They are rednecks and proud of it. Their background is rural/working class; they are armed and know how to use their weapons. They don't mind long bushy beards. They ride motorbikes, drink beer, and smoke. They, too, dislike liberals.
The upper-middle class, respectable, educated, leftish-liberals, of all races, wouldn't like them. That's okay.
A bookish angel whose studies turned into a blasphemer and a rebel against the Creator, an idle and womanising aristocratic youth who rediscovered his own version of Catholic faith after being dumped by his guardian angel, and a librarian with an unhealthy attachment to books are the main characters of Anatole France's "The Revolt of the Angels".
Around these three characters, whose paths criss-cross, France, the 1921 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, weaves a story set in early 20th century Paris, in 35 short vignettes, telling their frequently small, occasionally large, personal adventures and dramas. Surprisingly and in contrast to the supernatural nature of its protagonist and his epic quest, those episodes, often told with charm and a subtle, benign humour, are eminently down to earth, providing a glimpse into the final years of the French Belle Époque.
"My grandfather had a lot of stories", writes Katie Mack, "but there was one that transfixed me: about how he worked with NASA and saved the crew of Apollo 11".
Really cool story. Mack's pride in her grandad is justified.
"NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recorded this view of the sun setting at the close of the mission's 956th Martian day, or sol (April 15, 2015), from the rover's location in Gale Crater." (here)
Year 11 students from Gungahlin College -- a public school in Canberra -- designed, built (using a 3D printer), and fired a test rocket (the ABC Online page includes sound recording and photos) as part of their project to launch a high-altitude balloon, next year.
And it was a fairly sophisticated gadget, too, including (apart from their own engine): "accelerometer, magnetometer, altimeter and GPS, as well as temperature and humidity sensors". The use of a 3D printer, say the students, adds flexibility to the project: it's a matter of hours to design and get a new component, if required.
The launch -- yesterday -- was generally successful, apart from a glitch in the the memory card set to record the flight data. Apparently, the electronic components, coming from different manufacturers, are difficult to integrate.
The kids are going to repeat the launch next week. Congratulations to the students and their teachers and good luck to them!
NASA is searching for the next generation of astronauts (from ABC News online, and NASA)!
Requirements:
US citizen.
"bachelor's degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field" (minimum).
"be followed by at least three years of related, progressively responsible experience".
"pass a long-duration spaceflight physical test".
"Distant visual acuity: 20/20 or better uncorrected, correctable to 20/20; Blood pressure: 140/90 measured in a sitting position; Height between 58.5 [148.59 cm] and 76 inches [193.04 cm]."
Really cool. I envy you boys and girls. Good luck!
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Unfortunately, Aussie kids won't be running in that space race.
But, never mind, young Australians: You can always have a life full of meaning, achievement, adventure, and excitement on Earth. You study economics/law, work for free as an intern for a free-market "non-partisan" (wink, wink) "think" tank; next, you become an apparatchik for a "conservative, right-of-centre, libertarian" party.
After that, you go into Parliament, to "squeeze" parliamentary allowances and to suck up "network" like crazy with your future business partners. You may even win a legal coup d'etat leadership challenge!
Worse comes to worse, you can always join the Labor Party.
Frankly, I am deeply skeptical about the Mars One project. I, however, sympathise wholeheartedly with those brave souls who volunteered to go to Mars, and I wish the finalists, particularly the Australian Dianne McGrath and Josh, the best of lucks.
Whatever the final outcome of this story, my best wishes to all of you.
Image Credits:
[A] "Schematic view of a pulsar. The sphere in the middle represents the neutron star, the curves indicate the magnetic field lines and the protruding cones represent the emission zones". Author: Mysid. Source: Wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license. My usage of the file does not suggest in any way its author endorsement of me or my use of the work.
[B] "A composite image of the Crab Nebula showing the X-ray (blue), and optical (red) images superimposed. The size of the X-ray image is smaller because the higher energy X-ray emitting electrons radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower energy optically emitting electrons as they move." Author: Optical: NASA/HST/ASU/J. Hester et al. X-Ray: NASA/CXC/ASU/J. Hester et al. Source: Wikipedia. This file is in the public domain.
[C] "Ceres awaits Dawn" (Feb 19, 2015). Author: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA. Source: Wikipedia This file is in the public domain.
Okay, no sad, bad, mad things today. Something cool for a change:
Young Jonah Scott (17), from Queensland,
is an amateur astronomer. He built his own telescope and takes really amazing photos
with it. You can go here, to see a sample of his work. He’s also started his
own space program!
Congratulations
to him and his proud parents. Go Jonah!
Almost two years ago I posted a link to the video below. I'm repeating the link today.
As it turns out, Chris Hadfield visited Australia in August last year. I learned of that only a few days ago, thanks to an interview he gave to Jane Hutcheon, for ABC News.
Hadfield is an interesting guy. The interview touches several things, including the tragedy of Columbia. He seems a decent, straight-talking fellow.
Another highlight for me was his first-person account of launching day, from getting dressed to the moment they reach weightlessness. Really fascinating stuff. I'm glad he visited Oz and that Hutcheon seized the opportunity (congratulations to her for that). Like I said before, he is the coolest guy in outer space.
Australian residents can check on ABC iView. I'm not sure overseas residents will be delivered the file from iView, but they can get it here.
John Quiggin, it seems, doesn't like prog rock much (maybe he likes "conservative" rock better?).
I, at the other hand, although ambivalent about the "progressive" label when applied in other contexts, was a big prog rock fan. A matter of tastes, I suppose.
For you, youngsters, prog rock (progressive rock) was a largely British musical genre popular from the late 1960s to 1970s. From the U.K. it extended its influence to other parts of Europe and Canada; while in the U.S. a few bands, like Chicago, occasionally managed a somewhat similar feeling.
From Camel's 1977 album "Rain Dances" (largely instrumental, in my opinion their best by far), the opening and closing tracks are variations of the same theme (note the pizzicato guitar, played by Andrew Latimer, in Rain Dances: the rain drops):
"Life imitates art far more than art imitates life" (Oscar Wilde, "The Decay of Lying - An Observation")
I'd bet you've met someone similar. Usually young, seemingly exuding self-confidence, hugely ambitious and with an ego to match; their aspirations, however, always seem to wildly exceed their capabilities. You know, too much bubble for so little bubble-gum.
But let's leave aside young post-modern macro economists, slash philosophers, slash journalists, slash writers. Enter Nash Taylor, the fictional "lead singer of Sydney indie outfit Boy-Crazy Stacey":
"For years now he's worked hard at emulating his rock heroes - he learned the licks, developed a swagger and pulled on the ridiculously tight jeans. But for all his attempts to look like someone who just doesn't give a damn, he's self-conscious, anxious and a raging control freak. In short, he's a nerd with a cool haircut."
Written by Josh Mapleston, who also played the role of Nash, the 2010 TV comedy / drama miniseries I Rock had a short and not particularly distinguished life. That was unfortunate, as the series, ironically a bit of an indie project itself, had an excellent premise (and one viewers will recognize quickly) and Mapleston and the cast performed more than adequately.
"For Nash, nothing is ever his fault, especially not the total obscurity that plagues his band. He's not sure what the problem is - is it his bandmates? The booking agents? The idiots at the radio stations? What he doesn't realise is that it's not really any of those things. Nash's biggest problem is himself."
Ever since a kid I've been interested in science. It's a long story and someday I might even tell a bit of it (believe it or not, is has to do with my Dad, Neil Armstrong, Isaac Asimov and Gerard K. O'Neill).
Yet, I almost never post about science. Maybe that should change.
The following is a fascinating video, part of the evidence provided in support of the claims contained in an also fascinating 2009 paper by Sanz, Call and Morgan[1]:
I don't suppose I need to comment how powerfully evocative the video is, in a general sense.
But beyond that general effect, to me it issuggestive for at least two additional reasons; one of which can be gleaned here (perhaps to the surprise of most):
"Equal quantities of labour, at all times and places, may be said to be of equal value to the labourer. In his ordinary state of health, strength, and spirits; in the ordinary degree of his skill and dexterity, he must always lay down the same portion of his ease, his liberty, and his happiness. The price which he pays must always be the same, whatever may be the quantity of goods which he receives in return for it. Of these, indeed, it may sometimes purchase a greater and sometimes a smaller quantity; but it is their value which varies, not that of the labour which purchases them. At all times and places, that is dear which it is difficult to come at, or which it costs much labour to acquire; and that cheap which is to be had easily, or with very little labour. Labour alone, therefore, never varying in its own value, is alone the ultimate and real standard by which the value of all commodities can at all times and places be estimated and compared.
It is their real price; money is their nominal price only." (A. Smith. The Wealth of Nations, Book I, Chapter V. My emphasis)
Any comments?
References:
[1] Crickette Sanz, Josep Call and David Morgan. 2009. Design complexity in termite-fishing tools of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Biol. Lett. published online 4 March 2009. here
Frankly, I am not much of a John Lennon fan. I don't hate him, either. And I'm more than happy to admit he had some very good songs.
"Working Class Hero" is, perhaps unsurprisingly to my regular readers, my favourite. What really surprised me is that this song appears to be quite popular.
Think about it: whenever the media covers John Lennon, apart from a selection of The Beatles era, "Woman" and, above all, "Imagine" are likely to appear; but never WCH.
Perhaps one could explain this because WCH contains some "coarse language". As the f-word is so fucking unusual, respectable audiences would feel understandably shocked by hearing it, I guess.
Or maybe it's just that "Woman" and "Imagine" are less confrontational, more up-lifting, in a "Kumbaya My Lord" sort of way.
Be that is it may.
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But check YouTube for that title. And surprisingly lots of versions pop up.
Marilyn Manson (yes, believe it or not, the Antichrist Super Star in person!) is here. I'll admit it, I never imagined Warner singing this song and I do own each of the post-"Smells Like Children" albums. Anyway, it's a very good performance and Warner's voice, half anger, half melancholy, suits it very well.
But, to be honest, my two favourite WCHs were these two:
Tina Dico (from
Denmark). Excellent singer, about whom I know nothing apart from what
her Wikipedia entry says. Anyway, very well interpreted and produced, in
a professional manner.
But the top of the sample, for me, is the video below. Obviously not as well
produced, the singer (I think her name is Zoe Louk, apparently from Israel) is a good interpreter. The lack of production gives
the video a touch of sincerity that won me:
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There was a time when people would say that if one works hard and keeps one's head low, one gets ahead in life. If you're young, ask your old folks.
The most optimistic would say that the sky is the limit. The more level-headed would say that things shall get better for one's kids.
The cynic among us would have added that maybe hard work wouldn't be enough. Perhaps one would have to suck up to one's boss, too; adopt the "each man for himself" frame of mind, that's the smart thing to do. Above all, don't rock the boat; be humble. If the road was humiliating and degrading, full of bitterness, the destination was worth it.
Like the song says:
There's room at the top they are telling you still But first you must learn how to smile as you kill If you want to be like the folks on the hill
And, let's face it my friends, many of us did that. Look around you, many still do.
Where did that take us? This is now the best we can get:
"Much of the change being imposed on various industries will inevitably involve redundancies. The most workers can expect is decent redundancy pay, the avoidance of excesses designed to impress the sharemarket, and a preference for redundancies to be voluntary." (My emphasis. See here)
This is how the song puts it:
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV And you think you're so clever and classless and free But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
And ask Ross Gittins (author of the quote above): he'll say that there's no point in screaming and kicking.
So, let's keep being humble, reasonable, clever. Don't rock the boat. It didn't work before, but it will sure work now.
Image Credits
[A] The Exploitation, by Diego de Rivera. Wikipedia.This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. I can't claim Diego de Rivera in any way endorses my usage of his image. Among other things, because he is dead.
