noted that most respondents of the survey were people living interstate and contemplating Melbourne as tourist destination. I would hate to city my hometown become “a lovely place to visit, but I wouldn’t like to live there” type of place (incidentally exactly the way that think of Sydney!). Incidentally, Victoria rated fourth in world-class natural attractions, behind Queensland, Northern Territory and New South Wales. It also came fourth on unique history and heritage attractions, the Tourism Victoria survey shows.

GRADUS AD PARNASSUM

“The lunatic, the lover, and the poet, are of imagination all compact.” - William Shakespeare

I really must moderate my expectations of everything, as setting them too high can so often lead to disappointment. It so often is the case with movies, especially if the marketing machine has drummed up some of these films to be so wonderful and so definitely worth seeing that one goes in and expects the great heavens to open up! We had such an experience yesterday when we watched Terry Gilliam’s 2009 “The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus”. The film was an extremely self-indulgent fantasy which was based on a Faustian “pact with the devil” story, serving as a springboard for some hallucinatory excursions in the fantastical.

The plot is set in modern-day London where Doctor Parnassus sets up his itinerant and antiquated sideshow troupe. Accompanying him are his young daughter Valentina, the midget Percy, and his assistant Anton. The sideshow is called an “Imaginarium”, and while in trance, Dr Parnassus is able to transport anyone who enters into it into an imaginary world where their dreams come true. Meanwhile, the troupe rescues Tony, a young man that was hanged on a bridge by the Russian Mafia. Tony and Valentina fall in love with each other and the jealous Anton discovers that his competitor for Valentina’s affections may be a liar. The Doctor claims to have lived for more than one thousand years because long ago he made a deal with the devil (“Mr Nick”), in which he gained immortality. Many centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his first-born reached its 16th birthday he or she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now almost the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus makes a new bet with Mr. Nick, that whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize. Dr Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win the bet. While the race for the souls is running, Dr Parnassus must fight to save his daughter and overcome surreal obstacles, while trying to undo the mistakes of his past.

The movie belongs to veteran actor Christopher Plummer who gives a magnificent performance as Dr Parnassus. Often of course, he has to act drivel, but that doesn’t take away from his marvellous recital. He relishes the role and the character and makes the most of the material that he has. Heath Ledger, who plays Tony, gave a middling performance although once again the script failed him. It was poignant watching him not only because this was his last role (what a waste of a life!), but also because at one point he has some lines that seem to be very prophetic: “But...Rudolph Valentino, James Dean, Princess Di... All those people... They’re all dead. Yes, but immortal, nevertheless. They won’t get old or fat. They won’t get sick or feeble. They are beyond fear. Because, they are forever young. They are gods...”

As Ledger died during the shooting of the film he was replaced by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell as “Imaginarium Tonies 1, 2 and 3”. The plot was convoluted enough to allow face-changing and the stitching is almost invisible. Depp, Law and Farrell were paying tribute to a fellow actor and friend and their contribution is summed up by Depp’s statement: “Well... the unfortunate passing of Heath was such an utter devastation, obviously to his family and friends, but also he was in the middle of... Dr. Parnassus with Terry Gilliam. Gilliam was kind of stuck... We got together - three actors, Colin Farrell, Jude Law and myself - and finished up the role basically for Heath. Basically, what we said was ‘just give Heath... it’s Heath's money and it should go to Matilda [Heath Ledger's daughter].’”

Valentina is played with verve by Lily Cole, and Anton is played well enough by Andrew Garfield. Percy the Midget steals the scene every time he appears, played by Verne Troyer. On the other hand, Mr Nick is a caricature, a cheap and tawdry pantomime Mephistopheles played in a rather pedestrian way by Tom Waits who at least looks suitably slimy and repulsive for the role. The remaining supporting cast is greatly variable, ranging from the excellent to the ordinary. The music by Jeff Danna and Mychael Danna was unobtrusive but not memorable and the cinematography good, although as far as imaginative computer-generated fancies go, I still prefer “MirrorMask” and “The Fall”.

An interesting aside that seasoned piano players will appreciate. There is a visual pun in the film where a giant staircase is being climbed to a lofty peak, that that refers to the Latin phrase “Gradus ad Parnassum”. This means “A Step to Parnassus”. Parnassus was used to denote the highest point of a mountain range in central Greece, a few miles north of Delphi, of which the two summits, in Classical times, were called Tithorea and Lycoreia. In Greek mythology, Mount Parnassus was sacred to Apollo and the nine Muses, the inspiring god and goddesses of the arts. The phrase has often been used to refer to various books of instruction, or guides, in which gradual progress in literature, language instruction, music, or the arts in general, is sought. “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum” is a satirical piano composition by Claude Debussy, from his suite “Children’s Corner”, poking fun at Muzio Clementi’s original collection of instructional piano pieces called “Gradus ad Parnassum”.

I will probably see this film again in a few years time, and I shall be interested in reviewing it again. As it was, I still recommend it to others to see, having all that I have written above in mind, I am sure that you will enjoy it more than I did.

A FEW PICNICS

“Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.” – Pablo Picasso

Seeing it’s Pablo Picasso’s (1881 - 1974) birthday tomorrow, for Art Sunday today let’s have a Picasso painting. A Picasso painting in fact, which pays homage to that of another artist: Édouard Manet 
(1832-1883). Manet shocked Paris when he exhibited his highly controversial “Luncheon on the Grass” in 1863. Manet was paying homage another artist before him, Giorgione and his painting “The Tempest” of 1508. Each of the artists admired his predecessor’s art but reprocessed that art into a completely new and satisfying work, which contained more of each of the copier’s personality and talent than a work simply being copied.

In all cases a naked woman is depicted with men, who are dressed. This is perhaps what shocked the public, affronting its morality and insulting propriety. Hence the cries of “obscenity”. But many admired and lauded the painting. Émile Zola was one of these, who wrote in defence of the painting:

“The Luncheon on the Grass is the greatest work of Édouard Manet, one in which he realizes the dream of all painters: to place figures of natural grandeur in a landscape. We know the power with which he vanquished this difficulty. There are some leaves, some tree trunks, and, in the background, a river in which a chemise-wearing woman bathes; in the foreground, two young men are seated across from a second woman who has just exited the water and who dries her naked skin in the open air. This nude woman has scandalized the public, who see only her in the canvas. My God! What indecency: a woman without the slightest covering between two clothed men! That has never been seen. And this belief is a gross error, for in the Louvre there are more than fifty paintings in which are found mixes of persons clothed and nude. But no one goes to the Louvre to be scandalised.”
Claude Monet also admired the painting, being inspired to do his own less controversial but nevertheless monumental and striking version of “Luncheon on the Grass”.

Picasso turned his attention to Manet’s Luncheon on the Grass, in the early 1960s, working intensively for almost two years on some 150 drawings and 27 paintings. As Manet had taken the right to renew the theme of Giorgione, Picasso took his right to extrapolate hundreds of commentaries on the situation proposed by Manet. These variations, with their many shifts in mode, were in keeping with Picasso’s intense interest in what makes a painter a painter—why a landscape with a nude and some clothed men can release so many emotional resonances.

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish artist whose name is almost synonymous with 20th century art. No artist was ever as famous as Picasso was in his own lifetime. The controversies over his strong personality, extreme arrogance, multiple affairs with younger women, and unwillingness to be classified in the art world only added to his fame and public appeal.

Whatever his human flaws, as an artist Picasso was a true genius. He was able to create incredibly complex and powerful paintings with a few strokes of the brush, or capture the essence of someone’s face as though viewing it in three dimensions, all captured on the flat expanse of canvas. As an individualist, Picasso was a founder of art movements, such as Cubism, but paradoxically refused to do what other people did, and whenever the art world caught up with him and thought they knew what to expect, he would change completely and surprise them.

When he was a child, Picasso was as skilled in realist portraits as in expressionist symbolism. He was also incredibly proficient, especially near the end of his life, when he would often complete three paintings in one day. It was as if he believed he could delay his death through painting. At the time many of these works were dismissed, in the words of Douglas Cooper, as “the incoherent scribblings of a frenetic old man”. It wasn't until long after Picasso's death that critics took a new look at his later works and realized that Picasso had invented neo-expressionism and was, as usual, decades ahead of his time.

BLACK COFFEE

“Coffee makes us severe, and grave, and philosophical.” Jonathan Swift

The day dawned gray and dreary today, so it was a lazy breakfast with plenty of hot coffee, toast, orange juice and some beautiful classical music on the weekend breakfast show on radio. We then went out and did some grocery shopping and came back to watch a movie. In the evening it was time to relax and listen to some more music, this time with some wine and in a little bluer mood. And then, there’s nothing like strong black coffee just before bed!

Here is KD Lang singing “Black Coffee” being as laid back as they get!

LEAN CUISINE

“It is better to rise from life as from a banquet - neither thirsty nor drunken.” – Aristotle

One of the most concerning and recurring items in the news nowadays is the epidemic of obesity and obesity-related diseases that plague the Western, industrialised nations. One of the most worrying aspects of it is that younger and younger children are becoming obese and affected with an alarmingly high incidence of diseases such as diabetes and heart problems. The abundance of food (and especially so of the readily accessible and cheap “fast food”) is partly to blame, but some of the blame lies with lifestyle, where most of us lead sedentary existences in front of the TV, sitting behind a desk all day, on the couch or in bed.

Traditional diet in Asia, around the Mediterranean, Central and South America, as well as the active lifestyle in all of these countries is associated with a low incidence of obesity and its attendant misfortunes. It seems the more civilised we become, the more urbanised and technologically advanced we are, the greater the risk of moving away from the healthy lifestyle and the good diet that our ancestors enjoyed.

There is also of course the other side of the coin: Body image and weight has become a status symbol in highly industrialised societies of the Western world. To be trim and slim with a fit and healthy body is a highly desirable body image to have and the higher the social status, the more one will find pressures to adhere to this “body beautiful” image. To this end, there are large numbers of personal trainers, dietary advisors, bariatric specialists, surgeons and special services all dedicated to manufacturing the desired body shape and weight, that projects “wealth and high status”. Needless to say that this is another extreme, which itself can lead to disease and complications.

As is the case with all things, the middle way is the best policy. No obesity but no extremities of slimness, either! No excesses of eating, but also no starvation. A balance in diet and a reduction in the calorie consumed will lead to reasonable body size and weight. We must say no to inactivity and the sedentary lifestyle, but also no, to a stringent exercise regime that can damage the body and lead to muscle, joint and bone problems.

Here is a traditional Mediterranean recipe, which is vegetarian but also delicious and stuffed full of fibre, vitamins, minerals and complex carbohydrates.

Greek Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients

•    1/4 cup olive oil

•    2 cups chopped onions
•    
1 cup uncooked rice
•    
1/4 cup freshly roasted pine nuts
•    1 1/4 cups water
•    1 teaspoon tomato paste
•    1 can of peeled tomatoes
•    
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
•    1 teaspoon allspice
•    1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
•    
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
•    2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
•    
3 tablespoons lemon juice
•    Eight small to medium sized green bell peppers
•    1 cup water
•    Lemon wedges for garnish

Method
•    Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over moderate heat and sauté the onions, stirring frequently, until light brown.
•    Add the rice and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the toasted pine nuts and cook no longer than an additional minute.
•    Add the water, tomato paste, tomatoes, salt, pepper, allspice, and nutmeg, and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
•    Add the mint, parsley and lemon juice and toss gently with a fork to mix and fluff the rice.
•    Cut the top of the peppers about 1 cm down from the top and seed them carefully so that they remain whole.
•    Stuff the peppers with the rice mixture, place the tops on them again and put the stuffed peppers in a baking dish so that they remain standing next to each other.
•    Add 1 cup water to the bottom of the baking dish and bake covered in a preheated 170˚C oven for 45 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Allow to cool and remove the remaining water from the bottom of the baking dish.
•    Chill the peppers in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Serve chilled or at room temperature, garnished with lemon wedges.

ON BOOKS AND LIBRARIES (AGAIN...)

“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves.” - Anna Quindlen

I love books, as you may know if you are a regular reader of this blog. It goes without saying that I love reading, yes, but I also love the physical, printed, paper-based book as opposed to the electronic book. There is something wonderful about holding a book and leafing through the pages, feeling the texture of the paper against one’s skin, smelling that wonderful odour compounded of ink, paper and in many cases, of age (aren’t the best books old ones?). A happy room is a room full of books and I am glad to say that most rooms in our house are happy rooms.

About ten years ago we extended our house so that all of our books would fit and we ensured there was space to spare too! Needless to say that ten years afterwards we have run out of space for our books, again. It is a constant battle to find a little bit more room to fit another bookcase, put a shelf for a few more books. We have tried stopping buying books, but it is impossible! We have also tried to do a cull, but it ended up as an extended reading session, each of us surrounded by open books and showing each other the treasures we found. We cannot extend any more so some solution has to be found and it has to be found quickly!

Today I had a meeting in the City and on my way back I popped into the State Library of Victoria (illustrated above). This is one of my favourite haunts in the City and whenever I can I duck in, even if it just for a few minutes. There is always something going on in there, special exhibitions, books displays, cultural events, art exhibitions, but also of course the books themselves! The great Dome Reading Room is a magnificent temple of knowledge and sitting in the midst of it, seeing all of the galleries of books around, one feels warm, content and secure. And the joy of having all those billions of printed words just screaming out to be read!

One of the things that is advertised in the library is a donation program. One may donate worthy tomes to the State Library, which I guess is a fate that all good books in private home libraries aspire to. We may consider this option when the situation at home gets insupportable. The books in the State Library belong to all of us and I can go and access them whenever I like. It’s just that I want my books at hand, near me, in my house, within reach!

library |ˈlīˌbrerē; -brərē| noun ( pl. -braries)
A building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to: A school library | [as adj. ] A library book.
• A collection of books and periodicals held in such a building or room: The Institute houses an outstanding library of 35,000 volumes on the fine arts.
• A collection of films, recorded music, genetic material, etc., organized systematically and kept for research or borrowing: A record library.
• A series of books, recordings, etc, issued by the same company and similar in appearance.
• A room in a private house where books are kept.
• (Also software library) Computing a collection of programs and software packages made generally available, often loaded and stored on disk for immediate use.
ORIGIN late Middle English: Via Old French from Latin libraria ‘bookshop,’ feminine (used as a noun) of librarius ‘relating to books,’ from liber, libr- ‘book.’

LOVING

“By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth.” - Bible - Song of Songs, Solomon

A date to remember today, 20102010! Funny how we humans seek patterns and significance in the most insignificant and arbitrary of details… But to be playful is within our nature and to seek order, pattern and rule is part of the joy and curse of being human. I remember lying in bed when a child and gazing at the cracks of the ceiling trying to make out shapes and figures, pictures and whole scenes. Or looking at the clouds and seeing monsters, angels, animals, a thousand objects everyday or fanciful.

I had a phone call from a friend today, with whom I had not spoken for a while. He has been divorced for about five years now and was living the life of a bachelor all over again, enjoying it shortly, but then becoming increasingly miserable as he was used to married life and loving before that. He was ecstatic when he talked to me revealing he had fallen in love all over again. I shared his happiness with him and we prattled on for a while, until I asked him if she was in love with him too. And then he clouded over, became insecure, stuttered, was tongue-tied in fact and finally admitted that he thought so but had so many doubts…

How hard it is to love! I jotted down a poem and I dedicate it to LB.

Loving

It’s hard to love and love full well,
Giving one’s heart, risking its breakage.
It’s hard to give one’s all, and be so vulnerable
As to chance an utter devastation.

It’s hard to make one selfless, weak, and put
Another person’s happiness above one’s one.
It’s hard to willingly be hurt, weep, pine
While floundering in uncertainty and doubt…

It’s hard to live beholden to one’s beloved;
Breathing each breath, as though it’s borrowed.
It’s hard to lie awake and nourish oneself
Only with tears, sighs and gray disquiet.

But how easy to love when the beloved’s sun
Shines bright and one smiling glance is enough
To vapourise all misfortunes, apprehensions,
And answer all questions in the affirmative.

How easy to love when one touch reassures,
A kiss that’s freely given, a priceless treasure;
When blissful joys are shared by two
And raise both lovers clear to heaven!

OFFICE CONFIDENTIAL

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” - William Shakespeare

I was printing a confidential document on a shared colour printer at work the other day and before printing it, I ensured that people nearby knew that it was confidential and that I would go there to pick it up immediately. Between the time I clicked on the “print” button and when I went to the printer to pick up my document I saw the staff member that I had warned about the confidentiality of the document, reflected on the window glass opposite the printer. She was sneaking a look at my document, and then blissfully unaware that she had been observed, she quickly went back to her desk…

Common enough scenario? I am sure that you have similar stories to tell. The snoop with the long nose is alive and well and lives in every office. How often have we experienced this situation and we have realized this s one of the ways that “leakages” occur in work situations. Sensitive information is disseminated around the office in this way and then one wanders where the leak occurred. If you smiled wryly and thought: “We have a woman like that at my office”, think again!

A study carried out by Canon Australia last August and September found that although women are more likely to peek at a work colleague’s printout, men are more likely to linger and thoroughly read it! So much for stereotyping! And as far as printing is concerned, the same study found that nine out of ten workers, on average, were likely to print personal documents at the office. No wonder people don’t want others to have a look at their print-out! Another interesting finding was that one in three women was likely to print something at least twice every hour, compared to one in six men. Maybe this is why women thought that they were the only ones who refilled the paper trays in the printers and copiers (twice as many women thought this compared to men).

Of course, one can immediately see why Canon Australia were very interested in all of these office statistics and behaviours. They can target the advertising and marketing campaigns to the appropriate work groups if they have such information at hand. It’s quite amazing the amount of money that is spent on such studies all for the benefit of big business, however, some time one can garner some interesting information that has some use elsewhere also.

In case you are wondering what happened with my confidential document and what I did with the snoop, I shall tell you: As soon as I picked up my document I warned the colleague that I was going to print another even more sensitive document and would she please make sure that nobody picked it up or looked at it. She nodded her head with alacrity and put her head down. I went back to my computer and printed the following in large, bold type:

THIS IS MEANT TO BE A CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENT AND SHOULD NOT BE SEEN BY ANYONE, ESPECIALLY SO THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW THEY SHOULDN’T BE PEEKING AT IT!
PLEASE BE A LITTLE MORE CONSCIENTIOUS AND COURTEOUS…

When I went to pick up this second document, sure enough the colleague was returning to her desk. She had her head down and did not look at me when I collected it, but at least she was blushing!

MOVIE MONDAY - SPY GAME

“Faster, faster, faster, until the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death.” - Hunter Thompson


Last weekend we saw the 2001 Tony Scott movie “Spy Game”, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. As the title intimates this is a spy thriller all about CIA agent Nathan Muir (played by an ageing Redford) who is about to go to work for his last day before his retirement. Unfortunately for him, he receives a desperate phone call informing him that his protégé Tom Bishop (played by a very young Pitt, comparatively speaking) is in a Chinese prison awaiting execution for espionage. It quickly becomes apparent, that the CIA does not want to “meddle” in this particular “embarrassing” situation as it could damage sensitive trade deals. Muir knows all about the Machiavellian machinations of the CIA and uses all of his skill, experience, knowledge and inside information to try to save Bishop’s life. In the process, he recalls their relationship and developing friendship over the years, which will not allow him to abandon Bishop to his fate.

This is an archetypal “dick-flick” with lots of action, male bonding, war, spies, dirty business involving politics, espionage, double-crossing, capitalism, communism, double standards, terrorism, counterterrorism, revolution, and all of the other things that make our modern times so wonderful to live in… I like a good spy thriller as much as the next guy, however, this one left me a little bit flat. Maybe I expected a lot more and with such high expectations for an A-grade film I was disappointed that it was only a B-Grade one.

Redford does a good enough job, but at times he looks bored with the whole thing and one thinks that, yes, he would rather be in the Bahamas working away at his retirement. Pitt was at one time hailed as the “New Redford” and I certainly saw the resemblance. He could have easily played Redford’ son. He was the fresh-faced young, enthusiastic actor that seemed to outdo the older one. He played with verve and definitely wanted to be on the set doing the movie, the Bahamas could wait.

The direction was slick enough and the flashbacks were done well, the messy storyline was handled well and the “love story” of sorts that threatened the friendship of the two men was portrayed with restraint as befitted the genre of the film. Scott is experienced enough in this type of movie: “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” (2007); “Déja Vu” (2006); “Enemy of the State” (1996) “Crimson Tide” (1993), etc, etc. As one would expect with such credentials, the production was good and the standards high. However, something was lacking – je ne sais quoi!

As far as recommending the film goes, yes I would recommend it as a standard one of its type and most men I think would enjoy it. We watched it with friends and the two women weren’t particularly taken with it, they often chatted between themselves during the film and wouldn’t be drawn by it. As I said, I expected more than I got, but I imagine if my expectations were lower at the outset, I may have enjoyed it more. The verdict? 3.5 out of 5

ART SUNDAY - MARCEL PAJOT

“A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.” - William Strunk, Jr.

A painting by the French artist Marcel Nino Pajot, today. He was born February 24, 1945 at Vergt, Dordogne. “The subjects of my paintings”, the artist writes, “are rarely premeditated, they emerge at random from my brushes, according to my pleasure or despair ... What counts is the preliminary drawing, of course, and painting as a material, the with colours, lines, scratches, the random mix of inks, gouache, acrylics... Pleasure is also the variety of media, canvas, and especially the paper which materially imposes its most sensual contraints.”

The artist has completed several series of works, two of the most characteristic being Venetian carnival scenes and the story of Don Quixote. His canvases are full of colour, rich detail, humour and often a popular, almost caricature-like immediacy. Even though he is undeniably a painter, Pajot is also primarily a draughtsman as he designs his subjects with a spirit imbued with a keen eye and disconcerting truthfulness. By adding a dose of lyricism, a touch of madness, a festive ambience, a touch of mystery and brilliant colour to his compositions, he is able to give an air of comedy or tragedy to the rich repertoire of moods he depicts on his canvases.

I have chosen a rather sparse and Spartan work of his, more restrained than his usual flamboyant style. It is an archetypal image for me of Cervantes’ immortal heroic duo: Don Quixote de la Mancha and Sancho Panza. The highly dramatic sky and the richly detailed foreground more than make up for the lack of rich colour and the two figures are so immediately recognisable and characteristic, that one gets one’s bearings even with a single glance. It is a frugal work, but one that is very poignant and eloquent in its simplicity.

The artist’s website can be found here, however it is in French.

A MUSICAL CARAMEL

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” - Roger Miller

Last night we had quite storm – rain lashing down, at some stage hail and then even more rain. It was nice to lie in bed and hear it all happening just outside the window, happy to have a roof over one’s head and a nice warm bed…

Today the weather was erratic and unstable. Sunny and smiling one minute, sullen and weeping the next. Nevertheless we did our shopping, went to the library and then this evening time for rest and relaxation. And what best to do this to than with this piece of Mozart that is pure delight and pleasure? Here is the caramel-like Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581, which was written in 1789 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. The work was finished on 29th  September 1789 and Mozart described it as the “Stadler Quintet” in a letter of April 1790. Delicious!