Et bien…
Fathers And Sons
The Cowboy found himself thinking about Eva Evdokimova the other day. She died earlier this year at the relatively tender age of 60. She is undoubtedly still dancing in the heavens.
Autumn Rain
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897); Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in E Minor, Opus 38: Allegro non troppo.
Gregor Piatigorsky, Cello; Arthur Rubinstein, Piano. 1936
Autumn
Thou comest, Autumn, heralded by the rain,
With banners, by great gales incessant fanned,
Brighter than brightest silks of Samarcand,
And stately oxen harnessed to thy wain!
Thou standest, like imperial Charlemagne,
Upon thy bridge of gold; thy royal hand
Outstretched with benedictions o’er the land,
Blessing the farms through all thy vast domain!
Thy shield is the red harvest moon, suspended
So long beneath the heaven’s o’er-hanging eaves;
Thy steps are by the farmer’s prayers attended;
Like flames upon an altar shine the sheaves;
And, following thee, in thy ovation splendid,
Thine almoner, the wind, scatters the golden leaves!
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1845
Batman, Higgs and Nuclear Terror: Dinner With Jim
Jules Alexandre Grün (1868-1938*), Fin de Souper, 1913.
Oil on Canvas, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tourcoing, France
At a recent dinner discussing the prospect of nuclear terrorism, the Cowboy found himself contemplating that Batman of particle physics: the Higgs boson. Why Batman? Well, the Higgs boson is dark and elusive, and kind of like a cosmological super-hero.
First though, you are probably wondering whether the frighteningly-high probability of a horrific terrorist act decimating an otherwise lovely city makes for appropriate dinner conversation among polite company. Hmmm… Good question. The topic sort of encompasses religion (nihilism, the afterlife, eschatology) and politics (mutually assured destruction, containment, non-proliferation), so ostensibly the answer would be “no”. Well, it was stimulating and oddly entertaining nonetheless.
Muddling On
Last week was a good one for Brazil. We are consistently told that Asia will lead the world out of recession. Except that’s not the whole headline. In its entirety it reads: Asia and Brazil will lead the world out of recession.
Chicago #4. Tokyo? No way José (that’s the Portuguese pronunciation please – zhoze). Spain? European colonialists need not apply in the post-post-colonial era. Não, não, não. In 2016 Rio will host the Olympics!
And if you are into those frivolous little sporting events, take note: Brazil will host the World Cup in 2014.
Of course in the post-post-colonial era, globalization-epitomizing economic involvement is bem. Mostly. So how about the hottest IPO of the year… any guesses? Banco Santander. Like the first headline though, we’re missing the important bit: Banco Santander Brasil. Suddenly its São Paolo-based sub looks like the most valuable part of that Spanish empire. And lest the irony be overlooked, Brazil is providing the lucre for a 21st century Spanish empire. In your face, Portugal.
