“K” is for Keepers

I love sports. When I was much younger, I was involved in several sports, playing on softball, volleyball and basketball teams, as well as running for the school’s track team. J.K. Rowling invented a new sport in her Harry Potter books which – had I been about 30-50 years younger and this sport had really existed – I would have loved to play: Quidditch. The game is played on broomsticks, and broomsticks and I have a certain affinity for each other… Anyway, a Quidditch team is composed of seven players, one of which is called the KEEPER. The keeper’s role is to keep the soccer ball-sized Quaffle ball from being thrown through any of the three fifty feet tall hoops on his side of the field.

There are many types of keepers: finders-keepers, losers-weepers (I don’t always subscribe to this statement), secret keepers, door-keepers, inn-keepers, things that are so good they are keepers, goal keepers, Keeper of the Faith, etc.

For the most part, keepers are protectors, entrusted with the care of something of value. When I think of finders-keepers, a more positive way of considering the question is that the finders are keepers (protectors) of something until the weeping losers find what has been lost. Being a keeper is a good thing; I would like to be a keeper—in all senses.

“J” is for Japan’s War Against Whales

About a year and a half ago one of my translation clients brought an interesting situation to my attention: Japanese whalers were preparing to head out toward the Antarctic on their yearly “research” expedition, with the intention of “capturing” (translated=killing) 935 whales of various species – including the largest of all living creatures: the blue whale – all under the auspices of scientific research. I wrote an article about it which received a great deal of attention. The true reason, carefully hidden, was in some measure to satisfy a 1000 year old tradition of eating whale meat. Although the claim was highly contested, my research brought forth some very interesting facts about easily buying whale meat online, complete with per pound prices.

Last year (2012), thanks in part to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Japan’s whaling season was cut short, with the Japanese fleet heading home with only 266 minke whales and one fin whale, instead of the 935 whales that they had hoped for. This year, due to continuous harassment or as some say sabotage, by Sea Shepherd, the Japanese fleet ended their whale hunt after only 48 days, 21 of which were spent avoiding activist attacks by Sea Shepherd ships; these attacks were judged to be acts of piracy by a US court. As a result of Sea Shepherd’s interference, the whalers were able to take home only 103 minke whales and no fin whales, which is far below the desired result. It is also the lowest result since the moratorium against whale hunts began in 1987.

Japan still has intentions of continuing the war against whales during the next season, completely ignoring the international moratorium upheld by most countries – Norway and Iceland also indulge in whaling –  in the world. In fact, not only are they ignoring the fact that most countries are against whaling, they hope to gain support and approval from other countries as they continue to take advantage of the clause in the moratorium that allows for research whaling.

It has just been announced that both Australia and New Zealand will be involved in a international legal battle against Japan in the UN court this coming June, in the hope of stopping the dubious research whaling. Indeed, Australia’s Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus, announced that “Australia will now have its day in court to establish, once and for all, that Japan's whaling hunt is not for scientific purposes and is against international law. Australia wants this slaughter to end."

Sources:

• Record low catch for Japan whaling season, Sea Shepherd blamed, by Ida Torres
• Australia to tackle Japan on whaling at UN world court
• Japan ends whaling season 70% below quota, by Brad Lendon, CNN

 

“I”is for Italy

  Italy is my second homeland. Although I am an American by birth, I spent most of my adult life in Italy; to tell the truth, I lived more than half my life in that beautiful country. Today, I would like to dedicate the letter ”I” to giving a pictorial view to several of my favorite parts of Italy.

Photos of Italy VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

“H” is for ‘House of Mirrors’

I love to read; I’m not sure which I love the most – reading or writing, it’s probably a tie – but at the moment I have the chance to do both together – sort of. When Vantage Press publishing company closed its doors in late 2012 it left hundreds of authors both – published and not – in the lurch. A support forum was set up for us on Facebook and it was great meeting other authors, including one who also lives in Brooklyn – Debbie Boswell, the author of House of Mirrors. She had a book signing party on March 16 in New York, so I decided to go and meet her. I’m very glad I did – the description of her book enticed me, since it’s just the kind of book I like to read – not write, mind you, just read – and I obtained a signed copy.

House of Mirrors is written a classic gothic style although in a very present-day situation. Ms. Boswell temporarily stopped writing the book when she realized she had come to something that just wasn’t her. And that is the very core of the book. There is, of course, an attempted murder. The reader knows from the very start who the “perp” is, and why it was done. And the readers may, as I have done, find themselves questioning their own sense of right and wrong as the detective in charge zeroes in on possible culprits. Will he find them? I don’t know yet, because I’ve only read halfway through; I wouldn’t tell you if I did, because I don’t want to ruin it for you.

Ms.  Boswell has skillfully entwined love, fear and hatred together with the ability to overcome abusive and twisted relationships found in a family that is a pillar of the community – with a houseful of closets with skeletons in them. It’s a fun read – not funny, but entertaining.

You can find out more about Debbie Boswell and The House of Mirrors at: http://debbieboswell1.com/house-of-mirrors_278.html

“G” is for Groundhogs

courtesy of D. Gordon E. Robertson, Wikimedia

Lately, groundhogs have been mentioned a lot in the US news. For centuries, folklore has attributed these fat, furry little animals with the ability to predict the duration of winter and the arrival of spring. Theoretically, if the groundhog sees his shadow when he comes out of his burrow on February, winter will last for another 6 weeks; if he DOESN’T see his shadow, it should mean that spring is just around the corner.

There are 2 famous groundhogs that have the job of predicting the end of winter and the arrival of spring in the United States of America. One, Punxsutawney Phil, has his headquarters in Pennsylvania, and the other, Staten Island Chuck, is from, obviously, New York. These two, along with their Canadian cohort, Wiarton Willie, didn’t see their shadow, thereby indicating that we would definitely have an early spring. On the other hand, another lesser known Canadian groundhog, Shubenacadie Sam, from Nova Scotia, DID see his shadow. However, most people, already fed up with the overabundance of snow, were more than happy to accept the prediction of the first three. Shouts of glee rose from all parts of the North American continent.

Oops! We should have listened to Shubenacadie Sam. Far from an early spring, it was a very extended winter. The last snowstorm was just a few days ago, in New York State; even here in Brooklyn we had snow that stuck on March 23. And so now, Phil, Chuck and Willie are in deep, deep trouble. There have been cries for their heads. Headlines all over the country decry deception and fraud, and Ohio authorities even filed a criminal indictment against Phil.

I would like to say that although I tend to agree that the winter was somewhat longer than I could wish for (we had temperatures in the low 30s this week) we can’t really blame those poor groundhogs. I mean really, not even the weather knows what it wants to do and so, it’s not fair to accuse these poor innocent rodents for not being able to read the inconstant weather’s mind.

In closing, Metro US news informs us that, since Phil’s handler took the fall for the indicted groundhog, the accusation has been removed and Punxsutawney Phil no longer faces the death penalty. Thank goodness for the hapless rodent. However, next time it might be better to be prepared for a prolonged or shortened winter, just in case the trio should mess up again. Run! Phil, Run!

“F” is for Flinging Computers Frisbee-like from the Window

   I live in a residential area in Brooklyn, New York. The area is quite unlike anything I expected to find when I decided to move to New York: instead of the expected skyscrapers I found myself facing mainly 2-story buildings; there are a few 3-story buildings and one 4-story building on my street, but they are apartments. Most buildings are one or two family homes. The best part of the area is…

This is the way my article on feral felines began. It was much further along than this, but my laptop, Cedric, decided to eliminate almost everything I had already written, hence, the desire to use him as a Frisbee. It is not the first time he has done this to me; it’s his favorite pastime and he does it very well. He has another little trick that he loves to do: Cedric LOVES to jump backward and forward and even off the screen. Sometimes the results can be hilarious, even though it means having to write everything at least three times before I finish. Geez!

Too well, in fact. The only reason I haven’t given in to my instincts to use him as a Frisbee is that he knows too much about me: who my friends are, what I like to write about, what books I like to read, what plans I have for the future. He contains my photographs, my music, my thoughts.He also knows who my clients are, how much they owe me, how much has and hasn’t been paid and my high scores in solitaire.

He also knows that I happen to have another laptop; I’ve mentioned it to him a number of times and he was there when I bought the other computer: my sister and I bought them together. But, he also knows that I need a monitor to be able to use Bud (my other computer) because Bud’s graphics went kaput after 4 years of steady use, including traveling from Italy to New York via England and Ireland, and then cross-country by bus to California and back to New York, and then to Washington State and back by bus. He worked hard, but there were times I felt like using him as a Frisbee, too.

I guess I’ll have to wait until I get another computer before I fling Cedric Frisbee-like from the window, but the lovely thought of being able to do it IS cathartic and relieves a lot of stress. I yearn for the day…

In the meantime, my feral felines will just have to wait for another blog entry for their 15 minutes in the sun.

“E” is for Economy (my occasional rant)

On July 27, 2011 Paolo von Schirach stated that “America is running now the serious risk of being pitied or laughed at by friends and foes alike. The once mighty Superpower cannot extricate itself from an economic and fiscal crisis that, however serious, is hardly terminal.” This was on the occasion when the US Congress was unwilling or unable (depending on the point of view) to pass a simple bill that would enable the Country to pay past obligations. They fidgeted, they fussed, they delayed and in the end, passed the bill. But in the interim, the United States’ credit rating was down-graded by two different agencies. It was a deliberate political move, intended to undermine presidential policy.

What I’m wondering about is: did those politicians realize that they weren’t just ruining the American economy, but also the economy of the entire world? It doesn’t really require the brain of a genius to realize that the economy of any country is dependent on the economy of other countries. To paraphrase John Donne, “No nation is an island unto itself.” The economy of each country is so intertwined with that of other countries that the decline of one country’s economy will inevitably result in the decline of the economy of each country that has any type of financial exchange with it.

Let me explain. Country A owes country B a certain amount of money; it’s not worried, because Countries C, D and E owe it a much larger sum, so it should have no problem paying off its debt to Country B. Country B also owes money to Country F, which in its turn owes money to Country G, and so on. Clear as mud, right? In a nutshell, everyone owes everyone else money. If one country is suddenly unable to meet its obligations with another country, this causes difficulties for that country to meet its financial obligations; in the end we have something that resembles a dominoes effect from one country to another.

Most countries are also lined through commercial trade. What happens if Country A’s credit rating has been downgraded, as happened to the US in 2011? Other countries are going to be a little less eager to accept the request of said country to buy merchandise on credit. They will want cash up-front; without this, Country A will be unable to obtain the desired merchandise, and at the same time, the other countries will also be out of luck, because they really need the sale so that they can buy other products that they need but can’t produce on their own.

And what is really bad is the effect in Country A’s own backyard. Country A needs new roads, new bridges, new hospitals, etc. They contracted the year before to have this work done, providing jobs, which produces a better economy. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough money in the till to pay for the work that has already been done, so what do you do?

The way I see it, there are three choices: raise taxes on EVERYONE, take money out of other coffers (which calls for austerity measures) or raise the debt ceiling. Raising the debt ceiling should be a temporary measure at best; it alleviates the immediate pressure but in the end simply adds on to the internal debt. Taking money from the coffers of other programs is a little like stealing from Peter to pay Paul. It puts a terrible pressure on the recipients of the funds that were taken, and leads to an increase in austerity; the experiences of countries such as Greece and Italy should teach us that austerity measures don’t work – they simply create resentment and unrest.

I my opinion, the best way is to exact taxes on everyone. It should be a reasonable tax that allows all of the people to enjoy enough the fruit of their work, not just a lucky few who actually enjoy the fruits of other people’s work. If people have more money in their pocket, they will spend it, which will increase the economy. People who don’t have money to spend on extras, won’t. It’s as simple as that. It seems to me that in a country that is supposed to be built on equality, there should be equality in all things, including taxation. And if everyone pays their fair share – some paying a heavy share with little gain and others paying a lighter share with a lot of gain is not quite fair – then the country’s economy will necessarily be improved. 35% of 20,000 (7,000) +15% of 3 million (450,000) =457,000 is much less than 20% of 20,000 (4,000) + 20% of 3 million (6,000,000)=6,004,000.

Okay, rant over. Thank you for “listening”. But I do think it’s fair that everyone that everyone pay their fair share to help in the economy of their country, whatever country it may be.   

 

Sources:

• http://schirachreport.com/index.php/2011/07/27/us-political-disunity-is-now-pathological-at-a-time-when-washington-needs-to-show-resolve-total-impasse-on-economic-and-fiscal-policies-a-divided-impotent-and-poorer-america-will-soon-become-irr/