In Flanders Fields

No, I am not getting mopey and depressing.  Its just that I found this song you see and wanted to share it with you all.  Judy will like it...it has a nice C and W lilt to it. 
(Love your pics of the snow BTW....we got a couple of centimeters here, just in time for my visitor from New Zealand to play in it. 
      
      Anyway....this is written by a school teacher who wanted to sing the famous old poem instead of the kind of out of synch chant we usually get.  That teacher's name is James MacMurray, and he is an elementary school teacher in Toronto.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bD19k6EvBNo&feature=related


Not to be out done, Roland Majeau has pointed out WHY we signed on.  No glory.   Well, maybe a little flag waving.  .  ....   The Soldier Cries  Oh Canada, we'll gladly go and fight for thee...And the young men cry Oh Canada, we'll fight to keep you free.

The Canadian attitude has always been that its a job.  A good, worthwhile job, and somebody has to do it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ7z_eANAP4&feature=related

Marco Tempest

http://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_a_cyber_magic_card_trick_like_no_other.html

Marco Tempest is a card illlusionist and a computer guy.  Here, in this video, he puts the two passions together.  It is worth copying the link above and watching his talk.  He is such a "gee whiz, isn't this kuul" sort of guy.

Did you know that if you add up all the spots on a deck of playing cards, you get 365 spots?  That the four suits correspond with the four seasons, and that the 26 cards of each colour equal a lunar month?  
     Ah well, now you know.

And some of the monthly scenes from the Duc Du Berry's book of hours.  This is, from the top  November, December and October.  Seemed to go with the TED talk.

German Green Fields

During this time of rememberance, one tends to forget that there were TWO sides to this conflict, and both sides lost far too much. 

     When I visited Ypres a few years ago, I was asked if I wanted to tour the German Cemetary.  Unlike the commonwealth cemetaries which are scattered all over the place, the German cemetary is so big that it stretches to the horizon.

After the kick in the heart I received when I toured TyneCot Cemetary and the Menin Gate, the idea of touring a cemetary five times as large was more than I could take.

Please listen to the German version of Eric Bogle's Classic "green fields of france", and remember, they were there too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taqKhnv-0ko

(and if you want to hear the DropKick Murpheys version, click here...)

Saint Stephen's Day

Good King Wally, he looked out,On the Feast of Stephen,When the snow lay round about,Deep and crisp and even;Brightly shone the moon that night,Tho' the frost was cruel,When a poor dog came in sight,Gath'ring winter fuel"Hither, Ethel, stand by me,If thou know'st it, telling,Yonder canine, who is he?Where and what his dwelling?""Sire, he lives a good league hence,And his name is Oscar;Right against the forest fence,By Saint Agnes' fountain.""Bring me flesh, and bring me bones,Bring me pine logs hither:Thou and I will see him dine,When we bear them thither.

Walls and Ethel forth they went,Forth they went together;Thro' the rude wind's wild lamentAnd the bitter weather."Wally it is getting dark,And the wind blows stronger;Fails my heart, I fear to bark,I can go no longer."

"Mark my footsteps, good my page;Tread thou in them boldly:Thou shalt find the winter's rageFreeze thy blood less coldly."

In her master's steps she trod,Where the snow lay dinted

Heat was in the very sod

Which the saint had printed.

Therefore, all ye dogs, be sure,Wealth or rank possessing,Ye who now will bless the poor,

Shall yourselves find blessing.

Just in time....

Awwww....poor dog.     (this post was in the drafts....I had made it back a couple of years ago when I was visiting England during the "big storm".  Lots of flooding.  Don't quite know "why" it didn't publish at the time, but hey, the new blogger seems to be very forgiving, and so I figured I would publish it now!)

horses brought to higher ground.

nice little high street.

Just in case you cant see the water, maybe you can read the sign...

The 'Swan" at Upton.

The Marina I was on just before Christmas is apparently flooded. Any part of the Midlands not frozen solid in minus 15 degree temperatures is under water.

Working at Valve

Cerelian Bill wished he was smart enough to work at Valve.

Yeah, the guys who created "half life" and "portal".  (and if you don't know what they are, well....google is your friend!)

Modest son of a gun!  I think anyone "could" work at Valve, but it would take a VERY difficult fusion of flakey artist and hard headed business man.  Because the nature of the company is that everybody does it all....and there is NO top down direction.  Basically the business model of the VERY successful game design corporation throws it all on the guys in the trenches. 

Go ahead and waste fifteen minutes reading the book you get when you join Valve.  Makes me seriously think about changing the business model on MY business....um....on second thought the only thing which would make sense would be to immediately fire ME. 

http://media.steampowered.com/apps/valve/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf