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November 23rd, 2009
01:31 am - On the subject of... ehm, whom am I kidding?
Greetings everyone;
It's indeed a great honour to appear here after, ehm, 1,5 year? And address you as if nothing has happened and start to whine about life in general and some of its aspects in particular, because that is what the LJ is for.
OK. To keep the matters simple.
Still working in the same place as before. My students being no better than before and me being no better teacher.
Doing less and less writing, both professionally and as a hobby, in the very moment I really need to write some things. Seems that the more I need it, the less it comes. Of course, as Stephen King has put it, the Muse is somebody you need to dig out, or possibly drag out, screaming and kicking and set it to work. The problem is I don't feel like I'm having anything worth saying to anybody.
But you know? Just today - because I had many more important things to do - I found some of my old stories and had a bit of fun reading them. Yes, I know, it's like laughing at one's own jokes. And so what? I'm old enough so I can admit I like sweets and bad literature. Oh - and I prefer sweet wines over dry ones, too!
Continuing my memory tour, I dropped to Fictionalley for the first time in two years, or rather more, and would you believe it! I had and Owl, almost fresh (ok, a month old, but still in comparison, it's comparatively fresh) from a guy who want to translate Durmstrang, 1951 to Russian.
Yes, I know, I'm being vane, but it cheered me up more than anything in months.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/angry.gif) frustrated
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January 14th, 2008
12:43 am - On the subject of important announcements
I'm still alive!
Yes I am, and this's the "(semi)important announcement."
I don't even want to think how many of you have dropped me from the f-lists and no wonder. Countless of times I was to write something, only to have something else to do. and so it went...
Now for the bad news: I have lost all my contacts and emails from the past few years, which were stored at my account - I haven't logged for a long time and the account has been "cleaned". All the texts I kept elsewhere so no losses here, but I have no contacts to all of you now.
Feels weird.
Life feels weird in general lately.
Oh, and a belated Happy New Year to You ALL!
Current Music: the good, the bad and the ugly
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October 9th, 2007
09:06 pm
Short quiz
1. In the middle of 20th cent. there was a large complex of political, economical and social events of a global character. What could it be?
2. Additional question for the above: among participating states (except for Japan and China) there were also USA, Soviet Union and even Poland. Does it ring a bell?
3. When did Second World War end?
4. And when did it start?
5. How much is 39+6?
6. Are you sure?
7. Are you really sure? Please think again.
8. If there are oil pipelines between Sawdy Arabya* and China, what countries they pass through?
9. What is the name of northeastern neighbour of Saudi Arabia, which for the last few years featured prominently in most of the news in media?
10. There is a minority region in China, which is almost proverbial and almost always mentioned in China+minority context. Aditionally, a year ago there was an important transportation line built there, which was described in most of the newspapers. What it could be?
11. What is the name of south-eastern neighbour of China, which is the only place where there can be a large scale-border conflict, which can even – according to some more alarmist media – escalate into a global war?
( Answers )
Current Mood: grumpy
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September 15th, 2007
September 12th, 2007
11:08 pm - On the subject of after-exam blues....
Only - fortunately - not really.
We survived pretty well and finished after 10+ hours with half an hour lunch break in good shape and without splitting headache I had feared.
There was a bunch of good guys and some true illiterates (cultural; possibly for real, too), who after claiming to be extremely interested in e.g. India, answered the question of "So what was the last book you read about it?" with "Eeeee..."
We got one person who got a BA in Japan studies elsewhere without knowing who the hell was Eisai Dogen, which equalls being European studies graduate, but having no knowledge about the existence of Aristotle.
No funny stuff, though - no exam-humour to put down. The closest came one of the examiners asking "When did the Vikings landed in Japan?" to which the examinee almost said she didn't know the exact date :)
A friend of mine who was examining for post-graduate translator studies found out one Polish literature graduate unaware of the full name of the country she lived all her life. My friend (a lecturer of Polish literature department) was quite ashamed in front of the other department teachers, but who the hell is checking if the uni students know their country name!?
And that's all, folks.
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02:16 am - On the subject of good prospects
The title is ironical, because tomorrow we will examine 75 people at one go. Go us! I guess - since some of them are going to study Near East and some Far East, we will organize them in batches:
"Half a dozen Near-Easterners needed! Line up!"
And while they're examined, we far-easterners will sneak to have lunch...
In the other news, cold and rainy. Music's good, though*
Anybody for a quick beta of two short Snape-stories? I'm just too ashamed to ask Sergeant again...
Speaking of the wolf, make a trip to her page and read Day of Wrath, not only it's because this time of the year, but because it's one hell of a good story.
*So called schizophraeniac associations
Current Music: Yoko Kanno's GITS_SAC OST2
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September 2nd, 2007
09:45 am - On the subject of ukiyo-e
I stumbled across nice page-gallery of Japanese woodblock prints (not only ukiyo-e), I thought I'd share it: click on the picture to go to the place:
Oh, and if you wondered about the origins of tentacle pron, go here (not very work safe, mind you).
Current Music: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi OST
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August 31st, 2007
10:06 pm - On the subject of names or is JKR a smartass?
Wow, I'm spamming today...
Prompted by the small exchange on Kennahijja's LJ whether Gellert (Grindelwald) is a German name (the disputants decided that it's not), I went to investigate (i.e. used the Google). If the info below is correct, and probably it is, a new question arises - is JKR smartassing again?
Hungarian form of GERARD. Saint Gellért was an 11th-century missionary to Hungary who was martyred by being thrown into the Danube.
Hungarian name, German surname. Not surprising and consistent with historical reality, because for a centuries there were large colonies of Germans in Hungary, especially in Siebenbürgen region - so called Siebenbürger Sachsen.
Since the country of Siebenbürgen is well-known for its magical connections, I smell a huge, brown rat (Rattus norvegicus var. veneficus).
So, did Gellert simply sounded good, or JKR hinted us again? Telltaling names are her speciality, afer all.
Fanficcing possibilities galore!
Apologies if the subject has been discussed long time ago.
Current Music: Hisaishi - Nausicaa OST
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August 23rd, 2007
02:17 am - On the education inside the armed circle
Below you'll find a translation, pretty faithful, of the article from one our weekly magazines. The issue is not new, has been already discussed, but no changes are visible so far and the prospects are bleak :(
Translation at Polishpress-wordpress blog:
Israeli teenagers are a nuisance in Poland
Original article:
Młodzi Izraelczycy rozrabiają w Polsce.
Of the issues discussed, the most important is the programme of the trips. Indeed, one could hardly expect that such trip would encompass regular sightseeing, or that the teenagers, who have just visited a death camp would be merrily going to see pictures in museums. However limiting the trips to the death camp etc. does impose the impression Poland is but a huge graveyard.
Unfortunately, as some of the Israeli historians stated, the trip programmes very much reflect the history-teaching in Israel. Of ca. 50 hours devoted to the history of Holocaust, four discussed the history before the Holocaust. Not diminishing the significance of the Holocaust, both as a tragedy in itself, and as a founding myth [1] of modern Israel, it means that the history teaching is badly skewed. E.g. in the case of Poland, Jews lived here for 700+ years and formed one of the most active and culturally important communities [2]. Cramming such history in four hours is impossible to the point of senselessness.
Basically, those kids are coming here, knowing nothing about the place, and they are herded by armed personnel from one execution place to another. They have no chance to experience anything by themselves; the security level must remind them of the dangers at home. Since at home they really may be shot at, or having a bomb thrown at them, therefore they (even if only subconsciously) believe here is the same. Add all those graveyards around and one can be sure they'll leave with the strong impression they visited a Jewish hell.
In which their forefathers lived happily [3] for few hundreds years, but this they will not know.
At the bottom of the problem lies, of course, politics.
The incidents with Israeli bodyguards, as described in the article, are minor, but they serve as a good illustration. Our state would be able to enforce "no firearms" rule upon the bodyguards, or even replace them mostly with Polish personnel. They choose not to do so. Doing so would mean a (minor) clash with Israeli. If the Israeli, fearing attacks, suspended the trips, the ruckus would be major: "Poles [read: antisemites] do not allow Jewish young learn their history!"
The second reason is that although Poland is relatively safe country and in terms of terrorist attacks one of the safest (so far) places in the world, our authorities are scared shitless of "what would happen, if..."
No matter if the incident was minor (a drunken brawl and somebody punched in the pub) or major (it is not impossible for Hezbollah to send a guy over here with a "package") one, the press (especially the French one, I bet [4]) would have a field day with "Poles [read: antisemites] attacking Jews... again!" That the perpetrators were drunken Brits from a stag party? Who cares if the story's good...
Therefore nobody does anything.
There does not seem to be a good solution, short of long and painstaking negotiations and soliciting help from those Israeli who came here on their own, moved around without any guards and have seen not only grandfather's grave, but also the house he lived in and the school he attended. Or those who attended Jewish Culture Festival. Or others.
Hardly a chance for that with our current "competent" Foreign Office. Sigh. Big sigh.
Notes:
[1] "Founding myth" - it doesn't mean I doubt it happened! I use it in the sense of something, which one almost uncosciously refer to, as explanatory, basic principle, when thinking of the appearance of modern Israeli state. The actual details of the real historical event are of a secondary importance in such case.
[2] According to an old anegdote, David Ben-Gurion complained once that if not for one Levi from Yemen, they would be able to conduct Knesset proceedings in Polish and not in Hebrew everybody had problems with :)
[3] Comparatively
[4] "Traditional Polish antisemitism" seems to be a common belief there. I think it was Le Figaro who year or so ago hailed Poland as a leading antisemitic country of Europe. The revelation most surprised the members of Polish Jew Council ;)
Current Music: Brothers in Arms
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August 7th, 2007
11:11 pm - On HP, notably on the Death Hallows
A failed metaphor.
I'm not putting in under the cut, because the fact that there is Dolores Umbridge in DH should not be news to anybody.
So I've read HP and the Deathly Hallows and haven't yet reread, neither I have ordered my thoughts about it, therefore just a little nitpick today - a failed amphibian metaphor of JKR.
There is a moment when Dolores Umbridge reaches for something and in the moment she looks so toadlike that Harry is surprised not to see webs between her fingers.
I would be surprised if he saw any, even if she had turned into a real toad on the spot. As everybody (except for JKR, heh, heh) knows, toads do not have webs between fingers of their forepaws, contrary to frogs (water creatures, not French; I have seen a few of the latter without webs, but I won't generalise from these examples.)
And since Dolores reached with her hand (aka forepaw) and not with her toes, no webs in any case.
Sorry, Joanne.
PS. How do you like my new icon? It won't be default.
Current Location: on hollidays
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August 3rd, 2007
04:08 am - On various matters, but notably not on Deathly Hallows
Again long break in posting. Been a bit busy and frankly - slightly afraid of going among HP-crazed people, (yes, I do mean you, m'dear f-list), without reading a book first.
Which - does it make me a bad fan? - it has been sitting on my HD for quite a long time (bless my students!) and I even have a hardcopy at home now. Maybe I just don't want to know it's finished? Because sad as it is, I do not want JKR to break her promise and write HPs upt to the vol. 33, where Harry will fight Dark Lord Alzheimer. In the moments he remembers he should do it, that is.
In the meantime fandom has thrown itself into another batshit crazy, which I missed. On the plus side of it I learnt the word "miscegenation" and its connotations. Please remember, eyebrow-raised folks, that 1. I'm not a native English speaker 2. Neither I'm American. Therefore I'm allowed not to know such things. Bu I will try and learn, as it has just happened.
BTW, merriam-webster online thesaurus doesn't have an entry for "connotation". Weird.
As it appears, f-list, namely you, is more preoccuppied with other matters, often not HP-related, and those who are, are nice about spoilers and cuts.
Following my latest anime-fad, I noticed I can stand much bigger emo-quota, to the point of being cheesy from an anime show, than I would be able from a "normal" film and/or book. Do you have similar experiences? If yes, what is your reason?
Bad news: my good friend's kid seems to be a bit retarded. Hopefuly it's nothing a therapy cannot adjust. She's small (2 yrs old) and often children who have problems at the time but are well taken care for, grow up into absolutely normal people and nobody (except parents) remember they used to have development-related problems once.
Good news: I have reconnected with my old-friend with whom I lost contact over a year ago. Long time ago we both started learning Chinese, because it was such a bautiffuly weird and surreal idea. Now he studies Chinese law at Harvard and I'm a boss of a cultural centre... Life is funny, sometimes.
Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy is pretty good. Yes, I know, old news to everybody and so what? I have avoided the unfortunate man because - apologies to all Nixes around - I considered his pseudonym particularly stupid. Did he ran out of a fantasy book, or what? Only now I learnt it's his reall name and I feel stupid. Trilogy - maybe not a terribly new thing, but few elements were fairly original, and besides, it's well executed. Who needs more?
Well, off to sleep and than back to budget-planning.
Current Music: Hisaishi's "Howl" soundtrack - damned good film music
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July 16th, 2007
04:11 am - On computer illiteracy
In the title I gave the kindest theory
I got an email from one Professor from the Audiovisual Sciences Institute. She was writing an essay about films based on Somerset Maugham's The Painted Veil, which she thought (perhaps correctly, I haven't read it) to be influenced by taoism. She got my mail from a fellow from Japanese department: she was looking for a (possible) Chinese/taoist/taoism influenced author of the book's motto:
"The Painted Veil Which Those Who Live Call Life".
I wrote back, that no, sorry, it's not a well-known quote from any Chinese sage, and without a context I can hardly help her, co maybe she could give me the original quote? (I got a translation).
Immediately after sending the mail - stupid me should have waited a few minutes - I typed "Somerset Maugham wikipedia" into Google, got to the page and followed the link to the next page about The Painted Veil, where I found such info:
The title is taken from Percy Bysshe Shelley's sonnet "Lift Not The Painted Veil Which Those Who Live."
Next, I googled out the title of the sonnet, getting several pages like this one with its full text and found out that the motto is in fact a part of the first sentence.
So I emailed her again, apologising that my original search was misdirected, and I gave her the answer including the two links above.
The big question is: is she computer/internet illiterate? Plain too lazy? Didn't read the book, just watched the movies? Or possibly she was so blinded by her taoist theory she didn't look elsewhere?
If somebody has the book handy, be so kind, check if the motto is captioned and let me know, okay?
ETA: lesson for myself - thou shalt not judge too hard.
I got an enthusiastic email of thanks to my information. I was called "extremely helpful" and "a genius" (hear, hear! and rememeber, too!). She tried the Net and Wikipedia, but missed the links, somehow. The motto was not captioned, probably because the sonnet was too well known, and captioning would constitute a serious offence to readers' intelligence. I think I should wait and become to old for some technical novelties to use them properly and then pass around mean comments about others.
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July 11th, 2007
01:58 am - On Birds of My Place, Part 3, Streptopelia turtur L.
This bird is not exactly "of my place", because I haven't met it nearby my house - however I've observed it (aurally :) within the borders of my city. Therefore I feel justified posting about it.
It's the smallest of our pigeons and being both shy and fond of woods, rather hard to spot. It is, however, quite easy to hear and its voice is both long-ranging and unmistakable. "Turr, turr. Turr, turr." Let me present: Streptopelia turtur aka the turtledove.
The name of course, comes from its voice - these birds have really little to do with turtles. The above picture, although a bit out of focus, still shows the characteristic points rather nicely: generally dark grey coat, with brown upper wings (please note the darker edges of the feathers, important recognition pattern) and stripped patch on the neck.
As most of the pigeons it likes to feed on the ground, is basically an omnivore, eats lots of otherwse unpleasant insects, so is our friend. Suffers great decline in numbers, because large scale agriculture depraves it of its nesting grounds. Also, it's not usually fond of people and rather cannot be found in cities.
The one I met and photographed was not so shy of people, lived somewhere nearby the beach where I was sunbathing and fed on what tourists dropped (breadcrumbs, not towels and rubber slippers, mind you). Our meeting was rather uneventful, with me waiting for the bird to come closer to the camera, but at the same time being in slight hurry to catch the ship, and the bird having its own ideas about time, space and aimless wandering.
Harry Potter would be likely to hear turtledoves turrturing in the woods aournd Hogwarts, and Hermione would be likely to tell him about the bird's nesting, feeding and migrations habits.
Current Music: madlax soundtrack
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July 10th, 2007
04:05 pm - On the subject of cat-lovers...
Sort of...
To prepare you for an avalanche of posts (and I mean BOTH of them :) I post this funny meme, just to break the long silence (for which there was plenty of reasons, but that's another story).
 | You scored as Death, You are death! Reaper of souls! Riding your horse, Binky, with a scythe at hand. Always working, always busy… You sometimes try to socialize with the living, and ALWAYS SPEAK IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
Death | | 69% | The Librarian | | 63% | Commander Samuel Vimes | | 63% | Lord Havelock Vetinari | | 63% | Carrot Ironfounderson | | 44% | Gytha (Nanny) Ogg | | 38% | Rincewind | | 38% | Greebo | | 19% | Cohen The Barbarian | | 19% | Esmerelda (Granny) Weatherwax | | 19% | </td>
Which Discworld Character are you like (with pics)
created with QuizFarm.com |
Sort of...
ETA: the below is no surprise, 'cause I always end up as Hermione, which is no surprise, since I regard "We could have been killed! Or worse: expelled!" to be the best HP one-liner.
Intelligent and insightful, you are a gifted individual, who although may sometimes be buried in academic affairs, is friendly and welcoming.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/mood/classic/smile.gif) refreshed
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May 8th, 2007
12:47 am - On the (im)moral applied anthropology
Thanks to lilyayl, from whom I got the link, I'm reposting here - illegally and violating God knows how many copyrights, but I believe it's worth it - an extremely interesting article about a cultural anthropologist working for US Department of Defense.
There are many ethical issues with regard to such involvement; but I'd strongly defend the position that absolute not-involvement, unhelpfulness (or simple hostility, but that's another matter) usually displayed by social scientists towards the military is at least equally unethical.
Read and discuss.
Montgomery McFate's Mission. Can one anthropologist possibly steer the course in Iraq? by Matthew B. Stannard, San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, April 29, 2007.
We're trying to do something against mealy-mouthed policies that don't hold responsible those scum with Ph.D.'s who stand beside torturers," Gerald Sider, a professor emeritus of anthropology at the City University of New York Graduate Center, snarled to a reporter for Inside Higher Ed.
Sider was interviewed in November at the 105th annual business meeting of the American Anthropological Association in San Jose. The meeting was abuzz over a year-old New Yorker article by Seymour Hersh, alleging that a 1973 book by cultural anthropologist Raphael Patai, "The Arab Mind," might have inspired the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, on the theory that sexually humiliated Arab men would become willing informants.
Hundreds of anthropologists at the business meeting -- the first official quorum in 30 years -- unanimously endorsed a resolution condemning "the use of anthropological knowledge as an element of physical and psychological torture."
But one anthropologist, while sharing her peers' condemnation of torture as immoral and ineffective, worried that some of her colleagues had the wrong response to Abu Ghraib: Don't scold the military, she argued. Educate it.
"If Patai's book had been used correctly, they would never have done that. Because they would have understood that ... you're not going to get intelligence information out of these people, you're going to get them and their families attacking you," she said later. "Half-baked knowledge is sometimes worse than none at all."
She is Montgomery McFate, a Marin County native now at the United States Institute of Peace. For five years, McFate has made it her mission to convince the U.S. military that anthropology can be a more effective weapon than artillery.
( The rest behind the cut, to save space )
Current Music: again Yuki Kajiura's soundtrack
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April 7th, 2007
09:35 pm - On the last events
"Last" being used in the most general sense...
Generally I have quite a lot of work, which does not combine well with my lack of organization and chronic procrastination... unless you want to achieve a sleep deficiency. No, I can't complain, many people work more and cope better - and I have a stable income etc. It's not work - just me ;)
Anyway, I was supposed to teach two regulars courses and a few weekend classes, the latter some in our and some in other department. Then it started to add. First the other department finally decided to have a class they previously were undecided about. This doubled my hours there, plus the subject was relatively new, contemporary China overview.
But then I got a call from my boss that there are four courses to be "inherited" from a professor who is ill, starting next semester. I said fine; first, it was for a private uni, which pays better and I'd gain a foothold there - had I refused they could not ask me again; second, it was a request from my boss, which, albeit informal, was not really to be refused :)
Last, there was plenty of time till next semester (read: October).
Then I met with a guy, with whom I was to share the courses (out of four, he took two and me the other two). And then I realised that since it was during the semester break, my boss hadn't really meant "next" semester (read: the classes start next Thursday).
The panic was complete, when I learnt what exactly where the courses to be about: economic reform in China (not my forte, by long) and APEC . About the latter I knew it existed and was not thrilled to learn more, so I called the dean of the uni and told her, sorry, it's quite abrupt, I'm not prepared, could she consider changing the courses? She was nice about it and I ended up teaching about Taiwan, not APEC.
Altogether I have 18 teaching hours per week, and four lectures, which are new for me. Although I don't have exactly to prepare for all four from the scratch, there are presentations to be made etc. so it takes time. Lots of it. One of the illnesses of our uni-system is the lack of teachers, which gave rise to so-called "train-professors" syndrome. These are guys who hold posts in 3 or 4 universities and in effect spend most of their time in trains, going from place to place. They barely have times for lectures, less for research and still less for their students – the latter being the worst part, because if someone has 40 MA-to-be under his tuition there's no way (s)he can really take care of them, even if (s)he was not travelling all the time. And say nothing about the (dozen +) doctoral candidates.
Now I'm doing the same, only I cycle around one city, am not a professor, and take care only about a dozen or so of BAs-to-be. Call me a bike-doctor.
But seriously, I'm worried a bit; if I start like this right at the beginning, where will it lead me later? On the other hand I'm supposed to be young enough not to complain about too much work :), and money is of course a factor, too. Sigh.
In the other news spring seems to be in full swing. The trees – plums especially – are in full bloom.
Due to – in some part at least – my students who lend me discs, I have watched some anime recently. I'm not a great film fan, always prefer a book, and had deeply ingrained idea "anime=badly drawn, stupid, inane toy-commercials" (which, actually, is not that far from the truth in many cases; Sturgeon's Law strikes again). However, when one looks through top-shelf… The tastes may vary, but review sites do a good job, plus a bit of info from people one knows and it's entirely possible to avoid crap :) Of course, if one starts from e.g. Miyazaki then it's only way down (not quite, true of course), but I still prefer it to wading through lots of crap to find something worthwhile. Life's too short to watch Dashu Kappei-likes (never seen it? consider yourself lucky and don't try).
Last few days I can call anime-immersion (not to mention download-frenzy). Vacation, in other words. I may even be tempted to post a few reviews. For a moment I'll only say that Furi Kuri/FLCL is
- certainly worth watching
- made by people on drugs, and it was either crack or ampha, because such pace is not possible with something tranquilizing like grass.
Fine soundtrack, too. Seriously fucked-up series, but in a good way. I think Tonks-fans would be fascinated, wink, wink. Yes, I mean you too, Gun.
Here is an extended and very positive review.
That's all folks, for a while. See you soon, hopefully.
Current Music: FLCL soundtrack
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04:19 pm - On the Pre-Easter
Happy Easter!
All the best to you folks, and below the cut you'll find some pictures from Lipnica Murowana, where every year, on Palm Sunday, people erect huge "palms" straight to the Heaven (the site is in Polish, but if you click the link at the bottom of the page, the one titled "Konkurs...", you'll find more pics).
( PICS! FOLKLORE!! )
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April 3rd, 2007
11:30 pm - On the subject of myself i.e. wallowing
Still alive. Just so you know.
( Wallowing;proceed at your own risk )
In the other news Noir series soundtrack is very cool.
Current Music: Noir soundtrack
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January 28th, 2007
02:44 pm - On meme's (because I have more important things to do...
From fpb.
Comment on this entry and I will...
1) Tell you why I friended you
2) Associate you with a song/movie
3) Tell a random fact about you
4) Tell a first memory about you
5) Associate you with an animal/fruit
6) Ask something I've always wanted to know about you
7) Show you my favourite user pic of yours
8) In retort, you MUST spead this disease in your LJ
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