Clair de Lune

Some time ago I saw a documentary about “Clair de Lune” Debussy’s well known music and found out that the music meant to sound as the waves of the sea: 7 waves, first little ones, followed by big ones!

EGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849)

ANNABEL LEE

It was many and many a year ago,
In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
In this kingdom by the sea;
But we loved with a love that was more than love-
I and my Annabel Lee;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
My beautiful Annabel Lee;
So that her highborn kinsman came
And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
Went envying her and me-
Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,
In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we-
Of many far wiser than we-
And neither the angels in heaven above,
Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,
In the sepulchre there by the sea,
In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Edgar Allan Poe 

The poet was born on the 19th January 1809. According to The Guardian, last Wednesday was the first time in 60 years that his faithful admirer didn't show up to put three roses and a half bottle of Cognac on his grave. Maybe he's dead himself, who knows?
Poe's poetry, however, stays with us. Forever.

Happy Birthday Mr. Poe!

DEATH AND BURIAL RITES

Photo by Viacheslav Smilyk




http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/2008/06/25/10-extraordinary-burial-ceremonies-from-around-the-world/

A most interesting article that overviews different burial rites around the world

WOMEN AND THE WORKFORCE

According to The Economist, women make up already 50% of the workforce in the USA. In Scandinavia, this % is even higher.
Quoting The Economist:
"The change is dramatic(...). A generation ago working women performed menial jobs and were routinely subjected to casual sexism—as “Mad Men”, a television drama about advertising executives in the early 1960s, demonstrates brilliantly".
 This mass movement began during WW II when women had to get to grips with the jobs men did before.
Rosie the Riveter (pictured above by Norman Rockwell in the Saturday Evening Post) was an icon for this new woman.
But things are not yet as they should be: women still earn tipically less than men and a very small % of them are running big companies. In sum, lots to do yet.
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15174418

Note that the Wikipedia insists that the picture of the woman The Economist has published was mistaken for Rosie. This one:

Well, the two of them are along the same lines. If you are interested, take a look at:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosie_the_Riveter

FROM LA 64º

http://www.davidlynch.com/dailyreport/index.html

From LA, David Lynch wishing us a good 2010. Enjoy.

LHASA DE SELA (1972-2010)

CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DIFFERENCES

Reading today the The Economist I found lots of interesting information about the ways we use mobile phones around the world. For instance:

The words used for those small and convenient machines reflect the priorities of a society. The American call them cellulars (emphasis on the technological aspect), the English mobiles, as in Portugal, Spain, etc (usually societies that once had an empire and were used to move around). The Germans, pratical as always call them Handy and the Chinese sho ji (hand machine).

Some talk, some text. The Japanese consider it rude to have a conversation that everybody can hear text a lot (as Indonesians, maybe for different reasons).
The Spanish talk a lot and don't activate voice mail that much. Americans and Puerto Ricans talk more than they text.
Whwre ant the way people use their mobiles also tells a lot about thwe way they see the town a a collective space. parisians tend to talk or text on pavements even in the street, Londoners prefer to gather at the entrances of tube stations.
In Portugal, as everybody who live here well knows, we like to share our private lives with lots of people so we tend to shout during conversations in buses, restaurants, cafés, everywhere (Brasilians are great at that too).
Coverage is also important too. For instance the Finns choose operators that work in tunnels (for good reasons, specially in Winter).
You can read all this and much more at:
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15172850&source=features_box_main

UTE LEMPER

A great singer and a great music: Ute Lemper in Paris

LUCKY TO HABE BEEN WHERE I'VE BEEN

CHRISTMAS AND THE IN-LAWS

Problems with in-laws specially during X-Mas? You're not alone.
The following chronicle from the NYT is quite interesting.
Oddly enough, I couldn't find any photo or picture to go with it.

http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/disliking-your-in-laws/

ABOUT RELIGION

 (photo: The Economist)

http://www.economist.com/books/displayStory.cfm?story_id=15124974&sa_camapaign=twitter

This article from The Economist reviews Nicholas Wade's: "The faith instinct. How religion evolved and why it endures".
Is religion an human instinct or a form of adaptability that has been useful for human societies for centuries?
Mr. Wade is a Darwinian  evolutionist and his book makes interesting reading.

WOMEN AND MEN SHOPPING

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6720150/Shopping-styles-of-men-and-women-all-down-to-evolution-claim-scientists.html

The article is about the different shopping styles. Apparently, it has to do with evolution. Men went hunting and with some luck they did. Women had to choose carefully among the food available (seeds, fruits,meat, etc).

Says Prof Kruger: "Women gained the skills of how to get the best quality food in cave man times because if they chose the wrong berry or nut it could kill". Women often did that with young children, while men were out hunting.

According to scientists, "the reason why women love to spend hours in shops while men prefer to be in and out of the high street in minutes is down to their hunter-gathering past".

Hmm... Food for thought.

(photo by rock_leonine)

 

 

THE KNOWN UNIVERSE

An awesome video by AMNH!

MUSIC AND BAD PUBLICITY

It's almost impossible to miss how the relationship between brands and consumers is changing. Traditional advertising in dying away while promotion on the net is increasing. Some brands have people monitorizing what is said about them in sites, blogs and social networks and trying to make ammends if anything is affecting their image.
Not so much in Portugal, I'm afraid. I've been propesting against the bad service Zon TvCabo is providing, specially in what concerns those new awful TV boxes but to no avail yet. Which is kind of amazing, since their CEO is someone who came from Microsoft. But then this country has ways of getting people soft.
With Dave Carroll things were different. During a trip with United Airlines, his most treasured guitar was broke. He complained, nobody paid any attention. So he decide to compose a song. It has already been seen by thousands of people in Youtube and it's a good song apart from being quite funny. Now the company is trying to make ammends, offering him reparations.
Enjoy.

HOW TO BECOME MY OWN WORST ENEMY

"Anybody can be unhappy, but to make oneself unhappy needs to be learned, and to this end some experience with a few personal blows of fate simply won't do".
This paragraph was taken from Paul Watzlawick' s "The Situation is Hopeless But Not Serious" a great book written in the 80s but very actual.
Starting from a seemingly absurd point of view, Watzlawick gives special attention to issues like "why would anybody love me" and various self-fulfilling prophecies of the kind.  To sum it up, the book is about how we can make everyday life miserable and inflate small incidents beyond recognition.
A professor in Palo Alto, Watzlawick, who died in 2007, was a man of genius. You'll find this book both highly enjoyable and deep, two qualities that don't come together that often.

MISTERY SHOPPING IN MENTAL HOSPITALS

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/health/01dutch.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

I'm sure you familiarized with the technique of mystery shopping. it's world wide used, specially in services like banking, insurance, etc. The idea is that someone impersonates a regular customer, go to the bank and report their experience.
Malingering one’s way into a psychiatric ward to report on conditions within was first tried in 1887, when Nellie Bly, a journalist got herself admitted to the insane asylum on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
It was tried several other times. The article is about a recent experience in Amsterdam. Many questions are raised here, namely the secrecy and implicit trust between patients and carers.

THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

Look at what I found in Yoytube. The exact dialogue I was referring to in my comment on Ana's last post about movies.

Movie quote

I know that it can be “corny” to quote a character from an everyday movie… But I always found interesting to look at everyday movies, everyday books, or news, and without judgment find that feeling that we all can relate to at some point in life… who never gave this same answer, even if to themselves…? Did you not?

“- Do you miss him…?
- Everyday.”

(Carrie in "Sex and the City")

SOME FRIENDS ARE FOREVER

Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
Enjoy!

EMOTIONAL VAMPIRISM

Yes, they exist. People who suck your energy up and leave you angry, depressed, confused, guilty or exhausted (or even all). The emotional vampires.
Sometimes they can be just acquaintances but unfortunately some of the time they are quite close to us. Too close four own good. And the closer they are, the more they can thrive on your energy and zap it out if you're not careful.
Judith Orloff  once wrote (in "Emotional Freddom") that there were five kind of vampires lurking around: the narcissist, the victim, the controller, the criticizer and the splitter.
The narcissistic vampire is always looking for admiration and is often charming and intelligent. The victimistic kind keeps complaining the world is against him. The kind is the kind of person who always knows what's best for you. The criticizer is always judging and belittling.The splitter is the most impredictable: you never know if he'll be raging against you or feigning the victim.
We need to establish firm boundaries against these people. You don't need to be too deffensive - I guess the most important thing is to make him (or her) understand you won't be manipulated.
I'm not saying these people cannot be friends. They can, and some of them will, as long as you set up clear limits. Don't idealize them. Be realistic about both their good qualities and their flaws.
Things get more dramatic when an emotional vampire is someone really close like, say, your own mother. In extreme and unfortunate cases like that, I can only suggest: be affectionate but firm and try to manage the relationship in small doses.

Renewal

It’s so good when we can finally open the door and invite someone in. But then, suddenly we realize we let our guest on the doorway… kind of awkward, kind of lost. Sometimes as the door is allowing the entry of others, the house is not yet prepared to do so… Then what shall we do…? Maybe one should forget formality, lay down the glass on the floor for a moment and ask that someone who is at the door to help pulling a couch and to offer some decoration tips…and ask that someone to sit, and – even though the glass is for now a plastic one –still enjoy a delicious drink and a good chit-chat…

STRESS QB

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberta-lee/10-tips-for-lowering-supe_b_378376.html

Sensible advises about avoiding too much stress. Worth reading. We tend to forget these things in our daily life.

Publish Post

PROCRASTINATION

http://www.swiss-miss.com/2009/11/procrastination-by-john-kelly.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Swissmiss+%28swissmiss%29

Procrastination by John Kelly (Animated comic about the meaning of procrastination)

Enjoy!

THE HEART OF DARKNESS

How do we understand an act as brutal as rape on a 15 year old girl?

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/display/article/10168/1490394?CID=rss&verify=0

IS PSYCHOTHERAPY THE LESS EXPENSIVE WAY TO WELL-BEING?

Psychotherapy may be an effective way to boost happiness. That's what Drs. Chris Boyce and Alex Wood found. Chris Boyce and Alex Wood of the Universities of Warwick and Manchester, respectively, compared large data sets where thousands of people had reported on their well-being.

"We have shown that psychological therapy could be much more cost effective than financial compensation (...) at alleviating psychological distress", said Boyce.


You may read the whole article at:
http://trak.in/news/psychotherapy-may-be-an-effective-way-to-boost-happiness/26162/

MORE BOOKS

http://publicliterature.org/

Still about books.  Not from this year of course, but some of them are great classics. You can download them for free. Some people can read on a PC I prefer an e-reader because it's lighter and you can enlarge the font, but the option is yours. Project Gutenberg also has lots of classics for free download.

NOTABLE BOOKS OF 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/gift-guide/holiday-2009/100-notable-books-of-2009-gift-guide/list.html

100 notable books of 2009 according to the New York Books Review.

FIRST WORLD WAR

(photo: © Bildarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz)

I have been recently to France, more  specifically to the Vallée de la Somme (north of Paris) where raging  battles took place. In Péronne there is an interesting museum, although not very complete.

Here is a  beautiful poem by Patrick MacGill, who had been in that war: 

BEFORE THE CHARGE


The night is still and the air is keen,
Tense with menace the time crawls by,
In front is the town and its homes are seen,
Blurred in outline against the sky.


The dead leaves float in the sighing air,
The darkness moves like a curtain drawn,
A veil which the morning sun will tear
From the face of death. - We charge at dawn.

WHAT AN AMAZING HUMAN BEING!

"...the extraordinary story of Tererai Trent, who grew up impoverished in northern Zimbabwe and was able — with the help of Heifer International and a number of other aid groups — to get an education. Next month she will receive her PhD from Western Michigan University"
by Nicholas Kristof (NYT)

This is the amazing story of a Zimbabwean woman, born in poverty. She had all "those" qualities: resilience, motivation, intelligence, interpersonal skills, etc etc. And generous on top of it all! (see the story of her first marriage). What an amazing human being.
To be read at:

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/dr-tererai-trent/

BANKERS TRY ACTING

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23771006-my-kingdom-for-a-bonus-city-jobless-take-up-acting.do

This news from the Standard may seem a bit bizarre but is quite interesting in the sense that makes you think what having a job means nowadays.
I don't think that in ten years there will be such a thing as a job. Young people maybe committed to "projects" and for their duration only - no strings attached as they say.
Rights that seemed acquired during the 20th century, like retirement when you're sixty something, salaries correspondent 14 months a year, subsidies, pensions, etc are in great danger.
We have to brace ourselves for a very tough future, specially the younger generations. Resilience is becoming  more important as a personal skill. These bankers seem, at least, to be capable of finding new ways in their lives.

IN REMEMBERANCE OF RUSSELL ACKOFF

A man of genius, the best professor I ever had. This video is about systemic thinking vs analytical thinking. Thinking as a whole for short.

MIDWAY ISLAND

This is a photo of Midway island seen from the space (photo credit: NASA)

The NASA site has usually amazing images. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/science/hico_raids.html

ABOUT DREAMS

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/health/10mind.html?_r=1&ref=science

 (photo NYT)

With the help of new techniques like brain imagery neuroscience is making new discoveries about dreaming.

BIOLOGICAL CLOCK

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427333.000-genes-show-when-a-womans-biological-clock-will-stop.html?page=1

A new tool to know your biological clock beforehand. These are great news for women who want to program their personal and professional lives. I didn't know about it when I wrote my last post, but I'm glad to know more tools are becoming available for women who want to be in control of their lives. The article also refers to the technique for freezing your own eggs.

WORK AND CAREER, THE OLD DILEMMA

Mika Brzezinski: Don't Forget To Have Kids

This article is a refreshing aproach to the question of career versus having kids, and when.
I won't say I fully agree with the author, but it's a good starting point for a discussion.
More and more, young women have to put themselves the question.
They study for much longer than before and getting the firts job is getting harder and harder. however, the biological clock does not stop. Science hasn't still found a way of prolonging the fertile period. In an age when some women in their sixties look as if they are in their forties, this seems a bit ironic. But it's the sad reality.
Due to the longer studies and the delayed entry into the job market, which is more and more difficult, here in Portugal its not infrequent to be in one's thirties and still live with one's parents.
On the other hand, syatistics say young girls have their first sexual experience earlier and earlier.
Dies this make any sense? Hardly.
The fact is I don't have an answer for the dilemma. I don't think though, that staying at home raising kids, even when financially that is possible, is a good decision. Not good for the mother (work is an important part of our accomplishment as humans), not a good example for the kids.
I hear some young women up to are choosing to keep their eggs before they are 35, which allows them another 5-7 years to get pregnant. it may be a good idea, not for anyone though.

ABOUT IGNORANCE AND KNOWLEDGE

When Falls the Coliseum » The sum of human knowledge is a small and fragile oasis

A very interesting article by Frank Wilson. What's knowledge? What's ignorance?
Quoting:
"A little knowledge, a pebble from the shingle,
A drop from the oceans: who would have dreamed this infinitely little too much?"

QUOTATION

"The specific problems we face cannot be solved using the same patterns of thought that were used to create them."
Albert Einstein

IT SEEMS WE ARE MADE FOR RUNNING

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27well.html?_r=3&em

I'm not suggesting we all start running marathons but this is a quite interesting article on the human capacity to run long distances and how important it was in the primitive ages.

AESTHETICS

(photo: Garance Doré)

A few days ago I put a post about women's faces in painting across the centuries. A magnificent work in digital art, as you may remember.
This time, I'm bringing something quite different but that has to do also with aesthetics. I's about feet and weird ankle boots.
They say they are selling very well in france. Aesthetics has its own mysterious ways.

ABOUT BULLYING

(photo: http://www.cbc.ca/)


According to a doctoral research carried in the towns of Oporto, Braga and Grenade, which inquired 1237 11-16 years old, the phenomenon of bullying is being more and more accepted.
It seems it's becoming banal. 84,5% of these youngsters have witnessed acts of violence among colleagues.
What's more, the victims of bullying are referred to as "passive, socially incompetent, anxious, depressive and insecure".
The aggressors are seen as "strong, extroverted, trustful, leaders".
It's no doubt alarming.
I read in the Times that in some areas of London young girls accept rape in order to be accepted by male gang (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6889829.ece)
These are sad times. We have to raise our children to be more respectful towards the other - this basic civilized notion has been more and more forgotten during the last decades.
Would we really like to go back to Neardenthal habits? I guess it was like that.

SMILE FOR GODSAKE!

happiness hat from Lauren McCarthy on Vimeo.

Smiling  is one  of the most mysterious characteristics of human behaviour. Why do we smile?
Some say that humans have always done that as a kind of apeasing gesture towards a menacing person. Science has shown that chimps also do something quite similar.
This video is about making you smile - whether you like it or not. Have fun.

http://www.casadashistoriaspaularego.com/index_pt.html#/home/

I have been today to Casa das histórias in Cascais to see the new Paula Rego's museum. It's a work of art. Beautiful architecture, amazing paintings.
The gardens are also beautiful designed and it's opened until 10pm. Free entrance.
You'll find below the presentation about Paula Rego's work that Prof. Paul Coldwell wrote for the Shaatchi Gallery in London.

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/paula_rego_about.htm

COD FISHING IN THE 20TH CENTURY

Pesca do bacalhau à linha em 1966

This was an old practice by Portuguese fishermen. An interesting document narrated in English.

SELF CONSCIENCE - WHEN DOES IT START?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8314093.stm

You'd like to read this very interesting article from BBC News about awareness. Self-conscience seems to develop between 18 and 24 months (see the video.

As Prof. Gallup says,

Death awareness is the price we pay for self awareness

TECHNIQUE AND AESTHETICS

When technique meets aesthetics. Female faces in painting across the centuries.

SELF-DOUBT TURN BOSSES INTO BULLIES

http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2009/10/self-doubt-turns-bosses-into-bullies.html

An interesting article from the Research Digest Blog (British Psychological Society)

HUMOUR IS SO IMPORTANT

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1922981

Now I begin to understand why they blocked all my Google accounts for 4 days. With guys like these... Great fun. Hope you enjoy.

THE STATE OF OUR PLANET

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/629/629/7056601.stm

Very interesting graphics about the state of the planet, from the BBC site.

THE WEB 2.0 AND ITS DANGERS

Some people are afraid of the web 2.0, and maybe rightly so. I had all my Google accounts blocked for 4 days and couldn't even post. Let alone see my mail (past or present).
On the other hand, the web and the social networks allow us to connect to people and have access to information that we never had before.
Being not an expert, I think we must be very cautious, have backup programs and try to minimize the possible damages. Make the better of it. As usual.
(I tried to place a photo related to the subject but blogger doesn't allow for photos for the time being. Speak of the devil...)

TOYS AND PLAYS

http://www.id-mag.com/toystories/?catid=8295&slide=2

Remember these toys and plays?
(it's also fun to have a look at the professions of some of the people who used to play with these toys)