Not mine, but so witty, and apt.

"You want to have a mind open enough to accept radical new ideas, but not so open that your brains fall out."

Michael Shermer.

another planet x

There was a time when I thought that the assertion that the moon-landings were a hoax was the epiphany of stupidity, but maybe that dubious assertion has been bested. Only tonight, I found out that a large planet, or dwarf star, would shortly enter the regions of the inner solar system and wreak havoc upon the earth. It appears to go by the name Nibiru and it's rendevous with us is set for late next year, just in time, apparently, for the end of the most recent Mayan calendar cycle.

How have I managed to miss this object so far? There's little doubt that the intruder would be brighter than Jupiter (so easily visible in the night sky) and news and images would daily be beamed to an increasingly worried populace. Even if, as Nibirista argue, Nasa and national governments are enmeshed in a cover-up (naturally!), amateur astronomers, who are skilled and well-equipped, would have sounded the alert. Long ago, in fact. Nibiru failed an original arrival prediction in 2003 and it's only fair, don't you think, that another is scheduled for 2012. What's nine years in a 3,600 year orbit, anyway? Just like the most recent prophecy of that poor man in the US, who has moved the end of the world to October.

The oddest thing of all is the sheer quantity of misinformation, the lack of evidence, the opinion dressed up as fact and generally illogical thinking that goes into making up these zany, though clearly strongly held, views. And then there's the paranoia. Dare to question any tenet of the vision and you are part of the conspiracy to hide the truth from the people. Or you lack the spiritual depth to discern these subtle cosmic trends.

I'm good at empathy usually, but it's really hard to get my head around people who think like this. The sheer delusion is breathtaking.

bearing gifts

Things are very tough in Greece at the moment. Anti-government protests, violence and a general dismay at the condition of the country do not augur well. European leaders appear divided on what to do or even how to do it.

This is not just an ordinary financial crisis, for should the Greek State default on it's loan repayments, the repercussions will be felt across Europe and much further afield. Coming so soon on the heels of the GFC, it is not hard to see the grounds for popular discontent.

The medicine from the IMF is almost always the same. Swingeing cuts to government spending, privatisations, wage cuts and various painful prescriptions for restructuring. Apparently it works sometimes (Latvia is held up as a recent example of a patient reviving) but Greece is a very different place historically and culturally.

Many commentators hold the Greeks themselves to blame for the situation, arguing that the country has lived beyond its means for a long time now. There have frequently been mutterings of Hellenic laziness and corruption, of taxes rarely collected. Some of this may be true, though generalisations will always be matters for dispute. The Greeks who came to Australia after WW2 worked very hard indeed.

The Greek crisis may well be the unintended trojan horse in the international financial system. I hope that all the players involved are working hard for a viable solution, for the stakes are high.

Should you wish to read a lucid explanation of the problem in Greece, I recommend this blog by Edmund Conway of the (UK) Daily Telegraph.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/8580899/The-Greek-bail-out-whats-going-on.html

n-scale

I have been collecting n-scale Japanese model train odds and ends for a year or two now, principally through two excellent suppliers on ebay. I hit upon an idea to make a diorama of a typically rural(Japanese) scene with a few buildings (a temple, farm and train station). I knew what it would probably look like, though how to make it seemed a tougher ask.

So now I am thinking about a plywood base, simple paper mache mountains with pine trees, painted roads and grass matting. All this is helped by the fact that the little model structures I have bought are pre-painted and only require clipping together. I have Kato Unitrack for the JR 113 series train(see link below), with a buffer to show that it ain't going nowhere. And little n-scale people, some in kimonos.

Might end up being a mess, or a masterpiece, though likely somewhere in between. The talk of it is starting to drive Nadia mad so I had better get on with it. Just waiting for a few little bits and pieces to arrive....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/113_series

open slather

Perhaps it's the anonymity of the net, or maybe it's some other phenomenon that I just haven't figured yet. But there is a lot of name-calling, ignorant, fact-free nastiness going on.

I have been reading quite a few of the comments sections lately, those generated by articles, op-ed pieces and the like, such as are common to many news sites. Most deal with political or social issues. The ones that I'm interested in, I mean. And while there are a lot of thought-through, reasonably expressed comments, there are also many are are plain rude. Labelling, ad hominem arguments, opinion masquerading as fact, heresay, faulty logic and irrelevance are just a few of the 'crimes' committed by people who have every right to express a view, but probably shouldn't. If they are challenged they often get plain vicious. It is my observation that a majority of the remarks in this category come from right-wing contributors. There is absolutely no reason why a conservative agenda cannot be argued in an objective, rational manner.

It's a kind of cowardice really, for what chance would you rate them saying these kinds of things to your face? Hiding behind obscure handles they can pick off anyone they happen to disagree with, never mind the sheer nonsense of their arguments.

If you haven't done the mental miles, then maybe you should pause before hitting the post tab. Or get an education and then say something constructive. Please.

While searching somewhat aimlessly for pictures of other pedestrian bridges in NSW (I do have a reason, however obscure) I came across a sequence of photos of Hazelbrook on a photo share site. Aside from the inevitable (though impressive)shots of various beauty spots such as Terrace and Horseshoe Falls, there were a few of Hazelbrook in the 1960's and 1970's. As the new road changes many aspects of Hazelbrook forever, it's worth considering what was - how it was, where it was. And perhaps even why it was, too. The link is at the bottom of this entry.

Oh, and it's raining again.

Dark rain sluices
the rigid veins of our house,
covert percolation


http://www.flickriver.com/photos/tags/hazelbrook/interesting/

talking in bed
as wind unhinges the dark outside.
feet, like birds, huddling

more bridge news

Another crane is towering in the background of our kitchen window view. Was the bridge coming down so soon? Had there been enough complaints to raze the structure before it was even finished? A small group of citizens had protested against the appearance of the bridge last Friday. A petition was underway at the local shops. There was much tut-tutting and head shaking and worse. Who in their right mind would impose this upon a quaint mountains village?

I guess that it must come as a surprise when I tell people that I really do like the new bridge. Their mouths tend to get caught somewhere in the middle of an exclamation and an insult. Not at me, of course, but the offending eyesore. I ask them what they don't like specifically and the answers are fairly consistent. It looks penitential (I guess that must be the safety caging), it's the wrong colour, it's a horrid box and totally out of character with the location. That location, I counter gingerly, is a four-lane highway and a railway line. Isn't it's industrial design rather in keeping with what it spans and sits adjacent to?

Sadly, stone-arch bridges with resident trolls are a little hard to come by these days and they are rather labour intensive to build. Concrete spans are not much to look at. This one will have to do for the next few decades or so.

And the crane? Lifting sections of balustrade into position on the uncompleted foot-ramp. Here to stay, I think.

music arvo goes off

Years ago we started up having regular performance soirees, largely featuring (though not restricted to) members of our choir. Much like a blackboard event or open-mike night, anyone could get up and do anything, in a supportive environment. They petered out when Nadia and I began regular work trips to Japan and so, thinking the time right again, I organised a music afternoon.

I am pleased to say that it went off well. It wasn't a big turnout (around a dozen) but there was a surprisingly high standard and a variety of material. Nadia was the standout for me, for, biased as I am, I thought that her songs and general musicianship were exceptional. She says that she isn't ready for public performance yet, but I disagree. She says that her voice isn't distinctive, but I think that it is. She looks very much at home at the keyboard and she can only get better. As for my efforts, I finally completed a 'dark lullaby' for Tom, and performed it. Tom was too tied up with Hanna to hear its public debut, which is no matter. He was happily engaged and left us adults to our own devices.

We are already talking about the next one. That's pleasing, because there is nothing better than sharing a few songs, and glasses of wine, with friends.

As mentioned in a previous blog, the new Hazelbrook pedestrian bridge across the Great Western Highway is proving to be somewhat controversial. It's growing on me daily though. It reminds me of the older style, steel-girder framed bridges that were popular before concrete became fashionable, though with a much lighter feel. Critics have referred to it, unfairly in my estimation, as penitential, or as an eyesore. It's all a matter of taste really. I like its rather industrial look too, sited as it is adjacent a railway line and across a major road. It makes a statement and might, if the surrounding areas are well-designed and developed, begin a new story for Hazelbrook.

I would rather that people joined in with the unfolding narrative, rather than indulge in negativity. There is way too much of that already, often for it's own sake. The re-jigged artists impression above is courtesy of the RTA's project documents section. Forza Hazelbrook!