Five Rings

This week tickets for the 2012 games went on sale, online, and Visa cocked it up, unable to take payments from cards ending August 2011 or in like five months. If that weren't bad enough, the Omega count-down clock in Trafalgar Square quit inside 24-hours. It is all starting to feel a bit like the Millennium Dome and boy oh boy that is another something we don't need. Still I and we have great faith in Seb Coe, the games organiser, and no doubt the glitches will be worked through. Meanwhile, the Olympic-rings greet passengers arriving to London St Pancras from Paris, as I did yesterday following a return voyage and lunch.

Said Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games and designer of the Olympic rings in the 1912 Revue Olympique:

"The emblem chosen to illustrate and represent the world Congress of 1914...: five intertwined rings in different colors - blue, yellow, black, green, and red - are placed on the white field of the paper. These five rings represent the five parts of the world which now are won over to Olympism and willing to accept healthy competition.."

Elvis

Parent Teacher Consultations

Sonnet and I attend the kids' mid-term parent-teacher consultations. How strange that such things now "old hat" as we look upon anxious moms and dads whose children in the earlier years. Madeleine has made big improvements in spelling, hand-writing and concentration. She enjoys drama and wants to participate in class discussions. We are told her hand always up for participation and "she is an enthusiastic contributor to the classroom discussions." Eitan, meanwhile, continues to be an imaginative writer who excels "in punctuations." We're told he recently scored 20 of 20 on a "mental maths" test and, strangely, 17 of 25 when solving the same equations on paper (Eitan says: "I hate showing my work - it is so much easier to do it in my head."). We are delighted with the reports, which we convey to the kids over dinner.

Toga

Eitan has been studying the Romans and today .. dressed as a Roman.

Me: "So what did you do for Roman day?"

Eitan: "We did chariot races."

Me: "How'd you do that?"

Eitan: "We learnt the rules, then we did it."

Me: "More, please."

Eitan: "So, like, there were three people on each team. And there were two teams and each team had a horse and one charioteer. The teams had to keep hold of each other and run around the loop four times."

Me: "Horses?"

Eitan: "For 5B, it was Sophia and Tobias."

D-Day: "War's over, man. Wormer dropped the big one."
Bluto: "Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!"
Otter [whispering]: "Germans?"
Boon: "Forget it, he's rolling."

--From National Lampoon's Animal House

Oh π

Pi (π) is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. And Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th (In the mm/dd date notation: 3/14); since 3, 1 and 4 are the first three digits of π. March 14 is also the birthday of Albert Einstein and the two events are sometimes celebrated together (Freaky, dude) Pi = 3.1415926535.

With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational and transcendental number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating. The symbol for pi was first used in 1706 by William Jones, but was popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737.

There are a large variety of ways of celebrating Pi Day and most of them include eating pie and discussing the relevance of π. The first Pi Day celebration was held at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988, with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies. The museum has since added pizza to its Pi Day menu. The founder of Pi Day was Larry Shaw, a now-retired physicist at the Exploratorium who still helps out with the celebrations.

MIT often mails its acceptance letters to be delivered to prospective students on Pi Day. Of course they do.

Transonic Go!

An F/A-18F Super Hornet crosses the speed of sound while performing at New York Air Show at Jones Beach in Wantagh, New York on May 23, 2009 (photo credit?). The condensation of water we see around the plane caused by a rapid expansion and consequent adiabatic cooling of air parcels induced by the shock (expansion/compression) waves caused as the plane outruns sound waves in front of it. Me, I just thought this was a cool photo for a Wednesday.

Emanual School

Sonnet and I visit Emanuel School for Madeleine. Emanual located in Battersea near Clapham Common, southwest London - an area that boasts the highest concentration of young families in Europe, so I am told. Consequently the school's intake of 680 from the excellent local state and public primaries like Honeywell, Thomas's and Eaton House. The grounds are, strangely, on an elevated triangle-wedge bracketed by two rail lines heading to Clapham Junction. Yet, for an urban school, the trees and greenery bountiful with rugby, football and cricket pitches next to tennis courts. The towering red-brick main building imposing especially on a grey London day like now. Of importance for our girl, Emanual emphasizes art and drama; it is not inclined towards league tables, which it removed itself from last year. Despite this, the academics very good and, while not equal to London's best, Emanual offers students a rounded experience"Just like an American high school," Sonnet observes. The gal who shows us around certainly sensible - she fields my usual queries covering physics, "clicks" and cigarette smoking without batting an eye.

Here is what is on the brochure: "Emanuel School is a co-educational, independent school founded in 1594. At the time Lady Dacre wrote that one of the main aims of the Foundation was 'for the bringing up of children in virtue and good and laudable arts so that they might better live in time to come by their honest labour'.

Photo from work shop, using my bb.

Yohji Yamamoto

Thinking of Japan, which was struck by a 9.0 undersea earthquake that caused a giant tsunami, killing thousands and, possibly, damaging a number of nuclear power plants.

Sonnet takes Madeleine to the opening last week Thursday, the night before everything changed.

"The V&A presents one of the most influential and enigmatic fashion designers of the last forty years, Yohi Yamamoto. Yamamoto is a visionary designer who has made a vital contribution to fashion, challenging traditional norms of clothing with his avant-garde style. This is his first major solo show in the UK and is an installation-based retrospective showcasing over 80 women's and menswear garments, which are most representative of his work.

Central to Yamamoto's design are bespoke textiles made to his specifications by crafts people in Japan. Over the years, Yamamoto has also worked with a number of collaborators in photography, film and theatre to produce iconic works and images. The exhibition will explore the work of a designer who has proved and inspired the fashion world."

--V&A brochure; exhibition from 12 March to 20 July, 2011.

Reading Bowl

Sometimes I wonder who has better manners - Eitan or the dog. At least the boy can read.

Yankee Doodle

I am reading Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With The Wind" which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1937 (it was her one and only book). Anybody who thinks this a frilly romantic novel sorely mistaken. It is the story of the rape of Georgia during, and after, the Civil War. But this is not my blog. Instead, I have often wondered about the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" sung by the Confederates known by every American grade-schooler:

Yankee Doodle went to town

A-riding on a pony

Stuck a feather in his hat

And called it macaroni

Why did yankee doodle stick a feather in his hat and call it macaroni? In Pre-Revolutionary America the song not referring to a pasta "macaroni"; rather, "macaroni" a fancy ("dandy") style of Italian dress widely imitated in England. By sticking a feather in his cap and calling himself a "dandy," Yankee Doodle was proudly proclaiming himself to be a gentleman of some social standing though, as known by the Southerner humming the tune, he had none.

Japanese Tsunami

Waves from the 8.8 earthquake off northwest Japan Friday are off the charts reaching 12 feet in some locations. The above graphic, by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, shows the wave sizes as they move halfway around the world.

The waves at their highest point near the earthquake's epicenter, then taper as they travel across the Pacific reaching South America 24 hours later. My Dad reports minimal damage in Northern California but the coastline a mess in some areas and dozens of boats damaged or sunk.

NOAA monitors wave heights by using buoys that are strategically placed across the Pacific rim.

Japan's estimates for dead and missing surpass 10,000 people most of whom killed by the tsunami that followed the earthquake.

Pancakes And The River Café

Our Sunday morning so far: Sonnet up at 0620h to wrestle the kids from bed and swimming practice. Myself, I awake an hour or so later to make coffee and a run with Rusty, who resists for all his life (strangers in the park look at me kinda funny as I drag the unwilling pooch). Rusty supposed to enjoy these things I thought. Sonnet makes pancakes etc. and I read the Sunday Times which I have come to enjoy though a poor comparison to the NYT. Last night we join friends at the River Cafe, which has become our favorite; The RC our first "serious" restaurant in London back in '97.

"The River Café specializes in Italian cuisine and owned and run by chef Ruth Rogers and until early 2010, Rose Gray. Located on the north bank of the Thames in Hammersmith in the former Duckhams oil storage facility modified by architect Lord Rogers, the husband of Ruth Rogers (Lady Rogers). Opened in 1987 as the employee café of the architectural partnership, there is a garden with views of the River Thames.

River Café brought to London the flavours of Italian home cooking with an emphasis on the finest ingredients, and an all-Italian wine list. The restaurant also brought to London a modern, open-plan kitchen and dining room with a buzzy atmosphere. "Sourcing, sourcing, sourcing" is the mantra of Rogers and Gray. Menus are tweaked constantly (sometimes twice a day) to respond to the seasons and what is best in the market, with simplicity the key. Signature dishes include: wild mushroom risotto; Dover sole (which I have last night) and John Dory smoked in the restaurant's own wood stove; and rich Italian desserts including lemon almond cake or the chocolate "Nemesis" cake.

The restaurant earned a Michelin star in 1988 and is critically acclaimed, although sometimes criticised for high pricing.

"

--Wiki

Water Can

Hmmm Madeleine and Nicki upstairs washing Rusty while I sit in the kitchen, here, at my notebook, writing. The boy and I spent the last couple hours getting the garden ready for spring. Our big excitement this morning the discovery of frog spawn in the pond - yes, they are back and this time we will aim to have a frog unlike last year's failed nurtury (I hear screaming and yelping so upstairs I go).

The Perry and Marty Granoff Center

And, voila!, Brown's new performing arts building (picture from the NYT). I am reasonably certain the location in a parking lot next to the sciences building two or three blocks from the main campus. Freshman rumor suggested the science building's late night and unusual smells from burning animal carcases, post lab-room dissection. I still might believe this - indeed, I cut up a shark and a few rats back in the day.

The center's 35,000-square-feet include three studio work spaces supported by a multimedia studio, a recording studio, a robotics studio, art galleries for student showcases and a 200-seat recital hall. Neighboring RISD will enjoy access. The center's architects Diller, Scofidio and Renfro were behind the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall.

And here is what we know about Marty Granoff (from the Brown website):

Granoff, a University trustee emeritus, is a veteran of the textile industry. He is the founder and chairman of Val D’Or, a knitwear manufacturer that merged with Cannon County Knitting Mills Inc. in 1995; vice chairman of Koret of California, which makes women’s brand-name clothing; and chairman, founder, director, and majority owner of National Textiles, a manufacturer of open-end and ring-spun cotton.

During his service as a University trustee, Granoff was a member of the Corporation committees on Advancement, Admission and Financial Aid, Budget and Finance, and Student Life. He also is an emeritus member of the Board of Directors of the Brown University Sports Foundation. He also serves as a vice chair of Boldly Brown: Campaign for Academic Enrichment.

The parent of a member of Brown’s Class of 1993, Granoff spearheaded the Brown Hillel campaign to build the Glenn and Darcy Weiner Hillel Center, which was dedicated in February 2004.

Easter In Czech Republic

Madeleine and I use up the accoutrement's from yesterday's story time.

Happy birthday Stan!

Sonnet takes Madeleine to the Yohji Yamamoto opening party at the V&A. Sonnet notes Yohji-san a fashion designer "known for his unusual constructions."

Sonnet: "What do people do for Easter in your village?"

Aneta: "Do?"

Sonnet: "Are there any traditions?"

Aneta: "You mean like what we do?"

Sonnet: "Yes."

Aneta: "Well, the boys they have a big stick. And they chase the girls."

Sonnet:

Aneta: "And they try to tap them, the girls."

Me: "Is everybody naked?"

Madeleine: "Dad!"

Me: "Well, they might be."

Madeleine: "Are they naked Aneta?"

Aneta: "No."

Sonnet: "Where do they tap them?"

Aneta: "On their bottom." (Aneta points to her bottom)

Madeleine: "Woa."

Me: "Are they drunk?"

Aneta: "Yes, the boys are very drunk. The girls, they don't like this so much. So when the boys come by before lunch . ."

Sonnet: "They are drunk before lunch?"

Aneta: "Yes. When the boys come by before lunch the girls can splash water on them. They don't like that so much."

Me: "What happens after lunch?"

Aneta: "The girls cannot splash water then."

Madeleine: "We are going to have an Easter Egg Hunt."

Auntie Katie

After my class-time story, Madeleine shows-and-tells "Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked" which is, afterall, consistent with the theme of "fantasy." Our dear fills with pride as she describe's her Auntie Katie: "a writer who lives in New York city with lots of really tall buildings."

Go On, I Dare You

So I wonder - has Tucson changed anything? (On January 8, 2011, near Tucson, AX, 19 people were shot, six of them fatally, during an open meeting that U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords. Those killed include US District Court for the District of Arizona Chief Judge John Rolland one of Rep. Giffords's staffers. Gifford was shot through the head at point-blank range, and her medical condition was initially "critical"). Congress's then boldly pronounced corrective initiatives have so far netted one proposal: a ban on the sale of ammunition clips that allowed the gunman to fire 31 shots in 15 seconds. Seems reasonable. But no, the gun-clip ban has zero Republican supporters, which is a problem since the Republicans are the House majority. Meanwhile in the states, there is legislation for more guns in more places (public libraries, college campuses, Starbucks). Gail Collins in the NYT notes that Georgia allows guns in bars, Arizona eliminated concealed weapon permits and Utah has designated its own official state gun. Should we be surprised?

And how about those colleges? A number of states are considering laws to prohibit colleges and universities from barring guns on campus. Excuse my French but this is fucking madness. Does anybody in the Republican party remember Virginia Tech? Says Daniel Crocker, the southwest regional director for Students for Concealed Carry on Campus: “It’s about people having the right to personal protection.” Concealed Carry on Campus BTW is a national organization of students dedicated to opening up schools to more weaponry. Every spring it holds a national Empty Holster Protest “symbolizing that disarming all law-abiding citizens creates defense-free zones, which are attractive targets for criminals.” Retards.

All this to blow the NRA, whose annual budget of $200 million gives them plenty of insider influence. Go on, become a member, and get your discount on a muzzled shot gun. While doing so, think about the 270,000 Americans who have died by guns in the United States since 2001.

Speaking of blow jobs and Republicans, Newt Gingrich says his passionate hard work for his country contributed to his marital infidelity. Really, he said this in an interview posted Wednesday by The Christian Broadcasting Network. Gingrich -- who recently converted to Catholicism of course -- said he had sought God's forgiveness for mistakes in his past. Recall the married Newt was screwing his intern with gleeful tongue wagging abandon while demanding Clinton's impeachment for the Monica Lewinsky affair. Now Newt wants to be President. With prescience, Gingrich should have suggested Clinton's Oval Office dalliance a trifle but, sadly for him, his best nature kicks him in his groin. Again.

Photo by Mister Tim from the www.

Swimmer

Here is how Sonnet/I accommodate two evening sessions at different times and pools: 5:30PM pick up Eitan, Madeleine (double-check for goggles, swimsuits, towels and gear), drive to ABC pool and watch Madeleine for 75 minutes; (double-check goggles, swimsuit, towel and gear) race across southwest London to drop off Eitan at XYZ pool. Drive home, Madeleine dinner. Back to the XYZ for Eitan (double-check goggles, swimsuit, towel and gear) then home, dinner, brush teeth and bed by 10PM. Eitan can stay up as late as he wants.

Elf

I visit Madeleine's class to tell a story - this time, about "fantasy" which is being taught as part of the curricula. Madeleine is my trusted assistant elf. My on-the-fly tale about Bobby Bogart (which gets a chuckle) who enters Middlearth, via a hidden basement door, finding himself at the "Strange and Wonderful Creatures" ball where he is the only human-child, surrounded by witches, ogres, trolls, elfs, dwarfs and wizards. To return home, Bobby must retrieve Princes Leia who slumbers under a spell at the end of a long, dark cave inside a mountain guarded by a dragon. Nobody will go with Bobby except a troll and I tell the adventure from the troll's perspective, dressed for the part including a wicked nose, walking shaft and orange red hair purchased at "Party Palace" (agree, this is an interpretation). On the way to Leia, Bobby and the troll discover three ogre-brothers debating whether to kill a girl and grind her bones or roast her on the fire spit; a botched rescue finds Bobby and the troll in the same predicament with the sun-up in two hours - trolls, we know, turn to stone in daylight. Bobby negotiates everyone's release in return for gold, to be found in the dragon's mountain. The ogres keep the girl for recourse and promise to eat her in 21 days if no treasure. Eventually Princess Liea freed, the dragon thwarted, the girl saved. All made possible by the help of kind elves (Madeleine) and therein lies my message to the kids: whenever faced by life's challenges, ask for help and it can usually be solved.

I am granted two extra minutes and revive class favorite "Kit Kat Cowboy," who returns to make sure the classroom working hard and doing well. Nothing else to match my day.

Red Riding Hood

Many of you may recall that my (little) sister wrote a book "Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality, and the Evolution of A Fairy Tale" which was an Amazon best-seller and has gone through several printings (go on, buy a copy). Last night Katie attends the Hollywood film premier "Red Riding Hood," pictured, staring Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman and co-produced by Leonardo Dicaprio. Katie makes an appearance in the movie and provides the narrative for the DVD release, which includes the history of the fairy tale and interviews with various meaningful players. The Warner blurb:

"Valerie (Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon's arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them. As the death toll rises with each moon...

"