%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   A tentative blog to test the temperature. |
|
Ten years ago I was writing several blogs on various subjects - F1 motor racing, Music, Classic Cars, Great Romances and, most crushingly, a personal journal that included my thoughts on America, memories of England and Africa, opinion, humour, writing and anything else that occurred. It all became too much (I was attempting to update the journal every day) and I collapsed, exhausted and thoroughly disillusioned in the end. So this blog is indeed a Toe in the Water, a place to document my thoughts in and on WdC but with a determination not to get sucked into the blog whirlpool ever again. Here's hoping.     |
| Birdies The prompt for Lilli š§æ ā  ās Promptly Poetry Challenge this week is the word āBirds.ā It got me thinking and, eventually, I came up with a particular bird I could write about. On the way, however, I came across a thought that might stand considerable pondering for all of us.Iām sure weāre all familiar with the generally-accepted theory that birds evolved from dinosaurs and that they are, therefore, the survivors of that supposedly extinct line. The idea gives me no problems but I do wonder exactly when this happened. This is a fairly important question because of the Cretacious-tertiary mass extinction event of 65 million years ago. The currently popular theory is that a large meteor struck the Earth in the vicinity of Mexico, causing severe worldwide climate disruption and the demise of the dinosaurs. So any evolution from dinos to birdies must have taken place before the meteor arrived. There were no dinosaurs left after the event to evolve into anything after that, presumably. The problem then becomes the dearth of bird fossils found dating from before the meteor. To have given rise to the huge population of birds now evident on our planet, there must have been a few birds at least that witnessed the extinction of the dinosaurs. It seems strange, then, that, so far, we have found no fossils of such early birds. We do have good old archaeopteryx, of course, and a few other dinosaurs that seem on their way to becoming birds, but nothing that has made the giant step from dinosaur to tweety-bird. It strikes me that this is a bit of a problem when we consider the evolution of birds. Either not all the dinosaurs died in the mass extinction, or we just havenāt found the proto-bird fossils that the theory so desperately needs. There may be good reasons for this absence of fossils but I havenāt thought of them yet. As an example, it might be that the delicacy of bones needed to ensure lightness and therefore flight has mitigated against their preservation. But we have fossils of things as fragile and ephemeral as ferns and flowers. Canāt think why bird bones should be even more prone to decay before fossilisation. Understand, Iām not arguing against the theory. Iām as keen on the idea of little flying dinosaurs as anyone else. But I do wonder about how it worked. Such are the devious ways my brain employs to avoid serious writing work. Word count: 413 |
| Once a Little Dutch Boy I watched a video about an episode in the Netherlands Got Talent show (Nederland Heeft Talent) and they had this guy come on - in his late fifties Iād guess, greying hair, slightly paunchy but not fat, baggy and tired old jeans and a creased shirt. The judges start to ask him the usual questions but in Dutch, of course, so I didnāt understand a thing. Normally I can follow Dutch to a certain extent, thanks to my early education in Afrikaans, but this was high powered stuff, machine gun style. Anyway the guy answers them in the same fast delivery Dutch and the music begins. Itās Nessun Dorma and so what follows is not entirely unexpected. Weāve seen enough former competitors on these shows to know that nobody tackles that one unless they can make a pretty good showing of it. But this guy is special. He opens his middle-aged mouth with the irregular and slightly discoloured teeth and out of it comes this unbelievable voice, every note beautifully and professionally projected, a rendering as perfect as Pavarottiās. The judges are astounded and then sit back just to listen, avid to see whether he can manage the final notes - the true test of any opera singerās craft. He finishes an absolutely flawless performance and the crowd go wild. They know theyāve witnessed something extraordinary. As for me, I know, without a doubt, that this guy is even better than the cellphone salesman in Britain who wowed everyone with the same song a few years ago in their version of the show. This Dutch Mr Nobody is easily a professional grade opera singer without any training or instruction. Because he canāt have had any - here are his two daughters rushing on stage to congratulate him, clear evidence that this feller has a family and a job that has enabled him to bring them up to be these proud and loving, mature women. No time in all that for opera singing. So the guy is a natural and must have known that from an early age. Possession of a voice of that quality does not go unnoticed beyond adolescence. At some time that ordinary man has had to consider whether he wanted to go the whole opera bit with its attendant schooling, hard work and eventual fame and fortune, or to live a quiet and unexceptional life with the lady of his dreams and the family they produce together. And he has chosen the latter. How many of us would make the same decision? To know that one is gifted with a prodigious talent and yet to opt for a more peaceful and fulfilling life than to try for the stardom so obviously within reach. I suspect that this Dutchman with the golden voice has chosen the wiser path. Those beautiful daughters of his are clearly a preferable legacy to the ephemeral rewards of celebrity. I have no doubt that the man has achieved all he wanted to in life, his daughters are grown and he has decided, just this once, that he will let loose his voice in public. He is a credit to all the little people who have been satisfied with enough, who have not craved the attention and glory of fame or the big bucks of so-called success. In all probability, there is an element of this in all of us. The video is embedded below, if youāre interested. Thereās a lot of Dutch chitter chatter in the beginning but the guyās singing is worth it all, I assure you. Word count: 593 |
| Architecture One thing about ancient Greek and Roman architecture - they were really good at columns. I can imagine them thinking, "Hey, those are really nice columns. We should add some more." And the constant cry, "More columns!" |
| On Dragons Years ago I read a beautifully illustrated book on dragons. It went further than most, proposing a scientific hypothesis that explains the known attributes of the creature. The basic idea was that the dragonās digestive system used anaerobic bacteria to produce copious amounts of marsh gas, essentially methane, the cause of the will oā the wisp phenomenon in bogs and marshes. Spontaneous combustion of this gas gives rise to the spooky lights sometimes seen drifting above marshy areas. This could be the origin of the most unbelievable aspects of the dragonās existence. If the gas were stored within the body of the fabled reptile, it might be the cause of its ability to fly. Methane is lighter than air and would certainly ease, if not completely negate, the weight of the dragon and so allow it to become airborne. The wings, even if unnecessary to lift the resultant gas-filled body, would at least give it a means of propulsion and navigation through the atmosphere. So the enormous size and bloated body of the dragon need not be an excuse for doubting the possibility of such small wings being able to lift it from the ground. Indeed, the very rotundity of the normal dragon body shape would prove to be an advantage, since it would require a large volume of gas to counteract its weight. They would, in fact, be living blimps floating around in the atmosphere of a time long gone. This would also explain the fact that it seemed to be so easily defeated by its arch enemy, the knight. Far from being outgunned by the size and fearsome appearance of the dragon, all the knight would have to do is get close enough to puncture the distended belly of the beast with some sharp instrument or other, and the problem would be solved. The resultant deflation would be the cause of the poor creatureās subsequent extinction. All that methane would have other uses as well. Since anaerobic fermentation also produces small amounts of fairly explosive gases (hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and phosphine), the dragon would have a convenient access to a catalytic method of igniting some of its gaseous output. This could then be produced as its famous fiery breath. The theory is so attractive and beguiling in its feasibility that I think of it whenever dragons are mentioned. It is somehow comforting to know that the legends may have some basis in truth. And, before we all laugh and poohpooh the idea, we should remember the huge number of schoolboys who have proved the theory behind the lighting of farts. Word count: 436 |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
I've always remembered that episode and thought that was a fun idea.
Quite good is quite a good compliment 
As someone who just reviewed an item in your port, I can't help but wonder, Did I pick an item that you'd throw out? 