9x9 (13. 585)

hospitalithings: a quiet, meticulous observation of common objects found in lodgings—via Nag on the Lake  

aka vlogging: Hank Green interviews Ze Frank (previously) about the YouTube format he pioneered, advising discomfort to put ideas out into the world—via Waxy  

yes, yes, very good—thank you for self-identifying as a short-sighted rube and saving us the trouble: the US constitution us for simple folk still burdened by the belief that words have meaning  

llog: Victor Henry Mair, sinologist and frequent Language Log contributor has passed away, aged 83  

new posting: an interactive map charting the careers of civil servants managing the bureaucracy of the British Empire—via Map Mania  

alignment chart: a cross-over of Chekhov’s Gun, Schrödinger’s Cat, Occam’s Razor and Murphy’s Law

in an instant: the last Polaroid factory in the world is in the Dutch town of Enschede 

bilberry buns: a Polish pastry gets its own holiday  

ozzy’s ozzy is a unique case: observations from a celebrity impersonator cruise—via Kottke 

portu ii (13. 482)

 

For our last full day in Corsica, we returned to Porto (Portu)—the harbour of the community of Ota, located higher up on the cliffs, and enjoyed a longer stroll around the marina, watching the waves break against the rocks at the foot of the Torregiana, the fifteenth century fortified watchtower to rebuff piracy. 

Marvelling also at the mountains that just a bit inland gave us the sense of being in a massive crater, we descended to the roiling rapids of the stream to the so called Grotto of the Serpents, a cave whose weathered features certainly can conjure up all sorts of phantasms.

 

 

synchronoptica

one year ago:  Gideon v Wainwright (with synchronopticæ), the Carpenters in space (1978) plus Star Trek: TOS’ disappointing final episode

fourteen years ago: more EU budgetary shortfalls plus Mid-Century Modern textile patterns 

fifteen years ago: public-facing websites 

sixteen years ago: social media and SharePoint 

seventeen years ago: eavesdropping 

bocca di verghiu (13. 476)

Passing again through the Spelunca gorge, we drove the highest mountain pass on the island, linking the two Corsican départments of Sud-Corse in the west and Haute-Corse in the east. The forested way tops out at an impressive elevation of 1470 metres but the surrounding snowcapped peaks, Punte Licciola, are much higher than the col of the Rotondo massif. A monumental statue of Christ Roi by Corsican sculptor Noël Bonardi stands at the summit of the ascent (the previous picture is of a smaller shrine with votive offerings at the gorge at the foot of the mountain).

The profusion of yellow blossoms are shrubs called immortelle (Helichrysum stoechas, the straw flower or common shrubby everlasting or the curry plant for the smell it excudes whilst moisture-proofing for the summer) for their reputation for hardiness and medicinal properties. The twelfth day of the month of Vendémiaire of the French Revolutionary calendar is named after the plant and generally corresponds to 3 October.

synchronoptica

one year ago:  Trump Always Chickens Out (with synchronopticæ) plus assorted links to revisit

fourteen years ago: language acquisition plus US and Israel launch a cyberattack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure

fifteen years ago: plutocracy plus the US unveils its Cyber Command

sixteen years ago: language translation with context 

seventeen years ago: a surfeit of pillows 

stradi di e calanchi (13. 468)

Travelling west down the Route of the Calanques, narrow, steep coastal inlets, along the Gulf of Porto, passing many fantastical and breathtaking rock formations along the way, negotiating on-coming traffic, tour buses and those parked in the middle of the single carriageway road to marvel at the view, we stopped at the entrance to a hiking trail that began with the monolithic Tête du Chien (Head of the Dog). We progressed along a mostly forested path through a landscape that was at times otherworldly, like this hollowed out boulder that resembled Yoda’s dwelling on Dagobah, following an ancient trail used by mules and required some climbing to reach the cliff top called Castellu di Ghineparu—not a castle but a plateau with incredible vistas of the Mediterranean and valley below. 

Afterwards we went on to the small village of Piana, listed among France’s most beautiful and dating from its rebuilding in late fifteenth century, caught up it the territorial struggle between the Republics of Pisa and Genoa centuries before and abandoned and falling into disrepair—only resettled once Genoa took control of the whole island and were motivated to keep the Barbary pirates at bay. 

As with the whole of Corsica, during World War II, it was a stronghold of the resistance and Piana was a staging location for the covert Opération Pearl Harbour in 1942 to arm and organise and prevent the Axis powers from obtaining another base of operation in the region, sponsored with coordination by the American’s and codenamed for the attack in Hawaiʻi from the year before. In the centre of the village is l’Église l’Assomption (Ghjesgia di l’Assunta) dedicated to Sainte-Maire with multiple shrines.

synchronoptica

one year ago: the engineering of wine bottles (with synchronopticæ), closed-captioning plus a return to the Saale valley

seventeen years ago: climate change mitigation 

drôme (13. 455)

For the second leg of our journey, we stayed outside of Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, a commune of the Drôme near the city of Lyon. I liked this new take of bird on a wire that greeted us at the campsite—drunk in a midnight choir. Lying on the forty-fifth parallel, equidistant from the equator and the North Pole, the department fed by the river Rhône has been since prehistory the fruit-growing region of France.

It is also the birthplace of sainted bishop Hugh of Grenoble, invoked against headaches for reasons, and cofounder of the Carthusian order.

synchronoptica

one year ago: antique perfume bottle blueprints (with synchronopticæ), fake books by real authors, German troops deployed to Lithuania plus Trump meets with his South African counterpart

twelve years ago: a trip to Tuscany 

thirteen years ago: Bayesian logic  

fourteen years ago: a devastating earthquake in Italy plus weed-killer in Germany

sixteen years ago: delicate constitutions plus missing links and living fossils

lac de la seigneurie (13. 454)

Just crossing the border from Germany, our first camping pitch on the first leg of our trip was a brief overnight stay in the village of Leval in the historic Territoire de Belfort in the region of Alsace. Through primarily agricultural, the soil is impermeable and dotted with ponds (étangs) like this one at the edge of the campground called Lac de la Seigneurie—which incidentally was up for sale—or at least assumption of a lease—including a lakeside restaurant. The abundance of poppies reminded me how certain cultivars bloom with different tints according to the composition of the earth and the scientific papāver (papaverous meaning pertaining to poppies and opium dens and thus sleep inducing) name from the Latin for the colour of a flame and was the chief term for something orange before Europeans were acquainted with the citrus fruit— which seems particularly resonant again with the perennial unacademic myth once more circulating that Homer was colourblind or that the Greeks in general couldn’t distinguish between blue and green.

 

bergstadt bamberg (13. 398)

Called the Frankonian Rome for its seven hill, each crowned with a church, we made our way into town via a short bus ride—a first for the dogs who handled it pretty well—hoping that the holiday crowd would have dissipated somewhat, but the the city was full and lots was going on for a fair-weather weekend. 

There is an absolute embarrassment of sites to see in the Old Town, so we had to limit ourselves to a nice stroll in the Alt Stadt and ended up at old brewery, treated to another live band, this time a klezmer group with clarinets and accordion. A quick tour, even a whistle-stop one of the main attractions along the canals, also with comparisons to another Italian jewel with Klein Venedig, do not do it justice. We did manage however to pay some homage to the Altes Rathaus, designed in the mid-eighteenth century to mark the boundary between the hilly part of the town and the collection of islands in the Regnitz that coincides with the limits of the bishopric and secular district of the town, legend holding that the ecclesiastics were to stingy to afford the citizenry land for a town hall, so an artificial island was improvised, Venice-style.

 

hypothecated tax (13. 297)

Though the US air travel industry faces chaos and imminent collapse as the government shutdown of a single agency, the Department of Homeland Security to force reform in enforcement practises, surpassing a month in duration—ICE agents themselves unaffected by the lapse in appropriations and the insertion of untrained helpers, whom are being paid, is only adding injury to insult—with unpaid transportation security agents and screeners unable to keep showing up for work uncompensated, not only unable to afford basic necessities but also fuel for their commute to and from work more costly—there was a funding mechanism outside of congress to specifically pay for the TSA within the massive department created in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. A service fee of up to eleven dollars was added to the ticket price of each American domestic fight and a pooled airport fee paid by carriers in order to offset costs enhanced flight security—this process of ring-fencing also known as the above, wherein a specific surcharge, say for the flying public, tv taxes to support public broadcasters or historically seaports to fund the navy is earmarked for a specific service rather than directed to the coffers of the general fund. In times of relative stability, this revenue, however, tends to get raided by legislators and put to different use, as was the case with the passenger fee, the funding stream redirected in 2013 to help pay off the national debt, a higher political priority at the time. As the situation worsens for flyers and agents, the money cannot be restored without the intervention of congress, at the same impasse that’s holding up funding, and until compromised is reached—which also requires the approval of the president who has announced refusal to sign any bill into law unless it includes election reform as well—it is likely to only degrade further before it gets better, with more absenteeism, quitting and the summer travel season, including an expected influx of visitors for the World Cup.

telegraphed intent (13. 152)

Following on the heels of memoryholing the CIA World Factbook and aligned with the revisionist history (altering the narratives for the January Sixth storming of the Capitol and the COVID-19 pandemic) and erasure of the administration, the US State Department is removing all social media postings made the on the platform formerly known as Twitter prior to Trump’s return to office at the end of January last year. Taken down from public view, the foreign ministry assures that travel advisories, programmes, press releases and images (from department leadership as well as individual missions and the accounts of ambassadors) will be archived internally and can be accessed through a FOIA request should anyone be demotivated to see what’s aged well and what has not—messaging from Trump’s first term included as well as posts from the Obama and Biden years. Less ideological and more for controlling the message moving forward, systematically eliminating and forging the inconvenient historical documents to match state propaganda, according to reporting, it’s as of yet unclear whether this daily record of diplomacy will disappear from other platforms as well. More from NPR at the link above.

7x7 (13. 112)

les chansons de bilitis: a century old literary hoax of a fictional lesbian poet incited dialogue and reevaluation on the genuine figure of Sappho and queerness in antiquity  

apt mascot: a manufacturing error created the Cry-Cry Horse and its popularity for the Lunar New Year has prompted suppliers to reinstate the stitching mistake  

tam o’shanter: a poem for Sunday’s Burns Night  

ts and cs apply: new updated user agreement for US TikTok draws scrutiny regarding its privacy policy, including sexual orientation, mental health and immigration status  

coming attractions: an imagined trailer for Star Trek: Voyage to Vengeance as directed by Quentin Tarantino 

the disappointed tourist: an elegy to lost places  

composition yellow, blue, black red and white: reevaluating the cross-dressing Cornish artist Marlow Moss whose work influenced that of Piet Mondrian—via Kottke

synchronoptica

one year ago: jazz artist Keith Jarrett (with synchronopticæ), a Bolivian abundance festival, assorted links to enjoy plus Trump pledges to overhaul federal emergency response agency

thirteen years ago: the assassination of Caligula 

twelve years ago: impending base closures and a reduction in US forces 

sixteen years ago: relaxing US campaign financing reforms plus petty kingdoms 

6x6 (13. 005)

jabrael shelbys: Afghan morality police arrest a troupe of young men for dressing like characters from Peaky Blinders for “promoting alien culture”  

holiday inn: the hidden history behind the 1942 Irving Berlin staple “White Christmas,” composed at the La Quinta hotel 

trump derangement syndrome: US president roundly condemned for his disparaging, disgusting remarks on the murder of Rob Reiner and wife Michelle, who photographed him for his Art of the Deal jacket—there is no line for that meathead and his followers  

the internet of beings: proprioception and web-enabled organs  

do you see what i see: tales of Winter Wonderland disasters  

cultural ambassadors: individuals from seventy countries offer their best imitations of US tourists—see also

synchronoptica

one year ago: suggestions for what US president Joe Biden could do with his remaining weeks (with synchronopticæ) plus more on vexillology

twelve years ago: a history of coffee bans plus a periodic table of cheese

thirteen years ago: slips and sits plus Bad Neustadt all decked out for the holidays 

fourteen years ago: poinsettias plus FACTA coming into force

sixteen years ago: the psychology of secret societies 

life kit wrapped (13. 004)

Though I often make a mental bookmark to go back and read NPR’s self-help studies and similar resources for pro-tips, those best intentions are seemingly always OBE (overcome by events), so we appreciated this year-end digest with practical advice ranging from mental well being, home economics, and travel planning—including seeking out local look-alike alternatives—see previously, if your first choice is beyond your budget.

6x6 (12. 994)

helm of awe: taboos, tattoos and load-bearing iconography  

esta: the White House will vet the social media history of tourists from visa-free countries  

🕯️: holiday borders and decorative elements from an old Ricatype catalogue  

forty winks: sleep habits in the animal kingdom—see previously  

association football: Trump suggests changing the America name for the sport from soccer (with adjustments to current franchises) ahead of co-hosting the World Cup with Canada and Mexico  

water of the sky: two thousand Japanese words for rain—see previously

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links worth revisiting (with synchronopticæ) plus parental guidance suggested

thirteen years ago: people in space right now  

fourteen years ago: the 2012 US presidential race a year out 

riquewihr i (12. 764)

Just a few hundred metres’s stroll from the campgrounds, we crossed the Route des Vins winding through the valleys and explored the ancient village of Riquewihr, preserved in essentially the same state since the sixteenth century. Founded in the 700s as a demesne (Landgut, Dömaine) by a Frankish feudal lord called Richo (Richo’s villa), defensive walls and towers were erected and was granted city- and market-rights in the early fourteenth century, eventually purchased by the dukes of Württemberg across the Rhein.

Charming and picturesque with its half-timbered architecture and cobblestone streets, it is a bit over-touristed—like some other places we’ve made return trips to lately, but not overwhelmingly so, with the day-trippers still secondary to the economic activity of viniculture. We took a break from the crowds and hiked in the vineyards on the foothills of the Vosges for a nice overview, having not planned our vacation with the starting of the Riesling harvest.

synchronoptica

one year ago: ranking the gods (with synchronopticæ), Chilean Antarctica plus more brief papacies

fourteen years ago: proprietary geographic protections, illustrating Tarantino plus if the service is free then you are the product

fifteen years ago: more dragnet surveillance from the US plus a trip to Prague

sixteen years ago: an antiquated, nasty habit