palabra jot

Just as the kingdoms of Heaven and the Earth were already careening in directions unknown with the confluence of Martin Luther’s critical and revolutionary stance, Henry VIII’s dissention that led to the Anglican confession, the discovery of the New World materialising and successive plagues picking off large swaths of the impious and faithful alike, the event that probably shook the foundations of the Church the most was a conciliatory bearing, a compromise characterised as a Middle Way, advocated by one of its own, Dutch theologian and scholar Desiderius Erasmus.
In the spirit of Cicero, regarded as the father of humanism, Erasmus championed dialectic over pure dogma and believed that religion revealed rather than one imparted made one’s belief genuine and steadfast—although Erasmus did not go as far as Luther in abolishing the priestly class, maintaining that tutors were necessary. Furthermore, raising more contention with the Protestant movement than reconciliation, Erasmus argued that that personal, less mediated relation with the divine was not consequent to the notion of predestination, accepting that one is part of God’s plan and happy with that, but instead that the orthodox idea of free will (which is not unfettered agency but the ability to see outcomes as otherwise than they actually turn out—that is, understanding that one’s actions and intentions have consequences, for good or evil) still had a place in this reformed cosmology. The most public and controversial act of the academic, however, was his decision to brush up on his Greek and Latin (the stock-phrase Pandora’s box comes from one of Erasmus’ earlier, honest mistranslations of Hesiod—it ought to be Pandora’s jar) and undertake to produce a definitive new translation of the Bible, since Luther’s own (thanks to the advent of the printing-press) was a popular success and successful too in promulgating historic typos. Luther, as King James and virtual all theologians relied on the four century translation of Saint Jerome of the Greek testaments into Latin. Wanting to provide his parishioners as pupils a better text and feeling admittedly divinely inspired, Erasmus quipped that “it is only fair that Paul should address the Romans in somewhat better Latin” and began his new version. Though a traditionalist in terms of Church politics, Erasmus did a poor job in restraining himself when it came to language. While I am sure that all linguists of any ilk sort of cringe to find surpassing λόγοϛ rendered as plain old word (Verbum), it was just too much for the Church to take when the first proofs started, very first chapter and verse, “In the beginning there was Conversation…” It is hard to say if Erasmus and his adherents might have negotiated a more peaceful and civil schism or might have made matters far worse, but both sides rejected this agitator’s backing as too much of a liability.

five-by-five

quilting-bee: fantastic gallery of modern quiltmaking

corpse bride: vis-à-vis those paranormal paramours, a guide to posthumous marriage

rapper’s delight: woman walking her dog dances her heart out for a Bruxelles street performer

uncommon-grounds: coffee cups moulded from recycled coffee dregs

demarcation: a look at twenty-two plus international borders

warp and weave or venus in blue jeans

Via the splendiferous Kottke comes report of the latest technological collaboration of the wearable type in the form of Project Jacquard and the amazing, technicolour dreampants.

While it’s probably at best misleading to suggest that these new touch-sensitive textiles come in many colours or own any heritage to the that thermochronic experiment of the late 1980s that seemed to go underground (or even mood rings, which have seen a revival), having apparel that clothes one in a second, interactive skin, the Generra brand was the first thing I thought of. These new materials, however, are not to meant to interact with one’s body alone—though I imagine that true dreampants could be self-tailoring and will probably be laden with the soon to be standard compliment of vital-sign monitors and check one’s overall circulation and admonish the wearer if he or she becomes too big for his or her britches—but are moreover extensions of one’s distilled quiver of gadgets. One’s jeans and shirts would become control-panels and beacons for one’s electronic frontiers as intuitively (or not) as any other state-of-the-art implement.

marienkäfer

An interesting archive article from the brilliant Ark-in-Space engrossingly (and timely for summer) profiles the bizarre life-cycle of the ladybug. This through treatment presents quite a few surprises like who knew of their voraciousness that includes cannibalism (called intraguild predation) and that nightmare, gila monster phase of development that they go through after hatching.

Auf Deutsch they are called Marienkäfer more clearly reflecting the belief that the hungry beetles are a godsend for farmers which summarily consume aphids and other pests that plague crops. Our Lady’s bug or bird also, in her most common variety, has seven black dots on her shell to represent the seven joys and seven sorrows of the Virgin Mary. Incidentally, the original English meaning of sorry was to be covered in spots—aggrieved with sores, and came closer to the sense of being regretful or feeling woe came out of this connection. Here is a poor little ladybug who might have ventured out too early in the season and managed to press itself between the panes of my window. Having become a graveyard for quite a few insects, I always wonder how it is that they wedge themselves in there in the first place. That is not a pleasant way for anything to end its life-cycle.  I ought to provide better alternative accommodations with one of those bug hotels.

melmac

Although I had been made aware that the US sitcom ALF (Alien Life Form) had enjoyed considerable popularity in newly unified Germany, which was probably out of proportion to its domestic successive, I certainly did not know beforehand that the extra-terrestrial puppet with an appetite for felines had such a cult following with a series of record albums and even once stood for the chancellery. I think it’s funny how during the holidays, H always finds Alvin and the Chipmunk’s Christmas Song bizarre and grating but I bet he not is only cognizant but maybe was an active participant in this fad. You can listen to a sample track at the link.