Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 11:21 AM GMT [General]
I was recently given a very handsome 1885 translation of Zola's L'Assommoir. Among many curious features, the title page claimed that the novel had been through 90-something editions by this date, though it only came out in French in 1877. Baffled at this, I did a bit of light googling and discovered this earlier title page, purportedly from the book's very year of publication:
Vingt-septieme my eye
That's twenty-seven editions in under 12 months. Can this be right?
Were there very tiny print runs? Did publishers faff with the statistics to make it look like their titles were flying off the shelves? Did L'Assommoir perhaps have an especially fateful publication history, with several print runs fetching up in a watery grave?
Enquiring minds want to know.
By the bye, here's a brief parish notice: we'll be discussing At Lady Molly's, the fourth volume in A Dance to the Music of Time, starting on September 1. Do join us then.
Since blatant commercial advertising now seems acceptable on
MyT, may I beg your indulgence for a moment
I have invented a new board game with the above title.
The game can be played by any number of players and goes
like this.
Each player draws a card from the specially printed pack. On
each one there is an indefensible statement, such as “ Since this Government
came to power more people are happier with the NHS than ever before” or “I sold
the countries gold reserves at the top of the market” or “Taxing pensions will
make more people want to save” Some of them will be harder of course “We need
another Labour Government to be elected next to ensure a freer and fairer
society” and “The current incumbent is the greatest Prime Minister this country
has ever had”
Each question card has a number on it (only a single digit
of course, in order that the current level of A* mathematics students can still
grasp it) indicating a the degree of difficulty.
Each player also has a playing piece, which is placed on the
game board. The board
is made up of a number of coloured squares representing a
typical road. To prevent terrorist threats to the playing pieces each square
will have cctv cameras on each corner and double yellow lines will make it an
offence to stop on the square.
Game play
Each player then has to explain to all the others why their
statement is true. When they have finished the explanation, they are awarded
points by the other players and they move their playing piece along the board
the number squares equivalent to the score achieved until one finally reaches
the end.
The good thing about this game is that there are NO LOSERS!
The player that comes in last becomes the Commissioner to the EU. Those who offer
large enough back handers go to the Upper House and the winner (The Jonathan)
goes to live in cloud cuckoo land
To establish our green credentials all the playing card will
be made from recycled police corruption files (there’s lots), the playing
pieces will be manufactured from ex government John Lewis furniture and the
board will be made from genuine imitation real tree wood or recycled
ministerial brains although there are some concerns that the latter may be too
dense to machine economically
So there you have it.
Any new ideas, variations warmly accepted
Oh by the way, due to the economic downturn I am
currently experiencing due to everyone else in the world and nothing to do with
me of course, can anyone lend me a fiver?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 11:20 AM GMT [General]
The objective of commercial fisherman is to catch fish that can be sold. The higher the price that these fish fetch at market, the more money the fishermen will make. The fishermen has limited time and space in which to maximise their income, so in order to do so their main objective must be to be as selective as possible.
However most fisheries are at least partially non-selective and catch fish and other animals that are not targeted. This non-targeted catch is known as bycatch. This bycatch is usually discarded (thrown over the side of the boat either dead or dying).
In the North Sea nearly one million tonnes of marine life is discarded in this way every year, and unbelievably, seventy percent is comprised of commercially important fish species. This equates to nearly one-third of the total fish landed by fishermen, and one-tenth of the estimated total biomass of fish in the North Sea. These fish are discarded because they are either undersized, over quota or not of sufficiently high value to the fisherman.
In EU Community waters the practice of discarding fish is not illegal and it speaks volumes on EU fisheries policy that when in a time of worldwide food and fuel shortages and rapidly declining fish stocks the practice of discarding is not only tolerated, but is in many cases a legally binding requirement.
There is no way of knowing what damage discarding has on the marine ecosystem as amazingly very little scientific research has been carried out to determine its detrimental affects on the marine ecosystem, but it is worth mentioning that no other industry gets close to the practice of discarding in terms of sheer waste and destructiveness.
Norway obviously feels strongly enough about the matter to have banned the discarding of commercial fish in its waters as early as 1990, requiring all boats to land the fish for processing into fishmeal. Measures have also been introduced whereby fisheries can be closed very quickly if an area is found to contain a large number of juvenile fish.
So what are the solutions? Personally I would completely ban the discarding of bycatch full stop, but since I see absolutely no hope of this happening, perhaps a ban could be put in place for a long enough period for there to be a proper scientific audit of the scale of the problem?
Almost half of all know discards are caused the various types of trawling, and it may be time to call and end to this particularly destructive method of fishing. If the Marine Stewardship Council's fishery certification program and seafood eco-label gain widespread acceptance within the EU member countries this may in itself help to end the indiscriminate methods employed by trawling.
Bycatch and discards are an aberration. We are in the 21st century and yet the wholesale slaughter of our marine life still continues in our oceans, with no protected areas from which marine life can recover from this onslaught, and where the fishermen, once their catch is dead, can pick and choose which animals are worth keeping and which can dumped back into the ocean. This cannot be right.
WOW sad news again, this great sax player has passed away at only 46 years old due to injuries (complications after release from hospital) from an ATV accident. Condolences to his family and the Dave Matthews Band*~
I am a divorced woman and have been for sometime now mostly by choice
or lack of....a few weeks ago my sister introduced me to another member
of church...I was very polite and exchanged pleasantries....thought
nothing of it. One day my sister told me that he wanted to take me to
dinner or something....my sister must have lost her eyesight when she
got married, or her damn mind...this brother is all of four feet tall,
fat, bald, and nasty. When I go to church I have to run away from
him...you would think he would get the message....I asked my sister to
let him know that i am not interested and to get him before I let
lucifer out in church....sunday I run through at least three rows of
people trying to get away....and I almost started to climb over the
bench to get away.....I am not a ugly woman, men and women always tell
how pretty I am...and I would like to think that I got a lot to offer
the right man....I was married for almost 16 years and I don't feel
like I lost my taste for a good looking man. so why in the heck would
my sister tell Magilla the Gorilla he can date me....I spent this
Sunday in the ladies bathroom...hiding out....she said I told her I
like bald men....I told her I like tall, bald, facial hair, fine, good
smelling brothers.....not short fat and bald...she just laughed...even
my Mom has told me to date this guy...I am one step from acting a fool
in church and I have always conducted myself as a lady no matter
what....I can't take another Sunday like this....I am so mad I am ready
to stop talking to her...especially if she don't get Chester. This
thing is messing up my Spirtual Walk...Why is it, the ugly ones always
want to holler at a sister.....I am single not blind or desperate.
Don't get me started about being a single sister in denver..... Please
help me before I lose it in Church.....I could say a whole lot more but
I will wait and pray for your reply....please don't tell me to date
him...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 05:58 AM EST [General]
Papa: No me pegues. Tus golpes no solo hieren mi cuerpo, ¡golpean mi corazón! Me hacen duro y rebelde, terco torpe y agresivo.
Tus golpes me hacen sentir miserable, pequeño e indigno de ti… mi héroe, me
llenan amargura, bloquean mi capacidad de amar, crecen mis temores y nace en mí
el odio.
Papi tus golpes me alejan de ti, me enseñan a mentir, cortan mi iniciativa, mi
creatividad y mi alegría. No me des más golpes. Soy débil e indefenso ante tu fuerza, tus golpes enlutan mi camino y sobre todo,
endurecen mi alma.
La fuerza de tu razón es superior a la fuerza de tus golpes, si crees que no te
entiendo aun, te prometo que ¡Pronto lo haré!
Más poderosos que tus golpes, más efectivos y grandiosos son: tu afecto, tus
caricias, tus palabras y tus besos.
Papito, tu grandeza no esta en el poder de tu fuerza física. Eres mucho más cuando no necesitas de ella para guiarme. Solo abrázame y permítete seguir siendo mi héroe para toda la vida.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 05:54 AM EST [General]
Hola mami, mami, como estas?, Yo, yo estoy muy
bien gracias a Dios, hace a penas unos días me
concebiste en tu pancita, la verdad, no te puedo
explicar lo contento que estoy de saber que tu vas a ser
mi mama.
Otra cosa que también me llena mucho de orgullo es ver
el amor con el que fui concebido, todo parece indicar
que voy a ser el niño mas feliz del mundo.
Mami, mami ya ha pasado 1 mes
desde mi concepción y ya estoy viendo como mi cuerpecito
se empieza a formar, digo, no estoy tan bonito como tu,
pero con el tiempo ya veras como me voy a parecer a ti..
Yo estoy muy feliz, sin embargo mami, hay algo que me
tiene un poquito preocupado, últimamente me he dado
cuenta que hay algo en tu cabecita que no te deja
dormir.. pero, pero bueno ya se te va a pasar. Verdad?.
No te apures mami, yo te quiero mucho..
Mami, mami, ya pasaron 2 meses y medio y la verdad,
estoy muy feliz con mis nuevas manitas, míralas, mis
manitas, míralas, ay, tengo muchas ganas ya de
utilizarlas para jugar..
Mami, mamita, dime que te pasa, porque lloras tanto por
las noches, porque cuando papi y tu se ven se gritan
tanto.. ya no me quieren? Oh que!
Han pasado ya 3 meses mami y te
noto muy deprimida, no entiendo que pasa, estoy
confundido mami, hoy en la mañana fuimos con el doctor y
te hizo una cita que.. para mañana, no entiendo mami, yo
me siento muy bien, te lo juro..
Mami, mami ya es de día, eh a donde vamos, Epale mami,
porque estas llorando otra vez, mami no llores, no va a
pasar nada, mami, mami, no te acuestes, mami a penas son
las 2 de la tarde es muy temprano para irse a la cama,
yo no tengo nada de sueno, solo quiero seguir jugando
con mis manitas..
Epale, que es ese tubito que esta en mi casita mami,
a poco es un juguete nuevo, oigan, oigan porque están
succionando mi casa, mami, mami, esperen, esa es mi
manita, porque me la están arrancando, nooo, no ven que
me duele mucho, mami ayúdame mami, que no vez que
todavía estoy muy chiquito y no me puedo defender..
Mami, mami, esa es mi piernita mami, me la arrancan, por
favor, diles que ya no sigan, te lo juro que ya me voy a
portar bien y no te vuelvo a patear en las noches...
Como es posible que un ser humano me pueda hacer esto,
va a ver cuando sea grande y fuerte, mami, mami ya no
puedo mas mami, mami ayúdame...
Mami, han pasado ya 17 años
desde, desde aquel día, y aun veo como todavía te duele
esa decisión que tomaste.. Por favor, ya no sufras,
acuérdate que te quiero mucho y que aqui te estoy
esperando con muchos abrazos y muchos besos, para demostrarte, cuanto te amo...
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 05:44 AM EST [General]
Mike is the boss !
Marvin is no different than Coslett or Lebeau or Shula. He is just like you, an employee.
Power ? No, he is powerless. He can suggest, but has no final say.
In the end, it's Mike's team. Always has been. Always will be.
The clock is now ticking. In reality, it was the day he was hired. If he stays in Cincy too long, will it be tougher for him to get a job somewhere else as a head coach ?
You can blame the owner if you get fired after 2 or 3 years and it looks like you have it together. But, after 6 ?
He was so angry having to talk to the media and trying to explain that he didn't want Henry back, and that in the end it's all Mike's call.
Chris Henry is a lucky man. Where else in America would you get any more chances than you do in sports ?
You hope he has learned his lesson. If he hasn't, he's the dumbest man in Ohio.
Remember, Mike WANTS TO WIN. But he wants to win his way. Or, you have to take the highway.
7:30 this morning we will play the press conferences of Marvin and his dear friend Chris Henry. Listen to the tone of their voices.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008, 10:42 AM GMT [General]
In
2005 I had already made the decision to get the hell out of the city during the
Olympics. In the event, I managed to do it
two years early and hopped on a train and went south to start a new life. In the final lead up to the opening ceremony I
had contemplated taking a train back to the capital for the day to observe the
chaos, but when it came down to it, I really couldn’t be bothered.
I
think the problem isthat if you live in China, then no matter where you
turn, there is something to remind you that in 3 days, 13 hours and 23.33s the
games will begin. I did catch the final
lighting of the torch, but only because I was at a friend’s house and they
happened to have the television on. Oh
yeah, and I caught the last 30s of the women’s road race, and some rowing event
when I was waiting for a flight at Shenzhen. I don’t know what event it was, but China got gold, UK got silver. It was a pity because until the last 50m I was
relishing the opportunity to turn and give the Chinese passengers who had
gathered there a couple of V signs. As
it turned out I was reduced to polite applause and exchanging smiles. Who says I can’t be diplomatic.
I
have really tried to get excited by the UK medal haul, when another bloke
in a boat began to blub when he got gold, instead of being moved to tears, I merely
found myself wondering whether he was going to forget himself and blow his nose
on the Union Jack. And when I read Michael
Phelps ate three fried egg sandwiches for breakfast, I looked down at the fried
egg sandwich in my hand and tried to seek some inspiration, but instead I returned
to the sofa and resumed watching “Casino Royale”
So
yesterday evening, when I went to the DVD store to see what else was on offer I
had pretty much resigned myself to Olympic Burnout, a variation on Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome or Repetitive Stress Injury.
Inside,
everyone was crowded around a small TV and animatedly discussing the volleyball
match that was taking place between China and Russia.
The Russians were muscular, serious and
blonde, pausing only to discuss tactics with dour expressions. The Chinese, were (mostly) thin, dark haired,
and f uckme, if they weren’t laughing when they won a point. They actually seemed to be enjoying themselves.It was contagious. The Chinese won a point, the players laughed,
the crowd in the auditorium cheered and waved those weird foam things they hand
out to the audience, and the people in the DVD stored laughed and cheered and punched
the air. I found myself getting hooked
and stayed until China had won the second set.
As
I rode off down the street and headed home, new releases held tightly in my
sweaty little palm, I realized everyone was watching. There were TV sets set out on the street at
suitable intervals with small gatherings animatedly discussing the game and
cheering or emitting cries of agony according to the outcome of the point.Drivers had pulled up and were leaning
against their car and following the event.
I
stopped at the small snack place on my street where a group of people were noisily
consuming watermelon and following the game on a beaten up set. I asked the score and suddenly everyone was
inviting me to sit down and join them. Someone
offered me a beer.
I
think this is something that all these top notch reporters who have been specially
flown in to cover the event are missing. They can wander around the Olympic village all
they want, comment on the empty seats in the arena and the absence of anyone in
the courtesy tents or the protest arena, bitch about the faked fireworks and
the ugly kid who sang the anthem. It all
makes for great journalism but the truth is that for the everyday person the Olympics is merely a
chance to hang out with friends and watch the game, same as Superbowl Sunday or
the FA Cup Final.
Maybe that’s what London needs to do.Just have a small barbeque for the Olympic flame
(just don’t forget to periodically top up the charcoal) and pass out free cans
of beers at the lighting ceremony. It
will cost a lot less money, but I think most people won’t give a shit either
way.
Thanks for a most enjoyable blog. You, more than anyone else I read, have altered my perception of the ordinary Chinese people. Maybe one point three billion of them isn't such a fearful thing after all. You made me wish I could have been there, in the street.
Cbunny
grumpylarryThis give me hope for the Chinese yet. If only they could get of the present crop of rulers
11:08 AM GMT