happy fathers' day

Here is a candid gathering of famous and infamous dads. Don't forget to tell yours how special he is and Happy Fathers' Day!

panhandlers and paupers

I am not quite sure what to call the growing and morbid fascination with ruin and distress on exhibition, and thankfully no one has tried to apply the label of poverty porn universally because there are significant differences in degree and dialogue. Of course, things can slide into neglect and disrepair quickly and destitution can be an equalizing force, but it does not do to compare the Sword of Damocles hanging over Greece and Europe with the Rustbelt of the United States and explicit profiles of crumbling and de-peopled urban centres. Detroit is a pinup girl.

The so-called poster children of the eurozone, however, are not positioned to relinquish hope, sovereignty, identity or anything else and will continue to engage the union and their people in setting this framework.

The euro is not in danger because of debate or controls more stringent and exacting than were originally agreed to (though perhaps not abided by) but is rather reinforced by vocal and public investigation and scrutiny. Trying to force American-style solutions of throwing money at problems, hollowing out social support programs and allowing the banks and markets to dictate to government and the real economy is obliviously a threat, even though the crisis stems from a uniquely American export, greatly exacerbated by American-style over-exuberance and over-exposure. Budgets and expenditures, though crises can be enlightening for systemic problems, could have continued at a parallel pace if it was not for one costly mistake, and with attention and care can be realigned and made stronger. The peep-show comes in the form of rallies, strikes and street protests and threats to monuments, artefacts and infrastructure rather than the abject desolation, that many like to ogle over but that’s apparently all talked-out.

as seen on tv

From the creative franchise that offers the daily web comics Toothpaste for Dinner, Married to the Sea, and Natalie Dee, there is a new Sharing Machine blog, The Worst Things for Sale, that is an intelligent and funny commentary on culture through reviews of the craptabulous and derivative ways to part people from the money and good senses.  You should check out them all. 

magic carpet ride

Germany has, it seems, acquired a taste for political scandal and airing dirty laundry, and though taking advantage of one's public office to curry grace and favour is a very serious offense and an abuse of power, German government scandals seem rather tepid and would be in the written instructions elsewhere. Several career-politicians have fallen on their swords, for better or worse, over offenses like over academic dishonesty or for accepting gifts that did not pass the test of party or public scrutiny, and now the Minister for Development is being berated by the media and the parliament over purchasing a rather fancy rug while stationed in Afghanistan, returning home via a German intelligence service flight and neglecting to declare it for import taxes. I am sure that this was an oversight and the attacks unwarranted or even fitted to the business of government ethics, since it was not like the individual was on holiday or that anyone would risk job and reputation for smuggling and has promoted works abroad that confirm his character. The heated words are sometimes too much to bear from the opposition and I fear distractions for more systemic problems, but perhaps because of the hue and cry over these amateurish transgressions, corruption might not be allowed to advance further.

découpage

achterbahn

Lending tacit support to the infusion of credit to Spanish banks by way of a demurring and quiet concession towards the pooling of debt, Germany bore some chinks in its armour of resistance to the notion of sharing responsibility for broader financial stability. Signaling (again so lightly as to miss this cue) that the machinery of the European Union might be willing to admit a bit of the chaos of democracy (wherein people might not be obliged to choose wisely), Germany advocated a stronger political union for governance of monetary issues, ceding control of budgetary competence to the EU board.

Necessarily such a decision could not be unilateral and only up to the will of EU functionaries but must be submitted to a vote, since radical changes in national sovereignty require amending individual constitutions and a new legal framework. Now, even as the soothing effects of the cash for Spain is evaporating and raising the ire of the public and other earlier aid recipients that are being made to feel categorically different, irresponsible and blameworthy, which I do not think was the reason behind the German compromise but rather fear that became face-saving for Spain’s banks, Germany has shown a willingness to entertain the democratic process before the voting public has wearied of the issue and the ideals behind the EU are sunk. Instead of inheriting a failed coalition, Germany hopes to install a carefully crafted framework that honours Teutonic stoicism and fiscal responsiveness. Agreeing to share the burden of new debt incurred (and no country in the soi-disant core of the EU can manage right now without taking on new debt) comes also at the exclusion of existing obligations, which I fear might make the union, after negotiations that delimit one’s jurisdiction, even harder to leave, should things take a turn for the worse.

agee, agog or proprioception, exteroception, interoception

In I am sure a well-intentioned and intellectually-honest attempt to improve public education, the charitable foundation of a software tycoon is sponsoring research into magnetic bracelets that gauge students’ level of engagement and interest by detecting changes in galvanic responses. This strikes me as funny, like the next generation of mood rings, except that this release is obviously better since it’s in bracelet form, like a cause-bracelet (for boredness awareness), and I assume would be able gossip and pass notes to one another during class. Maybe better methods of holding students’ attention could be developed and perhaps back away from some of the more gimmicky and emotional techniques that has infused the classroom in recent years, but I do fear that instruction, competing for a slice of interest in swelling seas of distraction, might then become more like a focus-group for a marketing campaign than schooling for a liberal and open-ended education. If untutored and afforded no more than a glance, of course, the fights historical and beings animalculous would never stand a chance against celebrity news and the latest gadgets. Learning is a challenge and effective ways of reaching students are being tested and crafted but how theories, subjects and disciplines (no, nor teachers neither) ought to be put to a vote, and one of involuntary reflexes at that.

spargel-spargel

This year, more than in years past, we have been taking full advantage of the Spargel (asparagus) season—now transitioning from the more familiar white Spargel, which is starting to become woody this long after the harvest, to the green variety. I am not sure why but the green seems a little more versatile, though taking well to the classic way of serving it as well, and we tried it as a pasta dish that was fun and easy to make. For two people, one needs:

• 500 grams of green asparagus—about 16 spears
• One medium onion, finely chopped
• 250 grams of cherry tomatoes
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping
• About 300 grams of egg noodles
• Olive oil, muscat, salt to taste, dried or finely chopped basil and thyme

Rinse and then chop the asparagus into bite-sized pieces; dice the onion and set aside. Measure out the pasta and cook the noodles according to instructions. Next in a large sauce pan with a liberal amount of olive oil, letting the oil get hot, sauté the asparagus and onion. The vegetables will take about ten minutes, and if one times it right, that will take about as long as the noodles and a good rule-of-thumb with the pasta is to fill one serving bowl to the brim with noodles to determine how many it will take for two. Half the tomatoes and add to the vegetables in the pan just long enough to warm them up a bit. When the noodles are cooked, drain and season with muscat and fold into the vegetable mixture, stirring in the spices and seasoning. Service with a dash of grated Parmesan and enjoy with a refreshing beverage.