My picture of Passeig de Gràcia now on Schmap Guides Barcelona!

I just received a note from Schmap Guides that one of my pictures I shot last year of Casa Lleó Morera on Passeig de Gràcia in Barcelona was selected for the new (5th) edition of Schmap Guides Barcelona: iPhone version and web version.

This is great news, and I am quite happy about it.

Leaves in the dark

A nest in front of our house

A sandpiper (woodcock) set up a little nest right in front of our house. I was extremely happy to see the little creature trusting the neighbourhood. Here is she sitting on the eggs.

Trying to lure me away from the nest pretending to be injured.

The eggs in the nest

I surrounded the nest with warning tape to make sure people will not accidentally step onto it.

Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels

Another well-researched, topically exciting and approachable book by Elaine Pagels. I have thoroughly enjoyed her other books on early Christianity. The Origin of Satan: How Christians Demonized Jews, Pagans, and Heretics explained how, from origins traceable to Jewish apocalyptic sources, then applied by the Christian movement, religious groups have demonized their enemies over the centuries, associating them with Satan and similar entities. Her analysis of the development of the ideas of human nature, moral freedom, and sexuality in the first four centuries of Christianity in Adam, Eve, and the Serpent: Sex and Politics in Early Christianity was equally insightful. I have found her discussions always thorough, well-based in facts or where facts are not available, in plausible theories supported by corroborating evidence. This book is no different.

In Gnostic Gospels Pagels takes the reader back to the first two centuries of the evolving Christianity, an ear when the memory of the life of Jesus was still relatively fresh and the interpretations of the meaning of his life and teachings were not yet codified into crede and dogmas. Christianity was in the labour of finding its identity. During this process conflicting ideas emerged about who Jesus was? Was he really God? Who is God? Was he the messiah? What does his death mean for the believers? What should one believe about what happened to him after his death? What does his and his followers' suffering mean? How does one attain the necessary understanding and insight? These and similar questions were in abundance and were freely discussed spawning various schools of thoughts leading to a fragmentation of the early movement. This lead leaders in the early church such as Ireneus to measures to bring unity of the faith to Christians by "standardizing" what should be accepted as correct teaching (orthodoxy) and what should be considered heresy.

Understanding the teachings of Christian orthodoxy is an exciting study. What is, however, equally exciting is the exploration of opposing views, such as those analyzed by Elaine Pagels here, and that were actually by means of force and counter force, shaping orthodoxy's own understanding. The polemics between orthodox (catholic) and gnostic groups were the ground from which the structural, theological, liturgical, moral and spiritual identity of Christianity emerged.

Taking pictures in the neighbourhood

This past weekend the weather was so beautiful I had no excuse for taking a nice walk around the neighbourhood, down to the lake, and take a lot of pictures of the Spring in Ajax. Please click on the picture, and see the other pictures on my photoblog. Enjoy!

Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post 9/11 World by Noam Chomsky

A friend of mine suggested that I should read the books of Chomsky. She showed me one that she was reading but was not willing to give it up so I could borrow it. She just could not part with that book and I simply could not understand it when she had lent me numerous book before. That is, until I finally got a copy of this and another of Chomsky's books (Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy) for myself and started reading them.

True, Chomsky's perspective is rather from the left side of the spectrum and the conversations (with David Barsamian) documented in this book are quite choppy both in topic and in depth of coverage, but his analysis of the US government's policies are well proven in the facts of history and the daily news. Even if the population at large is spoon-fed some saviour-like efforts from the high ranks of power, and grand visions of democratizing (whatever that means nowadays) the world. All this while the world's despise for US foreign policy is at an all-time high.

I found Chomsky's points very strong and thought provoking, albeit inconsistent on occasion. The book is an interesting read, difficult to put down, while one really would have to filter the statements with some healthy common sense and caution.

"His caustic denunciations of American 'war crimes'-comparisons to Nazi Germany are never far from hand-serve up plenty of red meat for his legions of fans on the disaffected left, but the discursive, unsystematic format is not the best introduction for readers unfamiliar with his nonconformist views" - writes the Publishers Weekly. Interesting to note in this criticism that its base-line problem with Chomsky is "his nonconformist views". Since when is conformism a virtue and lack of it fallacy?

STOP WORKING: Here's How You Can Using the Strategy of Canada's Youngest Retiree by Derek Foster

A welcome introductory work into the thinking of the investor who has a long-term vision in mind, that of retiring early and comfortably. Way too many investors jump into the market with the assumption of quick bucks. Way too many seminars, books, etc. promote the mentality of the day trader, and try to attract novice investors with practically no theoretical background or financial staying power to the world of options and futures.

The Derek Foster book, in contrast, proposes a much more cautios and well-reasoned approach for those who are willing to start early and do not expect to meet the retirement nest egg objective within the first year or so. The proposed strategy works in a remarkably simple manner. Don't go for the promise of quick gain. Go with investment that involves:
- companies whose business you understand
- companies that are recession proof
- companies that have a long and positive dividend track record

I like the STOP WORKING approach for its simplicity.

One caution: the stocks listed in the book (and its follow-up The Lazy Investor: Start with $50...and no Investment Knowledge) may refer to stock that may not be offered or may not match the above criteria any longer.

A day at the Gallery

Yesterday was the opening of the exhibition of my wife's ceramic art at the Toronto Cedar Ridge Gallery. There were two other talented artists showing their pieces creating a very supportive environment with good energy. It was a great success! Lots of friends and their friends came. Here are some pictures. More to come.

The gallery is at:
225 Confederation Drive,
Scarborough, ON M1G 1B2
Phone: 416-396-4026

The One of a Kind Show - Toronto

Definitely an experience! Should probably be called "Many Things of Many Kinds" because there were hundreds of vendors (painters, clothiers, potters, wood turners, home decorators, jewelers, soap makers, health food suppliers, a couple of every kind) with thousands of products they wanted you to buy. Huge crowd. We even lost each other once among the zillions of people. The mass of people makes it a practical impossibility to walk the rows in your own pace. But that's probably the idea. Make you to stop at every booth. As I saw, we were not the only ones ending up completely exhausted by the end of our tour. It was really a great relief to arrive home and have a well-deserved rest.

Still, we saw some truly fantastic ideas, so it was worth it. Some beautiful pottery by Anne Armstrong, Deborah Doran and Melissa Schooley (Raging Bowl Pottery), exquisite turned wood pens by Larry Tucker, cool cutting boards by Gary & Nick Kennell, or highly unorthodox wooden seats by Guerrilla Design.

The show is on until March 24th.

The end of an Odyssey

Arthur C. Clarke, one of my dearest Sci-Fi writers has passed on to another reality.

There was a period I was just reading Arthur C. Clarke books. One after the other. The Prelude to Space, his first published book, then 2001: A Space Odyssey to be followed by three more in the series, the Rama series, Sunstorm, and then on. All filled with great vision, adventure, humanity and of course brilliant fantasy. Fantasy that while always probing ultimate possibilities in space exploration and the possible scenarios for encounters with beings from other worlds, was never far removed from plausibility defined by the excellent scientist in him. His short stories ("The Nine Billion Names of God" from 1954 is my all-time favourite) were also written with remarkable skills that engage the mind in challenging the boundaries of possibilities.

"overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out"
from The Nine Billion Names of God

Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong

Many people say and write many things about Islam nowadays. It is a hot topic, no two ways about it. I wish a great number of other critically important things received this much attention. Still, the reason Islam has suddenly become so relevant is probably that is was relatively unknown (as in 'it does not exist if it does not affect me') to the average person of the west. So when on September 11, 2001 believers of Islam committed unprecedented acts of terror against the United States, people had to suddenly realize how little they knew about the religion that sprang from the Prophet Muhammad's teachings. People started desperately looking for answers, explanations, motivations, or at least some understanding. Karen Armstrong's book attempts to provide the historical perspective for those who wish to have a better understanding of how Islam came into being, it's expansion into a vast empire whose influence has been a determining force shaping world history, politics, religion, and culture. The author also offers a brief summary of Islam's current issues.

I found the book to be highly informative, packed with great content, especially for the pre-20th-century period, written with an engaging style. The reality is that one cannot expect that an introductory-level book of mere 272 pages could possibly cover all aspects of Islam. One has to compromise in one's expectations of what is relevant. Karen Armstrong attempts to focus the reader's attention on facts of history spanning from the early days of Islam. She does not offer value judgment. She sticks to those facts of history that can be and have been well researched and not challengeable from the perspective of current events. This, in my view, is a good thing.

As her other relevant books on related topics (History of God, The Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism or The Great Transformation: The Beginning of Our Religious Traditions), this one is a well-researched, interesting read. One that stays away from the trap of overlaying history with various filters of ideology and political or religious bias.

Let it snow, let it snow!

We are gearing up to breaking our all-time snowfall record (just over 2 metres) of the 1938/39 winter. This year alone we have received 177 cm of the fluffy stuff. Starting this afternoon another 25 cm is on its way from the sky above. I think we are good shape for the new records considering it's only March 7th, and this month alone is usually responsible for almost a quarter of the snow in a season.

I like snow a lot. Maybe not this much, though.

Ajax, my love...no more

Well, our less-and-less-beloved mayor Steve Parish has done it again. Openly declaring that it does not matter what the residents of our neighbourhood want. Just like they brought in 10-ton buses into our quiet, narrow residential streets to wake us up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM for no passenger at all, and creating traffic and safety hazard when the residents made it abundantly clear that we do not want any of this. Just like they carefully planted silver maples (they grow to 20-30 m tall) right in front our windows when we asked the town not to ruin our beautiful and expensive view of Lake Ontario.

Now they are going to put a 5,000 sq ft building and a parking lot for some 30-50 cars onto a park that we have been enjoying in its original natural state when walking dogs, playing games, gathering for picnics and so on. He and his people at the town hall would not have it. He wants to put this building there with washrooms (I am OK with this one piece of the plan), meeting rooms, bistro and what not. Noise, traffic, environmental damage, loss of greenery, break-ins will follow.

We had a rally yesterday to ensure the town leadership hears our voice. Almost the entire community, over 750 individuals, signed a petition to ask the town leadership to reconsider, and not to put in that monster of a building into our neighbourhood. What is this "leader's" response? That we do not own that land. Ergo, shut up, go home, roll over, and let the big dogs decide. There will be another consultation in March with some modified plans being presented, and then construction will start.

Mr. Parish has just lost 750+ votes. Of course, he may not care. just like he does not care about the residents. He may have had enough of politics, and wants to leave anyway. But if that's the case why did he care to show up at all? For the free cookies?

Any resident who has not signed the Lakeside Park Construction Petition can do so here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/ajax123/petition.html


Update:

Please visit the Friends of Lakeside Park site here:
http://web.mac.com/kremu/Friends_of_Lakeside_Park/Welcome.html

Beautiful lunar eclipse

February brought us record snowfall but also an amazing display of natural beauty, a total lunar eclipse that was observable through clear sky.

Heretics of Dune by Herbert Frank

I started reading this book with great anticipation (I seem to have developed some sort of an addiction to Frank Herbert's books). It lived up to all my expectations and more. At the same time, it was a disappointment. Let me explain.

The book is one of the best of the Dune series, though it takes effort to go through the first half or so. While it takes the author many chapters to set up for the conclusion (I had to struggle to immerse myself into the spirit of the book), the Heretics of Dune has everything a Dune fan desires: myths and intrigue, tactics and machinations, heroics and love, thoughts behind thoughts behind thoughts (a Herbert trademark), and of course, great story telling.

While going through the first 200 pages or so, I may have just become saturated by the Herbertian style. I must confess having somewhat lost my interest in whether it will be the Bene Gesserit, the Tleilaxu, the Honored Matres or some other yet unnamed force in the universe claiming ultimate victory in shaping mankind's destiny.

But at the conclusion (albeit a bit too abrupt) all comes together. Purpose and means. Collision between choice and predetermined fate. Willpower, determination manage to finally alter the unalterable. Against all odds the heroes are brought together and carry out their mission.

A most ingenious symmetry evolves in this installment of the Dune series. The same but different theme runs through almost every page of the book. Siona and Sheena; Teg and Leto I; Bene Gesserit and Honored Maitres. Every major power and player has a counterpart from the Scattering that shows similar traits but with a twist.

The word 'whore' is used way too often in the book for my taste. Maybe I am getting a bit prudish with the passing of years but I believe there could have been a more fortunate way of expressing the Bene Gesserit's hatred toward their arch enemy.

A cool quote from the book:

There was a man who sat each day looking out through a narrow vertical opening where a single board had been removed from a tall wooden fence. Each day a wild ass of the desert passed outside the fence and across the narrow opening - first the nose, then the head, the forelegs, the long brown back, the hindlegs, and lastly the tail. One day, the man leaped to his feet with the light of discovery in his eyes and he shouted for all who could hear him: "It is obvious! The nose causes the tail!"

Baby it's cold outside

Yes it was cold outside. And, baby, it was -19 Celsius (-30 if you factor in wind-chill). But nature did not mind. As a matter of fact, it was so beautiful, I could not resist, and had to go down to the lake to inhale more of our good mother nature's freshness. Took some pictures too. Check out the link.

Mona Lisa - mystery no more

Oh well, yet another mystery bites the dust in this age of desperate demystification. It has been removed from our ever-graying lives that were once filled with enigmas, exciting unknowns that moved our fantasy, and engaged our imagination. Finally, we know who the lady truly was who had such a mesmerizing smile that it inspired one of the greatest geniuses of all time to create such an amazing painting that kept mankind fascinated for centuries. Now we know that the lady's name was Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florence merchant. Funny this took so many years and the interventions of Cicero and German scientists to figure out when in Italy the painting has for hundreds of years has been known as 'La Gioconda'.

Of course, as always, there had to be a secret lover as a suspect subject for the painting, then there was the theory that the lady with the smile was supposedly the master's mother. Better yet, there was a theory the painting was actually a symbolic representation of Leonardo himself. I have seen various desperate attempts at mapping the facial characteristics of Mona Lisa to those of the only surviving self-portrait of Leonardo. The question was also raised why it would be that Mona Lisa, assuming it was Leonardo himself, looks so much like a woman? Now we know. Because the sitter was a woman. But for those proposing the Leonardo = Mona Lisa theory, this was exactly where the magic of symbolism would have to come in. One does not have to give evidence if its a symbol, right? Dan Brown to the rescue! She is hiding the ultimate secret: knowldege of the 'Sang Real'.

Then, there were those who tried some kind of facial proportion analysis to figure out what really was making the famous smile so famous. Various theories of asymmetry emerged. There was also supposed to be some clues in the fact that the lady's eyebrows and eyelashes were missing.

To me the good news is, the smile of Mona Lisa, remains just as fascinating as ever. Above all the puzzlement, amazement and all the petty confusion it has caused.

Any man can make mistakes, but only an idiot persists in his error. (Cicero)

Ask and It Is Given by Jerry and Esther Hicks

For almost two hundred years authors have been writing books about the concept that the focusing thought on prosperity or wellness will bring those desired things into ones life. Some of the most influential such authors from the past century were Charles Haanel (Master Key System from 1912), Prentice Mulford (Thoughts Are Things), Robert Collier (Secret of the Ages), Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich), Norman Vincent Peale (Power of Positive Thinking), and the more recent Jose Silva (Mind Control Method). The "New Thought" movement, of which the Hickses are also part of, is essentially based on the writings of these individuals along with philosophical influences from Ralph Waldo Emerson, with some remote references to Hinduism.

The book "Ask and It Is Given" by Esther and Jerry Hicks is a brief introduction into the application of the "law of attraction" and the "law of allowing" in our everyday lives. The general concepts and the 22 processes listed are a great tool for transforming one's mind set from one focusing on lack, difficulties and defeat to one centred around prosperity, health and well-being. There is nothing fundamentally new in the message conveyed by this book. It is the authority that Esther Hicks references in her channellings that make this book (and videos and tapes/CDs and seminars and counselling and ...) interesting. It's all supposed to be "blocks of thoughts" downloaded from a group of non-physical beings who call themselves "Abraham" into Esther Hicks translated into English-language communication that makes this interesting.

Some of the core communications that the authors share in this book are that we are physical extension of that which is non-physical; we are here in this body because we chose to be here; the basis of our life is freedom with the purpose of joy; and that we are creators who create with our every thought. Therefore, if we focus our thoughts on the things we want in our lives, those can be manifested.

The Hickses had been two of the most successful proponents of the "law of attraction" before the consciousness-propsperity-wellness market was stormed by an Australian documentary producer's Rhonda Byrne's, movie "The Secret" and her similarly titled book.

Esther and Jerry Hicks wrote a series of wonderful children's books worth reading:
Sara, Book 1: The Foreverness of Friends of a Feather
Sara, Book 2: Solomon's Fine Featherless Friends
Sara, Book 3: A Talking Owl Is Worth a Thousand Words!

Contacts with your guardian angel (Kontakte mit Deinem Schutzgeist) by Penny McLean

Penny McLean was a popular singer star in the late 70s and early 80s. In her book McLean relates that during the early years of her singing career, which happened to coincide with the dawn of the new age movement, she started to be aware of and able to make contact with her "guardian angel" and other spiritual entities who have shared with her wisdom from the realm of these entities and also some practical knowledge (such as how to fix an automobile or an answering machine). This book relates the story of her journey to experiencing and communicating with these entities.

As I had only the chance of reading a terrible translation of Penny McLean's German original, I cannot make any comment on the literary qualities of her style. Still, one thing is sure. If the translator is responsible only for three quarters of the incorrect grammar and inconsistencies in the book, this book is farily low in the list literary gems.

The first part of the book is an entertaining story about the author's initiation into the world esoteric experiences, the first angelic encounters, "talks" with entities like Rudolf Steiner and the events that helped her become a believer and fierce proponent of the ability of us humans making deliberate contact with the entities of the spiritual domain.

The second part is a much less friendly read about some of the wisdom the author claims to have received from the angelic entities. These are pieces of wisdom that have been floating around for millennia. Unfortunately, not much new is presented here.

On the one hand, the book might offer some entertainment value for those who are not believers of the human-angel dialog. On the other, tt is, however unimpressive, an affirmation for those who are already followers of any of the many branches of the new age movement.