Ghost of a flea is a Toronto based blog about politics and popular culture.
February 09, 2012
Navis oneraria magna
The National Laboratories of Gran Sasso recently received 120 Roman lead bricks, recovered undersea twenty years ago. The material's very low original radioactivity, and two thousand years to decay, makes it handy for shielding the sensitive physics involved in the CUORE experiment (Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events).
Recent developments in fundamental physics have stressed the importance of experiments carried out without accelerators on rare events, like the interactions of neutrinos or other slightly interacting particles or rare nuclear decays. One of the challenges of these experiments is the reduction of the natural background coming from interactions of cosmic rays with the consequent need to install the detectors in an underground laboratory. In addition one has to reduce the background produced by natural radioactivity present in the environment or even in the detector itself.
John Christopher, died February 3, 2012 in Bath England aged 89. He was best known as the author of the young adults Tripods trilogy, which scared the hell out of me as a young adult.
The story of The Tripods is a variation on post-apocalyptic literature. Humanity has been conquered and enslaved by "the tripods", unseen alien entities (later identified as "Masters") who travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines. Human society is largely pastoral, with few habitations larger than villages, and what little industry exists is conducted under the watchful presence of the tripods. Lifestyle is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, but artifacts from later ages are still used, giving individuals and homes an anachronistic appearance.
Humans are controlled from the age of 14 by implants called "caps", which suppress curiosity and creativity and leave the recipient placid and docile, incapable of dissent. The caps cause them to worship the tripods. Some people, whose minds are broken (instead of successfully being controlled) under the pressure of the cap's hypnotic power become vagrants, who wander the countryside. One of the books contains a discussion among Masters that "We should cap humans sooner, to reduce the risk of precocious people getting independent-minded soon enough to try to evade being Capped, but we cannot, because we cannot Cap them until their braincases have stopped growing."
To some it's a dystopia. To others, an election platform.
"The Tripods is a mid-'80s television adaptation of Samuel Youd's (writing as John Christopher) The Tripods series of novels. It was jointly produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom and the Seven Network in Australia."
In 1995, New Mexico voted on a bill requiring psychologists to dress as wizards when offering expert witness testimony in court.
"When a psychologist or psychiatrist testifies during a defendant's competency hearing, the psychologist or psychiatrist shall wear a cone-shaped hat that is not less than two feet tall. The surface of the hat shall be imprinted with stars and lightning bolts. Additionally, a psychologist or psychiatrist shall be required to don a white beard that is not less than 18 inches in length, and shall punctuate crucial elements of his testimony by stabbing the air with a wand. Whenever a psychologist or psychiatrist provides expert testimony regarding a defendant's competency, the bailiff shall contemporaneously dim the courtroom lights and administer two strikes to a Chinese gong [...]"
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana
Dennis Wojtkiewicz explores the sensitive nature of time in his oversized oil paintings of fruit and flowers.
The transitory nature of his subject matter is encapsulated, transfixed and glorified with heightened photorealism. Light and translucence make these paintings glow.
As it happens, I have only one goal in my forthcoming Montreal trip: To stuff my face at Schwartz’s as many times as possible (hat tip to Blazing Cat Fur).*
Rumours have circulated for days that the Montreal restaurant was changing hands, a development that brought a degree of concern to legions of fans. Schwartz’s is less a restaurant than a religion, its devotees ranging from prime ministers to Hollywood actresses to legions of tourists who are happy to wait in line in the cold for the chance to bite into a smoked-meat sandwich while crammed at a worn table with strangers.
This isn't a high traffic track so you might find you need to pause it and give the video a moment to load.
"Gáhkkor" by native Sami Swedish singer Sofia Jannok, is a mystical and serene blend of melodic sound. It is dark and uplifting, yet delicate and powerful all in a masterful arrangement. According to the title list, "Gáhkkor" means 'the black-throated diver' also known as a loon. The lyrics tell of her grandfather pulling in his fishing net one day to find that the bird had been caught in his net and was mortally wounded.
You can find out more about Sofia and her amazing music at sofiajannok.com
Footage is from Nature 2010 by Rahael and Jonathan Forsthuber, and The Aurora by Terje Sorgjerd.
Gáhkkor
son čuorvu nu čáppa jienain
Šerreš jienain
De áddjá fierpmui
Vuolvojávrris
Juohke eahkeda earet bassi
Go de iskkai daid firpmiid árrat
gáhkkoraš lei nu [darvánan]
sorbmanan
Ja nuppi gáhkkora gulaimet
morašteame juohke ija
Guoimmi váillahii nu
Gáhkkor čuorvu
Morašta
English Translation:
The black-throated diver
She cries with the most beautiful sound
A clear sound
Then my grandfather put out his fishing nets
Into lake Vuolvojavri
Every night except on Sunday
When in early morning he emptied his nets
the little diver was caught
was mortally wounded
And we heard her beloved
mourning every night
Sadly missing her other half
The diver is crying
Grieving
House of Sweden: "Sofia Jannok possesses the exceptional – and enchanting – ability to combine song and yoik. Her lyrics are a mix of English, her mother tongue Sami, and yoik, a wordless form of expression that comes from the mouth, through the senses and into the heart."
Joik: "A joik, (also spelled yoik), luohti, vuolle, leu'dd, or juoiggus is a traditional Sami form of song. ... In northern Sami areas, most joiks are personal, that is, tied to a specific person. A joik is often made for a person at the time he is born."
The Old Time Radio section of the Internet Archive hosts a 15-part adaptation of A Canticle for Leibowitz, produced for NPR and broadcast in 1981 by WHA radio (Madison, Wisconsin).
It is beautifully done.
A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American writer Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Set in a Catholic monastery in the desert of the southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself.
While clearly a positive portrayal of the Catholic Church (and it’s unusual for sf literature from this time being positive about religion at all), there are few moments of outright apologism in the book. Though perhaps the most blatant comes in the third section when the Abbot of the Leibowitz abbey physically advances the belief that euthanasia for nuclear fallout victims is abominable. And as for myself, I find the suggestion that the Catholic Church is a vessel of scientific knowledge--whether in the future or the real past of the Middle Ages and Western Renaissance--more complex than Miller portrays in this novel. Nonetheless, this is one of the great books of speculative fiction--I believe this is the fourth time I’ve read it--and it deserves to be read by everyone.
Cityfight: Modern Combat in the Urban Environment was an incredibly innovative tactical wargame published by SPI in 1979. I played it a lot when I was in high school, but it is only now in my mid-40s, and thanks to the magic that is BGG, that I finally got the biggest in-joke in wargaming that I've ever seen.
I happened to be perusing the City Fight countersheets tonight, looking over the NATO leader counters, and this one caught my eye...
Lino Villaventura was inspired by dark images from the painter Francis Bacon for his Fall/Winter 2012-2013 collection at Sao Paulo Fashion Week.
MOMA: Francis Bacon (British, born Ireland. 1909-1992).
The South Bank Show (1985): Francis Bacon (1909-1992).
David Hinton directs this BBC documentary about British painter Francis Bacon, known for his horrifying portraits of humanity. The program consists of a series of conversations between Bacon and interviewer Melvyn Bragg, starting with commentary during a side-show presentation at the Tate Gallery in London. Later in the evening, Bacon is followed through various bars hanging out, drinking, and gambling. In another segment, Bacon provides a tour of his painting studio and a glimpse at his reference photographs of distorted humans. The artist discusses his theories, influences, and obsessions. This title won an International Emmy Award in 1985.
Russian scientists drilling into Lake Vostok, buried under the ice for 20 million years, have been out of radio contact for six days.
The scientists had been battling conditions of minus 66C at Lake Vostok, as they raced to drill into a lake buried two miles beneath the ice before the weather closed in. The scientists hope the lake's untouched water will reveal more about life on our planet 20 million years ago.
The lake, in the most inhospitable region of the planet, is kept liquid by geothermal heat under the ice and its conditions are often described as 'alien' because they are thought to be akin to the subterranean lakes on Jupiter's moon Europa.
Popcorn related: "The Thing is regularly viewed by members of the winter crew at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station after the last flight out, usually in a double-feature with The Shining."
Letters may be published unless you request otherwise. Communications from firms intending to promote their products or services may be published at my discretion. I reserve the right to edit and condense all letters submitted to Ghost of a flea.
