MEDITATION

“Meditation is the tongue of the soul and the language of our spirit” - Jeremy Taylor

It was a freezing night last night and another is forecast for tonight. The garden this morning was covered with frost and the plants sparkled with their decorations of ice crystals. I think some of the plants may have been damaged by the frost, but we shall see in a couple of days. At least it turned out to be a fine and sunny day, although it was still quite cold. We had a visitor with us for most of the day and that kept us busy until the afternoon. At least it was a nice evening…

For Song Saturday today a most beautiful piece interpreted wonderfully. It is Massenet’s  “Meditation” from the opera “ Thais” played by Yo-Yo Ma, cello and Kathryn Stott piano.

HIGGS BOSON SOUP

“Soup of the evening, beautiful Soup!” - Lewis Carroll
 

Well I hope you celebrated the discovery of the Higgs Boson, the so-called “God Particle”. The name boson is derived from the surname of the Indian physicist, Satyendra Nath Bose, a contemporary of the German physicist Albert Einstein. This class of elementary particles includes the photons and gluons, as well as the Higgs boson. The concept can be extended to other subatomic particles obeying Bose-Einstein statistics, such as mesons (e.g., pions and kaons), and nuclei of even mass number (e.g., helium-4). The existence of the Higgs boson and the associated Higgs field explain why the other elementary particles have mass in the standard model of nuclear physics.

Although proof of its existence has caused particle physicists the world over to pee in their pants with joy, on this cold wintry evening in Melbourne, I am more overjoyed by a delicious bowl of steaming hot, savoury and appetising hot soup!

Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup
Ingredients
1 medium, cauliflower (≈500 g)
1 large parsnip, peeled, chopped
50 g blue cheese, crumbled into small pieces
2 bay leaves
50 g butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
4 tender sticks celery (the white parts from the heart), chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, washed and chopped
100 g potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons double cream or sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh chopped chives and extra cream to garnish

Method

• The stock for this soup made with all the cauliflower trimmings and the parsnip. Trim the cauliflower into small florets and then take the stalk, including the green stems and leaves, and place these trimmings in a medium-sized saucepan.
• Add the chopped parsnip, the dry mustard, the bay leaves, some salt and 2 litres of water.
• Bring it to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes with a lid.
• Meanwhile, take another large saucepan with a well-fitting lid, melt the butter in it over a gentle heat, then add the onion, celery, leek, cauliflower florets and potato, cover and let the vegetables gently sweat for 15 minutes.
• Keep the heat very low, then, when the stock is ready, strain it into the pan to join the sweated vegetables, but throwing out the stock vegetables.
• Bring it all back up to simmering point and simmer very gently for 30 minutes, this time without a lid until the vegetables are completely tender.
• Place the contents of the saucepan in a food processor or liquidiser and process until the soup is smooth and creamy.
• Return it to the saucepan, stir in the cream and cheese and keep stirring until the cheese has melted and the soup is hot but not boiling.
• Check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste if required, then serve in hot bowls, garnished with a little more cream or a dob of butter and the chives.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,

and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

A WAR STORY

“If we don’t end war, war will end us.” - H. G. Wells 

I have been following the news of the terrible situation in Syria, which has been dragging on for months and months now, worsening all the while. Each day in the news one hears of more atrocities, more attacks, more bombings, more and more people dying, victims to the internecine destruction on both sides of the conflict. I cannot pretend to understand what is actually happening there, who is wrong and who is right, who is telling the truth and who is lying. All I know is that there are many innocent victims who are dying needlessly as they are caught in the crossfire.

Unfortunately, there is no sign of the conflict resolving and the international community is hesitant to intervene decisively. In the meantime, the conflict threatens to turn into a massive, full-scale civil war – surely the worse kind of war there is… I wrote the short story below a few years ago when the tinder-box of the Middle East was once again a bloody battle zone and thousands of innocents lost their lives needlessly. Unfortunately, history repeats itself again and again and the story below is once again topical…

A Lullaby

“Mama, I'm scared…”
“I'm here my treasure, I'm holding you.” Her voice gentle and her hands firm around the fragile little body that trembled against her racing heart.
“Mama, the walls might crash down on us and kill us…”
“The walls are strong, your own grandfather built this house with his own hands. The walls have stood firm for many years now and they will be here for your children to grow up in.” Her eyes wide open, the whites shining in the darkness. The face haggard and dirty, every now and then illuminated by the flash of an exploding bomb. The small window in the basement that would not close fully was enough to let the fear in. The smell of death encircled them and the noise of battle surrounded them.

“Where is my father, Mama?” The little voice was shaky, the trembling of the little body in her embrace not only caused by the cold.
“Your father is helping injured people, my love. He is at the hospital, you know that.”
“Why do they want to kill us, Mama?”
“They do not want to kill us, my darling, they are bombing the bad people.”
“Was my friend next door bad?”
The woman closed her eyes and stifled a wave of emotion. She should not cry now. She should be strong. Strong for her daughter's sake.
“No, our good neighbours were not bad, just unlucky…” She hugged the child tightly. “They were hit by mistake as they were coming back from the market.”

There was a respite in the awful sound of warfare outside and the flashes of light gave way to an unearthly greenish light. The sudden quiet in the cellar was more foreboding to her ears than all of the unholy uproar previously. She shuddered to think of the future, yet that future was only moments ahead. The concept of 'next week' was something that had become foreign to her. To survive this day, to keep herself alive for her daughter, that was her only purpose now. If tomorrow dawned for them she could thank God and try her best to survive that tomorrow also.

“Mama, when is my father coming back?”
“Hush darling, you know he is needed where he is more than here.” Her voice was hardly a whisper and it took great restraint not to cry out the pain that was bottled up inside her for days now. She felt her heart beating and it seemed to her to be a hand grenade, ready at any moment to explode and devastate her whole being. Her husband would not come back, she knew that. Her daughter must not know, now.
“Is he helping the sick people?”
“Yes, my heart of hearts, he is at the hospital and he is operating on the injured, helping them to get better.” She embraced the girl and started to sing her a lullaby. A soft, peaceful sound that reverberated in the darkness and calmed herself more than the child. A lullaby that was sung to her by her grandmother and her mother. A lullaby that she wanted her daughter to sing to her own children when she had them. But that was light years away, the priorities of the here and now dictated otherwise.

The whistling sound of a bomb falling, a flash of brilliant light and an explosion were followed by more. The child started in her arms and screamed. These bombs were falling too close! Her blood turned to ice and her eyes closed as she hugged her daughter to her breast.
“Mama! I wish papa was here now! He would protect us…”
“I'm here for you, my darling, I will not let them harm you, hush!” Her voice rang out above the sounds of explosions. The ground was shaking around them and the old timbers above them creaked. Showers of dust fell around them and the flash of the explosions illuminated them making them seem like a golden rain.

The house collapsed as if it were made of cards. Debris was hurled around the neighbourhood and the charred timbers pointed up accusingly as the bomber planes disappeared over the horizon. The village had been razed to the ground. Smoke billowed in dark clouds over slowly burning piles rubble and whimpers of the survivors under fallen walls were the only sound that could be heard now. Deep in a cellar a woman is quietly singing a lullaby clutching the child in her arms. She rocks her precious daughter in her arms amidst the ruins, and her tears stream down her face. The blackened skin of her cheeks is bleached as each hot droplet trickles down. Her voice breaks as she looks at the face of the lifeless child on her lap.

HAPPY 4th JULY!

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” - Benjamin Franklin

Happy Independence Day to all my readers in the USA!

The Declaration of Independence is a document that was approved by the Continental Congress on July 4th, 1776, and it announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. The Congress on July 2nd had “unanimously” resolved (by the votes of 12 colonies with New York abstaining), that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.” Accordingly, the day on which final separation was officially voted was July 2nd, although July 4th, the day on which the Declaration of Independence was adopted, has always been celebrated in the United States as the great national holiday, the Fourth of July, or Independence Day.

July 4th is a day of patriotic celebration and family events throughout the USA. In the words of Founding Father John Adams, the holiday is “the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance… It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”

As it is a Summer holiday, the celebration of Independence Day mainly take place outdoors. Families often celebrate Independence Day by hosting or attending a picnic or barbeque and take advantage of the day off (and, in some years, long weekend) to gather with relatives. Red, white and blue decorations reflecting the colours of the American flag are put up in public spaces and outside homes. Parades are often in the morning, while fireworks displays occur in the evening at such places as parks, fairgrounds, or town squares.

The night before the Fourth of July was once the focal point of celebrations, marked by raucous gatherings often incorporating bonfires as their centerpiece. In New England, towns competed to build towering pyramids, assembled from hogsheads and barrels and casks. They were lit at nightfall, to usher in the celebration. The highest were in Salem, Massachusetts, composed of as many as forty tiers of barrels; these are the tallest bonfires ever recorded. The custom flourished in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and is still practiced in some New England towns.

Independence Day fireworks are often accompanied by patriotic songs such as the national anthem – “The Star-Spangled Banner”, “God Bless America”, “America the Beautiful”, “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee”, “This Land Is Your Land”, “Stars and Stripes Forever”, and, regionally, “Yankee Doodle” in northeastern states and “Dixie” in southern states. Some of the lyrics recall images of the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812. A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a “salute to the union,” is fired on Independence Day at noon by any capable military base.

OPHELIA'S SONG

“Lay her i' the earth: And from her fair and unpolluted flesh May violets spring!” – William Shakespeare, “Hamlet” Act 5, Scene 1

Magpie Tales has chosen a beautiful Odilon Redon painting for this week’s prompt. Bertrand-Jean Redon, better known as Odilon Redon (April 20, 1840 – July 6, 1916) was a French symbolist painter, printmaker, draughtsman and pastellist. His beautiful pastel toned, flower-filled and richly contemplative art works well suit the subject of the painting above – “Ophelia”.

I could not resist the Shakespearean allusions, so here is my offering with apologies to the bard…

Ophelia’s Song

There’s rosemary that’s for remembrance,
And parsley (such a melancholy herb),
Sweet marjoram and pungent thyme
All for a posy of herbs watered with tears.

He says he loves, but is it me,
Or are his sighs and sunken cheeks
A sign of sweet affection
For another?

The cornflower’s blue – just like his eyes
And red his mouth, just like a fragrant rose –
There’s rue for me, and tears aplenty,
No balm nor basil will my painful heart assuage.

He looks at me and sees me not,
His heart too distant and his hand ice cold;
The fires within him burn, but
For another!

Oh laurel green, fit for a wreath,
And cypress dark and melancholy
Fit for my sorrow garden
Where opium poppies grow.

I wither as his thoughts are far removed from me,
His soul will seek me not,
While he would lay down his life
For another…

*****

And as the silvern moon sinks down the western sky,
Ophelia gently, sweetly, drowns…

MOVIE MONDAY - DEEP BLUE SEA

“For whatever we lose (like a you or a me)  it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.” - E. E. Cummings
 
We watched a Hollywood pulp film at the weekend, which I got when it was on special at the DVD store. I didn’t know any of the actors in it but the jacket had a good synopsis on it and it looked attractive, besides which it reminded me somewhat of the very successful “Jaws” of 1975, remember that classic? In any case it looked like typical Saturday afternoon matinée material, perfect for a rainy, winter’s afternoon with lots of popcorn on hand and the heater going at full blast – which was exactly what the conditions were when we watched it.
 

The film was Renny Harlin’s 1999 “Deep Blue Sea”, starring Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows and Samuel L. Jackson. The plot was implausible, but what the heck, it was all set up for thrills and spills and the classic “evil shark vs helpless humans” idea. A comparison with “Jaws” is inevitable and the more recent film comes up lacking in terms plot, characterisation, acting and general look and feel of the film. However, we watched “Deep Blue Sea” with enough interest despite its obvious deficiencies. The main thing to remember if you are watching the film is “don’t take it seriously!”. This movie is not high art, it’s not about character development, it’s not even about a convoluted plot with lots of surprises. It’s just about CGI-generated sharks (very good!) and lots of action and blood and gore and guts. Oh, yes, it’s a typical “dick-flick”.
 
The plot centres on a group of scientists trying to genetically engineer the brains of sharks to help find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease. Saffron Burrows is the lead scientist, who is very passionate about her research – so passionate in fact, that she becomes unethical in the way she conducts it and she breaks important rules about genetic engineering. The result is the creation of a trio of very big, very hungry and very smart sharks who hunt in packs and wipe out most of the humans in the ocean floating/underwater laboratory. The film has plenty of stomach-churning gore, but it is also tongue-in-cheek to a certain extent, helping its watchability.
 
Although this film is not cerebral and one doesn’t watch it for stellar performances by actors’ actors, most of the cast does quite well, within the script’s shortcomings. Rapper LL Cool J plays a preacher/cook and manages to defuse a lot of situations with humour and becomes a very human, likeable character. His encounter with a shark in a kitchen, I thought, was one of the highlights of the film. Thomas Jane has the “hero” part, and he dispenses with the role well, but it is a cliché role and a cliché performance. The sharks are the real stars, and they do well what they are meant to do – eat everyone and everything in their path.
 
Ultimately, I guess one can say the film is enjoyable as pulp entertainment, provided one doesn’t have high expectations of it. It has lots of blood and gore, so be prepared for that if you watch it. The CGI sharks are good and the action sequences and explosions are fine. It rolls along in a good pace and maintains viewer interest. Shakespeare, it’s not.

ART SUNDAY - ARCIMBOLDO

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast” – Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson)
 
For Art Sunday today, a whimsical painter whose bizarre works have puzzled as well as delighted countless generation. Giuseppe Arcimboldo was born in Milan in 1527, the son of Biagio, a painter who did work for the office of the Fabbrica in the Duomo. Arcimboldo was commissioned to do stained glass window designs beginning in 1549. In 1556 he worked with Giuseppe Meda on frescoes for the Cathedral of Monza. In 1558, he drew the cartoon for a large tapestry of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, which still hangs in the Como Cathedral today. In 1562 he became court portraitist to Ferdinand I at the Habsburg court in Vienna, and later, to Maximilian II and his son Rudolf II at the court in Prague. He was also the court decorator and costume designer.

King Augustus of Saxony, who visited Vienna in 1570 and 1573, saw Arcimboldo’s work and commissioned a copy of his “The Four Seasons” which incorporated his own monarchic symbols. Vortumnus (Vertumno) Arcimboldo’s conventional work, on traditional religious subjects, has fallen into oblivion, but his portraits of human heads made up of vegetables, fruit and tree roots, were greatly admired by his contemporaries and remain a source of fascination today.

Art critics debate whether these paintings were purposefully painted strange or whether they were the product of a deranged mind. A majority of scholars hold to the view, however, that given the Renaissance fascination with riddles, puzzles, and the bizarre, Arcimboldo, far from being mentally imbalanced, catered to the taste of his times.  Arcimboldo died in Milan, to which he retired after leaving the Habsburg service. It was during this last phase of his career that he produced the composite portrait of Rudolph II, as well as his self-portrait as the Four Seasons.

His Italian contemporaries honoured him with poetry and manuscripts celebrating his illustrious career. His hidden-face still-lives are a possible influence on his younger Lombard contemporary Caravaggio, whose painting of fruit in the Brera museum in Milan ranks as one of the earliest independent still-lives.  When the Swedish army invaded Prague in 1648, during the Thirty Years' War, many of Arcimboldo’s paintings were taken from Rudolf II’s collection. 

His works can be found in Vienna’s Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Habsburg Schloss Ambras in Innsbruck, the Louvre in Paris, as well as numerous museums in Sweden. In Italy, his work is in Cremona, Brescia, and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, Connecticut, the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado, the Menil Foundation in Houston, Texas, and the Candie Museum in Guernsey also own paintings by Archimboldo.

The bizarre works of Arcimboldo, especially his multiple images, were rediscovered in the early 20th century by Surrealist artists like Salvador Dali. The “The Arcimboldo Effect” exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1987) included numerous 'double meaning' paintings.  Arcimboldo’s influence can also be seen in the work of Shigeo Fukuda, Istvan Orosz, Octavio Ocampo, and Sandro del Prete, as well as the films of Jan Svankmajer.

The painting above “A Bowl of Vegetables” is a typical example of a double image. When turned around 180˚, the bowl is transformed into a typical Arcimboldo face made up of vegetables, and one sees "The Gardener" who produced the vegetables!

THE STORM

“Absence doth sharpen love, presence strengthens it; the one brings fuel, the other blows it till it burns clear.” - William Shakespeare

For Song Saturday, “L’ Orage” (The Storm), a French song of 1966 sung by one of the great and distinctive voices of the time, Marie Lafôret. Seems very apt tonight…



L’ Orage

J'entends ce soir l'orage
Gronder sur la forêt
Je revois le visage
De ce dernier été
Près de toi, j'ai eu peur
Lorsque le ciel en fureur
A chassé les étoiles
Qui nous portaient bonheur

La pluie à mon oreille
Chante comme autrefois,
Nos souvenirs s'éveillent
Cette nuit malgré moi
Loin de toi, mon coeur bat
Je crois entendre ta voix
Mais ce n'est que l'orage
Qui me parle de toi

J'entends ce soir l'orage
Me parler de ce temps
Qui, tout comme un nuage,
S'est enfui dans le vent
Près de moi, tu disais
Sous la pluie qui m'inondait
"N'oublie pas que je t'aime
Quoi qu'il puisse arriver"

J'entends ce soir l'orage
Gronder sur la forêt
Je revois le visage
De ce dernier été, loin de toi
Chaque fois qu'un orage éclatera
Je m'en reviendrai seule
Vivre nos joies enfuies
Et j'aimerais qu'il pleuve
Tout au long de ma vie
________________________

“…The rain in my ear
Sings as it did then,
Memories of that night awakened,
In spite of myself.
Far from you, my heart beats,
And I think I hear your voice:
But it is only the storm
That speaks to me of you…”

A CONFERENCE DINNER

“Get to know the Chef and you will start to enjoy dining out even more.” - John Walters
 

I have been attending a conference for work at Crown Conference Centre here in Melbourne. It all went very well and was faultlessly organised with some interesting speakers and robust discussion after each of the sessions. Last night was the conference dinner, held in the Riverview Room with a stunning outlook onto the Yarra River and the city lights across the other bank. The dinner itself was excellent and served meticulously and relatively quickly given the large number of guests.

I had the following courses, which ran as follows:
•    Entrée – Pan-seared scallops wrapped with smoked salmon and served with a julienne of fresh celeriac with mayonnaise dressing
•    Main course – Beef steak on the bone with seasonal vegetables
•    Dessert – A trio of vanilla bean ice cream, mini date pudding and chocolate mousse slice dusted with cocoa
•    Coffee and hand-made chocolates.

Champagne, white and red wine were served and to cap it all off, a very good jazz trio played live. It was a delightful night, except for the after dinner speaker who unfortunately spoke interminably, told bad jokes and peppered everything he said with references to rugby, which his audience hardly appreciated. The evening was nevertheless an enjoyable one, given the high quality of the food and wine, as well as the excellent and prompt service.

Here is the recipe for the entrée:

Smoked Salmon Wrapped Scallops
Ingredients
6 large scallops (white part only)
6 strips of smoked salmon slices
1 celeriac rhizome
Mayonnaise
Olive oil
Toothpicks
Salt and pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Mustard sprouts for garnishing

Method
Peel the celeriac and grate it. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and mix in a good quantity of home made mayonnaise. Reserve.
Wash the scallops and pat dry.
Wrap a smoked salmon slice strip around each scallop and secure with a toothpick.
Heat the oil in a frying pan and sear the scallops, about two minutes on each side, being careful not to overcook.
Serve three scallops on a dish that has been brushed with a stripe of balsamic vinegar
Place a spoonful or two of celeriac on the side and garnish with some mustard seed sprouts.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,

and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

TEAMWORK

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” - Michael Jordan

It is now several weeks that I am at my new job and even though it has been a rather hectic time, while I learn the ropes, I am thoroughly enjoying it. My new colleagues have been very welcoming and helpful and I find the whole organisation quite different to what I have experienced in my past jobs. There is a great feeling of camaraderie and team spirit, and I have yet to experience any negativity or bitchiness, which unfortunately was very much the case in some of previous places of employ.

My new role involves leading a team of people, some of whom were already appointed when I joined the company while two more are being appointed at the present time. I report to an Executive Director who reports to the CEO. My job is very much one of communication, relationship-building and relationship-nurturing with a number of major tertiary education providers, as well as working with these universities to ensure high quality of their tertiary education programs and the offering of new programs through our institution. The team that I lead has a strong role to play institution-wide in terms of communication and relationship-building. My role is a newly created one as the company is rapidly expanding and there is huge growth in terms of personnel and specialisations in activity.

Getting a team together and facilitating its smooth and effective operation is a task that can be fraught with difficulties. In order to be an effective team member, whether one leads or works with others to bring about the overall success of the organisation, means that one has to understand firstly the mission and objectives of the organisation. One has to work closely with others in order to bring together different talents, diverse knowledge and experience, separate job tasks, a variety of personalities, work ethics and work styles in order to make the team coherent and unified in fulfilling the goals of not only the projects that it is working on, but also ensuring that the goals of the whole organisation are considered. Even though each member of a team has a specific role and task list and each may belong to different work groups, each member works with other members to accomplish the overall objectives. However, the leader must clearly define what the team needs to accomplish and how its goal fits into the bigger picture.

Successful team building is essential to create a focussed team that works well together and achieves results. Knowing something about each of the team members helps a leader work better with the team and this will help with task allocation so that each member can contribute the maximum to the team effort. This is why there are so many “team-building” activities that often have fun, or social context. Seeing your team members as individuals with personalities, knowing something about their likes and dislikes, their interests, hobbies and observing the way they interact with other people will allow you to make better decisions when the team is functioning in a professional context.

There must be clear communication to all team members what the expected outcomes of its work are, and how they are meant to perform to achieve these. Each team member must know why the team was created, and why they each are part of it. Adequate resources, time and money must be available to support the team’s work. The leader must ensure that the actions and tasks of team members are prioritised and that project milestones are reached.

The team must realise the importance of its activities, and how the outcomes of their work will help the organisation achieve its broader, communicated business goals. The organisation’s principles, vision and values must guide the team’s work and the leader must be able to clarify misunderstandings, resolve issues and communicate effectively on progress and achievements of the team, but also give timely advice regarding possible barriers and obstacles to the team achieving its goals. A good leader will elicit out of the team members a whole range of solutions to issues, and the team itself will then be able to get itself back on track.

It is important for team members to have commitment and to want to participate in the team. This is also part of a leader’s tasks, and clear explanations about the team’s mission and expected outcomes are vital. Team members must perceive that their activities are valuable to the organisation, but they must be aware also that their own careers and professional development are advanced. It is important to not only promise team members recognition for their contributions, but to also carry through with delivering rewards and recognition when the team achieves their goal. A good team will provide members with multiple opportunities to enhance their skill set and they should be able to demonstrate they have to grown and developed professionally while in the team. Team members should be excited and challenged by the opportunity to work together.

FIGS

“The man who is ostentatious of his modesty is twin to the statue that wears a fig-leaf” - Mark Twain
 

The fig tree, Ficus carica, is today’s birthday plant.  The fig was supposedly the first fruit tasted by Adam in the Garden of Eden and the fig leaf his first attire!  The Romans thought the tree sacred as it was a fig tree’s roots that caught the cradle containing Romulus and Remus as it was floating down the Tiber.  Therefore, a fig tree together with a grapevine and an olive tree were planted in the Roman Forum.

The tree symbolises argument and this is in respect of a Greek legend in which two famous soothsayers, Calchas and Mopsus were arguing as to which of the two was the greatest.  A fig tree laden with fruit was chosen as the arbiter and both attempted to guess the number of fruit on it. Calchas failed the test, pined away and died as the result.

Italians consider the tree unlucky as it is reputedly the tree upon which Judas hanged himself.  The Jews on the other hand see the tree as an emblem of peace and plenty.  A dream of figs indicates realisation of wishes, prosperity and happiness. Some oneirologists (dream interpreters) consider the fig as a symbol of the female genitalia.  Astrologically, the fig is assigned to Jupiter’s rule.

The fig is native to the temperate climate of Asia Minor (present day Turkey) and today is grown as important fruit of commerce in the eastern Mediterranean region, USA and Spain. However, it is also cultivated as a fruit tree in home gardens in temperate zones around the world. During each season it bears several hundred pear shaped fruits, twice a year, which vary in size and color depending on the cultivated variety.

Figs are low in calories, with 100 g fresh fruits providing only 74 calories. They contain health-benefitting soluble dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins and pigment anti-oxidants that contribute immensely to health and wellness. Dried figs are excellent source of minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants. In fact dried fruits are a concentrated source of energy, with 100 g dried figs provide 249 calories.

Fresh figs, especially “black mission”, are high in polyphenolic flavonoid antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein, tannins and chlorogenic acid. Their antioxidant value is comparable to that of apples at 3200 µmol/100 g. In addition, fresh fruits contain adequate levels of some of antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, E, and K. Altogether these phytochemical compounds in fig fruit help scavenge harmful oxygen free radicals from the body and thereby protect us from cancers, diabetes, degenerative diseases and infections. Research suggests that chlorogenic acid in figs help lower blood sugar levels and control blood glucose levels in type-II diabetes mellitus (adult onset).

Fresh as well as dried figs contain good levels of the B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine, folate and pantothenic acid. These vitamins function as co-factors for metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats.  Dried figs are excellent sources minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and zinc. 100 g of dried figs contain 640 mg of potassium, 162 mg of calcium, and 2.03 mg of iron. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation as well for cellular oxidation.

MURDERER

“Murder is born of love, and love attains the greatest intensity in murder” - Octave Mirbeau
 

“Touch of Evil” is a classic, Orson Welles film noir made in 1958. It is a stark, perverse story of murder, kidnapping, and police corruption in a Mexican border town. Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Vivien Leigh and Akim Tamiroff give stellar performances and the movie is gripping and has a plot line that is engaging and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Magpie Tales this week has selected a still from the movie as a point of departure for the creative endeavours that are highlighted by her blog every week. Here is my contribution:

Murderer

He kills with ease, his hands are quick;
A knife, a gun, some rope
A “blunt object”…
His actions are deliberate,
He thinks long and hard
Before he executes.

He watches still, unmoving
And dispassionate, as his victims die;
His face a mask,
A waxen simulacrum of humanity,
As he snuffs out life
And gets a surge of power.

He touches slowly,
His fingers cool and probing,
Taking the coldness of steel
To give it to flesh expiring:
The touch of evil
Carries deadly caresses.

And as I watch him
Carry out his execution
With surgical precision,
I let myself be washed into
The tide of death’s oblivion
As my heart falters, trips, stops.

Unable to stop him,
Incapable of any reaction,
No cry, no struggle, no protection,
No instinct of self-preservation,
To end his assassination
Of a heart that loved too much.

MOVIE MONDAY - HOLLYWOODLAND

“The final mystery is oneself.” - Oscar Wilde
 

When I was young I remember reading the Superman comics avidly and enjoying this particular character the most out of the all the superheroes that populated the newsagent stand in the comics section. I also remember watching with my friends the reruns of the 1952-1958 TV series “Superman” starring George Reeves. Sure enough the episodes were corny and clunky and badly made, but they still somehow managed to fire up the imagination and bring the comics to life. I soon outgrew both the comics and TV series, but like all things in our childhood, there is a strong sense of nostalgia that accompanies our memories of them.

When I saw at the video store the 2006 Allen Coulter film “Hollywoodland” and read the notes on the cover, I was a little intrigued, because the film was based on the mystery surrounding the death of George Reeves, officially by suicide, although there were all sorts of stories that suggested foul play may have been involved. I didn’t know anything about the life or death of the actor and as the summary of the plot looked interesting I got the DVD to watch. It starred Ben Affleck as George Reeves, Adrien Brody as Louis Simo, the private eye investigating his death, Dianne Lane as Toni Mannix, Reeves’ lover, and Bob Hoskins as Eddie Mannix, Toni’s husband.

The plot of the film has as follows: Louis Simo, a struggling third-rate LA private investigator, is hired by Helen Bessolo to investigate the death of her son, actor George Reeves. Simo has come across this job through his connections and the job is given to him as a returned favour by a former colleague. Reeves was best known for his title role in Superman, a role which he always despised, in part since it typecast him as a “cartoon” and because it prevented him being considered a “serious” actor. He died on June 16th, 1959 as a result of a single gunshot wound to the head, while in his bedroom in his Los Angeles home. Police ruled a suicide, although the death occurred while guests were in the house and even though the death wasn’t reported until 45 minutes following the shot being heard. The story of Reeves life and death is told in flashback as Simo, who is trying to make a name for himself with this case, talks to or tries to talk to some of the players involved, most specifically the wife of MGM General Manager, Eddie Mannix.

The film is quite hazy about what may have really happened and the viewer is left hanging, especially as the last scene fades and one wants to scream: “Don’t end like that, now!” However, on reflection, I think that the suspension and inconclusiveness in that last scene is quite powerful and contributes to the mystery. It tends to suggest that real life is like this. Full of unsolved mysteries, murders that never get figured out, people who disappear without a trace and criminals who get away with it. And of course add to that the millions who commit suicide and nobody ever gets to know the real reason why they do it.

The film was made with the “film-noir” genre in mind, the 1950s Hollywood setting recreated well, the sets, costumes and ambience looking authentic. The film makes several intriguing suggestions about the death of Reeves and three different “solutions” to the actor’s death are shown, one of them including the official suicide version. We enjoyed the film, although it was a trifle too long and some of the subplots were a distraction rather than adding to the story. The actors all played well and the flashback sequences illustrating the life of Reeves were one of the most interesting parts of the movie.

Diane Lane is great to watch first as a gorgeous vamp and then as the frustrated older woman. Ben Affleck rises to the occasion and gives a great performance. The two lovers play well and there is chemistry between them. Bob Hoskins is another actor who makes the most of his role and play with enough restraint and great conviction to develop a very real, frightening persona on screen. Adrien Brody was miscast as the detective and he struggles to convince. Besides which, the subplot centering on his family life is quite marginal to the plot and distracts.

We recommend the film and it is certainly one to hunt out and watch. It explores the dirty world of Hollywood and shows some of the rust on the tinsel of the place.

ART SUNDAY - GÉRÔME

“Since the time of Homer every European, in what he could say about the Orient, was a racist, an imperialist, and almost totally ethnocentric.” - Edward Said

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Said

For Art Sunday today, Jean Léon Gérôme who was born May 11^th, 1824, in Vesoul, France and died January 10^th, 1904, in Paris. He was a French painter, sculptor, and art teacher. Son of a goldsmith, he studied in Paris and painted melodramatic and often erotic historical and mythological compositions, excelling as a draughtsman in the linear style of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, work typical of the Academicism.

His best-known works are scenes inspired by several visits to the Orient and Egypt. In his later years he produced mostly sculpture. He exerted much influence as a teacher at the École des Beaux-Arts; his pupils included Odilon Redon and Thomas Eakins. A staunch defender of the academic tradition, he tried in 1893 to block the government’s acceptance of the Impressionist works bequeathed by Gustave Caillebotte.

In 1853, Gérôme moved to the Boîte à Thé, a group of studios in the Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs, Paris. This would become a meeting place for other artists, writers and actors. George Sand entertained in the small theatre of the studio the great artists of her time such as the composers Hector Berlioz, Johannes Brahms and Gioachino Rossini and the novelists Théophile Gautier and Ivan Turgenev.

He started an independent atelier at his house in the Rue de Bruxelles between 1860 and 1862. He was appointed as one of the three professors at the École des Beaux-Arts. He started with sixteen students, most who had come over from his own studio. His influence became extensive and he was a regular guest of Empress Eugénie at the Imperial Court in Compiègne. When he started to protest and show a public hostility to “decadent fashion” of Impressionism, his influence started to wane and he became unfashionable. But after the exhibition of Manet in the École in 1884, he eventually admitted that impressionism “was not so bad as I thought”…

The painting here, “Harem Women Feeding Pigeons in a Courtyard” is typical of the Orientalist style, of which Gérôme was a prime proponent. Orientalism is a term used by art historians, literary and cultural studies scholars for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Middle Eastern, and East Asian cultures (Eastern cultures) by American and European writers, designers and artists. In particular, Orientalist painting, depicting more specifically “the Middle East”, was one of the many specialisms of 19th century Academic art. Since the publication of Edward Said’s “Orientalism”, the term has arguably acquired a negative connotation. This is especialy the case in the art of Gérôme, where in the wake of the burgeoning movement of impressionism, his art became old-fashioned and subject to derision by the new wave of moderns.

As an academic painting this is masterly, with beautiful composition and remarkable touches of colour, movement and an evocation of lofty space. The contrast of the “imprisoned” harem women with the soaring freedom of the pigeons is an obvious thematic element of the painting. As far as Gérôme’s style is concerned, this is typical of his orientalist paintings and one that is rather modest, given that he often took the opportunity to include sumptuous nudes of women in his paintings – something always popular with his (male) patrons as an example of respectable erotica…

SONG SATURDAY - SAVVOPOULOS

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A relaxing and restful day today, with the usual Saturday morning chores and the expedition to the shops. We were back at home by lunchtime and then as the day was cold and gray, we spent it indoors with the heater going full blast. Listening to music, watching a film, reading. A nice dinner in and before we knew it another Saturday was over. So also passes our life, over before we know it...

A wonderful song by Greek songwriter/singer Dionysis Savvopoulos. “I Saw Anna, Once Upon a Time”.

Είδα την Άννα Κάποτε

Την παιδική μου φίλη

Την είδα ξαφνικά

Να στέκει και να με κοιτά.

Αγάλματα κομμάτια

Στα μάτια της τα δυο,

Λησμονημένες πόλεις

Ναυάγια στο βυθό…

My childhood friend,

I saw her suddenly

Standing and looking at me.

Broken pieces of statues

Were in her eyes;

Forgotten cities,

Shipwrecks on the bottom of the sea…

FOOD FRIDAY - CHUTNEY

“I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.” – The Old Testament (Song of Solomon)

Chutney refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spices and vegetables and/or fruits. There are many varieties of chutney. Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and they can have a coarse to a fine texture. The Anglo-Indian loan word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. Several Northern Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only. A different word achār applies to preserves that often contain oil and are rarely sweet. Vinegar or citrus juice may be added as natural preservatives, or fermentation in the presence of salt may be used to create acid.

Here is a favourite chutney recipe that adds spice to many a bland dish or can be a wonderful condiment for all sorts of charcuterie or meat dishes. It marries the best of the Indian and English traditions.

APPLE CHUTNEY

Ingredients

1 kg cooking apples

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds

2 large cloves garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1½ cups white wine vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Method

Peel, core and slice or chop apples into small pieces.

Place in a bowl with salt, stir and leave to stand for an hour. Drain away any liquid.

Heat oil in saucepan and add mustard seeds, garlic and fresh ginger and fry gently for a couple of minutes, stirring.

Add cumin, turmeric and pepper and cook for a few more seconds or until aromatic, then add apples with the vinegar, sugar, lemon rind and juice and cayenne pepper.

Simmer over a slow heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The mixture should be fairly thick.

Leave to cool.

Bottle in dry, sterilised jars and seal.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme,
and also part of the Food Trip Friday meme.

WINTER SOLSTICE 2012

“Every mile is two in winter” - George Herbert

The Winter solstice is the time at which the Sun is appearing at noon at its lowest altitude above the horizon. In the Northern Hemisphere this is the Southern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its southernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on December 21^st to 22^nd each year. In the Southern Hemisphere this is the Northern solstice, the time at which the Sun is at its northernmost point in the sky, which usually occurs on June 20^th to 21^st each year.

The axial tilt of Earth and gyroscopic effects of the planet’s daily rotation keep the axis of rotation pointed at the same point in the sky. As the Earth follows its orbit around the Sun, the same hemisphere that faced away from the Sun, experiencing winter, will, in half a year, face towards the Sun and experience summer. Since the two hemispheres face opposite directions along the planetary pole, as one polar hemisphere experiences winter, the other experiences summer.

More evident from high latitudes, a hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest. Since the winter solstice lasts only a moment in time, other terms are often used for the day on which it occurs, such as “midwinter”, “the longest night”, “the shortest day” or “the first day of winter”.

The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days. Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most northern hemisphere cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time.

We have had a very wintry day in Melbourne today, with non-stop rain, low temperatures and a grey, leaden sky. The day was very short and night very long. I got into work while it was still dark and left work in the dark also. Just as well I went for a lunchtime walk, which even though was in the rain, helped to put me in a good mood.

EARTHQUAKE IN MELBOURNE

“We learn geology the morning after the earthquake” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last night in Melbourne at 8:54 pm we felt an earth tremor. We were sitting in our living room and suddenly we felt the armchairs move beneath us and the house shudder, while a low rumbling noise, as if a distant train were passing, could be heard from outside. We shot up and felt the floor shake slightly beneath us. It was all over in 3-4 seconds, but it was enough to immediately make us aware that we had been through an earthquake. Although it was not a major tremor, it still was an earthquake. This is unusual in Australia, which has quite a stable geological profile and where medium to strong earthquakes are quite rare. We had no damage to speak of in our house, save only a few cracks here and there in the plaster.

The Geoscience Australia website reported that the quake that rocked Victoria was the biggest in the state for 109 years.  Geoscience reported the earthquake had a magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale, down from their earlier estimate of 5.5. It was almost 10km deep with an epicentre between Trafalgar and Moe in the southeast of Melbourne, about 130 kilometres from the CBD.

This caused me some concern as my father lives in the area worse affected by the quake. Speaking with him I was able to get his first-hand report of how he experienced the earthquake: He was lying in bed reading and said that he felt three or four strong jolts, moving the bed quite noticeably, this being accompanied by a low growl or dull roar. He sat up and felt more rocking for about 20-25 seconds. Having experienced earthquakes many times before he immediately knew what it was, but did not panic. He got up and went outside where many of his neighbours were also in the street wondering what had happened. A less severe aftershock shook the area slightly about 10-15 minutes later. A quick inspection of his house showed there was no major damage, so after a while he went back to bed and slept well for the rest of the night!

Social media like Facebook and Twitter were the first to carry the news of the earthquake. It was interesting that nothing was on TV until much later and even the online news sites were lagging behind the buzz of posts on social media. It really does show how technology is changing the world as we know it. It explains why Fairfax media is winding down its operation in the print media and why 1900 jobs will be cut in its newspaper business…

The world is changing, and even here in relatively prosperous Australia we are seeing the effects of the change brought about by the financial crisis. Nothing can be relied upon as immutable. The small earth tremor is a warning that even in the rock-solid, geologically stable Victorian locale, earthquakes are possible. In the good economic climate of Australia, 1900 people are about to lose their jobs because of changes in our lives brought about by progress. From one moment to the next, we can never be sure what will happen. We can never take for granted the prosperity we enjoy, nor can we depend on our jobs being assured, not even can we be certain that the people we love will not betray us.

A small pebble thrown in the waters of a still lake will generate waves that will travel for hundreds of metres. A tiny change in routine can have dire consequences in the flow of our daily lives. A new technology can alter the status quo in unpredictable ways and have immense effects. A careless word, an unconsidered action can wreak havoc with relationships. It is a an uncertain world we live in and we should be grateful for all the good things that we usually take for granted…

THE WINTER RAIN

“He does not weep who does not see” - Victor Hugo

After a break from the Magpie Tales meme, I return this week with an offering that is inspired by the art of M.C. Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972), who was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. These feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, architecture, and tessellations. His “Puddle” is perhaps one of his more conventional works, even though within the reflections of the water there is a hint of the greater world (or perhaps another world?).

The Winter Rain

Rain falls in weaving sheets
The water droplets merging as they descend,
Coalescing, running together in silver rivulets.

Skies weep, and raindrops are tears of clouds
Falling down, once pure;
Defiled and contaminated when they come to earth.

As puddles form, their mirror surface
Reflects all the ills of the world,
Below as they are above, in leaden skies.

My face is wet under the umbrella,
Although my hood and Mackintosh are impermeable,
Immune from wetting rain.

Eyes weep, and tears are raindrops of the soul,
Falling down, laden with sorrow,
Purifying, as they run down my cheeks in rivulets.

My heart is full of tear-puddles, mirroring
The ills of my soul, my mind’s turmoil.
Rain falls within, as sky-tears descend without…

MOVIE MONDAY - UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” - C.S. Lewis
 

We watched yet another “chick flick” at the weekend and I must say that I squirmed a little while watching it, as it pretty much indulged in quite a bit of “male-bashing” while waxing lyrical about the re-invention of the female protagonist and her ultimate success over adversity (and triumph over the male of the species). Nevertheless, I enjoyed the lush scenery and the acting was passable for what the film was and there were a couple of amusing scenes.

It was the 2003, Audrey Wells movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. It was based on a book by Frances Mayes, which was adapted for the screen by the director, who also wrote the screenplay of the adaptation. I have not read the book, but apparently the movie is quite a different beast and has not followed the book closely (so I was told by a colleague today, with whom I was discussing the film). I have read similar books (and seen film or TV series adaptations of them) set in Provence, in Sicily, in Greece and various other exotic locations, all more or less having the same story, so the film was predictably representative of this genre.

It starred Diane Lane (as Frances Mayes), Raoul Bova (as the Latin Lover), Vincent Riotta (as the Italian married man), Lindsay Duncan (as the crackpot expat) and Sandra Oh (as Patti, Frances’ friend). The supporting actors I found rather more believably human and sympathetic than the leads and I was more interested in their stories (although they were treated very superficially).

The plot can be summarised thus: Frances is a writer and literature critic who lives a seemingly happy life in San Francisco with her husband. A disgruntled would-be novelist incensed by Frances’ negative literary criticism takes revenge by revealing to her that her husband is unfaithful. Frances discovers this to be true and her marriage ends abruptly, causing her to become depressed. Her friends make her a gift of a holiday in Italy and reluctantly she joins a bus tour of Tuscany.  Once there, quite impulsively, she buys a crumbling Tuscan villa from a Contessa who has fallen on hard times. She begins to renovate the villa and in doing so provides employment for an unlikely trio of Polish immigrants, and an old Italian builder. As they work together on the villa, she begins to settle into her new life and becomes friendly with a neighbouring family. She welcomes to her villa one of her pregnant American friends who has given her the ticket (after she has also split up with her partner). Frances is keen to become involved romantically again but chooses the wrong men: First her married real estate agent, then a charming and dashing stranger. Will Frances manage to realise all her dreams or will she need to re-evaluate her expectations? Well, easy to answer that question, it is a romantic comedy, chick flick after all!

The film was saccharine sweet and rather superficial. Its ending predictable and its characterisation rather two-dimensional and abounding with stereotypes. I am sure that many people would find some of the caricatures offensive. Some of the arty crowd would find the Fellini tribute quite ludicrous and many people in happy relationships would it all quite tiresome. However, the film has its fans and I am sure that many would watch it and enjoy it. It is a “rah-rah-rah” sort of film, or perhaps functions like a fizzy alka-seltzer drink when one wakes up with a hangover – psychologically speaking…

As far as recommending it? We voted for it after watching it – 5/10 and 6/10. I would say it’s not worth looking for, but if it’s on and you’re doing something that needs suitable light-weight distraction, have it playing in the background.