Polemy Meets Italy

Polemy has arrived in Italy,

The land of opera and linguini,

From space, it resembles a boot,

So many scooters, what a hoot.

Rome is full of broken old ruins,

As well as many very old buildin’s,

Berlusconi, the man often in charge,

Wears Milan Cathedral as a visage.

A beautiful land, full of history,

So much to see for our Polemy,

Ancient Rome taught us so much,

Alas, lessons we now fail to clutch.

Michelangelo, a genius out of place,

Polemy’s sure he’s from outer space,

St Peter’s beauty defies convention,

A design truly from another dimension.

In Tuscany, grow the sweetest vines,

Which are trodden into exquisite wines,

Food and drink, Italy’s wonderful gift,

They feed our spirit and give us a lift.

Venice, is there anywhere more serene,

Romance and passion in every scene,

An artist’s paradise, a lovers’ delight,

Brilliant by day, enchanting at night.

Poverty lurks beneath this special place,

Can beauty and despair share such space,

A question Polemy must now contemplate,

On Rah Free Tutu, his answer they await.

Italy, land of hope and inspiration,

Galileo, Da Vinci, both born of this nation.

We must learn from these minds of beauty,

And pass to the children, it’s our solemn duty.

Germany will be the next place to visit,

No shortage there of truly great spirit,

A history full of painful contradictions,

Polemy must grasp its many lessons.

Liberty-lite, Not-Quite Equality, Frighternity

Emperor Sarkozy says the burqa is not welcome in France.  Now a French parliamentary commission has said that, "the wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable." The commission called for a ban on the wearing of the burqa in public places; this follows a six month study and apparently testimony from 180 "experts".  France has Europe's biggest Muslim population, numbering some 6 million; the French Interior Ministry estimates that only 1900 women in France actually wear the full veil.  I would like to meet these modern day Spartans in their burqas who alone can "challenge the republic".

According to some reports in France, less than 400 women wear the full veil, leading the influential French newspaper, Le Monde, to state in an editorial that,"Do we need to legislate for fewer than 400 people, legislate for an exception? ... Given the risks, including the stigmatization of Islam ... the answer is no,".  Bien sur, Le Monde.

Evidently the Emperor-lite Sarkozy believes that the wearing of the veil is a symbol of subservience; his answer is to encourage a legally enforceable ban on women from wearing the veil.  Sarkozy does not appear to be reticent about dealing with Saudi Arabia, where the full veil is predominantly worn and expected.  According to an article in November 2009 in the Saudi Gazette, "King Abdullah paid an official visit to Paris in July 2007 and President Sarkozy has visited the Kingdom in January 2008 and again this month.  France has been a considerable source of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the oil-exporting Gulf region in the past decade. FDI flows into Saudi Arabia from France surged five-fold between 2000 and 2008 to 1.41 billion euros in 2008, according to data of France's central bank, Banque de France"

Whether it be in Saudi Arabia, Iran or France, the decision to wear the burqa or full veil must be the choice of the woman and hers alone; Governments, wherever they may be, have no place and should have no role in such matters.  In fact, no one should coerce or otherwise seek to influence a woman's choice of clothing, women are more than capable of making such decisions for themselves.  Princes, Mullahs, little emperors, and French parliamentarians, kindly take note.


The manufactured issue of the full veil in France has nothing to do with concerns about woman's freedom and has everything to do with  typical attempts by French politicians bereft of principles or ideas to whip up anti-Muslim hysteria to further their political objectives.  Let us not forget that in the first round of the French Presidential election in April 2002, the fascist candidate, Jean Marie Le Pen polled 17% of the popular vote coming second to Chirac's 20%.  So shamed by the first round outcome, the French voted in droves for the politically damaged Chirac in the second round, and he romped home with 82% of the vote.

We can only hope that the French electorate will feel equally shamed by this latest example of xenophobia and follow Le Monde's advice and reject the parliamentary commission's blatantly repressive proposals to ban the veil. Vive la liberté.

Between Us and the Devil

There are a few things in the news in recent days which should give us pause to consider the meaning of, 'moral courage'.  In no particular order.....

At last, an entity of considerable substance, Google, has  appeared to take a stand against Chinese censorship in general, and, in particular, alleged cyber-attacks by China-linked entities against Google servers in the US and against other US technology companies.  For too long, Governments and the private sector have been too willing to turn a blind eye in China for fear of compromising their position in the perceived lucrative Chinese market.  Now Google has said it will cease censoring its search results in China and is prepared to withdraw from the market.  It seems from reports in the media that the two original founders of Google, Brin and Page, have been influential in Google's latest moves; they allegedly have always been personally troubled by Google's earlier agreement to censor its results in China.  Whether driven by moral imperatives or otherwise, Google's stand is refreshing and important, and it is to be hoped that others follow their lead.

Microsoft, in the persons of Gates and Ballmer, have been rather churlish in their reaction to Google's announcement.  They have both apparently said that many countries have questionable laws and practices.  About Google's stance, Gates told the New York Times that, "They’ve done nothing and gotten a lot of credit for it".  Gates went on, “Now, if Google ever chooses to pull out of the United States, then I’d give them credit.”  Google has 66% of the US search market, Microsoft has 11%; enough said.  Gates's remarks show that there is an important difference between 'intelligence' and common sense - I have always felt that the latter is far more valuable than the former.

China lies at the epicentre of the world's counterfeiting industry and has elevated the stealing of intellectual property into what amounts to national policy.  (Microsoft, more than many companies has suffered lost revenues as a result.)  Underlying such property theft is a broken moral compass, and reflects a deeper malaise in Chinese Government thinking, whether it be IPR, the environment or human rights.  If allowed to go unchecked, unchallenged, and unaltered, we will all reap the whirlwind later.  Go Google.

Two of the UK Government's former and most senior legal officers in the Foreign Office have told the Chilcot enquiry this week that they had advised Jack Straw, former Foreign Secretary, that an invasion of Iraq without a second UN resolution (which was never passed) would be illegal.  One of these officers subsequently resigned from Government as a result of the invasion.  Evidently, Mr Straw (name and nature it seems), ignored their advice - a classic example of the 'barrack room lawyer'.  Earlier, in Mr Straw's testimony to the enquiry, he said that supporting the war was the most difficult political decision of his life.  Apparently, giving up his ministerial privileges (and expenses) and taking a moral stance against an illegal war, was even more difficult.  Mr Straw is now the UK's Justice Minister.....a cruel joke worthy of a Monty Python sketch.

The Guardian has reported this week that the medical records of the late David Kelly, the former UK weapons inspector and expert on Iraq's WMDs or lack thereof, were sealed by Lord Hutton for 70 years.  Hutton is infamous for presiding over the Hutton Enquiry (Whitewash) into Kelly's demise.  It is alleged that Mr Kelly killed himself by slashing his wrists.  According to the Guardian a group of eminent  medical experts are seeking Kelly's medical records and the autopsy results in order to conduct a formal re-examination of the causes of his death.  Evidently, there are few if any medical experts who believe the suicide verdict, in fact, many experts say that it is infeasible that Mr Kelly took his own life.  There may now be a legal challenge as to the basis for Hutton's inexplicable decision to seal the records.  Let us hope that moral rectitude wins out over legal and political expediency and that the real causes of Mr Kelly's sudden death are finally determined.

All of the above are examples of individuals who have 'broken ranks' and stepped forward, against the prevailing current, to say, wait, something is wrong here, and we have to speak out and stop it.

My picture today is a panorama of the tip of Manhattan Island, where once stood proudly those fallen Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre.  What brought them down were individuals driven by hatred and a philosophy devoid of basic humanity; they were destroyed by individuals with no moral compass.  Our individual humanity, and our sense of right and wrong, are all that stands between us and the devil.  As Edmund Burke is alleged to have written, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".

Introducing Polemy

I would like to introduce Polemy, a being not of this world.  Often you read the phrase, 'what would someone from another planet think of us here?'  Well, Polemy is an alien and from time to time we will read of his take on matters Earthly.  To avoid confusion, I would like to clarify that Polemy and I are not related.  While several of my friends and colleagues often say that I came from another planet, I want to assure you that I am the genuine article, and have the 'Counterfeit Made in China' labels to prove it.


Polemy came from Outer Space,
To pay a visit to the Human Race,
Long he’d been a distant observer,
Now it was time to get a lot closer.

But first he had to pick his landing,
Many options seemed so inviting,
Bagdhad with planes and pyrotechnics,
Or maybe Westminster’s funny antics.

But to Paris he opts first to descend,
To sample the latest Gallic trend,
He’s noticed France likes to stand aloof,
To look down on others from their roof.

But the roof is cracking and full of gaps,
Seems the French are prone to mishaps,
Their Emperor Sarkozy is short on inches,
An aspiring Napoleon in modern britches.

He hears the French love cordon bleu,
Polemy thinks it’s those boys in blue,
He finds it means smelly fancy cheeses,
Leaves the plate, unaided, in little pieces.

They don’t eat cheese on Rah Free Tutu,
Polemy’s distant home in galaxy Ululu,
Eating discarded, as his race ascended,
Catastrophe had struck, no food resulted.

And next Italy, site of Ancient Rome,
He’s consulted Gibbon’s weighty tome,
In a blink of an eye he could elulu there,
But he wants to be a regular commuter.

Crash and Burn or Crash and Learn

Markets came crashing down in 2008,
Banks teetered, for some it was too late,
Life savings ruined, millions left jobless,
In came Government, to save the hapless.

And what was the cause of such a calamity,
Is there an explanation for this unreality?
Boom and bust, is it simply a law of nature,
Should we seek a more enlightening picture?

Unbridled lending fuelling property prices,
Bonuses from derivatives and hedging devices,
Greed, ambition stoking the market circus,
A financial house of cards, devoid of purpose.

Now the cycle of greed is upon us again,
For lending to real business, we wait in vain,
Bankers smiling, stock markets are booming,
The creation of new jobs, Oh that’s not moving.

Politicians prattle about new tough regulation,
No lessons learned, renewed market speculation,
Bankers cry foul, their bonus and salaries off limits,
It wasn’t me Guv, it’s simply the market’s forces.

Economic fundamentals remain largely the same,
The basic causes of crisis, nobody ready to tame,
Another financial implosion is inevitably in view,
But few Governments will be able to repeat a rescue.

How can we stop the cycle of greed and destruction?
Wrought by so few on many more than ten million.
Irresponsibility and greed must not be rewarded,
Sound money and common sense instead to be lauded.

We wait to see if politicians can step up to the task,
Unfortunately that is a very hopeful and unlikely ask,
Those time servers who presided over the last disaster,
Have hung on like leeches to their positions of power.

Cleaning house is our only long-term answer,
Proper regulation of markets, the other partner,
Creation of value not speculation, the principle,
Sustainable economic growth will then be invincible.


This first picture is the aftermath of the tsunami in Thailand in 2005, a real natural disaster; the re-building has begun.

This next picture a somewhat allegorical take on Wall Street versus Main Street; I leave you to decide who is who!

An Imperative Burden

Global warming, a somber warning,
Scientist’s predictions, the ice caps melting,
Winter in summer and freakish storms,
Our own eyes tell us to heed the alarms.

The first world started this inevitable rot,
The third world is now part of the sorry plot,
Consumption and greed driving us to the brink,
But many vested interests don’t like the stink.

China and India burning too much dirty coal,
First world status is their primary goal,
They cry the West did it first, should we bother,
We want what you’ve got, the Earth no matter.

The West, have they set an example to follow,
Of course not, politicians’ concern, utterly hollow,
Headlong we rush to an abyss of spurious plenty,
Our grandchildren face a planet soulless and empty.

Our leaders gathered in pomp in Copenhagen,
Supposedly to ensure the planet is our haven,
A treaty to protect the environment, not a chance,
All we got was a dirty deal and a political dance.

The clock is ticking, our children's future at stake,
Self-destruction, we cannot fail to put on the brake,
The politicians too weak to face their responsibility,
It is up to all of us to perform our solemn duty.

We the consumers, who must say enough is plenty,
This time Governments cannot come up empty,
Legislation and technology must be put in place,
To safeguard the future of the Human Race.

All of us must state our message loud and clear,
And shout it in every official and politician’s ear,
This time we cannot take no for an answer,
Public and private sector must heed our stricture.

It is our moral duty towards planet and children,
To our generation falls this imperative burden,
We dare not fail to succeed in this historic mission,
A Planet Clean, Safe and Secure – our Shining Vision.

The Iraq Enquiry

A post which combines a Polemic with a Poem.

They went to war to find those WMDs,
Or perhaps for a regime more to please,

Maybe it was to smash and grab lots of oil,
They dropped beaucoup bombs on foreign soil.

Now the inevitable hunt for whom to blame,
There were no WMDs, the excuses so lame,
Civilians and soldiers dead, the place in pieces,
But the lies and fabrication just increases.

Chilcot presides over the Iraq Enquiry,
But the politicians have lost their diary,
“I don’t recall” any discussion of this or that,
I was too busy claiming expenses on my flat.

Messrs Campbell and Powell come and go,
We none the wiser, what do they really know,
Dodgy dossiers, fictitious claims all abound,
Anyone owning up – definitely not a sound.

We wait for Blair and Brown to speak,
As if that will mean the facts will leak,
But the dead are making the loudest cry,
They demand truth from A People’s Jury.

Are we to get some truth rarer than WMDs,
Or another Whitehall wash, Chilcot will appease,
But for Bush and Blair, there will be a reckoning,
Sooner or later, Truth always comes haunting.

Panoramas

Another of my favourite things are panoramas, I could have added this to my Blog title, but I believe that three Ps is enough.  These two pictures are with the Zeiss ZF 21mm Distagon F2.8 a legend amongst lenses.

 

Black Holes and Markets

Goldman Sachs have predicted (http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/) a bumper year for equities in 2010, when will they ever learn, the answer is blowin' in the wind. I fear that the markets are headed for another black hole, none of the fundamentals which caused the crisis in 2008/2009 have changed. And the banks are about to reward themselves with record bonuses - now that the taxpayer has bailed them all out. As for black holes.......

HAWKING

There was a man called Hawking,
Who loved to spend time thinking,
One day he said there are black holes,
And not the kind made by moles.

Hawking said they were in outer space,
To find them the astronomers now race,
Trouble is you cannot see black nothing,
But so far it hasn’t stopped them looking.

One day a spaceship will go and look,
But what awaits it I fear is a giant hook,
A black hole apparently consumes the lot,
The missing ship all that marks the spot.

On the other side of the black nothing,
Can we ever know what is waiting?
Perhaps it will be another universe,
Searching for their cousin-converse.

First Poem

Autumn in St Paul

Lovely Autumn in St Paul de Vence,
The sun so bright, the light so pure,
The sharpness heightens every sense,
The artist’s spirits are stirred once more.

Chagall, Renoir and Picasso are here,
Their souls entwined in every scene,
Inspiration here, there and everywhere,
And all around a peaceful beauty so serene.

A time to savour the passing Summer,
To anticipate Winter, that bridge to Spring,
Every season, brings its own special signature,
To wonder what the new dawns will bring.

The farmers tend to each tiny plot,
Every nook and cranny, something growing,
Fruit, vegetables, nothing is left to rot,
Generations before them always sowing.

The sky is clear, promenades are crowded,
Couples hand in hand, the dogs are strolling,
Cyclists, roller bladers, we are surrounded,
Snowy Alps, Azur Med, opposite and enchanting.

The endless sea washes onto pebbled beach,
The constant swishing soothes and reassures,
Sails and planes float just beyond our reach,
Africa just out of sight beyond these shores.

A fascinating and contrasting place to be,
A crossroads for peoples of every religion,
Constantly changing but always that sea,
To unite us, that blue ribbon, its endless mission.

I Love My Zeiss 50mm

Another couple with the D3S and Zeiss 50 mm F2 Makro.  The shot of the hanging decorative ball shows off three things: the clean picture at 1600 ISO from the D3S; and the colour rendition and '3D' depth and feel you can get with this lens.

 

First Polemic Post

A very good article today in the International Herald Tribune by Thomas L Friedman - "What's Our Sputnik?" - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/17/opinion/17friedman.html.  He is posing the question of what should be the US's Big Project - compete with China or confront Al Qaeda.  In fact, Sputnik led inexorably to Kennedy's moon landing declaration and all that entailed.  And, to plagiarise Jim Lovell, going to the moon was no miracle, America, "just decided to do it".  NASA obliged, they built a wrench big enough and moved the world.  And today, well, Obama must follow through his rhetoric, make the US energy independent from oil, especially Middle East oil, and a range of problems from greenhouse gases to Al Qaeda will be solved in the process.  We just have to "decide to do it" and build a big enough wrench.  And as for China, it needs to decide between greed and ego on one side, or sustainable and equitable development on the other.  More later.

First Picture Post

A couple of pictures with my brand new Nikon D3S coupled with the Zeiss ZF 100mm and 50mm Planar Makro manual focus lenses.  What a great combination.  The amazing high ISO capability of the D3S opens up all sorts of new possibilities for low light photography.  But these two shots illustrate the colour rendition and sharpness of the ZF Makro lenses even in non-macro mode.  By the way, that's not me in the photo, but another shutterbug I spotted in the park.