In keeping with the South American theme:
Here is a beautiful piece of writing by Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, one of the most influential poets of the last century. Translated from his native Spanish, the phrasing and the ideas are delicate, aching, yet never stray into sentimentality. How I wish I could appreciate it in its native form and experience the subtleties. But this English version is still highly enjoyable and quite simply, beautiful.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
Write, for example, ‘The night is shattered
and the blue stars shiver in the distance.’
The night wind revolves in the sky and sings.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too.
Through nights like this one I held her in my arms
I kissed her again and again under the endless sky.
She loved me sometimes, and I loved her too.
How could one not have loved her great still eyes.
Tonight I can write the saddest lines.
To think that I do not have her. To feel that I have lost her.
To hear the immense night, still more immense without her.
And the verse falls to the soul like dew to the pasture.
What does it matter that my love could not keep her.
The night is shattered and she is not with me.
This is all. In the distance someone is singing. In the distance.
My soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
My sight searches for her as though to go to her.
My heart looks for her, and she is not with me.
The same night whitening the same trees.
We, of that time, are no longer the same.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but how I loved her.
My voice tried to find the wind to touch her hearing.
Another’s. She will be another’s. Like my kisses before.
Her voice. Her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
I no longer love her, that’s certain, but maybe I love her.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long.
Because through nights like this one I held her in my arms
my soul is not satisfied that it has lost her.
Though this be the last pain that she makes me suffer
and these the last verses that I write for her.
by Pablo Neruda
translated by W.S. Merwin
Tags: Pablo Neruda, poetry
Beware, this is an unashamed plug for the New Zealand fashion industry.
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
*
*
*
*
*
This week is Fashion week, when NZ’s brightest and best strut their stuff on the catwalk, and buyers (hopefully) dig deep in their pockets.
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
These are some lovely shots from early on in the week. I must acknowledge image copyright owners Air New Zealand Fashion Week & Michael Ng, and thanks to them for allowing use of images from the image gallery.
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
courtesy of Air New Zealand Fashion Week/Michael Ng
iconic Kiwi label Zambesi…
Tags: Air New Zealand Fashion Week, Fashion Week, New Zealand fashion industry
Ben Bernanke reckons the recession is over. Probably over. Maybe nearly over.
Well, hallelujah. All ye financial services boffins and bankers, rejoice. The recession is over.
But as for the rest of us, I fear it’s only just the beginning.
Tags: recession, recession is over
What does ‘insurance’ mean, and why should we have it?
According to the Online dictionary, it means, amongst other things, ‘a protective measure’.
So what do we need protection against? I guess the main thing about insurance is that it lets you pay a little bit over a long time, in case you are liable for paying out a big sum for something, sometime.
There a lots of different types of insurance. One of the most common personal types (things that insure your person) is life insurance. This provides money if you die. There are various types of term assurance and life cover, from simple lump sum payments when you die, to providing for funeral costs, providing ongoing payments if you leave behind underage children, or paying off the remainder of your mortgage.
A less pessimistic type of personal cover is health-related insurance. This includes medical, which covers treatment for and/or loss of income caused by medical conditions, or injury insurance, which is cover specifically in case of an injury.
Then there is insurance for your assets. Mostly this covers your house, its contents, and your car. If you have a business, there is insurance for commercial buildings, farms, stock and so forth.
Finally, there is insurance in case you do something wrong at work – indemnity insurance. This covers you against being liable personally if you make a mistake in your work that costs someone else. For example, if you are a surgeon, you may have insurance that pays out if you are found guilty of medical misadventure. If you are a project manager, you may have insurance that pays out if you make a mistake in your project that ends up costing your client lots of money.
Within each of these categories there are many variations and specific inclusions and exclusions. For example, car insurance often has extra cover just for broken windscreens.
Insurance companies put many rules around insurance cover. Sometimes insurance can be difficult to claim, as you have to prove that the reasons for the loss are valid in terms of the insurance rules. For example, whiplash is a very difficult injury to prove, so insurance companies often won’t pay out for it.
If you are unfamiliar with insurance, it’s definitely worthwhile getting some knowledgeable help from someone you can trust. Often an older family member or friend who has had insurance for some years can explain the basics, or you can talk to a financial advisor. Just remember that an advisor may be biased if he or she is getting paid commission by some of the insurance companies whose products they are offering.
Tags: house contents & car, indemnity, injury, life insurance, term assurance and life cover, whiplash
A fraternal feud that has been going for over six decades, and has split a small German town, is to be resolved today.
Before 1943, Rudi and Adi Dassler were happily (or perhaps, not so happily) running the family business together in the small Bavarian town of Herzogenaurach. Their business was already well known – they provided the shoes worn by Jesse Owens at the Berlin Olympics.
But after being in an air raid shelter one night in 1943, the brothers were never to work together again. Adi continued the business, which was to become adidas, and Rudi, after spending some time in an American prisoner of war camp after the war, returned to Herzogenaurach and set up Puma on the other side of town.
And the feud has continued ever since. The place is known as the “town of bent necks” because everyone checks what shoes you are wearing before deciding whether or not to talk to you. Employees of the two firms do not fraternise.
But now, today’s bosses are to bury the hatchet (not in one another’s backs, one hopes), shaking hands as part of a peace initiative entitled Peace One Day, which is the brainchild of German film-maker Jeremy Gilley. To consolidate the gesture, the staff of the two firms will play a game of football.
I wonder what brand of shoes the referee will be wearing.
Tags: adidas, Herzogenaurach, Puma
A parent’s worst nightmare – my pre-teen is turning into a mobile phone monster.
Last Christmas, the big presents were Rock Band, and a mobile phone for my daughter, then just 11. We were optimistic and thought she would be different. She wouldn’t become a textaholic like all the rest.
Bzzt. Wrong answer. I’ve just taken the phone off her for the second time because she’s running the pre-pay balance down too far. The first time, she got through her three-month allocation in about five weeks. There were 60c left – not even enough to make that emergency call, which is what she has the phone for.
Three months is too long for her to try and keep track, I thought, so I devised a sheet where she writes down her balance every day, and compares it to how much she should have left on the phone. Three weeks in all had seemed well – she was writing up a figure every few days, and seemed to be tracking nicely, even under-using the phone a bit – but then I offered to check the phone (which I was always going to do, I’m not that wet behind the ears), and the admission comes out, she’s been lying and writing up false records.
So the phone’s with me again. The deal is, she loses it until the balance catches up with what the balance should be, which will be about the 3rd of October. Which makes me think again about why she has the phone.
From a kid’s point of view, mobile phones are not emergency contact devices. I need my daughter to have one of these, but it’s not the fully-functional mobile phone she currently has (or doesn’t have, just now). She wants something she can use to keep up with her friends, who are texting away furiously. I need her to have something so I can text or talk to her, to make arrangements and so forth. So that’s my first issue – how to separate the two uses. Might mean two phones. I’ll need to ponder that one.
The second issue is, how do we (she and I) make sure that her use of the social interaction tool that is what a mobile phone is for kids, is balanced and doesn’t adversely affect her life? I’m not prepared to fund a mobile phone habit. My daughter gets pocket money each month – she can use that to pay for her top up. One thing to watch out for is late night contacts. Young people are apparently the most sleep-deprived in our society because they stay up very late communicating by text. So I think the mobile will be spending nights with me, switched off, and doesn’t get switched on again until it leaves the house in the morning.
So, I have about three weeks to ponder this. I’ll talk it over with her father – he is a secondary school teacher, and has lots of experience with kids and mobile phones – and after 3rd of October, we might have a new scheme to put into place.
And this doesn’t even begin to address the fact that she lied and misled me, something she doesn’t normally do. That’s a whole different kettle of fish.
Beaches, warm weather, huge skyscrapers, and the famous canal – Panama is the place to be? Not trampled by tourist, like neighbours Costa Rica and Guatemala, there are beautiful places to live and loads of opportunity.
Immigration is not a big deal. If you have as little as a £60K for investments in a Panamanian business, you will be eligible for an Immigrant visa, which will eventually lead to a nationality card. Invest more and you’ll be eligible for the card more quickly.
The economy is primarily service oriented, with a short supply of skilled labour, so finding work, or even starting your own business shouldn’t be a problem. There is a thriving banking sector offering the likes of offshore financial services, and of course, there is shipping, the Panama Canal, and all its associated business.
It’s a good idea to invest in Panama real estate too, there are plenty of valuable properties available at reasonable prices for those willing to shop around.
Tags: emigration, invest in Panama real estate, investments, offshore financial services, Panama
I thought I’d do something different today. We’re having meatballs and spaghetti for dinner, so here’s my meatballs recipe.
500g premium grade mince (the best you can afford, or consider making your own)
250g sausage meat
breadcrumbs
1 egg
dried basil
dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
rock salt (small amount)
spaghetti & meatballs
Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Best to use your hands and really work everything through. Add enough breadcrumbs to help the mixture bind together. Form into balls according to what size you prefer, though I suggest keeping the size on the small side to ensure they cook through properly. If you have a deep fryer, deep fry them making sure to drain them very well. Otherwise, shallow fry in a reasonable amount of good quality oil, I use extra virgin olive oil. Make sure the oil does not have too strong a flavour so it doesn’t overpower the flavour of the meatballs. Drain well and keep warm if the sauce is not finished.
Sauce
400g tin of chopped tomatoes in juice
125ml chicken stock
125ml beef stock
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
50ml tomato paste
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a low element. Allow to simmer for as long as necessary, stirring occasionally, but don’t let it dry out. The sauce should thicken.
Optional: You may like to put the meatballs into the sauce. They aren’t as crispy but they absorb the flavour.
Boil up the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Fresh pasta is best. Put pasta on plates, place enough meatballs for each person, and ladle over sauce.
Grate some cheese – parmesan is traditional but the kids like ordinary cheddar or edam – and sprinkle over the meatballs, sauce and pasta.
Tags: recipe, spaghetti and meatballs
And now for something about a movie that hasn’t even hit the box office yet.
A British movie about Charles Darwin has opened the Toronto film festival to acclaim, leading to world-wide distribution. Well, almost worldwide. One country is notable by its absence in the queue for Creation – the USA.
It seems the majority of US citizens do not believe the theory of evolution. A ‘Christian’ movie review website described Darwin as “a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder”. The review goes on to claim that Darwin’s “half-baked theory” directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to “atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering”.
Phew. That’s pretty harsh stuff against a man who was a scientific celebrity in his time and received the Royal Society’s Royal Medal for his work. But of course, he was British, not American.
Tags: Creation the movie, Darwin movie
While urban New Zealand is coming to rely more and more on fast access to the Internet, things are different in our rural hinterland. But help is at hand.
New Zealand’s Communications and IT Minister Steven Joyce yesterday announced the Government’s rural broadband strategy, a NZ$300 million package designed to deliver high speed, affordable broadband to over 80% of rural households, and over 90% of rural schools.
“Around half of rural households are coping with dial up speeds currently and that’s not good enough in the 21st century,” the Minister said.
So why is broadband so important these days?
As an urban user I’m seeing my life and habits changing to make use of the tools and applications available via my PC (PCs, nowadays). I run a small business, and accept payment via bank transfer. Most of my communication with clients is through email. I’m a bit of a social networker and enjoy online chatting with my friends. I do basically all my banking, and management of my utilities through the internet. Even my pension provider is urging me to connect with them online.
So if I was hundreds of kilometres from the nearest urban centre, on one of New Zealand’s vast tracts of sheep farmland, how on earth would I survive with a 56k dial-up connection? That’s what Landcorp, a state-owned NZ agribusiness which manages over 100 farms of more than 300,000ha, wants to know. Landcorp works hard to promote good, sustainable and profitable farming practice amongst its farmers. The main benefits Landcorp sees from their farmers having broadband access is the ease with which communication can be delivered, such as company information, sharing of ideas and practices between farmers (forums), video conferencing to save travel costs (both in dollar and energy terms), and allowing farmers to use online applications and services that are useful to any business, such as budgeting services, Inland Revenue filing and utilities.
Other beneficiaries of broadband to the rural sector will be the multitude of non-farming business ventures. The operator of an airline that runs out of a small rural centre commented that they do have broadband access, but at a much higher cost than for urban-based businesses. They rely on it for online booking facilities and a VoIP (voice over IP) phone system. This is costing them $75 - $100 more a month than the equivalent service in an urban centre.
The education sector will also benefit. The Minister detailed that 93% of rural schools will be connected via fibre optic cable, allowing them to access super high speed internet. My children’s urban school is just replacing half their PCs with higher specs because teachers are making so much use of online applications that the three-year-old PCs from the previous upgrade no longer cut the mustard. Teaching in many New Zealand schools has embraced the information superhighway (what a dated term that is now!), but technology is one of the big barriers to greater uptake.
Other than schools themselves, families and children in remote areas will benefit greatly from improved access. An education provider who oversees a large, sparsely populated geographical area described a family who farm in a remote part of her turf, who not only have young (primary and pre-school aged) children, but for whom English is a second language. Currently, it costs the equivalent of almost two months’ urban broadband rental for the educator to make a single round trip to visit this family. Internet technology can make the delivery of education tools far more efficient, again saving time and energy.
Who knows, in years to come, farmers may be out checking their far flung paddocks, wearing their bluetooth headsets, ordering stock feed and fencing materials using VoIP, while their children, back in the farmhouse, take part in a virtual classroom environment via video conferencing.
Tags: Bluetooth headset, broadband, phone system