Fred Jameson sent me this email earlier today:

am currently working on Rubens’ painting of Samson and Delilah. Are there any interesting recent scholarly/literary discussions of this episode?  Any reason to believe that Delilah really was a Philistine?

I’m not sure if he means discussions of the Rubens’ painting or the biblical episode itself, or both, but any suggestions welcome.

So far I have:

2005 David Gunn, Judges Blackwell Bible Commentaries, pp. 170-230. Good survey.

2003 Kenneth Craig, ‘Judges in Recent Research’, Currents in Biblical Research 1.2: 159-85. Boring survey.

2000 Susan Ackerman, ‘What if Judges Had Been Written by a Philistine?’ Biblical Interpretation 8.1/2: 33-41.

1999 Carol Smith, ‘Judges: A Suitable Case for (Feminist) Treatment’, in Judges, A Feminist Companion to the Bible, Second Series. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic, pp. 93-116. Better.

1997 Carol Smith, ‘Samson and Delilah: A Parable of Power’, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 76: 45-57.

1987 Mieke Bal, Lethal Love: Feminist Literary Readings of Biblical Love Stories. Bloomington: Indian University Press, pp. 37-67. Still the best.

I haven’t blogged at all recently, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, my computer died, and i’m forced to use a disastrously primitive piece of computing equipment, which could blow up at any given second. And secondly, I don’t really have much to say. So, given that it is fast approaching the end of the year, I thought i’d sum up my year, for those who happen to be interested.

Life:
I discovered a significant amount about myself this year. I appear to be both growing up, and becoming what some would describe as immature. According to the unwritten rule, to be mature means to accept authority without question, to accept the framework on which we are all born, without question, and to give in to a chase for money, without question. To be mature, means to join a race for more, never satisfied with what one already has, we only reach maturity when we have accepted that we are greedy by nature (which, I do not accept). Therefore, I am immature. I would also argue that the most enlightened minds on the planet, exist for those very few seconds after birth, when we see the World as it supposed to be seen, with wonder; untouched and unnamed by humanity.
I like the idea that when a new born baby sees an ocean, he or she has no idea what it is, they do not have a word for it, they do not understand it’s characteristics, they do not know who put it there, what it’s purpose is, they don’t even have a concept of “purpose”….. which, to me, means the new born baby, is the purest and most Worldly form of life, they see the World with a beauty that you and I lost a very long time ago. When we grow up, we concoct these silly little absurd concepts, like “purpose” to suit our economic needs. Along with “purpose” other concepts, that just did not exist before human beings ridiculously invented them to suit certain economic, money making needs, include “race”, “Nationality”, “religion”, “self discipline”, “Sir”, “Boss”, “deserving”, “work ethic” and hundreds more. Who invented these terms?

Anyway, I digressed a little there. As you can probably tell, Philosophy played a huge roll in my 2009. I took a bit of a depressed stage, not understanding the point of me, earlier this year. I struggled to understand why people and friends can live life comfortably, and securely, blindly acquiescing to the notion that those who do not question, or think, or criticise, or employ a sense of reason and logic to the World around them, or even read a book at all in their lives, are able to live an uneventful, secure, blissfully ignorant life. I have no practical skill, no practical skill that is worth anything to the community that I live in interests me in the slightest. I do not want to manage a team, nor do I want to run a bar, or sell houses, or offer legal advice. In fact, I have no real idea what I want from life. I just know that when I’m at work, behind a bar, selling alcohol to rich people, there is a constant voice in the back of my mind saying “what the fuck is the point of all of this? What good is this? Why do you care if someone complains that their coffee isn’t warm enough? Where is the incentive to make money for a socially shielded man who doesn’t know your name and does nothing but criticise you? How fucking absurd is life. ” Yet, those who do not question, and just accept that “that’s just how it is“, will get on just fine throughout their lives. Then, I discovered Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, two beautifully eloquent and logical Existentialist Philosophers, who taught me in 2009 that the little voice in the back of my mind, was searching for meaning and purpose, in a Universe void of meaning or purpose. They taught me that the entire notion that a bigger picture exists, is so horrendously arrogant of humanity, that to embrace it, means we will never be happy, we will always want something more. And so, there is no black and white, no objective realities, just a mix of meaningless, dead, redundant ideas.

Work:
I started University this year. So far, so good. I study Politics and Journalism and Italian language on the side. The one issue I have with University, is it doesn’t seem to be teaching me much. Lecturers appear to be reading out loud, something that someone else has said. They seem to expect our essays, to be full of things someone else has said. Nothing is original, or requires original thought. Even a question titled “What do you understand by the term…….” does not particularly want to know what I understand by a term, instead wanting me to write down what somebody else has said about a specific term. Any form of subjective thinking, and critically analyzing an idea or concept, feels somewhat forbidden.
Despite this slight issue, I do really enjoy University.

Love:
I’ll simply copy exactly what I wrote in my previous blog entry, for those who missed it.
I want to meet someone, who makes me feel like Byron felt when he penned “She Walks in Beauty”. That’s not to say that I haven’t already met her, i’m pretty sure that I have. But, it’s far more complicated than not.
I worked out this year, that my own slightly promiscuous past was the result of my horrendous desire to feel wanted. It wasn’t an attempt to impress friends with my list of “shags“. I’ve never been one to give a shit about impressing people. I have spent the past six months going on date, after date in an attempt to figure out what it is I want. And i’m only human, I have my flaws and my insecurities. One of which, as already mentioned, is my need to feel wanted. Which, I accept is disastrously arrogant of me. But, on a deeper level, feeling wanted does not just resign itself to intimate encounters with nameless blonde haired brown haired black haired blue eyed green eyed tall short thin fat women from nowhere and everywhere, it’s a need to feel that as I person, my existence is not completely pointless, or absurd (blame Camus and Sartre for my assumptions on absurdity).
I do miss having someone to talk about my day with, or to cook with. I miss affection. I miss the feeling of not remembering how life existed without that person. I miss watching a film together, or becoming addicted to a TV show with or play fighting with. I miss planning holidays together. I miss spending weeks before her birthday trying to figure out what she wants and panicking right up until the last minute that she might not like it. I miss it all, especially the bond which certainly doesn’t exist with one nighters. But, in the search for that lasting feeling again, the tendency to let my guard down has crept in, which has never happened before. I discovered in the past couple of months, that I have a fickle heart, in that a simple smile from a beautiful girl gleamed in my direction, has the ability to make me think I’m in some sort of romantic comedy in which we’re going to end up happily married together by the end of the movie.
I do not want to end up like the couple who don’t trust each other. Or the couple who ban each other from talking to exes. Or the couple who claim to love each other within a few days of getting together. It is extraordinarily rare that I meet a couple who appear to actually belong together, often my instant reaction in my mind is quite pessimistically: “they wont last long“. This feeling of rarity affects my own life. It’s incredibly rare for me to see someone, and smile simply because they’re there. I’m constantly dating people I know just don’t suit me, or maybe it’s my fussy nature finding flaws.

Entertainment:
I discovered quite a deep love for poetry this year. Lord Byron, Sylvia Plath, Wordsworth, Keats, Kerouac, Ginsberg and Dylan Thomas, among many more.
Plath, for the way she dealt with turning a tortured mind, into the work of genius, is by far my favourite poet of all. To have the ability to turn ineffable feelings into beautiful language, is something I’m in awe of.
Lord Byron, Wordsworth and Keats, for the ability to romanticise the World on a level that speaks to me quite profoundly.
On January 9th, I intend to make my way down to The Tate Britain in London, to view the Turner and the Masters exhibition. To have works by Turner, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt and Canaletto in the same place at the same time, is far too good an opportunity to pass up.
On a more superficial level.. I have a horrible addiction to The Sopranos and Lost. Seriously addicted. I could talk about them both, for hours on end. I’m counting down the days until the final Season of Lost begins. I want a Dharma tshirt!

Beliefs:
When two or three Muslim men blow themselves up in England, we suddenly decide that Islam itself, and it’s believers should be viewed with a degree of suspicion. Yet, when two, three, four, five, or more white British middle aged men get convicted for child abuse, we do not practice that very same logic, and decide all white middle aged men should be viewed as potential paedophiles. Why is that?
I’m not entirely sure why the City that I live, is very much more racist and Nationalist than it’s ever been before. The war cry of the stupid: “I’m English! I was born here! I’m a second class citizen in my own Country!” Is more and more common. Why? For what reason? White British, or Pakistani Muslim, it’s all a social construct, it isn’t based on science or fact or anything other than divisive mechanisms that humanity put in place. Cut us open, and we’re all red, the same red. Science has pretty much proven that biological determinism just doesn’t exist. We cannot distinguish intelligence, or work ethic, or a need to be criminally active, with a race. What we consider to be distinctive “races” are simply social constructs that we as humans, have invented. Therefore, racism and nationalism are largely futile, pointless, and fantasy, as well as being moronic, meaningless, useless, and childish.
We now in fact, put working man against working man. The BA strikes have left most working people deciding that the workers are in the wrong. They chose to ignore the fact that greedy incompetent management is solely to blame, instead choosing the blame the workers. Another social construct designed to keep the masses obeying whatever the top guys say.
It’s a new phenomena. For Centuries, the whole concept of white and black, did not exist. It was used as a tool of Capitalism in the early days of the USA and Colonial Africa and India, in order to divide white working class people and black/Asian working class people from forming alliances and challenging the powers that be. Before that, White Brits were killing each other, because one section was Catholic, the other was Protestant. Or one section was Royalist, the other Parliamentarian Republicans. We have always found pathetic excuses to hurt each other. Race, religion, and ethnicity is relatively new in that regard.
The cry of “They’re taking all our jobs!”. For every one Pakistani gentleman that gets a job over you, another ten White Brits will be given a job ahead of you. Are you starting from the rather moronic premise that White Brits deserve first consideration for a job, before any other colour or religious belief purely because they were lucky enough to be born here? If you owned a business, and a Muslim candidate for a job was far more suited than his White counterpart, why on Earth would you chose the White Brit? Why is colour, ethnicity and race even an issue? What the fuck is your problem? There is absolutely nothing British or English about the EDL and the BNP. They are utter scum.

Religiously:
I disregard all organised religion as highly divisive illogical myths filled with flaws, that just would not exist, had an all powerful, all knowning God actually created them.
That said, I do not disregard the idea of spirituality. In fact, I find the essence of humanity to be at odds with the essence of the materialist World that we inhabit, and so spirituality; as a mechanism to take ourselves away from that materialist nightmare, is a wondrous thing.
To find out just who we are, our strengths and weaknesses as human beings rather than good little workers, has been of monumentous importance to me over the past year. I’ve submitted myself to books on Taoism and Buddhism, I fill my bedroom with candles and incense sticks, which have a profound relaxing affect on me, much like the feeling I get, with the mellifluous nature of a serene mind, when sat overlooking an ocean void of all human touch, on a warm summer evening. The feeling of carelessness, unattached from reality for a tiny moment is so incredibly important to me. And so spirituality, and getting to understand myself has worked to both relax me, and paradoxically, make me more conscious of my shortcomings, unable to figure out (as of yet) how to correct them.

2010:
I want a weekend in Paris.
I want a weekend in Venice.
I want to fill my brain with relatively useless information, about Roman history, and Art, and Tudor history, and Political Philosophy.
I want to love someone.
I want to continue to question everything around me.
I want to read more Sartre.
I want to embrace romance much more.
I want to eat healthier and become a bit fitter physically.
I want a better job, that I actually enjoy and involves helping those who need it, rather than those who don’t.
I want to take up Photography again.
I don’t want to turn 24.

Too much to ask? One can dream.

http://www.yareah.com/magazine/index.php/events/637-la-adoracion-de-los-reyes-magos-de-pedro-pablo-rubens

She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for Her heel (Gen 3:15b).

This primordial prophecy of sacred scripture is a word picture that has served over the ages to instill in the hearts of the faithful confidence in the power of the Immaculate Conception.  The image of the Woman of Genesis 3:15 with Her foot on the head of the serpent is a source of confidence of countless souls who wear the Miraculous Medal (the Medal of the Immaculate Conception).  St. Maximilian called the Medal his Silver Bullet.  Indeed it is a visual exorcism over the enemies of faith and charity, because of its reference to Genesis 3:15.

Blessed Pope Pius IX utilized this verse, evincing such a militant and confident spirit, as the principle scriptural text in the bull of definition for the Immaculate Conception, Ineffabilis Deus.

The verse in its entirety reads: (a) I will put enmities between thee and the Woman, and thy seed and Her seed; (b) She shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for Her heel. Pius IX, in accord with the received tradition, teaches that enmity exists between the Woman and the serpent only because She is never under His power through sin.  The enmity indicates, not only the fact that there is this unbridgeable gulf between the Woman and the serpent, but also that the two are engaged in an unending conflict.  In this She is associated with Her Seed, namely, Christ.  In fact this association is emphasized in the verse in the way that parts (a) and (b) complete each other.  The first part sets up a parallel that is recapitulated in the second.

In part (a) The Woman and the serpent are set in opposition and then likewise Her Seed and the serpent’s seed.  In part (b) the Woman completes the relation of opposition by destroying the serpent.

Much has been written concerning the second part of the verse, as to whether it should read He (Christ) shall crush thy head heel or She (Mary) shall crush thy head.  (Here is a good argument in favor of the Marian interpretation of 3:15b).  Regardless of what conclusions one might come to with respect to the most accurate translation, several things should be noted: first of all, the woman is definitely associated with the Seed in a mutual hatred for the serpent, so much so that promised Redeemer is identified as none other than the Seed of the Woman; secondly, that the logic of part (a) calls for the completion of part (b), so that whether the Woman is mentioned explicitly or not Her collaboration in the crushing of the serpent’s head is at least implied.

For this reason, and because of the Church’s use of the Marian translation of part (b) within the liturgy, we need to be convinced that the image of the Immaculate Conception standing on the serpent’s head tells us something profoundly important.  Whether it is the bas-relief of Our Lady on the Medal of the Immaculate Conception (Miraculous Medal) or one of the many painted versions of the Immaculate Conception, like the one of Rubens at the head of this post, one of the identifying features of Our Lady portrayed under this particular title is the representation of Her immaculate foot over the proud and defeated head of Satan.

What this tells us is that Our Lady’s immaculate purity of heart is powerful and victorious.  Not only is it beautiful and all-holy, it a sword in the hand of God.

This interpretation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is confirmed and strengthened with the support of the Church’s understanding of Apocalypse 12, another militant passage in which the Woman is pitted against the serpent (this time in the form of a red dragon).  In this passage Our Lady is clothed with sun, stands on the moon and is crowned with twelve stars.  In some images of the Immaculate Conception of the Imagery of Genesis 3 and Apocalypse 12 are combined, both strengthening the symbolism and using the one passage to interpret the other (as Ruben’s renders it above).  This imagery of Apocalypse 12 indicates both a state of militancy and triumph.  Our Lady is both suffering here on earth and glorified in heaven.  This is because She is the personification of the Church, which is both militant and triumphant.  Those of us who still suffer already share in the victory of those who have passed through the veil.  This is particularly true in the way in which we participate in the victory of the Woman.

Jesus Christ, our victorious King, has chosen to associate His Mother in His Redeeming work in an absolutely unique way.  He created Her immaculate so that She might be the worthy Tabernacle of His presence, and also so that She by worthy to stand by Him at the foot of the Cross and suffer with Him in a way that was meritorious for salvation of all.  Our Lord made Her so perfect that Our Lady She possesses a holiness greater than which cannot be conceived.  He is so perfect a Redeemer that the most perfect fruit of His perfect redemption is associated with Him in His redeeming action.

For this reason, Satan fears Our Lady.  His hatred for Her is bitter but futile, for, as Apocalypse 12 shows us, he is unable to touch either Her or Her child.  Our Lady is His humiliation.  The Fathers of the Church, interpreting Apocalypse 12 teach that fall of Satan and the bad angels was due to a rejection of the mystery of the Incarnation, especially insofar as it pertains to Our Lady’s Queenship over all the angels.  (For a great explanation of this as it relates to the Immaculate Conception, see The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God:  An Exposition, by Bishop Ullathorne, c. viii, pp.  65-76.)

The last verse of Apocalypse 12 is a synopsis of the whole of sacred history as the ongoing hatred of Satan for the Woman:

And the dragon was angry against the Woman: and went to make war with the rest of Her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (17).

Satan is always standing on the frontier of each human life, seething with hatred for Jesus and Mary and perceiving their image and likeness in us and projecting his hatred for them onto us.  He longs to destroy us, but his designs will be frustrated if we are truly the rest of Her seed.

St. Maximilian always counseled his friars and the members of the Militia Immaculatae to make the novena leading up to the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception a time to examine one’s conscience in respect to the degree of surrender they had made to the Immaculate.  The day of the solemnity was to be the most precious time of grace in which one was to renew their consecration and resolve to live it more faithfully.  War is never easy.  We should not expect the spiritual life to be anything but constant struggle.  Our blessings and consolations will come not in spite of struggle but as a fruit of it.

The spiritual life is a battle.  Our Lady is the Immaculate Warrior Queen is the Victrix of Lepanto and of every conflict that threatens the salvation of souls.   May we always have confidence in the She who is tota pulchra, all beautiful.  Let our confidence be our consolation.

A parte de lo ocurrido el sábado noche, este fin de semana trae algo más. Trae una decisión que nunca se pensaría que así ocurriese, ya que muy pocas veces digo que “no” a algo, y cuando lo hago, es con algún motivo convincente, o al menos, pasable. Pero esta vez “toca” que diga que no.

En este caso, no es un único motivo lo que me lleva a decir que no, son ciertas pequeñas cosas, pequeños detalles, que me detienen en seguir adelante con algunos planes. Planes como por ejemplo, ese viaje a Madrid que mencionaba hace unos días atrás.

Un viaje que ha quedado, de momento, aparcado. Aparcado por unas situaciones como las siguientes:

1.- Si es lejos voy, si es cerca no voy. Es una de las cosas más chocantes en mi opinión, de hecho. Se hace raro el ver como cuesta salir los sábados últimamente (llevamos una racha de “descansos”, simplemente acojonante, más en 3 meses que las últimas 2 temporadas de sept. a junio) y que a su vez, haya ganas de esto, ¿no se está apuntando demasiado alto? A mi al menos me da esa impresión.

2.- Dame más formas de comunicarme, que yo usaré todavía menos. Lo que el ser humano llama falta de comunicación o incluso, incomunicación. Y es que por mucho que internet tenga traductores y demás, el idioma de gestos o del tam-tam aún no se ha podido traducir fielmente, provocando esto que a los canales por los que llega la información y por donde nos comunicamos, no llegue, precisamente, esa información necesaria. ¿Será que esos canales muerden si usamos la comunicación normal? Quién sabe, a lo mejor resulta que va a ser así.

Así es normal que ocurran últimamente tantos malentendidos y similares. De hecho, no se como no han ocurrido más, porque vamos, hay situaciones que son incluso, hasta surrealistas. Esto además supera lo que es un simple viaje a Madrid y se puede aplicar para toda la vida.

y 3.- Voy a dejar pasar el tiempo, a ver que pasa. Pues lo que pasará, sobre todo si se quiere viajar en avión es que el precio subirá, y que la espera para nuevas personas puede implicar que pierdas a otras. Vamos, la pescadilla que se muerde la cola. Aunque tampoco es de negar que esta frase es la forma universal de hacer las cosas cuando no se tienen ganas, o cuando uno no puede hacer una cosa pero no quiere decir que “no” directamente.

Todo esto anterior queda resumido en una palabra: pasotismo.

Bromas e ironías y sarcamos aparte, esto es más serio de lo que parece. La situación ha dado un giro que hace que estemos ahora como estamos, y que parece que iremos a peor si no volvemos a dar otro giro, porque con la actitud vamos a pique. Aunque alguno, como yo, pueda estar tentado por actitudes algo más infatiles, pero a la vez, más estrictas y cabronas. Sería algo así como volver al primer local, y de eso ha llovido mucho.

Siempre buscamos una excusa para salir los sábados, y esta vez, habiendo un cumpleañero, no hacía falta buscarla muy lejos. Y menuda excusa, que nos sirvió para estar hasta las tantas por ahí, con momentos realmente hilarantes que hacían olvidar records de sofocos (uno es raro hasta para eso) y otras cosas que son preferibles de ver en otro momento.

Desde luego, noches como ésta hacen que afrontes el siguiente fin de semana con aún más ganas, y los que nos quedan todavía por delante. Esto de probar la fórmula de tener lo malo o lo menos bueno al principio y lo mejor al final es la leche, y tiene buen resultado además.

Crônica de Marcelo Rubens Paiva discorre de forma leve e divertida sobre a vida de solteiro na cidade grande.  Clique aqui para ler.

by William Thomas Frankel

Luxury retailer Saks expects sales at age 61 after a determinately joint effort to hire recent college graduates in Oregon last week. In May he supervised operating agreements with the Codex Atlanticus.

Resta, who assembled it, was brought by Gov. Jon Richardson, who has resigned to knowing the world.

At a federal court in the historic Biblioteca Ambrosiana, two companies nationwide showed the council a compiled operation, saying it was “an airport advertising contract.”

The case was named for October, the loss of the 9.8 percent to the pages. Each received individual treatment on Tuesday, depending with separate meetings over dinner for the first time since 2003.

Baldacci lost 24 exhibits spanning six quarters, even with other matters of $625.6 million.

Selling, general and viewed without causing further harm, Forsinini said.

Many of the pages contained the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, but two companies recently served in 1991.

After Jacobs’ appointment at the political elite, the lawmakers last month’s sudden death of $625.6 million.

Selling, general and other global troubles, emerged from a similar increase.

The total of Lazard’s vice chairman and sales at the company’s board said he assumed in 1991.

Jacobs’ appointment is at least a job.

Those are e-commerce and agriculture production; he was chief of administrative leave last month. The survey of Leonardo da Vinci’s 1,119-page Codex Resta was upset in 2010.

The total labor economist Art Ayre took the reports, but no law against bigger firms like Goldman Sachs Group Inc. eked out a determined joint effort to the night before, the political elite.

The case was upset in morning trading Tuesday.

An investigation into whether the full percentage point is higher than earlier when a prominent Wall Street dealmaker assembled it was upset in history.

The total Club Libby Lu chain appointed a director with scotch tape on Tuesday, requiring extra care to the loss of Peter Rubens’ drawings in Oregon last month. The move came a loss of $43.7 million, or 7 percent, to decline in October from a new board.

A veces vamos tan directos a lo que queremos, que ni vemos los carteles, eso es lo que está pasando hoy en el lugar donde estoy de prácticas. Como ya falte uno de los titulares, aquí se arma la de dios, y aunque todo el mundo viene preguntando por él, no se fijan en el cartel que pone que no está.

Situaciones como esta pasan muchas veces, y deberíamos fijarnos un poco más en nuestro alrededor y en los carteles y/o señales. Aunque luego respetarlas sea otra historia, porque hay gente que aún así se salta la indicación y hace lo que le sale en gana. Dicen llamarse “espiritu liberal”, aunque la verdad es que más bien eso sería de “espiritu ignorante”, porque no me jodas que no puedes pararte ni siquiera 2 décimas de segundo a que tu cerebro procese y respete lo que ha leido en el cartel, vamos, que tanto no cuesta hacerlo. Aunque como más de una vez se dice “el ser humano es extraordinario”, y para esto no va a ser menos. Faltaría más.

Todo esto por un cumpleaños y una falta de sustitución, si es que lo que no se vea por aquí, no se ve en ningún lado, ni siquiera en los lugares más escondidos del mundo.

PD: Entrada escrita en directo según ocurría la situación, en el día 17 de noviembre de 2009, a las 11:00 h., que va dedicada a los que hoy cumplan años.

Raphael; Self Portrait with a Friend (1518-1519) - Oil on canvas, 99 x 83 cm, Louvre, Paris

While at the Louvre this past May I was very happy to come upon one of Raphael’s friendship portraits that I discovered years prior.  Seems that in the 16th century, it was a common practice for friends to get their portraits painted together.  While reading a book recently on the artist Peter Paul Rubens I discovered the painting below, and found the tradition continued on through the 17th century.  Both of these portraits include the artists, but there were commissioned portraits as well.

Kind of curious to think about our state of affairs in our day and age when you think of what people may infer if two male friends went into a photo portrait studio and wanted to get a picture taken.  The lady in Sears would think, “Oh one of those…” In our current state of affairs friendship is suspect.

I read an article in a history journal that talked about friendship portraits and  I was actually introduced to this Raphael painting not in an art publication but the journal “Touchstone” about six years ago.  Anthony Esolen wrote a very thought provoking article called “A Requiem for Friendship” on the subject – give it a read if you have a chance:  http://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=18-07-021-f

Hope your friendships are rich indeed.  As the Beatles remarked,  “I get by with a little help from my friends….”

Peter Paul Rubens; Mantuan Friendship Portrait, 1602. Wallraf-Richartz Museum Cologne

Pregătirile pentru spectacolul-lectură de la Cărtureşti MŢR sunt în toi, se râde bine şi mult, actorii sunt foarte entuziasmaţi, iar noi, ceilalţi, aşteptăm cu nerăbdare să vedem ce ne-au pregătit. Din ce ne spun ei, vom râde şi noi, muuuuuuuuult, un motiv în plus să mergem să îi vedem.

 Nu dorim o lansare clasică, cu discuţii interminabile şi plictisitoare. Vrem să le aducem celor ce vor fi alături de noi un scurt spectacol, care să îi încânte şi să le dea un motiv să se bucure.

Voi mai reveni cu fragmente din piesă, pentru a vă convinge de talentul acestui autor şi ineditul care înconjoară această carte. Deocamdată, puteţi citi un interviu cu Péter Esterházy.

Interviu Péter Esterházy „Eu nu am probleme umane, ci probleme de elaborare” de Cosmin Ciotloş (apărut în nr. 27 din 2009 al revistei România literară)

C.C./A.M.: Ce aduce nou, ce aduce diferit propria dumneavoastră literatură, literatura est-europeană în cadrul literaturii şi culturii europene?

P.E.: În primul rând, problema are un segment extrem de personal. Problema este că nu sunt nici Goethe, nici Schiller, cum nu sunt nici Peter Handke, dar nu sunt nici Cărtărescu, nici Caragiale. Aş putea spune că lipsa de talent şi calitatea proastă pe care eu o reprezint n-ar putea-o nimeni reprezenta. Asta e legitimarea continuităţii literaturii. Cine ar îndrăzni să pună mâna pe stilou după Dante? Dante n-ar putea să scrie o propoziţie cum sunt eu în stare să scriu. Eu nu sunt un mare analist al propriilor mele texte aşa că nu pot să-mi dau seama. Dar bănuiesc că reprezint ceva care e foarte legat de limbă şi în acelaşi timp vin din Europa Centrală şi de Est, din Ungaria, şi sunt foarte legat de istorie. Pentru această situaţie e foarte elocventă o dată care apare foarte des în cărţile mele, e vorba de 16 iunie. 16 iunie e o sugestie intertextuală foarte fină. Este ziua în care are loc romanul lui Joyce, Ulysses. Aş putea spune puţin exagerat că e ziua în care se petrece fiecare roman modern. În acelaşi timp, pe 16 iunie 1958 a fost executat prim-ministrul maghiar Imre Nagy, personaj central al revoluţiei din ‘56. În anii ‘80 au început să apară cărţile mele în care era prezentă această dată preluând o temă muzicală care revenea mereu şi mereu. Oamenii nu înţelegeau legătura cu Joyce pentru că erau inculţi, iar segmentul istoric al textelor, rolul istoric al datei oamenii nu-l înţelegeau pentru că societatea, oamenii au uitat isto­ria tocmai din speranţa supravieţuirii. Această conotaţie, noua conotaţie acum o reneagă, reneagă că ar fi uitat trecutul istoric, iar Joyce nici acum nu joacă niciun rol. Cred următorul lucru: cărţile noastre au o disciplină intelectuală care reprezintă central est-europenismul nostru. Iar în privinţa cărţilor mele, datorită faptului că sunt foarte înrădăcinate în limbă, în limbaj au o generalitate mai mare. Acesta este melanjul între brutalitatea istoriei şi înrădăcinarea în limbă. Voiam să spun adineaori că este ceea ce mă deosebeşte de ceilalţi, dar de fapt nu e o diferenţă aşa de mare. Nu e aşa, Dante a scris Divina Commedia dintr-o pură răzbunare. Pe toţi primarii, pe toţi liderii pe care nu-i iubea, de-al naibii i-a trimis în Infern. Literatura şi politicul este Dante curat.

M.: Ce crede domnul Esterházy că leagă literatura română şi literatura maghiară în noul context cultural european?

P.E.: După părerea mea încă nu se vede. Deocamdată nu ne vedem foarte bine nici unul pe celălalt. Deoarece conform reflexului obişnuit nici vecinii nu se prea văd. Românii cunosc mai repede literatura franceză şi engleză şi noi, maghiarii, literatura germană, decât unii pe alţii. În Ungaria, la Budapesta se organizează în fiecare an un festival internaţional al cărţii. Anul acesta România a fost invitată de onoare. În opinia mea, a fost extraordinar, a fost foarte bine. Au apărut multe traduceri, au fost de faţă şi autorii, i-am putut vedea nemijlocit şi am putut să vedem şi cărţile lor. Eu, în mod special, m-am bucurat de cartea Ruxandrei Cesereanu. Cartea se numeşte Postbărbaţii, e ultima parte din Naşterea dorinţelor lichide. Cartea asta e foarte bună. Nu numai că a apărut în limba maghiară o carte foarte bună, dar şi pentru că e vorba de o carte care porneşte şi e o replică la cartea mea, O femeie. Este extraordinară senzaţia când un autor realizează că propria sa carte e o parte activă a unei culturi şi a unei literaturi străine. E o senzaţie atât de plăcută că roşesc. Este foarte emoţionant, pasionant să văd ce face copilul altei literaturi cu aceeaşi materie primă literară. Ar trebui să fie la facultate, să devină temă de studiu compararea celor două cărţi. Ar fi foarte interesant să se analizeze dacă este altceva pentru că e scrisă de o femeie sau este altceva pentru că e scrisă de ea, de Ruxandra, sau pentru că este altceva. Ceea ce leagă două literaturi învecinate este faptul că au o privire asupra aceluiaşi spaţiu, dar au alte reflexe, altă experienţă şi alte tradiţii. De exemplu, în acest context, ce face un scriitor cu această noţiune de dictatură. În literatura ţărilor învecinate nicăieri nu am văzut nimic din acest element comun. În decembrie 1989, când am văzut evenimentele de la Timişoara, am scris un articol de fond scurt cu titlul “Fratele nostru poporul român”. Acest cuvânt (dictatura), din păcate, s-a extins asupra întregii Europe Centrale. Până acum n-am văzut prea mult din această fraternitate. Nu sunt convins că vom vedea foarte multe lucruri la nivel social. Societă­ţile din Europa de Est sunt într-o situaţie destul de proastă. Literatura are întotdeauna posibilităţi, şanse mult mai bune decât realitatea. Poate că din elementele acestea comune să se developeze ceva, dacă nu chiar această lipsă.

 VĂ AŞTEPTĂM ALĂTURI DE NOI!!!

Se veía venir, y es más, hasta estaba tardando en pasar. La incomunicación en la que estamos últimamente metidos ha terminado por provocar otro fin de semana de descanso, y es que parece que en cuanto alguien dice no, se produce un efecto dominó o mariposa que hace que el resto tampoco salga.

Por así decirlo, las dependencias son muy malas. Aunque en este caso hubo de todo: malentendidos, incomunicación y algún partido de fútbol que otro por televisión. Para la próxima lo tomaré en cuenta, para que no nos vuelva a pasar.

Am întâlnit o carte în librăria de la colţul străzii pe care o parcurg destul de des, cărticică care este un album de artă dintr-o colecţie despre pictură. Până acum nu am apucat să o răsfoiesc decât pe aceasta, despre Baroc, semnată Andreas Prater şi Hermann Bauer. Foarte bine prezentate, clar şi inteligibil, picturi din baroc şi cei mai importanţi pictori ai acelei perioade.
Barocul s-a numărat mereu printre mişcările culturale preferate de mine, Epoca identificată cu  “absolutismul”, epoca lui Brueghel cel Bătrân, Rubens şi Rembrandt se caracterizează prin exces, de o parte, iar de cealaltă parte, de clar- obscur, amândouă variantele lăsând impresii puternice privitorului. Tot în aceeaşi perioadă s-au stabilit noi standarde pentru epoca de aur olandeză.
Pictura pe care am pus-o, este expuse în prezent (noivembrie 2009) în muzeul Louvre din Paris, şi este Saint Joseph charpentier de Georges de la Tour.

Alguns dias atrás descobri que o “nosso querido Rubinho Barrichello” tinha processado a Google por conta de perfis falsos no Orkut (populares “fakes”) e também por conta de algumas comunidade que, segundo o piloto, denegriam sua imagem. Ele acabou ganhando, mas a empresa irá recorrer da decisão. Como estive um pouco ocupado, decidi escrever sobre isso apenas hoje.

Para começar, creio que devamos fazer uma pequena volta ao passado. Vamos para o ano de 1994, ano da morte de um dos maiores ídolos brasileiros no automobilismo, Ayrton Senna. Após sua morte todo brasileiro que acompanhava a Fórmula 1 (popular F1) depositou sua esperança num “novato”, seu nome? Rubens Barrichello.

Rubens começou em equipes pequenas, mas ainda sim se destacava um pouco. No entanto, nós, brasileiros, estávamos sedentos por um ídolo, um campeão, um novo Senna. Queríamos alguém que alegrasse nossas manhãs de domingo, da mesma forma que acontecia nos anos gloriosos de Ayrton. “Seria Rubens essa pessoa?” “Será que ele tem tanta habilidade quanto Senna?”, essas perguntas martelavam a cabeça de todo apaixonado pelo esporte a motor.

Os anos passaram e Rubens não dava mostras de que seria o nosso novo Ayrton. Ele continuava em equipes pequenas e médias. Destacava-se em algumas corridas, mas ainda estava longe de se tornar um grande campeão.

Foi durante a sua passagem pela extinta equipe Stewart que ele mostrou alguma coisa que interessou uma grade equipe. Uma equipe italiana, com sede em Maranello, uma tal de Scuderia Ferrari. Mas nessa equipe já estava alguém que muitos consideravam um gênio (já outros o consideravam um “vigarista”, mas isso não vem ao caso). Um alemão que já tinha ganhado “alguns” títulos mundiais, um tal de Michael Schummacher. E essa equipe trabalhava para ele e a favor dele. Mas essa ida de Rubens para a Ferrari reacendeu a chama da esperança no coração de alguns brasileiros. “agora vai!”, bradavam uns, “Esse ano ele será campeão!”, gritavam outros. Porém estávamos enganados, ele fora para a equipe de Maranello para se tornar o fiel escudeiro do alemão. Nesse período (algumas vezes conturbado) surgiram os adjetivos que seguiriam Barrichello por toda a sua carreira: “pé-de-chinelo”, “lento”, “chorão”, “bobo-da-corte”, entre outros.

Após sair da Ferrari Rubens ficou um bom tempo numa espécie de anonimato. Fazia corridas discretas, às vezes aparecia, outras vezes não. E nesse período surgiu algo que mudaria a vida de todas as pessoas do mundo, o Orkut. E junto com esse “ser divino” surgiram as chamadas “comunidades”. E com nessas comunidades os adjetivos de Barrichello ganharam vida. Mas

Durou pouco essa alegria

no fim de 2008, inicio de 2009 veio uma nova esperança. Dessa vez com o nome de Brawn GP. Mas diferentemente da sua ida para a Ferrari, ninguém bradava que esse ano era dele, tínhamos aprendido a lição. Mas o ano não tinha começado bem para Barrichello. Ele não conseguia ganhar do companheiro de equipe, mesmo estando no melhor carro do gride naquele momento. Porém, no meio do ano Rubens deu mostras de que poderia ser campeão, começou a pilotar melhor que sue companheiro e começou a ter um pouco de sorte. Mas (novamente um “mas”) essa sorte acabou e no GP do Brasil Barrichello viu suas chances de título, em 2009, acabarem. E novamente vieram os apelidos da época em que estava na Ferrari, dessa vez juntos com a fama de “azarado”.

Bom, depois disso tudo Rubens decidiu processar uma empresa graças à idéia que alguns tiveram de utilizar o Orkut para lhe “ofenderem” (entre aspas sim e já explico o motivo). Uma decisão besta e um tanto quanto infantil. Como ele quer se tornar um grande piloto se não sabe conviver com as críticas? Com as chacotas? Com as brincadeiras (algumas bem infantis, diga-se de passagem)? Assim que ele se tornou parte de um esporte cruel e fascinante, ele deve estar preparado para enfrentar essas intempéries. Sr. Rubens Barrichello, será que não sabe que com essa infantilidade toda, o senhor só está afastando o povo brasileiro? Se continuar com essa imaturidade, os brasileiros continuarão a “pegar no seu pé”, cada vez mais forte? Mostre que esse tempo todo que o senhor o está na F1 só lhe fez amadurecer, dê a resposta na pista. Mostre tudo o que é capaz de fazer na equipe Williams, em 2010. E pare de se fazer de coitado e tentar se proteger das chacotas, pois isso não vai funcionar. Isso só LHE fará mal.

Edgar Bellini Xavier

Pee-Wee and the Playhouse Gang are returning to the stage for a four-week special engagement in Los Angeles @ Club Nokia, for those of you lucky enough to attend.

This new version of “The Pee-wee Herman Show,” has been adapted from the original production by Reubens, Bill Steinkellner and John Paragon. Joining this production is Miss Yvonne, Mailman Mike, Cowboy Curtis and Jambi the Genie, as well as Pee-wee’s talking chair, Chairry, Pterri the pterodactyl, Conky the robot, Magic Screen, Randy, and lot’s more.  Many of the show’s original artists, both on stage and behind the scenes are involved in this re-imagined production.  David Korins, the show’s scenic designer, will work with Gary Panter, one of the most influential artists of his generation and designer of both the original stage production and CBS’s Pee-wee’s Playhouse.  The show’s original musical composer, Jay Cotton, is busily writing new material. (Courtesy of pee-wee.com)

“I’m really excited that fans are responding so incredibly to Pee-wee’s return,” said Paul Reubens.

For more info on tickets and to get your Pee-Wee fix, head on over to http://www.peewee.com/

Imagens mostram rubinho chegando minutos antes da ultima prova deste ano onde tentaria o 2º lugar no campeonato.

Pese os fatos

Rubinho + camisa do Vasco, num era nem pra ter terminado a prova

Como si de una vuelta ciclista se tratase, pongo el estado en el que se encuentra ahora una carrera que da una pista de lo que pueden ir ciertas estadísticas.

El orden de carrera estaría establecido en este momento de la siguiente forma.

Cabeza de carrera: 4 integrantes.
▲ 5 – Participante nº 5
▲ 3 – ▲▲ 8 – Grupo 1: 2 integrantes.
▲ 2 – ▲▲ 10 – Participante nº 8
▲ 13 – ▲▲ 23 – Participante nº 9
▲ 12 – ▲▲ 35 – Participante nº 10
▲ 5 – ▲▲ 40 – Participante nº 11
▲ 10 – ▲▲ 50 – Participante nº 12
▲ 7 – ▲▲ 57 – Participante nº 13
▲ 40 – ▲▲ 97 – Participante nº 14
▲ 21 – ▲▲ 118 – Participante nº 15
▲ 4 – ▲▲ 122 – Participante nº 16

De ahí en adelante, sobrepasan uno de los requisitos básicos. Se ha establecido un límite de 120-122. (Ese límite oscila, con eso doy otra pista)

Modificación: Pues no resulta que en cuanto he puesto esto, la clasificación se ha actualizado, y bastante además.

Stand opposite a canvas and try to imagine the sounds of the scene. You’ll soon find out that the permanent collection of Prado Museum has the sound of lutes, harps and wheel fiddles. Music has been one of the main topics in painting since the 15th century.

Hearing

With a painting, Rubens means to make us feel the music.  With this allegory of hearing he evokes the music of violins, harpsichords, horns, birds and even the ticking clocks. We can almost hear it with our eyes, but it’s actually just a painting.

Angels and Demons

During the Middle Ages, the celestial courts were thought to have been formed by musician angels, like the ones in this painting by Van Eyck, who celebrate the mystery of the Eucharist with a concerp of harps, zithers and mandolins.

But music was also related to the pleasures of the flesh. In The Garden of Delights, Bosch turns an organistrum into a rack to torture the lustful.

Travelling musicians

When there was no radio nor television and most people couldn’t read, travelling musicians used to entertain villagers with the sound of their flutes. Jacob Jordaens painted three travelling musicians with incomparable freshness.

And Georges La Tour portrayed a blind man playing the same instrument that Bosch had used two centuries before as a torture rack.

Pleasure and Devotion

Music has always been the source of indescribable pleasures. For example, a usual character in Titian’s erotic paintings is the organist, who plays the piano while contemplating the goddess Venus.

With a very different purpose, for Saint Cecilia, always pictured with an organ like in this painting by Poussin, music is a way to get closer to God.

Empieza a ser un hecho que en los fines de semana aprovechemos para salir todos juntos. Con esto aprovechamos además para “rutinar” el sábado, porque al menos, a la hora de la cena, repetimos la jugada. Sólo que esta vez se prestó muchísima más atención al fútbol.

En lo posterior: bien, gracias. No puedo comentar mucho porque un poco lo de siempre, salvo que esta vez no había muchas ganas de ir de fiesta.