A beautiful poem by Roz Kaveney (rozk).

Apparently, this is the actual meaning of the original Czech, too. But still funnily paradoxical.

(One commenter explains: "The sign is posted outside a castle in the Czech Republic, not far from Prague, that is a tourist attraction. The prohibition against “translating” is to do away with noisy tour guided groups … but apparently even some Czechs find the sign kinda weird.")

It's on Tuesday night, which means I won't be able to go, but it sounds interesting, so maybe someone else will like to know about it.

From the Dublin Event Guide (For Free Events)[1]:

RDS DARWIN LECTURE

The RDS has a very interesting free public lecture coming up:

The RDS Darwin200 Public Lecture: "Fragile Web, What Next for Nature?" will take place on Tues 24 November in the RDS Concert Hall at 19:00. In celebration of Darwin200 and to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘The Origin of Species’ by Charles Darwin, the RDS has invited Professor Jonathan Silvertown who will be speaking on the matter of biodiversity. This lecture marks the fourth in the series of RDS Irish Times ‘Ireland in 2030’ lectures which aims to look at the serious long-term challenges that face us today. Admission is free but advance booking is essential. More information is available on http://www.rds.ie/science

[1] You can get it by sending a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the Subject "Subscribe".

annafdd gives the details I could not cope with spelling out when I alluded to "falling down the stairs" in my last post.

"Abbiamo rischiato una rivolta perché il negro ha visto tutto. Un detenuto non si massacra in sezione, si massacra sotto..."

"We ran the risk of a riot because the nigger has seen everything. You don't beat a prisoner to a pulp in his section, you do it downstairs..."

This is a transcript of a tape apparently recorded in the guards' office in the prison in Teramo. It was sent to a local paper with an anonymous letter. Article and link to recording here (in Italian).

(Though not central to the point, I used the n-word because it's closest to the word used in the Italian. The Italian may be a bit less strong -- but not much.)

ETA: annafdd explains the allusion to "falling down the stairs"

(From The Primate Diaries)

...well, they can be looked after by a certified atheist, of course!

If you have a LibraryThing account, go have a look today :-)

(Actually, even if you don't, though it will probably be less interesting...)

...because it's a series of pictures of a Tibetan sky burial.

Ok, let's be more specific here: do not follow this link (which is at the end of the post) without first reading the description (and the description is pretty graphical itself, so if you're squeamish you might want to just give up here, and nobody will blame you). Also, do not follow it if you are in any way squeamish. Also do not follow it if you don't want to see a dismembered human body.

In case "sky burial" sounds awfully poetic, well, maybe call it "a feast for vultures"?

There are about 60 pictures, and this is what happens. Some Tibetan people on a motorcycle bring a dead man's body to a wide open field. Vultures start to gather. The men make many cuts in the body with hatchets, to make it easier for the vultures to eat. An incredible number of vultures crowd on the body and eat it. They fight over choice morsels. What is left is a skull attached to a spine, and legbones attached to hipbones. The men collect the remains and chop them up further and pound them on a flat stone into a pulp. This includes the contents of the skull (clearly pictured). Then they put it out again for the vultures to finish off. Which they do. A lot of feathers are left on the ground.

There are also a lot of pictures of vultures flying, sitting around, and eating.

So why am I linking to it at all? Because I think it's a fascinating document, and probably one that isn't easy to come across. *But*: I've known about sky burials for a long time, though I'd never seen one, and I knew what to expect; and I'd been curious for some time; and more importantly, my level of squeamishness is pretty much zero.

[ETA: Apparently the site where the pictures are posted has hardcore porn ads, adding a whole 'nother level of squeamishness :-). I hadn't seen them because I use Adblocker on Firefox and so I don't see any ads. I still haven't seen them, but you're warned anyway... Apologies to the previously unwarned.]

So this is the link. (Hat-tip to Pharingula.)

(This is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist burial, but definitely not the only kind of Buddhist burial. It seems very appropriate though, if you know your Buddhism. I don't think I would mind being "buried" like this. On the other hand, I really don't know if I could do the job for someone else.)

The statement "The three most powerful forces in the modern world are democracy, religion and nationalism" leaves me opening and closing my mouth like a fish for several moments before I can even articulate "what about economy?"

(The article, about the situation in Iran, is not a bad analysis of those three factors, I think. I just feel that something is missing...)

(In other news, just back from yet another session with the dentist, this time even my ear is numb...)

I promessi sposi in 10 minuti (piccolo musical degli Oblivion)



Vale la pena :-)


* Not because I don't want foreigners to laugh. But to find this funny you need not only to understand Italian, not only to have read I Promessi Sposi (The Bethroted by Manzoni), but also to know all the songs used in this little play -- and apart from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Volare, I don't think any of them are at all known abroad...

Welcome to WRITER’S QUEST!  

You are in a writer’s room. Exits are north and east.  The door leading north has “This Way to Fame, Fortune, and Free Beer!” painted over it.

There is a chair here.  

(I actually startled some people who were walking past my open window with insane laughter while reading this...)

(Hat tip to a locked entry)

Ok, ceci n'est pas une pipe. A picture of a dead mouse. (Link sent to me by a somewhat geeky offline friend)

The dangers of Dihydrogen Monoxide

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

(...I knew the joke, but I hadn't seen this site yet. It's very nicely done. The various linked pages are also quite funny.)

Safe for work, not necessarily for keyboards.

Interesting article on Language Log, detailed but definitely readable by non-specialists, on the state of the art on languages in prehistoric Europe. (And with references if one wants to find out more.)

Among other things, I was interested to notice the defensiveness of the final (summarizing) paragraphs -- I hadn't realized that this was such a (politically) controversial subject, but evidently it is...

(In other news, we're at 30+ cm of snow. This is sunny Italy.) (Ok, it's Milan, snow happens. But just saying...)

Apparently, sugar doesn't make kids hyperactive, and the suicide rate doesn't go up during holidays. I haven't gone and checked the sources, but they are cited and available, and the BMJ article sounds well researched enough. (I had no previous opinion on the other myths busted in the article.)

A pretty stunning version of Amazing Grace by a singer I'd never heard of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT88jBAoVIM
(Slight cheat, she's got echo -- but is also a very good singer)

A pretty stunning hairstyle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJg5Op5W7yw

(A better -- and later -- version by Mahalia Jackson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Iwm-kNSlF0) (Somewhat OTT, but hey, what a voice...)

(All links worksafe, unless your workplace has an objection to gospel songs)

From Language Log, the Welsh-language roadsign that says "I'm not in the office at the moment".

(The article also includes a link to the large restaurant sign in a Chinese station that says "Translate server error")