Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Skywatch Friday
Topical Skywatch with the Australian Election Tomorrow, 21 August. This is our local Labor MP, who is likely to be reelected in the seat of Kingston in the Southern Suburbs of Adelaide. Posters like these adorn every light pole, stobie pole and public space. I can't vote, but hope the 14.5 million Australians registered to vote, enjoy their civic duty. In Australia, voting is mandatory.
More Skywatchers here.
Bill Millin - D-Day Piper Armed with his Bagpipes, Skean Dhu and Kilt - Vale
Bill Millin, who died on August 17 aged 88, was personal piper to Lord Lovat on D-Day and piped the invasion forces on to the shores of France; unarmed apart from the ceremonial dagger in his stocking, he played unflinchingly as men fell all around him.
Millin began his apparently suicidal serenade immediately upon jumping from the ramp of the landing craft into the icy water. As the Cameron tartan of his kilt floated to the surface he struck up with Hieland Laddie. He continued even as the man behind him was hit, dropped into the sea and sank.
Once ashore Millin did not run, but walked up and down the beach, blasting out a series of tunes. After Hieland Laddie, Lovat, the commander of 1st Special Service Brigade (1 SSB), raised his voice above the crackle of gunfire and the crump of mortar, and asked for another. Millin strode up and down the water’s edge playing The Road to the Isles.
Bodies of the fallen were drifting to and fro in the surf. Soldiers were trying to dig in and, when they heard the pipes, many of them waved and cheered — although one came up to Millin and called him a “mad bastard”.
His worst moments were when he was among the wounded. They wanted medical help and were shocked to see this figure strolling up and down playing the bagpipes. To feel so helpless, Millin said afterwards, was horrifying. For many other soldiers, however, the piper provided a unique boost to morale. “I shall never forget hearing the skirl of Bill Millin’s pipes,” said one, Tom Duncan, many years later. “It is hard to describe the impact it had. It gave us a great lift and increased our determination. As well as the pride we felt, it reminded us of home and why we were there fighting for our lives and those of our loved ones.”
When the brigade moved off, Millin was with the group that attacked the rear of Ouistreham. After the capture of the town, he went with Lovat towards Bénouville, piping along the road.
They were very exposed, and were shot at by snipers from across the canal. Millin stopped playing. Everyone threw themselves flat on the ground — apart from Lovat, who went down on one knee. When one of the snipers scrambled down a tree and dived into a cornfield, Lovat stalked him and shot him. He then sent two men into the corn to look for him and they came back with the corpse. “Right, Piper,” said Lovat, “start the pipes again.”
At Bénouville, where they again came under fire, the CO of 6 Commando asked Millin to play them down the main street. He suggested that Millin should run, but the piper insisted on walking and, as he played Blue Bonnets Over the Border, the commandos followed.
More about his life here.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
New Viceroy for Australia?
via twitpic.com
It is interesting to me that Australians are so romantically linked with people with the powers derived from abroad. Why not move on? Become a Republic. Kick out the Wettin Windsors and become a real country.Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Some International Lamericks #dundeereallyisthatbad
There once was a man from Dundee,
Who molested an ape in a tree,
The result was most horrid,
All arse and no forehead,
Three balls and a purple goatee A spry violinist from Rio
Seduced a young cellist named Cleo.
As he took down her panties
She said, 'No andantes,
I want this allegro con brio.' There once was a gaucho named Bruno
Who said, 'There is one thing I do know.
A woman is fine
And a sheep is divine
But a llama is numero uno.'
Who molested an ape in a tree,
The result was most horrid,
All arse and no forehead,
Three balls and a purple goatee A spry violinist from Rio
Seduced a young cellist named Cleo.
As he took down her panties
She said, 'No andantes,
I want this allegro con brio.' There once was a gaucho named Bruno
Who said, 'There is one thing I do know.
A woman is fine
And a sheep is divine
But a llama is numero uno.'
Monday, August 16, 2010
Minty Faith Enhancing Breath Spray
Maybe pollies could use this technique with swinging voters in the marginals.
The Demon Drink - William Topaz McGonagall
Out damned scotch
> THE DEMON DRINK
> by William McGonagall
>
> Oh, thou demon Drink, thou fell destroyer;
> Thou curse of society, and its greatest annoyer.
> What hast thou done to society, let me think?
> I answer thou hast caused the most of ills, thou demon Drink.
>
> Thou causeth the mother to neglect her child,
> Also the father to act as he were wild,
> So that he neglects his loving wife and family dear,
> By spending his earnings foolishly on whisky, rum and beer.
>
> And after spending his earnings foolishly he beats his wife-
> The man that promised to protect her during life-
> And so the man would if there was no drink in society,
> For seldom a man beats his wife in a state of sobriety.
>
> And if he does, perhaps he finds his wife fou',
> Then that causes, no doubt, a great hullaballo;
> When he finds his wife drunk he begins to frown,
> And in a fury of passion he knocks her down.
>
> And in that knock down she fractures her head,
> And perhaps the poor wife she is killed dead,
> Whereas, if there was no strong drink to be got,
> To be killed wouldn't have been the poor wife's lot.
>
> Then the unfortunate husband is arrested and cast into jail,
> And sadly his fate he does bewail;
> And he curses the hour that ever was born,
> And paces his cell up and down very forlorn.
>
> And when the day of his trial draws near,
> No doubt for the murdering of his wife he drops a tear,
> And he exclaims, "Oh, thou demon Drink, through thee I must die,"
> And on the scaffold he warns the people from drink to fly,
>
> Because whenever a father or a mother takes to drink,
> Step by step on in crime they do sink,
> Until their children loses all affection for them,
> And in justice we cannot their children condemn.
>
> The man that gets drunk is little else than a fool,
> And is in the habit, no doubt, of advocating for Home Rule;
> But the best Home Rule for him, as far as I can understand,
> Is the abolition of strong drink from the land.
>
> And the men that get drunk in general wants Home Rule;
> But such men, I rather think, should keep their heads cool,
> And try and learn more sense, I most earnestlty do pray,
> And help to get strong drink abolished without delay.
>
> If drink was abolished how many peaceful homes would there be,
> Just, for instance in the beautiful town of Dundee;
> then this world would be heaven, whereas it's a hell,
> An the people would have more peace in it to dwell
>
> Alas! strong drink makes men and women fanatics,
> And helps to fill our prisons and lunatics;
> And if there was no strong drink such cases wouldn't be,
> Which would be a very glad sight for all christians to see.
>
> O admit, a man may be a very good man,
> But in my opinion he cannot be a true Christian
> As long as he partakes of strong drink,
> The more that he may differently think.
>
> But no matter what he thinks, I say nay,
> For by taking it he helps to lead his brither astray,
> Whereas, if he didn't drink, he would help to reform society,
> And we would soon do away with all inebriety.
>
> Then, for the sake of society and the Church of God,
> Let each one try to abolish it at home and abroad;
> Then poverty and crime would decrease and be at a stand,
> And Christ's Kingdom would soon be established throughout the land.
>
> Therefore, brothers and sisters, pause and think,
> And try to abolish the foul fiend, Drink.
> Let such doctrine be taught in church and school,
> That the abolition of strong drink is the only Home Rule.
>
>
> THE DEMON DRINK
> by William McGonagall
>
> Oh, thou demon Drink, thou fell destroyer;
> Thou curse of society, and its greatest annoyer.
> What hast thou done to society, let me think?
> I answer thou hast caused the most of ills, thou demon Drink.
>
> Thou causeth the mother to neglect her child,
> Also the father to act as he were wild,
> So that he neglects his loving wife and family dear,
> By spending his earnings foolishly on whisky, rum and beer.
>
> And after spending his earnings foolishly he beats his wife-
> The man that promised to protect her during life-
> And so the man would if there was no drink in society,
> For seldom a man beats his wife in a state of sobriety.
>
> And if he does, perhaps he finds his wife fou',
> Then that causes, no doubt, a great hullaballo;
> When he finds his wife drunk he begins to frown,
> And in a fury of passion he knocks her down.
>
> And in that knock down she fractures her head,
> And perhaps the poor wife she is killed dead,
> Whereas, if there was no strong drink to be got,
> To be killed wouldn't have been the poor wife's lot.
>
> Then the unfortunate husband is arrested and cast into jail,
> And sadly his fate he does bewail;
> And he curses the hour that ever was born,
> And paces his cell up and down very forlorn.
>
> And when the day of his trial draws near,
> No doubt for the murdering of his wife he drops a tear,
> And he exclaims, "Oh, thou demon Drink, through thee I must die,"
> And on the scaffold he warns the people from drink to fly,
>
> Because whenever a father or a mother takes to drink,
> Step by step on in crime they do sink,
> Until their children loses all affection for them,
> And in justice we cannot their children condemn.
>
> The man that gets drunk is little else than a fool,
> And is in the habit, no doubt, of advocating for Home Rule;
> But the best Home Rule for him, as far as I can understand,
> Is the abolition of strong drink from the land.
>
> And the men that get drunk in general wants Home Rule;
> But such men, I rather think, should keep their heads cool,
> And try and learn more sense, I most earnestlty do pray,
> And help to get strong drink abolished without delay.
>
> If drink was abolished how many peaceful homes would there be,
> Just, for instance in the beautiful town of Dundee;
> then this world would be heaven, whereas it's a hell,
> An the people would have more peace in it to dwell
>
> Alas! strong drink makes men and women fanatics,
> And helps to fill our prisons and lunatics;
> And if there was no strong drink such cases wouldn't be,
> Which would be a very glad sight for all christians to see.
>
> O admit, a man may be a very good man,
> But in my opinion he cannot be a true Christian
> As long as he partakes of strong drink,
> The more that he may differently think.
>
> But no matter what he thinks, I say nay,
> For by taking it he helps to lead his brither astray,
> Whereas, if he didn't drink, he would help to reform society,
> And we would soon do away with all inebriety.
>
> Then, for the sake of society and the Church of God,
> Let each one try to abolish it at home and abroad;
> Then poverty and crime would decrease and be at a stand,
> And Christ's Kingdom would soon be established throughout the land.
>
> Therefore, brothers and sisters, pause and think,
> And try to abolish the foul fiend, Drink.
> Let such doctrine be taught in church and school,
> That the abolition of strong drink is the only Home Rule.
>
>
Jacqueline Du Pre - Elgar Cello Concerto
One of my favourite pieces of music. I want this played at my funeral.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Brainless slime mould makes decisions like humans
Tanya Latty and Madeleine Beekman from the University of Sydney, have found human style of decision-making in a slime mould, Physarum polycephalum. It’s a single-celled, amoeba-like creature that doesn’t have a brain (sort of like politicians?).
Physarum spends most of its life as a large mat called a ‘plasmodium’, which is a single cell that contains many nuclei. The plasmodium searches for food by moving along like an amoeba and sending out a network of tendrils. Its search patterns are very sophisticated for a brainless organism. A Japanese group found that if they placed the mould among food sources arranged like Tokyo’s urban centres, it created a network that closely resembled Tokyo’s actual railway system. The slimy network was optimised to transport nutrients to the main plasmodium.
Scientists have long since discovered that you can run simple decision-making experiments with Physarum by presenting it with several food sources and seeing how it behaves. Typically, the plasmodium touches all the potential meals and then either ‘decides’ to move towards one, or splits itself among many.”
But can if fill in expense statements.
Article.
Brainless slime mould makes decisions like humans
Physarum spends most of its life as a large mat called a ‘plasmodium’, which is a single cell that contains many nuclei. The plasmodium searches for food by moving along like an amoeba and sending out a network of tendrils. Its search patterns are very sophisticated for a brainless organism. A Japanese group found that if they placed the mould among food sources arranged like Tokyo’s urban centres, it created a network that closely resembled Tokyo’s actual railway system. The slimy network was optimised to transport nutrients to the main plasmodium.
Scientists have long since discovered that you can run simple decision-making experiments with Physarum by presenting it with several food sources and seeing how it behaves. Typically, the plasmodium touches all the potential meals and then either ‘decides’ to move towards one, or splits itself among many.”
But can if fill in expense statements.
Article.
Brainless slime mould makes decisions like humans
Friday, August 13, 2010
Photo Hunt: Orange
Lots of orange in the Nurturing Tree Tile Mural at the Noarlunga Health Precinct.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Mohammad NOURI: Gole Maryam ___ محمد نوري: گل مريم RIP
Mohammad Nouri, one of the most recognized Iranian folk singers, has died after losing a marathon battle with a blood disorder.
Mohammad Nouri was born in 1929 in Tehran. His passion for music made him attend art school to start singing under instruction of leading mentors like Esmaeil Mehrtash.
Nouri also graduated from English literature as well as acting and theater in Tehran University. He perused his passion for music during his studies.
Nouri learned the vocal styles of singers from previous generations to better understand and perform the traditional repertoire.
He rose to prominence in the 1960s with his distinct style of singing and enjoyed four decades of popularity among Iranians of all generations.
He composed and sang more than 300 songs in 50 years. His song Jaan-e Maryam, as well as his patriotic song Iran, Iran are well known melodies among Iranians.
From PressTV
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Road to Bali - "Hoot Mon!" with Bob McHope and Bing McCrosby
via youtube.com
I cannot think of more opposite cultures.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Saturday, August 07, 2010
Tea for Two in Tahiti
Tahiti Trot is Shostakovich's 1927 orchestration of "Tea for Two" from the musical No, No, Nanette by Vincent Youmans.
Shostakovich wrote it in response to a challenge from conductor Nikolai Malko: after the two listened to the song on record at Malko's house, Malko bet 100 roubles that Shostakovich could not completely re-orchestrate the song from memory in under an hour. Shostakovich took him up and won, completing the orchestration in around 45 minutes."
-wikipedia
Friday, August 06, 2010
Photo Hunt: Colourful
A collection of cows, mice and a hen. Designed by an Australian, manufactured from steel drums in Africa and exported and sold in Australia. Very desirable.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Skywatch Friday
Grey skies, rain and some strong winds this week. Unlike last weeks blue sky shot, this is another tree in blossom near our house. Spring is obviously just around the corner.
More skies at the Skywatch Friday Site
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
A universe could exist 'inside every black hole,' claims scientist - Telegraph
via telegraph.co.uk
Using an adaptation of Einstein's general theory of relativity, Nikodem Poplawski, of Indiana University, Bloomington, analysed the theoretical motion of particles entering a black hole.Hard to get my mind around this one.
He concluded that it was possible for a whole new universe to exist inside every black hole, which could mean that our own universe could be inside a black hole as well.
Zombies would most likely wipe out humanity if they really existed, claim scientists
"Maybe the huge black holes at the centre of the Milky Way and other galaxies are bridges to different universes," he told New Scientist.
Explaining his theory in the journal Physics Letters B, he said he used the Einstein-Cartan-Kibble-Sciama (ECKS) theory of gravity, in his analysis to account for the angular momentum of particles in a black hole. Doing this it made it possible to calculate a quality of space-time called torsion, a property believed to repel gravity.
Air conditioning: Fossil fuels used for AC in the US is same as all power used in Africa
Air conditioning guzzles 15 per cent of total American energy consumption, higher than any other country, using the same amount of fossil fuel as the whole of Africa employs for all its energy needs. Global air-conditioning demands cannot be quantified, but this summer's high temperatures have prompted a surge in air con sales in China, for example. While British air conditioning is less of a societal "must-have", according to the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), its use is set to swell here by 50 per cent over the next 20 years.
"Air conditioning's environmental damage is not limited to emissions of greenhouse gases and ozone-depleting chemicals," says writer Stan Cox, whose book Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World is generating a buzz in America. "Lavish deployment of indoor climate control may indeed make it possible for us to live anywhere on the planet, but is that wise?" Indeed, from the sun-scorched deserts of Dubai to the sands of Arizona (the "air conditioning capital of the world"), inappropriately designed and located construction requires yet more refrigeration. Artificial cooling links arms with global warming – the higher the temperatures, the more cooling we need – in a chilling positive-feedback hoedown.
Lee Kwan Yew said that air conditioning was the single most important development that allowed Singapore to develop as it had. Having lived there I think I agree with him.
Peg leg sam born for hard luck
via youtube.com
Now Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, mm-hm
(Bad Frog!)
Oh the Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, unh-hunh
(Oh yes)
Froggy went a-courting and he did ride--
Sword and shield hanging by his side, unh-hunh, mm-hm
(That's the truth too, brother)
Ah, he rode up by Miss Mousie's door, uhn-hunh
Now there come Freddy. That's the truth, though)
Oh, he rode up by Miss Mousie's door, unh-hunh
(Bad Frog!)
Oh the Froggy went a-courting and he did ride, unh-hunh
(Oh yes)
Froggy went a-courting and he did ride--
Sword and shield hanging by his side, unh-hunh, mm-hm
(That's the truth too, brother)
Ah, he rode up by Miss Mousie's door, uhn-hunh
(Now there come Freddy. That's the truth, though)
Oh, he rode up by Miss Mousie's door, unh-hunh
Rode up by Miss Mousie's door--
Place he'd been many times before, unh-hunh
Hey, Miss Mousie, will you marry me? unh-hunh
(Lord, old Freddy)
Hey, Miss Mousie, will you marry me? unh-hunh
Hey, Miss Mousie, will you marry me--
Be as good to you as anybody can be, unh-hunh
(Lord, Freddy)
Without my uncle's consent, unh-hunh
Without my uncle's consent, unh-hunh
Arthur "Peg Leg Sam" Jackson --black harmonica player, singer, and comedian who made his living "busking" on the street and performing in patent-medicine shows touring southern towns. Footage includes excerpts from one of his last medicine shows, videotaped at a county fair in 1972, and material filmed near his home in South Carolina in 1975. The performance includes harmonica solos, songs, a parody of a chanted sermon, folktales and reminiscences, and three buck dances.
Nasa scientists braced for 'solar tsunami' to hit earth - Telegraph
via telegraph.co.uk
The solar fireworks at the weekend were recorded by several satellites, including Nasa’s new Solar Dynamics Observatory which watched its shock wave rippling outwards.
Astronomers from all over the world witnessed the huge flare above a giant sunspot the size of the Earth, which they linked to an even larger eruption across the surface of Sun.
The explosion was aimed directly towards Earth, which then sent a “solar tsunami” racing 93 million miles across space.
Images from the SDO hint at a shock wave travelling from the flare into space, the New Scientist reported.
Experts said the wave of supercharged gas will likely reach the Earth on Tuesday, when it will buffet the natural magnetic shield protecting Earth.
It is likely to spark spectacular displays of the aurora or northern and southern lights.
Scientists have warned that a really big solar eruption could destroy satellites and wreck power and communications grids around the globe if it happened today.
The Banks O' Doon - Robert Burns and Bonie Doon
The Banks O' Doon
by Robert Burns
Ye flowery banks o'bonie Doon,
How can ye blume sae fair;
How can ye chant,ye little birds,
And I sae fu' o' care!
Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird
That sings upon the bough;
Thou minds me o' the happy days
When my fause luve was true.
Thou'll break my heart, thou bonie bird
That sings beside thy mate;
For sae I sat, and sae I sang,
And wist na o' my fate.
Aft hae I rov'd by bonie Doon,
To see the woodbine twine,
And ilka bird sang o' its love,
And sae did I o' mine.
Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose
Frae aff its thorny tree,
And my fause luver staw the rose,
But left the thorn wi' me.
Wi' lightsome heart I pu'd a rose,
Upon a morn in June:
And sae I flourish'd on the morn,
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