A CONTEMPLATIVE SATURDAY

“That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful.” - Edgar Allan

A time to sit and contemplate today: Sickness, health, life, death, the universe and everything. What better to do it with than the sublime sounds of Beethoven’s music? Here is the Symphony 9, third movement, Adagio molto e cantabile, played by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Leonard Bernstein said of this piece that it is the most perfect slow movement in any symphony… Listen, enjoy and contemplate!

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PARTY

“In our work and in our living, we must recognize that difference is a reason for celebration and growth, rather than a reason for destruction.” - Audre Lorde

After an extremely busy week and a day full of meetings today, which went until 5:45 p.m. we had our Christmas Party at work. It was held rather early this year, no doubt because the closer one gets to Christmas, the busier the venues become and the more expensive it is to book into them. As it is Summer, this year it was decided to have it at a Lawn Bowls Club in the City. This venue is situated in the Flagstaff Gardens, which is about two block away from our Campus. For a little while in the afternoon we though the event would be completely washed out as a cool change moved in from the West and clouds rolled in to cover the sky. Nevertheless the rain held off and the event proceeded as planned.

There were quite a few of us there and the atmosphere was festive as the clubhouse was decorated for the holidays. An open bar, an invitation to try out barefoot bowls and a barbeque all contributed to a good event. We drank and joked, tried out the bowling, laughed about our collective ineptitude at rolling balls on the lawn and finally sat down to a barbeque dinner.

This was catered for by the club and there were two chefs in charge. The typical “Aussie Barbie” fare consists of a selection of barbequed meats, salads and finally a cool dessert of some sort. This is often the scenario for Christmas lunch that one may have on a beach, at a picnic ground in a park or in the back yard if one stays at home. Christmas in Australia is in Summer of course, so relatively few people have the traditional Northern Hemisphere roast dinners with turkeys and hams and pork and puddings and so on.

This evening, we had a selection of dips, sun-dried tomatoes, cheeses and pita bread for starters, followed by the barbeque: Hamburgers, sausages, satays of chicken and grilled onions. A selection of freshly cut salads complemented the meats: Green garden salad, coleslaw and potato salad. The food was plentiful and quite tasty. The best barbeque of course is one where one does not have to cook personally, and having the club chefs take care of everything was excellent. Trifle for dessert provided a nice cool and light touch to finish off the dinner.

As a rule, most people don’t particularly like work Christmas functions, however, as far as our organisation is concerned, they tend to be low key affairs and people enjoy them, especially as everyone is fairly well-behaved. I have read that this year there is great reduction in the number of organisations that have Christmas functions for their employees. Many have blamed the GFC (especially in the USA), others have justified it by indicating that Christmas celebrations are culturally insensitive in a multicultural society and the more honest have said that it is because of cost-cutting measures in the company.

In any case, our College continues to organise these functions and the staff expect them and appreciate them. As they are low-key and relaxed most people enjoy them and they are a way of thanking staff members’ contributions to the activities of the College throughout the year.

ROHATSU - BODHI DAY

“My heart, thus knowing, thus seeing, was released from the fermentation of sensuality, released from the fermentation of becoming, released from the fermentation of ignorance. With release, there was the knowledge, ‘Released’: I discerned that Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.” – Gautama Buddha

Today is Rohatsu, celebrated widely in Buddhist countries, or countries where Buddhism has many adherents: For example, Japan, China, Korea, India and Thailand. The day commemorates when the historical Buddha, the Prince Siddhartha Gautauma experienced enlightenment in 596 BC. The day is also known as Bodhi in Sanskrit, or as Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a Pipul tree and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate oneself from it.

While meditating, some accounts relate, he was harassed and tempted by the god Mara (literally, “Destroyer” in Sanskrit), a demon of illusion. Other traditions simply state that he entered deeper and deeper states of meditation, confronting the nature of the self. In the Pali Canon, there are several discourses said to be by Buddha himself, relating to this story. In The Longer Discourse to Saccaka the Buddha describes his Enlightenment in three stages: 

1. During the first watch of the night, the Buddha discovered all of his past lives in the cycle of rebirth, realising that he had been born and reborn countless times before. 
2. During the second watch, the Buddha discovered the Law of Karma, and the importance of living by the Eightfold Path.
3. During the third watch, the Buddha discovered the Four Noble Truths, finally reaching Nirvana.

Services to commemorate the day and traditions vary amongst Buddhist sects, but all services commemorate the Buddha’s achievement of Nirvana, and what this means for Buddhism today. Traditionally, Bodhi Day is celebrated on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month in East Asian countries that still observe this calendar. However in Japan, the day is observed on the Gregorian date of December 8^th, a result of Westernisation during the Meiji Restoration (1862–1869).

Individuals may choose to simply commemorate the event through additional meditation, study of the Dharma, chanting of Buddhist texts (sutras), or performing kind acts towards other beings. Some Buddhists celebrate with a traditional meal of tea, cake, and readings. A meal of rice and milk is also significant on this holiday.  According to Buddhist legend, Sujata offered this to the Buddha upon his awakening to help him regain strength.

Often, coloured lights are strung about the home to recognise the day of enlightenment.  They are multi-coloured to symbolise the many pathways to enlightenment.  The lights are turned on each evening beginning on December 8^th and for 30 days thereafter.  A candle is also lit for these thirty days to symbolise enlightenment. In Buddhist homes, you may sometimes see a ficus tree (Ficus religiosa). Beginning on Bodhi Day, these trees are decorated with multi-coloured lights, strung with beads to symbolise the way all things are united, and hung with three shiny ornaments to represent the Three Jewels - The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

May peace be with you on this day and may it last the whole year long!

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY

“Aviation is proof that given, the will, we have the capacity to achieve the impossible.” - Edward Vernon Rickenbacker

It’s International Civil Aviation Day today and it is a day set aside to underline the importance of civil aviation in modern-day society. It also highlights the role that the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) plays in international air transport. This organisation is a United Nations (UN) body responsible for developing international standards for aviation safety. ICAO was established on December 7^th, 1944, to secure international cooperation and uniformity in civil aviation matters. The International Services Transit Agreement and the International Air Transport Agreement were also signed at that time.

In 1996 the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed that 7^th December was to be the International Civil Aviation Day.  The day had been celebrated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation since 7^th December 1994, the 50th anniversary of the signing the Convention on International Civil Aviation Following the adoption of the UN resolution, the delegate from the United Kingdom stated the view that the decision for holding of an International Civil Aviation Day did not fall within these guidelines, and that the scarce resources of the United Nations should not be used to support interpretation, printing and other associated costs that will be incurred as a result.

Nevertheless, ICAO with support from governments, organisations, businesses and individuals, actively promotes International Civil Aviation Day through various activities and events. This day is celebrated globally, especially in countries such as South Africa, through various activities such as seminars, published material, educational lectures, classroom activities, and news announcements on international civil aviation topics related to the day.

As a person who does a lot of flying for work, I can appreciate the need for a safe, reliable, efficient and affordable civil aviation system. Civil aviation is exceedingly important for the social and economic development of countries around the world, especially these days of globalisation, international business opportunities and a highly mobile population both nationally and internationally. Civil air transportation is an important part of a country’s infrastructure and transportation system. The day is also intended to promote the safety of air transportation and in Australia, civil aviation is the most regulated industry (tertiary education is the second-most regulated, but that’s another story!)

Take today to appreciate the civil air system in your country and think of how important air travel is to you and your lifestyle. Even if you have never got on a plane yourself there is much around you that depends on civil aviation.

POETRY TUESDAY - LUNCH BREAK

“One cannot walk through an assembly factory and not feel that one is in Hell.” - W. H. Auden

The image today that Magpie Tales has selected is “Lunch”, by George Tooker, painted in 1964, and exhibited in the Columbus Museum of Art. I was not aware of the work of this artist, so I googled…

George Clair Tooker, Jr. (August 5, 1920  – March 27, 2011) was a figurative painter whose works are associated with the Magic realism and Social Realism movements. Tooker was raised by his Anglo/French-American father George Clair Tooker and English/Spanish-Cuban mother Angela Montejo Roura in Brooklyn Heights and Bellport, New York, along with his sister, Mary Fancher Tooker. Tooker wanted to attend art school rather than college, but ultimately abided by his parents’ wishes and majored in English literature at Harvard University, while still devoting much of his time to painting. During 1942, he graduated from college and then entered the Marine Corps but was discharged due to ill-health.

In 1943 Tooker began attending at the Art Students League of New York, where he studied with Reginald Marsh and Kenneth Hayes Miller. Early in his career Tooker’s work was often compared with other painters such as Andrew Wyeth, Edward Hopper, and his close friends Jared French and Paul Cadmus. Working with the then-revitalised tradition of egg tempera, Tooker addressed issues of modern-day alienation with subtly eerie and often visually literal depictions of social withdrawal and isolation.

He had a long-time partner, William Christopher, who died in 1973. He was one of nine recipients of the National Medal of Arts in 2007. Tooker died on March 27, 2011, due to kidney failure.

The painting is gloomy and captures the urban reality of so many of the denizens of the industrial megalopoleis. The poem below was written quickly and spontaneously immediately I looked at the painting. the result is literal and (hopefully) magically realistic as is the painting.

Lunch Break

Some days I feel like that:

Work, eat, sleep,

Work, eat, sleep.

My mind grows numb

As those around me

Look right through me

As though I were a ghost.

Some days the gray skies

Permeate my soul

Deadening it imperceptibly.

And the rain seeps into

Every interstitial space

Of my cellular matrix,

Diluting my spirit.

Some days the gnawing

Of teeth on identical feed,

Reminds me of rats

With black beady eyes,

Deriving nourishment from

The suspicious overcrowding

Of the rat-race.

Some days in this dog-eat-dog world,

I close my eyes as I chomp

(Making papier maché

Out of my cardboard lunch)

And I think of green pastures,

Sunshine, fresh herbs

Fruits of the earth, just picked…

MOVIE MONDAY - NEW IN TOWN

“Comedy just pokes at problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather the dessert, a bit like meringue.” - Woody Allen

We watched a very lightweight romantic comedy at the weekend – not exceedingly objectionable, but at the same time not particularly memorable. It was the 2009 Jonas Elmer film “New in Town” starring Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr. and Siobhan Fallon Hogan. The plot is predictable and lightweight, the humour mildly amusing and the viewpoint fairly innocent, although there is a plot concession to the economic downturn and acknowledgement that all is not right in the world. It is once again a typical “chick flick”, hardly original but nevertheless competently done.

Zellweger plays Lucy Hill, a high-profile businesswoman of a Miami-based conglomerate, who volunteers to head north to Minnesota to “clean-up” a tiny food plant, cut its workforce by half and retool for an automated new product launch. She’s the typical career woman dreaming this assignment will land her a vice-presidency. She is lacking in people-to-people skills and her empathy with those in adverse situations is about –10. She comes to freezing Minnesota, dressed inappropriately (high heels, mini skirt and thin coat) and manages to alienate every local in sight with her insensitivity. Siobhan Fallon Hogan plays Blanche, her local personal assistant, who is much better at making tapioca puddings or scrapbooking than being a high-powered secretary. The film gets lots of comedic mileage out of the clash of city smarts versus folksy wisdom. Harry Connick Jr. plays Ted, the area union chief, who is Lucy’s romantic interest, and there is also a strong supporting performance by J.K. Simmons as the plant foreman who runs afoul of Lucy’s plans.

“New in Town” is not like the similar old movies of Capra, for example, but is quite amusing and gives Zellweger to show off her comedic skills. Harry Connick Jr is adequate and his role is fairly traightforward, but the film belongs to the girls with the interactions between Lucy and Blanche providing the most amusement. Although the jokes are mild and some are old, they are delivered well and one can spend a fairly pleasant 97 minutes watching this film. Danish director Jonas Enders making his Hollywood debut plays it very safe and hence he comes up with a fairly “safe” pedestrian product and he struggles to make any scene memorable.

The rather sinister turn of the plot about lay-offs and disappearing companies that are becoming all too frequent in our daily life these days is not examined to any depth by the film. This could have been explored more and provided a greater opportunity for black humour. The “Deus ex machina” that will assure the film of a happy end is predictable, and unfortunately we have run out of both “dei” and “machinae” in real life. We would recommend this film as a lightweight romantic comedy that one can watch and smile or giggle at occasionally, an innocuous escapist soap bubble that will relieve some tension and stress of the viewers. An average, typical, Hollywood B-grade romantic comedy.

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ART SUNDAY - KANDINSKY

“Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for color, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential.” - Vassily

Russian artist Vassily Kandinsky, was born this day in 1866 in Moscow, so it is quite appropriate to devote Art Sunday to him today. Kandinsky was one of the first creators of pure abstraction in modern painting and co-founded the influential Munich group Der Blaue Reiter (“The Blue Rider”; 1911–14). His name in full is Vasily Vasilyevich Kandinsky   and he was born December 4^th in 1866, Moscow, Russia. He died Dec. 13, 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Kandinsky spent his early childhood in Odessa. His parents played the piano and the zither and Kandinsky himself learned the piano and cello at an early age. The influence of music in his paintings cannot be overstated, down to the names of his paintings “Improvisations”, “Impressions”, and “Compositions”. In 1886, he enrolled at the University of Moscow, chose to study law and economics, and after passing his examinations, lectured at the Moscow Faculty of Law. He enjoyed success not only as a teacher but also wrote extensively on spirituality, a subject that remained of great interest and ultimately exerted substantial influence in his work.

In 1895 Kandinsky attended a French Impressionist exhibition where he saw Monet’s “Haystacks at Giverny”. He stated, “...it was from the catalogue that I learned this was a haystack. I was upset I had not recognised it. I also thought the painter had no right to paint in such an imprecise fashion. Dimly I was aware too that the object did not appear in the picture...”

Soon thereafter, at the age of thirty, Kandinsky left Moscow and went to Munich to study life-drawing, sketching and anatomy, regarded then as basic for an artistic education. It was ironic that Kandinsky’s work moved in a direction that was of much greater abstraction than that which was pioneered by the Impressionists. It was not long before his talent surpassed the constraints of art school and he began exploring his own ideas of painting: “...I applied streaks and blobs of colours onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could...” – he wrote. Now considered to be the founder of abstract art, his work was exhibited throughout Europe from 1903 onwards, and often caused controversy among the public, the art critics, and his contemporaries.

An active participant in several of the most influential and controversial art movements of the 20th century, among them the Blue Rider which he founded along with Franz Marc and the Bauhaus which also attracted Klee, Geiniger, and Schonberg, Kandinsky continued to further express and define his form of art, both on canvas and in his theoretical writings. His reputation became firmly established in the United States through numerous exhibitions and his work was introduced to Solomon Guggenheim, who became one of his most enthusiastic supporters.

In 1933, Kandinsky left Germany and settled near Paris, in Neuilly. The paintings from these later years were again the subject of controversy. Though out of favour with many of the patriarchs of Paris’s artistic community, younger artists admired Kandinsky. His studio was visited regularly by Miro, Arp, Magnelli and Sophie Tauber. Kandinsky continued painting almost until his death in June, 1944. His unrelenting quest for new forms which carried him to the very extremes of geometric abstraction have provided us with an unparalleled collection of abstract art.

The painting above is Kandinsky’s “Composition X” of 1939. It is in the Geometric Abstraction style and is quite striking as the artist uses a dark background to highlight the carefully composed multicoloured geometric shapes, some containing intricately detailed subdivisions. One may observe some recognisable objects within the painting, for example open books, a merry-go-round, a building or even a fish on a plate (!), however, the artist’s intention in creating an abstract composition with no reference to the real world is indisputable. The painting relies on its division of the picture plane into areas of flat colour and the interrelationship of shapes on the background are of themselves of adequate aesthetic appeal. The painting would work as well hung upside down or on its side (nullifying the well-known joke about an abstract painting being hung “upside down” in a gallery and nobody noticing it…).

FAURÉ - PIE JESU

“For death begins with life's first breath And life begins at touch of death” - John Oxenham (William Arthur Dunkerley)

For Song Saturday today a sublime aria from the Gabriel Fauré “Requiem” sung faultlessly by Cecilia Bartoli. It is the “Pie Jesu” where the singer prays to Jesus to give rest to the souls of the departed.

Pie Jesu Domine,

Dona eis requiem.

Pie Jesu Domine,

Dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Kind Lord Jesus,

Grant them rest.

Kind Lord Jesus,

Grant them everlasting rest.

A BELATED EULOGY FOR H.A.

“Thus that which is the most awful of evils, death, is nothing to us, since when we exist there is no death, and when there is death we do not exist” - Epicurus

Quite by chance today I found out that a former colleague of mine from a couple of jobs ago died in 2002 at 47 years of age. Our working relationship was not a close one as we were in different departments, however, we knew each other and always greeted one another in the corridor, sometimes attended the same general staff meetings and on one or two occasions he had come to me for some professional advice. I respected him and regarded him as an able and conscientious colleague, with a cordial and pleasant manner. I remember that he had moved overseas for some time and then I lost track of him, the business of everyday life and demands of new jobs getting in the way of keeping track of erstwhile colleagues…

Moving away from a job, one tends to sever many bonds willingly, while some are cut by circumstance. Though contact may be maintained at first, it is strained by distance and time, and even some closer friendships formed in the workplace prove to be more superficial than one thought of initially and they quickly move into the category of past acquaintance. It is part and parcel of our evolution as individuals and the changes that occur in our character, our environment our long-term relationships with family, persistent friends and long-term acquaintances. Life has a knack of reorganising itself around us and we tend to adapt to its changes with more alacrity than we give ourselves credit for.

We often may regret losing track of someone we felt an affinity with, reminisce about some special people whom we approached but never got the chance of getting really close to, and feel sorry about the ones whom we felt were special and we thought we were close to, but whom time showed to be mere acquaintances. Time moves forward inexorably and has an immense power to level much in its path. We may try to erect huge monoliths that tower above all and yet time passes and the structures we thought eternal, crumble into dust. And yet, a flower may bloom in front of time’s relentless rushing torrential front and the waters wash over it, the fragile bloom seeming to magically stay intact and somehow survive the deluge.

Our powerlessness over the passage of time is manifested most cuttingly by our daily ageing, by the appearance of telltale signs of increasing decrepitude, by the greater frequency of death’s calling card on those near and dear to us. Time passes and we age, time passes and it mows down youth and fervour. It hones down the edge of our passions, and we mature. The lucky amongst may even grow wise, though wisdom may be only another name for forbearance and stoicism in the view of our decreasing strength and increasing awareness of our own mortality.

Death rearing its skeletal head around us is always a sure sign that we too are mortal and must die. There is an increasing acceptance of it as part of our life the more we age and the more of our companions we see succumbing to its inescapable embrace. What is scathing is an early death amongst those close to us. The age of 47 years is nowadays considered as a relatively young age at which to die. One still has much to do, much to contribute, much to achieve, much to enjoy, much to share, much to be rewarded for. It is hard to reconcile ourselves with such losses. More so perhaps if the person passing is talented, hard-working, active, a contributor to the betterment of many lives around him or her.

I was sorry today when I heard of HA’s death. I don’t know any details, not even the cause of death, however, somehow the details seem unimportant now. What I mourn is the person, the life cut short, the journey left incomplete. I also regret not getting to know this person better, not maintaining some contact, not even being there at the time of death… A life stopped short, a colleague dead prematurely, a friend perhaps that I never made. Lives that ran parallel for a little while, threads that never crossed to weave, lives that didn’t enrich each other as much as it could have been possible. A belated eulogy, a goodbye unsaid at the time finally articulated.

WORLD AIDS DAY 2011

“We are the carriers of health and disease - either the divine health of courage and nobility or the demonic diseases of hate and anxiety” - Joshua Loth Liebman

The 1st of December 2011, marks the 23rd annual ‘World AIDS Day’. This global awareness commemoration was established by the World Health Organization (WHO), in an attempt to raise public awareness about HIV infection, including the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV. Today, more than 160 countries participate in World AIDS Day. Events planned in these countries serve to provide a global response to HIV infection, which is an issue impacting upon the lives of millions of men, women and children, across all demographics, races and religions throughout the world.

HIV infection is not just relevant to developing countries, homosexuals and drug addicts. It is relevant to every person in the world, as an important issue affecting our society. Currently there are around 17,500 people living with HIV in Australia, with approximately 5,722 of these in Victoria. Every three days, two Victorians are diagnosed with the virus, meaning there are more people living with HIV here than ever before.

HIV can infect an unborn child in an HIV positive woman. It can be diagnosed in a health worker who has been accidentally exposed to HIV positive blood. HIV infection can occur in an emergency worker who has contracted the virus assisting victims at the scene of an accident. The infection can be found in the wife of an infected man who contracted the virus in examples such as those aforementioned. HIV infection can occur in a tourist returning from a trip abroad and who received hospital treatment in a high-incidence country.

There are many activities that everyone can participate in to become a ‘World AIDS Day Advocate’ this December. Volunteer to help sell merchandise, collect donations and distribute red ribbons on World AIDS Day. Rather than sell red ribbons, volunteers are handing them out on December 1st and hoping that recipients will make a donation to further research into the disease and help to alleviate the distress of sufferers. Vital funding is required for education about HIV infection and prevention of HIV infection. Many people are instrumental in organising activities and collecting donations at their workplace, school or club.

By wearing a red ribbon or other red clothing on World AIDS Day, participants help to generate vital awareness surrounding HIV infection. Advocate tell others about World AIDS Day so that family, friends and colleagues become aware of HIV infection, helping to spread the word far and wide. By participating in World AIDS Day activities you:
•    Acknowledge the ongoing problems that HIV infection is causing worldwide.
•    Contribute to fundraising efforts, which directly assist people living with HIV.
•    Confront the ongoing stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV.
•    Increase awareness surrounding HIV and its transmission.
•    Help to commemorate the millions of lives lost as a result of the epidemic.

December 1st is the day when you inform yourself, educate others and pledge your support to World AIDS Day. For more information about HIV infection, see:

CDC - Basic Information about HIV and AIDS

Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO)

New York Times Health

INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER SECURITY DAY

“The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.” - Henry Ford

November 30th is International Computer Security Day. The day is an important reminder for all computer users to review their “safe” practices when using computers, the internet and all manner of data storage devices. Computer Security Day began in 1988 when the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) sought to bring computer-related security issues to the nation’s forefront. Since that time, Computer Security Day has evolved into a worldwide event, observed in over 40 countries. Some organisations choose to have functions on the next business day if the day falls on a weekend.

Most of us who use a computer have experienced one or more adverse security events relating to our use of computers. The discovery of viruses, worms, Trojans and spyware on our hard disk, leakage of passwords and overtaking of email accounts by hackers, loss of data, failure of backups, etc, etc. Add to that of course, computer crime and the way that many people get scammed online and through emails. It is a frightening prospect and one that can cause loss of data, personal information theft (including identity theft), loss of money and a great deal of heartache!

On this day at least, we should use the occasion to take at least one action to improve the security on our computers. Here are just a few suggestions on what you can you do:
•    Change your password(s) to strong password(s). At minimum, mix upper case and lower case letters, numbers, and special symbols. The longer the password, the better it is.
•    Remove the “sticky note” from under your keyboard that has all your passwords written on it!
•    Update your anti-virus software and run a full system scan, eliminating all suspicious files.
•    Check your system for software updates, including security updates!
•    Do you know what a “Firewall” is? If not, find out. If yes, are you using it effectively?
•    Delete unneeded or “strange” files from you computer – get help from an expert if you are unsure.
•    Back up, back up, back up important files!

Is your email system secure against email viruses, which are able to cripple your email system and corporate network in minutes? Many of these hazardous viruses are being distributed worldwide via email in a matter of hours, for example, the LoveLetter virus that wrought havoc around the world in 2000. Email worms and viruses can reach your system and infect users through harmful attachments. But that’s not all! Some viruses are transmitted through harmless-looking email messages and can run automatically without the need for user intervention, like the Nimda virus. Find out what your personal protection against such attacks is and ensure that you adhere to the security protocols.

Internet users are being warned to never respond to emails which ask for personal details. Everyone should be aware of the practice of “phishing” involving sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organisation already has.

These phishing websites, however, are bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information. For example, 2003 saw the proliferation of a phishing scam in which users received e-mails supposedly from eBay claiming that the user’s account was about to be suspended unless he clicked on the provided link and updated the credit card information that the genuine eBay already had. Because it is relatively simple to make a Web site look like a legitimate organisation’s site by mimicking the HTML code, the scam counted on people being tricked into thinking they were actually being contacted by eBay and were subsequently going to eBay’s site to update their account information. By spamming large groups of people, the “phisher” counted on the e-mail being read by a percentage of people who actually had listed credit card numbers with eBay legitimately.

Phishing, also referred to as brand spoofing or carding, is a variation on “fishing”, the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hopes that while most will ignore the bait, some will be tempted into biting. Criminals are getting smarter and making better use of technology. He says people would be surprised at how sophisticated some of the phishing attacks have become. There are very credible copies of websites and emails, which are sucking in the most unlikely people. He believes more money is being made by organised crime through internet fraud, than through illegal drugs.

But do remember, security awareness is most effective when people practice security habits daily, not just once a year!

malware |ˈmalˌwe(ə)r| noun; Computing
Software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.
ORIGIN: Blend of malicious and software.

SOUVENIR ROUGE

“We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to.” - Oscar Wilde

There are some cupboards, some seldom opened drawers, some taped up boxes in every home, where we have locked up objects that serve as silent souvenirs of times past. Photographs, letters, small keepsakes, pressed flowers, a gift or two, some trifle that on first glance a stranger would look at curiously and dismiss as “junk”. All of those hidden reminders of times that have been, carefully secreted in some dark place where their strident voice is muffled are thus easily ignored.

The larger, bulkier mementos are more difficult to discount. Furniture, paintings, cars, houses even. Our past lives live on in these possessions that persist even if our life has moved on. Catharsis can occur only if these reminders are shed. New furniture, anyone?


This blog entry is part of the Magpie Tales meme.

Souvenir Rouge

You know the rules,
X marks the spot:
“Thou shalt not venture beyond this yellow line”
Cerise dreams are out of bounds.

The brickwork sighs
And shapely thighs
Have left depressions on the embarrassed couch –
Crimson words are best left unspoken.

Soft liquid drips,
Moans left embroidered
On the fabric; lyrics to sweet songs,
Port-wine poetry not to be recited.

Flushed memories
Abandoned keepsakes
Once part of a pair, ruby sofa, your
Blood-red histories are to be expunged
On the garbage heap.

MOVIE MONDAY - LEAVES OF GRASS

“Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self esteem.” - Kurt Cobain

For Movie Monday today, Tim Blake Nelson’s 2009 film “Leaves of Grass”, starring Edward Norton, Keri Russell, Henry Max Nelson and Susan Sarandon. The script was also written by Tim Blake Nelson, who also acted in the movie, and it was quite an interesting mix of the familiar with the original. Although one could view this film as a black comedy, there were scenes of high drama and the theme of family reconciliations was well-served in the end.

Edward Norton plays identical twin brothers, Billy, a talented and famous university professor of philosophy and Brady a big time marijuana grower and dealer in Tulsa. The film builds up to the first encounter of the two brothers after many years of being estranged, bringing with it much comedic incident. The strained relationship between the twin brothers is not helped by Brady tricking Bill into revisiting the family, however, smoking of the choice marijuana that Brady cultivates soon has Bill collaborating with him to negotiate a loan extension with the state’s drug kingpin from Tulsa, the otherwise respectable oilfield equipment purveyor and Jewish philanthropist, Pug (well-played by Richard Dreyfuss).

Bill mends bridges with his mother who has secluded herself in a nursing home, although she does not need to and is charmed by local teacher and poet, Janet (Kerri Russell). Bill learns of the different kinds of love and although the ending is quite unexpected, one can see that it is all predicted earlier and one understands thoroughly both Bill’s predicament and his final lesson learnt.

The acting was superb with Norton portraying competently and believably the two twins of quite different personalities. The other actors also played with gusto and gave excellent performances, without once lapsing into farce, which would have been very easy to do in some parts of the movie.

The movie is quite violent and there are scenes that would offend the squeamish, however, they were warranted, given the subject matter. Overall, quite an enjoyable movie, which superficially could be seen as a comedy, but which is better described as a tragicomedy, with some very deep messages that are not foisted on the viewer with a steel glove. We would recommend it quite highly.

ANDRÉ DERAIN FOR ART SUNDAY

“Every painter has been guilty of wanting to portray a moment in nature instead of realising that a simple luminous arrangement would put the mind into the same state as a landscape.” - André Derain

For Art Sunday today, André Derain (10th June 1880, Chatou, France to 8th September 1954, Garches, France). He is one of the important French post-impressionists and major exponent of fauvism. Derain received a good education at the College Chaptal as his father wanted to make him an engineer. Derain, however, was drawn to painting and became Carriere’s pupil and a friend of Matisse. In 1889 he met Vlaminck and together they formed the Chatou school.

Derain shared with Vlaminck the choice of subjects for their paintings (they both had the same passion for Van Gogh), notably landscapes and suburban scenes, but they also had much in common in technique: They both used brushwork, applied in squares, dots and short strokes, and while Derain’s use of colour is bold and contrasted as Vlaminck’s it is less frivolous and dominated by tones of green and violet. Both artists had a predilection for curves in their composition. But it was Matisse who was the catalyst for the outpouring of Derain’s talent. On one occasion, when staying at Collioure with Matisse, Derain said: “I knew moments of great doubt and it was Matisse who reassured me”.

Contact with Matisse gave Derain’s painting a delicate quality with a more relaxed technique and economy of pictorial elements. His mastery fully showed itself in the series of pictures he painted in London between 1906 and 1907, which are considered his Fauvist masterpieces. It is in these paintings that the last traces of Impressionism and Divisionism vanish, and the colouring (pink, green, yellow, blue), although in a lower key than Vlaminck’s, is more animated and adhering to the fauvist palette, applied in vibrant daubs. His composition is skilful following the shape of surrounding objects, giving an appearance of solidity, which is emphasised by the use of outline.

From 1912 to 1914 Sienese art influenced Derain and his “Gothic” period ensued but terminated during the war. After 1920 the south of France and Italy inspired in him a Classical period. “The Hunt” earned him the 1928 Carnegie Prize. He was immensely active during 1930 and 1931, with several exhibitions at Paul Guillaume, commissions for stage design for the theatre and for the Diaghilev Ballet, costume design, illustrations for “Pantagruel” and La Fontaine’s “Contes”, sculpture and masks. In 1935 he left Paris and retired to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He died in a clinic at Garches after a road accident. In 1931, after ten years of grudging criticism, his qualities as a landscape painter began to be recognised.

His “London Bridge” above was painted in London, in the Winter of 1906. It is an oil on canvas (66 x 99.1 cm) work that best exemplifies Derain’s fauve style. The brilliant colour, the distillation of the scene into its simplest structural components the strong curvilinear composition and the strong brushwork are all elements that make this painting characteristic of fauvism and Derain. That wintry London could inspire such a bright joyous work is quite astounding!

PSALM SUNDAY MEME - ORTHODOX CHANT

“When we lose one blessing, another is often most unexpectedly given in its place” - C.S. Lewis

Robert is hosting a Psalm Sunday meme and this entry is for inclusion in his list of beautiful religious posts. Thank you, Robert!

This is a Greek Orthodox psalm to the Virgin Mary, asking for her intercession with God to be mankind’s saviour.

«Υπεραγία Θεοτόκε, σώσον ημάς. Πολλοίς συνεχόμενος πειρασμοίς, προς σε καταφεύγω, σωτηρίαν επιζητών· Ω Μήτερ του Λόγου και Παρθένε, των δυσχερών και δεινών με διάσωσον».

“Most Holy Mother of God, save us. Having many temptations constantly around me, I seek refuge in You, wanting my salvation. You, mother of the Word of God and Holy Virgin, save me from all difficulties and suffering.”

RAINY SONG SATURDAY

“Into each life some rain must fall, some days must be dark and dreary.”  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It’s been a very rainy Saturday in Melbourne and the rain has been pouring on and off day and night. The gardens like it, but drivers on the road seem to get cranky and small children confined indoors get cabin fever!

What better for Song Saturday than Joe Satriani’s classic “Tears in the Rain”?

FRUIT SLICE FOR FOOD FRIDAY

“Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” - Richard M. Sherman

I was at a conference again today and it was good to see that there was a wide variety of food available for lunch, including some healthful options. There were some vegetarian choices and some fresh salads, sandwiches that were vegetable based and also those with fish instead of meat fillings. As well as that, for those with a sweet tooth there some delicious cakes and slices, including a very nice dried fruit slice that was very nice. Seeing I have several sweet teeth, I was delighted to sample this slice and then had a second piece as I only had some salad for lunch.

A little inspection of the web this afternoon yielded the recipe of this delicious slice (or if not the exact one a very good imitation!). Here it is:

Dried Fruit Slice
Ingredients

280 g plain flour
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
100 g brown sugar
200 g unsalted butter, chopped up
2 tbsps lemon juice
350 g chopped dried fruits (mixed peel, glacé cherries, dried apricots, sultanas, raisins, dates, etc)
180 mL orange juice

Method
Preheat the oven to 180˚C, and line a lightly greased 20 x 30 cm shallow tin with non-stick baking paper, overhanging the opposite sides.
Put the flour, spices, sugar and butter in a food processor, processing using the pulse action until fine and crumbly.
Add the lemon juice and process briefly until mixture is well moistened.
Set aside a cup of this pastry mixture (in the fridge) and press the rest firmly into the tin with the back of a spoon.
Smooth the surface of the pastry base and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool completely.
Put the chopped dried fruit and orange juice in a pan heat and stir for 10-15 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated and the fruit is soft (careful it doesn’t burn!). Leave to cool.
Spread over the pastry evenly to form a layer of fruit.
Crumble the reserved pastry mixture on top of the fruit and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden.
Allow to cool and cut into slices.
You may serve with some optional double cream or mascarpone.

SOME THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F. Kennedy

Thank you. Thanks! I’m indebted to you. I am grateful. Simple words, some would say formulaic and conventional, added to our conversation to bulk it up. Or maybe automatically uttered – a conditioned reflex with some of us. Of the same ilk as: Pardon me, sorry, my apologies… The cynical would classify these utterances as hollow niceties mumbled without conscious effort or thought, white lies of circumstances, a concession to our social instinct that allow us to live with others of our kind in relative quietude.

And yet, I am hearing the words “thank you” less and less nowadays. With some people I’m lucky to get a grunt in place of thanks. With others, a more polite one would say, “cheers” to replace the word “thanks”. I want to hear the word thank you as much as I say it, not because I expect people to feel gratitude and express it to me in repayment for what I have done, but perhaps because uttering sincere thanks is an acknowledgement that ingratitude is a vile and uncivilised offence, a stain on one’s character, a wet sponge that rubs out totally one’s qualifications, education, breeding.

How many things in our everyday life we have that we should be grateful for! The list goes on and on… Speaking for myself, I realise that I am one of the privileged few that enjoys a comfortable life, has food on the table every day, a shelter over my head, a bed to lie down upon at night. I am grateful for the people around me who love and whom I can love back, my friends to whom I can turn when in need, with whom I can rejoice for my own or their successes, celebrate their or my achievements. I thank life for all that.

I am indebted to my family that raised and educated me, instilling in me an appreciation of beauty, a respect for my fellow human beings, tolerance for others who are unlike me, who may differ in their beliefs or have different faiths. I am grateful for being able to hear music, see the wonders of the world, admire what humans have wrought, enjoy the blessed routine of everyday life.

I thank providence for my job, my ability to earn enough to live comfortably. To work at something that fulfils me and allows me to use my talents. A job that helps me make the world a better place. I am grateful for my co-workers, my boss, my colleagues working in the same field – some of them on the other side of the world – who give me their support when I need it. I am grateful for all that and more.

Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today, and for that they should be grateful. A day set aside specially to say thanks. A beautiful holiday when families gather, sit around a table and join hands to be grateful for all the things that life has given them. And not only things! Perhaps even more than things, a day to be grateful for the presence of each other around that table that is laden with the fruits of the earth and people’s toil.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it formally as a Public Holiday. To all others, why not celebrate it within your heart. Stop, think of all that you are grateful for and go say thank you to someone who is special to you…

MOVEMBER

“A man without a mustache is like a cup of tea without sugar” - English Proverb

The last two days have been a great rush at work as we were busy finalising a submission to a government department. Thankfully it all got done and it was put in the mail by the due date and on time! Nevertheless, it was quite an arduous task and many people worked very hard for it. Tomorrow and the day after I am attending an education conference here in Melbourne, at which I am presenting a paper. I also attended last year’s conference and it was a very interesting one, so I am looking forward to this.

Many of the men at work are sporting moustaches now, all part of the “Movember” initiative. They join many hundreds of thousands of others during November each year, who are sprouting of moustaches in Australia and around the world. The aim of this is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression. On the 1st of November (sorry, that should be Movember!) men register at www.movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month, these men (known as “Mo Bros”), groom, trim and wax their way into full moustachiosness. Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo growing efforts.

For all 30 days of November, the moustache-sporting Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking advertisements, and through their actions and words raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health. At the end of the month, Mo Bros and their female supporters (known as “Mo Sistas”) celebrate their efforts by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous “Gala Partés” held around the world by Movember, for Movember.

Movember began modestly in Melbourne, Australia, and has now grown to become a truly global movement inspiring more than 1.1 Million Mo Bros and Mo Sistas to participate, with formal campaigns in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa and Ireland. In addition, Movember is aware of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas supporting the campaign and men’s health cause right across the globe, from Russia to Dubai, Hong Kong to Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro to Mumbai, and everywhere in between.

Diseases that primarily affect men claim millions of lives around the world annually. Men have a rather poor track record as far as taking care of their health. They tend to not visit the doctor as often as women do and they are more likely to ignore warning signs of disease. As a consequence they present later with disease that could have been treated easier or even cured, were it caught at an earlier stage.

In Australia, around 3,300 men die annually of prostate cancer. This is equal to the number of women who die from breast cancer annually, and yet not as much is heard about this disease as is heard about breast cancer nor do men take the same steps in early diagnosis and treatment of their cancer. Around 20,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Australian every year. Yet, if detected and treated while still confined to the prostate gland, the cancer can be cured. The diagnostic tests for prostate cancer are the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the digital rectal examination (DRE). These tests do not give a conclusive diagnosis of cancer but can indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

The older a man is, the greater the risk of prostate cancer occurring, with most cancers being diagnosed in men over the age of 50 years. However, younger men with a history of prostate cancer in their family are at greater risk. What is complicated with prostate cancer is that some cancers grow very slowly and don’t threaten life, whilst others grow more rapidly and do. Diagnosis of the cancer involves making some informed decisions about treatment where the patient takes an active role in his decision on testing, treatment and management of the disease. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is a major sponsor of Movember.

In Australia, one in six men suffer from depression at any given time. Four times more young men than young women commit suicide. Depression in men is associated with an increased risk of a variety of disorders, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The experience of male depression is complicated by the fact that men are more likely than women to shy away from medical treatment of any kind. Instead of discussing psychological problems, or seeking appropriate treatment, men may turn to alcohol or drugs when they are depressed or anxious.

The statistics for teenage boys and young men are a concern. In the past 30 years, the suicide rate for males aged 15 to 24 years tripled. For older Australian men (aged 65 years and over) the suicide rate remains very high. Risk factors for depression and suicide for this age group include death of a spouse, isolation, physical illness and chronic pain.

Beyondblue is an Australian national, independent, not-for-profit organisation working to address issues associated with depression, anxiety and related disorders in Australia. It promotes research and public education campaigns about depression and supports community initiatives on these disorders. Beyondblue is a major sponsor of Movember in Australia.

DO YOU LOVE ME?

“One of the hardest things in life is having words in your heart that you can't utter.” - James Earl Jones

To love we have to make ourselves vulnerable, let down our defences, allow another person access to our heartland. And once the drawbridges are down and once the walls have been demolished the sense of insecurity is immense… “Do you love me?” is the question that often remains unspoken, even though we may shout it out inside our hollow heart. Or if it is spoken, what answer may be given (or not given) may make us more miserable than before.

Magpie Tales this week has given us an image of one the great and most long-lasting couples of Hollywood. The theme is obviously “love”!

Do you Love me?

“Do you love me,” she said, “do you love me?”
And I – I stood silent and looked on, transfixed.
“Do you care for me,” she asked, “do you?”
And I – I turned away and looked at her no more.

“Why are you silent?” she spoke again,
And I – I searched inside me, for words
Were hard to find and language failed me.
“Speak, answer, tell me!” she commanded.

My eyes looked upon her and all I could think of
Were bright red thoughts and chords of A major joy.
Sweet tasting sherbet melodies and cooling draughts
Of pure spring water on a summer’s day.

“Do you love me,” she said, “do you love me?”
And I – I stood silent and looked on, transfixed.
“Do you care for me,” she asked, “do you?”
And I – I turned towards her and looked deep in her eyes.

And there were velvet leaves in my gaze,
On mellow September afternoons;
And my fingers were extended in silken threads
To bind our hands together like steel gossamer.

And my tongue moved powerless in the prison of my mouth
Forcing volumes of words unspoken down a dry throat.
My lips painted a sunset of a smile, and my eyes
Spoke only three eloquent words, silently,
So softly that only she could hear them with her heart
That resonated perfectly with their insistent rhythm.
“Hush, love!” she said, “not so loudly!
For we must not tempt jealous fate with our bliss;
The gods have punished mortals for lesser offences than
This sweetest hubris…”