Amazing to watch!
Source: http://vimeo.com/79911232
Article: http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/starling-murmurations-create-fantastic-show-in-scottish-sky/
vrijdag 29 november 2013
10.000 starlings dancing in the sky of Scotland
Source: http://vimeo.com/79911232
Article: http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/outposts/post/starling-murmurations-create-fantastic-show-in-scottish-sky/
donderdag 28 november 2013
vrijdag 22 november 2013
Gardens
Even though gardening is something of a passing interest, I do appreciate Japanese- and English country gardens.
These are some of my favourites:
Perhaps I will post some of my favourite trees, plants and flowers (with a little background info) here in the future.
These are some of my favourites:
 | |
| Japanese Garden in The Hague Source: bit.ly/Rz2LCG |
 |
| The Pureland Japanese Garden and Meditation Centre Source: bit.ly/hTqDAN |
 |
| Japanese Garden Source: bit.ly/I5wF2c |
 |
| Garden Cottage at Sissinghurst Castle Garden Source: bit.ly/18XeX82 |
 | |
| Old Buckhurst Source: bit.ly/1g3vix4 |
 |
| This English country garden surrounds an 18th century farmhouse Source: bit.ly/18Nmj3b |
The Kid
The Kid is a film by Charlie Chaplin that everyone should see..
~
 |
| Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Coogan in a publicity photo for The Kid |
~
The full film
donderdag 21 november 2013
Celestial Atlas
This is an example where my
love for vintage and astronomy is combined. It's a part of Ian Ridpath's
collection, and I love it! If astronomy holds your interest as well, you should
definitely check out his site!
Even though Urania's Mirror is better known, I like this version more.
Alexander Jamieson’s
Celestial Atlas appeared in February 1822, with a second edition following in
September that same year. For all the fame that the Atlas achieved, its
author remains little known. He evidently had a wide knowledge of science,
mathematics and languages, for he wrote a number of educational works on
subjects as diverse as cartography, logic, rhetoric, algebra, mechanics and
hydrostatics as well as editing a Latin dictionary and running a series of
private schools. No obituary of him was ever published, and this article is a
partial attempt to rectify that.
Early life
Jamieson was born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, west Scotland, in 1782, the son of a wheelwright. He obtained MA and LLD degrees from Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1821 and 1823. In 1825 he became a mature student at St John’s College Cambridge but there is no record that he ever resided there or obtained any degree. In fact, he seems to have spent most of his working life in and around London as a writer, teacher and finally an actuary.
His first major book, A Treatise on the Construction of Maps, appeared in 1814. In its Preface he gives his address as Wells Street, off Oxford Street in central London. In 1820 he married Frances Thurtle (1779–1870) in Kensington, an upmarket area of west central London. Frances was an author of travel and historical books, and they both had the same London publisher. It is while he was at Kensington that we first hear of him running his own school.
Jamieson the schoolmaster
Jamieson was still living and teaching at Kensington in 1822 when he published his Celestial Atlas, but he and his school were soon on the move. In 1824, he described himself as Master of Heston House Classical and Mathematical School near Hounslow, in Middlesex, just west of London. An advertisement for the school emphasized strict discipline and a strong work ethic combined with religious and moral instruction, probably indicative of Jamieson’s own upbringing.
In 1826 he had moved again, a few miles east from Heston to Wyke House in Sion Hill (the modern-day Syon Lane), southeast of Osterley Park, to set up Wyke House School, where he remained for the next twelve years. This account of an examination of the scholars for the annual prizegiving tells us more about Wyke House and its activities. An advertisement for the school in January 1838 announces: “Dr Jamieson boards and educates young gentlemen in the Greek and Roman Classics, the various branches of pure and mixed Mathematics, Commercial, Geographical and Astronomical Science, and General Literature, with all the necessary parts of a liberal, intellectual, and systematic education.”
Unfortunately, this attempt to attract more pupils was already too late because Jamieson was declared bankrupt in March that year. He left Wyke House, which became a mental hospital. Jamieson subsequently worked as an actuary with a series of life assurance companies but did not seem to stay in any post for long. However, this experience led to his final book, Report on the constitution and operations of life assurance societies (1841). He later moved to Belgium and died in Bruges in July 1850.
The Celestial Atlas – editions
Of all Jamieson’s many publications, it is his Celestial Atlas that is best remembered. By the time it appeared Jamieson was evidently well connected for he obtained royal approval to dedicate it to the king of England, George IV. Two editions were produced in rapid succession, one dated February 1822 and the other September 1822. The star charts in both editions appear identical – even obvious labelling errors such as “Herscelii” for Herschelii on Plate 4 and “Fyxis” for Pyxis on Plate 26 went uncorrected. The only significant change seems to have been the insertion of an unnumbered plate after the Preface illustrating Egyptian and Hindu zodiacs.
The second edition was later reprinted on thinner paper and with a somewhat smaller page size (earlier printings had had overly generous margins). No date is given for this reprint, but on its title page Jamieson’s name has the post-nominal letters LLD in place of the previous AM, so he had evidently obtained his doctorate of law in the meantime. An advertisement for the Celestial Atlas in the London Literary Gazette of 7 February 1824 describes it as “just published”, so a date of late 1823 or early 1824 seems probable. Confusingly, though, the title page of this reprint still bears the date of first publication, i.e. 1 February 1822.
The Celestial Atlas – charts
Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas was an attempt to produce a British version of the highly popular atlases of Jean Fortin in France and Johann Bode in Germany, and it followed the same plan as those. Twenty six plates cover the sky down to declinations between –37° and –42° (the southern limit varies from chart to chart, the most southerly of all being on Chart 27). Two more plates are complete celestial hemispheres, another shows only the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere to aid direction-finding, and the last contains diagrams of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Jamieson explains in the Preface that he had originally planned much larger charts, but had to reduce them in size because of cost. As published, they are the same size as the charts in the atlases of Fortin and Bode, i.e. approximately 9 inches wide by 7 inches high (22.5 by 17.5 cm) with slight variations from plate to plate. Jamieson also adopted Bode’s innovation of drawing boundary lines snaking freeform between the constellation figures.
Jamieson’s charts differed most noticeably from those of Fortin and Bode in his modelling of the constellation figures. Whereas Fortin and Bode closely followed the depictions in Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis, Jamieson allowed himself greater artistic freedom. His figures were more realistically drawn, notably in his improvements on Flamsteed’s unconvincing portrayals of Lacerta, Lynx, Cancer, Scorpius and the frankly ugly Canis Major. Overall, Jamieson’s figures are more appealing than those of his predecessors.
More than 100 constellations are included, mostly the same as those shown by Bode. Jamieson also introduced three constellations of his own devising: Norma Nilotica (Plate 21), a rod held by Aquarius, presumably for measuring the depth of the Nile; Noctua, the night owl (Plate 27), which took the place of the Solitaire; while on his chart of the southern skies he quietly replaced Lacaille’s Reticulum with Solarium, the sundial. Facsimiles of Jamieson’s charts were published in 1989 as part of a book called Men, Monsters and the Modern Universe by George Lovi and Wil Tirion.
As well as the charts, Jamieson’s Atlas contained a substantial amount of text including descriptions of the constellations, lists of the main stars with positions for the year 1820 and exercises for students. A scan of the entire first edition, attractively hand coloured, from the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, can be seen here. Another copy of the charts, from the US Naval Observatory’s collection, can be seen here, while charts from the second edition can be seen here. The thumbnails at the bottom of this page link to the US Naval Observatory scans. Thanks to them all for making these scans freely available.
Follow-up
In 1824 Jamieson published a follow-up called An Atlas of Outline Maps of the Heavens. This consisted of 28 charts the same size as those in his Celestial Atlas (26 constellation charts and two hemispheres) depicting the outlines of the constellation figures only. Students were expected to position the stars on the charts for themselves by reference to his Celestial Atlas. The idea seems not to have caught on and this star-free atlas remains a little-known curiosity.
Jamieson’s Atlas inspired an attractive set of constellation cards called Urania’s Mirror which appeared around 1825. These cards are now better known than the original Atlas. I have written about them on a separate page.
It is a pleasure to thank Elizabeth Dolan of Manly, Queensland, Australia, and Fiona Colbert, biographical librarian of St John’s College Cambridge, for their help with research into the life of Alexander Jamieson.
See also: Alexander Jamieson, celestial map maker, by Ian Ridpath. Astronomy & Geophysics (2013), vol. 54, pp. 1.22-1.23.
Source: http://www.ianridpath.com/atlases/jamieson.htm
Even though Urania's Mirror is better known, I like this version more.
~
The following content is written by Ian Ridpath.
~
Celestial Atlas
by
Alexander Jamieson
Early life
Jamieson was born in Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, west Scotland, in 1782, the son of a wheelwright. He obtained MA and LLD degrees from Marischal College, Aberdeen, in 1821 and 1823. In 1825 he became a mature student at St John’s College Cambridge but there is no record that he ever resided there or obtained any degree. In fact, he seems to have spent most of his working life in and around London as a writer, teacher and finally an actuary.
His first major book, A Treatise on the Construction of Maps, appeared in 1814. In its Preface he gives his address as Wells Street, off Oxford Street in central London. In 1820 he married Frances Thurtle (1779–1870) in Kensington, an upmarket area of west central London. Frances was an author of travel and historical books, and they both had the same London publisher. It is while he was at Kensington that we first hear of him running his own school.
Jamieson the schoolmaster
Jamieson was still living and teaching at Kensington in 1822 when he published his Celestial Atlas, but he and his school were soon on the move. In 1824, he described himself as Master of Heston House Classical and Mathematical School near Hounslow, in Middlesex, just west of London. An advertisement for the school emphasized strict discipline and a strong work ethic combined with religious and moral instruction, probably indicative of Jamieson’s own upbringing.
In 1826 he had moved again, a few miles east from Heston to Wyke House in Sion Hill (the modern-day Syon Lane), southeast of Osterley Park, to set up Wyke House School, where he remained for the next twelve years. This account of an examination of the scholars for the annual prizegiving tells us more about Wyke House and its activities. An advertisement for the school in January 1838 announces: “Dr Jamieson boards and educates young gentlemen in the Greek and Roman Classics, the various branches of pure and mixed Mathematics, Commercial, Geographical and Astronomical Science, and General Literature, with all the necessary parts of a liberal, intellectual, and systematic education.”
Unfortunately, this attempt to attract more pupils was already too late because Jamieson was declared bankrupt in March that year. He left Wyke House, which became a mental hospital. Jamieson subsequently worked as an actuary with a series of life assurance companies but did not seem to stay in any post for long. However, this experience led to his final book, Report on the constitution and operations of life assurance societies (1841). He later moved to Belgium and died in Bruges in July 1850.
The Celestial Atlas – editions
Of all Jamieson’s many publications, it is his Celestial Atlas that is best remembered. By the time it appeared Jamieson was evidently well connected for he obtained royal approval to dedicate it to the king of England, George IV. Two editions were produced in rapid succession, one dated February 1822 and the other September 1822. The star charts in both editions appear identical – even obvious labelling errors such as “Herscelii” for Herschelii on Plate 4 and “Fyxis” for Pyxis on Plate 26 went uncorrected. The only significant change seems to have been the insertion of an unnumbered plate after the Preface illustrating Egyptian and Hindu zodiacs.
The second edition was later reprinted on thinner paper and with a somewhat smaller page size (earlier printings had had overly generous margins). No date is given for this reprint, but on its title page Jamieson’s name has the post-nominal letters LLD in place of the previous AM, so he had evidently obtained his doctorate of law in the meantime. An advertisement for the Celestial Atlas in the London Literary Gazette of 7 February 1824 describes it as “just published”, so a date of late 1823 or early 1824 seems probable. Confusingly, though, the title page of this reprint still bears the date of first publication, i.e. 1 February 1822.
The Celestial Atlas – charts
Jamieson’s Celestial Atlas was an attempt to produce a British version of the highly popular atlases of Jean Fortin in France and Johann Bode in Germany, and it followed the same plan as those. Twenty six plates cover the sky down to declinations between –37° and –42° (the southern limit varies from chart to chart, the most southerly of all being on Chart 27). Two more plates are complete celestial hemispheres, another shows only the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere to aid direction-finding, and the last contains diagrams of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. Jamieson explains in the Preface that he had originally planned much larger charts, but had to reduce them in size because of cost. As published, they are the same size as the charts in the atlases of Fortin and Bode, i.e. approximately 9 inches wide by 7 inches high (22.5 by 17.5 cm) with slight variations from plate to plate. Jamieson also adopted Bode’s innovation of drawing boundary lines snaking freeform between the constellation figures.
Jamieson’s charts differed most noticeably from those of Fortin and Bode in his modelling of the constellation figures. Whereas Fortin and Bode closely followed the depictions in Flamsteed’s Atlas Coelestis, Jamieson allowed himself greater artistic freedom. His figures were more realistically drawn, notably in his improvements on Flamsteed’s unconvincing portrayals of Lacerta, Lynx, Cancer, Scorpius and the frankly ugly Canis Major. Overall, Jamieson’s figures are more appealing than those of his predecessors.
More than 100 constellations are included, mostly the same as those shown by Bode. Jamieson also introduced three constellations of his own devising: Norma Nilotica (Plate 21), a rod held by Aquarius, presumably for measuring the depth of the Nile; Noctua, the night owl (Plate 27), which took the place of the Solitaire; while on his chart of the southern skies he quietly replaced Lacaille’s Reticulum with Solarium, the sundial. Facsimiles of Jamieson’s charts were published in 1989 as part of a book called Men, Monsters and the Modern Universe by George Lovi and Wil Tirion.
As well as the charts, Jamieson’s Atlas contained a substantial amount of text including descriptions of the constellations, lists of the main stars with positions for the year 1820 and exercises for students. A scan of the entire first edition, attractively hand coloured, from the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, can be seen here. Another copy of the charts, from the US Naval Observatory’s collection, can be seen here, while charts from the second edition can be seen here. The thumbnails at the bottom of this page link to the US Naval Observatory scans. Thanks to them all for making these scans freely available.
Follow-up
In 1824 Jamieson published a follow-up called An Atlas of Outline Maps of the Heavens. This consisted of 28 charts the same size as those in his Celestial Atlas (26 constellation charts and two hemispheres) depicting the outlines of the constellation figures only. Students were expected to position the stars on the charts for themselves by reference to his Celestial Atlas. The idea seems not to have caught on and this star-free atlas remains a little-known curiosity.
Jamieson’s Atlas inspired an attractive set of constellation cards called Urania’s Mirror which appeared around 1825. These cards are now better known than the original Atlas. I have written about them on a separate page.
It is a pleasure to thank Elizabeth Dolan of Manly, Queensland, Australia, and Fiona Colbert, biographical librarian of St John’s College Cambridge, for their help with research into the life of Alexander Jamieson.
See also: Alexander Jamieson, celestial map maker, by Ian Ridpath. Astronomy & Geophysics (2013), vol. 54, pp. 1.22-1.23.
Source: http://www.ianridpath.com/atlases/jamieson.htm
~
Northern Hemisphere |
Ursa Minor, Cassiopeia, Tarandus, Cepheus, Draco, Custos Messium |
Andromeda, Perseus and Caput Medusae, Triangula, Gloria Frederici |
Auriga, Camelopardalis, Telescopium Herschelii |
Lynx, Leo Minor |
Ursa Major |
Boötes and Mons Maenalus, Canes Venatici, Coma Berenices, Quadrans Muralis |
Corona Borealis, Hercules and Cerberus, Lyra |
Ophiuchus, Serpens |
Aquila and Antinous, Scutum Sobieski, Taurus Poniatowski, Sagitta, Vulpecula and Anser, Delphinus |
Cygnus, Lacerta, Lyra |
Pegasus, Equuleus |
Aries, Musca Borealis |
Taurus |
Gemini |
Cancer |
Leo |
Virgo |
Libra, Scorpio |
Sagittarius, Corona Australis |
Capricornus, Aquarius, Le Ballon Aerostatique, Piscis Australis, Microscopium |
Pisces |
Cetus, Apparatus Sculptoris, Machina Electrica, Officina Chemica |
Eridanus, Orion, Lepus, Columba, Cela Sculptoris, Psalterium Georgii, Sceptrum Brandenburgium |
Canis Major, Canis Minor, Monoceros, Argo Navis, l’Atelier de l’Imprimeur, Pyxis Nautica |
Hydra, Sextans, Crater, Felis, Antlia Pneumatica |
Hydra (continued), Corvus, Noctua, Centaurus, Lupus |
Southern Hemisphere |
woensdag 20 november 2013
This is me.
I'm a person who thinks a lot. In private. About life. About the past and the future. About my youth and the things that made me what I am today. About myself. A friend of mine once compared me to the Thinker, a statue by Auguste Rodin.
And I just realised something. Everything that I will post here is, in essence, a part of me.
Even though I am a friendly and approachable person, that doesn't mean I immediately start telling someone my life story.. There is a saying in the Netherlands: "De kat uit de boom kijken." Which means something like, wait to see what happens. That would apply to me.
But that is not all of me. I believe a person can't be described in just a few words. The human is a complicated creature. Wonderful, but also terrible. I'm not a religious or spiritual person (although I do like Buddhism very much); I believe in science and that the humans are responsible for what they do or do not do.
And here I go again, rambling away.
What I wanted to say was that I will not completely 'manifest' myself. My own photographs and personal information will stay private.
This blog will only contain my fleeting (rambling) thoughts and the things I find interesting and want to share with you.
Cheers!
And I just realised something. Everything that I will post here is, in essence, a part of me.
Even though I am a friendly and approachable person, that doesn't mean I immediately start telling someone my life story.. There is a saying in the Netherlands: "De kat uit de boom kijken." Which means something like, wait to see what happens. That would apply to me.
But that is not all of me. I believe a person can't be described in just a few words. The human is a complicated creature. Wonderful, but also terrible. I'm not a religious or spiritual person (although I do like Buddhism very much); I believe in science and that the humans are responsible for what they do or do not do.
And here I go again, rambling away.
What I wanted to say was that I will not completely 'manifest' myself. My own photographs and personal information will stay private.
This blog will only contain my fleeting (rambling) thoughts and the things I find interesting and want to share with you.
Cheers!
 |
| The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin Source: bit.ly/165i3Io |
The Cheshire Cat
“I'm not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is just different from yours.”
The Cheshire Cat, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll
 |
| The Cheshire Cat begins to fade away, its his smile the last to go - John Tenniel Source: bit.ly/1diguwS |
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
I just love the statue Winged Victory of Samothrace (also known as the Nike of Samothrace). The sculpture itself is very impressive, and the Louvre did a great job placing her where she stands; it has a more dramatic flair that way..
The winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow of a ship
overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace.
This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the people of Rhodes in
commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The
theatrical stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this
Hellenistic sculpture are combined with references to the Classical
period-prefiguring the baroque aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors.
A presentation mixing grandeur and theatricality
Source: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/winged-victory-samothrace
 |
| Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Louvre Source: bit.ly/1eitxeS |
A presentation mixing grandeur and theatricality
This exceptional monument was unearthed in 1863 on the small island
of Samothrace in the northwest Aegean. It was discovered by Charles
Champoiseau, French Vice-Consul to Adrianople (Turkey). The goddess of
Victory (Nike, in Greek) is shown in the form of a winged woman standing
on the prow of a ship, braced against the strong wind blowing through
her garments. With her right hand cupped around her mouth, she announced
the event she was dedicated to commemorate. The colossal work was
placed in a rock niche that had been dug into a hill; it overlooked the
theater of the Sanctuary of the Great Gods. This niche may also have
contained a pool filled with water in which the ship appeared to float.
Given its placement, the work was meant to be viewed from the front
left-hand side; this explains the disparity in sculpting technique, the
right side of the body being much less detailed. The highly theatrical
presentation-combined with the goddess's monumentality, wide wingspan,
and the vigor of her forward-thrusting body-reinforces the reality of
the scene.
A commemorative Rhodian monument
The sanctuary at Samothrace was consecrated to the Cabeiri, gods of
fertility whose help was invoked to protect seafarers and to grant
victory in war. The offering of a statue of Nike perched on a ship was a
religious act in honor of these gods. It has also been suggested that
this monument was dedicated by the Rhodians in commemoration of a
specific naval victory. The type of ship depicted and the grey marble
used for the prow and base of the statue both suggest that this is
indeed a Rhodian creation. If it is associated with a major Rhodian
naval victory, the work can be dated to the second century BC-it would
have been erected in honor of the battle of Myonnisos, or perhaps the
Rhodian victory at Side in 190 BC against the fleet of Antiochus III of
Syria.
A Hellenistic work steeped in tradition
The Winged Victory of Samothrace is one of the masterpieces
of Hellenistic sculpture. The figure creates a spiraling effect in a
composition that opens out in various directions. This is achieved by
the oblique angles of the wings and the placement of the left leg, and
emphasized by the clothing blowing between the goddess's legs. The nude
female body is revealed by the transparency of the wet drapery, much in
the manner of classical works from the fifth century BC, while the cord
worn just beneath the breasts recalls a clothing style that was popular
beginning in the fourth century. In the treatment of the tunic-sometimes
brushing against the body, sometimes billowing in the wind-the sculptor
has been remarkably skillful in creating visual effects. The decorative
richness, sense of volume, and intensity of movement are characteristic
of a Rhodian style that prefigures the baroque creations of the
Pergamene school (180-160 BC).Source: http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/winged-victory-samothrace
Vintage world maps
I adore vintage world maps. There are really lovely ones out there. It's
a shame (but understandable) that most of them are so expensive.
 |
| A map by Robert de Vaugondy, around 1780 Source: bit.ly/1dYZsA9 |
Essential oils
 |
| Lavender oil Source: bit.ly/TNK7up |
Essential oils, also known as volatile oils or ethereal oils, are oils that are 'essential' in the sense that it carries an essence, a distinctive scent, of the plant or fruit.There is no fixed purpose for an essential oil. It can be used for various reasons; the most favoured being the pharmacological branch, but also the medical or the culinary.
There are three common methods to produce essential oils:
I. Distillation
▪ Water: The plant material is placed in boiling water. The steam is captured and the oils are then separated from the water.
▪ Water and steam: Steam and water are pushed around and through the plant material. The steam is then captured and the oils are then separated from it.
▪ Steam: Steam is pushed straight through the plant material and the oils are then separated from the water.
II. Expression
▪ Cold-pressed: The oils are taken from the peels of fruit by being pressed at the lowest possible temperature. Because of this method, these oils are not technically considered essential oils.
III. Extraction
▪ Solvent: The oils are produced through a process which involves chemicals.
I use distillation.
What's needed:
▪ A still
▪ A heat source
▪ Water
▪ Harvested plant material
▪ Storage containers (flasks)
The basic steps:
▪ Have a recipe ready
▪ Harvest the needed plant materials
▪ It's optional to dry the plant materials
▪ Prepare the still
▪ Add water to the still
▪ Add the plant materials
▪ Close the still and start to heat it
▪ Hold watch over the process
▪ Filter the oils
▪ Pour the essential oils in a storage container
Sources:
www.experience-essential-oils.com
www.makeessentialoils.net
Lorem ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Aenean
commodo ligula eget dolor. Aenean massa. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et
magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Donec quam felis,
ultricies nec, pellentesque eu, pretium quis, sem. Nulla consequat
massa quis enim. Donec pede justo, fringilla vel, aliquet nec, vulputate
eget, arcu. In enim justo, rhoncus ut, imperdiet a, venenatis vitae,
justo. Nullam dictum felis eu pede mollis pretium. Integer tincidunt.
Cras dapibus. Vivamus elementum semper nisi. Aenean vulputate eleifend
tellus. Aenean leo ligula, porttitor eu, consequat vitae, eleifend ac,
enim. Aliquam lorem ante, dapibus in, viverra quis, feugiat a, tellus.
Phasellus viverra nulla ut metus varius laoreet. Quisque rutrum. Aenean
imperdiet. Etiam ultricies nisi vel augue. Curabitur ullamcorper
ultricies nisi. Nam eget dui.
Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc, quis gravida magna mi a libero. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus. Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Cras ultricies mi eu turpis hendrerit fringilla. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; In ac dui quis mi consectetuer lacinia.
Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris. Integer ante arcu, accumsan a, consectetuer eget, posuere ut, mauris. Praesent adipiscing. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Nunc nonummy metus. Vestibulum volutpat pretium libero. Cras id dui. Aenean ut eros et nisl sagittis vestibulum. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed lectus. Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Etiam imperdiet imperdiet orci. Nunc nec neque. Phasellus leo dolor, tempus non, auctor et, hendrerit quis, nisi.
Curabitur ligula sapien, tincidunt non, euismod vitae, posuere imperdiet, leo. Maecenas malesuada. Praesent congue erat at massa. Sed cursus turpis vitae tortor. Donec posuere vulputate arcu. Phasellus accumsan cursus velit. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed aliquam, nisi quis porttitor congue, elit erat euismod orci, ac placerat dolor lectus quis orci. Phasellus consectetuer vestibulum elit. Aenean tellus metus, bibendum sed, posuere ac, mattis non, nunc. Vestibulum fringilla pede sit amet augue. In turpis. Pellentesque posuere. Praesent turpis.
Aenean posuere, tortor sed cursus feugiat, nunc augue blandit nunc, eu sollicitudin urna dolor sagittis lacus. Donec elit libero, sodales nec, volutpat a, suscipit non, turpis. Nullam sagittis. Suspendisse pulvinar, augue ac venenatis condimentum, sem libero volutpat nibh, nec pellentesque velit pede quis nunc. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Fusce id purus. Ut varius tincidunt libero. Phasellus dolor. Maecenas vestibulum mollis diam. Pellentesque ut neque. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.
In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo. In ac felis quis tortor malesuada pretium. Pellentesque auctor neque nec urna. Proin sapien ipsum, porta a, auctor quis, euismod ut, mi. Aenean viverra rhoncus pede. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Ut non enim eleifend felis pretium feugiat. Vivamus quis mi. Phasellus a est. Phasellus magna.
In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Curabitur at lacus ac velit ornare lobortis. Curabitur a felis in nunc fringilla tristique. Morbi mattis ullamcorper velit. Phasellus gravida semper nisi. Nullam vel sem. Pellentesque libero tortor, tincidunt et, tincidunt eget, semper nec, quam. Sed hendrerit. Morbi ac felis. Nunc egestas, augue at pellentesque laoreet, felis eros vehicula leo, at malesuada velit leo quis pede. Donec interdum, metus et hendrerit aliquet, dolor diam sagittis ligula, eget egestas libero turpis vel mi. Nunc nulla. Fusce risus nisl, viverra et, tempor et, pretium in, sapien. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem.
Morbi nec metus. Phasellus blandit leo ut odio. Maecenas ullamcorper, dui et placerat feugiat, eros pede varius nisi, condimentum viverra felis nunc et lorem. Sed magna purus, fermentum eu, tincidunt eu, varius ut, felis. In auctor lobortis lacus. Quisque libero metus, condimentum nec, tempor a, commodo mollis, magna. Vestibulum ullamcorper mauris at ligula. Fusce fermentum. Nullam cursus lacinia erat. Praesent blandit laoreet nibh.
Fusce convallis metus id felis luctus adipiscing. Pellentesque egestas, neque sit amet convallis pulvinar, justo nulla eleifend augue, ac auctor orci leo non est. Quisque id mi. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Etiam feugiat lorem non metus. Vestibulum dapibus nunc ac augue. Curabitur vestibulum aliquam leo. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Fusce a quam. Etiam ut purus mattis mauris sodales aliquam. Curabitur nisi. Quisque malesuada placerat nisl. Nam ipsum risus, rutrum vitae, vestibulum eu, molestie vel, lacus.
Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Vestibulum facilisis, purus nec pulvinar iaculis, ligula mi congue nunc, vitae euismod ligula urna in dolor. Mauris sollicitudin fermentum libero. Praesent nonummy mi in odio. Nunc interdum lacus sit amet orci. Vestibulum rutrum, mi nec elementum vehicula, eros quam gravida nisl, id fringilla neque ante vel mi. Morbi mollis tellus ac sapien. Phasellus volutpat, metus eget egestas mollis, lacus lacus blandit dui, id egestas quam mauris ut lacus. Fusce vel dui. Sed in libero ut nibh placerat accumsan. Proin faucibus arcu quis ante. In consectetuer turpis ut velit. Nulla sit amet est. Praesent metus tellus, elementum eu, semper a, adipiscing nec, purus. Cras risus ipsum, faucibus ut, ullamcorper id, varius ac, leo. Suspendisse feugiat. Suspendisse enim turpis, dictum sed, iaculis a, condimentum nec, nisi. Praesent nec nisl a purus blandit viverra. Praesent ac massa at ligula laoreet iaculis. Nulla neque dolor, sagittis eget, iaculis quis, molestie non, velit.
Mauris turpis nunc, blandit et, volutpat molestie, porta ut, ligula. Fusce pharetra convallis urna. Quisque ut nisi. Donec mi odio, faucibus at, scelerisque quis, convallis in, nisi. Suspendisse non nisl sit amet velit hendrerit rutrum. Ut leo. Ut a nisl id ante tempus hendrerit. Proin pretium, leo ac pellentesque mollis, felis nunc ultrices eros, sed gravida augue augue mollis justo. Suspendisse eu ligula. Nulla facilisi. Donec id justo. Praesent porttitor, nulla vitae posuere iaculis, arcu nisl dignissim dolor, a pretium mi sem ut ipsum. Curabitur suscipit suscipit tellus.
Praesent vestibulum dapibus nibh. Etiam iaculis nunc ac metus. Ut id nisl quis enim dignissim sagittis. Etiam sollicitudin, ipsum eu pulvinar rutrum, tellus ipsum laoreet sapien, quis venenatis ante odio sit amet eros. Proin magna. Duis vel nibh at velit scelerisque suscipit. Curabitur turpis. Vestibulum suscipit nulla quis orci. Fusce ac felis sit amet ligula pharetra condimentum. Maecenas egestas arcu quis ligula mattis placerat. Duis lobortis massa imperdiet quam. Suspendisse potenti.
Pellentesque commodo eros a enim. Vestibulum turpis sem, aliquet eget, lobortis pellentesque, rutrum eu, nisl. Sed libero. Aliquam erat volutpat. Etiam vitae tortor. Morbi vestibulum volutpat enim. Aliquam eu nunc. Nunc sed turpis. Sed mollis, eros et ultrices tempus, mauris ipsum aliquam libero, non adipiscing dolor urna a orci. Nulla porta dolor. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos.
Pellentesque dapibus hendrerit tortor. Praesent egestas tristique nibh. Sed a libero. Cras varius. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Fusce egestas elit eget lorem. Suspendisse nisl elit, rhoncus eget, elementum ac, condimentum eget, diam. Nam at tortor in tellus interdum sagittis. Aliquam lobortis. Donec orci lectus, aliquam ut, faucibus non, euismod id, nulla. Curabitur blandit mollis lacus. Nam adipiscing. Vestibulum eu odio.
Vivamus laoreet. Nullam tincidunt adipiscing enim. Phasellus tempus. Proin viverra, ligula sit amet ultrices semper, ligula arcu tristique sapien, a accumsan nisi mauris ac eros. Fusce neque. Suspendisse faucibus, nunc et pellentesque egestas, lacus ante convallis tellus, vitae iaculis lacus elit id tortor. Vivamus aliquet elit ac nisl. Fusce fermentum odio nec arcu. Vivamus euismod mauris. In ut quam vitae odio lacinia tincidunt. Praesent ut ligula non mi varius sagittis. Cras sagittis. Praesent ac sem eget est egestas volutpat. Vivamus consectetuer hendrerit lacus. Cras non dolor. Vivamus in erat ut urna cursus vestibulum. Fusce commodo aliquam arcu. Nam commodo suscipit quam. Quisque id odio. Praesent venenatis metus at tortor pulvinar varius.
Source: www.loremipsum.nl
What is 'lorem ipsum'?
'Lorem ipsum' is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. It has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s. It has been popularised 'recently' with desktop publishing software and in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing 'lorem ipsum' passages.
Roots of 'lorem ipsum'?
'Lorem ipsum' is not simply random text. It is actually over 2000 years old and it has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC. 'Lorem ipsum' comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) written in 45 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero. The first line of 'lorem ipsum', "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...", can be read out of a line from section 1.10.32. This book was very popular during the Renaissance and it is a treatise on the theory of ethics.
Source: loremipsum.net
Etiam rhoncus. Maecenas tempus, tellus eget condimentum rhoncus, sem quam semper libero, sit amet adipiscing sem neque sed ipsum. Nam quam nunc, blandit vel, luctus pulvinar, hendrerit id, lorem. Maecenas nec odio et ante tincidunt tempus. Donec vitae sapien ut libero venenatis faucibus. Nullam quis ante. Etiam sit amet orci eget eros faucibus tincidunt. Duis leo. Sed fringilla mauris sit amet nibh. Donec sodales sagittis magna. Sed consequat, leo eget bibendum sodales, augue velit cursus nunc, quis gravida magna mi a libero. Fusce vulputate eleifend sapien. Vestibulum purus quam, scelerisque ut, mollis sed, nonummy id, metus. Nullam accumsan lorem in dui. Cras ultricies mi eu turpis hendrerit fringilla. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; In ac dui quis mi consectetuer lacinia.
Nam pretium turpis et arcu. Duis arcu tortor, suscipit eget, imperdiet nec, imperdiet iaculis, ipsum. Sed aliquam ultrices mauris. Integer ante arcu, accumsan a, consectetuer eget, posuere ut, mauris. Praesent adipiscing. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc. Nunc nonummy metus. Vestibulum volutpat pretium libero. Cras id dui. Aenean ut eros et nisl sagittis vestibulum. Nullam nulla eros, ultricies sit amet, nonummy id, imperdiet feugiat, pede. Sed lectus. Donec mollis hendrerit risus. Phasellus nec sem in justo pellentesque facilisis. Etiam imperdiet imperdiet orci. Nunc nec neque. Phasellus leo dolor, tempus non, auctor et, hendrerit quis, nisi.
Curabitur ligula sapien, tincidunt non, euismod vitae, posuere imperdiet, leo. Maecenas malesuada. Praesent congue erat at massa. Sed cursus turpis vitae tortor. Donec posuere vulputate arcu. Phasellus accumsan cursus velit. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed aliquam, nisi quis porttitor congue, elit erat euismod orci, ac placerat dolor lectus quis orci. Phasellus consectetuer vestibulum elit. Aenean tellus metus, bibendum sed, posuere ac, mattis non, nunc. Vestibulum fringilla pede sit amet augue. In turpis. Pellentesque posuere. Praesent turpis.
Aenean posuere, tortor sed cursus feugiat, nunc augue blandit nunc, eu sollicitudin urna dolor sagittis lacus. Donec elit libero, sodales nec, volutpat a, suscipit non, turpis. Nullam sagittis. Suspendisse pulvinar, augue ac venenatis condimentum, sem libero volutpat nibh, nec pellentesque velit pede quis nunc. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Fusce id purus. Ut varius tincidunt libero. Phasellus dolor. Maecenas vestibulum mollis diam. Pellentesque ut neque. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas.
In dui magna, posuere eget, vestibulum et, tempor auctor, justo. In ac felis quis tortor malesuada pretium. Pellentesque auctor neque nec urna. Proin sapien ipsum, porta a, auctor quis, euismod ut, mi. Aenean viverra rhoncus pede. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Ut non enim eleifend felis pretium feugiat. Vivamus quis mi. Phasellus a est. Phasellus magna.
In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Curabitur at lacus ac velit ornare lobortis. Curabitur a felis in nunc fringilla tristique. Morbi mattis ullamcorper velit. Phasellus gravida semper nisi. Nullam vel sem. Pellentesque libero tortor, tincidunt et, tincidunt eget, semper nec, quam. Sed hendrerit. Morbi ac felis. Nunc egestas, augue at pellentesque laoreet, felis eros vehicula leo, at malesuada velit leo quis pede. Donec interdum, metus et hendrerit aliquet, dolor diam sagittis ligula, eget egestas libero turpis vel mi. Nunc nulla. Fusce risus nisl, viverra et, tempor et, pretium in, sapien. Donec venenatis vulputate lorem.
Morbi nec metus. Phasellus blandit leo ut odio. Maecenas ullamcorper, dui et placerat feugiat, eros pede varius nisi, condimentum viverra felis nunc et lorem. Sed magna purus, fermentum eu, tincidunt eu, varius ut, felis. In auctor lobortis lacus. Quisque libero metus, condimentum nec, tempor a, commodo mollis, magna. Vestibulum ullamcorper mauris at ligula. Fusce fermentum. Nullam cursus lacinia erat. Praesent blandit laoreet nibh.
Fusce convallis metus id felis luctus adipiscing. Pellentesque egestas, neque sit amet convallis pulvinar, justo nulla eleifend augue, ac auctor orci leo non est. Quisque id mi. Ut tincidunt tincidunt erat. Etiam feugiat lorem non metus. Vestibulum dapibus nunc ac augue. Curabitur vestibulum aliquam leo. Praesent egestas neque eu enim. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Fusce a quam. Etiam ut purus mattis mauris sodales aliquam. Curabitur nisi. Quisque malesuada placerat nisl. Nam ipsum risus, rutrum vitae, vestibulum eu, molestie vel, lacus.
Sed augue ipsum, egestas nec, vestibulum et, malesuada adipiscing, dui. Vestibulum facilisis, purus nec pulvinar iaculis, ligula mi congue nunc, vitae euismod ligula urna in dolor. Mauris sollicitudin fermentum libero. Praesent nonummy mi in odio. Nunc interdum lacus sit amet orci. Vestibulum rutrum, mi nec elementum vehicula, eros quam gravida nisl, id fringilla neque ante vel mi. Morbi mollis tellus ac sapien. Phasellus volutpat, metus eget egestas mollis, lacus lacus blandit dui, id egestas quam mauris ut lacus. Fusce vel dui. Sed in libero ut nibh placerat accumsan. Proin faucibus arcu quis ante. In consectetuer turpis ut velit. Nulla sit amet est. Praesent metus tellus, elementum eu, semper a, adipiscing nec, purus. Cras risus ipsum, faucibus ut, ullamcorper id, varius ac, leo. Suspendisse feugiat. Suspendisse enim turpis, dictum sed, iaculis a, condimentum nec, nisi. Praesent nec nisl a purus blandit viverra. Praesent ac massa at ligula laoreet iaculis. Nulla neque dolor, sagittis eget, iaculis quis, molestie non, velit.
Mauris turpis nunc, blandit et, volutpat molestie, porta ut, ligula. Fusce pharetra convallis urna. Quisque ut nisi. Donec mi odio, faucibus at, scelerisque quis, convallis in, nisi. Suspendisse non nisl sit amet velit hendrerit rutrum. Ut leo. Ut a nisl id ante tempus hendrerit. Proin pretium, leo ac pellentesque mollis, felis nunc ultrices eros, sed gravida augue augue mollis justo. Suspendisse eu ligula. Nulla facilisi. Donec id justo. Praesent porttitor, nulla vitae posuere iaculis, arcu nisl dignissim dolor, a pretium mi sem ut ipsum. Curabitur suscipit suscipit tellus.
Praesent vestibulum dapibus nibh. Etiam iaculis nunc ac metus. Ut id nisl quis enim dignissim sagittis. Etiam sollicitudin, ipsum eu pulvinar rutrum, tellus ipsum laoreet sapien, quis venenatis ante odio sit amet eros. Proin magna. Duis vel nibh at velit scelerisque suscipit. Curabitur turpis. Vestibulum suscipit nulla quis orci. Fusce ac felis sit amet ligula pharetra condimentum. Maecenas egestas arcu quis ligula mattis placerat. Duis lobortis massa imperdiet quam. Suspendisse potenti.
Pellentesque commodo eros a enim. Vestibulum turpis sem, aliquet eget, lobortis pellentesque, rutrum eu, nisl. Sed libero. Aliquam erat volutpat. Etiam vitae tortor. Morbi vestibulum volutpat enim. Aliquam eu nunc. Nunc sed turpis. Sed mollis, eros et ultrices tempus, mauris ipsum aliquam libero, non adipiscing dolor urna a orci. Nulla porta dolor. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos.
Pellentesque dapibus hendrerit tortor. Praesent egestas tristique nibh. Sed a libero. Cras varius. Donec vitae orci sed dolor rutrum auctor. Fusce egestas elit eget lorem. Suspendisse nisl elit, rhoncus eget, elementum ac, condimentum eget, diam. Nam at tortor in tellus interdum sagittis. Aliquam lobortis. Donec orci lectus, aliquam ut, faucibus non, euismod id, nulla. Curabitur blandit mollis lacus. Nam adipiscing. Vestibulum eu odio.
Vivamus laoreet. Nullam tincidunt adipiscing enim. Phasellus tempus. Proin viverra, ligula sit amet ultrices semper, ligula arcu tristique sapien, a accumsan nisi mauris ac eros. Fusce neque. Suspendisse faucibus, nunc et pellentesque egestas, lacus ante convallis tellus, vitae iaculis lacus elit id tortor. Vivamus aliquet elit ac nisl. Fusce fermentum odio nec arcu. Vivamus euismod mauris. In ut quam vitae odio lacinia tincidunt. Praesent ut ligula non mi varius sagittis. Cras sagittis. Praesent ac sem eget est egestas volutpat. Vivamus consectetuer hendrerit lacus. Cras non dolor. Vivamus in erat ut urna cursus vestibulum. Fusce commodo aliquam arcu. Nam commodo suscipit quam. Quisque id odio. Praesent venenatis metus at tortor pulvinar varius.
Source: www.loremipsum.nl
What is 'lorem ipsum'?
'Lorem ipsum' is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. It has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s. It has been popularised 'recently' with desktop publishing software and in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing 'lorem ipsum' passages.
Roots of 'lorem ipsum'?
'Lorem ipsum' is not simply random text. It is actually over 2000 years old and it has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC. 'Lorem ipsum' comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) written in 45 BC by Marcus Tullius Cicero. The first line of 'lorem ipsum', "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...", can be read out of a line from section 1.10.32. This book was very popular during the Renaissance and it is a treatise on the theory of ethics.
Source: loremipsum.net
Cloudbusting
I'm a great admirer of various kinds of music. Cloudbusting from Kate Bush is one of my favourites.
"The last song is called "Cloudbusting," and this was inspired by a book that I first found on a shelf nearly nine years ago. It was just calling me from the shelf, and when I read it I was very moved by the magic of it.
It's about a special relationship between a young son and his
father. The book was written from a child's point of view. His father is
everything to him; he is the magic in his life, and he teaches him everything,
teaching him to be open-minded and not to build up barriers. His father has
built a machine that can make it rain, a "cloudbuster"; and the son
and his father go out together cloudbusting. They point big pipes up into the
sky, and they make it rain.
The song is very much taking a comparison with a yo-yo that glowed in the dark and which was given to the boy by a best friend. It was really special to him; he loved it. But his father believed in things having positive and negative energy, and that fluorescent light was a very negative energy - as was the material they used to make glow-in-the-dark toys then - and his father told him he had to get rid of it, he wasn't allowed to keep it. But the boy, rather than throwing it away, buried it in the garden, so that he would placate his father but could also go and dig it up occasionally and play with it.
It's a parallel in some ways between how much he loved the yo-yo - how special it was - and yet how dangerous it was considered to be. He loved his father (who was perhaps considered dangerous by some people); and he loved how he could bury his yo-yo and retrieve it whenever he wanted to play with it. But there's nothing he can do about his father being taken away, he is completely helpless. But it's very much more to do with how the son does begin to cope with the whole loneliness and pain of being without his father. It is the magic moments of a relationship through a child's eyes, but told by a sad adult." - Kate Bush, 1985, KBC 18
The book is a memoir called "A Book of Dreams" (1973), by Peter Reich. His father was Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian psychoanalyst (think of Sigmund Freud), and one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry.
"The last song is called "Cloudbusting," and this was inspired by a book that I first found on a shelf nearly nine years ago. It was just calling me from the shelf, and when I read it I was very moved by the magic of it.
 |
| Cover of the single 'Cloudbusting' |
The song is very much taking a comparison with a yo-yo that glowed in the dark and which was given to the boy by a best friend. It was really special to him; he loved it. But his father believed in things having positive and negative energy, and that fluorescent light was a very negative energy - as was the material they used to make glow-in-the-dark toys then - and his father told him he had to get rid of it, he wasn't allowed to keep it. But the boy, rather than throwing it away, buried it in the garden, so that he would placate his father but could also go and dig it up occasionally and play with it.
It's a parallel in some ways between how much he loved the yo-yo - how special it was - and yet how dangerous it was considered to be. He loved his father (who was perhaps considered dangerous by some people); and he loved how he could bury his yo-yo and retrieve it whenever he wanted to play with it. But there's nothing he can do about his father being taken away, he is completely helpless. But it's very much more to do with how the son does begin to cope with the whole loneliness and pain of being without his father. It is the magic moments of a relationship through a child's eyes, but told by a sad adult." - Kate Bush, 1985, KBC 18
The book is a memoir called "A Book of Dreams" (1973), by Peter Reich. His father was Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian psychoanalyst (think of Sigmund Freud), and one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry.
Read more about Wilhelm Reich here:
dinsdag 19 november 2013
The Nightingale
The Nightingale
Hans Christian Andersen
''Nattergalen'' translated by Jean Hersholt
 |
| Artist: Heorhiy Narbut |
The Emperor's palace was the wonder of the world. It was made entirely of fine porcelain, extremely expensive but so delicate that you could touch it only with the greatest of care. In the garden the rarest flowers bloomed, and to the prettiest ones were tied little silver bells which tinkled so that no one could pass by without noticing them. Yes, all things were arranged according to plan in the Emperor's garden, though how far and wide it extended not even the gardener knew. If you walked on and on, you came to a fine forest where the trees were tall and the lakes were deep. The forest ran down to the deep blue sea, so close that tall ships could sail under the branches of the trees. In these trees a nightingale lived. His song was so ravishing that even the poor fisherman, who had much else to do, stopped to listen on the nights when he went out to cast his nets, and heard the nightingale.
"How beautiful that is," he said, but he had his work to attend to, and he would forget the bird's song. But the next night, when he heard the song he would again say, "How beautiful."
From all the countries in the world travelers came to the city of the Emperor. They admired the city. They admired the palace and its garden, but when they heard the nightingale they said, "That is the best of all."
And the travelers told of it when they came home, and men of learning wrote many books about the town, about the palace, and about the garden. But they did not forget the nightingale. They praised him highest of all, and those who were poets wrote magnificent poems about the nightingale who lived in the forest by the deep sea.
These books went all the world over, and some of them came even to the Emperor of China. He sat in his golden chair and read, nodding his head in delight over such glowing descriptions of his city, and palace, and garden. But the nightingale is the best of all. He read it in print.
"What's this?" the Emperor exclaimed. "I don't know of any nightingale. Can there be such a bird in my empire-in my own garden-and I not know it? To think that I should have to learn of it out of a book."
Thereupon he called his Lord-in-Waiting, who was so exalted that when anyone of lower rank dared speak to him, or ask him a question, he only answered, "P", which means nothing at all.
"They say there's a most remarkable bird called the nightingale," said the Emperor. "They say it's the best thing in all my empire. Why haven't I been told about it?"
"I've never heard the name mentioned," said the Lord-in-Waiting. "He hasn't been presented at court."
"I command that he appear before me this evening, and sing," said the Emperor. "The whole world knows my possessions better than I do!"
"I never heard of him before," said the Lord-in-Waiting. "But I shall look for him. I'll find him."
But where? The Lord-in-Waiting ran upstairs and downstairs, through all the rooms and corridors, but no one he met with had ever heard tell of the nightingale. So the Lord-in-Waiting ran back to the Emperor, and said it must be a story invented by those who write books. "Your Imperial Majesty would scarcely believe how much of what is written is fiction, if not downright black art."
"But the book I read was sent me by the mighty Emperor of Japan," said the Emperor. "Therefore it can't be a pack of lies. I must hear this nightingale. I insist upon his being here this evening. He has my high imperial favor, and if he is not forthcoming I will have the whole court punched in the stomach, directly after supper."
"Tsing-pe!" said the Lord-in-Waiting, and off he scurried up the stairs, through all the rooms and corridors. And half the court ran with him, for no one wanted to be punched in the stomach after supper.
There was much questioning as to the whereabouts of this remarkable nightingale, who was so well known everywhere in the world except at home. At last they found a poor little kitchen girl, who said:
"The nightingale? I know him well. Yes, indeed he can sing. Every evening I get leave to carry scraps from table to my sick mother. She lives down by the shore. When I start back I am tired, and rest in the woods. Then I hear the nightingale sing. It brings tears to my eyes. It's as if my mother were kissing me."
"Little kitchen girl," said the Lord-in-Waiting, "I'll have you appointed scullion for life. I'll even get permission for you to watch the Emperor dine, if you'll take us to the nightingale who is commanded to appear at court this evening."
So they went into the forest where the nightingale usually sang. Half the court went along. On the way to the forest a cow began to moo.
"Oh," cried a courtier, "that must be it. What a powerful voice for a creature so small. I'm sure I've heard her sing before."
"No, that's the cow lowing," said the little kitchen girl. "We still have a long way to go."
Then the frogs in the marsh began to croak.
"Glorious!" said the Chinese court person. "Now I hear it-like church bells ringing."
"No, that's the frogs," said the little kitchen girl. "But I think we shall hear him soon."
Then the nightingale sang.
"That's it," said the little kitchen girl. "Listen, listen! And yonder he sits." She pointed to a little gray bird high up in the branches.
"Is it possible?" cried the Lord-in Waiting. "Well, I never would have thought he looked like that, so unassuming. But he has probably turned pale at seeing so many important people around him."
"Little nightingale," the kitchen girl called to him, "our gracious Emperor wants to hear you sing."
"With the greatest of pleasure," answered the nightingale, and burst into song.
"Very similar to the sound of glass bells," said the Lord-in-Waiting. "Just see his little throat, how busily it throbs. I'm astounded that we have never heard him before. I'm sure he'll be a great success at court."
"Shall I sing to the Emperor again?" asked the nightingale, for he thought that the Emperor was present.
"My good little nightingale," said the Lord-in-Waiting, "I have the honor to command your presence at a court function this evening, where you'll delight His Majesty the Emperor with your charming song."
"My song sounds best in the woods," said the nightingale, but he went with them willingly when he heard it was the Emperor's wish.
The palace had been especially polished for the occasion. The porcelain walls and floors shone in the rays of many gold lamps. The flowers with tinkling bells on them had been brought into the halls, and there was such a commotion of coming and going that all the bells chimed away until you could scarcely hear yourself talk.
In the middle of the great throne room, where the Emperor sat, there was a golden perch for the nightingale. The whole court was there, and they let the little kitchen girl stand behind the door, now that she had been appointed "Imperial Pot-Walloper." Everyone was dressed in his best, and all stared at the little gray bird to which the Emperor graciously nodded.
And the nightingale sang so sweetly that tears came into the Emperor's eyes and rolled down his cheeks. Then the nightingale sang still more sweetly, and it was the Emperor's heart that melted. The Emperor was so touched that he wanted his own golden slipper hung round the nightingale's neck, but the nightingale declined it with thanks. He had already been amply rewarded.
"I have seen tears in the Emperor's eyes," he said. "Nothing could surpass that. An Emperor's tears are strangely powerful. I have my reward." And he sang again, gloriously.
"It's the most charming coquetry we ever heard," said the ladies-in-waiting. And they took water in their mouths so they could gurgle when anyone spoke to them, hoping to rival the nightingale. Even the lackeys and chambermaids said they were satisfied, which was saying a great deal, for they were the hardest to please. Unquestionably the nightingale was a success. He was to stay at court, and have his own cage. He had permission to go for a walk twice a day, and once a night. Twelve footmen attended him, each one holding tight to a ribbon tied to the bird's leg. There wasn't much fun in such outings.
The whole town talked about the marvelous bird, and if two people met, one could scarcely say "night" before the other said "gale," and then they would sigh in unison, with no need for words. Eleven pork-butchers' children were named "nightingale," but not one could sing.
One day the Emperor received a large package labeled "The Nightingale."
"This must be another book about my celebrated bird," he said. But it was not a book. In the box was a work of art, an artificial nightingale most like the real one except that it was encrusted with diamonds, rubies and sapphires. When it was wound, the artificial bird could sing one of the nightingale's songs while it wagged its glittering gold and silver tail. Round its neck hung a ribbon inscribed: "The Emperor of Japan's nightingale is a poor thing compared with that of the Emperor of China."
"Isn't that nice?" everyone said, and the man who had brought the contraption was immediately promoted to be "Imperial-Nightingale-Fetcher-in-Chief."
"Now let's have them sing together. What a duet that will be," said the courtiers.
So they had to sing together, but it didn't turn out so well, for the real nightingale sang whatever came into his head while the imitation bird sang by rote.
"That's not the newcomer's fault," said the music master. "He keeps perfect time, just as I have taught him."
Then they had the imitation bird sing by itself. It met with the same success as the real nightingale, and besides it was much prettier to see, all sparkling like bracelets and breastpins. Three and thirty times it sang the selfsame song without tiring. The courtiers would gladly have heard it again, but the Emperor said the real nightingale should now have his turn. Where was he? No one had noticed him flying out the open window, back to his home in the green forest.
"But what made him do that?" said the Emperor.
All the courtiers slandered the nightingale, whom they called a most ungrateful wretch. "Luckily we have the best bird," they said, and made the imitation one sing again. That was the thirty-fourth time they had heard the same tune, but they didn't quite know it by heart because it was a difficult piece. And the music master praised the artificial bird beyond measure. Yes, he said that the contraption was much better than the real nightingale, not only in its dress and its many beautiful diamonds, but also in its mechanical interior.
"You see, ladies and gentlemen, and above all Your Imperial Majesty, with a real nightingale one never knows what to expect, but with this artificial bird everything goes according to plan. Nothing is left to chance. I can explain it and take it to pieces, and show how the mechanical wheels are arranged, how they go around, and how one follows after another."
"Those are our sentiments exactly," said they all, and the music master was commanded to have the bird give a public concert next Sunday. The Emperor said that his people should hear it. And hear it they did, with as much pleasure as if they had all gotten tipsy on tea, Chinese fashion. Everyone said, "Oh," and held up the finger we call "lickpot," and nodded his head. But the poor fishermen who had heard the real nightingale said, "This is very pretty, very nearly the real thing, but not quite. I can't imagine what's lacking."
The real nightingale had been banished from the land. In its place, the artificial bird sat on a cushion beside the Emperor's bed. All its gold and jeweled presents lay about it, and its title was now "Grand Imperial Singer-of-the-Emperor-to-sleep." In rank it stood first from the left, for the Emperor gave preëminence to the left side because of the heart. Even an Emperor's heart is on the left.
The music master wrote a twenty-five-volume book about the artificial bird. It was learned, long-winded, and full of hard Chinese words, yet everybody said they read and understood it, lest they show themselves stupid and would then have been punched in their stomachs.
After a year the Emperor, his court, and all the other Chinamen knew every twitter of the artificial song by heart. They liked it all the better now that they could sing it themselves. Which they did. The street urchins sang, "Zizizi! kluk, kluk, kluk," and the Emperor sang it too. That's how popular it was.
But one night, while the artificial bird was singing his best by the Emperor's bed, something inside the bird broke with a twang. Whir-r-r, all the wheels ran down and the music stopped. Out of bed jumped the Emperor and sent for his own physician, but what could he do? Then he sent for a watchmaker, who conferred, and investigated, and patched up the bird after a fashion. But the watchmaker said that the bird must be spared too much exertion, for the cogs were badly worn and if he replaced them it would spoil the tune. This was terrible. Only once a year could they let the bird sing, and that was almost too much for it. But the music master made a little speech full of hard Chinese words which meant that the bird was as good as it ever was. So that made it as good as ever.
Five years passed by, and a real sorrow befell the whole country. The Chinamen loved their Emperor, and now he fell ill. Ill unto death, it was said. A new Emperor was chosen in readiness. People stood in the palace street and asked the Lord-in-Waiting how it went with their Emperor.
"P," said he, and shook his head.
Cold and pale lay the Emperor in his great magnificent bed. All the courtiers thought he was dead, and went to do homage to the new Emperor. The lackeys went off to trade gossip, and the chambermaids gave a coffee party because it was such a special occasion. Deep mats were laid in all the rooms and passageways, to muffle each footstep. It was quiet in the palace, dead quiet. But the Emperor was not yet dead. Stiff and pale he lay, in his magnificent bed with the long velvet curtains and the heavy gold tassels. High in the wall was an open window, through which moonlight fell on the Emperor and his artificial bird.
The poor Emperor could hardly breathe. It was as if something were sitting on his chest. Opening his eyes he saw it was Death who sat there, wearing the Emperor's crown, handling the Emperor's gold sword, and carrying the Emperor's silk banner. Among the folds of the great velvet curtains there were strangely familiar faces. Some were horrible, others gentle and kind. They were the Emperor's deeds, good and bad, who came back to him now that Death sat on his heart.
"Don't you remember-?" they whispered one after the other. "Don't you remember-?" And they told him of things that made the cold sweat run on his forehead.
"No, I will not remember!" said the Emperor. "Music, music, sound the great drum of China lest I hear what they say!" But they went on whispering, and Death nodded, Chinese fashion, at every word.
"Music, music!" the Emperor called. "Sing, my precious little golden bird, sing! I have given you gold and precious presents. I have hung my golden slipper around your neck. Sing, I pray you, sing!"
But the bird stood silent. There was no one to wind it, nothing to make it sing. Death kept staring through his great hollow eyes, and it was quiet, deadly quiet.
Suddenly, through the window came a burst of song. It was the little live nightingale who sat outside on a spray. He had heard of the Emperor's plight, and had come to sing of comfort and hope. As he sang, the phantoms grew pale, and still more pale, and the blood flowed quicker and quicker through the Emperor's feeble body. Even Death listened, and said, "Go on, little nightingale, go on!"
"But," said the little nightingale, "will you give back that sword, that banner, that Emperor's crown?"
And Death gave back these treasures for a song. The nightingale sang on. It sang of the quiet churchyard where white roses grow, where the elder flowers make the air sweet, and where the grass is always green, wet with the tears of those who are still alive. Death longed for his garden. Out through the windows drifted a cold gray mist, as Death departed.
"Thank you, thank you!" the Emperor said. "Little bird from Heaven, I know you of old. I banished you once from my land, and yet you have sung away the evil faces from my bed, and Death from my heart. How can I repay you?"
"You have already rewarded me," said the nightingale. "I brought tears to your eyes when first I sang for you. To the heart of a singer those are more precious than any precious stone. But sleep now, and grow fresh and strong while I sing." He sang on until the Emperor fell into a sound, refreshing sleep, a sweet and soothing slumber.
The sun was shining in his window when the Emperor awoke, restored and well. Not one of his servants had returned to him, for they thought him dead, but the nightingale still sang.
"You must stay with me always," said the Emperor. "Sing to me only when you please. I shall break the artificial bird into a thousand pieces."
"No," said the nightingale. "It did its best. Keep it near you. I cannot build my nest here, or live in a palace, so let me come as I will. Then I shall sit on the spray by your window, and sing things that will make you happy and thoughtful too. I'll sing about those who are gay, and those who are sorrowful. My songs will tell you of all the good and evil that you do not see. A little singing bird flies far and wide, to the fisherman's hut, to the farmer's home, and to many other places a long way off from you and your court. I love your heart better than I do your crown, and yet the crown has been blessed too. I will come and sing to you, if you will promise me one thing."
"All that I have is yours," cried the Emperor, who stood in his imperial robes, which he had put on himself, and held his heavy gold sword to his heart.
"One thing only," the nightingale asked. "You must not let anyone know that you have a little bird who tells you everything; then all will go even better." And away he flew.
The servants came in to look after their dead Emperor- and there they stood. And the Emperor said, "Good morning."
Source: http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheNightingale_e.html
TED
This is an amazing site. I greatly recommend it. Just find out for yourself.
The following video is one of my favourites. The danger of a single story by Chimamanda Adichie.
first impressions
I am a very forgetful person. So I decided to begin a blog to collect my rambling thoughts and the interesting things that I will find (or already have found).
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
~
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
But a dream within a dream?
Edgar Allan Poe
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)