And in other news, this just in —
In a speech from Christian IX’s Palace at Amalienborg, the queen said: “I have decided that now is the right time. On 14 January 2024, 52 years after I succeeded my beloved father, I will step down as Queen of Denmark. I leave the throne to my son, Crown Prince Frederik.”
And so… a bit of Dowland in celebration.
Month: December 2023
“To sleep: perchance to dream:”
“Aye, there’s the rub…”
Reading this article made me think of all the discussions I’ve had with my early morning English students, dragging themselves to sit in front of yet another Zoom meeting at Zero-Too-Early Hours.
Having done shift work when I was younger, to say nothing of the all-nighter habits as both undergraduate and graduate student, I understand what the author is saying. And there was a time early on, when I was teaching a geographically much broader range of students, and I found myself encroaching on a similar pattern.
Lately, I find myself slipping into a different sleep pattern, increasingly more bi-phasic. The radiotherapy has wreaked havoc on most of the rest of my system so the disturbed sleep patterns don’t seem entirely out of place ro surprising. But the unsettling part was in the following passage:
“In 2019, 27 scientists from 16 different countries met at the International Agency for Research in Cancer in Lyon, France, to evaluate whether night shift sleeping patterns can give rise to a higher risk of developing cancer.
After examining the limited evidence, which mainly centres on breast, prostate and colorectal tumours, and analysing the results of animal studies, they graded night shift work as 2A: “probably carcinogenic to humans”. This was mainly based on disruption to the 24-hour “natural” body clock, exposure to artificial light and its suppression of melatonin production. If this really is the case, it’s a worrying conclusion. “
Here’s a link to read more:
“By sleeping when everyone else was awake…”
Or you can look at this:
Ten years on…
… and nothing to show for it.
The question “Why?” is almost meaningless, given the deep dysfunction that continues to emerge and manifest in Royaume-Uni. Can’t even blame Brexit for this.
I know I complain a lot to, and with, my German students about the level of digitization in Germany and draw comparisons to France and the US, but there is no way I would ever hold up the UK as an example of “how to get it done.” I can understand and appreciate the differences I find in the US, France, and Germany, but I repeatedly find myself wondering just what the heck is the problem with the UK.
Details about this rant here:
“Millions wasted on attempt to create nationwide UK library website…“
Meanwhile, here’s some fresh digitizing for you. Fresh from le Peuple Foy et le Passage St. Catherine, voila!
To speak freely…
“We do not protest the war on Gaza because we have an abstract right to do so; we protest it because it is one of the great moral atrocities of our lifetimes and because the widespread refusal to admit this in America is an atrocity in its own right. We are not just speaking; we are fighting with words. And we are fighting to win.” ~~ Andrea Long Chu
[emphasis mine]
Almost…but only almost
Counting the days until this part is over, not really knowing what all the next steps will be. One more day of drinking water to the bladder bursting point (“Votre vessie est-elle pleine ?” Ouai, ouai, vite s’ils vous plais.”) and enduring bumpy taxi rides to and from the clinic. One more day of coming home, feeling utterly exhausted from lying on my back, motion-less for twenty minutes while the machine surrounding me whirred and spun, spitting out isotopes that were engineered to heal.
And waiting in the wings, the next step of new photos for the hungry bureacrats of the Préfécture, but somehow feeling the need to resist all thought of cutting my hair after the past month.
Let the freak flag fly. ‘Cause we all owe it to someone.
https://youtu.be/as5lE64J1hQ?si=EufF4wVZxRcKqLp-
Concerto grosso n. 8, Op. 6 “Fatto per la notte di Natale”
For ’tis the season. Here’s to Gesina, Liz, Kit, and even Starla for that simple high school orchestra Christmas concert so many years. This piece has stayed with me ever since.
Enjoy…
Concerto grosso n. 8, Op. 6 “Fatto per la notte di Natale”, Arcangelo Corelli.
Murderbot!
From the #ThingsToWatchIn2024 list, it’s coming!
https://www.tor.com/2023/12/14/apple-tv-to-adapt-martha-wells-murderbot-alexander-skarsgard-set-to-star/
If you’re not familiar with Martha Wells work on the Murderbot, you might want to jump on the books now before series airs. A fun ride, to be sure.
The more it changes…
1972.
Where were you and what were you doing? If you were in the UK and can remember, how much has it changed since then? Was Ian making an enduring statement with this song? Not sure it was, or has been much different, in the US.
I wonder…
Wondering Aloud — Again
“There’s the stillness of death on a deathly unliving sea — And the motor car magical world long since ceased to be — When the Eve-bitten apple returned to destroy the tree — Incestuous ancestry’s charabanc ride — Spawning new millions throws the world on its side — Supporting their far-flung illusion, the national curse And those with no sandwiches please get off the bus — The excrement bubbles — The century’s slime decays And the brainwashing government lackeys — Would have us say — It’s under control and we’ll soon be on our way — To a grand year for babies and quiz panel games — Of the hot hungry millions you’ll be sure to remain — The natural resources are dwindling and no one grows old— And those with no homes to go to, please dig yourself holes…”
“Obviously insane”
This in reference to the latest from the UK Ministry of Justice and their bonkers plan to destroy historic wills going back 150 years. More here, I’ll wait.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/dec/18/ministry-of-justice-plan-to-destroy-historical-wills-is-insane-say-experts
Once again, the UK has tried lead the way in their thinking about digital heritage (starting with the whole bit about calling it “digitalisation” but that’s for another day), advocating for the digitizing of some 100 million wills, dating back 150 years, and then destroying the originals.
Quoting from the above,
“The government is proposing to keep the originals of some wills of “famous people” – likely including those of Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and Diana, Princess of Wales – but others would be destroyed after 25 years and only a digital copy would be kept.”
… begging the question of who are those “famous people”? WHO BLOODY DECIDES?!
That question has been under discussion since humans first created written records and there has not been a satisfactory answer yet. Some of our earliest records are business records and beer recipes. Who decided that would be the case to represent humanity? (I know, it was totally serendipitous that those particular cuneiform survived)
“[L]’histoire est juste peut-être, mais qu’on ne l’oublie pas, elle a été écrite par les vainqueurs” 1842
More Threads…
This email was posted from a meeting between a Mastodon server admin and someone from Meta, to be “off the record”, of course.
This was linked from an updated article on the efforts of Google to subvert the idea of decentralized networks such as the Fediverse. That article, worth the read , is here:
https://ploum.net/2023-06-23-how-to-kill-decentralised-networks.html
"At Half Past France... " 
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