who's who oder them

Not only does Austria get to host the EuroVision Song Contest next summer, the Interalpen Hotel, the venue of the secretive summit already in 1988, near the western Tyrolean village of Telfs will again accommodate the Bilderberg Conference.

Shielded from media coverage and the raw feelings of constituents, this steering-committee—according to many—are the deciding transatlantic oligarchy of bankers, politicians and military commanders that dream-up the agenda as it will be presented for the coming year—with matters and outcomes already settled. Future debate and pitches are only done for show, it is argued. Whether or not this is the case—and I am not sure if its more shameful for the bad marks of poor performance or for the conspiratorial airs—there have always been such gatherings and influence is never non grata. What is more bothersome, in my opinion—unless of course democracy and dialogue is really only shadow-boxing—is that the culture coming together is strictly uniform and meant to promote Anglo-Saxon values (among its applicants and supplicants) on tour on the Continent.

whose sore task does not divide the sunday from the week

Granting an interview with the Düsseldorf-based Rheinische Post, German Labour Minister elaborated on her goal to put boundaries and balance—work/life—into a legal framework, as a so-called anti-stress law. Citing numerous sources and many self-reported incidents, there has been a nearly exponential jump in sick-days due to mental exhaustion that parallels advances in technology that make many available at all times.  
German productivity and work ethic is high because of the downtime and division traditionally afforded to them—and most healthily regard work as a necessary-evil, regardless of the passion that they might have for what they do and those they help. In any case, pressure from a demanding supervisor is unlikely to visit those truly happy and driven about their professions. I know of very few trying bosses and have rarely heard of employees being arrayed with questions while on holiday, but I do suppose a few traumatic cases justify that some line be drawn. Even if there is not a surplus of terrorised workers, mental health is grounded in perception and anticipation and just the worry—real or imagined—of being disturbed can have the same effect as the unwelcome task borne on the æther. What do you think? Can you relate to this sort of pressure and torment—or does it seem something alien and a punishment that’s self-inflicted by ambition and the blurred borders we make ourselves? I’ve not had much in the way of true homework for a long time, but we are all perfectly willing to continue staring at the same rectangles in our free time and answer to any shouts and dings at any hour.

pentimenti or regrets-only

A canvas is often a creative palimpsest and artists, both the aspiring and the renowned, had changes of heart for the mood and message of their work. A correction and substitution that can still be discerned, either as ghostly after-images, something liminal to the naked-eye or revealed accidentally through restoration efforts or purposefully through study—dissection, scanning and x-raying goes by the term pentimento—Italian for something the artist repents over. Mental Floss features a nice gallery of paintings that embody this phenomena with stories behind the changes, minor and major.

it happened on the way to the forum: gonzo & camille

Before entering into battle—or committing to any course of action for that matter, the Romans had many rituals that required strict observance. As military maneuvers especially were by and of the polity any breech of custom and reverence was an affront against one's neighbours and directly threatened public security and not just one's survival on the battle-field or the success or failure of any given mission. There are several war stories related about armies on the the march having to make a u-turn or at least pause over the auspices not being properly consulted. The actual ritual is shrouded in mystery, although the Romans were against exclusive cults in the main—including those up-start Christians, as they represented a threat to the State and public order, but seemed to be arm-wrestling the gods to secure a blessing. There are quite a few occasions when otherwise competent, successful and loyalty-inspiring generals were turned public-enemy for transgressing the divination-process, being distracted and tempted by targets of opportunity before the auspices were read and marching could resume.
Another grave transgression took place during the first engagement with Carthage, known as the Punic War (Punic being the Roman exonym for the Phoenicians who founded the north African naval and commercial power). Fearless about taking risky ventures outside of their element, Rome resolved to learn the art of seafaring to counter Carthage's strength and dominance. Such abandon was almost unheard of, but Rome, relying on perhaps the apocryphal tale of Athens countering Sparta in the same manner, was willing to take that risk. Although the first iteration of the wars general proclaim Rome the victor—only affording the chance to address attacks and revolts on other fronts, and more pain was to come, Rome became a tested and certified naval power. This prosperity came about by chance and mostly due to a spectacular failure in their first showing. In order to save time when it came to consulting the oracles, the sacred chickens were carried on board as the flagships made their way across the Mediterranean. The sacred chickens were to be consulted before advancing into enemy-waters (though Carthage had helped Rome over-throw the Greeks just a few years before but now constituted a threat to their trade-routes) and the ritual began—it is imaging this scene that makes me think of Gonzo and his harem of hens. If the chickens ate the feed they were tossed, then it was a sure sign of the gods' support for battle, however if they did not (and I find it rather hard to believe that chickens would not peck at something even if not hungry) then it was a sign to refrain. Having no time for such superstitions, the admiral proceeded to dump the coop overboard, proclaiming that if the sacred chickens were not hungry, maybe they were thirsty instead. That first encounter did not end well for the Romans, but Carthage dismissed Rome's prowess in subsequent engagements and grew over-confident in their own abilities, to their distinct disadvantage.