SONG SATURDAY - MAURANE

“As a well-spent day brings happy sleep, so a life well used brings happy death.” - Leonardo da Vinci

Increasingly I feel as though my life is entering its downward phase. Once we reach a certain point, we realise that there suddenly more years past to be remembered, than years ahead to look forward to. This fills me with a certain disquiet, however, not alarm nor fear. There are still so many things I want to do, so many more sights to see, so much that is unknown, unexplored, unlived!

Here is a song sung by Belgian songstress, Maurane, that takes the past and adds some future to it. Maurane (her real name is Claudine Luypaerts) is a Belgian singer born in 1960. Her father was director in the Académie de Musique de Verviers, and when she was a teenager she took part in several musical contests. In 1979, she participated in the show, «Brel en mille temps», with Philippe Lafontaine and she was discovered there by the French songwriter Pierre Barouh. She later got small contracts singing backing vocals in cafés until she released her first album in 1986.

The song is titled “Sur Une Prélude de Bach” (On a Bach Prelude) and uses Bach’s famous C major prelude as accompaniment for a modern ballad.



Enjoy your weekend!

LOUKOUMADHES

“Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories.” - From the movie “An Affair to Remember”

We had a very cold day in Melbourne today, and although it was fine, the sun had teeth that bit into the flesh. It was a presage of most of the winter still ahead. A busy day at work with little time to even think of anything else. On the train home this evening, lots of people with glum faces and suspicious eyes flitting to the person who coughed or sneezed. A pandemic of flu has been declared by the WHO and quite a few people at the station today were sporting face masks, and what little protection that may have afforded them…

The wintry weather and the strong smell of honey as I was walking by a café in the morning on my way to work made me think of a traditional Greek sweet that is often eaten at breakfast. Greeks have a sweet tooth and it is even manifest at breakfast! It is “loukoumadhes”, a deadly version of doughnuts.

Loukoumadhes
Ingredients Batter:
1 packet (≈ 1 tablespoon) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 pinch of salt
2 cups lukewarm water
3 cups plain flour
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch ground cardamom

Syrup:
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
3 cups water

Vegetable oil for frying
Ground walnuts
Ground cinnamon

Method:
Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup warm water and let it stand for 10 minutes. Sift the flour into yeast mixture. Mix gently while continuously adding the remaining warm water until a soft, thick batter is formed. Cover bowl with clean, damp dishtowel. Let the mixture double in size (about 1 -1.5 hours), at which stage the dough should be soft and foamy.

In a deep fryer, heat oil to a depth of 10 cm to 190˚C. Make sure there is at least 5 cm between the oil surface and the top of the fryer. While oil is heating, prepare the honey syrup. Add honey, sugar, and water to a small saucepan, mix to combine and bring to a boil over high heat for 6-7 minutes stirring occasionally, until sugar is completely dissolved. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the syrup. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Working in batches, slide dollops of the batter (about the size of a heaping tablespoonful each) into the hot oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Dollops will puff up and float to the surface. Fry, turning occasionally, until pastry is a crisp, golden brown on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat as many times as is needed. Place drained puffs on warm platter and keep warm.

To serve, reheat the syrup and place 4 or 5 fried loukoumadhes into the hot honey syrup. Allow puffs to soak for about 10 to 15 seconds, remove to a small plate, dust generously with cinnamon, and sprinkle with walnuts, to taste. Loukoumadhes are best if eaten warm, the same day they are made. Makes about 36 to 40 puffs, or 8 to 10 servings.

ONOMATOPOEIA

“Sumer is icumen in, Lhude sing cuccu!” - English round, ca 1260 CE

The ragged robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi, is the birthday plant for this day. The generic name is derived from the Greek word, lychnos = lamp, in reference to the bright flowers of this herb. The specific name means “cuckoo flower” in Latin and refers to flowering of the plant when the cuckoo is in full song. In the language of flowers, it symbolises wit and ardour.

It is St Barnabas’ Day today and this is the saint invoked in disputes, as he is a peacemaker saint who resolves arguments amicably. On his feast day, houses and churches were decorated with Barnaby garlands. These were made of roses, Sweet Woodruff and Ragged Robin. The garlands “hanged up in the houses in the heat of Summer, doth very well attemper the air, cool and make fresh the place, to the delight and comfort of such as are therein.” (Gerard, Herbal).

The ragged robin, Lychnis flos-cuculi, is said to bloom on this day when the cuckoo is in full song (flos-cuculi means “cuckoo-flower”). The plant is dedicated to St Barnabas:

When Saint Barnabie bright smiles night and daie
Poor ragged robin blossom in the haie.

Traditionally, this day is the one for the hay harvest, as another couplet attests:

On the feast of Barnabas
Put the scythe to grass.

Barnaby bright, Barnaby bright
Light all day and light all night.

In the days before the Gregorian reformation of the calendar, St Barnabas’s Day coincided with the Summer Solstice as it fell 11 days later. The rhyme recalls this, which is the longest day of the year. Especially important in the Northernmost countries where it can be light well into the small hours of the night.

For Word Thursday today, rather aptly:

onomatopoeia |ˌänəˌmatəˈpēə| noun
The formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named (e.g., cuckoo, sizzle).
• The use of such words for rhetorical effect.

DERIVATIVES:
onomatopoeic |-ˈpē-ik|| or onomatopoetic |-pōˈetik| adjective
onomatopoeically |-ˈpē-ik(ə)lē| or onomatopoetically |-pōˈetik(ə)lē| adverb

ORIGIN: Late 16th century, via late Latin from Greek onomatopoiia ‘word-making,’ from onoma, onomat- ‘name’ + -poios ‘making’ (from poiein ‘to make’).

Jacqui BB hosts Word Thursday.

WINTER REVERIE

“Every mile is two in winter.” - George Herbert

I was in Brisbane today for the day, thus it was another jam-packed full workday as well as a two-hour flight each way. The weather in Brisbane was fine and sunny with a top of 21˚C, while back in Melbourne it was cold, wet, wintry. Coming back at the airport tonight it was wonderful to see the sheets of rain coming down. Something we are not used to in these last 12 years of drought. Our water reservoirs are approaching 20% capacity and the rain will help to stop them emptying further, but we need the biblical 40 days of rain to fill them up, I think.

Travelling becomes all the more difficult in Winter. Getting up at 5:00 am (seemingly in the dead of night) and getting back home at 9:00 pm, where did the day go? A glimpse of the sunny landscape in between meetings…

Winter Reverie

Winter has arrived
Bringing with him,
The smell of decay, rotting leaves,
Wet soil and the perfume of daphne.

Milky white dawns,
Sun argent, feebly shining;
Plumes of grey smoke, evoking
Warm grates, hot buttered toast.

Lucidly cold nights,
Wet, shiny streets, on which
Only your footsteps echo, meandering
On the deserted, desolate footpaths.

Winter has arrived,
Clutching in his bony fist
Silken silences, fog-enveloped loneliness,
Cold, pure sheets and long, white nights.

Jacqui BB hosts Poetry Wednesday

BOOKS, BOOKS, e-BOOKS

“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life.” - W. Somerset Maugham

We have come a long way from the Mesopotamian clay tablets on which cuneiform script was incised. We have much advanced from the laborious making of papyrus and the artful hieroglyphics of the Egyptians. Even more progressed than the parchment of Pergamum on which Greek philosophers wrote their elegant Ionian epigrams. We have left the gorgeous medieval manuscripts behind us, and we have much refined Gutenberg’s invention of the movable type. And now, with all the advances in printing technology, we have books, books and more books.

Beautiful tomes, printed on fine paper and illustrated in glorious technicolour. We have all sorts of books that are published and printed with amazing speed and serving all purposes. Pamphlets, tracts, technical manuals, novels, textbooks, advertising and commercial booklets, works of fiction and non-fiction. Cheap and nasty publications or elegant volumes, long tracts in black ink on cream newsprint or illustrated glossy pages on shiny white paper. Books in Braille so that even the blind can read effortlessly like the sighted.

However, we see today the burgeoning of another kind of book. The electronic book or e-book, which is making itself increasingly visible around us. Have you seen someone on the train reading a novel on their iPhone? Perhaps someone chuckling over a humorous book on their Palm or SmartPhone? Or maybe you spotted someone using a Kindle and catching up on some homework, perusing their recommended electronic textbook. You yourself may have downloaded a book from the multiple sites that are on the web and which offer free e-books. For example:

http://www.adobe.com/products/digitaleditions/library/

http://web-books.com/Classics/

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

I must say, that on the train, I am guilty of reading my e-book on my phone. It is so much more convenient and much more portable than the paperback. I am not the only one. Many of my fellow travellers do the same. And the readers of the paperback look suspiciously at us and frown into their printed paper pages and say silently: “Hurrrrrmph!” And we just smirk and read on, while peering into our phone screens and don’t deign to say anything at all, silently or otherwise.

Technology is wonderful and now with the advent of electronic paper, shortly, we shall be able to have even more convenient and light and portable electronic books. Nevertheless, I do keep on buying proper books… There is nothing like reading a printed book, turning the pages, luxuriating in the look and feel of the printed page; e-books or not, my allegiance lies with the legacy of Gutenberg. Long live the book! Printed (and electronic)…

What about you? What do you think about e-books? Do you love them or hate them?

MOVIE MONDAY - THE FALL

“I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it’s a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, and that enables you to laugh at life’s realities.” - Theodore Geisel

Today’s review for Movie Monday concerns a film that was recommended to me by my friend Svetlana. As she spoke very highly of it, I tried to obtain it at my local video store, but I had no luck. I tried Amazon Australia, but it was not available. I then ordered it through Amazon USA, but I got a very nice message back from them, saying that although it was available, they were very sorry, but this video could not be shipped to Australia. Well that got me all the more intrigued and fortunately at that time, one of my friends was leaving for a conference in the USA and I asked him whether he could bring the DVD back for me.

He was most accommodating and promised he would. It was a little bit problematic for him also as when he looked in a couple of video stores, it was either not in stock or not kept in stock. Finally, his wife managed to find it in a suburban shopping centre in Las Vegas! They came back last week and we were able to watch this movie last weekend. I must say that I was thankful that both my friends and I persisted, as the movie was worth the effort!

It is Tarsem Singh’s 2006 film, “The Fall”. This is a film that works on multiple levels, but first and foremost it is visually beautiful, with an engaging and complex (but easily comprehensible) allegorical story that is woven artfully. The cinematography is stunning, the images absolutely gorgeous and the acting fantastic. The music, dialogue, entrancing interlaced stories and the direction are all faultless. It was a film that we enjoyed seeing and will see again in the future.

The story is set in Los Angeles in the 1920s. Young Alexandria is a little Romanian girl whose immigrant parents have settled in California. Her father has been killed in tragic circumstances and her mother is trying to make ends meet. The little girl is in hospital as she has broken her arm falling off an orange tree while picking fruit. In hospital she meets Roy, an actor/stuntman who has tried to kill himself because he was rejected by the love of his life. An unlikely friendship develops between Roy and Alexandria and the two of them explore each other’s lives (without much understanding each other’s world, at least initially) through the medium of fantastical stories that Roy relates to Alexandria.

Fantasy and reality are separate yet intertwined in this film and the connection between life at the hospital (and outside it) and the fantasy world that Roy imagines and relates to Alexandria is the way that leads both little girl and young man out of the maze that they have found themselves lost in. As the stories unfold we learn more about Roy and Alexandria and as each discovers more about each other (as well as themselves), the denouement is perfectly understandable and expected.

It was a rather roundabout way for me to see this film, but in the end, where there is a will there is a way. Of the films I have watched recently, it reminded me most of Dave McKean’s 2005 film “Mirrormask”. However, Tarsem’s film was rather more aligned to the real world and thus more appealing, I think even for the viewers who do not like the fantasy genre, as such. If you can get hold of this movie watch it and be pleasantly surprised as I was. Thank you again, Svetlana, for the recommendation.

ART SUNDAY - LASCAUX

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” - Scott Adams


For Art Sunday today a lively cave painting several thousands of years old from Lascaux in France. These palaeolithic caves house paintings that are at least 16,000 years old. The Lascaux cave paintings were discovered on Thursday, September 12, 1940, by four French teenagers. The news of the discovery quickly spread and many villagers came to see it themselves. Soon archaeologists visited the site as well.

Shortly after World War II ended, the entrance to the cave was enlarged and the floor was lowered to enable easier access for visitors. Nearly 1,200 tourists visited the cave every day.

By 1955, it became apparent that the cave's popularity had begun to cause significant damage. A study showed that the primary cause was the high levels of carbon dioxide from the visitors' breath.

A system was implemented to monitor carbon dioxide levels, but soon patches of green algae on the walls and other damage began to appear. To protect the ancient site from further damage, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs closed the Lascaux cave to the public on April 20, 1963. The original climatic conditions were recreated, and the site is now in the state in which it was discovered in 1940.

A computerised system now monitors a variety of conditions in the cave, including temperature, moisture and carbon dioxide levels. To compensate for the great loss to the public in closing the cave, a detailed replica was created in 1980. The cave paintings were recreated by projecting images of the originals onto the replica wall. The recreated site, known as "Lascaux II," has been open to the public since 1983.

DELICIAE MEAE

“Death is a delightful hiding place for weary men.”- Herodotus

For Song Saturday, a movement form Nicholas Lens’ Requiem, “Flamma Flamma”. This is large-scale work which is structured to echo the form of a Requiem Mass, and is set for a classical orchestra and chorus, with six soloists, but it also has elements of ethnic music from around the world, especially the use of the "Bulgarian Voices," a folk-based characteristic ethnic ensemble .

The text is by Herman Portocarero, who chose Latin for its singability, for its direct association with Roman Catholic ritual, and for its sense of timelessness and universality. The composer has written that to him the only thing that makes life bearable is death, or, rather the knowledge that death will bring it to an end. This insight, he says, makes it possible to enjoy life fully. He uses fire as a metaphor for death, and also as the agent that cleanses. He conceived this work as a kind of ritual that united the European classical culture with non-European cultures' magic. The classical soloists represent "six gods or the higher conscience of Man." The ethnic elements revitalise the weariness of European culture.

The text is deliberately shaped to echo the structure of the liturgical Mass for the Death. The instrumental soloists are a player of koto and bass koto, a player of three kinds of flute, a player of oboe and English horn, a trumpeter, four violinists, two percussionists, and a keyboard player. The work includes several other ethnic instruments and a notable use of electronic sounds.

The piece I have chosen is “Deliciae Meae” (My Sweet Love), with Claron McFadden, Laverne Williams, Gary Boyce, Zeger Vandersterne, Henk Lauwers, Macello Rosca:



DELICIAE MEAE

Deliciae meae,
Venustas tua
Ipsi morti super est.

Ultimum lavabo
Corpus nudum tuum
Lacrimis meis.

Pyra non altius
Amoris mei igne
Ardere potest.

Invideo et odi
Servos funebres quibus
Te tangere licet.

Post me
Procus nullus
Nisi mors
Te possidet.

MY SWEET LOVE

My sweet love,
Your beauty
Even through death still shines.

A last time I shall wash
Your naked body
With my tears.

The pyre cannot burn higher
Than the fire
Of my love.

I envy and I hate
The undertakers men
Who are allowed to touch you.

After me,
No lover
But death
Will know you.

OF APPLES AND CELERY

“A seed hidden in the heart of an apple is an orchard invisible.” - Welsh Proverb

“Fawlty Towers” was one of the most successful and funny TV comedy series ever produced. Its few episodes have become classics of the genre and the actors that were assembled to act in them were exceptional and worked as a wonderful team. One of the episodes features an irascible American guest of Basil Fawlty’s establishment who wants to eat a Waldorf salad… How did I remember this? Well it was Waldorf salad tonight for dinner, with crisp, tart new season apples. You know the kind, acidly sweet, juicy, crisp and flavoursome. Here is the recipe – with no sugar, no raisins, with home made mayonnaise (so it’s not sweet) and apples that are tart. This is a savoury dish, remember, not a dessert!

WALDORF SALAD

Ingredients
3 cupfuls diced tart apples (e.g. Granny Smiths)
2 cupfuls finely chopped, tender celery stalks (and leaves, if desired)
1/2 cupful chopped toasted walnuts
3 tablespoonfuls home-made mayonnaise
1/2 cupful sour cream (or yoghurt)
1 teaspoonful of mustard powder
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon (to taste)
lettuce leaves
chives

Method
Mix the mayonnaise with the cream, mustard powder and the lemon juice, stirring well to incorporate. Add the other ingredients except the walnuts and blend well. Refrigerate for three hours before serving, folding in the walnuts just before serving on a bed of lettuce leaves. Garnish with chopped chives.

There are a few apocryphal stories around regarding the origin of this salad, but the true origins are as follows: The salad was created at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in 1896 not by a chef but by the maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky. The Waldorf salad was an instant success, even though the original version of this salad contained only apples, celery and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts only became an integral part of the dish later.

Enjoy your weekend!

INNOCENT VICTIMS OF AGGRESSION

“The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.” – William Shakespeare

Today is the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. The commemorative day originated when the United Nations observers became appalled by the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression. On 19th August 1983, the United Nations General Assembly decided to commemorate 4th June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression. It reminds people that throughout the world there are many children suffering from different forms of abuse, and there is an urgent need to protect the rights of children.

This day affirms the United Nations commitment to protect the rights of children. According to the United Nations, the statistics of child abuse include:
• More than two million children killed in conflict in the last two decades.
• About 10 million child refugees cared for by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
• In the Latin America and in the Caribbean region about 80 thousand children die annually from violence that breaks out within the family.

Child abuse is now a major problem globally and the UN is working hard to help protect children around the world. One key factor is the process of international negotiation and action centered around the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

aggression |əˈgre sh ən|noun
Hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another; readiness to attack or confront: His chin was jutting with aggression | Territorial aggression between individuals of the same species.
• The action of attacking without provocation, esp. in beginning a quarrel or war: The dictator resorted to armed aggression | He called for an end to foreign aggression against his country.
• Forceful and sometimes overly assertive pursuit of one's aims and interests.

ORIGIN: Early 17th century (in the sense [an attack] ): From Latin aggressio(n-), from aggredi ‘to attack,’ from ad- ‘toward’ + gradi ‘proceed, walk.’

FATAL FLIGHTS

“You have come into a hard world. I know of only one easy place in it, and that is the grave.” - Henry Ward Beecher

News item:
“PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) – The first sighting off Brazil's coast of possible wreckage from a missing Air France jet signals the start of what could be one of the most challenging operations ever mounted to retrieve the tell-tale "black box." The box, which is in fact two separate devices containing cockpit voice recordings and instrument data, offers the best chance of finding out why the Airbus jetliner vanished in an Atlantic storm en route to Paris with 228 people on board. The devices are designed to send homing signals when they hit water, but merely locating them presents one of the most daunting recovery tasks since the exploration of the Titanic and barring good fortune, could take months, experts said. If they are in waters as deep as some people fear, 4,000 meters (13,100 ft) or more, unmanned submersibles would be tested to their limits. Yet past disasters have led to advances in equipment which do give hope for finding out what happened…”

The poem doesn’t trivialise the disaster, but likens it to another on a more personal dimension whose enormity is comparable in emotional magnitude to the survivors.

Fatal Flights

The flight was doomed
The plane would crash
The sea would swallow it.
As fearful death loomed
As bodies turned to ash
Tears would follow it.

Sad flotsam now marks
The site of death and blight;
And deep sea hides:
Secrets, circling sharks,
Fright, a fatal flight,
Covered by shifting tides…

The black box pings
In ocean depths,
Containing answers;
Does it matter?

*******************

Our love was cursed
Our union would collide
And time devour it.
Rancour we nursed,
As sparks of love died
Hate, as wine would sour it.

Our double soaring wings
Were cut, and down we dived,
From air, we crashed to earth.
Severed are heartstrings
Yet both of us survived
To live a sentient death.

Love letter sings
In a forgotten drawer,
Containing promises;
How it matters!

ITALIAN REPUBLIC DAY

“Do ye not comprehend that we are worms, Born to bring forth the angelic butterfly That flieth unto judgment without screen?” - Dante Alighieri

Italian Republic Day
Today is Italian Republic Day celebrating the birth of the Italian Republic on June 2nd, 1946. Until 1946, Italy was officially a monarchy ruled by the House of Savoy, kings of Italy since the Risorgimento (reunification of Italy, 1814–1861). After the October 28, 1922 “March on Rome” Benito Mussolini, with the support of the monarchy, imposed fascism on Italy. This led to Italy joining Nazi Germany as an ally in World War II. In 1946, Italy became a republic after the results of a popular referendum. Suspicions of fraud were raised by the loyal Monarchists, however, these were never proved. A Constituent Assembly was elected at the same time and this has been the political system of Italy ever since.

Geography
Italy an ancient land with a glorious history, is a Southern European Mediterranean country surrounded by the Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian seas. It is about 301,000 square km in area and has a population of about 60 million people. It is a mainly mountainous and hilly country with only the vast fertile plain of the Po River in the North, which climbs up to the Alps that separate Italy from Switzerland. Many people are still engaged in agriculture, with cereals, vegetables, fruit, vines and olives being the principal crops. In the North, heavy industry and manufacturing contribute greatly to the country’s economy. The capital city is Rome with Milan, Naples, Genoa, Turin, Palermo, Bologna, Venice and Florence other major centres.

History
The history of Italy is a rich tapestry of glorious military, artistic, religious and musical achievements. There is no shortage of famous scientists, sportspeople and philanthropists either! The currently available evidence point out to a dominant Etruscan, Greek and Roman cultural influence on today’s Italians. During the Iron Age Italy entered the historical period. Until the end of 5th century CE Italy was dominated a number of tribes, and finally the Romans. The last hundred years of the Western Roman Empire, from the second half of the 4th century, coincided with large migrations of Germanic peoples (Visigoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Huns, Heruli, Alemanni etc.) who on different occasions settled within Italian territories. At the same time economic conditions also reflected the political instability of the imperial government, it deteriorated gradually and was accompanied by a chronic fall in population.

It was during this time that the influence of the Christian church began to make itself felt more consistently. This was in contrast to the progressive orientalisation of the Empire, now focused on its new capital of Costantinople, founded by the emperor Constantine between 326-330 CE on the site of the ancient Greek colony of Byzantium.

The Normans and then the Hohenstaufen (1220-1266), the feudal system came into Italy and this led to the development of city states. The ending of imperial authority, quickly followed by the papal crisis involving the transfer of the papal seat from Rome to Avignon in France from 1309 to 1377. In the prosperity of the next few decades, the first city-states developed into true and proper States, whose political force was directly connected to their economic power. Culture prospered with a new enthusiasm for the study of the classical world and a renewal of interest in nature and man (humanism). The arts (from literature to the expressive and figurative) had one of their finest moments. The appearance of towns was transformed with the introduction of new styles of architecture. During this period Italy indeed became the cultural centre of Europe. This was the Renaissance, stimulate especially by the influx of Greeks following the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

Between the mid-15th century and the mid-18th century, Italian city states fought against the Spanish and then the French domination. They gained their independence after this long and politically chaotic period. The next fifty years saw a period of relative political stability and economic progress for all the various Italian States. The echo of the French Revolution (1789) and the tragic end of the French monarchy (1792) and then the resounding reality of the Napoleonic armies affected Italy adversely, with the French and Spanish squabbling for ascendancy. Italy had to concede to France cultural leadership. A contribution that was to play a significant role in the political and philosophical debate leading to the revolutionary spirit of the 18th century and the Enlightenment.

The Italian political and territorial picture, which at the end of the 18C seemed to have stabilised, rapidly disintegrated in the face of Napoleon Bonaparte's military campaigns. The defeat of Napoleon had nevertheless sown the seeds of change and liberty in Italy with the establishment of first republican structures and then the Kingdom of Italy. Following the plebiscite that voted in favour of annexation to Piedmont (1860), began the construction, together with the territory of Southern Italy that had been taken by Garibaldi's expedition of `The Thousand', of the United Kingdom of Italy. This was to be proclaimed at Turin on 17 March 1861, though the acquisition of Rome and Venice were still outstanding. The latter was added five years later (1866) following an unfortunate conflict with Austria, which was resolved in Italy's favour thanks to the intervention of Prussia; Rome was conquered by force, 20 September 1870, on the fall of Napoleon III. With these events the territorial unity of the Italian nation was almost complete and it was now necessary to construct its own social, economic and cultural image.

Happy Italian Republic Day!

LA DOUBLURE

“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” - Peter Ustinov

At the weekend we saw a rather amusing French film, Francis Veber’s 2006, “La Doublure” (The Stand-in) – “The Valet” being its English title. This is standard French farce fare, but well acted by the principals Gad Elmaleh who plays the title role of a valet who parks cars for a living (François Pignon). Daniel Auteil playing the rich industrialist Pierre Levaseur, Kristin Scott playing his wife, and Alice Taglioni playing Elena, M. Levaseur’s mistress. The classic bedroom cast of characters is assembled for an entertaining romp, which should not be too critically judged as it makes no pretences about its innate worth. It is made for amusement and delivers some laughs – true, not full bodied belly laughs, but quite a lot of titters and chuckles.

The story concerns the industrialist who has chronically cheated on his wife with beautiful model Elena, who incidentally, loves him deeply. The wife knows about the affair but owns the majority of the shares (so a divorce is not really an option for M. Levaseur). The bumbling industrialist who wants his cake as well eating it, believes all can be bought for money. When his cheating is captured on the camera of a paparazzo, innocent bystander Pignon is commandeered to “stand-in” as the model’s boyfriend. A complicating factor is Pignon’s unrequited love for his childhood sweetheart (who has money problems and is not willing to marry penniless Pignon). M. Levaseur’s money seems to offer a perfect solution, but then things get a little complicated…

Some characters tend to detract form the film, although some people may find them funny. Pignon’s girlfriend’s father (who is a doctor) is one of these characters and the long standing joke of the doctor who is treated by the patients he visits at home runs out of steam after the first time. Pignon’s flatmate is also a little tiresome, as is Pignon’s girlfriend’s slimy suitor (a mobile phone salesman) but I recognise there must be some subplots to maintain interest.

Veber is the writer (as well as director) of this movie and he has also made “The Dinner Game”, “The Closet”, “La Cage Aux Folles”, “Les Fugitifs”, “My Father the Hero” and more such comedies. He has a certain flair for writing and directing farce and this is evident in this particular movie. Of all his movies listed above (and which I have seen) I think I enjoyed “The Dinner Game” the most, which I recommend if you wish to be introduced to the comedy work of this particular moviemaker.

In terms of “La Doublure”, it is overall an amusing film, lightweight and fluffy. If you decide to watch it, don’t look for high art, deeper meanings or guffaws of mirth – rather prepare to be entertained and pass 90 or so minutes quite pleasantly.

ART SUNDAY - GÉRÔME

“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” - Aristotle

For Art Sunday, a painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824-1904) It is his “Duel after a Masked Ball”, 1857; Oil on canvas; The Hermitage, St. Petersburg. Gérôme was a French painter and sculptor, a pupil of Paul Delaroche from whom he learnt his highly finished academic style. His best-known works are his oriental scenes, made authentic through his several visits to Egypt. These orientalist paintings were very popular in the late 19th century and won Gérôme great acclaim. Riding on the crest of this success, he had considerable influence as an upholder of academic tradition and enemy of progressive trends in art; he opposed, for example, the acceptance by the state of the Caillebotte bequest of Impressionist pictures.

Another genre that he painted extensively in was that of scenes of classical antiquity. His carefully composed canvases of Roman and Greek scenes are full of charming detail and historically accurate representations of everyday life. His snapshots of the stuff of legend and history bring these scenes of antiquity back to life and certainly make the study of history more interesting. However, it should be noted that in both his oriental and antique styles, Gérôme often sacrifices the telling of the story to some thinly veiled eroticism and voyeurism. A liberal sprinkling of female nudes make his art border on the salacious.

The last group of his works represent portraiture and miscellaneous scenes that generally tell a story. The painting above is such an example and from this scene one can imagine a rich tale of love, betrayal, honour regained and death.

Jean-Léon Gérôme died in his atelier on 10 January 1904. He was found in front of a portrait of Rembrandt and close to his own painting “The Truth”. At his own request, he was given a simple burial service, even without flowers. But the Requiem Mass given in his memory was attended by a former president of the Republic, most prominent politicians, and many painters and writers. He was buried in the Montmartre Cemetery in front of the statue “Sorrow” that he had cast for his son Jean, who had died in 1891.

MILEY CYRUS

“Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated.” – Alphonse de Lamartine

Breaking up is hard to do, and goodbyes take much longer than hellos, don’t they?
Here is an apt song by Miley Cyrus…

FAREWELL YAHOO 360!

“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.” - Robert Southey

Well it’s official, Yahoo 360 is closing down… I guess we could all see it coming for a long while, but now that it is official, it is easier to accept it and move on. I left the following comment on the Yahoo 360 Australia site:

“I am rather disappointed to see 360 go, although its steady decline over the past couple of years, frequent bugs, lack of technical support, rumour-mongering amongst its users, and their progressive exodus have foreshadowed this announcement.

I first started blogging here on 23/3/06 and since then have produced a daily blog. I have met many fine people on 360, have exercised my mind, have been moved, have laughed, and have been creative. It will be hard to say goodbye, but such is the way of the world. Nothing is permanent, all is in a state of flux, all changes (as Heraclitus has said...).

I for one will not move to Profiles, it is a sad and poor relative of 360 (just like Mash was). I shall be changing my home page from Yahoo to something else (Google?). Whether I continue to blog or not once 360 goes, I have not decided yet.

It is appropriate to thank Yahoo at this stage for having created one of the best blogging sites on the net. In its heyday it was elegant, simple, well-supported, popular, ground-breaking. In its decline it has retained the quiet and melancholy dignity of a beautiful corpse.

Vale, Yahoo 360!”

NEW FLU - AUSTRALIAN UPDATE

“It is a wise man’s part, rather to avoid sickness, than to wish for medicines.” - Thomas More

As the numbers of the dreaded “Swine Flu” increase in Australia, it is perhaps appropriate to give some facts about the disease, as well as some advice. The whole world now is aware that a new influenza A (H1N1) virus of porcine origin (henceforth called “New Flu”) was first detected in April, 2009 in Mexico. The virus is infectious for humans and is spreading from person-to-person, causing a growing outbreak of illness around the world. With more than 128 suspected cases of the swine flu in Australia already (as of 27/5/09), the government has now introduced many new strict measures for travellers who are coming into the country. All flights that come in from North and South America have already been screened for several days now. The cabin crew on these planes are told to report any kind of flu like symptoms before the aircraft lands. However, these precautions have now been spread to cover all international flights.

It is thought that New Flu spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread, i.e. mainly through the coughs and sneezes of people who are sick. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. Presently, there is no vaccine to protect against New Flu. It is anticipated that there will be more cases, more hospitalisations and possibly more deaths associated with New Flu in the future.

Symptoms
The symptoms of New Flu in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include: Fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with New Flu also have reported diarrhoea and vomiting. The high risk groups for New Flu are not known at this time but it is possible that they may be the same as for seasonal influenza (i.e. people age 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years old, pregnant women, people of any age with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, and people who are immunosuppressed, e.g., taking immunosuppressive medications, infected with HIV.

What to do if you are sick
If you become sick, you may be ill for a week or longer. You should stay home and avoid contact with other persons, except when seeking medical care. If you leave the house to seek medical care, wear a mask or cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue. In general you should avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness.

People may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to seven days after they get sick. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

Treatment
It is expected that most people (especially those with a good constitution and otherwise well) will recover without needing medical care. However, if you have severe illness or you are at high risk for flu complications, you should be contacting your health care provider or seek medical care as soon as you experience flu-like symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed.

Antiviral prescription drugs can be given to treat those who become severely ill with influenza. There are two influenza antiviral medications that are recommended for use against New Flu: Oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu ®) and zanamivir (Relenza ®). The drugs will be given first to those people who have been hospitalised or are at high risk of complications. The drugs work best if given within 2 days of becoming ill, but may be given later if illness is severe or for those at a high risk for complications. Aspirin or aspirin-containing products should not be administered to any confirmed or suspected ill case of New Flu aged 18 years old and younger due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome. For relief of fever, aches and pains, other analgesic and anti-pyretic medications are recommended, such as paracetamol (e.g. Panadol ®).

Emergency Signs
If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care:
In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish or gray skin colour
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough.

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough.

Sensible advice
• Stay informed. Health officials will provide additional information as it becomes available.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it and wash your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with a flu-like illness, stay home for 7 days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. Keep away from other household members as much as possible. This is to keep you from infecting others and spreading the virus further.
• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds, and other social distancing measures.

Natural Medicine health measures
Please visit the following websites for some advice regarding how natural medicine can help in coping with the New Flu:

Free Natural Cures site*
http://www.freenaturalcures.org/infectious-diseases/influenza.html

*Note Disclaimer from above site: The authors of this site are neither licensed physicians nor scientists. The information within this site is designed for educational purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. We will not be liable for any complications, or other medical accidents arising from the use of any information on this web site.

Natural Home remedies site#
http://www.natural-homeremedies.org/homeremedies-influenza.htm

#Note Disclaimer from above site: All information available here is for educational purposes only. We do not claim to cure, prevent or treat any disease. If you have, or suspect to have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider.

Hpathy site§
http://www.hpathy.com/diseases/influenza-symptoms-treatment-cure.asp

§Note Disclaimer from above site: All information provided on this site, particularly any information relating to specific medical conditions, health care, preventive care, homeopathy, homeopathic medicine, and healthy lifestyles, is presented for general informational purposes only. It should not be considered complete or exhaustive and does not cover all disorders or conditions or their treatment, nor all health-related issues. The information provided on Hpathy.com is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or health care provider, and may not necessarily take your individual health situation into account. You should not use the information on Hpathy.com as a means of diagnosing a health problem or disease, or as a means of determining treatment. You should also not use the information on Hpathy.com as a substitute for professional medical advice when deciding on any health-related regimen, including diet or exercise. You should always consult a your own licensed health care provider for these purposes, or for any specific, individual medical advice.

Further information (sites from which the information on this page was compiled)

Australian Government – Department of Health and Ageing site:
http://www.healthemergency.gov.au/internet/healthemergency/publishing.nsf

USA: Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/

World Health Organisation (WHO)
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

PALIMPSEST

“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.” - Robert Browning

Our life is brief, our years in short supply like a small stack of parchment, which we have heedlessly scribbled on. To our horror, our incunabula have laid waste the precious resource and needing a clean surface in which to write our maturer thoughts, we have none. Our thrifty ancestors, master recyclers, made the old into new by rubbing down the used parchments and on the palimpsests, wrote again, their more gravid thoughts.

Would you take the opportunity to do the same with your life, were it possible? Try to efface all traces of years wasted and begin anew? Has this happened to you already? Out with old, in with the new? Forgive, forget, move on, write new chapters on parchments scraped clean? The trouble is, as with all palimpsests, one can still read the original, and ostensibly effaced, writing underneath the new…

Palimpsest

Time passes and obliterates scars of old wounds,
Like the ink that blots the copybook.

My emotions fade, wafting aimlessly as my perception dulls,
Like the fog that obscures the landscape.

Years rush by, eroding the sharp pungency of my past life,
Like the sea that washes over the footsteps in the sand.

My memory begins to fail me and I forget you willingly,
Like the drawn veil that hides the beauty of the face.

All of the echoes of words I spoke, all of my fading words on old letters,
Like the writing on a blackboard, wiped by a sponge.

Our years together, as time passes, disappear
Like the black dye that seeps in and hides the pattern on the cloth.

As time passes, the densely written book of my existence,
Is unwritten; my life’s traces on the sand erased,
The printed words on paper lost, faded, effaced;
My parchment scraped almost clean,
The palimpsest ready for a new story.

THE LIBRARY

“To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul.” - Cicero

The history of civilisation walks hand in hand with the history of writing. It is no accident that as soon as writing evolved, the storage and safe-keeping of written records became a concern for the budding civilised states. A hoard of about 30,000 clay tablets found in ancient Mesopotamia date back more than 5,000 years. Papyrus scrolls from 1300-1200 BCE have been discovered in the ancient Egyptian cities of Amarna and Thebes, and thousands of clay tablets in the palace of King Sennacherib (Assyrian ruler from 704-681 BCE), were discovered by archaologists at Nineveh, his capital city.

“Library” is the name for these repositories of written records. Libraries have developed concurrently with the development of permanent storage media on which information has been stored. Whether it is clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, tablets of wood, sheets of parchment or paper; and whether the collections of these records have been private or public, libraries have been founded, built, destroyed and rebuilt. The library as an institution has survived for thousands of years, well into our digital age where the printed medium of the book is presently under attack. The survival of the library is a testament to the value humans place on knowledge and its transmission within populations, horizontally amongst individuals, but also vertically, through time.

The earliest libraries may have been in the Near East, but the ancient Greeks propelled the idea of the library as a cultural and civilising institution through their heightened interest in literacy and intellectual life. Public and private libraries flourished through a well-established process: Authors wrote on a variety of subjects, while scriptoria or copy shops produced the copies of the books, and book dealers sold them. Though the public library first appeared by the fourth century BCE, the private library was more prevalent, and older.

The greatest and most well-known library of all time was the Great Library of Alexandria, a public library founded about 300 BCE and open to all with the proper scholarly and literary qualifications. When Egypt’s King Ptolemy I (305-282 BCE) asked, “How many scrolls do we have?” the librarian, Aristotle’s disciple Demetrius of Phalerum was on hand to answer with the latest count. After all, it was Demetrius who suggested setting up a universal library to hold copies of all the books in the world translated into Greek.

The Alexandrian library's lofty goal was to collect half-million scrolls and the Ptolemies took serious steps to accomplish it. Ptolemy I, for example, composed a letter to all the sovereigns and governors he knew, imploring them “not to hesitate to send him works by authors of every kind”. At its height, the library held nearly 750,000 scrolls. Much of what is now considered to be literary scholarship began in the Alexandrian Library. Funds from the royal treasury paid the chief librarian and his scholarly staff. Physically, books were not what we think of today, but rather scrolls, mostly made of papyrus, but sometimes of leather. They were kept in pigeonholes with titles written on wooden tags hung from their outer ends.

Fires and depredations during the Roman period gradually destroyed the Library. When Julius Caesar occupied Alexandria in 48 BCE, Cleopatra urged him to help himself to the books. Obliging, he shipped tens of thousands to Rome. Mark Antony was rumored to have given Cleopatra the 200,000-scroll collection of rival library Pergamum to replace Alexandria's losses. Thanks to the Great Library, Alexandria assumed its position as the intellectual capital of the world and provided a model for other libraries to follow. Christian and Arab invasions eventually destroyed this jewel of ancient civilisation with the scrolls from the library being burned in the public baths to heat water, there being enough books for fuelling the boilers for six months.

Rome’s Vatican Library is one of the richest manuscript repositories in the world, with more than 65,000 manuscripts and more than 900,000 printed volumes. Most works are in either Latin or Greek. By the middle of the second century BCE, Rome also boasted rich library resources. Initially they comprised some scattered private collections, but holdings eventually expanded through the spoils of war. Even Aristotle’s famed collection was among the bounty.

To serve as director of a library was a great honour. The role became a stepping stone for the ambitious government servant. Staff consisted of slaves and freedmen, who were assigned to either the Greek or the Latin section. Educated slaves fetched rolls from the systematically arranged and tagged bookcases and returned them to their place when the user had finished with them. They usually transported the rolls in leather or wood buckets. Scribes made copies to be added to the collection and recopied damaged rolls, while keeping the catalog up to date. Libraries were typically open during standard business hours - sunrise to midday. However, they remained the domain of the learned: Teachers, scientists, scholars.

As the Roman Empire crumbled, the libraries began to close. In 378 CE, the historian Ammianus Marcellinus commented, “The libraries are closing forever, like tombs.” As the Roman Empire fell, libraries seemed doomed to extinction. However, sparked by the spread of Christianity, the eastern half of the empire did much to foster the use of libraries. The capital city of Constantinople had three major libraries: The university library, the library for the royal family and civil service, and a theological collection. The Christian tradition and the monasteries revived the library in the West. The Benedictines created libraries, and the scriptorium became a sacred place. It soon became customary for monasteries to lend to other monasteries, giving birth to the inter-library loan. Charlemagne, who owned a robust library in Aachen in the eighth century, ordered every school to have a scriptorium. The road was well paved to invite the Renaissance and a new age for libraries.

The invention of printing through Johannes Gutenberg's movable type innovation in the 1400s revolutionised bookmaking. Printed books replaced handwritten manuscripts and the new books were placed on open shelves. Throughout the 1600s and 1700s, libraries surged in popularity. They grew as universities developed and as national, state-supported collections began to appear. Many of these became national libraries. As the industrial revolution swept through the world and increased urbanisation led to the rise of the middle class, the public library came into being and the university libraries expanded their collections and scope of services to accommodate the burgeoning of new knowledge.

Libraries may have changed over the years (no longer do we store scrolls in pigeon holes), but the need for a repository of knowledge remains. The digital revolution may be changing our ideas of what a “book” is and how we read may be need to be rethought in the near future. However, the library has withstood attacks of barbarians and religious fundamentalists, has had to reinvent itself several times through several technological advances and changing incarnations of “books”, and has survived. As an institution the library continues to educate, inspire and civilise. I am hopeful that this will only continue and improve with the passage f time.

BRISBANE COMMUTING

“The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.” - Isak Dinesen

I was in Brisbane for work today and the day was full of meetings and a busy schedule. Although it all went well, there was no time at all for anything else and the plane was reduced to a commuting means of public transport. The only problem is that the trip takes two hours and of course there is the time one needs to get to the airport and back. Consequently, after a 4:00 am start, it will be an early night tonight.

At least the weather in Brisbane was mild and overcast and the heavy rains that they have had causing the widespread flooding in Southern Queensland a Northern New South Wales had abated. The big surprise was coming back to Melbourne this evening and seeing the rain pelting down. I think just about the whole plane cheered, but of course this rain was just a downpour lasting for a short time and we need a few tens days like that so we can replenish our water reservoirs, which are down to about 26% capacity at the moment.

Seeing it’s Movie Monday today, I shall conform with the theme by mentioning that in the Gold Coast, south of Brisbane, there is Movie World, a theme park/studio. Warner Bros Movie World is the only movie-related theme park in Australia. With one of the best roller coasters on the coast and a good handful of movie related rides (think Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, Harry Potter, Batman and more), families are promised a fun-filled adventure with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. OK, it’s tacky, it’s a cheap thrills entertainment machine pandering to the masses, it’s crass and commercial, a Disneyland formula theme park, but popular it is. Maybe one of these trips I’ll even make a special effort to visit there, or maybe not …

Enjoy your week!