ON OUR MORTALITY

“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.” – Euripides

A friend has been diagnosed with cancer. He was one of the most unlikely people to have got this disease as he is otherwise very healthy, he doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke has a healthy diet, is relatively fit and has no family history of the disease. The only thing the doctor could say about it was that he must have been one of those unlucky “random” cases where the tumour just turned up out of the blue. This is precious little consolation for him. However, the good news is that the cancer was diagnosed in its early stages so fortunately, treatment is likely to be effective, with everyone hoping for a complete and utter cure.

We take our health for granted and it is commonly enough said in this context that we don’t appreciate something until we lose it. So it was with my friend. One moment life was good, with his routine of work, family, recreational activities, planning for the coming holidays, Christmas, and the next moment a barrage of tests, admission into hospital and surgery. The whole world seemed to turn upside down in an instant. Add to that the dreaded word “cancer” that most people still view as a death sentence, and the sum of this is a shock to the system, a major upset in the equilibrium of a balanced life.

Such cases that challenge our worldview and overturn our place within the orderly pattern of our existence, can prove to be catalytic for a major reassessment of our priorities, our values, our plans and our objectives. Confronted with a very real and immediate image of our mortality we are obliged to think deep and hard about what is important and what is unimportant. We divest ourselves of illusions and we look at life as a precious, finite commodity, which suddenly seems to be running out, fast. Our possessions, the money in the bank, the plans for next year, for our retirement, for tomorrow even, are all suddenly jettisoned while we try and keep the little boat of our life afloat just for a little bit longer amidst the stormy seas of our failing health.

The people we love assume an overwhelming importance at times like these. The support and affection that we usually may take for granted become abruptly a vital caring force. The comfort and sustenance these loved ones provide become an essential part of our ability to cope with the challenges that we need to deal with. Our family and friends become our prop that underpin our efforts, they are the buttresses that provide the strength for us to overcome our trials.

It is difficult for someone healthy and happy to imagine the predicament that my friend has found himself in. It is hard to think that such a terrible turn of events should happen to us. Whenever we think of ourselves, we think we are invincible, immortal, all-powerful, somehow immune from all the horrible things that always happen to others. It is a humbling and chastening experience when it does indeed happen to us. No amount of preparation or forethought can make us adequately ready for the reality of the actual experience. It is a perspective that is observed only from the one, unique position. That of the actual person who is experiencing the situation first-hand. It is a condition where the observed becomes the observer and vice-versa.

We all know that death is an inescapable certainty that all of us will experience sooner or later. We live our life for the most part ignoring this inevitable ending, or some of us may shun all thoughts of it because we fear it. Acceptance of this unavoidable eventuality can allow us to live life more fully and more productively. Entertaining the idea that our own death could occur tomorrow, next week, next month can help us put our life in perspective and help us give due importance to those who really matter most in our life.

I am sure that readers of this will join me in wishing my friend all the best, with a speedy and complete recovery.

THE NEVER-JOURNEYED

“The soul of a journey is liberty, perfect liberty, to think, feel, do just as one pleases” - William Hazlitt

We all wish to go on a journey that we have long dreamed about, to some exotic destination, some distant shore… How many hours got towards planning this trip, how many happy thoughts, how many dreams! For some such a journey must remain a dream.

Magpie Tales has shared this week an image by Mostafa Habibi that prompted me to contribute this poem.

The Never-Journeyed

“My life’s trapped me”, he said,

And looked forlornly at the sea.

“I wish it were otherwise,

But I’m a prisoner, a slave

To my everyday routine…”

The sea sounds speak softly to his soul,

Each susurration a sibilant invitation,

A bewitching beckon that traps his gaze,

And evinces salty reflections in his eyes,

Leaving wet trails on his wrinkled cheeks.

“Circumstances conspired against me”, he said,

And bowed his head, embarrassed,

“Family first, brothers and sisters;

Then a wife and children.

Responsibility, duty, obligation…”

The wind caresses his brow and tussles his hair,

It blows in a seashell and, magnified, the sea

That lurks there is revivified and he hearkens;

Each beat of his heart quicker, stronger now

As he looks longingly at the horizon.

“Jamaica, Zanzibar, Bali, Japan!”, he said,

And pointed far away to the distance.

“How I wish I could have sailed away

And seen them with my own eyes!

The spice islands, Andaman, Java, Ceylon…”

The boat taunts him and with the sea conspires

To rub salt into his wounds, and to laugh at his inaction –

Motionless there, as though he were rooted to the ground.

“Some are born sailors,” he said, “Some are landlubbers.

Some grab life in a fist of iron and shape it as they will –

Some life grabs and mangles into lifeless puppets.”

He looks afar and sighs and after while turns away.

“Keep for yourself your boat,” he said,

“For me six feet of sea-sodden strand will have to do…”

MOVIE MONDAY - THE PAROLE OFFICER

“Comedy is the art of making people laugh without making them puke” - Steve Martin

There are some actors one hates or loves and one of them I think, is Englishman Steve Coogan. I started off disliking him intently and now I am finding myself on the opposite side. He is certainly a talented comedian and his quirky, straight-faced deliveries can be very unsettling – hence the success of his comedy. He has done much more television work than films and his signature “Alan Partridge” shows are sure to elicit groans from even his ardent fans (followed of course by guffaws of laughter). We watched the first of his movies at the weekend, the 2001 John Duigan crime/comedy, “The Parole Officer”.

Coogan plays Steve Garden, an unsuccessful London parole officer who is called to account for himself after everyone he works with complains about him. In order to chasten him the Board of review sends him to Manchester (no accident as this is in fact Coogan’s birthplace!). There, he is framed for a murder committed by one of Manchester’s leading police constables who has turned crooked. The only evidence proving to Garden’s innocence is a CCTV videotape which is locked inside a bank vault. With the help of four inept ex-criminals and love interest Emma (Lena Headey), Garden must break into the bank and steal the CCTV tape in order to prove his innocence.

The film is no major landmark of the cinematic art and the plot is anything but original nor is the acting exceptional. It is just a pleasant, amusing, often clever B-grade movie that is good to watch and have a few laughs over. Coogan’s antics are up to the script, which Steve Coogan co-wrote with Henry Normal. There are references to famous movies in this film (for example quite a funny little soliloquy about Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “A Short Film About Killing” - 1988) and the whole of this movie does remind me of “The Pink Panther” series a little bit. It does send up the “crime caper” genre and Coogan’s inept leadership and bumbling team manage to cancel each other out in order to bring the film (you guessed it!) to a happy end.

Omar Sharif has a prominent cameo role, but his performance is pedestrian and anything but impressive. The rest of the cast work much better with the material, which is funny mainly because it is delivered well, with great timing. For his cinematic debut, Coogan plays it safe and much of his improvisatory comedic talents are underutilised in this film. The movie is likeable and idiosyncratic, but it doesn’t deliver huge numbers of belly laughs. Most of the jokes are subtle and quite dry, so when the gross sight gags come along (e.g. the rollercoaster scene), they seem to be out of place. We enjoyed it overall and would recommend it to anyone with a quirky sense of humour who enjoys British comedy.

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ART SUNDAY - MONET

“What is art? Nature concentrated.” - Honoré de Balzac

Claude Monet (1840-1926) was the chief proponent of Impressionism, one of the major art movements of the 19^th century, which shook the foundations of the art world and prepared the ground for the wave of modern art schools in its wake. For Art Sunday today I am highlighting one of his works from 1883, which is to be found in the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. It is the “Gros Temps à Étretat” (Rough Weather at Étretat), oil on canvas.

In the 19^th century, Étretat was a popular seaside resort on the Normandy coast and Monet visited it in January 1883 for a “working holiday”, influenced perhaps by the location’s recreational reputation. Étretat is located directly above the beach, immediately to the right of the view depicted in this painting, however, no indication is given here of the bustling resort town.

Instead, Monet frames his viewpoint to focus on the awesome power of nature with the wild waves and stormy skies on the left counterbalanced by the massive rock formations on the right. Between the two and pivotal in the composition are the two human figures in silhouette on the lower right. The one on the left is pointing out to sea – a gesture of awesome admiration, while the second figure is more interested in keeping his hat on! A comment perhaps on the romantic versus the pragmatic in human nature.

The walkers are a reminder of the recreational activities at Éntretat, further underlined by the zigzag lines on the cliffs in the distance, representing the relentless tourist paths beaten around Éntretat by the steps of the tourists and holiday-makers that have worked these walking trails on the landscape.

The painting is a magnificent portrayal of a moment in time and space, an acknowledgment of the majesty of nature, an impression of the interaction of human beings interacting with their environment. The scale of comparison that Monet makes underscores man’s puny stature when compared to the gigantic scale of natural forces at play in his environment. A deeply satisfying and beautiful work!

Please join me here on the Art Sunday meme if you have a post on Art in your blog.

A CONTEMPLATIVE SATURDAY

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

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

AN EARLY CHRISTMAS PARTY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ROHATSU - BODHI DAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION DAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

POETRY TUESDAY - LUNCH BREAK

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lunch Break

Some days I feel like that:

Work, eat, sleep,

Work, eat, sleep.

My mind grows numb

As those around me

Look right through me

As though I were a ghost.

Some days the gray skies

Permeate my soul

Deadening it imperceptibly.

And the rain seeps into

Every interstitial space

Of my cellular matrix,

Diluting my spirit.

Some days the gnawing

Of teeth on identical feed,

Reminds me of rats

With black beady eyes,

Deriving nourishment from

The suspicious overcrowding

Of the rat-race.

Some days in this dog-eat-dog world,

I close my eyes as I chomp

(Making papier maché

Out of my cardboard lunch)

And I think of green pastures,

Sunshine, fresh herbs

Fruits of the earth, just picked…

MOVIE MONDAY - NEW IN TOWN

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

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

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

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

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

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ART SUNDAY - KANDINSKY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FAURÉ - PIE JESU

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

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

Pie Jesu Domine,

Dona eis requiem.

Pie Jesu Domine,

Dona eis requiem sempiternam.

Kind Lord Jesus,

Grant them rest.

Kind Lord Jesus,

Grant them everlasting rest.

A BELATED EULOGY FOR H.A.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

WORLD AIDS DAY 2011

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CDC - Basic Information about HIV and AIDS

Department of Health, Victoria, Australia

Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations (AFAO)

New York Times Health

INTERNATIONAL COMPUTER SECURITY DAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SOUVENIR ROUGE

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

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

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


This blog entry is part of the Magpie Tales meme.

Souvenir Rouge

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

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

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

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

MOVIE MONDAY - LEAVES OF GRASS

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

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

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

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

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

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

ANDRÉ DERAIN FOR ART SUNDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

PSALM SUNDAY MEME - ORTHODOX CHANT

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

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

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

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

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

RAINY SONG SATURDAY

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

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

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