Flowers!

Photos again, I know. I don't feel like writing a proper post, so this is my way of updating semi-regularly. My apologies to those with slow internet connections . . .








The flowers in the first two photos are roses, and the plant with the purple flowers in the last photo is a clematis vine. I don't know about the flowers in the third photo. Perhaps someone can enlighten me . . .

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Note: All of the above photos are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

More Proofreading

Since I signed up to become a proofreader for Project Gutenberg, I've proofread 267 pages. That is, I'm only 33 pages and one formatting quiz away from becoming a formatter. :o)

At present, I am working on A Dictionaire of the French and English Tongves. It was compiled in 1611 (by Randle Cotgrave), so the orthography is rather eccentric (at least by modern standards). For example, u's and v's are used almost interchangeably, as are i's and j's. Also, many s's are replaced by long s's, and some are replaced with this: ß.

Here is one of the pages that I worked on (image taken from this site), and here are some excerpts from the text (found under the definition for "Trou"):

Avoir à chasque trou vne cheville. To haue an an-
 swer for euerie obiection, a solution for euerie question,
 an excuse for euerie fault, or a colour for euerie error.
Faire vn trou à la nuict. To walke, or goe abroad a-
 nights; to trauell, or take a iourney by night; also, to
 slinke aside, or slyly to be gone before he be miffed, or
 suspected to stirre.
Le trou trop ouvert sous le nez fait porter souliers
 deschirez: Prov. Gluttonie breedes pouertie; the
 mouth too open makes men weare torne shooes.

Some more excerpts (not under "Trou" this time):

Trouble: m. Trouble, disquiet, molestation, disturbance,
turmoyle; a sedition, tumult, hurliburlie; a stirre, coyle,
or broyle; also, a let, barre, stop, impeachment, hinde-
rance.

Trouble: com. Thicke, muddie, vnsettled, pudlie, darke,
foggie, ouercast, obscure.
 Pescher en eau trouble. To fish in troubled or thicke
  water; to seeke for gaine out of other mens broyles, or
  losses.
 Vin trouble ne brise dents: Pro. Thick wine breakes
  no mans bones; sweet things goe downe without a
  shoo-horne.

Trouble-feste: m. A vaine, or importunate buffoone;
or any one who by idle chat, or vnseasonable chiding, of-
fendeth, or cloyeth, such as would be merrie.

I particularly like "slyly to be gone before he be miffed," "hurliburlie," and "pudlie." :o)

Edited to add: I'm sorry to say that "slyly to be gone before he be miffed" should actually read "slyly to be gone before he be missed." :.o( Not nearly as amusing . . .

Photo Pairs

First, since we will be moving away soon, here is a view of part of our property. After a snowfall in March:


And in summer:


In a way, it is unfortunate that we are leaving at this time of year, when everything is lush and green. Every time I look outside, I am reminded of the things I'll miss in Berlin: abundant foliage and wildlife, and the serenity of living in a relatively rural area. At least I'll have some photos to comfort me. :o)

The following two photos both depict the same large moth that landed on our screen door a week or two ago. This first photo was taken by my brother:


And this one was taken by me:


Fascinating, eh? :o) The moth looks like a sort of furry prehistoric beast with wings.

Finally, two photos of our orchard. During mowing:


And after mowing:


(The first photo of this pair was, again, taken by my brother.)

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Note: All of the above photos are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

The Proverbial Stickman

I was sorting through my last batch of papers, when I came across the following (drawn when I was about two and a half years old):


It is only one of many drawings, but I thought it worth scanning in because of the kindly, pensive expression. I also wanted to document my "interesting" technique (i.e. the ladder-like body, which appears in many of my early drawings).

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Note: The red hair in the drawing is probably my sister's handiwork. Credit where credit is due. :o)

Another Note: As usual, the above image is hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

A Tribute to our Upright Piano

It seems that our upright piano will not be with us much longer. It will have to be put in the container in about a week, then, once it has been shipped to Germany along with our other belongings, the piano will be transferred to my uncle's care. A wise course of action, by all means, since our apartment in Berlin will not be of vast proportions.

Here is a photo of the piano:


And here are various stamps that are to be found under the piano's lid:


"GEWERBL & LANDWIRTHSCHAFTL AUSSTELLUNG MANNHEIM 1880":


"WILLEM III KONING DER NEDERLANDEN HOOGE BESCHERMHEER VAN DE TENTOONSTELLING":


"EN UITVOERHANDEL TENTOONSTELLING AMSTERDAM 1883":


"FRIEDRICH GROSHERZOG VON BADEN":



Interesting, eh? I would translate the words in the stamps, but I don't know some of the Dutch words. What I do know is that the piano was built in Heilbronn at the turn of the century (between 1891 and 1905). During the last ten years or so, it has been in our little house, where it has been played almost every day. The upright piano will certainly be missed, but, on the bright side, we will still have my great aunt's grand piano, which is a lovely instrument in its own right.

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Note: All of the above images are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.

Officially Kicked Out

I was a little amused, today, to receive an e-mail from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in which I was told that I would be required to withdraw. For me, UBC has been a thing of the past since January, which is when I dropped my classes and signed out of housing. I'm not fired; I quit!

I suppose it's not something to be proud of, but I'm not going to feel bad about my miserable performance. I think it was a valuable experience — one that I can use to help me make better decisions in the future.

That said, I was a little surprised by the letter. I had expected, at most, to be put on probation. Oh well. It doesn't really matter either way.

On to bigger and better things! :o)

Engrish

For those who have not yet discovered the wonder that is "Engrish," here are some amusing specimens from Joe-ks:

In a cemetery: PERSONS ARE PROHIBITED FROM PICKING FLOWERS FROM ANY BUT THEIR OWN GRAVES.

Hotel brochure in Italy: THIS HOTEL IS RENOWNED FOR ITS PEACE AND SOLITUDE. IN FACT, CROWDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FLOCK HERE TO ENJOY ITS SOLITUDE.

In another Japanese hotel room: PLEASE TO BATHE INSIDE THE TUB.

In a Bucharest hotel lobby: THE LIFT IS BEING FIXED FOR THE NEXT DAY. DURING THAT TIME WE REGRET THAT YOU WILL BE UNBEARABLE.

In a hotel in Athens: VISITORS ARE EXPECTED TO COMPLAIN AT THE OFFICE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9 AND 11 A.M. DAILY.

On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: OUR WINES LEAVE YOU NOTHING TO HOPE FOR.

In a Rhodes tailor shop: ORDER YOUR SUMMERS SUIT. BECAUSE IS BIG RUSH WE WILL EXECUTE CUSTOMERS IN STRICT ROTATION.

From the Soviet Weekly: THERE WILL BE A MOSCOW EXHIBITION OF ARTS BY 15,000 SOVIET REPUBLIC PAINTERS AND SCULPTORS. THESE WERE EXECUTED OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.

In an East African newspaper: A NEW SWIMMING POOL IS RAPIDLY TAKING SHAPE SINCE THE CONTRACTORS HAVE THROWN IN THE BULK OF THEIR WORKERS.

In an advertisement by a Hong Kong dentist: TEETH EXTRACTED BY THE LATEST METHODISTS.

From a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo: WHEN PASSENGER OF FOOT HEAVE IN SIGHT, TOOTLE THE HORN. TRUMPET HIM MELODIOUSLY AT FIRST, BUT IF HE STILL OBSTACLES YOUR PASSAGE THEN TOOTLE HIM WITH VIGOR.

More jokes or photos from Joe-ks may follow. There is certainly plenty to choose from!

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Note: "Engrish" is usually defined as Japanese badly translated into English, so the term is used loosely here.

Idiocy and Irresponsibility

From a CBC article:

"The armed wing of Hamas said it fired more than a dozen rockets and a barrage of mortar bombs at Israel on Saturday, formally ending a 16-month-old self-declared truce a day after seven Palestinians were killed on a Gaza beach by Israeli shelling."

[. . .]

"Israel said its attacks on Friday were aimed at areas from which Palestinian militants have launched homemade rockets at the Jewish state.

Of the 10 people killed, three were identified as Palestinian militants from Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip.

Among the seven Palestinians who died during the beach attack were five members of one family, including three children, as Israeli gunboats shelled the area. About 20 people were wounded, witnesses said."

I suppose that this kind of terrible leadership and blatant disregard for human life is old news. In any case, it isn't necessarily my place to criticize. I will, accordingly, forbear from commenting at length. The article can speak for itself.

The Virtues of Constitutional Monarchy

It seems that Friday marked the sixtieth anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's rule over Thailand. The king, while he is technically no more than a figurehead, is greatly respected by the people of Thailand. His relatively apolitical and esteemed position has allowed him to intercede in cases of political crisis.

Some examples from Political Gateway:

October 1973: Hundreds are killed when the then-military dictatorship cracks down on protests. The king makes his first major political intervention, asking the prime minister to leave the country and later appointing a new premier, leading to a brief flowering of democracy.

May 1992: Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy protesters fill the streets of Bangkok demanding a return to civilian rule. Dozens are killed after junta leader General Suchinda Kraprayoon assumed the prime minister's post without contesting elections.

The king summons the generals and pro-democracy leaders to the palace, admonishes them and asks them to reconcile. The killings stop and Suchinda agrees to resign.

April 2006: After months of protests, Thailand holds inconclusive elections that force Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to take leave from office.

With the government mired in political deadlock, the king chastizes the Supreme Court on national television for failing to take action. Within days, the election is invalidated and the process to organize new polls begins.

Whereas King Bhumibol's beneficial role in Thai politics may not be typical, I think that his case illustrates many of the advantages of constitutional monarchy.

In my view, the main advantage of constitutional monarchy is that it addresses two major needs by providing democratic representation of the people, while preserving an impartial, unifying presence.

Concerning the first point, it is undoubtedly an inalienable right of all people to have a meaningful influence over their government. Because of this right, I obviously don't argue for any form of monarchy that is not constrained by written or unwritten laws.

That said, representative democracies have their drawbacks, too. For one thing, democratically-elected politicians don't really command much trust or respect. They tend to look after their own interests — and, by extension, those of their supporters — rather than considering the (long-term) needs and wishes of the general population. The perceived or real lack of integrity and selflessness in politics leads to voter apathy and divisiveness, which counteracts many of the positive aspects of democracy.

Constitutional, "powerless" monarchs, unlike politicians or absolute monarchs, are firmly established, and rely on no one for support. Being much less susceptible to bias, selfish motivations, or partisanship, they are more likely to be esteemed by their subjects. In short, they can do much to promote unity, stability, and maturity in their country's politics.

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Note: Information taken from CBC article and Wikipedia entry.

Proofreading Update

Since I began proofreading, the night before last, I have proofread eighty-eight pages. My current rank, based on the number of pages I've proofread, is 1355th. Lowly, indeed, but that will change! I am not tired yet, and I want to proofread another twelve pages before I go to sleep.

I continue to work on the Dumas novel (Création et rédemption, etc.), but not as much as before. Instead, I have proofread pages of Le roi Jean (a play by Shakespeare, translated into French) and Journal de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées (a math text from 1838).

Le roi Jean (King John in English) was engaging. I came in at about the point where young Arthur tries to escape from imprisonment by jumping off a wall. Arthur does not, unfortunately, survive the attempt, which leads to accusations of murder and plenty of fine (and not so fine) speeches by various noblemen. I proofread all of the remaining pages (excepting, perhaps, one or two), and followed the story with interest.

The other work, Journal de Mathématiques Pures et Appliquées, is a bit harder to follow. :o) There is actually a lot of repetition, which becomes rather dull after a while, and I don't understand most of the concepts. Oh, well. It's interesting to see the French terms and to get some exposure to the theorems and proofs outlined in the book.

Proofreading for Project Gutenberg

Several months (possibly over a year) ago, my sister introduced me to Project Gutenberg, an online source of texts that are in the public domain. The catalog includes all kinds of novels, periodicals, poems, encyclopedias, etc. available in many different languages. Most texts were written earlier than 1923, because later works tend to be protected by copyrights.

The project is not for profit, so it relies heavily on volunteers. One way that people can help is by proofreading texts (one page at a time).

I started proofreading last night, and I have already proofread forty-one pages (it's fun!). All but two (I think) were for a novel by Alexandre Dumas called Création et rédemption: La fille du marquis (first volume). I chose the novel because it was marked "easy" (I was just beginning) and because I know French. There are also, of course, many English texts available, as well as texts written in Finnish, Greek, Spanish, Latin, etc.

I was surprised, given my previous experience with Dumas, to find the novel highly — almost ludicrously — melodramatic (more so than I expected). The most likely explanation, I think, is that the author of the novel is Alexandre Dumas, fils, rather than Alexandre Dumas, père. If nothing else, there is the fact that the date on the title page is 1875, which would tend to rule out the father (he died in 1870).

To give an example of the novel's melodrama, here is an excerpt of the text (after proofreading):

--Puis-je parler, demanda-t-il d'une voix ferme
à force de volonté, et m'écoutez-vous?

Eva joignit les mains, tourna ses beaux yeux
baignés de larmes vers Jacques.

--Oh oui! je t'écoute, dit-elle, comme j'écouterais
l'ange du jugement dernier.

Here is the same excerpt before I proofread it:

-- Puis-je parler, demanda-t-il d'une voix ferme
à force de volonté, et m "écoutez-vous?

Eva joignit les mains, tourna ses beaux yeux
baignes de larmes vers Jacques.

-- --Oh oui ! je L'écoute, dit-elle, comme j'écoute-rais
l'ange du jugement dernier.

And, finally, in English (for those who don't speak French/freedomtalk):

"May I speak?" he asked with a voice rendered firm
through the force of his will, "and will you listen?"

With clasped hands, Eva turned her beautiful eyes
bathed in tears towards Jacques.

"Oh yes! I will listen," she said, "as I would listen
to the angel of Last Judgement."

Angel of final judgement? Angel on Judgement Day? I wasn't entirely sure about that part.

Anyway, from what I've read, neither Eva nor Jacques seem at all rational or likeable. Perhaps I would be more sympathetic if I had read the beginning of the book (I came in on the forty-fifth page). As it is . . .

Questionable plots, characters and dialogue aside, this proofreading is very enjoyable. I hope to rise rapidly through the ranks, so that I can have access to some of the harder texts (some of which look very interesting).

Edited to add: It appears I was mistaken about the author of Création et rédemption: La fille du marquis; it was Alexandre Dumas, père, after all. La fille du marquis is the second volume of Création et rédemption, and it was published posthumously. My apologies, especially since Alexandre Dumas, fils, probably has a completely different style, which would not be confused with his father's by anyone with half a brain. :o)

Another Photo Post

This first photo was taken a while ago (mid-April or something of the sort). I went for a walk with my sister and took photos along the way. I like the old, gnarled wood and the green of the ivy.


The flower in this next photo is a red peony in our garden. I rather disapprove of peonies, actually. Flowers really shouldn't be so large and heavy unless they have a stem to match. Our pink peonies always seem to be lying on the ground unless we tie them up. Cruelty to plants!


This is our surviving bird house. The other one like it has, I think, fallen apart. Not surprising, considering that the bird houses are outside in all kinds of weather, and considering that they are at least two decades old. Beside the bird house is a rhododendron bush that is now past its prime.


The following photo depicts the club that I made a few years ago. I used my father's lathe to shape it, then I sanded the club and varnished it. The handle is too big, I know, and the club isn't quite straight. Oh well. As long as it fulfills its function . . . >:o)


Finally, a photo of the sun shining through the leaves of a horse chestnut tree. The corner of our little house is visible to the left, if you know where to look. :o)

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Note: All of the above photos are hosted by flickr and edited using Adobe Photoshop.