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Wednesday 2 June 2004

Quotes:

Quotes of the Random Moment

Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death.
   -James F. Byrnes

All marriages are mixed marriages.
   -Chantal Saperstein

Seek simplicity, and distrust it.
   -Alfred North Whitehead

I don't deserve this award, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either.
   -Jack Benny

You are not superior just because you see the world in an odious light.
   -Vicomte de Chateaubriand

People everywhere confuse what they read in newspapers with news.
   -A. J. Liebling

Laughing at our mistakes can lengthen our own life. Laughing at someone else's can shorten it.
   -Cullen Hightower

There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity.
   -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Posted by Jack at 19:41 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday 1 June 2004

Quotes:

A quote to keep in mind when you become adamant...

Do not condemn the judgement of another because it differs from your own. You may both be wrong.
   -Dandemis

Posted by Jack at 21:44 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Opinion:

A request

To those of you who hate John Kerry (aka John "F'n" Kerry), would you please stop posting every time a news report comes out that you can use to justify your hate? WE'VE GOTTEN THE IDEA...

To those of you who hate George W. Bush (aka "Shrub"), would you please stop posting every time a news report comes out that you can use to justify your hate? WE'VE GOTTEN THE IDEA...

To everyone: If all you have to say is "see, this news report shows that we're justified in hating" whoever, don't bother posting because WE'VE GOTTEN THE IDEA...

As you can tell, I'm getting more than just a wee bit tired of all the hate. The nihilists in the world are doing a fine job of spewing hatred everywhere, they don't need any help, and the US election this November will be bad enough without additional "rah rah me too" so-called commentary from bloggers..

Let's use these damn weblogs for something constructive.

Posted by Jack at 21:32 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Personal:

Bloody hell...

I move to France, and for those who are extremely important to me, things fall apart...

Sigh...

I wonder at times. I've been extremely lucky, but in the end, how much of a role does luck truly play?

Sigh...

It's not fair making these kinds of judgments. I'm not in their shoes; I'm not having to deal with their issues, with their pressures, with their fears.

Sigh...

I know that I can only control MY own behaviors, but I still wish I could shield those I love from all the bad things that happen to them.

Sigh...

Well, there it is...

Posted by Jack at 19:34 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday 31 May 2004

Observations on France:

OK, darn it...

I worked very hard on this post, so go read it already...

Geez, just because I put it up on a three-day weekend, nobody sees it.

Posted by Jack at 22:23 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (1)
Welcome to Castle Argghhh! The Home Of One Of Jonah's Military Guys. linked with Tourism at Castle Argghhh!

Commentary:

Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day in the United States. I had the day off in France due to the coincidental convergence of US Memorial Day with Ascension Day.

Many have written about the meaning of Memorial Day, most from a far better understanding of the sacrifices made that we should remember every day, but on this day more than the others. I will leave it to them to tell of the loss of family members to war, the missing of births and deaths because of deployments, the other forfeitures made in defense of our nation, sometimes for worthwhile causes, sometimes not. Always the oath required that the sacrifice be made without judgment until after service was completed.

It saddens me that many in the United States will not spend this day in remembrance but instead in picnics and other diversions. However, it must be remembered that the sacrifices are made so that we can have the freedom to spend our days free from fear.

Remember those who have given up so much for us, and honor them by participating in our democracy, the ideal that they have sacrificed to defend.

Posted by Jack at 20:59 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (1)
Key Issues linked with Thinking About It

Quotes:

Not so random Quotes of the Random Moment

Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason.
   -Orson Welles

If we had no faults of our own, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others.
   -Francois de La Rochefoucauld

Most politicians wouldn't recognize their "fellow Americans" even if one stood up and smacked them across the face.
   -Jack Grant

Posted by Jack at 10:25 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Sunday 30 May 2004

General:

Hmmmmm...

Here's an interesting take on the ideal woman. I'm not sure I agree with ALL the characteristics described being necessary, but hey, not everyone is the same.

Posted by Jack at 17:34 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Observations on France:

Photos from my trip to Avignon and points south

I visited three different places on my trip south of Grenoble. The first was Avignon, where the Popes of the Western (or Roman) Catholic Church established a residence (called the Palais des Papes) in the early 14th century, and where in the late 14th century the "non-Roman" Western Catholic Popes had their residence during the times of major schism when there were two (or briefly three!!!) Popes. Avignon was referred to as "Rome" when the recognized Popes were in residence because the belief at the time was "Rome is where the Pope is". There is also a the remains of a bridge, the Saint Bénezet bridge, referred to in French as Pont d’Avignon (bridge of Avignon), which was of great importance for Provance (this area of southern France) during the dark and middle ages. Provance was not always under the control of the French kings, and control of the bridge had implications both strategic and commercial until the central government was able to establish their primacy.

The second place I went to was les Baux de Provance. This village and fortress (the Citadelle des Baux) are named after a geographical feature in the language of Provance, which is related to French, but is NOT French. The best translation I can give of les baux is "the ridges" or "the cliffs" or at best "the prominent, elevated rocks". Trying to talk about this area in French has given me no end of trouble, because when I say in French "I visited Les Baux" I don't say "Les Baux" because the "Les" in the name is an article, and the noun referred to is plural, so it modifies the preposition I have to use to say I visited it. (for anyone who is curious, I have to say J'ai visité des Baux de Provance.) The name has resonated far beyond the former importance of the fortress here, though. Bauxite (the ore that is refined to produce aluminum) was first discovered in the in this area, and that mineral was named after the village of les Baux de Provence. Back to the actual site, though. The citadel/castle was built on this eponymous ridge, and they were very creative because the area was quarried for stone to build both this castle and other fortresses in the area. The ridge that they quarried was turned into one wall of the fortress. You can see the remains of rooms carved into the rock in some of the photos. If I recall correctly, the fortress was first constructed in around 900 or 1000AD, added to and modified over the centuries until it was finally destroyed by order of the French king in the late 17th century once the kings of France finally established their authority over Provance.

Finally, I visited the Pont du Gard, or "Bridge of the Gard (river)". This "bridge" is actually part of a Roman aqueduct that was built in the neighborhood of 20 BC. This amazing example of Roman engineering was featured in a commercial for the new Volkswagen Beetle when it was re-introduced a few years ago.

Some notes for the less web-savvy: If you got here from a direct link (in an email, likely), scroll down to see all the photos. Click on any photo for a larger version. If you arrived at the main page (www.jmgrant.com), click on the "continue reading" link below to see the thumbnail photos. There are a lot (over 20) so scroll down to see them all.

Continue reading "Photos from my trip to Avignon and points south"
Posted by Jack at 14:39 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (1)
Technicalities linked with Some Wednesday Reading

Saturday 29 May 2004

General:

Fashion trends...

I really don't like the trend I've noticed in fashion where the styles of two decades ago somehow become current again. Recall how the 70s rediscovered the 50s, the 80s recalled the 60s, and the 90s brought back the horrid bell bottoms of the 70s? Well, here is a fashon that I wouldn't object one bit to being revived...

If you think we're living in racy times now, think again. Janet Jackson's Super Bowl escapade wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in the 17th century. Based on an in-depth study of fashion, portraits, prints, and thousands of woodcuts from ballad sheets of that era, researchers from the University of Warwick in Coventry, England report that women of the 1600s--from queens to prostitutes--commonly exposed one or both breasts in public and in the popular media of the day, reports Discovery News.

Here's the real kicker: They did it to show off their virtue.

Particularly in England and the Netherlands, breast exposure was common and accepted behavior in the 17th century. History researcher Angela McShane Jones became interested in the subject when she examined woodcut ballad sheets that were housed at Cambridge University, the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and Harvard University. In the 1600s, these ballad sheets were the pop music and pulp fiction of the day, featuring a woodcut that illustrated 10 to 14 verses of song, notes the Discovery News. Costing just a half-penny or a penny each, they were purchased from street vendors at fairs and markets.

What caught Jones' attention is that many of the woodcuts depicted women with bared breasts. Sometimes the bared breast was no accident. Dresses were so low-cut they purposely exposed a woman's bosom.

Jones explained to Discovery News that in paintings, breast exposure could have symbolic meaning, especially when just one breast was shown. Ladies of the high court were often painted in allegories as classical figures or as female saints, whose martyrdom usually involved breast removal.

But most of all when a woman exposed her breast, it was a sign of her virtue. "The exposure of the breast was a display of the classical and youthful beauty of the woman. She was showing her 'apple like' unused Venus breasts," Jones told Discovery News. "This was a display of her virtue, her beauty, and her youth. Upper class women maintained the quality of their breasts by not breastfeeding their children and passing them on to wet nurses." It was actually part of a woman's honor to display her virtue by exposing her breasts. Even her husband would have been proud to have this classical beauty on display, insists Jones.

The trend began in the 1400s in the French court and was later popularized in England by Queen Mary II and Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. This unusual fashion trend had a comeback in the 18th and 19th centuries when it was scandalous for a woman to show her shoulders or legs, but quite acceptable to bare her bosom.

All of which just begs for us to ask this question: Is breast baring making a comeback now?


I certainly hope so!!!!

Posted by Jack at 18:05 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday 28 May 2004

Quotes:

Strangely unsettling quote of the random moment

I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me.
   -John Cleese

Posted by Jack at 23:19 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Observations on France:

Images of the Palais du Papes, Les Beaux, and Pont du Gard

I finally got images to upload properly while creating thumbnails. I've got to go to work, so I'll update this post later to give descriptions of the photos. Until then, click on the photos for a larger image.

The thumbnails are in the extended entry to ease things for those on dial up connections.

Continue reading "Images of the Palais du Papes, Les Beaux, and Pont du Gard"
Posted by Jack at 08:19 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)

Thursday 27 May 2004

Quotes:

Some random quotes...

It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem.
   -Malcolm Forbes

Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.
   -Mark Twain

I love mankind, it's people I can't stand.
   -Charles M. Schulz

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
   -Will Rogers

It's not true that life is one damn thing after another; it is one damn thing over and over.
   -Edna St. Vincent Millay

Satan has been the best friend the church has ever had, as he has kept it in business all these years!
   -Anton Szandor LaVey

A man never reaches that dizzy height of wisdom that he can no longer be led by the nose.
   -Mark Twain

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
   -Benjamin Franklin

I can sympathize with people's pains, but not with their pleasure. There is something curiously boring about somebody else's happiness.
   -Aldous Huxley

Posted by Jack at 20:32 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wednesday 26 May 2004

Opinion:

You cannot learn if you never admit to making mistakes

I'm not sure how General Anthony Zinni (USMC, Ret.) is viewed by members of the military, but he has a list of ten crucial mistakes that he feels have been made in the Iraq conflict that are well worth reading even if you do not agree with his views. If mistakes are never acknowledged, they are never corrected nor learned from. The refusal to admit mistakes is a tendency of the current administration that troubles me more than anything else, including the policies that infringe upon the fundamental Civil Liberties that are supposed to be protected by our Constitution.

Posted by Jack at 19:32 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Tuesday 25 May 2004

General:

Photos on the way...

I have over 100 photos I'm sorting through from my weekend trip to Avignon, Les Beux, and Pont du Gard. I'll try my best to post the best by tomorrow, along with brief histories of the sites.

It's was a very good trip this last weekend. I love history, and visiting the "Palais du Papes" or "Palaces of the Popes" in Avignon (where the Popes lived in the 14th century and the schismatic Popes reigned during the early 15th century), along with the castle of Les Beux and the remains of the 300 BC Roman aqueduct at Pont du Gard were almost heaven for me.

What was most interesting to me was that the Palais du Papes and the fortress at Les Beux were both abandoned and destroyed because of domestic political concerns. The first (the Palais du Papes) during the French Revolution, and the second during the early 17th century when the French kings finally consolidated their hold upon the entire land area that comprises modern France. The fortress at Les Beux was too strong to allow it to potentially be held by an enemy.

There is an irony in the French destroying some of their best accomplishments in the past that I find amusing. Of course, the excesses of the French Revolution do show the mercurial behavior that is still part of their temperament even today.

Posted by Jack at 23:38 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Opinion:

I respectfully disagree...

Beth, She Who Will Be Obeyed, has posted:

When I was in elementary school - all girl Catholic school - Mother Earhardt was our religion teacher from 1st to 4th grade. She once said that if you think of a tall tower, with windows all around the top of it, the view outside of each window could represent the different views of each religion - they all see part of the truth, but none of them see all of the truth.

I think that perhaps that Mother Earhardt was wrong - I think that perhaps one religion is in the basement, looking at the dirt around the tower and trying to figure out how to blow up the tower so that all the other religions will perish. So they can force all of us, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Animist, Buddhist, all of us, to face East, kneel and submit to their religion - so they can rule us and enslave us.

I think we need an exterminator to get that rat out of the Tower's basement before the foundation of all of faiths is fouled.


John of Argghhh! is concerned that he is "being to easy on 'em."

I'm not so sure. I've read histories of both the Catholic Church and Islam, and it seems to me that BOTH churches/religions/faiths have gone through similar evolutions. What we forget is that Islam started AFTER Christianity, and has not evolved for the same period of time. Islam started in roughly 620 AD, so if we look at where Christianity was in 1384 AD you might get a rough idea in terms of philisophical evolution. In that time, the western Catholic Church was undergoing its biggest schism, with multiple Popes, and it was before the era of widespread Inquisition. There had been many murders committed up to then in the name of Christianity, and many more murders, along with the Protestant reformation and its consequent wars, were still in the future.

Am I saying we should accept the murders perpetrated in the name of Islam? No. But it is far, far too easy to say "wipe them all out" than it is to actually try to understand the whole of the issue, to try to see the evolution of religious thinking and philosophy.

Perhaps I am too much aware of where we (the culture of the West) come from.

On the other hand, however, saying "wipe them all out because they are the source of our problems" is far, far too reminiscent of what Hitler said in the comparatively recent past for it to be said lightly.

Perhaps before we condemn an entire faith, we should look to our own past, our own cultural heritage before we pass judgment on that religion. Remember, it was Jesus who said when a prostitute was brought before Him to be stoned to death, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Posted by Jack at 21:57 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (1)
The Noble Pundit linked with Religous Evolution

Observations on France:

Broadcast radio in France

Listening to one of the radio stations here is an interesting experience. The station calls itself "Alpes Un" or "Alps One" in English. The name arises from the fact that Grenoble is embedded in a steep sided river valley at the very beginning of the Alps mountain range in France (I'm about a 90 minute drive from Geneva, Switzerland here). The station is pop radio, but the format is completely unlike the United States. They are playing the latest music both from the United States (Dido, Alanis Morissette) along with music from French groups, but they are also playing music from the 70s and 80s (The Who is on now, Won't get fooled again). This strange mix with the intense blasts from the past make me think that here the radio stations, along with the inexpensive wine, are definitely better than the US.

I do miss my Kraft macaroni and cheese, though...

Posted by Jack at 20:55 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Commentary:

We haven't properly defined the problem...

Matt (aka Blackfive) recently posted some figures on the origins of the oil consumed by the United States and placed those sources of oil in context with the war in Iraq, the relations with Saudi Arabia, and the recent increase in gasoline prices in the United States. His post prompted some thoughts and stirred some memories from the 1970s, where there was a true shortage of gasoline, not just a rapid rise in prices. Many solutions have been proposed to make the United States more "energy independent", and unfortunately most of those solutions evince the same kind of wishful thinking and disregard for consequences that characterize the vast majority of policy making by BOTH major political parties in the United States.

The vast majority of the discussion has been on how to produce more oil domestically to reduce imports. These ideas are merely band-aids at best and are not truly long term solutions. Some propose tax breaks and/or subsidies for oil companies to produce more oil from fields in the United States. There's not really that much oil that is recoverable in the United States that isn't already being pumped. Any oil still in the ground in fields not being exploited would be so expensive to get out of the ground that it would make the cost of the Iraq war look like peanuts. Some advocate opening up the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. That "solution" isn't even worthy of the appellation of "band-aid" because the total amount of oil recoverable from that area is much less than the amount consumed by the United States in one year.

Continue reading "We haven't properly defined the problem..."
Posted by Jack at 20:33 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Recommended Reading:

A non-hysterical story on the possibility of climate change

There is a good summary of the factors that determine the climate of Earth on MSNBC.com. For those who continually declaim "those environmentalists are just a bunch of moonbats!" I would like you to read the entire story, review the factors presented that affect the climate of our planet, and come to your own conclusions without the emotions attached.

Posted by Jack at 08:17 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Monday 24 May 2004

Weblogs:

If the answer is 42, what is the question?

Serenity has dared to post what has been lurking in my mind for quite a while. She is searching for a niche, and I have had the same feeling of needing to find a place for my weblog. There are many out there writing weblogs, some extremely funny, some experts in some field or another, some current or ex-military, some lawyers, some with way too much time on their hands, some just simply engaging writers who don't worry excessively about whether they are perceived accurately or not. There are many who are so firm in their convictions that anyone who does not agree with them is regarded as a "moonbat", and there are some who go missing periodically.

I rarely post in the fields of my expertise because I write in that dry style every day in my work. I don't want the work I put into this weblog to be on science and technology. I do post opinions and commentary because I have strong convictions, but I am always questioning the detailed policies that arise out of my fundamental principles. Overly analytical writing on political topics is too cold blooded for me, many times neglecting the important factor of humanity. Strong emotions, especially those attached to ideas, generate strong suspicion in me. My continual questioning keeps me from fitting into any group (hence my absence from any of the Commisar's maps!!!).

So, as Serenity said, if anyone finds a niche out there looking for a nice home, let me know!



By the way, the first person to correctly identify the reference in the post title gets a free link!

Hey, if you want a REAL prize, I'll have to give a challenging question...

Posted by Jack at 16:06 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)

Saturday 22 May 2004

General:

Weekend trip

I'm headed to Avignon today (Saturday) and will be back tomorrow with photos. If you recall your history, Avignon was where some of the popes were established during the Middle Ages, especially during periods of schism when there were multiple popes. I've been told there are some really cool things to see and do there.

Posted by Jack at 05:43 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)

Friday 21 May 2004

Personal:

101 Recommended Books

Here is the list that I've seen in several places of the 101 great books recommended by the College Board (those wonderful folks that are responsible for the standardized college admissions tests like the SAT). I'm a bit behind on this relative to some others. The list is in the extended entry.

Continue reading "101 Recommended Books"
Posted by Jack at 21:10 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Personal:

Following the trend, an arbitrary list of favorite musicians and groups...

So I've now seen this listing of one musical group or musician for each letter at a couple of places, so I thought I'd do it too since my commentary on how we got here has been completely ignored (well, not completely, Stevie said some really nice things about me and mentioned that post in particular, thanks Stevie!!!). I picked more than one choice for some letters, to Hell with any rules:

A- Paula Abdul (hey, a vice from my younger days, I like Fiona Apple and Tori Amos too)
B- Kate Bush (Beethovan)
C- Elvis Costello (or Johnny Cash or Sheryl Crow)
D- Devo (who can forget Whip It???)
E- Elvis (he only needs one name, and besides, I wanted P for Pink Floyd, also Melissa Etheridge)
F- Fleetwood Mac (another vice from my youth)
G- Peter Gabriel (Garbage)
H- Don Henley (almost John Lee Hooker)
I- can I buy another vowel?
J- Billy Joel
K- King Crimson
L- Gordon Lightfoot
M- Sarah McLachlan (Alanis Morissette, Mozart)
N- I'm at a loss for this one...
O- Carl Orff
P- Pink Floyd
Q- Queen
R- The Rolling Stones (The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Red Elvises)
S- Bruce Springsteen (Stravinsky)
T- Pete Townshend
U- U2
V- Vangelis (Suzanne Vega)
W- The Who
X- is there anyone who starts with X?
Y- Yes (they haven't aged very well, though)
Z- Warren Zevon

The list of 101 recommended books is next...

Posted by Jack at 20:23 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0)

Personal:

More photos are up on my "photoblog"

I've posted some photos from a hike I took yesterday near Crolles, where the site is that I work in France. We had the day off on Thursday because it was a French national holiday. There's another holiday coming up very soon. I'll end up having over 40 days off this year combining holidays and vacation. Holy cow...

Posted by Jack at 13:49 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (1)
Welcome to Castle Argghhh! The Home Of One Of Jonah's Military Guys. linked with Around the roll...

Quotes:

A longer list of quotes for the day than usual...

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.
   -Douglas Adams

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.
   -Kurt Cobain

The trouble with America is that there are far too many wide-open spaces surrounded by teeth.
   -Charles Luckman

The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear.
   -Herbert Agar

No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency.
   -Theodore Roosevelt

Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.
   -Bernard Berenson

Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.
   -Barry Switzer

Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamoured of existing evils, as distiguished from a liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.
   -Ambrose Bierce

Posted by Jack at 10:37 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Wahabism Delenda Est
Whabism must be destroyed. -John Donovan, 12 May 2004