The Lone Elm

Its Time to Say Goodbye - Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocellli

For some reason, this weekend I was exploring YouTube, and ended up watching Andrea Bocelli.  That led me to the wonderful (and famous) duet that he does with Sarah Brightman, Time to Say Goodbye or Con te Partiro. (According to Wikipedia Brightman has a three-octave vocal range that extends to an E above Soprano C.)  The version below is particularly lovely with the interaction between the two singers. 

More "Fauxtography"

It is worth taking a close look at what is in the news these days.  Michael Totten shows a clear example of a photoshopped result that is being used to help fan the flames in Lebanon.  The worst is that the image of the man with the machine gun is taken from another photo of very questionable nature. 

Winter Poetry

"Covering the land..."
by Paul Verlaine and translated by Norman R. Shapiro
One Hundred and One Poems by Paul Verlaine: A Bilingual Edition
Copyright 1999 by The University of Chicago

Covering the land—
Dismal, endless plain—
Blurring the terrain,
Snow haze gleams like sand.

Bronze the sky, with no
Glimmering of light:
Is the moon to grow
Dim, and die tonight?

In the woods, close by,
Billows the fog, cloaks
Gray the cloud-like oaks
Floating on the sky.

Bronze the sky, with no
Glimmering of light:
Is the moon to grow
Dim, and die tonight?

Scrawny wolves, and you,
Wheezing ravens, when
Winds blow sharp, what then?
What? What can you do?

Covering the land—
Dismal, endless plain—
Blurring the terrain,
Snow haze gleams like sand.

Thanks to Poems for a Long Winter's Night.

Do You Daydream?

Reuters reports this morning that scientists have been able to observe the brain's activity during daydreaming using MRI technology.  Specific parts of the brain appear to be dedicated to activity during "down" time.  Wikipedia defines "daydream" as "a fantasy that a person has while awake, often about spontaneous and fanciful thoughts not connected to the person's immediate situation."   According to WebMD, psychologists have found that we daydream for one-third to one-half of our waking hours. Daydreaming also serves valuable functions, including helping us get through tedious tasks and stimulating creatvity.  soul food cafe has guided imagery to stimulate the creative you.

Ramen Inventor Dies at 96

According to FoxNews, the Japanese inventor of instant noodles, Momofuko Ando died at the ripe age of 96.  Mr. Ando introduced the first instant Chicken Ramen in 1958. Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish of Chinese origin.  The Japanese Convenience Food Manufacturers have an interesting background about instant ramen.  My son prefers a very spicy Korean version, Shin Ramen.

Showdown Time?

This morning the London Times reports that Israel is prepared to use small nuclear warheads to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities.  Because of the underground fortifications that protects the Iranian complex, this will require special "bunker-busting" types of bombs. The Times has more on the nature of such a mission.  Ralph Peters makes a pretty good case that Bush has tapped a Navy man for the Middle East CentCom position because of the Iranian issues.  A sidebar to the Peters commentary notes that ships from the United States, United Kingdom and Australia are all steaming towards the Middle East to beef up our force there. There is more on the buildup at Debkafile.  Jules Crittenden points out the domestic division of opinion, and concludes that if we withdraw now, as Ms. Pelosi and Sen. Reid recommend, "I predict a dark age, in which brutal second-rate powers such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea do what they choose to whom they choose without restraint. An age of modern warlords, with no over-arching, feared power to keep them in check. We can watch the sick man that is Europe slowly succumb. We can watch small free nations try to fend for themselves. We can await the inevitable nuclear crisis."  And of course, Israel faces potential destruction.  There is no choice but to try to get Iraq stabilized, fortify our friends and try to back Iran off.