portmanteau

Also in the interest of improving my nascent German language skills, PfRC is endeavouring to be more bi-lingual. It is rather challenging, in an up-building and formative way, and hard to capture the nuance or entendre. I think it will get better though. Sometimes, though it is getting less and less common and more serendipitous to find, one can still find examples of highly literal or computer-aided translations, in other words, a translation without a second-opinion, in Germany. Visiting a beautiful baroque garden south of the Harz recently, we found a sign that unfortunately referred to a petting-zoo as an animal stroking enclosure. I suppose the humourous is always better than gibberish.

Diese Anstrengung ist auch im Interesse, meine werdenden Sachkenntnisse der Deutschen Sprache zu verbessern: PfRC wird begangen, um mehr zweisprachig zu sein.

Das ist auf eine bauende und formende Weise eher schwierig. Es ist hart, die Nuance oder entendre zu gewinnen. Ich denke, dass es besser werden wird dennoch. Manchmal, obwohl das immer weniger allgemein und mehr serendipitous wird zu finden, kann man noch Beispiele von hoch wörtlichen oder computerunterstützten Sprachübersetzungen, mit anderen Worten, eine Übersetzung ohne die zweite Meinung, in Deutschland finden. Bei einen schönen barocken Garten im Süden vom Harz kürzlich besuchend, fanden wir ein Zeichen, das leider einen Petting-Zoo als ein Tier Stroking Enclosure. Komisch ist immer lieber als Kauderwelsch, ich denke.

normally innocuous entities

It seems, again, that I have poor memory, recall for pain--rather nagging discomfort: my head over the past week was just swimming with this awful sinus pressure, and even though seasonal allergies, locally, were talked up along with the weather, I failed to connect that to my maladies. Talk of things "going-around" is usually difficult to pin-down but there were none of the usual April showers and the air and the soil is drier and there has been nothing to knock the pollen out of the skies. Allergies and sensitivies are inconstant memorials themselves, wavering, going deep under cover only to reappear by some complicated mechanism, a coalition of irritants untraceable, later.

Es scheint, dass ich ein schlechtes Gedächtnis des Schmerzes oder der Unbequemlichkeit habe. Während der letzten Woche schwamm mein Kopf mit dem Kurve-Druck, und trotz des Gespräches über Allergien und das Wetter machte ich eine Verbindung nicht. Diese Sorte des Gespräches ist vage, aber es gab keinen Regen im April und es ist trocken ohne etwas um den Blütenstaub zu entfernen. Allergien sind unbeständige Gedenkstätte. Manchmal verschwinden sie völlig, unerwartet durch unauffindbare Mittel zurückzukehren

the tender trap or american woman, stay away from me

Not to come across as an advocate for the sainthood of any of the financial overlords, nor to trivialize assault, violence or any one feeling violated, but this recent juxtaposition of possible smear and defamation with American puritanical sensibilities strikes me very much as a fabrication. Intimacy and affairs have always been weaponized into public scandal, and this is maybe an emerging trend for political ballast, smacking of the not so long ago treatment of the public face of the Wikileaks' release or even the sad and petty portrayal of bin Laden's home life. Human nature can be an awful thing and past deportment and hubris do not suggest otherwise, but the account equally folds with a few rationalizations, though this is the divisive country that squandered years on the indiscretions of a president, moralizing leadership away. Likewise, the US, as a dues-paying member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), could be poised to take advantage of this disgrace to argue that caretaker position ought to be returned to clean American hands. This would be especially opportune as the yet more abstract upper-limit to America's debt burden has been reached and breached and close-control has become necessary to guide resolution.

Nichts als Verfecter für des Heiligtums eines der Finanzoberherrn rüber zu kommen, noch Vergewaltigung mit keinem Wort schmälern, aber dieses letzten Nebeneinander vom Diffamierung und puritanischen Lebensstil kommt mir vor wie Lügenmärchen. Affäre sind immer als Waffe benutz, und dies ist wahrscheinlich eine künftig und politisch Trend, das dem des Wikileaks und die Darstellung der bin Laden recht ähnlich ist. Schrecklichkeit liegt in der menschlichen Natur, und ihre Vergangenheit deuten nicht anders, aber das richtige Story ist vergleichweise misstrauisch, so auch bei der Nation lange endeten unentschieden nur wegen Skandal. Gleichermaßen, der US als beitragszahlenden Mitglied der IWF (der internationale Währungsfonds), so könnte man argumentieren, dass die Leitung sollte zur americanische saubere Hände zurückgegeben warden. Es ist ein günstigen Zeitpunkt, an die Macht kommen, wegen hohes Defizit des Staatshaushalts und eine hohe Verschuldung.

a backhanded compliment or role-reversal

The ever-engaging Boing Boing points readers to and hosts a brillant discussion on a recent market analysis from the Boston Consulting Group, which forecasts that a collusion of factors including the increased valuation of the Chinese yuan, the weak dollar and US corporate tax incentives will, in as little as five years, yield a revival of the moribund American industrial and manufacturing sector, reversing the trend of off-shoring of jobs.

The article is not cheery, just rather matter-of-fact, so it is difficult to read the tone, but I would venture that the ultimate message is not one of congrat-ulations. There are other factors to consider: the American South is desperately poor and already short-shrifts its workers with less than living wages. Monied influences have relaxed environmental protections. China, India and Mexico are enjoying higher standards of living and have become consumers as well as producers. Labour protections and unions in the States have been rendered toothless. The wild card of fuel and transportation costs also probably plays a big role in this study. Means of production and infrastructure, however, are already there in the Rustbelts of the US though mothballed. This might turn out to be a strange inversion that does not sit easily with me, although such a prediction might spur some positive investment in production and jobs. I do not want to see a renaissance that results in the same exploitation--or greater, and ecological ruin. Americans surely have expertise if its business leaders do not let that vision and commitment become clouded by greed and a rush to the bottom. Germany is not perfect but has managed to remain an economic powerhouse through manufacturing and afford a social state with high wages and good environmental stewardship. I think part of that success, at least, can be attributed to that sense of expertise and precision, and not soley the financial cues to repatriate ones factories.

sound and vision

Over the weekend, H and I attended a little get-together to watch the Eurovision grand finale from Düsseldorf. Some moments from the dazzling production and some of the entries that made the cut can make one laugh, cringe or groan but it's always fun, especially with friends, since it opens up an acceptable forum for all the stereotypes and politically incorrect characterizations of national identities. Of course, one painful and proud number does not represent the sum of another country, even though it may lend some interesting insight into the ways and limits of reinterpretation of mostly American-style pop music. ABBA was made famous through a Eurovision win, as did Lulu and Céline Dion. Apparent political influences and old grudges that normally go unsaid really seem to emerge, however, during the long, long voting process. Though the winning country from the previous year gets to host the event, audience voters cannot choose their home country, and it seems that maybe old aspersions come in to play, as the electorate, like something out of the Holy and Roman Empire of the Germans, has expanded to encompass a broader region, including the "new Europe," Russia and the former Soviet satellites, the micronations, Turkey, plus Israel and the Kingdom of Morocco.

Amongst this harmless fun, I think, suspicions lurk including conspiracy and questions about EU membership and national identity. The annual song contest, however, I believe in the end, tutors more in geography rather than geo-political intrigues and does more for awareness and togetherness than salt old wounds. See you next year from Baku!

would you like to fly in my beautiful balloon

A few days ago, we were treated with a hot-air balloon launch from the grassy clearing by the stream (Wiese--it seems there is no precise equivalent in English--lawn, yard, pasture, knoll). We went down and investigated the whole production, which took quite some time: the lighter-than-air craft did not pop out of the cargo van fully-formed. It was neat to watch the crew unfurl the envelope and prepare it for flight but I realized that it was very labour intensive and not something to be done on the cheap or sadly not spontaneously. When the balloon finally took off and the van went to chase the passengers where the wind carried it aloft, I kept thinking about that poor aeronaut's wife and how the skin would never be folded back or crumpled quite right again for storage, but it does seem to be a labour of love and a lot fun.

suspension of disbelief or not the droids you're looking for

The White House press apparatchiks have collectively agreed to stop staging photographs, after a routine set-up to capture and archive the announcement of the operation to intercept bin Laden has apparently fueled doubt and rumours that that undertaking was itself faked. Everyone, I think, realizes that such images, intended to be iconic and for posterity, are posed and composed, and the media as well as officials participated in this harmless polishing. It is dangerous, however, should the press alters the substance of the news on behalf of the government, with smear campaigns and the usual bread and circuses. I think there is no mean intent behind this very clever Darth Vader parody, which makes the stakes and reaction skewed through inversion, but maybe co-opting that image in this way also encouraged the press corps to change their theatre.

marquis façade

In the immediate aftermath of the operation to kill bin Laden, a German cable news broadcaster apparently scrambled to get information on SEAL Team VI, who executed the ambush, as a very astute Observer noticed while the anchor went on, obliviously nonplussed. Maybe it was a bit of a journalistic challenge to find any solid facts about this team, like searching for the fighting "Men of the 303." Life imitates art and vice-versa, however, and I suppose that the unit badge for the Cardasian resistance forces, the Maquis of the Star Trek universe, is a near-match (or possible inspiration) for the real unit patch, minus the extraneous phaser, bat'leth weapons, and Klingon skull.