Storm Season

Finally starting to relax. I have but one more weekly batch of tourists coming in and we will soon have the place to ourselves.
They seem to be having this great unlimited cake offer at the Hilton during afternoon, all acompanied by a piano player.
It's raining - a sensation for eyes sore because of all the sunshine and temperatures that went as high up as 37 in August.
If a tourist, check out what you are missing:

SOLOMON BURKE & DE DIJK: GOOD FOR NOTHING

I’m hard up, broke and busted 
And I never hold a job 
I know I’m bound for trouble 
I won’t ever reach the top 
I sure ain’t mother’s finest 
I always find a way to slack 
If you lend me twenty dollars 
You’ll never get it back 

Don’t think I could ever change 
If I did it wouldn’t last 
I guess it’s too much of a hassle
I’m just getting nowhere fast 

I’m just a good-for-nothing 
Just a zero out of ten 
But baby don’t you know I’m able 
To love you like nobody can 

I would keep you waiting 
But I couldn’t wait myself 
All I think about is me, 
I put the blame on someone else 
I mess it all up big time 
Would not admit it when I’m through 
When you give me your love, babe 
I just don’t know what to do 

Don’t think I could ever change 
If I did it wouldn’t last 
I gues it’s too much of a hassle
I’m just getting nowhere fast 

I’m just a good-for-nothing 
Just a zero out of ten 
But baby don’t you know I’m able 
To love you like nobody can 

A Tired One on University Reform

Yes - idiots think nothing should be for free; yes - West charges for tuitions as well.
This pretty much produces unequal societies, where one's chances are determined from his birth (in a nutshell) - the opposite of the idea of the American Dream.

(Perhaps this will one day be rectified too - once we have realised, I assume, that benevolent and bright ones should have advisor roles.
The latter is my idea of a check on power; I would never consent to power. Plus, as an aside, this would hinder me too much since I loathe imitations of life, such as you can observe when idiots are being kept safe by a number of other idiots.)

Well, I have learned today I should switch to a doctoral programme. What this entails is two semesters more, at the cost of $5,000. This is no problem, except for the money for the time being, I hope - it's just that the last two semesters are about this mentor-only programme - and my mentor does not really deign to answer my emails, even though I am an all A student.

This is what happens I guess when you combine greedy capitalism with nonsensical socialism: they start charging for nothing, "because nothing is for free." What worked rather okay for 50 years must now be charged, even though you get an absolutely same thing. 

But does anyone even care for "benevolent and bright ones" in academia? Judging from the article I read the other day - nope. So let me quote a little:

‎"Science [scholarship] should, instead of being conservative, Ostojić continues, orthodox and closed, once again become open to questions, arguments and counter-arguments. Open debate is but seemingly allowed. If you denounce a better known scientist today, the thinking of whom is based on the consiousness described, if you touch his dominant and untouchable ego, you will get a horrifying burst of counter-attacks. Science today has no possibilities for a more open debate and for offering arguments and counter-arguments. There is a definite system for subtle filtering of knowledge. I beleive the goal is, on one hand, to promote existing dogma, and a fear exists on the other to divulge any information that could jeopardise the system as such. For it is better to have nothing going on in a controlled state, than to have an unmanageable something. Knowledge is power, so system control is paramount in itself, where we, ordinary valuable folk, are but collateral damage of the overall human degeneration." 


Sounds like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" all over again indeed. 

"I guess, amid all the shit, what's really important is to experience as much as you can, do what little you can - and not consent to circumstances that squander your life away for too long."

You can quote me on this one.

Quasi-Elite

So they're having this "OSCE PA" conference in Dubrovnik, a tough acronym for the parliamentary assembly of this European security organisation.
About the wisest in this respect are Slovenes - they choose this castle outside of any urban or village centres and hold their high profile meetings without any interference with common folk.
In Dubrovnik - oh no - they opt for a hotel at the far end of the town, and disturb just about everyone in the town at least twice a year. I have myself witnessed the polite yelling of a rough-cut policeman at an elderly person trying to cross the road just minutes before his rulers would storm by in their bullet-proof cars. It is absurd - even tourists are complaining.
Just before I turned adult, I even had some respect for the word meeting: I thought this entailed very serious stuff. However it turned out it's mostly a bunch of almost-morons "assemblying" things.
Not to mention that this security facade would most probably crumble to pieces at the first mention of anything like crisis in Europe. Don't take my word for it - just watch and see.
And the dumbwits? They - literally - think they own the world.

The Off Season Plans

Losing the Tie

Well, I have predicted long ago suits would become disgrace signs one day.

That we need a fresh start has been only too apparent for quite a while now. I even wrote to Mr Obama a few years back, urging him "to lose the tie," in terms of his promises. For example, green energy.

But I also advocate more reason and brains. However, there's little room for optimism: my greatest two disappointments were (1) realising but other bad things bothered me in the US, in contrast to my home country, and (2) realising the person who is wrong would never admit so.
About the greatest regret is (1) not living in an age where things get better day in and out.

So, hooray for the new American revolution! - they have themselves incited one too many around the globe.

About the worst thing that can happen to a human being is believing nothing can be done about anything - and this is crippling for many. So let us support this peaceful discontent. Even if we know those in power would rather lead us to something quite dismal first before we see new light.

It was to them that Virginia said: "If things are so okay, why do we have a war every 50 years?"

To Youth, With Love

Can't be absolutely sure about this one, but I actually think I got pilfered on the net the other day.
In 2008, I created and put online ever since this project for attracting youth into the Zagreb Lisinski Concert Hall - http://minijaturist.net/18.pdf. In one of funnier passages, I said Lisinski people had not been contemplating giving away tickets to youngsters but obviously intended to introduce an ER team.
The idea called for selling cheap tickets just before concerts to high-school and university students.
Something just like this was announced on 28 Sep 2011 - http://www.lisinski.hr/article.php?id=33, albeit in a less elaborate form, much to my glory.
The coincidences seem too much though I'm not arguing absolute surety. Actually, this way or another, I'm glad the project came to life and hope it will not be still-born.
The sole purpose of life, I think, is to apply what one has learned. To apply without learning is ridiculous - a fallacy often entertained.
That said, I would have enjoyed to have been mentioned, especially taking into account all my work is online. I condone and encourage non-commercial use with no alteration, having quoted the source.
On we go. A more daring idea - here: http://minijaturist.net/13.pdf.

Quote of the Month

Just in case I fail :p

"I hope that when I die, people say about me, 'Boy, that guy sure owed me a lot of money.'"

Jack Handey (1949 - ), Deep Thoughts

The Mix

I also talked to a mongrel today - a nice lady that is half foreign and half Croatian. Any out-of-ordinary displacement affords direct impetus for thinking so I tried my luck: I tried explaining the greatest issue for present day citizens of Dubrovnik is their lack of education opportunities, better jobs accordingly, and poor chances for participating in the cut.
Now, the debate about free education or otherwise is by now global. Unfortunately, the idea calling for the Dubrovnik University has for the time being failed, parents do not have enough money, and there is no market for all those new BAs anyway. As an aside, I'm just glad the idea of a private university that charges exorbitant amounts, owned by the ex-minister roumored to have been nicknamed Mr Ten Per Cent, has failed as well. Again, we just cannot afford it and it's not that good to attract those that would rather be part of the top-400 list.
So what exactly is happening in Dubrovnik? Perhaps you will be surprised if you read here that the population of the Old Town has dwindled by half. People are selling, yes. And lack of any wise policy also practically moved the administrative and shopping centre elsewhere. We, needless to say, also dislike crowds. This even got twice to the absurd point when the mayor asks the locals to refrain from the Old Town on a given day on account of cruiseliners.
The horrid truth reveals as well hotels are foreign-owned and foreign-frequented. Ditto for festivals and restaurants any day now. Locals cannot afford the above. Small wonder they protest against the planned golf park. Why on Earth would they surrender more to somebody else?
This is all sad but so was Cuba. The rest was history. I hate to think what will happen to the country when vultures have their go once again.

So, What's New?

So this would be your typical Croatian greeting - a counterpart to the American What's Up? Literal translation does do wonders sometimes.
So, my earliest memories go back to I would say 1978 or 9. Back then, both for good and bad, things were different. I will not now argue for an enlightened version (in contrast to poorly upheld and dogmatic) of self-governing - I know foreigners are more than scared when they hear the word socialism. Suffice it to say standards were somewhat low, say, in tourism.
But tourists then veritably came over to discover a different country. So they did not dwell excessively on what they could not have and was abundant at home. What they were after was something genuine.
This is not saying we should forget to rise up to sound standards or that we should not strive for better. All I am saying this is, naturally, a process that is taking place, and time, and that most employees in tourism genuinely want their guests to feel comfortable.
So what I'm arguing against is it is somewhat paradoxical to look for London or NY in downtown Dubrovnik. Definitely do not take just anything but think about what you might be missing as well.

The Guru Thing

Sometimes I chat and sometimes people complain I jump around ideawise. I think it's a whole method. A rounded exercise - here: http://clueless-rambler.blogspot.com/2006/07/wrapping-up-chapter.html
A tiny addition below. It's high time I wrote something. There's just so little free time until November - I will have to postpone the 365-posts a year for 2012..


We all know happiness is complex.
Capitalism, which we all know as well is far less than perfect, introduced this occupation known as the personal shopper. (Capitalism I actually think must be combined with socialism, but that is a whole another post.) But I have often advocated the personal life advisor for some of my friends. On the other hand, it's such a shame so few nowadays opt for real tutors for their kids.
Your name and surname should really act as your reputation card, while best results are actually attained by individuals. The phenomenon does have some macabre overtones in mass suicides that occur in the US, for example.
However, another useful perspective is the one which states dumbwits are so full of confidence while those introspective are indecisive. So just how do we get valuable ideas across, how do we separate wheat from chaff - especially if we stop to consider marketing is by and large unnatural madness?
Well, none quite know. (It would also be sound to inculcate mystery and sense of awe in children for all those great, ineffable questions.) They joke about God playing dice or otherwise. I find they roll without a quiet moment. The rule of thumb must be if somebody wants you to follow, you're safest walking away.

Hi, Welcome

So I'm trying hard to become a good tourist rep for these three months. It has already taught me a lot: real work, working class conditions and politeness. I even smile more.
I represent three British brands and do Brits only. If you want to study different cultures, just get one plus a Croatian - and watch for three days. I did pick an obscene, juicy local joke about a paedophile - just can't find anyone to tell it to.
I have a pretty good story about the town and tourists like me though I make them say local words or explain "locals are warm and open, though some have hardened due to daily onslaught of tourism."
It's inevitably also a study of human nature. So I did some math, and in about 120 people you will have your 3 loonies. But absolute ones. So you accept you yourself botch some things up, but the former simply cannot be helped.
Then Harry did Hvar. God, if as an interpreter I wished to do a high political summit, this would be your ultimate tourist rep thing. I'd make an extra effort to muddle his royal head.

Julian Rachlin

Well, we have this new festival. That about sums it up - it's new. New broom sweeps well, yes, but these days just about anyone is complaining about new things.
What bothers me with Rachlin is he is inventing hot water, as the vernacular has it. After all we have had the Dubrovnik Summer Festival for some 50-odd years now, so the whole situation resembles the one when marketing "experts" teach philosophy PhDs. Professors do actually learn something but the irony is the other guy never will.
Rachlin does have a somewhat obnoxious feel though he plays well and does serious classical music. I also welcome just about any new event in the town, especially off-season. But tonite was for kids - it's just that adults mostly attended.
The British Queen would say something like: "Well, it's quite postmodern." I say much the same thing in a single word - disgusting.
They dressed the local, poor help as pirates and, acting poorly, performed mediocre musical sketches. Like literally answering the phone hidden in the piano or playing Chopin and Oči černe at the same time. But then something appalling happens - a thundering applause.
I have this music show at the local student radio though I can't actually read music and have often wondered during the past six months whether those people that have neither breath nor sophistication can recognise good music or idea if they mostly perform poorly? It's strange, judging from the world of ideas I would say yes, but from music - they seem to go back.
I'm sure Julian has his side of the issue. He does sell well, y' know. But I'd rather he taught a few not to clap in-between movements.
I guess it's all for the best. But the synchronicity would have it I also heard my young waiter friend say today he's mean to common folk. Bad, bad day.

What's the Word?

Well, there isn't one. The more interesting ideas you get from concepts your language does not cover - actually, in this case, both of my languages.
The first idea comes from the Greek word KAIROS. Kairos is "the art of choosing the opportune moment;" in a nutshell, what to do when, how much to do it etc. Something like the Biblical salt and the skill is to be found in a couple of percentage of the population. Hard to define and hard to master, it mostly goes undetected and unutilised in the ways of the world. It is also acutely lacking, to complete this perfect maze.
The second I found in Bosnia, borrowed from Turkish. SEVAP designates "an act that is dear to God." If we can't be intelligent, it would be good that we are meek, but alas we are not that either. You do sevap when you selflessly help. So if you see a kid's ball on the street, toss it back!

Solstice

Thanks to old friends, I unwittingly celebrated the longest day two days afterwards on a chartered speedboat. If you can imagine a nighttime, roaring drunk, protracted party - well, just paste it over the 12-hour daytime period under scorching sunlight.
The itinerary, whizzed over at 30-odd knot speed, took us over the isle of Mljet, followed by St Andrija, this steep, barren rock that is an outer element in the Elaphiti archipelago, and the posh Villa Ruza, a lounge bar and an exquisite restaurant on Kalamota or Kolocep. Hedonism incarnate.
If you happen to live in an urban center of a kind, the closest I can relate the excursion, with the gulls flying over and the sea washing away the strain, is repeating the words of a friend: "Come on, it's a different dimension.."

I didn't take my camera with me because I reckoned with all the water around, so I'll browse the net to post some now.

Sveti Andrija

Croatia's Journey To European Union

Last Friday, Europe finally said a provisional ‘yes’ to Croatia. The approval marks the beginning of the end of what has been an arduous ten-year journey for the country – that still hangs under uneasy balance between Europe’s monitoring and the referendum.

And the issues have been, and are, manifold. First, there was the question of General Gotovina, a sentenced war criminal that large portions of Croatians consider a hero. Literally on the run from the tribunal, Mr Gotovina was actively aided by members of Croatian Government, which precluded Croatia’s future accession. Today, the issue is still far from resolved. Most of the populace point to double standards of the West: they admit it is possible to commit war crimes in a campaign of liberating one’s country but also argue no victor army prosecutes own generals. The disproportion lacking between the aggressors and those defending themselves is especially galling. One but needs to take a look at pictures of Vukovar and Knin after respective war events.

The second issue comes in the form of non-existent reforms. Locals say the West has own agenda, and is merely sanctioning the reforms that work but on paper. Not much has changed in Croatian judiciary, the statement runs, and corruption looms large. The papers even go that far to suggest this is a rare example of a government investigating itself for corruption. What people are slowly becoming aware is that corruption resides within the ways of the people and that every time one opts to bribe a doctor or get a job for his kid through his contacts with friends – one is essentially committing the same crimes as the ‘big fish’. What is at stake here most are the very principles of the separation of powers in democracy and the possibilities of state officials to act autonomously – if the ruling party uses state consulates in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the election process or the police chief talks and arranges things daily with the same – well, one can but be appalled by these claims.

The third big issue was the border dispute with Slovenia. Slovenia even actively blocked our negotiations. The settlement was indeed achieved, but none in Croatia save the few ruling elect even know what they agreed upon. This is a blow that comes after the people, via their numerous representatives, had to step back and undeclare the ‘sea belt’ that would have been a designated, and protected, space for Croatian fishermen.

Then, there is the question of the referendum. It goes against the common sense that one should negotiate and sign the contract before asking own people about this – but there you have it. Recent polls exhibit about fifty per cent of support and fifty per cent of Euro-scepticism. The campaign for Europe has started on national TV. About the sole argument for Europe in minds of the people is submitting to regulated norms, but the counter-argument points to the economic imbalance between Croatian people and companies and those European.

This particular author is against joining. All of history shows one cannot be friends with a superpower. The idea even runs against the official propaganda that we strove to be free for 14 centuries. Although this is constructing history in retrospect, I’d rather Europeans came to visit, us extending the warmest welcome one can imagine.

Dubrovnik: An Itinerary by a Local

When to Visit

Even bigger children know the difference between the off and seasonal months: if into the sun and sea, your slot is happening sometime in July and August. The period coincides with the Summer Festival so you are bound to find most action taking place then. June and September are also popular – less crowds but still hot enough. September is the month of the newest Dubrovnik classical event: the Julian Rachlin Festival. Starting next year, May will feature the Shakespeare festival, in English or translated to boot.

However, what children do not know is that they will be old as well and change their habits. The elderly dislike weather that is too hot and may opt for spring or winter indeed, which is mild in Dubrovnik. Equally thrilling are the bouts of dazzling sun, stark showers and the unforgiving bura wind. If into peace and quiet, winter’s your high season in Dubrovnik, especially if you couple it with great spa and wellness amenities.

What to See

This itinerary revolves around an eclectic axis: beside the most popular sights it also includes some stops along the off-the-beaten track routes. It combines action and a sort of Robinsonian moments we all crave for when on holiday. True tourist experience does require some time and effort though – one cannot appreciate stuff if you are in-between departing planes.

If asked to rank the attractions of Dubrovnik, I would probably proceed in the following direction: sun&sea, physical monuments, a sense of history, cuisine. Recommended reading comes in the form of Robin Harris’ Dubrovnik: A History. Not a complicated nor lengthy read, it truly brings to life the stones you set your eyes upon.

What to Eat

Even though you can find international cuisine in Dubrovnik, the acquired tourist taste is to go for something local. If this is your case, the first option is definitely fish and seafood, peppered with olive oil and dark red wine. The prices may be ludicrously high, so check first. Dingač, the local red wine, may be expensive, but at least there is a reason behind this.

What to Avoid

Coming back to food once again, refrain from the Babylon of pizza cuts places, hamburger joints and pasta for 50 kuna. Fast food may be an option if in a hurry and starving but there must be a minimum benchmark for any tourist site. Another issue is the souvenirs. Most of the shops import glaring, kitschy reminders from China and are not worth a visit. If you want to try something authentic, go for the artisans’ street of Dubrovnik – Ulica od puča. This is where you can still find remnants of medieval shop-keepers and find, for example, great jewellery. Perhaps coral. Make sure it’s real.

Day 1: Old Town

A must in any Dubrovnik itinerary is the Rector’s Palace, the once seat of power in Ragusa, the Sveti Vlaho Church (St Blaise, the town patron saint) and the cloister of the Franciscan Monastery and its still-operating pharmacy. City walls are a great experience but beware of strain and sun and heat. Next, take a boat to the nearby island of Lokrum. It boasts some great rocks and a villa of Maximilian Habsburg. It also contains a botanical garden. Spend the evening at Buža (the Hole), named so after a few literal holes-openings were cut in city walls after Napoleon. This is a quaint cafe right by the walls and next to the sea. Mostly a romantic setting, it also features an occasional concert. The service may be substandard, especially taking prices into account, but it’s worth it.

Day 2: Islands

Don’t take one of the 3 islands packaged tours. Act local, head for the Gruž Port and get a ticket to a Jadrolinija boat. There is usually a morning departure and an afternoon return. The busiest island by far is Lopud and there is a reason for this: a superb sand beach. It tends to be crowded though and the addition of music can be a pain for the ears. Koločep (locally called Kalamota) and Šipan may prove to be alternatives in this case. Smaller and quieter. Mljet requires at least two days but has the wonderful option of renting small convertible VWs and exploring the somewhat bigger coast by yourself. Mljet includes a lake national park too. Lastovo, a part of the Republic of Ragusa, can be visited but from Split these days. This is as remote as it gets, in all possible sense, not taking lighthouse accommodation into account. There are even two such venues: Grebeni and Sveti Andrija.

Day 3: Hinterland

To see what life here was about, one must visit the villages and the summerhouses of nobles. By far the prettiest and among the best preserved summer villas is found next to the boat marina in Komolac. The majestic staircase leading to the sea will not be a disappointment. The village of Gromača (northern hinterland, Primorje) and those in Konavle, to the south, have really well developed rural tourism infrastructure. Konavoski dvori, a restaurant, is located next to a cold brook, so the result is a cool-off during your meal. You get to pick the fish from the pond. Next to be mentioned, Trsteno. This is an arboretum – a place where local naval men brought plants to from all over the globe. If motorised, Ston is an option. The border of the Republic, it contains newly reconstructed walls across the mountain. A few steps from there is the peninsula of Pelješac, with some of the greatest wine in the country.

Day 4: Culture

Theatre in your case is not doable on account of linguistic issues. However, concerts can prove to be real treats and opportunities to see some of the greatest local architecture in a different light. You are expected to be somewhat dressed up. By far the greatest event of the Festival is its opening, when the Hymn to Liberty is publicly performed and the ancient flag hoisted. This is a huge event so expect thousands to be there as well. Another sight worth exploring during the day is the Rupe Museum. This is the old town granary, cut in rock. It also contains other exhibits. Perhaps you’d care to take the cable car to Mt Srđ. It offers great vistas and is a joyride. If in a tipsy mood in the evening, the safest option is the East-West Club at Banje beach, with its usual mixture of easy-going foreigners.

Make sure you mail your postcards – forget email and phone for a few days.

Unhooked

My addiction to the new medium is too much; and if you have stumbled upon this page - so is yours.
I shall probably add a post or two as I need to "hyper-ventilate" but having squandered the past month is enough.
I am currently busy studying a course called Stanislavski-Brecht-Artaud. 17 titles to go.

Alan Ford: the comic

This is what my teenage years looked like: before I started reading proper, at 18, I spent endless hours perusing the Italian comic. Insightful commentary on society, funny too, it practically raised a generation in Yugoslavia. Moreover, translation matters were not taken lightly: what we call strip was done by the faculty of the Zagreb Faculty of Philosophy Italian Dept.
Here are my favourite examples of great drawing ("It's best to inject myself a little drugs to calm down excitement") and script ("the sweeper who decides to rob poor wretches and give to the rich, who are clean and tidy"):

Ballad of Immoral Earnings

MAC: There was a time, now very far away 
When we set up together, I and she. 
I’d got the brain, and she supplied the breast. 
I saw her right, and she looked after me – 
A way of life then, if not quite the best. 
And when a client came I’d slide out of our bed 
And treat him nice, and go and have a drink instead 
And when he paid up I’d address him: Sir 
Come any night you feel you fancy her. 
That time’s long past, but what would I not give 
To see that whorehouse where we used to live? 
JENNY: That was the time, now very far away 
He was so sweet and bashed me where it hurt. 
And when the cash ran out the feathers really flew 
He’d up and say: I’m going to pawn your skirt. 
A skirt is nicer, but no skirt will do. 
Just like his cheek, he had me fairly stewing 
I’d ask him straight to say what he thought he was doing 
Then he’d lash out and knock me headlong down the stairs. 
I had the bruises off and on for years. 
That time’s long past, but what would I not give 
To see that whorehouse where we used to live? 

BOTH: That was the time, now very far away 
MAC: Not that the bloody times seem to have looked up. 
JENNY: When afternoons were all I had for you. 
MAC: I told you she was generally booked up. 
(The night’s more normal, but daytime will do.) 
JENNY: Once I was pregnant, so the doctor said. 
MAC: So we reversed positions on the bed. 
JENNY: He though his weight would make it premature. 
MAC: But in the end we flushed it down the sewer. 
BOTH: That could not last, but what would I not give 
To see that whorehouse where we used to live? 

Barbara Song

POLLY:
 I once used to think, in my innocent youth 
(And I once was as innocent as you) 
That someone someday might come my way 
And then how should I know what’s best to do? 
And if he’d got money 
And seemed a nice chap 
And his workday shirts were white as snow 
And if he knew how to treat a girl with due respect 
I’d have to tell him: No. 
That’s where you must keep your head screwed on 
And insist on going slow. 
Sure, the moon will shine throughout the night 
Sure, the boat is on the river, tied up tight. 
That’s as far as things can go. 
Oh, you can’t lie back, you must stay cold at heart 
Oh you must not let your feelings show.
Oh, whenever you feel it might start 
Ah, then your only answer’s: No. 


The first one that came was man of Kent 
And all that a man ought to be. 
The second one owned three ships down at Wapping 
And the third was crazy about me, 
And as they’d got money 
And all seemed nice chaps 
And their workday shirts were white as snow 
And as they knew how to treat a girl with due respect 
Each time I told them: No. 
That’s where I still kept my head screwed on 
And I chose to take it slow. 
Sure, the moon could shine throughout the night 
Sure, the boat was on the river, tied up tight 
That’s as far as things could go. 
Oh, you can’t lie back, you must stay cold at heart 
Oh, you must not let your feelings show. 
Oh, whenever you feel it might start 
Ah, then your only answer’s: No.


But then one day, and that day was blue 
Came someone who didn’t ask at all 
And he went and hung his hat on the nail in my little attic 
And what happened I can’t quite recall. 
And as he’d got no money 
And was not a nice chap 
And his Sunday shirts, even, were not like snow 
And as he’d no idea of treating a girl with due respect 
I could not tell him: No. 
That’s the time my head was not screwed on 
And to hell with going slow. 
Oh, the moon was shining clear and bright 
Oh, the boat kept drifting downstream all that night 
That was how it simply had to go. 
Yes, you must lie back, you can’t stay cold at heart 
In the end you have to let your feelings show 
Oh, the moment you know it must start 
Ah, then’s no time for saying: No.

Šaban

"nowhere do i have noone
no country neither next kin
no friend no i don't have none
oh damned is my destiny

i wander the world alone
searching for love every day
i haven't mother no father
nowhere do i have noone
my life is a sad dream plight
i have no darkness no light
i have no peace i have none
oh damned Gypsy destiny"

The Passions

I have gone through a war. I sympathise with all who have suffered. But - celebrations? Indeed I repeat myself, a word for refinement and gravity. We still have a world to construct.

Sloth

Still watching. This time it's the Agora and Holding Trevor.

However, the world is ahead of me. Assange inspired the wet dreams of every conspiracy theory crackpot with his interview to RT ("There's a whole hidden world out there.."), and Obama the comedian performed. I wonder if his daughters still think their old man is a cool fellow.

However, what's truly interesting is the tenacity of the American Dream. With all the inadequacies, it still holds the central attention of human dribble. This must be just about the only thing we can blame on the young. As I once read: all the history lessons, all the squalor - yet they think it'll be different for them.

Movie Week Wrapped Up

Impossible to know every damn thing, I follow my own pace: I remember how I was amazed at seeing a pre-quake documentary on Haiti, that had been but a snippet of a news item in the local press, even with the US intervention (I hope I got some of it right; it's still a blur).
Now, having seen the Endgame, the apratheid mess in South Africa is shed some brighter light on, but the movie has greater aspirations: the final scenes declare the negotiations to be almost a blueprint for salvaging the world from its most bloody conflicts.
I was more interested in all the petty behind-the-scene levereging. According to this, the world is truly, and deeply, paranoid. Which is further evidenced by the German film on German raised terrorism in 1970s aired in my place the night before. Imagine the absurdity - the peace talks inefficacy reverberates through the mass gone violent, which in turn ruins the perfection of peace talks.
And who says the world is out of joint? What's great is that literally all groups and institutions have own villains - one perfect mess. While the small turn rotten as soon as they sense some greatness. Being a serious politician is an underpaid and undervalued profession, I tell you. But they soon go numb as any.
Perhaps the local reader has witnessed all of it during the Dayton conference. If Hollywood ever opts for shooting a tragedy, I can lend advice on the chorus of Croatian idiots. This I know by heart by now.

Lokrum

Well, it's picnic day. Yes, it's getting away from it some.
Should you find me, I recommend a piece of lyrics from Imbruglia's Torn - God, that must have been some ten years back:

You're a little late
I'm already torn


So, no need for text or words today. Let nature (and the love shrills of peacocks) soothe.

Sign of the Times

I've always wanted to translate this poem by Krleza. Unfortunately, his rendering of the plight of poor peasants is in a Croatian dialect I do not fully understand. The bit is, however, telling:


It has never been that bad
That we haven't some luck had
So it will not always be
That through we won't somehow see
..

Quote of the Month

People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.
Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)

The Serbian Film

Yes, I'm procrastinating - and watching films.
Did you know there's a whole genre called gore? Must say I was initially worried a bit - there's this film festival gone heavily commercial in Dubrovnik, and, a few years back, the arty screenings being half empty, the Hostel attracted a crowd. But it seems ever since the Chainsaw Massacre, there's a steady following, though I do not expect them to shake up the foundations of the civilisation.
I looked for critiques of the Serbian film and found a fitting one. The title is: "Can Baby Sacrifice be a Critique of Society?" Some emotions are generated though, I'll grant that, but a word for refinement here.
However, this is the second film from Serbia to deal with the horrible killings and rape on camera filmed for the enjoyment of supposed wealthy perverts. Makes you wonder whether there's something to that.

Incredible: Bauman, Eagleton, Negri, Spivak and Zizek in Zagreb!

Conference programme:

East-West. Welcome.

The fool thinks Americans have won the war. The perceptive sees they are merely wallowing.
The supreme irony of the Cold War is that neither society was sane. You would get misfits in both, dreaming of paradise across the ocean, only to discover known totalitarianism in USSR and, a bit less known, secret services and supreme ruthlessness in USA.
As any epoch, the time had its share of deluded, sacrificed individuals. But it is always about individuals, even if part of lubricated cog machinery. Step out.

Bora

It must be the years: I feel ever so tired. During one of the gay pride protests in Zagreb, one of participants was carrying a placard saying: "I'm sick of explaining". It's not just that you have to explain culture to economists, I tell you - most people, including me, are incorrigible. Ancient Greeks wondered why "those that engender seeds in the soul" do not opt for those old and ugly souls but supple boys instead. It's because the old are incorrigible. The young promise little.
Since I already started quoting Bora from Riblja Corba, it's time for another one of his catchy tunes, from his early phase - understandably, since he later went the national chauvinist way, as most around here. Just about the most laughable ones are the "converts": for example, Mr Bilandzic in Croatia went from a devout Communist to a devout Tudjman adherent. Anyway:

What beauty to be dumb
O, how beautiful to be dumb
The mob just might get on your nerve
Why not swallow what they serve
How beautiful it is to be dumb
..
Don't do politics
Sleep, work, quiet!, eat
And trust nobody
Sleep, rise, up, sit
..

What beauty to be dumb

O, how beautiful to be dumb

Forget the head, chew the hay

you're dumb, what's right wrong becomes one day

How beautiful it is to be dumb

Handel Away!

Not wanting to spoil the wedding, Libya is to UK, what Iraq is to USA?

Naivete

Okay, the last few posts sound bad. As I said, the trick is to write something each day. And yes, when I was 22 I did think they hire the best and wondered if I'm gonna shoot up to the mark and wanted to tell off the bad guys to the mayor, just like Bill Murray in Ember.
But now, at median 37, I believe you must be naive. The "you don't know how the world works" I find gruelling and mad. It's as if our look at the world should be slanted by 29 degrees if we are to retain an inkling of sanity. The way I see it, we're so well grafted we don't even know how to be fed properly.
Think about it - yup, now you begin to see.

Endless Scheming

Giving the issue further thought, thought I'd suggest that inter-national summits be purged of secret diplomacy. Not only does the practice allow for deception and intimidation, not only is it not safe, but is not particularly prudent either.
I say let's make it criminal. According to the plan, all transcripts would be public and any shady business heavily penalised by bans on political life and, yes, even imprisonment. The mob would do wise to throw in some shame as well.
What have we learned from WikiLeaks? I learnt something, obviously.

The Sex Student

Just saw the film on Kinsey and am now more convinced than ever the fundamental social division is the one between the adapted and the misfit, as ideal types of course.
Kinsey actually found out the same thing Freud did: it's the civilisation that brings discontent, and that we are are also conscious hypocrites in this case.
There's a darling scene, among all the attacks of prudes of this woman visiting him, he stating things had not improved much in society: "What are you talking about? Things are so much better now - it's because of you!"
There's good for every evil - would be the verdict of Croatian folk wisdom. This is why I insist on the division of conformity versus not. And it's pretty hard to be smart here, take anyone's word for it.
What is also interesting to note is the amount of sexual experimentation within Kinsey's team: Kinsey tries homosexuality, while other opt for adultery. It is impossible to keep the spirit contained once you start.
Perhaps the answer lies in the richness and fullness of life. I once read they did a survey in old people's home, finding out the greatest regrets are for the things not done. And the standard is an individual guess at best. Kinsey talks, much as Darwin, of "biological variety".

The Core (a-fitting-easter-post)

Nope, it's not about the film.
If I could boil down social evil to one single precept it would read as follows: "If you don't doublecross me and I don't doublecross you, we're fine".
Application: general
Derivations: endless, retaining the principle
Counterindications: daily misuse
Shelf-life: eternal

Musicals Lyrics (2): Old Friends

MARY
Here's to us —

FRANK
Who's like us?

CHARLEY
Damn few.

FRANK
Hey, old friend,
Are you okay, old friend?
What do you say, old friend,
Are we or are we unique?
Time goes by,
Everything else keeps changing.
You and I,
We get continued next week.

Most friends fade
Or they don't make the grade.
New one's are quickly made
And in a pinch, sure, they'll do.
But us, old friend,
What's to discuss, old friend?
Here's to us — who's like us?
Damn few!

CHARLEY
So, old friends,
Fill me in slow, old friends —
Start from hello, old friends,
I want the when, where and how.
Old friends do
Tend to become old habit —
Never knew
How much I missed you till now.

ALL THREE
Most friends fade
Or they don't make the grade.
New ones are quickly made,
Some of them worth something, too.
But us, old friends —
What's to discuss, old friends? —

FRANK
Tell you something:
Good friends point out your lies,
Whereas old friends live and let live.

MARY
Good friends like and advise,
Whereas old friends love and forgive.

FRANK
And old friends let you go your own way —

CHARLEY
Help you find your own way —

MARY
Let you off when you're wrong —

FRANK
If you're wrong —

CHARLEY
When you're wrong —

MARY
Right or wrong, the point is:
Old friends shouldn't care if you're wrong —

FRANK
Should, but not for too long —

CHARLEY
What's too long?

FRANK
If you're wrong —

CHARLEY
When you're wrong —

MARY
The thing is:
Old friends do leave their brands on you,
But old friends shouldn't compete.

FRANK
Old friends don't make demands on you —

CHARLEY
Should make demands on you —

FRANK
Well, don't make demands you can't meet.

CHARLEY
Well, what's the
Point of demands you can meet?

MARY
Well, there's a
Time for demands,
Whether you meet them or not …

(They squabble.)

ALL
Hey, old friends,
How do we stay old friends?
Who is to say, old friends,
How an old friendship survives?
One day chums
Having a laugh a minute,
One day comes
And they're a part of your lives.

New friends pour
Through the revolving door —
Maybe there's one that's more.
If you find one, that'll do.
But us, old friends,
What's to discuss, old friends?
Here's to us!
Who's like us?

Two old friends,
Fewer won't do, old friends —
Gotta have two old friends
Helping you balance along:
One upbraids you
For your faults and fancies,
One persuades you
That the other one's wrong.

Most friends fade
Or they don't make the grade.
New ones are quickly made,
Perfect as long as they're new.
But us, old friends,
What's to discuss, old friends?
Here's to us!
Who's like us?
Damn few!

Musicals Lyrics (1): The Story of Lucie and Jessie

Here's a little story that should make you cry,

About two unhappy dames.

Let us call them Lucy 'X' and Jessie 'Y',

Which are not their real names.

Now Lucy has the purity

Along with the unsurety

That comes with being only twenty-one.

Jessie has maturity

And plenty of security.

Whatever you can do with them she's done.

Given their advantages,

You may ask why

The two ladies have such grief

This is my belief,

In brief:

Lucy is juicy

But terribly drab.

Jessie is dressy

But cold as a slab.

Lucy wants to be dressy.

Jessie wants to be juicy.

Lucy wants to be Jessie

And Jessie Lucy.

You see, Jessie is racy

But hard as a rock.

Lucy is lacy

But dull as a smock.

Jessie wants to be lacy,

Lucy wants to be Jessie.

That's the sorrowful précis.

It's very messy.

Poor sad souls,

Itching to be switching roles.

Lucy wants to do what Jessie does,

Jessie want: to be what Lucy was.

CHORUS:

Now if you see Lucy 'X,'

Youthful, truthful Lucy 'X,'

Let her know she's better than she suspects.

Now if you see Jessie 'Y,'

Faded, jaded Jessie 'Y'

Tell her that she's sweller than apple pie.

Juicy Lucy.

Dressy Jessie.

Juicy Lucy,

Dressy Jessie...

PHYLLIS:

Lucy's a lassie

You pat on the head.

Jessie is classy

But virtually dead.

Lucy wants to be classy.

Jessie wants to be Lassie.

If Lucy and Jessie could only combine,

I could tell you someone

Who would finally feel just fine!

CHORUS:

Juicy Lucy...

PHYLLIS:

Just fine!

CHORUS:

Dressy Jessie...

PHYLLIS:

Just fine!

CHORUS:

Juicy Lucy...

PHYLLIS:

Just fine!

CHORUS:

Dressy Jessie...

ALL:

Tell 'em that they ought to get together quick,

'Cause getting it together is the whole trick!

PHYLLIS:

Yeah!

History Point

I'm pretty sure we bore the West with our "Balkan turmoil". Still.
The recent tribunal case clearly showed different vantage points to, well, anything. The weakling Croatian diplomacy alas never succeeded in portraying the war as an act of agression. First, to a westerner, all countries here are alike, exacerbated by the fact the war methods were sometimes identical, if not in scale.
And it is Dubrovnik in particular that these idiots could have used as proof: there had been no murky killings, Serbs constituted but some 4% of the total population, only to get organised and in a matter of a day collectively leave without warning to their neighbours - and watch the shelling from the other side.
True, things can be all things to all people. I recently talked to a Croatian-Serb mongrel that left for Milan, and I must say I understand.
However, what I dislike are people that fail to comprehend the larger picture, together with a few loose unresolved strands. Next they try something rationally, and end up with a conclusion Dubrovnik Serbs have right to their property. As you can imagine, this justly represents the red cloth being waved in front of Croatians.
If Slovenes and Croatians wanted to dismantle Yugoslavia, they were also actively pushed out by impossible solutions proposed by Milosevic, the original looney. My hero, James Baker, US Secretary, visited the guy only a day before the war started. Now, this is a transcript I'd truly care to see.
Yesterday's Guardian reads as follows: "After Obama had finished speaking, Logan Price, a member of the Bradley Manning Support Network, engaged the president for several minutes in debate over Manning's charges and the effect of WikiLeaks. "I can't conduct diplomacy on open source, that's not how the world works", Obama can be heard telling Price on video." Yes, this must be very safe for us.

"God, How I Interest Myself"

Sometimes I think, take the Balkans as an example, that people should just forget and focus on the here and now. But no, there's always an expert resuscitating something ancient.
This is where democracy is weakest. I say collective endeavours are a sham, marketing frenzy, and I say those exciting people should be beaten with a fat stick.
Why on Earth would I rally or invade when I can have coffee? The feeling of minding own business was summarised best by the Serbian rock band from 80s, Riblja Corba, in the song entitled All Quiet on the Western Front (itself an example of what I call forever translations: it's actually Nothing New in the West in German; it's the same in Croatian and Serbian).
Ergo, the songwriter just cites newspaper headlines, in an ingenious way plus rhyme, only to finish with the chorus of Nothing New. The end part contains the few lines that were actually suspicious for the Communist Party:

the great stubbornly toy with the small
ideals are the idiot's dole
and
factories pollute everything by
cretins turn to uprisings and die


Somebody should really render the whole thing into English. Figure, it could do wonders for the American scene.

Osmosis

A succint post: everybody knows the king could learn from the fool. Classical musicians bemoan lack of education and usually simultaneously have a sense of class, on the other hand, for instance.
Don't be you for a minute. Listen to what you are not.

E-Library (the Cross-Eyed Series)

Amazon announced the other day it would enter the e-library race with its Kindle. As in practically any area, Croatia is shamefully lagging behind.
So I checked out the Toronto public library offer - they are virtually killing themselves to be of some use. Moreover, the library is free for anybody from Toronto.
The local idiots, as I sometimes like to refer to lazy and undereducated officials that have a passion for stamping things and explaining the list of what cannot be done, are, I truly think, not even aware of the issue.
As we are, as always, "busy" at this time of year "preparing" for the high tourist season, I predict the major attraction will soon be seeing ourselves, trying to bellow what the world and God have against us. Aargh!

A Quick Summary

Crime and Sloth

Well, today's production of news has started with a robbery in downtown Zagreb. They apparently robbed a goldsmith, injured a man and tied up a pregnant woman. Nothing seems more or less exciting than this, depending on your soul type. But let's examine this a bit further.
For my foreign audience, crime was tenfold less present in Croatia during the previous regime. I don't think it is useful to consider these people as outcasts and wonder at the anomaly. Rather, they are a symptom of society. The what surfaces.
It is quite easy not to understand people, but as many novelists testify - their aim is to bring different people closer to you - to try to understand them.
And what can one say of the British style "journalist" craze: a layer of Libya, a layer of anonimous and horrid strangler cases? It would seem cultural studies, a study of popular culture, a British invention itself, like anything else, is a half-mistake: or simply a waste of time.

The Change Has Come

The Straight Jacket

Took a day off from the town and cooking; went to this rural place up the Dubrovnik hill where they plan to build a golf course, though Earth Day was actually yesterday. It is amazing how rejuvenated you instantly feel - there's even an actual rooster there.
And there you have it: a minature picture of Croatia at large: the whole town, this village included, have incorporated heavy-duty dictionary comprising of words such as investment, entrepreneur and project. The entry of public-private partnership somehow seems to be obsolete.
I propose to call the phenomenon the Croatian Mirage, paraphrasing the well-known American Dream. Actually, the story has so far been one of riches-to-rags for most, both financially and spiritually. As for our American friends, having read the introduction to Conformism by an American author, discussing inequality in the US, I equally advocate incorporating the phrase the best.. money can't buy.
But it is silly to go against the tide. Blundering anew, just like previous generations of political economists believing in "the invisible hand of the market", it's every man for himself against the sillier wedging within formal scale points.
Myself, I prefer the crooked way of finer things in life. But this is why my current option is application for a receptionist post at a small village on the Peljesac peninsula.

Addendum

Another important insight The Ghost Writer teaches, and that I have acutely been aware of lately, is just how little reality material ends up in the press. Thirty per cent? It is a simpleton habit to open up newspapers "to see what's going on", but actually papers and politics wage a constant battle, fraught with cover up and insicerity. This is far removed from conspiracy theories - it is a fact of journalism, as Watergate proved.
In writing of tourism, I pointed out humanities lag behind the event, describing post festum, while here I posit literature (or film in this case) as prophetic. What the fool gets through science fiction, a sage gets through, say, 1984, and should be seen through the above lens.
Those that understand text to some extent will see one more charming detail in Ewan's "spontaneous" reaction having finished the mediocre first-draft memoir of his predecessor, a feeling I get daily in a world with diminishing translation and editorial standards: he bulges his eyes, raises his hands to his forehead and mock exclaims: "Aaaargh!"

The Ghost Writer

Just saw another Polanski's great. I am glad the master's still got the thing.
The atmosphere of political intrigue and paranoia is perfectly illustrated by the cold, stern architecture, the wet and empty island and the incongruity between what goes on in the villa and what's on the news. I especially enjoyed the futility being depicted in the hired hand's despair of having to collect and recollect the fallen leaves over and over again on account of incessant wind.
But all of this, neat trick as they are, is to be expected. What I treasure most (apart from the fact Mr Brosnan finally had the role of lifetime worth remembering) is the final embodiment of what serious politics and serious writing, either in the realm of actual or imagined paranoia, might have in common - absolutely nothing.

Emphasis Mine

As soon as you're born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

When they've tortured and scared you for twenty odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can't really function you're so full of fear
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

If you want to be a hero, well, just follow me
If you want to be a hero, well, just follow me

The Knot

It is an evident fact intellectuals are silent when it finally comes to violence, or - as it used to be said over here with pathos "that muses are silent during war". As an aside, I don't think we even have a multitude of muses.
But there comes a time when it is a cosmic duty not to be silent. Even though I do not think I would have been okay had I been an adult during socialism, with the vantage point of the two decades, just about the only grudge I hold against the Communist Party is that they failed to remain true to their own ideals and arrest Slobodan Milosevic the very first time he called for violence.
In Croatia, we have once again reached a critical point. Yesterday, the Croatian war-time police minister reminded those present at a rally "arms are not that far away, not even today". Now, this is when I say authorities, a funny word when you think of it in terms of context and etimology, should bite it and arrest the chap. No, instead they arrest a couple of nobodies that tear the EU flag. Big deal, all flags are kitsch anyway.
They say science is an art that predicts. I must say there were a lot of practical humanists in ex-YU: those intelligent saw what was coming at least two years earlier. Croatians, on the other hand, were dubbed "geese in fog" some hundred years back by their very own leader.

Humble Thoughts

I am obsessed with the bourgeois sense of achievement, I must say, for which I also cannot find any metaphysical grounds. The worst are intellectuals who never reach the stratosphere and don't turn into humble creatures. Knowing means not knowing, forever since Socrates, and - after all - your gifts are given and can be claimed back. I feel no urge to elaborate further. What follows, then, is modesty - and trying to be useful. And one more thing - if you are so clever, after all, why don't you do something for yourself - if on such an ego trip, or for your community and this vale of tears?

Idle Thoughts

Yesterday, I witnessed a conversation between a waiter and his friend about changing damn oil and CD player in their cars - for whole 15 minutes. What follows is a brief transcript between me and my friend:
Me: -the above-
Friend: Disgusting! But it's the worst when they talk of money. "These go for x at Crnomerec. Had you bought them, you would have been a millionaire today!!"

Rp.

As the title says, a brief diagnosis and an exercise in despair.

The sad truth, even considering my unemployment, is that you can only help yourself. The second is none simply give. Paraphrasing Todorova once again, it was a mistake to apply the national model some two centuries ago on a region as diverse as Balkans. Or was it? Was there any other route? The book also convicingly shows the same carnage scenario had occured but earlier in western paradise states, and now, cultivated, the lords were loath to watch.
Just about anybody who would try to impose the logic of unity on the area these days is a simple idiot. Except contagion - if one strives to be funny for an instant. My God, how "we" have degenerated! The same issues, the same frenzy, the same imbecile look of dreams and aspirations!
But the paradigm can successfully be applied everywhere. Look westwards, look eastwards. What are Sarkozy or Putin but degenerates? Or the conceited Swede the children of whom are so well adapted they shoot around or the American jock trained to snatch and growl with fascist patriotism, not to mention the fat ones? The signs are unmistakable.
But you might say, this is the dark side only. There are societies that thrive and their art surely counts for something. Their art? Art is the product of fringe marginals who are perhaps craziest of all. And that feed on ideas that never were.
Then how about love? Both as a passion or passion? Surely love is redemptive? Compared to atmosphere, I would say yes. It's just you don't look into the dark abyss beyond it.

This Mess We're In

In Todorova, there's a quote to the effect the Balkans is a sort of hell paved with the bad intentions of foreign powers. While this is evidently true in case of today's verdicts from the Hague, I am equally appalled by the sheep-like mentality of my fellow citizens and the still continuing manipulations coming from the proverbialy ineffective, in all possible meanings, government.
About the most absurd ones are those that try to get things straight using rationality. You simply don't know where to start after twenty years of different machinations. It reminds one of the Biblical attempt to cup the sea.
Combined with my personal situation, I must say my (I like to think) noble patriotism wavers: today I truly wished I had been born elsewhere.

List of Shows

that I'm having every Wednesday at UNIDU radio, starting 13 April:

1 - Covers
2 - Classical Music
3 - Jazz Divas
4 - Auteurs
5 - Goldfrapp: Felt Mountain
6 - Musicals
7 - Miladojka Youneed: Bloodylon
8 - Eurovision history
9 - Shameful local music
10 - Tiger Lillies: Births, Marriages and Deaths

The Stream

On the other hand, if anyone stumbles upon the page, there's live stream to the radio station, with my show being scheduled every Wednesday at 10pm, until summer.

http://www.uniduradio.com/

The New Thing

I found a new passion: creating one-hour music radio shows. So far I devised 6 in 2 days and am now free to watch the show roll for a month and pick up possible feedback. I feel good, even though I'm not being paid for this; truly, the best thing you can do is start bottom line up and clean your front yard - it's called being constructive.
It's not easy speaking in the microphone at first but you soon realise the only option is to act is if it were not there. As I quoted Samuel Johnson innumerable times: "As if somebody cared". The blog, after all, is testimony to the fact. It is doomed to remain forlorn and commentless in the depths of the Google server.
I should now do some actual work - and wait to see the note in retrospect in 10 years' time..

Faculty of Mis-Management, as I Once Joked

George Burns: Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair.


Coming back to castes, even though present-day quasi egalitarian society would dismiss the idea immediately, it is not so shallow as it may seem at first glance.

This is exactly what the truly shallow idea of management is. It is just that we are too feeble to comprehend the complexity behind the caste factors.

Truly, it would be paradise on Earth if we could but organise.

Rerun Day

I decided to quote myself from the old blog, a post I like best. Conceited, yes, good writing, yes.


So, Oz
Ahm back. Not for long - it's Budapest next weekend and the following two days, but I've finally managed to relax a bit. Just like love, stress is something you cannot miss when under. Slightly difficult to imagine.

In our daily search for brains, heart and courage - it is often we forget to interpret the Wizard of Oz. If you remember, the heros get to have their mystery disentangled - I kinda imagine death as something of the sort - they get to see the Wizard behind all the levers - a frightened old man.

Supposing you are sane enough, it is easy to see our presidents in much the same position. Therefore, the right position would be, as much as I like rabid criticism - the one of trying to help them.

'Tis pity a yokel does not admit that he is wrong when shown so, but it's just one of the rules.

Group Dynamics Thing

Have you ever wondered why truly great writers never accept awards?
It must be human nature. Frailty, that is. None can stay clean, so to speak, in multitude. Human group projects are failures right from the start. They require a caste-like system of execution that none perfected so far for castes, biologically encoded ones, are beyond anybody's understanding.
Don't take my word for it; read Emerson. He once wondered why he had no followers and resolved the issue stating he wouldn't want any to start with.
So one is confined to asceptic sterility or pus-infested whoring. (This is a working model.) I choose solitary filigree sidewalks, metaphorically speaking, according to a pop-rock album from 80s.

Spring Quote

It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up.
W. Somerset Maugham (1874 - 1965)

Lyrics

The contemporary way would then be to post a U-Tube clip. The old fashioned way would be to immerse yourself in lyrics:


Life is so strange when its changin', yes indeed
Well I've seen the hard times and the pressure's been on me
But I keep on workin' like the workin' man do
And I've got my act together, gonna walk all over you

[chorus]
Gimme back my bullets
Put 'em back where they belong
Ain't foolin' around 'cause I done had my fun
Ain't gonna see no more damage done
Gimme back my bullets

Sweet talkin' people done ran me out of town
And I drank enough whiskey to float a battleship around
But I'm leavin' this game one step ahead of you
And you will not hear me cry 'cause I do not sing the blues

[chorus]

Been up and down since I turned seventeen
Well I've been on top, and then it seems I lost my dream
But I got it back, I'm feelin' better everyday
Tell all those pencil pushers, better get out of my way

[chorus]

Damn Continuity

After my afternoon nap to an experimental album (a weird experience indeed), went for coffee by the sea. Could not stop noticing an ex pupil from this other class in school - he looked exactly like forty year olds some forty years ago.
Even though, before the advent of Christianity and some more weird and sinister ideas, Romans envisioned sex as a way of cheating death, "so the world is populated by shadows of the deceased", I must say this kind of continuity has me enthralled and rather scared.
So nothing has changed? We are so in grip of the tried that we cannot get away? Perhaps we will then give in to damned habit.

Best Short in a While.. 4 Real

"Poverty tells many stories":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSRMeiLljnw&feature=player_embedded

Once More With Feeling

No More of These Dreams!

is the conclusion of one of Mark Twain's characters, implying life itself.
Yesterday I complained to a colleague how the whole world and country social drama seems a grotesque dream with lunatics in star roles: think Putin or Kerum, more locally.
I was next corrected: "Crazy people have depth", was his verdict.

For all of you coming over as tourists, here's another simple corrective offered by a different friend: "Who fooled you? You could have gone to Barcelona for the same amount!"

Then, in the evening, I tried relaxing watching the City of God. What a mistake. Some more depravity and misery. The conclusion was written a long time ago by Brecht in the 3 Penny Opera: "And that is all there is to it - the world is poor and man's a shit!"

But it's actually the money issue. It is simply unbelievable how content and constructive an individual becomes once his desires are engaged. Then the road forks: some still see the inequity, others think they deserve.

Invasion of Images

If I close my eyes -
I see death.

If I open my eyes -
life is watching me.

I shall open and close,
like day and night
like night and day,
my eyes.

by Jure Kastelan

"Sounds Different"

Hi all, visitors to Dubrovnik included, I am starting my volunteer work at UNIDU radio. The above named show airs every Wednesday at 10pm, until summer, with reruns scheduled for the summer itself.
The first show is entitled Cover Power.
The greatest challenge I think will prove to be a classical show, for this is a genre that traditionally "doesn't go". Let's try to shake that up.

And a Dash of Violence..

Isn't a non-violent protest somewhat of a contradictio in adjecto?
For full two months people in Croatia, the vociferous ones, have clamoured for change. The monied politicians' strategy is simply ignoring burning issues and, as they know not differently, going through the same ineffectual motions.
American Founding Fathers compared revolutions to going to a doctor's and applying a leech. A little outflow of blood, they say, is beneficial.
Another friend funnily commented it is humiliating that Arabs came there before us. God, even the infamous Franjo Tudjman said something to the effect that none grant liberty.

Shame

Not quite but thereabouts: the census lady graciously came over and I finally deregistered myself as a Catholic and entered Agnostic.
The Croatian state is a rare example of a chauvinist institution that tracks ethnicity, in addition to the category of nationality. I refrained from answering.
I always talk of that Italian director that, for years, entered "I'm ashamed I'm Italian" in the square for nationality.

Clint Getting Ready

The Hereafter, trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XvJwTYnKww

Adapter to Quotidia

Was far too busy to write, or do anything for that matter, for I was communicating with my network Cirago NUS1000 for six hours. Now all is just swell but thank God for tech forums.
Today, the poor census creature announced its arrival. One Catholic less this time. Can't wait to see just how lost the Republic of Croatia is within its forms.
Other than that, it's a sunny and windy day. I'm gonna do some cooking, not thinking.

Phonetics of Poetry

Well, started with a new exam. The introductory chapter, unsurprisingly, declares poetry is spatial - another way of saying it produces numerous effects simultaneously, in various directions, in contrast to everyday, linear, informative language.
Actually, accordingly, poetry this way comest closest to the nature of thought - after all, you need to explain what you are "thinking". (I'm not now sure whether I already wrote about this but I am also unsure whether the customary division into thoughts and feelings holds water.)
As for e.g. rhyme, it establishes another link in a net, pointing to a word you already processed. In this account, every poem, or every poet that is, by writing also writes theory of his/her formal engagement. (This is what I mean when I disparage rationality and opt for what is usually termed "intuition". As I once claimed, you can dissect a novel and boil down rules, but you cannot construct another good one following the same.)
Still, I believe this pursuit will prove profitable. Being a poet myself, I plan to dissect one of my own, claiming the prerogative of practical criticism. (This is when you're given a piece of unnamed text and you must wring the pleasure you can from it.)
If you are by this point wondering why for Heaven's sake all of this for, I cite numerous great texts that all begin with an apology of why write at all. I myself answered this with "aesthetic experience of generations".

Repent! The End is Near.

The idea first struck me in Zagreb long ago. Armed with a sense of history you receive when growing up in Dubrovnik, I one day realised Zagreb as well is a graveyard, albeit an Austro-Hungarian one, and more recent.
Watching my neighbours going nuts these days, fighting against kids' noise, blocking ancient roads and pathways, it would be true to say the world is always ending. It's just you might be fresh.
As for each gets his share, I still dunno.

Travelogue

Got an A in Cultures of Travelling. The life is slowly but surely turning into an economic disaster, but my GPA in graduate studies is as high as can be. It reminds me of a match of tennis I played with a fat friend, where, as I had to play against something, I set the goal to beat him in every game.
Tonite I'm in my good ol' Dubrovnik. Facing actual tourists, instead of those in my books, which also contain a joke. So, tourists visit a remote village and inquire whether the old lady they're talking to likes her settlement. She says: "Well, it's certainly not Paris or Amsterdam. I must say I liked Berlin."

Quote of the Month

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right?
Charles M. Schulz (1922 - 2000)

And Another One

Well, I opened up another domain: kriticno.net (critical.net translated). Figure it can be interpreted both in terms of critical writing & critical situation.
It will be a challenge to template design and adjust something which will have comment capability for registered users and that will change daily. My other sites are quite small.
But the main idea is to hook up with some like-minded critical individuals who can more than grease the paper. I'd actually like to expand to other interests and towns: for the time being I have planned the subdomains of du., zg., HR. and kmd. (the theatre in Dubrovnik).
Contact at Davor [at] kriticno [dot] net

The Blank Stare

I initially got the feeling of being a perfect dumbwit during my senior high school year. I was concentrating in math and had trouble with probability theory so ended up taking private lessons. The man is talking, the man is trying - all I can do is politely nod and uneasily smile.
The gist is captured in the IT Crowd:
Economist Boss: I'm sure we can be friends. I'm sure I can understand what you are doing. What are you doing now, for instance?
IT expert: Well, I'm.. (the sound turns to static)
Boss: I see.

Oprah Freight Notes

As one of my friends once said of a musician: "Even a blind hen finds some grain".
Oprah, one of illustrations of the shallow taste of the age, lack of wit, obscene profit - and I could go on and on - once said of airplane travel:
"You know, I explain it to myself rationally. It's safer than car for instance. And then, as soon as we take off, a voice in my head pops up and says: 'Oprah, you really shouldn't be in an aluminum tube at 10,000 m.'" This is the perfect explanation of the freight of flying.
Then again, I guess the brief trip to Dbk, 45 minutes max, brings up everybody's pathology on an individual basis: another friend doesn't like being out of control and distrusts the pilot, wanting to steer the thing himself, while I would prefer being pampered by stewardesses every 5 minutes, them cheerfully exclaiming casual sentences like: "Oh, it's such a perfect day for flying", with the pilot routinely issuing info on flight in interims.
Further, there is the idea of just cosmic fate. Don't you think it fair you shouldn't crash on departure, if one must, but on the return flight?
Then again, as I said, talking helps. I used to have a strategy of shamelessly boring the person next to me, whoever it was, just because I felt better. A less nervous acquaintance complained he hated air companies "for they simply refuse to seat me next to somebody I would like to be sitting next to".
above: text. below: meta-text.
With any experience - i.e. the text describing it, just like with any lie - it's the details and bringing stuff to life that does it. The "stuff" can really and only then be said to exist at all.. The half-conscious and the unshared is wasted.