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Good Morning
May. 8th, 2020 06:15 am
May. 8th, 2020
Book 37 - Andre Gide "The Immoralist"
May. 8th, 2020 06:52 amAndre Gide "The Immoralist" (Penguin Modern Classics)
In 1921, Andre Gide published “The Immoralist” in Paris (translated from French by Dorothy Bussy). Gide examines the strength of the obligations put upon us by family and society to study culture persistently, maintain a steady occupation, develop a stable marriage, and become responsible citizens. This process takes dedication and self-sacrifice that offers only minimal individual satisfaction.
It may take a life-threatening illness to show someone that his responsible life is an unfulfilling pose compared to his idealized life filled with unbounded and intense desires. Recovery from an illness causes a person to take a new interest in the basic sensuality of life.
If society’s moral code prevents the expression of the person’s newfound life joy, then he may become an immoralist. At first, the transition is a slow struggle that can lead to agonizing self-doubt. But once the free expression of desires occurs, the person discovers, at last, his “special value.” His prior responsibility and self-sacrifice were characteristics that obscured his reason for living. The main character, Michel understands his driving force is “a kind of stubborn perseverance in evil.”
The appreciation of art once satisfied Michel’s driving force and he felt harmony with its symbolic presentations. When sensuality becomes his obsession, Michel does not know “what mysterious God” he serves. He wants personal experiences of unimagined forms of beauty, and he wants them immediately.
You can experience your own moral dilemma as you read, “The Immoralist” and gain some insight into the consequences of breaking the bonds of duty and sacrifice. One of the most poignant lines in literature is spoken by Michel’s dying wife as he leaves their hotel room in pursuit of his hedonistic desires. Close to death, she speaks softly.
“Oh, you can wait a little longer, can’t you?”
In 1921, Andre Gide published “The Immoralist” in Paris (translated from French by Dorothy Bussy). Gide examines the strength of the obligations put upon us by family and society to study culture persistently, maintain a steady occupation, develop a stable marriage, and become responsible citizens. This process takes dedication and self-sacrifice that offers only minimal individual satisfaction.
It may take a life-threatening illness to show someone that his responsible life is an unfulfilling pose compared to his idealized life filled with unbounded and intense desires. Recovery from an illness causes a person to take a new interest in the basic sensuality of life.
If society’s moral code prevents the expression of the person’s newfound life joy, then he may become an immoralist. At first, the transition is a slow struggle that can lead to agonizing self-doubt. But once the free expression of desires occurs, the person discovers, at last, his “special value.” His prior responsibility and self-sacrifice were characteristics that obscured his reason for living. The main character, Michel understands his driving force is “a kind of stubborn perseverance in evil.”
The appreciation of art once satisfied Michel’s driving force and he felt harmony with its symbolic presentations. When sensuality becomes his obsession, Michel does not know “what mysterious God” he serves. He wants personal experiences of unimagined forms of beauty, and he wants them immediately.
You can experience your own moral dilemma as you read, “The Immoralist” and gain some insight into the consequences of breaking the bonds of duty and sacrifice. One of the most poignant lines in literature is spoken by Michel’s dying wife as he leaves their hotel room in pursuit of his hedonistic desires. Close to death, she speaks softly.
“Oh, you can wait a little longer, can’t you?”
Book 38 - John Brockman "The Universe"
May. 8th, 2020 07:30 amJohn Brockman "The Universe" (Harper Perennial)
The matter originated in the Big Bang. Firstly as a soup of quarks, W's, Z's, electrons etc. As the new universe expanded and cooled, the quarks coalesced into particles like protons. As the expansion continued a point was reached where nuclei could trap electrons and make neutral atoms. This occurred about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Once neutral atoms existed, the universe became transparent to photons, which we now see as the Cosmic Microwave Background. In our laboratories such as CERN, we can recreate the conditions that existed about 0.0000000001 seconds after the Big Bang and study the processes that would have been occurring at that time.
The offerings in this collection provide a look at what some of the worlds leading experts are working on and thinking about in the realm of theoretical physics. The quality of the writing varies widely, as one might expect from a collection of essays by multiple people. The prose ranges from childishly simple to quite technical. A few even exhibit some artistic flair with words. But all are interesting. One, perhaps untended, revelation is a glimpse of egos, and the (mostly) polite clash of egos in cases where scientists do not agree.
Generally, a very good overview.
The matter originated in the Big Bang. Firstly as a soup of quarks, W's, Z's, electrons etc. As the new universe expanded and cooled, the quarks coalesced into particles like protons. As the expansion continued a point was reached where nuclei could trap electrons and make neutral atoms. This occurred about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Once neutral atoms existed, the universe became transparent to photons, which we now see as the Cosmic Microwave Background. In our laboratories such as CERN, we can recreate the conditions that existed about 0.0000000001 seconds after the Big Bang and study the processes that would have been occurring at that time.
The offerings in this collection provide a look at what some of the worlds leading experts are working on and thinking about in the realm of theoretical physics. The quality of the writing varies widely, as one might expect from a collection of essays by multiple people. The prose ranges from childishly simple to quite technical. A few even exhibit some artistic flair with words. But all are interesting. One, perhaps untended, revelation is a glimpse of egos, and the (mostly) polite clash of egos in cases where scientists do not agree.
Generally, a very good overview.
A Very easy Day
May. 8th, 2020 10:57 amWell, it started off sunny and now it is all hazy. Not good for sunbathing but a good day for playing loads of jazz. Hence, it is a Very East Day (VE Day) in which I will be running the voodoo down with Miles Davis and dropping things with Betty Carter.
The Friday Five
May. 8th, 2020 04:47 pm1. What made you smile this week?
2. What ingredients make a perfect Saturday?
3. What is the best thing you ever had for dessert? Share the memory or the recipe.
4. What is your favourite memory of your mom, or your favourite thing about being a mom?
5. What are your plans for the summer (or winter, for those in the southern hemisphere)?
2. What ingredients make a perfect Saturday?
3. What is the best thing you ever had for dessert? Share the memory or the recipe.
4. What is your favourite memory of your mom, or your favourite thing about being a mom?
5. What are your plans for the summer (or winter, for those in the southern hemisphere)?
Tunes For A Very Eclectic Day (VE Day)
May. 8th, 2020 05:31 pmToday I played -
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Frank Zappa - Strictly Genteel
Scott Walker - Two
Jaga Jazzist - The Stix
Borodin Quartet - Borodin String Quartet No.2
Low - Things We Lost In The Fire
Jimmy Griffin - Introducing J.G.
Asian Dub Foundation - Fortress Europe
Courtney Pine - To The Eyes Of Creation
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Betty Carter - Dropping Things
Frank Zappa - Hot Rats
Frank Zappa - Strictly Genteel
Scott Walker - Two
Jaga Jazzist - The Stix
Borodin Quartet - Borodin String Quartet No.2
Low - Things We Lost In The Fire
Jimmy Griffin - Introducing J.G.
Asian Dub Foundation - Fortress Europe
Courtney Pine - To The Eyes Of Creation
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
Betty Carter - Dropping Things
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