A Matter Of Detail

A king was noted for his possessive nature. He stamped every book in his library as every cattle that grazed in his palace grounds was branded. One day the king was passing young prince’s playroom; and he stepped on a piece of toy and fell hard. The king was scarred on account of his accident. While he got up with a bad bruise on his head his son said innocently,” My hobby- horse has left his mark. It now owns the king.”
The king got angry but considering his son’s tender age he merely checked himself and went off.
benny

Inversion Principle

The Great Pyramid Of Khufu
The Pharaoh who built the Great Pyramid one day called his master- builder and said that he had willed a certain area for building his resting place which would be neither too grand nor low.
“We expect it be of the right proportion, and grand too, that our subjects expect from one descended from the Heavens. What are we that we could match the glory of a god? Lo, a House which is humble enough that the Sun God would condescend to enter will serve the purpose.”
Shortly thereafter the Master builder brought a model to his Royal Master who pointed out where he wanted his Royal treasures should be concealed and size of the Grand chamber for his ease. He dismissed his architect to get on with the work immediately. ”Utmost secrecy we expect. Location of my treasures should not be shown to anyone other than those who need to know.”
“To hear is to obey!”
The stupendous task of erecting the Pyramid was entrusted with a select Council of Overseers and the Royal confidence was respected to the utmost that the millions of workmen were asked not to ask questions but build according to instructions. The great Pyramid was the talking point among the hired hands who lived in quarters nearby. As with such works where colossal numbers involved in the work, secrecy could not be kept for long. The fact was that the Pyramid was systematically looted later.
This explains the Inversion Principle.
* Considering the immense crowd pulling power of the Pyramids, tourists come from all over the world in droves, in a sense to marvel at the glory of the Pharaohs; and in mushrooming of many ‘cults’ who practice elaborate rites whether mumbo- jumbo or not, connect many to the beliefs of past. The wealth of Pharoah which was looted in all probability would be nothing compared to what now pours into Egypt. It sustains partly the economy of a whole nation. The Pharaoh most probably meant by wealth what he had stored within the Pyramid; Time has however proved otherwise.

benny

Inversion principle

Inversion Principle
The man who becomes an institution has to pay the price as surely as Walt Disney had. His genius is shadowed to a blur by the corporate image of Disney Inc., This fact cannot be lost on the visitors to the recent Paris Exhibition. Disney has made it to the Grand Palais, a museum of arts high and fine, as a 20th-century "genius" and the show illuminates how deeply Disney drew from European artists, fables, settings, and imagination.
Disney produced "an imaginary world somewhere between Europe and America," says curator Bruno Girveau.
Some 14 of Disney's 17 major films, including "Cinderella," "Pinocchio," "Snow White," and "Fantasia" "originate in European libraries," exhibit text suggests.
Americans may be unaware that Disney - unable to enlist in World War I because he was only 16 - joined the Red Cross and was sent overseas, arriving after the armistice. He spent a year in France soaking up the culture. He and his wife, Lillian, returned in 1935, and brought back some 350 books of illustrations - romantic castles, royal ceremonies, woodland sprites, evil witches, anthropomorphized animals.
Indeed, the farmlands and forests of America, or the newly sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles, aren't the main source of the Disney magic. Rather, working in Burbank with dozens of refugees and vagabond artists from Europe, many of them Jewish, the Disney bunch borrowed from masters like Honoré Daumier and Bruegel, imitated Gustav Dore's illustrations of "Dante's Inferno," consulted landscapes by Philippe Rousseau for the "Jungle Book," snatched ideas from 1920s films like F.W. Mernau's "Faust" and Chaplin's "Modern Times," and revised "Pinocchio" from the Italian writer Carlo Collodi. They copy, embellish, and alter from every possible source - producing a highly cross-pollinated vision in "living color."
Disney or ‘Uncle Willie’ to his fans was an ordinary guy who somehow got diverted from a career as a milkman in Kansas City, Mo. (Indeed, a teacher there once pronounced him "second dumbest" in the class.) But Disney was no slouch. He corresponded with Charlie Chaplin, socialized with Spencer Tracy, and knew Sergei Eisenstein, the Russian film director. They were all Disney fans.
The Grand Palais assesses Disney as a "modest artist." But his genius lay elsewhere. He brought to life a new art form. In exploting the mother lode of his creative touch to the full, boxoffice hits one after the other he became an institution, a victim of his own corporate image.
benny

Conclusion-To sum

The following seven principles are Nature’s way of ensuring the smooth running of cosmos where every life form as individual and as a part of the whole has its place. Needless to say no species is preferred over another. These seven principles may equally be applied satisfactorily in terms of individual and also as species.
1.
Inversion Principle;
Inversion Principle can be seen at work in the ongoing war in Iraq.
The CH 46 helicopter has been around since the Vietnam War and is the workhorse of the Marine Corps. It's used to transport troops, cargo and is employed for medical evacuations. The Marines generally fly at night, which is safer because insurgents can't target the helicopter.
Since Jan. 20 five helicopters have been shot down killing 28 mariners. So far the common denominator in these attacks has been anti-aircraft and machine guns hitting vulnerable parts of the aircraft. Ironically, pilots have been flying low to avoid surface to air missiles, increasing the danger from smaller arms. Notice the question of Either Or.
What is strength beyond a certain point shall prove to be its undoing. (Ack: abc news.)

Blood Of A Poet

Don’t Panic! I mentioned a film of Jean Cocteau. A classic. Speaking of poet I also have tried a hand in poetry. But blood as represented by this poet, is worth only $68. So I have come to conclude since I paid the sum to be a member of international Society of Poets. Is there such a society in reality serving the interests of poets?
The following news item will explain:

quote:The National Library of Poetry has recently changed their name to International Library of Poetry (or poetry.com).

Poetry Ghastly, Published Fastly 
by John Woestendiek 
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
"To help you further understand what the National Library of Poetry is all about, let me tell you what else [in addition to the opportunity to purchase their poetry anthology] I've been offered in the last year (and also take this opportunity to apologize to my mail carrier): 

"My poem mounted on a walnut-finish plaque ($38), read by a professional reader on cassette tape ($29.95), and printed on laminated wallet-sized cards (96 for $49.95); an invitation to join the International Society of Poets, also located in Owings Mills, Md., and attend its annual convention ($595); election into the International Poetry Hall of Fame, and a permanent John Woestendiek Poetry Exhibit in their World Wide Web museum ($189); an application for an International Society of Poets Master Card; and a letter from a music production company saying they had read my first poem and thought it should be set to music -- either rock, soul, country, gospel or folk -- and offering to do that and send me five copies of the cassette ($299)."
This web page is provided as a public service by Wind Publications.unquote

Reading this I had a feeling that I was reliving my ‘poetic’ experience
( poetic sounds grander, don’t you think? ) worth $68 dollars.
Poor Cocteau must be turning in his grave.
P.S I must thank John and the Wind Publications for their service. Only wished that I had read them one week earlier. In the meantime some literary ghoul has made money out of me. I should have kicked myself for my stupidity. May be later. I am still laughing to my guts that I am yet to make money, not even one lousy buck, mind you,- from being true to my calling!

benny

A Bummer It Is, Bremer

Recently in the House Democrats grilled the former U.S. occupation chief in Iraq over how he doled out up to $12 billion in Iraqi money without accounting for it.
Firing back in a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing Tuesday, L. Paul Bremer III insisted that he did the best he could in the middle of a war and repeatedly said he had spent Iraqi — not U.S. — money. Bremer ran the country for 14 months.
So Bremer assumes he didn’t do any wrong in throwing Iraqi money without any reasonable control. It is essential for one in his position of trust to be accountable. Wasn't his role as that of a trustee? His excuse that it was not US money sounds shocking to say the least. Consider his position. It was that of a viceroy and his actions,-doesn’t that speak the mindset of an occupier? Paul Bremer must bear the odium of one who brought Iraq to such a sorry state as we know now. He foolishly carried out de-Baathification program without setting in place adequate machinery to keep the country running; he was more concerned with his control over every nut and bolt of his office and not for taking care of the citizens. The man on the street is yet to be provided with modicum of essential services and security.
His failure is only one among several failures one of which as we read now, has come to pass. Recently there was a question of poor quality of training provided to the local recruits for policing the streets of Baghdad. Wastage of time and money under this heading also must run to millions.
benny

An Exotic Recipe

A man from Manchuria created quite a stir in the province of Lu. His recipe for Bear’s paw was sensational and in the court of Duke Ai every one tried it and found it so extraordinary. Young Confucius heard of it and wanted to meet the man from Manchuria. As he neared the quarters where the man from Manchuria stayed he was assailed by some strange fragrance “Something of the young bamboo shoots in pickled wine.” observed the young philosopher. He had decided such a smell could only come from the food fit for gods.
Confucius walked briskly towards the house. Confucius was able to meet the man at his lunch and discreetly studied the dishes served at the table. There was spinach and beans, a frugal repast fit for someone ready to depart for the other kingdom! The young visitor was disappointed.
Later when he got to know the writer of the recipe better he asked whether he didn’t like the dish that brought him fame. The older man shook his head and said that he was suffering from a condition and he could not eat anything other than the greens.
When asked whether he missed it he said:” Yes. Even now it is a mystery what is the secret of its success. It is cooked to a gooey consistency, like tripe. It is not non- greasy either. My tongue often twitches for another try...” After awhile he shook his head and continued, ”... but my stomach revolts at the very idea!”
* Our mind takes flight to the heavens but the body must be obeyed too. The nature of Soul is something of betwixt and between.

Just One Point

* The House of Joy may be built to exact specifications for the pleasure and enjoyment of the owner; yet set in the midst of a suffering neighborhood the name is not what it implies.
benny

The House Of Joy

The city in Hebrew meant Golden Cradle. It stood along the caravan route between Luxor and Babylon. Many passed through its gates awed by its fabled wealth. The city had many attractions but what attracted these foot-weary strangers above all was the House of Joy. It belonged to a merchant prince who entertained in style. They found comfort and hospitality under his roof. The host knew most of them would never come back; still he did not cut corners. His lavish style was such some wondered, “Incredible for a merchant to throw his money away?” But the prince knew his fame spread as far as these strangers went.
One evening one Belshazzar by name came in but would not eat. The host pressed him to try various dishes but he excused himself that his appetite was killed by a sight which was before his line of vision. “I can see the fellow lying there, from where I sit.”
“So what, let him.” Mumbled his companion and went on gnawing at a chicken leg. “ I see now dogs licking at his sores.” The stranger almost threw up disgusted.
“Oh Lazarus, he makes himself obnoxious. One gets used to it with time,” commented the host with a smile.
He got up and left as fast as he could. Later when another stranger extolled the hospitality of the prince Belshazzar thought of Lazarus. He felt disgust and he made it very plain to the other. The one who was so taken in by hospitality at the House of Joy observed, “Well, it would seem we are talking altogether of two different things.” Yes they were.
benny

Integration Principle

Just as the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk were experimenting with their aeroplane, in Germany Count Zeppelin was well advanced into rigid airships filled with hydrogen. During the early stages of WWI Germany did not have as many ships as British Royal Navy had; so the Zeppelins were used as an aerial eye to monitor the movements of the enemy ships and warn the German fleet accurately. From there it progressed to drop bombs since the airships could travel great distances and higher, beyond the range of stationary English antiaircraft guns. At the outbreak of war English defenses relied almost entirely on the Army and Navy. The lack of an adequate Air Command allowed Germany to take the initiative during the early course of the war. In 1915 Zeppelins successfully raided the English airspace and carried out a number of indiscriminate attacks on civilian population. By January 1916 the English scored their first victory by shooting down a Zeppelin on an English countryside. Once Great Britain gained enough airplanes and pilots the inherent weaknesses of the Zeppelin soon showed up. Inflammable hydrogen made every hit an inferno from which the Germans ould not escape. Soon Imperial Germany grounded the dirigibles forever.
Germany carried war into the air but within a quarter of century aerial warfare would become an indivisible part of any onslaught. Without which could Japan have taken on the USA by dealing a ‘knock-out’ blow at the Pearl Harbor?
Can we now think of a war without the air support? No. Our experience in a century had overshot the bank of experience of our forefathers. For ever.
Integration principle ties up London, Rotterdam, Dresden, Hiroshima Nagasaki and Baghdad.
benny

A Miracle?

A blogger had written the effect of finding a check for certain sum of money at a moment of financial straits, in an envelope left unopened. She simply called it a miracle.
Comment left on her post.
A miracle is what is commonplace in its totality : since we are only given a piece of the jigzaw puzzle and not the whole picture (because we are finite beings ) we see it out of its context.
Now if you believe in God let me rephrase it thus: what is a miracle for us is commonplace for God. Whichever case money is as good as it can go.
benny

A Shrewd Godman

In one of the villages of Kerala the small state in the south of India, in the ‘30s, the news of a child prodigy created great interest throughout the subcontinent. Karoor Swamy he was called. He made his name by predicting the year India would win her freedom some 18 years before it came to pass. There were skeptics but the boy silenced them by accurately forecasting a few other events that also came to be accurate. He was declared a genuine article.
In the early ‘70’s when emergency was first introduced by Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister, Karoor Swamy was given a free hand. The almost illiterate Swamy had become the conscious keeper of the Power brokers whose advice the Prime Minister came to rely upon. He would dream and his interpretations be directly passed on to the P.M’s Office for detailed analysis. Swamy of course made millions misusing his power and one day to every one’s surprise he resigned his political fortune telling. He let it be known that he intended to become a sanyasi. As quickly as he came to be a power centre he vanished from public view.
Years later some reporters managed to trace him in one of the small villages in Himachal Pradesh where his ill gotten gains brought him the status of a godfather to some tribal who eked out their living collecting firewood and tending sheep. One of the reporters wanted to know why he quit so early.
He replied, “ It was a well considered decision. It was obvious the Emergency would not last long. I knew that there would be settling of accounts. So I stepped out while I could get out.” “ Perfect timing,” One interjected.
“ Remarkable,” another reporter commented, “ Was it your prescience or common sense that you relied?”
“ Common sense,” replied the old sanyasi, “ Of course I listened much to my unconscious state. Dreams and visions are the ox-cart cart that Reason must pull. I survived only because I kept my unconscious under control. Always.”

benny

Heard This One?

“In the beginning there were whirligig beetles,”
Wizard Zozima intoned,” and now there is none.”
Dragon Fly Master : “ Who is the culprit?”
“ Beetles of course.”
Explained the wizard who doubled as the lounge-lizard of Mortimer Hall: “They let themselves caught. Didn’t they?”
benny

Who Broke The Bank?

Trees cannot speak but they register the presence of humans: we breathe in oxygen and give out carbon dioxide that trees can make use. They take in carbon dioxide to give back oxygen. Is it not a conversation done on a purely chemical level?
All lifeforms have a common interest since each lifeform is an investor to the Bank of Biosphere.
Think of every life-form as contributing as well as drawing from the common bank where solids, colloids, liquids and vapor are currencies (in place of bonds, securities and precious metals), which could only be said as fair if each did benefit from the bank. Such activity must fuel growth of all concerned as health of nation’s economy is provided by each investor engaged in transacting business, and replenishing the common funds held by the bank.

Global warming must be seen as an engine, self sustained by the dynamics of life forms. Now we are seen as biggest defaulters who have overdrawn from the common pool and in a manner of speaking ruined other species, which have equal claim to the fruits of their investment.

PARIS - International scientists and officials hailed a report Friday saying that global warming is "very likely" caused by man, and that hotter temperatures and rises in sea level "would continue for centuries" no matter how much humans control their pollution.
The panel predicted temperature rises of 2-11.5 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. That was a wider range than in the 2001 report. (News: Associated Press.)
benny

Use Of A Dead Watch

As a mortal being Time can only make sense to me because I have a heart that beats: with that tempo I can grade Time an abstract concept, to serve my purpose.
I have a watch, analogous by which I mean the good old watch with hands indicating hours, minutes, and seconds. It had served me well over the years, yet I know that despite the hands scrupulously doing their set tasks they tell me a lie. I believe in that lie because it suits me. Such was the case while the watch worked.
My watch is now dead due to some mechanical fault. Though the hands are still I find it still useful: twice a day it shows the right time, or it is in agreement with other watches.
benny
(From Fablescape)

Grin Of A Cheshire Cat

(…the grin is a shorthand of reality of the cat.)

"In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order".
Carl Jung
So true; I call it anomaly of matter. thus Laws of Nature in our cosmos allow light as a wave and as particle. In Newtonian model while studying dynamics of a ball we have precise equation to study its velocity and position at any given time. But in quantum mechanics it is not possible. The more accurate velocity is, its position can only be guessed. Vice versa. There is an uncertainty. All these contradictions or anomalies are smoothened out while we think of cosmos as a whole.
In Alice in Wonderland there is the Cheshire cat disappearing except for its grin. The grin must explain anomaly of matter. Its body must be elsewhere thereby validating its being. It is not dead because it can grin. Merely because Alice can’t see its body doesn’t mean it is non-existent. It is Alice’s problem.
Benny