Welcome to this edition of Weekly Musings, where each week I share some thoughts about what's caught my interest in the last seven days.

This time 'round, an idea that's been rattling around in my head for a while now. As you'll notice, there are still bits of my thinking about this topic that are forming but it's something that I find interesting. I hope you do, too.

With that out of the way, let's get to this week's musing.

On Cultivating a Digital Garden

Something that's fascinated me for as long as I can remember is the way in which people collect, connect, and share knowledge. Not only in the professional sphere, but on the personal side of their lives as well.

About 11 or 12 months ago, the concept of the digital garden crossed my gaze. The concept grabbed and held on to my attention but, thanks to various other pressures and factors, thoughts about digital gardens were shunted to the back of my brain. Those thoughts, though, have been percolating ever since. Because of the nature of my new Day Job^TM, the idea of the digital garden has strongly come to the fore again.

What, you might be asking, is a digital garden? It's something that lies between a public notebook and a blog. You can use a digital garden to collect and to organize the important information the comes your way. It's a way of sharing what you know and what you're learning. It's doesn't (always) need to be a structured, hierarchical set of files or pages on the web or on your computer, but more of a grouping of information that grows as you learn.

As an article in Technology Review points out:

Digital gardens explore a wide variety of topics and are frequently adjusted and changed to show growth and learning, particularly among people with niche interests. Through them, people are creating an internet that is less about connections and feedback, and more about quiet spaces they can call their own.

To be honest, I don't think the concept of the digital garden is anything new. In a classic example of what's new being old again, I'll argue that corners of the early World Wide Web were rudimentary digital gardens. In those corners, scientists and academics shared what they were working on. Ordinary people, from various walks of life, shared information about their passions and constantly updated their sites with what they discovered.

Those digital gardens were sparse. They were basic. Thanks to the state of early web technology, those gardens weren't all that interactive. People were stuck with hyperlinking across static HTML pages. But you know what? It worked, as a simple approach often does.

The next question you probably have is Why should I cultivate a digital garden? A digital garden isn't only a matter of collecting and sharing what you know and what you're learning. That said, you can't discount the power of that.

A digital garden can be a great way to organize what you're working on. Instead of a pile of notes in a note taking tool, on a blog, in a bunch of text files, or something like that, the garden you cultivate can be something resembling a personal database. All without needing actual database software or needing to learn SQL (the language used to manage what's in a database).

What you plant in your digital garden doesn't need to be a collection of fully-formed thoughts and ideas. Your garden can contain point-form notes, quotes, snippets, outlines, and small groups of bookmarks on a topic. That sounds chaotic, it sounds free form. And it is, up to a point. You can make your digital garden effective, and interactive, by using the web's original superpower: the hyperlink. Add links to, and between, the various bits and pieces in your garden to associate them with each other, to make logical connections between them. Use hyperlinks to build a path through your digital garden, a path that can include short (or not-so-short) detours into interesting corners of that garden.

Your digital garden can be as varied as an actual, physical one. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, it can be made of of detailed descriptions and notes. It can consist of a bunch of short snippets and quotes. It can be something in between. The garden you cultivate doesn't need to cover a complex topic. It can have a narrow focus. Your digital garden can be as wild and undisciplined and as widely roaming as you feel it needs to be.

Digital gardens can be for you and you alone. Or they can be something you share with the wider web to connect with others who not only share your interest but who can have a hand in helping cultivate your garden and to expand your knowledge.

There are, as you might have guessed, a number of tools that you can use to as the soil in which to plant your garden. Many of those look interesting, but why not go old school?

You can use a blog platform like Write.as or Collected Notes. Or you can turn to a good old fashioned wiki. If you're not familiar with a wiki, think of it as a website that anyone can edit. Well, anyone with the right permissions. And anyone can read those pages, as they can with any website.

In many ways, wikis are a solid choice for cultivating a digital garden. They're a container for pages that contain information on one or more topics, and you can easily link between those pages. On top of that, if you play well with others you can choose who you want to collaborate with and give them permission to edit pages on your wiki.

But you don't need to make your digital garden public if you don't want to. Instead, you can cultivate your own digital garden on your computer using, for example, a desktop wiki. Another way to do that is with an old favourite tool of mine called TiddlyWiki. It's not software — it's a giant web page that you load into your browser, add information to, and save. You can publish a TiddlyWiki on the web or you can carry it on a flash drive.

Admittedly, planting and cultivating a digital garden isn't for everyone. It can be a lot of work and, unless you're really that interested in something, you might quickly lose the motivation to maintain a digital garden.

That said, whether public or private, a digital garden can be an effective way of developing and refining what you're interested in. Of organizing what you're learning at a given moment. Of helping you focus on what you need to focus on. Of charting your growth as a person and as a thinker. For that reason alone, it's worthwhile to jump in and get your hands dirty.

Related Reading

• My blog is a digital garden, not a blog
• Building a digital garden
• What are digital gardens?
• How to Set Up Your Own Digital Garden
• A gardening guide for your mind

— Scott Nesbitt

January 19th, 2021

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LAW, POLICY & GOVERNANCE

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Daily snippets

1. Only police should decide on tractor rally, says SC

• The Supreme Court said the Union government and the Delhi Police should take a call on whether or not protesting farmers could hold tractor or vehicle marches on Republic Day in the national capital. The government could not ask the court to decide on issues concerning law and order. The government said the right to express dissent against the farm laws did not include a right to “malign the nation globally”.

• The Supreme Court appointed committee will meet the farmer groups from Thursday. The unions protesting on the borders of Delhi for almost two months have refused to meet the committee.

2. CVC presses for expeditious disposal of vigilance cases

• The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has directed all Ministries/Departments of the Union government to strictly adhere to the time limits for various stages of disciplinary proceedings in vigilance cases since unexplained delay was causing undue advantage or harassment to the charged officials. “Any delay in finalisation of such matters is neither in the interest of the organisation nor that of the employee concerned”.

3. Char Dham project : Centre’s affidavit pushes for wide roads

• The Central government supported the majority view taken by the Supreme Court’s Char Dham High-powered Committee (HPC) for the necessity of broadening the Himalayan feeder roads to India­-China border in order to facilitate troop movement.

• The Ministry of Defence, in an affidavit, said it was unfortunate that three of the HPC members had given a minority view to reconsider a December 15, 2020 circular of the Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways (MoRTH). The Centre, in its affidavit, said it was “unfortunate” that the HPC members, who are in the minority, have given such an opinion “notwithstanding the security of the country”.

4. Experts to be assigned to review State labour laws

• The Union Labour and Employment Ministry is likely to appoint legal consultants this month to look at whether the States’ labour laws are in consonance with the Centre’s four new labour codes. Along with the implementation of the codes, an official said the Ministry would appoint legal consultants soon to review the various State laws.

• The four codes have amalgamated 29 Central labour laws, including those covering matters of minimum wages, benefits for workers and strikes. For the first time, gig and platform workers have been covered under the social security schemes.

5. Supreme Court's directive on quota in promotions

• The Supreme Court asked Attorney General K.K. Venugopal to compile the various issues being raised by States with regard to the application of a Constitution Bench judgment of 2006 in M. Nagaraj case, which had upheld the application of creamy layer principle to members of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe communities in promotions. A three judge Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde said the issues raised by States are not common.

6. Bar Council response on exam sought

• The Supreme Court asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to respond to a plea challenging the All India Bar Examination (AIBE) as a restriction to practising law as an advocate. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar issued notice on a petition filed by Parthsarthi Mahesh Saraf, represented by advocate V.K. Biju, who argued that AIBE was being conducted without following the law.

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NATIONAL NEWS/ INTERVENTIONS

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Daily snippets

1. Covaxin not to be used in cases of allergy, fever, poor immunity

• Those with a history of allergies, fever and bleeding disorder, people on blood thinners and those with compromised immunity or on medication that affects the immune system have been told by Bharat Biotech, manufacturer of Covaxin, not to take the COVID-­19 vaccine.

• A statement uploaded on the company website said the vaccine was also contraindicated for pregnant and lactating women, those using other COVID­-19 vaccines and people with any other serious health related issues as determined by the vaccinator or the officer supervising the vaccination.

2. Aware of construction on LAC: MEA

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was aware of infrastructure construction by China in the past several years “along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)” and that India had also stepped up its construction, after a report by NDTV showed satellite images of a new Chinese settlement in Arunachal Pradesh.

• This is the first time the government has acknowledged Chinese construction, although official sources say the land has been under the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) control since 1959. Satellite images show the construction of a big village on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district between November 2019 and November 2020

3. ‘Legal issue’ delaying Mallya’s extradition

• The U.K. government has told the Indian side that businessman Vijay Mallya cannot be extradited until a confidential “legal issue” concerning him is resolved, the Centre informed the Supreme Court. An official letter from the Ministry of External Affairs, quoting excerpts from the U.K. government’s communication, was read out by Solicitor ­General Tushar Mehta before a Special Bench led by Justice U.U. Lalit. Mr. Mehta said the government had been making frequent and repeated efforts to extradite Mr. Mallya.

4. Tandav crew and cast issue apology

• The cast and crew of Tandav, a web series on Amazon Prime Video platform, have issued an apology. In a state­ment, shared on Twitter by Ali Abbas Zafar, director of the series, they “uncondi­tionally apologised” taking cognisance of the concerns expressed by people ``if it has unintentionally hurt anyone’s sentiments''. The statement added that “the cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any in­dividual, caste, community, race, religion or religious belief or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead.”

• An FIR has been lodged against the makers of the web series on charges of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and promoting enmi­ty on grounds of religion. The political drama series has Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Ka­padia, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub in the cast. The FIR was filed under various Sections of the IPC and the IT Act.

5. Women volunteers to ensure peaceful farmers' parade

• Women are likely to play a major role in ensuring that the proposed tractor rally on Republic Day remains peaceful, according to Ka­vitha Kuruganti, the only woman delegate on the farm unions’ team partici­pating in negotiations with the Centre. She is a representative of the Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch, an alliance of wo­men farmers’ organisations and supporters.

• Women farmers, as well as women students from Punjab’s universities, were often seen in the forefront in the face­offs with the police at the borders between Pun­jab and Haryana, as the un­ions marched towards Del­hi. Women are also training to drive some tractors for the rally on January 26.

• She pointed out that as per census data, 30% of all cultivators and 43% of all agricultural labourers are women, but few of them have land rights in their own names. The struggle for land and inheritance rights is unfortunately something that most mainstream farm unions have failed to take up, said Ms. Kuruganti. Also, 15­-20% of protesters at the Singhu border are women.

6. Rafale to make debut in Republic Day Parade

• The Rafale fighter jet inducted into the Indian Air Force last year would fly over Rajpath during the Republic Day parade. The fly past will culminate with a single Rafale aircraft carrying out a ‘vertical charlie’ formation, the IAF said.

7. Task force on marriage age submits report to PMO

• The task force set up to take a re­look at the age of mar­riage for women has submitted its report to the Prime Minister’s Office and the Mi­nistry of Women and Child Development. Chairperson of the com­mittee Jaya Jaitley refused to comment on the contents of the report submitted after a delay of five months.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech last year spoke about a panel formed to de­cide on the “right age of marriage” for women. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech last year proposed a panel on the “age of a girl en­tering motherhood” to low­er maternal mortality rates and improve nutrition le­vels.

• The terms of reference for the task force included, “the correlation of age of marriage and motherhood” with health and nutritional status of mothers and in­fants.

• Women’s rights acti­vists have opposed the sug­gestion of raising the age of marriage from 18 to 21 for women and have cited evi­dence to show that such a move may be used to incar­cerate young adults marry­ing without parents’ consent.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS/EVENTS/ PERSONALITIES

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Daily snippets

1. U.S., China spar over the origins of novel coronavirus

• The U.S. and China sparred over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the latest in a growing list of tensions that have left relations strained as President Donald Trump leaves office. In recent weeks, Washington and Beijing have clashed over trade issues, the sanctioning of Chinese companies, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

• In a reflection of the state of relations, China’s official Xinhua news agency issued a commentary, headlined “Good riddance, Trump administration and its final madness”, hitting out over the sanctioning of six Chinese officials related to Hong Kong. The latest spat followed the U.S. State Department on Friday releasing a “fact-sheet” linking the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to the start of the COVID-­19 outbreak, which brought another sharp response from Beijing.

• A team of scientists from the WHO arrived in Wuhan last week to research the origins of the outbreak. The agency said on Friday the world may never find “patient zero” as it continues its study into tracing the origins in China.

2. Tunisia arrests 600 over riots, deploys troops

• Tunisian authorities said on Monday they had arrested more than 600 people and deployed troops after a third consecutive night of riots, mostly by young people in working class districts of several cities.

• The unrest came despite a nationwide pandemic lockdown declared last Thursday – the day that also marked 10 years since demonstrators forced dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s fall from power. Many Tunisians are increasingly angered by poor public services and a political class that has repeatedly proved unable to govern coherently a decade on from the 2011 revolution. GDP shrank by 9% last year, consumer prices have spiraled and one-third of young people are unemployed.

3. India, China to lead Asia's COVID vaccination plans

• India and China are expect­ed to take the lead in driving Asia’s vaccination plans ef­forts, even as third waves of infections and stringent measures to curb fresh CO­VID­-19 cases in Japan, South Korea and some South­-East Asian Nations remain a dam­pener for Asia’s uneven eco­nomic recovery, Moody’s Analytics said in a note.

• “As the largest producer of vaccines in the world, with 60% of the global share, India is well ­positioned to use its existing manufactur­ing capabilities to contribute to mass vaccine production and distribution needs for other countries in addition to meeting its domestic re­quirements,” the note said. Indonesia’s approval of China’s COVID­-19 vaccine Sinovac for emergency use, the first country outside Chi­na to do so, could open the door for other Asian econo­mies to follow suit.

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ECONOMICS & FINANCE

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Daily snippets

1. China's economy grows 2.3%, slowest pace in 44 years

• China said on Monday the nation’s economy expanded in 2020 by 2.3% , the slowest pace of growth since the end of Mao Zedong’s Cultu­ral Revolution in 1976. China will, however, like­ly be the only major econo­my to have avoided a contraction in a pandemic­ hit year.

• China’s economy contracted 6.8% in the first quarter. The stringent lockdown did, however, allow the country to broadly curb the spread of COVID­-19 at home by the summer. The economy re­covered to grow 3.2% in the second quarter, 4.9% in the third and 6.5% in the last quarter of 2020.

• However, the Chinese government's long-­term plan to rebalance growth and rely more on domestic consumption rath­er than state-­led invest­ment, ended up taking a step backward, as did its ef­forts to trim the ballooning national debt. A range of stimulus mea­sures, largely led by spend­ing on infrastructure projects, was the main driver of growth in 2020 along with a rebound in exports, which grew 10.9% in December and 4% last year.

2. India may raise import duties by 5-10%

• India is considering raising import duties by 5%-­10% on more than 50 items includ­ing smartphones, electronic components and appliances in the upcoming budget. The move to increase im­port duties is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self­ reliant India campaign that aims to promote and support domestic manufac­turing.

• India’s finance minister will on Feb. 1 unveil the cen­tral government’s annual budget for the 2021­22 finan­cial year, which begins on April 1. India has in recent years ta­ken a series of measures that industry executives say dis­criminate against foreign companies. Last year, India raised du­ties on a range of products such as footwear, furniture, toys, electrical and electron­ics items by up to 20%.

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SUGGESTED READINGS

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1. Women's autonomy and Protection https://rb.gy/pa2mpi

2. Responsibility of the Custodes and Farm Laws Committee https://rb.gy/24shor

3. Balance Sheet of a Bad Bank https://rb.gy/saztoe

4. Sikhs for Justice and NIA https://rb.gy/kzdeg0

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Download Page : https://e-clat.com/dailynewspage

Sources referred to : The Hindu, The Indian Express, Live Law, Bar & Bench

END

#image

Today I found out about two new writing programs. One was for writing poetry, the other was a markdown-based novel writing program. I clicked on the novel one to see what it offered, and of course it has all the “organizational” features that help with things like outlining chapters and such. But what didn't it have? The ability to export as .DOCX. Have you ever hired an editor? Submitted a piece to a magazine? Do you know what format they need the work submitted in? Something that opens in Word.

My process went like this: Write the book in Word and email the file to your editor. She marks it up and puts feedback in comments which are highlighted/noted in the margins. When you employ a fix from a comment it resolves itself and disappears from the list. (Think of these as assigned tickets in a repository.) Then you can go back and forth with the same document employing changes and getting the text ready for the hard part... physical publication. That requires specific settings that have to match whatever PDF formatting your POD service uses. For that you can use whatever typesetting software you wish (LaTeX, InDesign, Acrobat, Scrivener...).

Anyway, lately I've seen an uptick in writing software designed for authors that are more of an organizational tool than anything else. I see these as marketed to the crowd that is more interested in goal tracking, daily wordcounts, two dozen character arcs, and a massive open world setting for one book. For that style of writing you need that level of organization but at the end of the day you still have to sit down and tell a story.

The world is always changing, making it impossible to ever be sure. I sometimes feel like my big decisions pass by like rumbles of distant traffic. Crossroads and consequences blend into each other to the extent that I often forget this day is the first of the test of my life. I'd always thought I would've decided what I was going to be by the time I was 25. I didn't realise I'd never have to choose.

Because I'm essentially without a goal, decisions can seem absurd, from what I'm going to eat, to where I'm going to work. In decision I find indecision and in indecision ambivalence is my defense mechanism against a fear of the unknown. But the indifference I feel in the moment is more towards ownership than outcomes. I care about outcomes, they are my life, but don't want to feel responsible for them. It's difficult to make or understand a choice when the succeeding narrative is yet to materialise.

Only hindsight can fill in the detail. In all the jobs I've had, I've only left when I've reached a comfort zone, once I've turned fear of inadequacy into confidence. I've been sad to leave every job I've ever had but always do so with enthusiasm for the next. The same is true of lovers, who have come and gone like passing relation ships in the night. Decisions don't pass me by, I just have a reluctance to admit accountability for the future.

1min read

I am sure many others a feeling the same being in lockdown, working from home and not being able to have many if any weekend plans. The feeling for me has started to become one of repeating Fridays. Where each workday feels like a fatigued and brain-fried Friday, sliding on from the previous day. Whilst weekends melt away into an indistinguishable ocean of semi-fulfilling work objectives. Instead of protruding like refreshing icebergs. Lockdowns have forced us to appreciate the small things and perhaps focus on things we previously “didn't have time for”. But this does not take away the sweet taste of weekend freedom that pre-dated Covid. Focussing on what you could be doing without covid doesn't help you achieve it and if anything it hinders you by lowering your mood. Everyone has their issues and peaks and troughs though, so now is a better time than most to support each other. If you're having an off day, reach out and share it with someone, even if it seems trivial to you, and vice versa in caring for those around you.

The grass is always greener on the other, so best to regroup and refocus on the things within your control. Perhaps concentrating on creating some variety. For me, that's starting with changing my routine walking route! (still incorporating the kingfisher though, don't worry!).

#100daywritingchallenge

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Nothing much today, very much floating through the cosmos. Called my mum and spoke about my grandparents and my difficult aunt, the usual. I keep having this thought of leaving London for good. I always imagined a time limit on it and I find myself wondering if I can see it on the horizon. The COVID situation has made this seem worse than it is. I am sure many of you can agree that big cities can seem lonelier at times despite being surrounded by people (strangers). Maybe that's it, no familiar faces. Just lots and lots of strangers. I have a fear and anxiety about leaving as I might regret it, but with any change in life that is natural. I think my plan is to see how life improves after lockdown, if it's just a COVID thing or if its a me thing. I have included an illustration today, what a treat. I feel it reflects the above thoughts on me feeling isolated. P.s Thank you for the mention TMO, stay cool.

[A place called home?]

Grey pavement grey sky People, strangers and stranger people walking by

today it is overcast , cold and its snowing. a reflection of my mood...sad and cloudy. i am still in shock and feel terribly alone.

i posted on facebook that brent had died. i got lots of responses. i guess what i was looking for was someone to talk to but in this time of lockdown that is not going to happen.

i was putting some clothes away and was thinking i was glad i dressed up and looked nice for brent on sat. i showered early and did my hair. and made sure i wore something he might like. he always called me his pretty girl. i never really got used to it, i never thought of myself as pretty. i still loved to hear it.

i am waiting for the company to come by and pick up some equipment. its really hard picking up and putting things away that i was using to look after brent. like the tray i was using to bring him food and drinks and his meds. i put that away and thought i wont need this now.

i washed up some of his pajama pants and t shirts. now i dont know what to do with them. seems pointless to put them away. i started a donation bag. when the lockdown is over i will start to donate his clothes. i found a few shirts in the bathroom i bagged up. i started to clean out brents cupboard in the bathroom. got rid of some old stuff and expired stuff. about all i can handle for today.

got some small jobs done. fed the birds and cleaned the rabbit cage. i also started to give the rabbit a good brush before he decided that was enough and left. i changed the teacup display, and how appropriate that the cups are all blue. really suits my mood right now. i got rid of a few things around brents chair. his old tobacco can and jar. i will mop behind his chair when i fill the bucket again. i wiped down his table and washed his lamp. i need a new light bulb for it.

i need to get another card ready to send. she wants a blind trade. i managed to take a picture of a new card i did a couple of weeks ago. i figured out how to take it and send it. so one point for me. i am not sure if i will ever figure out the web cams, i am sure brent wants me too right now. one thing at a time honey.

his brother andy phoned me today, just to check in and get more information on what i am going to do with his ashes. i am not sure yet either. i dont think there will be much in the way of ashes. brent lost alot of weight before he died.

brents friend blake messaged me today to check in. i will ask him if he wants some of brents AA books. not like i need them.

i dont think i can ever go through this again. there fore i will live alone from now on, well with the cats and birds and rabbit. non of which will out live me but right now it gives me a reason to get up in the morning.i have to look after all of them. i have a bag of feed in the car. they are 50lbs each. i am thinking i cant carry that to the door. so i cut the bag open and i am filling coffee cans and bringing it in that way. sooner or later the bag will be light enough for me to carry in.

its supper time now. the hardest time of the day. i wonder around not really doing anything. its almost dark and all i want to do is go to bed and hide there until tomorrow and hope this is only a nightmare.....

A poesia muda de Christopher Chabouté

“Um descanso, um momento, uma pausa. Um abrigo, um refúgio, um lar... Uma cena, Uma encruzilhada... Apenas um pedaço de madeira e aço”

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São com essas palavras que conseguimos descrever muito sobre do que se trata esta obra. Realizada pelo icônico e renomado quadrinista francês Christopher Chabouté, nos coloca em uma história contada, não com palavras, mas ainda assim, é tão bela quanto uma prosa – uma verdadeira poesia muda.

Acompanhamos a história de um banco de praça – e é isso mesmo que você leu – em alguma praça da Francesa. O autor não define nomes ou locais, o que a meu ver, torna a história universal. Afinal, quem não conhece um “homem de negócios” apressado, o morador de rua que dorme no banco, o casal de idosos que sempre passeiam pelo parque aproveitando o dia, a senhora que adora ler um romance brega?

Todos nós conhecemos estes personagens do nosso cotidiano, mas esquecemos de um coadjuvante importante na trama, o próprio banco. E é isso que Chabouté decide contar. Pois se pararmos para pensar um pouco, quantas histórias este banco deve ter presenciado: amores, dramas, notícias duras, causos engraçados, quantas primaveras e invernos, que fofocas devem ter sido contadas ali?... enfim, a lista continua.

Com isso, nos tornamos espectadores da vida. Personas antes estereotipados, ganham novas formas diante este olhar; vemos o valor de uma vida, ou até mesmo o fim de outra; Vemos o ódio perder sentido e dando lugar ao perdão; Vemos que um bom livro largado ao vento, pode ser uma experiencia fascinante; Somos surpreendidos, e surpreendidos com o comum, o banal. Todos os personagens aqui apresentados, você já sabe os rostos, mas aposto que não sabe suas histórias.

Temos aqui um manifesto. E eu lhes garanto, você conseguirá sentir saudade de um banco de praça, este personagem tão importante, que nunca teve seu devido valor.

Com apenas linhas, quadros e formas... Somente o traço, temos talvez a mais linda história escrita sobre um pedaço de madeira e aço – até rimou –

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#review #hq #comic #quadrinhos

College Pro Crastineren voor beginnende uitstellers. Les 1

Welkom allen, een vol klaslokaal. Jammer, dat kan alvast beter. Ik ben Ronald Steegstra alias Van Voorbijgaande Aard en ben vanavond jullie in het voor onderwijzer en uitermate bekwaam uitsteller, sta hier voor u omdat ik mijn ontslag al jaren succesvol heb uitgesteld. Vandaag ben ik net als jullie weer op tijd opgestaan en waarom? Omdat ik opstaan niet heb uitgesteld. Als ik een hond had gekocht had ik die eerst moeten uitlaten en als ik kinderen had gehad zou ik die moeten voeden maar dat heb ik leren uitstellen dankzij de beste dokters, onderwijzers en eigen beïnvloede gedachten.

Uitstellen is een belangrijk onderdeel van studeren, waarom zou u alles regelmatig en geleidelijk doen als het ook allemaal op een hoopje kan? Waarom nu als het ook morgen kan? Dit zijn vragen die ik hier ga stellen en heel soms ga beantwoorden. U bent allen al in jaar drie terecht gekomen van u geweldige studie object, u vierjarig onderricht om het diploma te behalen in het vak of schap van u kinderdromen, daar waar u altijd alles van wou en wil weten. Liefst allemaal binnen vier jaar en ondertussen moet u allemaal andere leraren aanhoren die u vertellen over allerhande zaken die volgens hun enorm belangrijk zijn voor u geestige ontwikkeling. Maar u had dit ook kunnen uitstellen, die leraren ook, dit hele gebouw vol gangen, lokalen en stoelen had er niet hoeven zijn. Als we ons best niet hadden gedaan.

'U had vandaag de eerste bladzijde kunnen lezen uit het studieboek, een boek die ik heb gekozen met de best mogelijke intenties op de best mogelijke wijze, op goed geluk. Helaas ben ik zelf vergeten welke pil ik u heb voorgeschreven. Kan iemand mij het boek laten zien. O die, goed we bespreken dus het boek Bicycle Diaries van David Byrne tijdens dit college. Waar gaat het over? Jij, met dreadlocks, kleurtje, slimme bril, neusring en nek tatoeage op die klapstoel precies achterin de zaal, hoe heet je?' Julie, het gaat over een voor mij onbekende man die fietst op een vouwfiets door wereldsteden op alle continenten die hij bezoekt als hij op tournee is. 'Echt, o leuk, goeie keuze, ik weet nog waar ik het boek heb gekocht, staat al twee jaar in de kast. Moet nog. Kijk, nu lezen jullie het voor mij en dan weet ik waar het overgaat, dat is nou het mooie aan college geven ik kan jullie dingen laten doen die ik zelf heb uitgesteld. Waar heeft hij gefietst? Ga maar door Julie.' 'Hij heeft onder andere in Buenos Aires, Sydney, London, Manilla, Melbourne en New York op zijn vouwfiets gefietst.' 'Volgens mij heb je het boek al uit, of niet Julie?' 'Ja meneer, het spijt me, ik kon me niet inhouden. Ik zag het einde van het boek steeds voor me, ik bladeren en bladeren, en voor ik het wist was het uit.'

Kijk klas inhoud dat is nou het lastige aan uitstellen soms wil het niet. Daarom ga ik jullie nu met behulp van een sheet en projector laten inzien welke elementen succesvol uitstellen belemmeren. Tadaa Tadaa, kijk eens achter mij ziet u het volgende proces. Onder ziet u het doel Uitstel en boven ziet u ook Uitstel en daartussen ziet u alle elementen die positief uitstel negatief beïnvloeden. U ziet aan beide zijkanten staan het resultaat van niet uitstellen, in Julie's geval moet daar staan 'boek uit ver voor einde van dit studie project', ze had hier 4 maanden de tijd voor! U ziet links en rechts verschillende veel voorkomende gevolgen staan van onsuccesvol uitstel. Hier links staan; Eigen huis, Contract, Project, Huwelijk, Baby en rechts staat; Diploma, Bedrijf, Restauratie, Aandeel, Theater, Boot. Net als bij Julie gaat uitstellen heel vaak verkeerd aflopen.

Mag ik vingers zien van de mensen die hebben gedaan wat zij deed, het boek voortijdig uitlezen! De helft van de klas heeft het boek uit, zijn er ook mensen die niks hebben gelezen? 2. Dat is niet veel, maar heel normaal, boeken zijn gemaakt voor bladeren en lezen en als ik dus opdracht geef om een leesbaar boek te lezen, want dit boek is lekker leesbaar, heeft plaatjes en bevat ook nog eens genoeg moeilijke onderwerpen om andere leraren van lesstof te voorzien, voor jullie genot vanzelfs. En natuurlijk heb ik gedaan wat u deed, ik heb het boek wel gelezen maar ik doe daar lekker lang over, geen haast, geen woord loopt uit het boek, het staat er over twee jaar nog. Waarom hebben jullie het dan zo snel gelezen?

Hier tussen Uitstel en Uitstel staan dingen die het stellen mogelijk hebben beïnvloed. U ziet daar Tijd staan, u had allen de Tijd voor het boek. Onderwerp, het boek sprak u mogelijk aan. Boek, het boek zelf, de handige verpakking, blader richting, bladspiegel. Naam, u kent David Byrne, hij is een zanger fietser schrijver muzikant, bekend geworden door Talking Heads. Nieuwsgierigheid, Slagen, u wilt allen graag slagen voor mijn vak, dat is belangrijk voor het grotere doel, u diploma, u bewijs van vaardigheden in alle vakgebieden noodzakelijk voor het betaald uitoefenen van u toekomst. Voor menig vakgebied is uitstellen ontzettend belangrijk, politiek zou er op moeten draaien, er is niks beters dan niks doen namelijk. Echter mijn vakgebied is een doorn in het oog van al mijn andere collega's, zij willen helemaal niet dat ik onderdeel uitmaak van hun totaal pakket aan studie materiaal. U lieve jongelui heeft maar vier studiejaren, dat komt door hun. Zij willen dat u binnen vier jaar alle vakken zonder uitstel heeft gehaald en dan kom ik en ik zeg doe het maar in twintig, wat zeg ik doe er je hele leven over, veel beter.

Helaas. Zit er niet in en jullie maar lezen en lezen, schrijven, leren, afleren, printen, herschrijven, tikken, denken, werken, overleggen, knippen, drukken, snijden, tikken en door, voor de wortel voor je neus, het diploma zodat je de volgende wortel mag op eten, werk tot aan de volgende bos wortels, een jaar vol maandsalaris, vast contract en dan door naar de winterpeen, het pensioen, en tussen door allerlei andere zaken die u niet mag uitstellen, kinderen, huwelijk, eigen huis, hypotheek, rijbewijs, hobby, ontwikkeling en vakantie, dit is jullie leven in een notendop, heel hard rennen achter beschreven doelen aan, tenminste volgens de hele rest, de niet uitstellers. Niks geen uitstel. De bezige bij moet bezig zijn en blijven, honing moet in de mond, de drukdoener, de homo economicus, efficiënt tot in het hoofd maar niet in het bot, onder de huid, ingewanden alleen daar, tussen linker oor & rechter oor, achter beide kijkende ogen, ruikende neus en proevende mond. U leven is zoals zij het aan u voorstellen en dan wil je mijn college niet, het vakgebied van de luiheid, zotheid, denkers, gekken, afgekeurden, zieken, weerlozen en dappere pacifisten. Maar ja, we zijn er en horen erbij.

Niemand wil dit, mijn college zegt, ga zitten, drink water, kijk naar buiten, doe niks, mijn vak is echter geen keuze vak, het is verplichte kost voor u diploma, u moet leren uitstellen. Dat is raar toch, in vier maanden heeft u een vak dat u niet in vier maanden kunt halen, onmogelijk, u diploma kunt u als u mijn vakgebied door en door kent nooit behalen.

Terug naar mijn sheet. Waarom gaan de meesten van jullie dan toch het diploma behalen? Het is de belofte, de verwachting opgesloten in het woord diploma, het koepel woord toekomst, het vooruitzicht op bevrediging, voldoen aan de voldoende. Het zit vol symboliek dit hele schoolse gedoe, snapt u, de weg die u moet begaan, van vak naar vak, puntje voor puntje, behoeden voor degradatie, voor promotie, en dan de catharsis, slagen, het halen van de titel, meedoen en spelen voor de prijzen, het volgende bruto nationale kampioenschap product. De universiteit of hogere school, daar bovenop een rots, gaat dan het onderste boven halen, oude vergeten woorden komen bovendrijven, de geur van vergane glorie uit middeleeuwse erkers ruikt u in de jonge frisse neusgaten, eerbetoon, papierrollen, ridderslagen, dapper en strijdbaar heeft u zich geweerd tegen al het uitstel, ziekte, neerslag en andere gedachten. U komt klaar voor de hoogleraar. In woord en gebaar. Met taal en teken. U hoort niet meer bij de leken. Heerlijk toch. U had ook op het gras kunnen zitten en kijken naar de bloemetjes en de andere bijtjes of een kopje koffie drinken met u moeder, lopen door het ommeland, fietsen. Deed u niet, geen tijd voor.

Waarom dan niet. U ziet hier een grafische voorstelling van mijn hardnekkigste tegenstander drs. Geld van economie en recht. U zit in opleidingsjaar drie, u heeft een flinke studieschuld. Schuld is terugbetalen, boete, u moet dus werken. Dat moet u sowieso Drs. Geld is allang aanwezig en heeft zijn sporen achtergelaten op u toekomst en die van u kinderen. U heeft een bewijs nodig voor heen en weer rijden op de snelweg en B wegen, u moet het boek van David Byrne kopen, u heeft geen andere keuze dan voldoen aan de eisen van de hoogleraar economie. U moet volgens drs. Geld naar zijn pijpen dansen, huur, hypotheek, allemaal ontkiemde zaden op ons ingezaaide landsbelang. Zie die akker, kabels, grenspost, masten, grachten, groente en vee, reinigingsinstallatie, reclameborden, graafmachine, hekwerk, bordjes en controleurs, ziet u het hele bloeiende economische veld voor u, tussen alle huizen, fabrieken, kantoren en boerderijen. Dat is het roerige walhalla van Economia en daarom stelt u dit vak niet uit. Irritant of niet dan?!

Laten we even vooruit bladeren in u studieboek over Byrne's opmerking over het woord. Hij schrijft in zijn boek dat het woord zoals dat nu dankzij mijn langdurig met twee vingers getikte inspanningen voor u ligt een controle middel is. Woorden zijn gemaakt om te bepalen wie u bent, wat u moet doen en laten, te zeggen wat u bezit en waar u heen kan gaan, wanneer u iets moet doen en hoe vaak, of u getest moet worden of niet, ze bepalen het uiterlijk van u gemeenschap, de waardering voor u leven en handelen.

Woorden zijn goed gezelschap van Geld, het is een flink onderdeel van het rijk Economia. Het is u wetboek, grammatica, het is u regel en richtlijn, het woord ziek is het verschil tussen het woord gezond. Als schrijver denker mens word ik een beetje triest van het woord, stuk voor stuk. Ik kan er soms niet om lachen. Heel vaak. Ik stel mooie onderdelen van het betere leven uit door het woord virus en zijn associaties, de waarde van de woorden ziek en dood in de menselijke geest, opeenvolgende woorden die het van plastic gemaakte Trojaanse paard aansporen waarop de Homo Economicus rijdt in zijn zelf gefabriceerde schimmenrijk Economia.

Maar goed ik ben maar een mens en als zodanig geknecht door woord en geld, ik kan weinig anders dan gehoorzamen dat heb ik net als iedereen op lagere school geleerd, ja meester, in de rij, twee aan twee, hand in hand en maar psalmen zingen over de scharen sliep van de here, handjes vouwen, oogjes dicht en blijven bidden voor een diploma, overgaan, hooi, CITO toets, yoghurt en vla, vriendjes, chips, en morgen gezond weer op. Voor een heldere, frisse, verse dag lagere school, middelbare school, hoger onderwijs en dan werk en dan ah.. pensioen, dat welverdiende pensioen, de winterpeen voor u neus maar liefst 40 jaar lang of vijftig. Tot zover Les 1 van het eerste college Uitstel. Volgende week zaterdag om zeven uur 's ochtends bespreken we bladzijde twee van David Byrne's fiets dagboeken.

De deur zit aan de rechterkant, u opent het met de kruk naar beneden dan duwen daarachter zit de gang, sla links af en als u ver doorloopt komt u bij de volgende deur recht voor u neus dat is de uitgang. Veel succes met naar buiten gaan. U bed opzoeken en in slaap vallen.

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John Surman – Edges of Illusion

https://open.spotify.com/track/3PZ0RoABbjIZhqvfFizOqa?si=EsHCFolWQYaLOqQPuXwcwA

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Werktitel ; Parcours Strax

Je moet door het parcours maar mag de woorden kiezen voor de obstakels. Voorwaarts naar de dood met sterven bedreigde soort. De zinnen die de waan laat maken uitgesproken door stinkende gewonden. Door het geblaf worden de hellehonden niet langer gehoord.

Je moet door een vernederende hel maar je mag de eigen demonen benoemen. De toekomst zit achter je aan als een horde levende doden. Iedere dag maakt tienduizend meer morgens aan zoals vandaag is beleefd. En iedereen bidt iedere dag honderd keer voor nieuwe afgoden.

Je moet hardop spreken met eigen woorden maar kan nooit worden gehoord. Het vals spelende draaiorgel laat je dansen naar zijn pijpen. Voor de dans met zeven sluiers mag je maar een rafelende sluier gebruiken. En altijd hoor je de drukdoende Magere zijn zeisen slijpen.

Je moet alles meten maar je mag de naam van de instrumenten bedenken. Het leven moet met arbeidstherapie worden genezen. Iedere dag is het eindeloos herhalen van precies dezelfde twee stappen. In de stroom berichten valt geen zinnig woord te lezen.

Je moet volharden maar voor wie, waarin of waarvoor wordt je nooit verteld. De tijd vult je dwaze uren op met dode spelmomenten. De spelregels veranderen iedere ochtend evenals het gespeelde woordspel. En welke stomme idioot verdiend hier aan zijn centen.

Welterusten

I've never been good at chess. There are a few reasons for that, of course. One is that I don't play very often. And perhaps I just don't have the right kind of brain for chess to come to me naturally.

But I really do enjoy chess. In theory. In reality I kinda hate playing chess because everyone on earth seems to be better than me, and my ego can't really take that.

I just won this game against a chess robot. If I ask them to be bad enough at the game even I can win!

But I'm still playing, and I've found that Chess dot com is a good way to play without the stress of playing other people. I like to play against robots. They're also better than me, but at least my ego is less bruised when they beat me.

I enjoy studying my games afterwards, learning more and thinking about the overall strategy.

So anyway, here's to chess robots! I used to love Chessmaster back in the day when it existed and was modern enough. I know it wasn't a great game, if you're an actual chess player type person. But it was pretty and had good tutorials in it. Chess.com also has plenty of tutorials.

#100DaysToOffload 56/100

#000429 – 19 de Janeiro de 2021

Isabela Figueiredo tem uma escrita límpida, cintilante. Percorre as suas frases uma força animal, uma argúcia emocional intensa e uma feroz intuição em relação à nudez e à crueza da verdade. Como no bom jornalismo, escreve com parcialidade ética e transparente. Como na melhor ficção, troca-nos as voltas aos lugares que tínhamos em comum. Como em alguns ensaios, dá-nos as ferramentas para desenterrar dúvidas e outros tesouros que o preconceito quer fósseis.

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#write