“Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.” - Plato
For Music Saturday a wonderful set of works by Georg Philipp Telemann. It is his “Essercizii Musici”, a set of sonatas for chamber instruments, performed (beautifully!) in this case by Camerata Köln.
Georg Philipp Telemann (14 March 1681 – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family’s wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music.
He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of the city's five main churches. While Telemann’s career prospered, his personal life was always troubled: His first wife died only a few months after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving Telemann.
Telemann was one of the most prolific composers in history (at least in terms of surviving oeuvre) and was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time - he was compared favorably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally.
Telemann’s music incorporates several national styles (French, Italian) and is even at times influenced by Polish popular music. He remained at the forefront of all new musical tendencies and his music is an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles.
“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.” - Albert Schweitzer
A vegetarian is a person who does not eat meat or fish, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons. Vegetarians usually eat dairy products and eggs. A vegan is a person who does not eat or use any animal products whatsoever. From antiquity, many philosophers have espoused the vegetarian diet: Plutarch, Hesiod, Horace, Plotinus, Buddha, and since then many other notable people (see the interesting Wikipedia list).
Here is a vegetarian pâté that is both wholesome and delicious.
Lentil pâté with nuts Ingredients
3 cups diced carrots 1 and 1/2 cups cooked lentils 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon chopped sage 1 teaspoon curry 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 2 teaspoon of soy sauce 3/4 cups rolled oats, ground 3/4 cups pecan nuts or walnuts chopped finely 2 tablespoons of parsley 1/3 cup yoghurt 1/3 cup tahini (optional) Olive oil Salt to taste Freshly ground pepper Method Sauté in olive oil the onions and garlic until golden, and then stir in the oats and spices. Cook the carrots and blend with lentils and onions and garlic to make a purée. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. Put it into greased baking pan and bake it at 180ºC for 40 minutes. For best results, refrigerate overnight. Serve at room temperature or cold. Great on a sandwich.
“Australians
have stewardship of a beautiful, diverse and unique environment. Positioning
Australia to respond to a changing climate, securing supplies of water to meet
our domestic, agricultural and industrial needs, protecting our globally unique
biodiversity and providing positive futures for Australian communities are the
critical issues facing the nation.” - CSIRO
Bushfires once
again are rampant throughout much of Southeastern Australia this Summer. The
relatively wet climactic conditions over the last few years have created lush
vegetation, which in the dry heat that we have been experiencing now, is
perfect fuel for the wild fires that sweep through the wooded areas. Bushfire has
been part of the Australian landscape for millions of years, but while we
consider it a major threat, some of our flora and fauna depend upon it for
their survival. Australia’s native vegetation encourages the spread of fire and
as a consequence of evolution, bushfires create a number of surprising benefits
for the Australian environment that cannot be created any other way.
Eucalyptus
forest litter is coarse and decays slowly, ensuring that after several years
there will still be an abundant build-up on the forest floor to carry the next
fire. The bark of many native species is highly flammable and loosely attached
to the trees, making ideal firebrands to carry fire across natural barriers.
The green leaves contain highly flammable oils and resins that act as a
catalyst to promote combustion before the leaves are fully dry. These factors
predispose greatly to fires and sooner or later, in some part of Australia,
weather patterns will occur so that strong, hot, dry winds will blow from the
centre of the continent, so all that is needed is a spark to produce a
conflagration. If these conditions of hot dry weather are associated with a
drought of any length, the massive bushfire that develops will not be stopped
until the weather moderates.
The Australian
Aborigines lived in harmony with the environment before European settlement and
they had learnt that they had to break up the forest fuel in order to survive
within the landscape filled with many hazards. They burnt off vegetation extensively
and often, so as to reduce forest litter. They learnt by observation the
responses of the plants and animals to burning and took advantage of these
responses to exist harmoniously and sustainably within the natural environment.
Since European
settlement, the total amount of fire in the Australian landscape has declined. The
bushland areas and particularly those around Sydney and Melbourne have
thickened and accumulated more fuel. As a result, the infrequent fires that now
occur under extreme weather burn much more intensely and have a significant
impact on the built environment. Fragmentation of the bush by different land
use practices, such as spreading urbanisation and agriculture, means that the
Aboriginal fire regime is no longer possible or desirable in these areas.
Australian
native flora and fauna have evolved to survive in a fire-prone environment. In
order to maintain the biodiversity of the native areas of vegetation and its
resident fauna, we have to accept that fire is a process that must be used to
manage our bushland. Nothing else except bushfire does the following:
Fire produces the chemicals in the ash to stimulate new growth of
vegetation;
Smoke stimulates the flowering and regeneration of particular
species;
The heat pulse of a passing bushfire removes growth-inhibiting
toxins in the litter;
Opens tightly-closed fruits to release new seed;
Penetrates deep into the soil to stimulate the germination of
long-buried seed.
Nothing else except
bushfire produces the succession of plant development to which our native fauna
have adapted to meet their requirements for food, shelter and reproduction.
Australian bushfires
fires threaten lives and property and cause millions of dollars of damage each
year. To a large extent, this is because since European settlement we have
modified the Australian native environment and have made it adapt to a land use
and settlement pattern that is more suited to a northern European, cooler and
wetter climate, which has a completely different flora and fauna. The
introduction of many exotic tree species such as European and American
deciduous trees and also the evergreen pines has meant that the response of the
landscape to bushfires has become less characteristic and unpredictable. The
construction of residences within or adjacent to wooded areas has increased the
risk of property destruction and loss of life. People’s ideas regarding the
aesthetics of the landscape – i.e. that it should be green and lush and
unravaged by the effects of fire is contrary to the Australian environment and
the wise management of the land that the Aborigines were in charge of so
successfully for millennia.
We must learn to
accept that in Australia, bushfire is an ecological process that is as natural
as the sun and the rain. We must learn to accept that bushfire determines the
composition of our flora and fauna and contributes to its success within Australia’s
unique landscape. If we want to reduce the devastating and tragic effects of
uncontrolled bushfires, we must make fire suppression a strategic and regular
occurrence in our lives, in locations that are appropriate. We need to learn
that it is the dry undergrowth and dead leaf, bark and twig litter that
provides the fuel for bushfires, and use prescribed, planned burn-offs at
appropriate times of the year in order to reduce fuel loads. This implies that
people need to individually take responsibility for managing the fuels in their
properties, and maintain their gardens and adjacent land so that they do not
burn uncontrolled in summer.
Fire services
and land management agencies need the support of individuals and community
groups even when there is no fire emergency and accept the minor inconvenience
of smoke in the air when fire is prescribed for hazard reduction, forest
regeneration or biodiversity management. People living in areas adjacent to
high fire hazards must plant wisely, manage the flora and potential bushfire
fuel in their gardens and construct properties that are bushfire resistant and
well-prepared for a wave of fire that may sweep through their property. As part
of any bushfire survival plan, farmers and homeowners should assess how they
can make their property defendable, consider what fire protection systems need
to be in place and ensure they know the location of their nearest shelter in
the event that they need to evacuate quickly. As fires can occur at unexpected
times, it’s also important to plan for different scenarios, such as on a workday,
during school holidays or at a social function. Above all, if people choose to
evacuate, they must leave their property early.
We live in a
vast, beautiful land. It is often that we find ourselves in a harsh and
punishing environment. If we respect the land and work with it, we make our own
survival more probable, while nurturing and sustaining the native flora and
fauna that we are the custodians of.
“In industry is
all.” - Periander (One of the Seven Sages of Ancient Greece).
The anniversary of the birth of: John Smith, American
colonist (1580); Gregory XV (Alessandro
Ludovisi), Pope of Rome (1554); Carrie Chapman Catt,
feminist (1859); Chaim Nachman Bialik, poet
(1873); John Watson, founder of
behaviourism (1878); Karel Capek, Czech
playwright (1890); Gracie Fields (Grace
Stansfield), singer (1898); Chic Young (Murat Bernard
Young), “Blondie” cartoonist (1901); Rudolf Bing, conductor
(1902); Simone de Beauvoir, French
writer (1908); Richard Milhous Nixon,
37th president (1968-74) of the USA (1913); Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose
Louise Hovick), stripper/writer (1914); Judith Krantz, writer
(1928); Joan Baez, singer (1941); Susannah York (Susannah
Yolande Fletcher), actress (1941); Crystal Gayle, singer
(1951).
The birthday
plant for this day is lavender, Lavandula spica. The name of the plant is derived from the
Latin lavo = “wash”, as the plant has
been used for centuries to scent bath water and soaps. The Greeks called lavender nardos, from which the English
“nard”. This is because the herb grew
abundantly in Naarda, Syria. The plant
signifies assiduity, mistrust and acknowledgment. Mercury rules this plant according to the
astrologers. Before the more recent
meaning of distrust was attached to the herb, lovers exchanged sprigs of
lavender as a sign of affection: “He from his lasse him lavender hath
sent, Showing her love and doth quit all
crave.” (Michael
Drayton, 1563-1631)
It was
customary, however, for lavender not to be grown in a household where there
were daughters, as “lavender will only grow in old maids’ gardens”. If the herb
thrived in a garden, it was said that the daughter of the house would never
marry.
On this day in
1848, Caroline Lucretia Herschel, died. She was an English astronomer, the
sister of William Herschel for whom she worked as an assistant. She discovered
9 comets. Also died on this day in 1878, Victor Emmanuel, the first king of
Italy.
LAVENDER CANDY Ingredients
1 400 g can of full cream, condensed,
sweetened milk 1 canful of water 50
g butter 1/2 teaspoonful vanilla essence 2 drops of lavender essential oil 1/2 drop each of red and blue food colour (to
make purple) 450 g granulated sugar
Method Pour the milk
into a saucepan, fill the can with water and add it to the milk. Stir and add
the butter, vanilla essence and sugar. Stir over a low heat until the sugar has
dissolved, then boil steadily, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches
the soft ball stage (116˚C on a sugar thermometer). For a softish candy remove
from the heat immediately and add the lavender oil and food colour, stirring
all the while. Grease a 20 cm square tin with a little butter and pour in the
unbeaten mixture. Allow to become almost cold and then mark into squares. Wrap
the squares in cellophane once they are cold. (If you prefer a crisper candy,
once the soft ball stage has been reached, boil slowly at 116˚C for a further
1-2 minutes, then treat as previously).
“Ah, women. They
make the highs higher and the lows more frequent.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
Magpie Tales
has provided a visual prompt by Daniel Murtagh, as a means of stimulating some
literary creativity. The image is quite striking and resulted in this response
from me…
Enchantress
Eyes of flint and limpid quartz Flashes of evil witchcraft in your arcane
gaze. Eyes of serpents, fireflies, lizards Green laurel and deadly nightshade – A healing balsam mixed with poison!
The nightingale and the siren sing Sweet words that hide a fatal meaning. Your voice enchanting music Your teeth biting each syllable, Making it shout in barbarous pleasure…
Your lips are red like a gaping wound Your kiss is cold like the sepulchral
marble, Yet burning like infernal fire. Your lips are scarlet like a strawberry, A bite and sweet blood flows! Juice of the
forbidden fruit.
As my hands touch your soft skin Your silver nails gash my flesh; The vice of your embrace crushes me, I die and suffocate whispering your name, While up in the sky the sickle of a moon Cuts the thin thread of my life.
“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
At the weekend we watched the 2011 Tate Taylor movie “The Help”, starring Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard. It was based on the novel by Kathryn Stockett, with a screenplay by the film’s director, Tate Taylor. The film was excellent and despite its 146 minute run-time it kept us engaged and entertained the whole time we were watching it. It has its mix of pathos and humour, light-heartedness and poignancy, sadness and happiness. Not having read the novel, this review is limited to the movie, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
The plot is set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the tumultuous 1960s, when civil rights had become a burgeoning issue in the USA. Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from “Ole Miss” determined to become a writer, and begins by getting a job as a newspaper’s household hint columnist, a topic she knows nothing about. As she turns to the black housemaids for advice, she decides to interview these black women who have spent their lives taking care of the well-to-do southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter’s best friend’s housekeeper, is the first to talk to Skeeter. This causes the dismay of Aibelene’s friends in the black community who are suspicious of Skeeter’s motives and afraid of repercussions. Skeeter places her childhood friendships on the line when she and Aibileen continue their collaboration. Several deplorable incidents involving the humiliation and victimisation of the black maids, cause more of them to come forward to tell their amazing and sad stories. Along the way, new alliances are made, old friendships are reviewed and new friendships forged.
This movie is a good example of how well a Hollywood movie can be made about an issue that is sensitive, controversial and quite thorny. It confronts and challenges the viewer, but at the same time it uses humour subtly, in order to relentlessly satirise and ridicule attitudes that caused so much misery and despair in the lives of so many people at those times. The humour is often scatological, but there is a good reason for this, given the whole issue regarding the use of separate toilets by the black and white people in the same households, which was quite a widely debated topic at that time and place.
The acting is excellent and Viola Davis shines forth in a magnificent performance as Aibeleen, the black maid. Octavia Spencer as Minny, another black maid, provides the right mix of humour and bravura, while Emma Stone, as Skeeter, puts in a good performance in what is a difficult role, one that could easily be sugar-coated. However, Stone’s performance is genuine and sensitive. Bryce Dallas Howard is great in her rendition of Hilly Holbrook, a social shark, displaying her full glory of ignorance, entitlement and superiority. Her minions and followers emulate her moves and adopt her views, hoping to gain her approval. The cinematography, costumes, hair and make-up are perfect in setting up the class differences and taking us back in time very successfully. The incidental TV and radio segments provide context and timing with the deaths of Medger Evers and JFK.
This is a film worth watching and it certainly motivated us to look for the book in order to read it.
“I dream of
painting and then I paint my dream.” - Vincent Van Gogh
Ivan
Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817-1900) was born in the family of a merchant of
Armenian origin in the town of Feodosia, in the Crimea. His parents suffered economic hardship and he
spent his childhood in poverty. With the help of people who had noticed the
talented youth, he entered the Simferopol gymnasium, and then the St.
Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he took the landscape painting course and was
especially interested in seascapes.
In the autumn of
1836 Aivazovsky presented 5 marine pictures to the Academic exhibition, which
were highly appreciated. In 1837, Aivazovsky received the Major Gold Medal for “Calm
in the Gulf of Finland” (1836) and “The Great Roads at Kronstadt” (1836), which
allowed him to go on a long study trip abroad. However, the artist first went
to the Crimea to perfect himself in his chosen genre by painting the sea and
views of Crimean coastal towns.
During the
period of 1840-1844 Aivazovsky, as a pensioner of the Academy of Arts, spent
time in Italy, traveled to Germany, France, Spain, and Holland. He worked much
and had many exhibitions, meeting everywhere with success. He painted a lot of
marine landscapes, which became very popular in Italy: “The Bay of Naples by
Moonlight” (1842), “Seashore; Calm” (1843), “Malta; Valetta Harbour” (1844).
His works were highly appreciated by J.W.M. Turner, a prominent English
landscape and marine painter.
In the course of
his work, Aivazovsky evolved his own method of depicting the motion of the sea
– from memory, without preliminary sketches, limiting himself to rough pencil
outlines. Aivazovsky’s phenomenal memory and romantic imagination allowed him
to do all this with incomparable brilliance. The development of this new method
reflected the spirit of the age, when the ever-increasing romantic tendencies
put an artist’s imagination to the front.
When in 1844 the
artist returned to St. Petersburg, he was awarded the title of Academician, and
became attached to the General Naval Headquarters. This allowed him to travel
much with Russian fleet expeditions on different missions; he visited Turkey,
Greece, Egypt, America. From 1846 to 1848 he painted several canvases with
naval warfare as the subject; the pictures portrayed historical battles of the
Russian Fleet “The Battle of Chesme” (1848), “The Battle in the Chios Channel”
(1848), “Meeting of the Brig Mercury with the Russian Squadron” (1848).
Towards the
1850s the romantic features in Aivazovsky’s work became increasingly
pronounced. This can be seen quite clearly in one of his best and most famous
paintings “The Tenth Wave” (1850) and also in “Moonlit Night” (1849), “The Sea;
Koktebel” (1853), “Storm” (1854) and others.
The process,
which determined the development of Russian art in the second half of the 19th
century, also affected Aivazovsky. A new and consistently realistic tendency
appeared in his work, although the romantic features still remained. The artist’s
greatest achievement of this period is “The Black Sea” (1881), a picture
showing the nature of the sea, eternally alive, always in motion. Other
important pictures of the late years are “The Rainbow” (1873), “Shipwreck”
(1876), “The Billow” (1889), “The ‘Mary’ Caught in a Storm” (1892).
Aivazovsky left
more than 6000 pictures, which vary greatly in artistic value. There are
masterpieces and there are second-rate works. He failed in drawing landscapes,
and was challenged when attempting to paint the human figure. Aivazovsky got
good commissions and became quite rich. He spent much money for charity,
especially for his native town, he opened in Feodosia the first School of Arts
(in 1865), then the Art Gallery (in 1889). He was a member of Academies of
Stuttgart, Florence, Rome and Amsterdam.
The artist
visited Constantinople several times throughout his life and returned to the
subject often. Aivazovsky’s talents were recognised by Sultan Abdülaziz
(1830-1876) who commissioned a series of views of Constantinople in 1874 to
decorate the Dolmabahçe Palace. Sotheby’s London achieved the record price for
a Turkish view by Aivazovsky with “View of Constantinople and the Bosphorus”,
(1856 – see above) which sold for £3,233,250 in April 2012.
“A flower cannot
blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.” - Max Müller
A tranquil
Saturday with a beautiful afternoon and evening. Here is Peggy Zina, singing a Greek
song called Παραδίνομαι (Paradinomai - I give myself up). Calliope Zina (Greek: Καλλιόπη Ζήνα;
born March 8, 1975), known professionally as Peggy Zina, is a Greek singer.
Peggy Zina made her discographic debut in 1995 with her self-titled album. She
has since released twelve studio albums and is a high-profile artist in the
Greek music industry. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV ranked Zina the 24th
top-certified female artist in the nation’s phonographic era (since 1960),
totalling nine (five at the time) platinum and two gold records.
The music is
written by George Sampanis and the lyrics by Helen Yannatsoulia. …στα λευκά μου σεντόνια καθώς
με φιλάς, λάθος πιόνια θα παίζω για να με νικάς... “On the white
sheets, while you kiss me, I’ll move the wrong chesspieces so you can win…”
“If it could only be like this always – always summer, always alone, the fruit always ripe and Aloysius in a good temper...” - Evelyn Waugh
Today was blisteringly hot in Melbourne, with the mercury climbing to 42˚C. More hot days are predicted for the next two weeks, so Summer has arrived with a vengeance. Needless to say that cool drinks are de rigueur and as well as drinking lots of iced water, one may need something a little stronger for when guests arrive for a drink and a snack. The following is quite a potent alcoholic mix, but easily can be made non-alcoholic, by substituting the brandy with a tablespoon of Angostura bitters and the champagne with soda water.
CHAMPAGNE PUNCH Ingredients
1 large pineapple 3 oranges 5 passionfruits 1 apple 1 punnet strawberries 6 tablespoonfuls icing sugar 1 cupful chilled brandy (substitute with 1 tsp Angostura bitters for non-alcoholic) 2 chilled bottles of Champagne (substitute with soda water for non-alcoholic)
Method Peel and clean the pineapple, chopping into small cubes and put into a large bowl. Juice the oranges and add to the pineapple. Wash and hull the strawberries, leaving them to drain. Half them and add to the bowl. Peel the apple and chop finely into the bowl. Add the passionfruit pulp to the bowl and stir in the sugar until it is dissolved. Stir in the brandy and put the bowl into the freezer, until almost frozen solid. Break into chunks, put into a punch bowl and pour the chilled champagne over the fruit mixture.
“The world is full enough of hurts and mischances without wars to multiply them.” - J.R.R. Tolkien
Today is the Ninth Day of Christmas. It is also Revolution Day in Burkina Faso and Alaskan Admission Day in the USA. Today is the anniversary of the birthday of:
Marcus Tulius Cicero, Roman statesman (106 BC);
Pietro (Antonio Domenico Buonaventura Trappasi) Metastasio, Italian poet (1698);
Richard Arkwright, English inventor of the spinning machine (1732);
Robert Whitehead, torpedo inventor (1823);
Father Damien (Joseph de Veuster), missionary (1840);
Henry Handel Richardson, Australian author (1870);
Clement (Richard) Attlee, reformist Labour British PM (1883);
J(ohn) R(onald) R(euel) Tolkien, author, linguist (1888);
Ngo Dinh Diem, Vietnamese politician (1901);
Ray(mond Alton) Milland, actor (1905);
Victor Borge, Danish pianist, humorist (1909);
Victoria Principal, US actress (1945);
Mel Gibson, Australian actor (1956).
The olive tree, Olea europaea, is the birthday plant for this day. An olive branch has long been the universal symbol of peace. In China, for example, a traditional way of making up after a quarrel is to send the aggrieved person an olive wrapped in a piece of red paper as a sign that peace has been restored. In Greece, an olive branch was a traditional gift for the New Year, a token of peace and goodwill. The dove that returned to Noah’s Ark after the deluge, carried in its beak a sprig of olive, which Noah interpreted as a herald of peace, safety and salvation.
The ancient Greeks recounted the following legend regarding the origin of the olive tree: When Athens was first populated, the citizens were looking for a god to become its patron and to give his name to the City. Two gods vied for the naming rights, Poseidon who wanted the City called Poseidonia, and Athená, who wanted the City named after her. In an offer of goodwill, Poseidon, the god of the sea, struck his trident on the rock of the Acropolis and a fountain of salt water gushed out. Athená reciprocated by striking her spear on the rocky soil, out of which sprung the olive tree bearing olives. The name of the City has since then been Athens, the city of Athená. On the Acropolis there is an ancient olive tree, reputedly the same one that Athená gave to her city...
To dream of a fruiting olive tree is a particularly good omen as it signifies the successful completion of a project with delightful results. To dream of olive oil is equally propitious as it implies great wealth and prosperity. Eating olives in a dream, on the other hand, signifies frugality and days of scarcity ahead.
Seeing it is J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday today, mention should be made of his fantastic, intriguing and greatly engaging fairy tales for adults. "The Hobbit" sets the scene for the epic "The Lord of the Rings", with "The Silmarillion" being a fitting postscript. His creation of Middle-Earth and his peopling it with Hobbits and Elves, Giants and Monsters have given people much pleasure since its conception. C.S. Lewis, another great weaver of myth and allegory had this to say about The Lord of the Rings: “Like lightning from a clear sky... heroic romance, gorgeous, eloquent and unashamed.” My first encounter with Tolkien’s world was when I was in Year 8, at high school. Since then I have enjoyed frequent visits to the Shire and Middle-Earth...
“The Lord of the Rings” cinematic trilogy has brought Tolkien’s work closer to a great many more people around the world, while the new film of “The Hobbit” promises to increase this author’s popularity even more.
“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” - Helen Keller
As is customary this time of the year, I’ve had a couple of chats with people about New Year’s resolutions. No matter what you personally feel about making these resolutions, you can't avoid coming up against the stock lists with the most popular of these resolutions:
1) Spend More Time with Family & Friends 2) Exercise more, get fit 3) Lose weight so as not to be obese 4) Quit smoking 5) Enjoy life more, be happier 6) Quit drinking 7) Get out debt 8) Learn something new 9) Help others more 10) Get more organised
Most of us will be guilty of making these New Year’s resolutions at one stage or another. It makes us feel very good for a day or two, and the more determined amongst us may even print out the list and post it above our desk, or behind the toilet door, or the fridge, or somewhere else as visible. Needless to say that the use by date of these resolutions is quite brief and by the end of January these resolutions have been happily forgotten, the posted note has been taken down or something else has been posted over it, quite unceremoniously.
Many of us are overambitious with these resolutions and the more of them we adopt, the higher the risk of failure of achieving them. We could easily pick a few that are easily adhered to and hence achieved, but that would not be the point. I mean how serious is this achievable list? 1) I will drink more liquor 2) I will take up smoking 3) I will stop exercising 4) I will gain weight 5) I will get into more debt…
These resolutions are very achievable by most people, but they are hardly inspiring and they will do you great harm. The very essence of a New Year’s resolution is to make us a better person and contribute positively to our life. That’s why they are so difficult to achieve and maintain.
Like most other people I also make some New Year’s resolutions, but I have managed to keep my list down to four. 1) I shall be more moderate in all things, avoid excesses 2) I shall give more of my time to be with the people that are important to me 3) I shall take better care of my health 4) I shall be more charitable
I’ll be very happy if I can adhere to the spirit of these for the whole of 2013. They are more or less achievable as they allow some leeway for interpretation and one can gauge how well they are progressing throughout the year by reviewing and assessing one’s behaviour every now and then.
How about you? Do you make New Year’s resolutions?
Magpie Tales has provided us with a visual prompt by R.A.D. Stainforth, the first of this year, that seems to be tied to New Year resolutions… My take is rather more romantically inclined than the “quit smoking” message that this image seems to advise.
Smoke and Mirrors
I drink, alone And smoke endless cigarettes; A chain of smoke binding me To your image, On the mirror of my memory.
I smoke, solitary And drink hard liquor, Swimming to you As you recede, fast sinking To the bottom of my glass.
And as the butts accumulate, In the ashtray of your remembrance, I resolve to leave you be; Forget your face, Burn your impression…
And the bottle empties, As I try to drown your recollection In my glass, but as quickly as I fill it I empty it, encountering you Ever present, at its bottom.
I formed you out of smoke, A virtual image of perfection In the depths of some mirror, Manufactured by my need to love, And all I’ve ever had was an illusion Made of smoke and tricks of light.
For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” – T.S. Eliot
It is customary at this time of the year to review all that has been in the past year and reflect on it all, hopefully learning something, appreciating much and deploring a few things. While being thankful for all the positive things, looking back also allows us to assess what has been and hopefully be prepared to not allow what negative things have happened to not occur in the future.
The most memorable news item – Sandy superstorm Hurricane Sandy was a hurricane that devastated portions of the Caribbean and the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States during late October 2012, with lesser impacts in the Southeastern and Midwestern states and Eastern Canada. Sandy, classified as the eighteenth named storm and tenth hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, was a Category 2 storm at its peak intensity. While it was a Category 1 storm off the coast of the Northeastern United States, the storm became the largest Atlantic hurricane on record (as measured by diameter, with winds spanning 1,800 km). Preliminary estimates of losses due to damage and business interruption are estimated at $65.6 billion (2012 USD), which would make it the second-costliest Atlantic hurricane, behind only Hurricane Katrina. At least 253 people were killed along the path of the storm in seven countries.
The worst event – The gang-rape and death of an Indian student in Delhi One of hundreds of attacks reported in New Delhi each year, the gang rape and murder of a medical student caught Indian authorities and political parties flat-footed, slow to see that the assault on a private bus had come to symbolise an epidemic of crimes against women.
The saddest time – Connecticut shooting Most of the victims at Sandy Point died at the very start of their young lives, tiny victims taken in a way not fit no matter one’s age. Other victims found their life’s work in sheltering these little ones, teaching them, caring for them, treating them as their own. After the gunfire ended at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the trail of loss was more than many could bear: 20 children and six adults at the school, the gunman’s mother at home, and the gunman himself.
The most memorable death - Ravi Shankar, KBE (7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) Shankar often referred to by the title Pandit, was an Indian musician and composer who played the sitar, a plucked string instrument. He has been described as the best-known contemporary Indian musician.
The most life-changing event – New job In May this year I switched jobs and took up an exciting new position that I am very pleased with. Although it is still in academia, it is also a management role that has a lot of variety, gives me the opportunity to travel a lot around the universities in Australia and allows me to be involved in online learning initiatives, something that I have always been interested in.
The most significant new encounter – My new boss A fellow academic, also newly appointed in my new job, she provided encouragement, support, constructive criticism and friendship.
The biggest satisfaction – Publication of a scientific paper on some research that I was instrumental in setting in train the year before. It was able to allow some members of staff in my previous job to collaborate with one of the largest hospitals in Melbourne and do some research that brought together two widely different medical paradigms.
The biggest surprise – An unexpected small gift from a person I don’t know well! Very often small gestures make a big difference. I am a great believer in doing things for people that I don’t know, making a difference in people’s lives and reassuring people that basic human values still exist and that to be kind to each other can provide the greatest satisfaction.
The most memorable meal – A very special dinner with a very special person on a very special anniversary…
The best trip – Trip to Perth for a graduation ceremony It was great to see a small group of students graduate after having done all of their course online in remote areas of Australia. These students exemplified great passion and determination and ability. They graduated with exceedingly good marks and demonstrated that getting a quality tertiary education completely online is feasible.
The best song – Jessie Ware – “Something Inside”
The best book – “The Long Earth” by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter The ‘Long Earth’ is a (possibly infinite) series of parallel worlds that are similar to Earth, which can be reached by using an inexpensive device called a “Stepper”. The “close” worlds are almost identical to ‘our’ Earth, others differ in greater and greater details, but all share one similarity: On none are there, or have there ever been, Homo sapiens - although the same cannot be said for earlier hominid species, especially Homo habilis. The book explores the theme of how humanity might develop when freed from resource constraints: one example Pratchett has cited is that wars result from lack of land - what would happen if no shortage of land (or gold or oil or food) existed? The book deals primarily with the journeys of Joshua Valienté (a natural ‘Stepper’) and Lobsang, who claims to be a Tibetan motorcycle repairman reincarnated into a computer. The two chart a course to learn as much as possible about the parallel worlds, traveling millions of steps away from the original Earth. They encounter evidence of other humanoid species (referred to as trolls and elves); of human settlers who learned their gifts early, and of an extinct race of bipedal dinosaur descendants. They also encounter warning signs of a great danger, millions of worlds away from ‘our’ Earth, causing catastrophe as it moves. The book also deals with the effects of the explosion of available space on the people of Datum Earth and the new colonies and political movements that are spreading in the wake of Step Day.
The best film – “Life of Pi” Having read the book by Yann Martel (which I greatly enjoyed) and having see the trailer of this movie, I can’t wait to see it! This is a magical adventure story centering on Pi Patel, the precocious son of a zoo keeper. Dwellers in Pondicherry, India, the family decides to move to Canada, hitching a ride on a huge freighter. After a shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean on a 26-foot lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, all fighting for survival.
The happiest time – Well, some things I have to keep to myself!
“All the works
of man have their origin in creative fantasy. What right have we then to
depreciate imagination.” - Carl Jung
Jacek Yerka was
born in 1952 in Toruń, Poland. He was born into an artistic family with both
his parents graduates from a local Fine Art Academy. His earliest memories were
of paints, inks, paper, pencils, erasers and brushes. As a child, Yerka loved
to draw and make sculptures. He hated playing outside, and preferred to sit
down with a pencil, creating and exploring his own world. This difference
between the other children in his primary school led to social problems with
his peers and Yerka describes his primary school life as being a “grey,
sometimes horrifying reality.” However, Yerka later became “untouchable” in his
high school due to his clever sketches of the school’s worst bullies.
The artist
graduated in 1976 from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Nicolas Copernicus University
in Toruń. He specialised in graphic art. During the first few years after
graduation he exhibited posters, for example at The Biennial Exhibition of
Polish Posters in Katowice in 1977 and 1979, at the international biennial
exhibitions in Lahti and Warsaw, among others. Since 1980 he devoted himself
completely to painting.
Basing on
precise painting techniques, taking pattern from former masters like Jan van
Eyck or Hieronymus Bosch but mainly on his unlimited imagination he creates
surrealistic compositions, particularly admired by enthusiasts of sci-fi in all
varieties. He inspired the fantasy writer Harlon Ellison to write 30 short
stories, which along with Yerka’s pictures constituted the publication entitled
“Mind Fields”. The same American publisher “Morpheus International” released
the album “The Fantastic Art of Jacek Yerka”.
In 1995 the
artist was awarded the prestigious World Fantasy Award for the best artist. He exhibits
in Poland and abroad (in Germany, France and USA among others), being an
esteemed representative of the science fiction stream of art. His paintings
have recently inspired film-makers. The artist has been invited to cooperate in
the production of an American movie “Strawberry Fields” in which his paintings
was to be accompanied by the Beatles’ music.
The painting
above is called “The City is Landing” and shows Yerka’s style to advantage. A meticulously
detailed fantastic landscape, painstakingly rendered, well composed and with luscious
attention to colour and form. It is a delicious excursion into the land of
fantasy and with a meaning that can be extremely personal for each person who
views the work.
“I worked hard.
Anyone who works as hard as I did can achieve the same results.” - Johannes Sebastian Bach
I sat in the garden
today and enjoyed some quiet time in the perfect warmth of a summery afternoon.
The enveloping greenness of the burgeoning vegetation, the sweet perfume of the
summer flowers, the light breeze, the cooling shade of the canopy above, and a
wonderful book in my hands, were only complemented and enhanced by the sounds of
a Bach concerto playing quietly in the background. Oh what joy to be alive and
at peace with oneself! The world may have raged outside but in this summery
afternoon in my enclosed garden all was well.
Here is the
first movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s A minor violin concerto, performed by
Lara St. John, accompanied by a graphical score by Stephen Malinowski.
“Our bloom is
gone. We are the fruit thereof.” - Wallace Stevens
We are enjoying
some summer weather, intermittently that is, with some hot days interspersed
with cool ones and then again some warm ones, so that we have some variety.
It’s always the case during the Summer here in Melbourne. Generally, during the
Christmas/New Year break the weather tends to be all over the place and then
when everybody goes back to work we get a surfeit of all the stinking hot days
in February…
In any case,
with the fruits that are in season at the moment we are enjoying some delicious
fruit salads. We have these with breakfast, for a light lunch or a perfect
dessert after dinner. With or without some fat-free yoghurt they are a
healthful and refreshing meal on their own or a smaller portion to accompany
another meal. Here is the recipe for one we had today for lunch.
Summer
Fruit Salad Ingredients
1 large ripe
mango 2 apricots 4 plums 1 heaped cup
cherries, pitted 2 nectarines 1 peach Juice of one
orange Juice of one
lime 1 tablespoon
sugar (optional) 1 tablespoon
apricot or peach liqueur 1 tablespoon
melon liqueur Sprig or two of
lemon verbena for garnish
Method Wash and peel
the fruit that needs peeling. Squeeze the orange and lime into a bowl and add
the liqueurs, stirring well. If you like your fruit salad extra sweet you may
add a tablespoon of sugar now. Chop the fruit into small pieces and add into
the bowl. Mix well and refrigerate until cool. Enjoy!
“…So when the
last and dreadful hour; This crumbling pageant shall devour, The trumpet shall
be heard on high, The dead shall live, the living die, And Music shall untune
the sky” - John Dryden
Today according to
the Roman Catholic calendar is St John the Evangelist’s Feast Day. James and
John, the sons of Zebedee, were nicknamed by Jesus “the sons of thunder.” John
is involved in many of the central events of Jesus’ life, including the
Transfiguration, the Crucifixion, and the discovery of the Resurrection. He is
“the disciple whom Jesus loved” and the one to whom he consigned the care of his
mother Mary. He is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles; later he was exiled
to the island of Patmos. He is said to have died at Ephesus. He wrote a Gospel,
three Epistles, and the Apocalypse.
St John’s symbol
as an evangelist is the eagle and he is the patron saint of authors,
publishers, printers and booksellers. The Gospel according to John is clearly
different from the other three Synoptic Gospels. John may have used the Gospels
of Mark and Luke as his sources. The evangelist has two aims in the Gospel: To
show that Christ is the vital force in the Universe forever, and that He lived
on earth to reveal Himself in the flesh. This Gospel is by far the most
literary of all four and in a philosophical prologue, Jesus is identified with
the Word (Logos).
The Apocalypse
or Revelation is the 27th and last book of the New Testament, written around 95
AD on the Greek island of Patmos by one John; whether he was the St. John the
Apostle or another John, is disputed. This work is mysterious and prophetic
consisting mainly of visions and dreams that show allegorically the end of evil
and the triumph of God. The careful plan depends heavily on patterns of sevens,
e.g. letters to seven churches in Asia Minor and the opening of the seven seals
on the scroll in the hand of God. The style is majestic, with constant allusion
to Old Testament prophecies, especially those of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Isaiah.
It has been a very influential work and numerous interpretations of it have
appeared from the earliest of times.
On this, St
John’s Day, people who were afraid of being poisoned went to church and drank
from a chalice of blessed wine, this supposedly protecting them from the
effects of poison. The tradition arose from an apocryphal legend that recounts
how St John was offered a cup of poisoned wine and he, well aware that it was
poisoned, drained it after making the sign of the cross over it.
The illustration
above is a detail from Dirk Bouts’ “St John on the Island of Patmos”, completion
Date: ca 1465.
“At Christmas play and make good cheer, for Christmas comes but once a year.” - Thomas Tusser
The birthday flower for today is the Christmas rose, Helleborus niger, which is symbolic of the Nativity of Christ. In the language of flowers, the hellebore means calumny and scandal. The flower is also dedicated to St Agnes who is the patron saint of young virgins.
Light Christmas, light wheatsheaf,
Dark Christmas, heavy wheatsheaf.
The day on which Christmas fell prognosticates the weather and the year ahead:
If Christmas falls on a Sunday, that year shall be a warm Winter,
The Summer hot and dry, peace and quiet amongst the married folk.
If on Monday, a misty Winter, the Summer windy and stormy;
Many women will mourn their husbands.
If on a Tuesday, a cold Winter and much snow, the Summer wet,
But good peace amongst the Princes and the Kings.
If on Wednesday, the Winter naughty and hard, the Summer good,
Young people and many cattle will die sore.
If on a Thursday, the Winter mild and the Summer very good and abundant,
But many great men shall perish.
If on a Friday, the Winter neither bad nor good, the Summer harvest indifferent,
Much conflict in the neighbourhoods, treachery and deception.
If on a Saturday, Winter will snow, blow hard winds and bitterly cold, The Summer good with a harvest full and bounteous, But war shall rack many lands.
The Dies Natalis Invicti Solis was an ancient Roman festival more of a religious nature and thus important to priests predominantly. It was the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun and marked an important date on the calendar of the Mithras cult. The Mithraic cult was one of the chief pagan competitors to Christianity. Mithras was a sun god and his birthday fell close to the winter solstice, when the days began to lengthen and the sun once again appeared unconquered. The Christian tradition absorbed this festival and also that of the Saturnalia, thus attracting many pagans but re-interpreting their mythology according to more appropriate Christian symbolology.
Another winter solstice festival that became absorbed into Christmas was that of Yule or Jol, celebrated especially in the North, wherever the Norse pantheon held sway. Jolnir was another name for Odin, the chief god, the Norse equivalent of Zeus or Jupiter. Odin was the god of ecstasy and intoxicating drink, but also the god of death. The sacrificial beer of Odin became the blessed Christmas beer of the middle ages and also survives in the wassail cup of lamb’s wool (see December 29th). The feasting that occurred during Yuletide also included providing food and drink for the ghosts that roamed the earth around this time (see the Finnish Christmas Eve tradition). Bonfires were lit and this tradition has survived in the form of the yule log (see December 24th). The Christmas tree tradition is essentially a Germanic one that may hail back to the Norse legend of Yggdrasil, the great tree on whose branches rested the universe.
The ivie and holly berries are seen, And Yule Log and Wassaile come round agen. At Christmas play, and make good cheer For Christmas comes but once a year. Thomas Tusser (ca 1520-1580).
“Beauty is
eternity gazing at itself in a mirror.” - Khalil Gibran
Yesterday we
watched the Tarsem Singh 2012 movie “Mirror, Mirror”
starring Lily Collins, Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer. We had heard quite
conflicting reports about this, some very good some very bad. It appears that
the movie has been a rather controversial one generating some extremely
opposite reactions. It is a essentially a “fractured fairy-tale” as retold by
Marc Klein and Jason Keller
(screenplay), and Melisa Wallack
(screen story). It joins the spate of other fairy tales that have been
filmed, including Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Puss-in-Boots, Cinderella,
Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, etc, etc. Perhaps the most akin to
this film is the other 2012 adaptation of the same fairy tale, “Snow White and the HUntsman",
this being a darker and more “heroic” version when compared to the
light-hearted “Mirror, Mirror”. One should not forget, however, the classic
1937 Disney version of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”.
We saw the film
and were in two minds about it. This was not the familiar Snow White fairy
tale. It was an updated, post-feminist tale where the hero is a heroine and
where the Prince is quite an ineffectual toy-boy. The wicked stepmother is vain
and conceited but is not really wicked, nor bewitchingly beautiful nor is she
transformed into the epitome of ugliness when she does change. The dwarfs are
brigands and highwaymen, the kingdom has financial difficulties and the
household staff are saccharine sweet, while the courtiers suitably scatty. It is a major reworking of the Snow White
tale and even the apple got in only by the skin of its teeth in the last reel.
As is the case
with many other Tarsem Singh movies, the visuals in this film are stunning, as
are the costumes. Both the sets and the CGIs are quite amazing and there is a
lot of fun that was had by the wardrobe designers and the prop people. However,
compared to Singh’s “The Fall”,
this movie is several degrees inferior. Nevertheless, “Mirror, Mirror” is a
visual feast and the colours, sets, costumes and compute effects are wonderful.
Julia Roberts must
have enjoyed making this film as she is quite at ease and delivers her lines
with bravado and is clearly amused by the whole nonsensical goings-on. Lily
Collins is the real star of the show, playing the perfect mix of both the “traditional”
and “modern” fairy tale princess. She is a wonderful ingénue, although her
characterisation as the “fairest in the land” with the kind of Frida Kahlo
eyebrows she sports would only convince some members of the audience. The
Prince in the face of Armie Hammer is suitably gauche and vain and he manages
to make something of his relatively slight role. The supporting cast wears a
little thin at times, although Nathan Lane does a good job camping it up as
Brighton, the Queen’s right-hand-man.
As far as the negatives
of the film are concerned, they are mainly the rather cheesy and often forced comedy,
and the plot. Many of the comedic lines will elicit a chuckle or a groan,
depending on the degree of your sophistication. There are a couple of good gags
but this is not a film to belly-laugh over. While the Snow White tale is
more-or-less adhered to, some of the more iconic parts of the story are lacking.
Yes, Disney has spoilt this film for us…
It is a good
light-weight film to watch, kids will probably like it more than adults. The
romantic comedy is pushed a little and there are enough innuendos there to make
the mummies and daddies giggle while the kids grin. It is adhering to a Hollywood
stock formula and Tarsem Singh’s direction has not salvaged the film in this
respect. Watch it and see for yourself.
“Maybe Christmas, the Grinch thought, doesn’t come from a store.” - Dr. Seuss
Gerard David, (born c. 1460, Oudewater, Netherlands – died August 13, 1523, Bruges, Belgium), was Flemish painter who was the last great master of the Bruges school. Very little is known about David’s early life, during which time his work reflects the influence of Jacob Janszoon, Dieric Bouts, and Geertgen Tot Sint Jans. He went to Bruges, presumably from Haarlem, where it is believed he formed his early style under the instruction of A. van Ouwater. He joined the guild of St. Luke at Bruges in 1484 and became dean in 1501.
In his early work, such as “Christ Nailed to the Cross” (c. 1480) and the “Nativity” (early 1480s), he followed the Haarlem tradition as represented by Ouwater and Geertgen but already gave evidence of his superior power as a colourist. In Bruges he studied masterpieces by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hugo van der Goes, and he came under the influence of Hans Memling. To this period belong the “Madonna Triptych” (c. 1495–98) and the “Enthroned Madonna with Angels” (c. 1490–95). But the works on which David’s fame rests most securely are his great altarpieces – the “Judgment of Cambyses” (two panels, 1498) and the triptych of the “Baptism of Christ” (c. 1502–07) at Bruges; the “Virgin and Child with Saints and Donor” (c. 1505); the “Annunciation” (1506) on two panels; and, above all, the documented altarpiece of the “Madonna with Angels and Saints” (1509).
These are mature works – severe yet richly coloured, show a masterful handling of light, volume, and space. The “Judgment” panels are especially notable for being among the earliest Flemish paintings to employ such Italian Renaissance devices as putti and garlands. In Antwerp David became impressed by the life and movement in the work of Quentin Massys, who had introduced a more intimate and more human conception of sacred themes. David’s “Deposition” (c. 1515) and the “Crucifixion” (c. 1510–15) were painted under this influence and are remarkable for their dramatic movement.
Authorities disagree about the intent of David’s eclectic, deliberately archaic manner. Some feel that he drew on earlier masters in an effort, doomed by lack of imagination, to revive the fading art of Bruges. Others see David as a progressive artist who sought to base his innovations on the achievements of the founders of the Netherlandish school.
I have been blogging daily on this platform for several years now. It is surprising that I have persisted as the world is changing and "microblogging" is now the norm. I blog to amuse myself, make comment on current affairs, externalise some of my creativity, keep notes on things that interest me, learn something new and to surprise myself with things that I discover about this wonderful, and sometimes crazy, world we live in.
I sometimes get the impression that I am on a soapbox delivering a monologue, so your comments are welcome.
