Ghosts And Ghouls

October 31, 2009, a multi billion dollars worth of devils’, reapers’, ghosts’, ghouls’, demons’, witches’, werewolves’, skeletons’, spiders’ and other horror outfits will be on the prawl again today. Parts of this tradition of Halloween, because, ofcourse, that’s what we’re talking about here, are original Celt. Believing that the border between this world and the ‘other world’ was at its thinnest on this day, allowing spirits, good and bad, to cross. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. It’s also the birthday of New Zealand director Peter Jackson (1961) who did what was considered ‘mission impossible’ in the world of film: realized successfully the adaptation of Tolkiens’ epic ‘Lord of the Rings’. Maybe one day its hobbits, gollums, elven, goblins and orcs will become part of the next generation of Halloween outfits. I’m sure they’ll fit in. I wonder how the ancient Celts would react, seeing one. Image by Photobucket/Gustergal21

Sweets, Sulphur And Stress

Where Ancient Rome used bathing in hot, often sulfurous mineral water as one of the few available acne treatments in those days, the best acne treatment of today isn’t that clear and obvious, because of the multitude of knowledge and available (sometimes science-fiction-esque) treatments. That might sound odd, but acne is a stubborn and almost impossible to avoid menace. It’s known to be partly hereditary, it runs harder or slower in certain families. Hormones play a role, think of menstrual cycles and puberty. Skin irritation that makes people scratch and activate inflammation. Or, in some cases, the use of certain drugs like anabolic steroids and exposure to chemicals is to blame. A lack of vitamin A (such as butter, papaya, mango, spinach) and E (such as wholegrain foods, milk, nuts) seems to be involved. Carbohydrate foods (such as soft drinks, sweets and white bread) produce glucose that stimulates the secretion of insulin and in the end facilitate acne formation. Sugar consumption might also be of influence. Last but not least: stress. All these variations make that a particular, rather simple treatment might help a certain individual or group of people. But others need more time to find their personal best way to fight off this embarrassment. Preferably with the help of a professional. Image by Photobucket/10acne

A Second Swirl

October 30, 2009, with the distant but nearing sounds of Halloween, this is the day of Mischief Night, or Devil’s Night in the UK, Canada and the USA. Although there are events such like this one scattered all over the world as well, held on different days of the year. Usually its teenagers playing pranks such as: knocking doors and windows, tying doorhandles, removing gates, toilet papering yards and egging cars. With the exception of some-pranks-going-too-far, it’s kid’s stuff. Someone who got very far as well, this day, the year 1938, was actor Orson Welles (1915-1985) who started to broadcast H.G. Wells’ ‘War of the Lords’ on the radio as a musical program interrupted with fake news bulletins and eye-witness accounts and got many people to believe his ‘prank’ was the scaring truth. As far as I know, he got away with it, even his car remained ‘egg-free’. But maybe it’s only a matter of time before some new generation of Big Pretenders get behind the microphone and give it a second swirl? Image by Photobucket/_BoNkErS_

The Tumble Of Ticker-Tape

Have you ever guessed that the ‘party-booster’ ticker-tape confetti was once rolling out of such a machine pictured above? Today, October 29, 1886, during the dedictation of the Statue of Liberty, office folk celebrated this event throwing out this stuff out of the windows for the first time. I’m sure it was all old stockprice info, having been transmitted already. For a century (1870-1970) that transmission of info was the reason of its existence, till the rise of computers. The whirling down of ticker-tape has come to an end as well, except with occasional big events. If it happens its mainly shredded (waste) office paper. With sports heroes not included it was John Glenn and the Space Shuttle crew in 1998 who got the last honor and the average of 50 tons of paper showered over them through Lower Manhattan’s ‘Canyon of Heroes’. Image by Photobucket/EVAD_MULLEK

A Cycle Of Ceramics

Something that has fascinated people and therefor has been around them for thousands of years is the ceramic tile. And because of its versitality will be around for many thousands of years more. From Persia to Pyramids and ancient Greek Parthenon it was introduced to Europe by the Moors in Spain about 900 years ago. Portugese Azulejos, Rennaisance Italian maiolica floor tiles and the Dutch development of tile iconography took it to next generations of applications. Ceramic tiles were, and still are, used almost everywhere: on walls, floors, ceilings, fireplaces, in murals and as on exteriors of buildings. A very personal approach to ceramic tiles is to be found in Parc Guell, Barcelona. This century old design by Antonio Gaudi still looks fresh and modern, perhaps even wild to some people’s taste. But that’s the energy, the creativity, the reason it’s still with us and fascinates us, makes us still want to use it in our modern homes. Image by Photobucket/nellephone

Sponsors Are Spoofers

It goes a much longer way back than I expected: October 27, 1946, to witness the first commercially sponsored tv program, not surprisingly it happened in the USA. During these early days of television, many TV shows were specifically created by sponsors with the main goal of selling their product with the entertainment value secondary. The problem I got with this phenomenon is its almost impossible to escape omnipresence. Where adults are supposed to be able to discriminate the idea behind all that entertainment and information, it’s the children who can’t. These ‘informercials’ as they’re called today are bought not just by manufacturers, but by politicians and televangelists as well. I’m not saying it’s all wrong, but there’s an overkill, and to press the turn-off button isn’t always the answer. Neither is another trip to the kitchen for a second or third round of coffee. By accident I saw a sponsor-free game of sports lately, and in my eyes there was much more sport to enjoy. No loud logo’s on shirts. Or anywhere else. Maybe a good idea for tv? Image by Photobucket/tattoosbydj

Cool Catchy Copper

That lots of private kitchens have become a more (semi)professional look is nothing new. That most equipment of those same kitchens aren’t used many times, is a public secret. Copper cooking pans, to mention an everyday used professional utensil, very often are just decorative items to impress in most homes. That might change now. Next to the quality of conduction of heat, that professional chefs have known and appreciated for ages, the aesthetic beauty of copper has appealed to interior designers and architects. And now there are signs that show that copper kills 99% of bacteria. That even the swine virus can’t survive on copper. That could mean that the choice for, let’s say, copper sinks, will show a dramatic fall of infections. Not just in the home, but also in places such as hospitals. So, this versatile material, used by so many different people from the ancient Egyptians (to sterilize drinking water) to artists of many centuries (copper engravings) won’t be just pretty to look at from now on. Image by Photobucket/jethro_blueice

March To The Moon

October 26, 1959, the world sees the Dark (other) Side of the Moon for the first time. It’s a bit ambivalent: that it took such a long time to get a glimpse of the Earth’s closest celestial companion’s backside. On the other hand it is remarkable, that we could. Funny that we had to hit the Moon’s surface with a rocket to find out if there’s water lately. To have an option of a second roof above our heads, somewhere in the distant future. Result unknown so far. I better get a move on again: the house hunt has to start again. This time I got some company too. Maybe I strike some running water and a roof too. Hopefully that won’t take till Kingdom comes! Image by Photobucket/tinajoyce31

A Map Gets Me Mobile

Being a beach bully with curiousity and, sometimes, loads of time, my fingers get to a hold and my eyes fixed on a map with a very peculiar shape of a coastline. Then the twitch of the nose tells me I struck a sudden surprise. The last time this happened was when an old college geography book’s map was telling ‘ALABAMA’ in capitals. I’d never guessed this American Southern Belle got something that surprising ‘under the skirts’! But there it was: a golden colored appendix-shaped estuary with islands and peninsulas. And with people like me who are always interested in condos in gulf shores area, and in everything that might be included in the deal, from sand to seafood, this is usually enough to start packing. Having packed already makes it even more tempting. Mobile Bay can get me ‘mobile’ that’s for sure! Image by Photobucket/dougsherrard

Blue Danube, Blue Dame

This day, gives us two birthday birds of a very different feather, each one with his own rhythm, color and language: composer Johan Strauss (1825-1899), known for classics like the ‘Blue Danube’, the ‘Tritsch-Tratsch Polka’ and the Vienna Waltz in general. And painter/sculptor Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), who had, among others a ‘Blue Period’ and like his companion-of-the-day, very creative with hammers as well. To find one single image that makes the two come together wasn’t easy, but maybe this is one? In all honesty: I recognise myself in that painting as well, having ‘double visions’ and ‘the blues’ and having met ‘the Man with the Hammer’ because of the very exhausting and (so far) not very successful house hunt! Image by Photobucket/scottyboymx

Mighty Machines, Messy Men

I’ve been a regular visitor to motorcrosses, and the term Mopar (short for MOtor PARts) isn’t a very new and strange sound to my ears. More than likely because the same kinds of people are attracted to the both of them? It’s the machines that are the obvious subject of most conversations heard and attention given to, when walking around the mud tracks and tarnished tarmac. Always very typical is the difference I notice between the guys riding them. Motorcrossers usually are more ‘fashion-minded’, and the mopar fanatics are more, let’s say, ‘down-to-earth’? What I didn’t know was that Mopar parts are original equipment manufactured parts for Chrysler vehicles, like Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeeps, and an almost purely American way of leisure. Although, it’s mainly boy’s stuff, and they’re to be found in all corners, so I guess there are muscled lowriders, or what other names they got, everywhere. As long as both; the clean shaven and the bearded ones get home, save and sound, and clean-nailed. Image by Photobucket/challenger70_1999

Potty On Pods

October 23, 2001, the digits start to run and end up, for the time being, with 222,000,000 sold digital audio players worldwide. We’re talking iPod here. And one of the most looked after must-haves of our time. It must come close to what could be called an industrial designer’s Wet Dream? To come up with a product that (with a few rare exceptions) people of all gender, age and background have thought of buying? And important detail: many of them have got one, or two? A Wet Dream, a JackPot, a Life Style Icon, the Holy Grail for the competition, hackers and forgers. What it’s not: a May-Fly. Big car manufacturers and international airlines incorperate the needed interface into their fleet already. And if Apple won’t be too rigid, allow third party modifications to join and improve the iPod, it will become everybody’s personified companion. A device of high standards equipped and adorned with lots of personal touches. Image by Photobucket/angiemar

Damage And Destination

If the 2004 survey still fits the reality of 2009, the ‘most stressed-out city’ of the USA shouldn’t make you run even harder to the nearest Tacoma car accident lawyer the moment you need one! Perhaps it all has improved and calmed down a substantial lot: according a 2006 survey of the women’s Mag ‘Self’, that nominated the city as ‘the most sexually healthy city’? That might have given a lot of relaxation in the streets. If this City of Destination still likes to play tricks with you, giving you pain in the neck and your car some nasty damage, than I’m sure that those men in suit can help you to get the pieces back together again, with all the expedition they got. Image by Photobucket/Costumedzyner

To Silence A Stutter

Someone has to cast the first line, but to find out the first ever parachute jump was way back to this day in the year 1797 got me speechless for a second. (I presumed it had to be in the days of the Great War from 1914-1918, with lots of new things like the first air raid). Andre-Jaques Garnerin (1769-1823) simply took off in a hot air balloon and bailed out that one with an umbrella-like parachute and a basket hanging underneath at a height of about 900 metres! And survived this breathtaking adventure. Slightly related to breathing is the event of today: the International Stuttering Awareness Day. From ancient times people have been wondering about the cause of it, tried strange ‘methods’ like slapping the face of someone who stutters or getting a handful of pebbles or a burning coal into the mouth. So far, we’re still guessing, but normally the stuttering disappears with the time. A great and lasting success had birthday boy actor Derek Jacobi (1938) who played the stuttering Roman Emperor Claudius in the much acclaimed 1970s BBC tv series ‘I, Claudius’. Not that I’ve seen it, yet, but would like to, curled up into a comfy basket. You wouldn’t hear me for a while. Image by Photobucket/Walknuk

Somerset Sheep, French Frogs

From the clever use of the off cuts of English Somerset sheepskin rugs for slippers, to the opening of a shoe boutique at the Left Bank of Paris, that’s the story in a nutshell of the Clarks shoes. The almost two hundred years covering these two ends have shown classics such as the playdeck sandal, the desert boot and the wallabee model. That Clarks has a bit of a tired and dusty image might be partially true, but there’s a range of very sharp cut, bold, even fashionable shoes incorperating the no-nonsense of high comfort, that seems even to appeal to French snobbery. That can’t be all ‘sheepish’, can it? Image by Photobucket/djmainevent

Guggenheim, Full Of Grit

Let’s start with a very ‘dry’ fact, today in the year 1824, the Portland cement got patented by Joseph Aspdin (1778-1855). Although I guess this Portland hasn’t been used for today’s main subject, I still wonder how many of those bags of cement could have been used to build our birthday building of today, the Guggenheim in New York, that got opened in 1959? I tried to find out by asking around the web, but unfortunately, there hasn’t been a reply yet. Anyone out there? What I do know is that the architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) needed 15 years, 700 sketches and 6 sets of working drawings to get this job done. And wasn’t able to be present at the official opening, after 1.5 years of constructing, because he died 6 months before. But 15 years? That means he started to draw in 1944, with the world still at war. That takes a lot of grit indeed! Image by Photobucket/bissona

A Reverence For Residency

It’s not that I haven’t been very pleased with the award given to me by Grampy, but most of the blame goes to the poor internet connection of the past few days, and my computer falling to pieces, slowly but surely. I was able to get some posts done (instead of eating my nails) at the times there was power, and seats available, but that was it. With some delay I make my reverence, and will make a jump of joy followed by one jump into the dark (see previous post). Image by Photobucket/tonyschamber

Grain Of Gold

The search for a new place, a home, in my case for apartments for rent, has begun again! With some boxes still unpacked of the previous move (or have I packed them already, and lost the sense of time?) I’m on the prawl once more. From what I’ve seen so far it’s nothing but the same old story: too crampy rooms with poor utilities, then, almost literally, miles of nothing, to end up with the too expensive ones I would like to accept but can’t afford. So, it’s heading to those ‘miles of nothing’ again with the hope to strike an overseen grain of gold. Having a jump in the dark. Cross your fingers for me. Image by Photobucket/lavender_hue89

A Brewery’s Barmy Beer

October 17, 1814, not the London Bridge was fallen down, but the walls of the London Tavistock Arms Pub and two other homes. For unknown reasons, but to some people being ‘an act of God’, a giant vat of the local brewery containing more than 600,000 liters of beer ruptured, and taking other vats with it in a domino effect. All together more than 1,400,000 liters of beer gushed through the streets and into the basements where whole families lived. The wave left nine people dead: eight due to drowning and one from alcohol poisoning. ‘Beer Corpses’ (people who drink more than they can take and pass out) are also to be found in this time of year at the German city of Munich’s annual ‘Oktoberfest’. With 6 million visitors drinking pints of beer ranging from the modest 0.2 liter ‘Pfiff’ to the wopping and heavy 2.0 liter ‘Doppolita’ it can’t be a surprise having a few ‘drop-outs’. But I wonder how they manage to get intoxicated with an average price of 8 euro for a single ‘Stein’ of 1 liter. Now, while I’m going to get something to drink for us, you can figure out how many Munich 1910’s sales of 120,000 liter goes in that 1814 London Flood? Image by Photobucket/charliecheescake

A Brilliant Breakfast

It’s the birthday of enfant terrible, celebrity, dandy and writer Oscar Wilde today, the year 1854. Feeling numb in my head this early morning I like to double quote him: “Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast” and “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you”. I know the early bird catches the worm, but I felt more like the mouse; I wasn’t sure what I might catch... Image by Photobucket/PlanoTenor

To Be Or Not To Be

Today, October 15, is a day that two, at first glance, contradictive matters come together. For starters it’s the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the USA (2002) and Canada (2004). Although not an international day yet, this day to remember all losses of children because of, for instance miscarriage and stillbirth, is getting more international attention. It’s also the day, the year 1951, that Luis Miramontes (1925-2004) co-invented synthetic hormones called progestins, with the purpose of controlling ovulation, and at the same time could suppress the same ovulation. Resulting in the first oral conceptive in 1960, that got prenominated in 2000 as one of the most important inventions of the past 2000 years. It’s these progestins that are also used to treat breast and prostate cancer, support IVF protocols, and last but not least: prevent preterm birth in pregnant women with a history of spontaneous preterm birth. Image by Photobucket/Jennifer_pickner

Have A Ball!

October 14, the year 1939, is the birthday of fashion designer Ralph Lauren whose most known creation is the polo shirt from 1972. It’s also the birthday of former Iranian empress Farah Diba, the year 1938. Iran, the ancient Persia, is the cradle for the Game of Kings: polo! Played by men and women from the sixth century BC on. Originally meant as a training for the cavalry, the king’s guard or elite troops, it became widely popular from Egypt to Japan. The modern game of polo, popularized by the British, is derived from the Indian game known as ‘Pulu’. It’s not impossible that Marco Polo on his way to China might have seen a game of polo. If not with the regular line-up, than perhaps with a breath taking (because of the dust in the air) 500 horses, and a dead goat instead of a ball. Image by Photobucket/matthewbonham

A Straddle Of Ski’s

We all read the ‘small news’ once in a while. The problem with it is, that it’s hard to check if it’s a prank or the truth. One of them I saw was the following: “Ten years ago, only 500 people in China could ski. This year, an estimated 5,000,000 Chinese will visit ski resorts”. That’s an average of 100,000 each week. Presuming most of the ones who can ski are working 5 days a week, that gives us 100,000 Chinese skiing in the weekends. Pity that I don’t know how many Chinese mountains have eternal snow, but that number can’t be very high. Besides, I can’t believe those 10 years is long enough to create such a vast army of skiing people. And from where do you get 5,000,000 ski’s? But remembering the awesome robot-like Olympic opening ceremony, the Chinese might be able to squeeze all 100,000 of them into one line, and let them use the Great Chinese Wall as a skiing piste? Image by Photobucket/hermanh

To Distinct Destinations

What makes certain places a destination that people are going to, or hoping to go to, one day? Or even (by hook or by crook); where not to go to? What makes that a part of those destinations have become a ‘classic’? Something you must have seen once in your lifetime? Regardless the time and family you got born in, and no matter your personal interests? And last but not least: no matter your cash or credit cards allow you? If I would have the answer to that, I would tell you. Probably, there’s isn’t such an all conclusive answer anyway. The sixty endless miles of sandy beach, where one can find places to stay like the Myrtle beach vacation rentals, that got visited by about 14 million of visitors each year, backed up by 40 golf courses, 1,900 restaurants, 460 hotels, a handful of amusement parks, just to name a few eye-catching numbers, all scream ‘family’ to me. And all 14 million can’t be wrong, right? No-one goes a second to the wrong place. Because such a place doesn’t excist. A wrong choice does. Image by Photobucket/ashn92

Rain And Rubber

October 12, 1823, Scottish chemist and inventor Macintosh (1766-1843) experiments with a by-product of tar making rubber soluble and is able to spread the rubber onto cotton. The first waterproof raincoat was the result. The problems with stiffness, bad smell and tendency to melt in hot weather got solved by the process of vulcanising in 1843. Actor entertainer Gene Kelly (1912-1996) was the dancing evidence in the 1952 film ‘Singing in the Rain’ that raincoats had become a second skin to (dancing) human beings. Although the very famous scene, filmed in one uninterrupted shot, shows him without wearing one. Maybe that’s why he had a 103-degree fever at that particular moment? Image by Photobucket/Slim_Teut92

To Stop Spades

Peace. In our world, very often, if not too often, is a word that stands for defeat of one and the glory of the other. And the eventual misery of both. And of generations to come after them. Real peace is very hard to obtain, let alone in eight months time. Obviously, Obama hadn’t any saying in the Norwegian decision to give him the Noble Prize for Peace. But it shows the naivety and opportunism that’s not doing any good to no-one of us, common folk, 5 billion strong. Minus some leeches that always benefit. He could have denied brilliantly this prize, saying he hadn’t reached any goal that comes close to the honour for receiving it, yet. But, unfortunately, he hasn’t. That alone would have given him, and what he stands for, some goodwill. Even in parts of this world he already is struggling in. If he would have stopped the Israelean spades digging in non jewish territory for just one single day, he would be a truly winner of such a thing as the Noble Prize for Peace. It would have ceased the hostilities in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, the Middle East. The whole Muslim world would hold its breath in the hope another such day would follow. Because such a second day would be a true sign of possible peace to come... I wish you a peaceful Sunday.

No Ugly Duckling

In all my innocence and ignorance walking to the Cook Books section of the department store, with just the title the big fat duck cookbook given to me, I wasn’t prepared to a confrontation of this proportion! With the size of a classic cook book in mind, I’m still not sure what had fallen more open at that particular moment: my eyes or my mouth! For a moment I was sure to had gone to the Art Books section. This huge black and glossy beauty was a cook book? After skipping through a first number of pages, it was an art book to me, till I got myself to the reading of some of the content. It’s about the history of food? Chemistry? Biology? Armory? What was this book about right in front of me? What tickled my mind were the parts telling about how we experience food, not just by eating it, but also seeing, smelling and remember and anticipate on it. Perhaps because it was time for a break, or because of the appetiting pictures I’d seen, I had to leave. Besides, the weight and price for this book was far too much a burden to me. 

Being back home, I realized that there were places like a Book Shop with piles of other interesting books, and for sure one of them would be nice to buy as well. But sometimes the slow get lucky: I stumbled upon the news that a very affordable version of the Duck will be released very soon (next week!) for a friendly 35 US dollars! To get some flour dust on this one isn’t a shame, and even if it is, maybe the next option of ebooks might bring lots of hours of adventure in reading in the coming dark hours and less cleaning to your home and kitchen? Because, let’s be honest, there are recipes in this book, but to try them at home...? Image by Photobucket/momovin

Gamble In Galore

If you’re a tuxedo wearing yachtowner with your limousine-with-private-driver waiting for you down at the end of the boardwalk, you very likely go for the real thing and have that drive to one of those impressive fancy buildings we all recognize as casinos. ‘Next of the rest’ are the online portals where the best casinos available are within reach for all people who like a gamble every now and then. Without the outfit and, very possibly, without the pretty cash as well. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a good time challenging Lady Fortuna. A surprising thing might be that both, the real casinos and the online ones have a number of security measurements one normally won’t notice, and that’s a good thing. Knowing that they’re there is part of the whole game, nothing wrong with that. But there’s a rub; lots of the online casinos use Flash Player to get you a realistic feeling and to entertain you, and the ones who read the posts here know that Flash can be used as spies, monitoring what you’re doing. And remember it. I don’t know about you, but it would not be a very relaxing feeling to me, sitting there. Maybe it’s comparable with thrusting your valuables on a luggage conveyor belt: very often it goes well, but we all know if it goes wrong, it really goes wrong! Image by Photobucket/hubba46

Aliens Assimilated

October 8, 1949, is the birthday of actress Sigourney Weaver who played in films like ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ and ‘The Year Living Dangerously’ but became really known in her role of Ripley in the SF films ‘Alien’ (1979), ‘Aliens’ (1986), ‘Alien3’ (1992) and ‘Alien Resurrection (1997). All from the pre-digital era, they got loaded with awards, among them some Oscars. After all these years, I still wonder if it wasn’t director Ridley Scott’s practical joke to call his major character Ripley, and still remember the story how the actor (Bolaji Badejo) who played the Alien was found: in a bar, standing 7 feet 2 tall. Nothing of this kind (a bar) was to be found in the five sequals counting ‘Dune Saga’ written by our next birthday boy: Frank Herbert (1920-1986), considered the best selling SF novel of all times. About a very dry planet on which it was forbidden to waste water, even to shed a tear. Tears must have been shed though during the long production of the adaptation of the novels, the 1981 film ‘Dune’. Many famous name was mentioned, but only a few of them eventually appeared on the screen, some guy called Ridley Scott was hired, but had to resign and scriptwriter O’Bannon ended up in a psychiatric hospital where he worked on 13 scripts, the last one was... ‘Alien’! Image by Photobucket/marker11

Common But Cool

Have you ever got your bare feet burned to the ever so white sand of tropical beaches? Have made a dash to the tempting and waving coolness of the water? I’m pretty sure that you have. But have you ever imagined (while running) a beach with a cooling system underneath the sand? With installed blowers to create a gentle breeze? I doubt it. But there is one such stretch of sand coming in Dubai later this year, or in early 2010. With about 60% of Dubai’s huge power bill for air-conditioning already, I wonder if this is going to be a ‘Walk on Hot Coals’ without getting the blisters? Or getting the ‘Cold Shoulder’? According to the hotel’s management this is what ‘the pampered-well-to-do clientele’ is looking for these days. I’m aware each generation has its own ways to spend a day at the beach; being almost fully dressed, or hardly dressed. But this idea is a not very good one. What’s wrong with getting warm feet, standing on a beach? For once in my life I’m happy to be very ‘common’. Image by Photobucket/howwible

Lion Or Lamb

An imprisoned and escaped WWII German agent, later jailed for terrorist acts, member of a coup d’etat dethroning a king, hero of the Arab world recapturing a thin line of the Sinai Peninsula occupied by Israel, in the Yom Kippur War starting on this day October 6, the year 1973, thumb-downed by that same Arab world for his visit to Israel for which he received the Peace Noble Price and assassinated on this day October 6, the year 1981 by some of his own troops: Anwar Sadat (1918-1981) Egyptian president, is what might come close to what we call a sphinx: looking at one, we never really know what we’re looking at. Is it a lion or a lamb? Image by Photobucket/cedarbarstudio

A Wink Of Weirdo’s

October 5, 1969, the first Monty Python Flying Circus got aired by the BBC. Hard, if not impossible, is to describe what this sketch comedy programme was all about. Maybe it was its fantastic melting pot of surreal, politically charged, absurd and brilliantly tackled human sillyness that was the main attraction of this ‘pythonesque’ circus. Maybe for some, it was too British. When the 1982 ‘Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl’ got released, several lines and titles of the tv-shows had been changed, because it was thought not to be understandable for the American market. Something the Circus would have understood and tackled, in their own absurd fashion, would have been the ‘Hollywood Black Friday’ of October 5, 1945, when a several months long strike of set decorators in front of the Warner Brothers Studios ended up in a battlefield between strikers, security and strike-breakers with fire distinguishers, hammers and the like. And I’m sure they would appreciate the shown flavored Fudged Cows icecream! Image by Photobucket/Teddybear999

A Cat Called Clyde

October 4, World Animal Day. I’m not going to talk about all the misery that they have to endure, and show some awful pictures, that’s kicking an open door. Besides I don’t want to ruin your Sunday. No, let’s have a cheer, or very much more a slice of fresh fish for a Cat called Clyde. This Australian Felix Wanderii started walkies some three years ago from his home town near Hobart City on the island of Tasmania, could cross the strait to the Australian mainland, to end up in the arms of a vet 2,400 miles away. And because of the identification chip the owner was found pretty easy. A free ride home was fast enough to be home again at this particular day. Now, for those who wonder and grabbed the calculator already: 2,400 miles in three years means an average of 2.4 miles a day. That’s pretty cool for such a short legged animal.

There are a few options to explain this achievement, or parts of it. One is: Clyde is very clever. And won’t risk one of his seven lives for telling us. Two is: Clyde met a cangeroo and hopped along for a while. Three is: he got the same adventure as another cat from New York this year that got trapped in some container shipped for Europe, and survived the three weeks just by licking the rain water inside that container. My guess is the latter. Nevertheless: welcome home Clyde... no!no!... don’t sing ‘my Bonnie is over the ocean’, don’t you even think of that! Image by Photobucket/Lunatiquesphotos

Data And Detours

October 3, 1928, birthday of American writer and futurist Alvin Toffler. While thinkers about the future are very often seen as non realistic dreamers, his 1970 ‘Future Shock’ or the 1980 ‘Third Wave’ (just to mention two of his books, written together with his wife) give many realistic views on what impact the digital and communication revolutions can, or will have in society. One of his maxims is ‘change is non-linear and can go backwards, forwards and sideways’, echoes the voice of Darwin to me, and that man was, in his field, right very often. I’ve to admit: Tofflers predictions like a paperless office and human cloning hasn’t been achieved yet, but that’s more because of sociological than of technical reasons. And that’s what he says himself as well: ‘one can’t run society on data and computers alone’. Image by Photobucket/sjshelton

A Fickle Feather Faddle

October 2, the International Day of No-Violence, commemorating the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948). On a day like this we better make use of the best weapon against violance: the smile! Perhaps the start of just mentioning the name of the next birthday boy will do the trick already: today, the year 1890, Groucho Marx was born into the family that gave us the Marx Brothers (and lots of laughs). It’s also the day, the year 1950, that Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip ‘Peanuts’ was first published. It wasn’t peanuts that the Scotsman and 1904 Noble Prize winner for chemistry, William Ramsay (1852-1916) stumbled upon. He isolated helium, the colorless and odorless gas we’re using as lifting gas for balloons and for instance deep sea diving. What happened to the laugh, you might wonder? Have a party, try to blow some balloons, inhale a bit of helium.... and have a laugh! No helium around, take a feather and have a great feeling of relieve this weekend! Image by Photobucket/gereaton

Cold Feet, Bold Fault

October 1, 2004, the government of Danmark investigates whether it can claim the ownership of the North Pole, studying how far the underwater portion of Greenland, Danish territory, extends. Appearantly, also Canada and Russia have done the same similar investigations. Next to the smell of presumably 10 billion tons of oil and natural gas deposits, this smells like an imperial 19th century move to me. The North Pole is a UN commissioned No-Man’s-Land, and the polar countries Russia, Norway, Canada and Denmark have nothing more than a 200 mile economic zone along their coasts. Not a singular one reaches the North Pole. Unless the evidence is ominent that there’s a natural extension between the established territory and the continental shelf into which it wants to expand, such claims have no ground. Remains the chilly feeling something is cooking under the surface. And like the Polar Bear in the picture, I’m not really at ease. Image by Photobucket/zuliemason