tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:40:28 +0000Views, comments, opinions, musings from Vergil Iliescu<br>http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/noreply@blogger.com (Vergil)Blogger168125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-4911383114635042745Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:07:00 +00002008-10-02T23:12:57.508+10:00It's been nearly 12 months since I've posted. Other things on my mind. I have had occasion to to comment on belief in God in a discussion group again. It's a funny subject. So here are some of my thoughts. Years ago I asked my wife if she believed in God. She replied "when it suits me". I really liked that answer. Sometimes the God concept is useful. She doesn't much care for philosophicalhttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2008/10/oh-no-its-god-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-1983185077120683352Sat, 20 Oct 2007 08:55:00 +00002007-10-20T19:27:15.249+10:00Old age sometimes leads to forgetting of words not recognising things, or using the wrong words. This is a poem which came from thinking about this. Each verse is in traditional cinquain form, where there are 5 lines and the number of syllables in each line is 2, 4, 6, 8, 2 respectively. Using a structure like that seems to help me keep the writing more concentrated - sort of like a Haiku does.http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2007/10/remembering.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-520519181666196168Sat, 19 May 2007 11:44:00 +00002007-05-19T22:07:28.424+10:00 So restful, sitting, silent on her chair, You deeply breathe the vista here spread out; Dismiss our time, the breeze transports me there, No opera house, no quay, no bridge, no doubt. Existing in a time and space not mine, You hear a voice, just there, beyond the tree! She whispers; “Look! You see this chair so fine? He carved this rock to show his love for me. At once I saw the feeling in http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2007/05/visit-to-mrs-macquaries-chair.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-7767775692584478848Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:09:00 +00002007-04-19T23:12:27.458+10:00This is a Bob Dylan song I love. I recently bought a book of most of his songs, and I'm learning to play this one... My love she speaks like silence, Without ideals or violence, She doesn't have to say she's faithful, Yet she's true, like ice, like fire. People carry roses, Make promises by the hours, My love she laughs like the flowers, Valentines can't buy her. In the dime stores and bus http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2007/04/live-minus-zero.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-4116451979250894713Sun, 15 Apr 2007 01:29:00 +00002007-04-15T11:38:41.571+10:00There was a very interesting "Ockham's Razor" broadcast on ABC Radio National this morning - you can view the transcript (or listen to the podcast) here: 'Kiddofspeed' "Dr Rosaleen Love from Monash University looks at the Chernobyl disaster and tells the story of Elena Filatova who visited the area". A very interesting talk about the internet, whether we can believe what we read, what the http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2007/04/internet-truth-uncertainty-chernobyl.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-904102122651894996Mon, 05 Mar 2007 06:57:00 +00002007-03-05T18:03:09.554+11:00I think I once saw Brian Burke in my rear vision mirror - should I confess? Have I been tainted for life? The dangers of meeting Brian Bourkehttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2007/03/tainted-by-brian-bourke.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-7602781774226306488Sun, 26 Nov 2006 00:56:00 +00002006-11-26T12:48:33.176+11:00 Denmark has found a creative way to help get drivers to notice the speed limit. I would like to see the same sort of thing done here in Australia. My motives, are, of course, are entirely driven by my concern and desire for safer roads. You can see the video herehttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/11/all-in-cause-of-road-safety.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-7888271099014878447Wed, 15 Nov 2006 10:29:00 +00002006-11-15T21:34:05.850+11:00I just bought the CD "Dreams Fly Away: by Linda Thomspson", which has a collection of the songs she has done herself or with Richard Thompson. While I have many of these already on earlier albums, a lot a new releases and there are some new songs. I especially like this one, a poem by Brian Patten put to a lovely tune ... Sometimes it happens And sometimes it happens that you are http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/11/sometimes-it-happens.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115664951842890120Sun, 27 Aug 2006 03:30:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:54.405+11:00A very interesting discussion on the nature of belief on radio program "All in the Mind" last weekend "Why do you believe what you do? Is the human mind an organ designed for belief? Why are we so convinced of the existence of things we can't prove or see? Are some beliefs healthy and others pathological? Margaret Wertheim, author of Pythagoras' Trousers, and The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace; http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/nature-of-belief.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115543557947243462Sun, 13 Aug 2006 02:15:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:54.322+11:00... a poem by Donna DuCarme Afraid of self, afraid of knowing, running, hiding, going nowhere, fading fast. Then. Stop. Turn and see, Turn about and face it. It? Me. Myself, my secrets, my soul Growing, dreaming, dancing, going, going someplace, anywhere, searching for meanings & motives & reasons why, learning to fly, to soar again like before, before fear made me run. I found this beautifulhttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/fear.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115521077018435570Thu, 10 Aug 2006 11:50:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:54.236+11:00 I have resolved to be more like the dog! (Remember, it's about the bones) http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/on-thinking-and-analysing.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115478613856042702Sat, 05 Aug 2006 13:52:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:54.153+11:00The lady she had a silver tongue. For to sing she said, And maybe that's all. Wait for the dawn and we will have that song. When it ends it will seem That we hear silence fall. The lady she had a golden heart,For to love, she said And she did not lie. Wait for the dawn and we'll watch for the sun. As we turn it will seem To arise in the sky. We heard that song while watching the skies, Oh the http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/lady-by-sandy-denny.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115478352760427239Sat, 05 Aug 2006 13:02:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:54.070+11:00- a poem by Lucille Clifton they ask me to remember but they want me to remember their memories and I keep on remembering mine from a book "Kiss Off - Poems to set you free" Mary Esselman & Elizabeth Ash Velez published by Warner Books http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/why-some-people-be-mad-at-me-sometimes.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115476505666471966Sat, 05 Aug 2006 07:56:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.971+11:00An article from the Guardian on the state of the world ... is everything really getting worse? I like this comment in the article: "The final item on the news that evening couldn't have been more symbolic if it had shown the ravens leaving the Tower of London. Fidel Castro, the one constant in all our lives, was on the blink. That's when I reached for the phone and - "We're fucked." There is ahttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/end-of-world-is-nigh.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115465697367720688Fri, 04 Aug 2006 02:01:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.878+11:00Last night we went to La Lupa restaurant in Balmain for dinner - but really to hear Sophie Raymond perform. I first saw her play at the Basement a year or two ago and immediately fell in love with her voice and her songs. I hadn't much chance to see her again, since she is Melbourne based, but she's been doing some gigs in Sydney and this was my chance to hear her again. It turned out that http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/sophie-raymond-sings-for-me.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115451571540065245Wed, 02 Aug 2006 10:44:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.800+11:00This is a great article on the current situation and the plight of the Lebanese from Robert Fisk, from the Australian. Not sure how long the link will be up though. It is also here and here. http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/robert-fisk-on-lebanon.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115448853703474026Wed, 02 Aug 2006 03:10:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.709+11:00 The winning entry this week is: Although this is an advert that screams excitement, the man who placed it (historian, 54, enjoys air-fix modeling) is strangely subdued." I think this deserves the bottle of Champagne prize. But there are quite a few other good ones: "I intend to keep the precise contents of this personal ad a secret". "Man sought, with Mozart tendencies, his own wig and his http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/personals-from-london-review-of-books.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115448756359447121Wed, 02 Aug 2006 02:50:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.629+11:00Global Voices is a site that aggregates blogs from "people who are talking about their country or region to a global audience. Global Voices is your guide to the most interesting conversations, information, and ideas appearing around the world ... Each day they link to 5-10 of the most interesting blog posts from their regions in the 'daily roundups' section. " There is some interesting readinghttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/global-voices.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115439680820988271Tue, 01 Aug 2006 01:44:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.548+11:00The world seems to be going crazy again. The flare-up in Lebanon seems just so stupid. The futile violent actions of Hamas and Hezbollah just ensure that the issues can never be resolved. The Israeli response is out of proportion and in the long term is ensuring long term hatred will never end. It has all happened before of course. The situation improves then deteriorates. Right now I don't http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/08/what-is-going-on-in-world.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115416417031510757Sat, 29 Jul 2006 09:05:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.464+11:00Hard On Me I bought the Mock Tudor Album a few years back. This is another one of my favourite songs by Richard Thompson. Great words and intense guitar playing with it. Hard on me, hard on me Why do you grind me small Hard on me, hard on me At every fence I fall I bite my rage I stop my breath I shake my cage I swim with emptiness Hard on me, hard on me Like they were hard on you Hard on mehttp://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/hard-on-me-i-bought-mock-tudor-album.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115414057434750630Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:17:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.384+11:00So much for the good old days An article from the Australian titled "Without soothing heroin tonics, we're addicted to panic" by Emma Tom, she notes: "AUSTRALIAN society has gone to the dogs. The young are intravenously connected to iPods at birth and think nothing of pulling out a pink bit and performing a turkey slap live on national telly. Parents are permissive, schools are postmodern, and http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/so-much-for-good-old-days-article-from.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115396965957827590Thu, 27 Jul 2006 03:04:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.296+11:00Poems by Luke Davies I stumbled across a book of poems by Luke Davies - who wrote the book Candy (on which the film is based) - which is really quite beautiful. It's called "Totem". It has one very long poem "Totem Poem" with over 500 lines and then 40 other poems. Here are some verses from Totem In the yellow time of pollen when the fields were ablaze we were very near bewildered by beauty. http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/poems-by-luke-davies-i-stumbled-across.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115391669147958661Wed, 26 Jul 2006 12:23:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.217+11:00Budding by Marie Gibb (I can't remember where I found this poem, but I like it.) The mind is having an affair with a body in full denial A conscious on full alert and holding a trial They say if you’re flirting with the idea you’ve already sinned and the mind is sentenced wearing a grin all over itself because it has already gone there Heart has been agitating the temple and inducing http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/budding-by-marie-gibb-i-cant-remember.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115379645345743000Tue, 25 Jul 2006 02:13:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.136+11:00 Also reading: Candy (Luke Davies) I haven't seen the film yet. The first few chapters I found compelling. Let's see how it goes ... http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/also-reading-candy-luke-davies-i.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3246141.post-115370822615120654Mon, 24 Jul 2006 02:29:00 +00002006-11-15T21:26:53.054+11:00Monday Monday It's a grey and green monday morning In a glassy green and steel cityscape Of wobbly floating reflections Of the grey sky. The rain floats down There is no wind blowing It drizzles onto the black tar Onto the black streets and paths The women are dressed in black The men are dressed in black All under a floating sea Of black umbrellas (Occasional red or yellow ones mark the http://members.optushome.com.au/vergil/blog/2006/07/monday-monday-its-grey-and-green.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Vergil)0