Welcome to my Blog!
I hope to share here my irrepressible thoughts on news, music, books, arts and such like. In general these will be items, events and issues which I feel have no place on my website (which focusses on aviation history and my travel photography).

The item immediately below this would be the latest posting.

Anybody, providing he knows how to be amusing, has the right to talk about himself. - Charles Baudelaire
Esse est percipi (To be is to be perceived) - Bishop George Berkeley

In 2013 I started a series of photo albums on Blurb.com, named '36Exp' (a subject adressed in 36 exposures, a reference to the exposures on most common rolls of 35 mm film: 12, 24 & 36.). The books can be ordered directly from the Blurb.com website.
http://www.blurb.com/user/ruudleeuw

CURRENT BLOG

dark is the frame
of mind
the brain in a misty haze
listless, spiritless
lethargic, in a daze
slow
is the motion
the mood
spiralling downward
to break the spell
have to throttle back
until all is well
to clear the haze
and scars have healed
to return
in better frame
of mind
¶ -RL

From legt to right:
Mike McShane, Suki Webster, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch & Paul Merton

It was Paul Merton's 1st professional visit to Holland and I hope to see many returns!
Paul Merton's Improv Chums on WIKIPEDIA
Paul Merton on WIKIPEDIA
www.paulmerton.com
Flickr.com

Subtitled 'Field Notes on Democracy', the writer reveals in a passionate style shocking details on Democracy in India. After reading this book no one can deny 'democracy's greatest experiment: India'... is far from complete.
Authorities lie and conspire to isolate adversaries and minorities (in India minorities, e.g. Muslims, number in millions), there is corruption on a grand scale, mass murder is committed while the perpetrators are shielded from prosecution, scapegoats are thrown in jail (or worse!) when this suits police or politicians, media is used unashamedly to suit certain 'outcomes', human rights are easily trespassed; the list goes on.

Arundhati Roy peels away the gloss of India's celebrated economic success.
She explains how politicians in India put in effect George W. Bush's warmongering slogan "those who are not with us, are against us", with ruthless skills.

Her style of prose makes the unbearable readable.
Note this quote from a chapter where she explains the role of India and other countries in the region.
" Thanks largely to the part it was forced to play as America's ally, first in its war in support of the Afghan Islamists and then in its war against them, Pakistan is reeling under these contradictions, and careening toward civil war. As recruiting agents for America' s jihad against the Soviet Union, it was the job of the Pakistani army and the ISI to nurture and channel funds to Islamic fundamentalist organizations.
Having wired up these Frankensteins and released them into the world, the US expected it could rein them in like pet mastiffs whenever it wanted to. Certainly it did not expect them to come calling in the heart of the homeland on 11 September. So once again, Afghanistan had to be violently remade. Now the debris of a re-ravaged Afghanistan has washed up on Pakistan' s border."


Quite amazingly, she projects such strong images, I never realized the writer was a woman! I only found out after reading the book and googling the name out of interest!

Wikipedia:
Suzanna Arundhati Roy (born 24 November 1961) is an Indian writer who writes in English and an activist who focuses on issues related to social justice and economic inequality. She won the Booker Prize in 1997 for her novel, The God of Small Things, and has also written two screenplays and several collections of essays.
For her work as an activist she received the Cultural Freedom Prize awarded by the Lannan Foundation in 2002. [MORE...]

My newspaper this afternoon featured on the frontpage "Train disaster India by sabotage".
The article opened with 'Maoist fighters caused this disaster, which led to the death of 71 people and 200 wounded, according to police sources." Since reading this book, I don't accept that on face value.
So I looked for information substantiating the accusation.
It was written 'people claimed they heard a loud explosion', others claimed 'the rail had been dismantled.' The only certain thing is that the disaster was caused by a cargo train and a passenger train colliding...
I've travelled on Indian rail and know delay can range from hours to days. Mistakes happen.
Fatal mistakes happen.
Who claimed that Maoist fighters were responsible for sabotage leading to this disaster? The Times of India and 'Government officials'...
I think we can see a conspiracy here by parties ruthlessly trying to claim political advantage out of this sad event.
Just like the book so eloquently describes.

By this book I have become an informed reader of Indian news. Thank you Arundhati Roy.

Click HERE for a larger image

Yesterday evening I attended a gig by this fine singer/songwriter from the Deep South, Grayson Capps. This was the 3rd time I'd seen him play and each time with different artists; this time he played with Daron Douglas; she played the fiddle.

Grayson told those who had turned up (not a large number, as the Champions League final was being televised, between Inter Milan and Bayern Munchen), that he knew Daron from the time when they were kids and she lived across the street, Music Street, in New Orleans.
Grayson played his songs as energetically as before a full house and Daron Douglas added a nice touch with her violin. Actually, on the CD 'Songbones' a violin features in a number of songs, played by Tom Marron. They both put on a good, solid show, the US South warming the Dutch hearts!

This kind Southern troubadour sings his compelling songs passionately, telling us about the bayou, storm Katrina, the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatening the Gulf Coast, about mudboats, his father being the mayor of Waterhole Branch (if I got that right), Uncle Ed Lee and his whiskeybottle fence, five dollar whores, mud-floored cabins, Bobby Long, whisky & moonshine, the New Orleans cemetery at Green Street...
And the crowd sang along with 'Drink a Little Poison Before You Die' and 'Need a Big Fat Women (To Keep Me Warm)'.
A splendid evening it turned out to be and the people who stayed at home watching football (soccer) on the telly lost out considerably!

FEAR-FRUIT BEARING TREE
"How many times must it be said?
Though blood runs blue,
you still think it’s red,
because that’s how it appears
when it hits oxygen.
Our life is an illusion,
and we create the confusion,
so take a dose of seclusion
to dilute the delusion.
And hope that it’s not in vein
that we look into the spheres
of the fear-fruit bearing tree
before we eat again."
-Grayson Capps

More of my images of this gig on Flickr.com

www.hyenarecords.com/graysoncapps

French music never much appealed to me, but there is one exception: Joe Dassin.
I became aware of his music probably around 1975 or 1976 and in particular L'été Indien (Indian Summer). I have sweet memories connected to this period and Dassin's music!

Joseph Ira Dassin (November 5, 1938 – August 20, 1980), more commonly known as Joe Dassin, was a French/American singer-songwriter.
Joe was born in New York City to American film director Jules Dassin and Béatrice Launer, a Hungarian virtuoso violinist. He began his childhood first in New York City and Los Angeles. However, after his father fell victim to the Hollywood blacklist in 1950, he and his family moved from place to place across Europe, thereafter.
After studying at the International School of Geneva and the Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland, Dassin moved back to the United States to go to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After college, he moved back to France where, while working at a radio station, a record label convinced him to begin to record his songs.
By the early 1970s, Dassin's songs were on the top of the charts in France and he had become very well known in that country. He was also a talented polyglot, recording songs in German, Russian, Spanish, Italian and Greek, as well as French and English!
Joe Dassin died of a heart attack during a vacation to Tahiti on August 20, 1980. His body is interred in the Beth Olen Mausoleum section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
[Wikipedia]

In 4 episodes historian Maarten van Rossum visits destinations in the USA. He is commissioned to do this by the Dutch 'EO', evangelical broadcasting corporation.

Van Rossum is well acqainted with the USA and is regularly invited to tv studios to comment on events and issues (often pertaining the United States).
He is curious, critical and non-religious!

And so he travels to Gods Own Country and three interesting and very valid questions come to the surface the most:

1. How is it possible that Christianity, so wide-spread in the US, so commonly referred to, results in such an underdeveloped, embryonic social structure in US society. One would expect that Christian values so strongly present and intertwined with overwhelming feelings of nationalism, would create a different society than we see presently.

2. Why is it that, in spite of aforementioned Christian values, the US is so assertive with its military forces, in recent decades continuously fighting wars abroad.

3. Final question: will the election of President Barack Obama bring change ('change', his slogan, 'yes we can') to the US society in these respects.

Maarten van Rossem met with an interesting variety of people, of all walks of life, profession, religious values. Most seem to accept the above for what the US society is and see little or no reason (or chance) to have it changed. The American in general does not trust its government with his or her money, but instead wants to decide themselves to whom, why or when help will be given to the poor and needy, even if that provides for such a patchy social system.

The people of God's Own Country have, in general, an unwavering confidence that what the USA does is righteous and just. And injustice needs to be adressed, even by military force. Even abroad.

And no, the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States will probably not see great change in these respects.

Van Rossem interviews included the Sojouners on Captol Hill.
The Sojourners (www.sojo.net) have a 'mission to articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church, and the world.'
Their social values and action struck a chord with me, appealing to my European social values. So there is hope!

Went out on a nice Spring day
Talking tall. Feeling good
Ordered the biggest hamburger
Of stout Angus beef
And dark ale to wash it down
Topped with several shots
Of potent, spanky grappa
Fiery firewater for sure
Made me sure feeling gutsy
And that has been a while

But was soon shot down
Leaving, stumbling on some steps
Sought support in an outstretched hand
'Do you feel a lesser man,
having to accept this here hand?'
My awkwardness for all to see
and hear.
Thank you
My so-and-so son
I was never rock’n roll
But now am rolling
with the punches.

¶ -RL

Don McLean was one of the first singer songwriters I bought an album from (others were Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan) and I was especially impressed with 'Americain Pie' which held fascinating poetic and surreal qualities while sentences like "Moss Grows Fat On A Roma Stone" probably appealed to my interest in history.
Positive reviews on Don McLean's latest album 'Addicted to Black' made me by this album and at the same time I purchased the (double) cd 'Solo - Don McLean Live'.
Solo got me reacqainted with songs like American Pie (the version by Madonna is utter crap!), Cripple Creek/Muleskinner Blues, Babylon, The Legend of Andrew McGrew and I like his version of Bob Dylan's Masters of War (as current today as then).

Woke up from a dream
Was driving around in Alaska
Kinda flat and green
So maybe not Alaska
Relatives in the car
But also a big bad Dude
Mike Tyson size
He was driving
Noticed something outside
Asked to pass my camera
Kinda crowded in the car
My camera was not there
My bag was not in the car
Panic and frantic search
Half asleep retraced my movements
But it wasnt found
Got up and found there was
No newspaper delivered today
Pulled a hair from my nose
It was white and painful
Bad start brings the mood down
On Ascension Day
(¶ -RL)

This is about Halden Fengsel, Norway's newest prison. Norway's second largest prison has a capacity of 252 inmates and opened on April 8th, 2010.
That mural, by Grafitti artist Dolk, is brilliant!

This may be more about Norway and how they deal with people who've committed a crime and are being isolated from the community serving a sentence. Planning ahead seems fundamental here.
Ten years and 1.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($252 million) in the making, Halden is spread over 75 acres (30 hectares) of gently sloping forest in southeastern Norway. The facility boasts amenities like a sound studio, jogging trails and a freestanding two-bedroom house where inmates can host their families during overnight visits.
Unlike many American prisons, the air isn't tinged with the smell of sweat and urine. Instead, the scent of orange sorbet emanates from the "kitchen laboratory" where inmates take cooking courses.

Halden embodies the guiding principles of the country's penal system: that repressive prisons do not work and that treating prisoners humanely boosts their chances of reintegrating into society!

Countries track recidivism rates differently, but even an imperfect comparison suggests the Norwegian model works. Within two years of their release, 20% of Norway's prisoners end up back in jail. In the U.K. and the U.S., the figure hovers between 50% and 60%.

A low level of criminality gives Norway a massive advantage. Its prison roll lists a mere 3,300, or 69 per 100,000 people, compared with 2.3 million in the U.S., or 753 per 100,000 — the highest rate in the world.
In itself these figures are an eye-opener about the United States: land of the free, home of the brave and all in their pursuit of happiness, yada yada...
You'd think they would come to the inevitable conclusion that their system of degrading repression isn't working, but instead US prisons (culminating in the Guantanamo bay prison) strip prisoners more and more of their basic human rights!

Norway sets a courageous example.
[Source: www.time.com]

From: blue cheese and chili peppers, the last verse, by Charles Bukowski
(I would have liked to add more but my leg is hurting so badly I cannot type)

No car chases
No car crashes ending in spectacular flames
No one jumps from a building
Or a speeding jet
No kung fu fighting
No criminal mastermind
The world isn't rescued
Five minutes before the big explosion
Come to think of it
There aren't any small expolsions either.
It just isn't spectacular
But that doensn't mean it isn't any good...

Factotum by Bent Hamer is based on the book by Charles Bukowski.

A book by Charles Bukowski was given to me by Alexander, an excellent gift it turned out to be. I like his writing.

Funny thing: am presently reading a crime novel by Jo Nesbø, Marekors (EN: The Devil's Star, I'm reading the Dutch translation, Dodelijk Patroon). When Jo Nesbø describes a room, he mentions a bookshelf which has a book by Charles Bukowski there.
I like that. Connect the dots.

Back to this film.

Hank Chinaski, the fictional alter-ego of 'Factotum' author Charles Bukowski, who wanders around Los Angeles, CA trying to live off jobs which don't interfere with his primary interest, which is writing. Along the way, he fends off the distractions offered by women, drinking and gambling.

Factotum is a humorous and strongly autobiographical narrative from "the poet laureate of skid row" that follows an alcoholic drifter through a series of menial jobs as he travels aimlessly across the country. Before devoting himself entirely to writing, Bukowski worked various dead-end jobs, including as a laborer in a dog biscuit factory, a parking lot attendant, stock boy, warehouseman, red cross orderly, elevator operator, poster hanger in New York City subways, shipping clerk, postal clerk and postal carrier. At the age of 23, Bukowski finally lost his virginity to an overweight whore in Philadelphia.

In straightforward and unsentimental prose, Bukowski depicts his alter-ego, Henry Chinaski, a loner and outcast who lives for booze and despises work with a passion. The character of Jan is based on Jane Cooney Baker, the great love of Bukowski's life, a widowed alcoholic 11 years his senior with an immense beer belly. Baker spent the last days of her life working as a maid in a cheap hotel before dying of a massive hemorrhage in 1962. As for Bukowski, the self-proclaimed 'barfly' lived out his later years in a ranch-style house in San Pedro, California, with an attractive young wife 24 years his junior, expensive German wines on the rack and a BMW in the driveway.

Some days dont get better than thirty percent
It rained most of the day
But I stayed inside
so I didnt get wet
And if I had stayed in bed
That foot would have hurt me all the same
It just isnt my day

Spilled coffee down my pants
could have burned my crotch
but I didnt
sure felt like a fool
a limping fool
with coffeestains all over my pants

The couch felt comfortable
And the book consoled
Harry Hole hurt his hand
He got drunk
And I dozed off
Some days dont get better than that
-RL

By John M. Shalikashvili and Hugh Shelton
Friday, April 30, 2010
Are we becoming a nation too fat to defend ourselves?
It seems incredible, but these are the facts: As of 2005, at least 9 million young adults -- 27 percent of all Americans ages 17 to 24 -- were too overweight to serve in the Ü.S. military, according to the Army's analysis of national data. And since then, these high numbers have remained largely unchanged.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show obesity rates among young adults increasing dramatically nationwide. From 1998 to 2008, the number of states reporting that 40 percent or more of young adults are overweight or obese has risen from one to 39.
What children eat and drink during school hours constitutes as much as 40 percent of their daily nutrient intake.
Obesity rates threaten the overall health of America and the future strength of the military. (Retired U.S. Army Gen. John M. Shalikashvili served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1993 to September 1997. Retired U.S. Army Gen. Hugh Shelton served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1997 to September 2001. Both are on the executive advisory council of Mission: Readiness, a nonprofit organization of retired senior military leaders. )
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/29/AR2010042903669.html

Nothing new:
"Obesity 'a threat' to U.S. security / Surgeon general urges cultural shift
January 07, 2003|By Kim Severson, Chronicle Staff Writer
An overweight America is killing itself with excess, and all that can save it is a major cultural transformation led by individuals and families, the U.S. surgeon general said Monday.
Speaking to more than 1,000 educators, doctors and public health officials in San Diego at the largest-ever conference on childhood obesity, Dr. Richard Carmona called obesity the fastest growing cause of illness and death in the United States and said it deserved more attention than any other epidemic."

Grand teton NP, 1986

Peter van Straaten (b. Arnhem, 25 - 03 - 1935) is a Dutch cartoonist. He makes political satire as well as portrays common matters in daily life in a unique way. He has a keen eye to zoom in on a subject we probably wouldn't think twice about.
He started his career in 1958 with Het Parool, a Dutch newspaper (still around).
In 1968 he started with the brilliant cartoon 'Father and Son' and it continued with success until well into the 1980s. His weekly item on 'Agnes', a single woman with many insecurities, was something to look forward every week as well. 'Daily Life' is his present series, equally brilliant.

His work appears in newspapers, magazines and books. He also produces a 'nag calender', which will be made available in 2010 for the iPhone.

Peter van Straaten has won many awards and was knighted ('Member of the Order of Oranje Nassau') on 29APR2009.

www.petervanstraaten.nl

Airspace throughout northern and Central Europe was gradually reopening Tuesday, but London airports including Heathrow, one of the world's busiest, will remain closed until Wednesday. P> Here's a rundown on what's open, what's closed, because of the Iceland volcano eruption.

Britain: Britain's National Air Traffic Service says London airports will remain closed until Wednesday. Some flights have resumed in Scotland and northern England. Flights in U.K. airspace above 20,000 feet now are permitted.

GERMANY: Airspace closed for regular flights Tuesday except for Hamburg and Bremen airports, which were to be open for regular flights later Tuesday. However, airlines are being permitted to operate a limited number of flights from all airports — up to 800 in total Tuesday — under visual flight rules.

FRANCE: Flights from the Paris airports to several international destinations resume Tuesday, most French airports now open to limited traffic. The government hopes 100 percent of long-haul flights and 60 percent of medium-haul flights will run Wednesday.

NETHERLANDS: Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is open to some flights Tuesday after the Dutch government approved flying under certain conditions. KLM lists about 40 flights due to arrive or depart. Company says it is "resuming normal operations in a phased manner."

SWEDEN: Airspace over northern and central Sweden is open. Stockholm's Arlanda airport is open to flights to and from the U.S. and some European destinations. Ryanair's Stockholm hub Skavsta is closed, as are airports in Göteborg and Malmo. Overflights at high altitude are permitted across the country.

NORWAY: Aviation officials opened Norwegian airspace Tuesday after weather forecasts indicated the latest wave of ash would pass south of Norway. Authorities had closed airports along the southwestern coast. Oslo's Gardermoen international airport is open for flights to and from the U.S. and some European airports. Oslo's discount airline terminals, Torp and Rygge, are also open.

AUSTRIA: Austrian airspace remains open after permission to resume takeoffs and landings took effect early Monday. Some flights continue to be canceled but situation improving.

IRELAND: Irish Aviation Authority says Shannon airport in the west was reopening Tuesday but the airports in Dublin and Cork remain closed at least until later Tuesday. Flights above 20,500 feet are permitted.

ITALY: Officials say a handful of domestic flights have resumed through Milan as Italy starts reopening airports. Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport is clearing out waiting passengers with 22 international flights and 32 domestic.

DENMARK: Danish airspace above 16,600 feet is open, so long-haul flights can cross Denmark at high altitude. There is no landing in Denmark. Airspace under 16,600 feet remains closed until Wednesday.

SWITZERLAND: Airspace reopened to regular traffic early Tuesday.

POLAND: Authorities closed airspace Tuesday until further notice.

CZECH REPUBLIC: Air space and airports remain open. Prague airport has confirmed two thirds of normal daily flights for Tuesday.

SLOVAKIA: Air space reopened since midday Monday, but Ryanair canceled all Tuesday flights from Bratislava.

SPAIN: Reopened all airports Sunday.

FINLAND: Airports closed Tuesday and flight restrictions extended until early Wednesday. Authorities opened airspace briefly Monday. International overflights allowed again above 31,000 feet.

LATVIA: Latvian airspace open Tuesday morning, and two flights have landed at Riga International Airport.

LITHUANIA: Airspace is open, and first departures have taken place from Vilnius International Airport. All flights at Kaunas Airport are canceled, as are a majority of those at Vilnius.

ESTONIA: Tallinn Airport was briefly opened, then closed. It's expected to reopen Tuesday.

HUNGARY: Hungarian airspace open since Monday, with some minor restrictions overnight. Some 15 flights departed from Budapest's Ferihegy Airport early Tuesday to destinations including Prague, Paris, Madrid, Athens and Amsterdam.

SERBIA and MONTENEGRO: Airspace and all airports open since Sunday. Authorities expect 75 percent of flights to run.

CROATIA: Airspace and all airports are open. Croatia Airlines, the national carrier, restores all domestic and international flights Tuesday.

The colours red and green are because of the internationally agreed (G8 summit 2005 at Gleneagles) aim for 0.7% GNP

Source: www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2010/volcano.html

The Transport and Water Management Inspectorate of The Netherlands, together with the Military Aviation Authority, brought the closure of Dutch airspace forward to 15.1600 utc the huge cloud of ash - formed following the recent eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland proceeded to drif across Western Europe. The above image dates from midday April 16th, forecasting the extend of spreading by 17.0001 utc.

Airports of Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Paris were expected to remain closed until Saturday, 17Apr2010. A situation of havoc is also created on airports which see passengers for Amsterdam (e.g. tourists returning from Easter holidays) unable to depart...

April 16 (Bloomberg) -- Fraport AG’s Frankfurt airport was closed this morning due to the cloud of volcanic ash from Iceland moving across Europe, and will remain closed for an undetermined period, an official at Germany’s DFS air traffic control agency said.
Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, a base airport for Ryanair Holdings Plc, was also closed, the official said.
The closure of the Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Muenster/Osnabrueck, Dusseldorf and Cologne airports, as well as both Berlin airports, was extended from 8 a.m. for an indefinite period, the DFS said earlier.
www.businessweek.com/news

Qantas, which has more than 1,000 passengers holding at Asian stopovers, canceled four services today and is unlikely to resume Europe flights before April 18, spokesman David Epstein told reporters. Singapore Airlines Ltd. axed eight flights while Air China Ltd. and All Nippon Airways Co. also scrapped services.
Airlines worldwide will lose a collective $2.8 billion in 2010 after an estimated $9.4 billion cumulative loss last year, the International Air Transport Association predicted last month. www.businessweek.com/news

REUTERS - A huge ash cloud from Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull spread out across Europe on Friday causing air travel chaos on a scale not seen since the Sept. 11 attacks.
About 17,000 flights were expected to be cancelled on Friday due to the dangers posed for a second day by volcanic ash from Iceland, aviation officials said.
Airports in Britain, France, Germany and across Europe were closed until at least Saturday.

Here is a list of countries affected as of 1100 GMT on Friday:

AUSTRIA - Airspace to be closed in steps from "late afternoon" according to national air traffic control. Vienna airport says 50 outgoing and 41 incoming flights to Vienna have been cancelled so far.

BELGIUM - Air space closed until Saturday 0800 GMT

BRITAIN - English airspace is closed until 2400 GMT. Limited flights from Scotland and Northern Ireland operating until 1800 GMT.

DENMARK - Closed for Friday.

FRANCE - Airports across northern France, including Paris, will remain closed until at least 1800 GMT.

GERMANY - Takeoffs and landings have stopped at a total of 13 airports in Hamburg, Bremen, Hanover, Muenster, Duesseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Saarbruecken, Berlin, Leipzig, Erfurt and Dresden. Aircraft can still land at airports in southern Germany such as Stuttgart or Munich.

ITALY - Rome's Fiumicino airport has cancelled 34 flights to northern Europe. Alitalia has cancelled all its flights to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels.

LUXEMBOURG - Air space closed until 1600 GMT

NETHERLANDS - Air space closed.

NORWAY - Closed for Friday.

POLAND - Only one airport, in the south-eastern city of Rzeszow, is open after air space over the country was closed.

SLOVAKIA - All flights from Bratislava cancelled.

SPAIN - Madrid airport open.

SWEDEN - Closed for Friday.

AIRPORTS OPEN:

RUSSIA - Airports in Russia remain open. The airport in Kaliningrad, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania, was closed briefly on Friday morning but has reopened.

BULGARIA - Sofia open; flights to western Europe cancelled.

CYPRUS - Larnaca, Paphos open.

ROMANIA - Bucharest open

REUTERS: writing by London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)

Volcanic activity on Iceland seemed a local problem, although my heart went out to them watching video material and witnessing people being evacuated from their homes and roads destroyed by melting glaciers, roads I'd been driving on in 2007!
But volcanic ash spread towards Europe and started to close airways...
You don't want to find yourself in an airliner going through an ash cloud: tubes required for data (wind, pressure) get blocked and make flightcontrol computers go berserk, engines will cough and die, cockpit windscreen will get sandblasted by the ash... Basically you'll find yourself in a heavy glider, unable to see what is in front of you and the instruments rendered useless!
So that is why in aviation volcanic activity is closely monitored and air space closes when volcanic ash contaminates the sky. Today I witnessed a first for air space over The Netherlands.
The picture is dated 1800 utc, 14APR2010 and forecasts the spreading of the ash.
Today, April 15th, UK air traffic was set to cease between 11:00 - 17: 00 utc, parts of the Danish- and German air space was to close too.
Air traffic over the Holland was threatened, but at 12: 00 utc Casper - Live Aircraft Tracking showed planes arriving and departing Amsterdam-Schiphol (EHAM):

The air space above the Netherlands was closed at 18:00lt (16:00 utc) on Thursday (15th) evening, one hour earlier than planned. All flights to and from the country were cancelled. Close to 90,000 people who had been planning to depart from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on April 15th were unable to reach their destination. With hotels filling up rapidly, the airport authorities provided camp beds for passengers who were unable to find a hotel room.

What if Volcano Eyjafjallajökull continues to discharge ash into the atmosphere for months or even years... It could seriously effect life as we know it!

THE DOLLAR
In the 17th century three monetary names were adopted from Dutch: dollar, gulden and stiver. The last two words haved been reduced to merely historical terms.
Dollar stems from the Dutch word Daler. This word is again derived from High German Thaler, a shortened word form of Joachimst(h)aler, a coin minted from silver from the mine Joachimsthal (present-day Jáchymov, North Bohemia, Czech Republic).
These coins were produced from 1519 onwards. In the Low Countries the name Daler was also used to refer to coins that were minted in Dutch provinces from as early as 1538.

The name Daler was adopted into British English and spelled in a variety of ways, including Daler, Dallor and Dolor. And in the early 17th century occasionally Dollar.
The monetary units made for payments in England, however, were pounds, shillings and pence, although dollars also circulated in the 17th- and 18th century.
The Dutch brought their Daalders to New Netherland; the first coins that they brought were known as Leeuwendaalders, daalders which were minted in the Low Countries from 1575 onwards and featured a lion (NL Leeuw = EN Lion).
This name was adopted into American English as Lion Dollar, while the name Doller was also used simultaneously. That name continued to be used , even after the assumption of power by the English. Another name was Dog Dollar. Since the name Hondendaalder was not encountered in Dutch, it is quite possible that the image of the lion was so worn down and consequently bore so little resemblance to the animal that the Yankees, perhaps mockingly, coined the variant 'Dog Dollar' (NL Hond = EN Dog).

The letter a in Dutch was often pronounced o in American English; one also see this in baas = boss.

Spanish pesos have also been referred to as Spanish Dollars (or just Dollars) since 1684.

In 1785 Thomas Jefferson wrote in a memo for Congress, in which he claimed the following:
'The unit or dollar is a known coin, and the most familiar of all to the minds of people. It is already adopted from south to north; has identified our currency and therefore happily offers itself as an unit already introduced'.
In 1792 the Dollar was statutorily introduced by Congress as the US currency.

See also www.rootsofcash.com/money-history-dollar

In 2011, while visiting Scotland, I came across a Daaler coin, check HERE..

Inventing new fruit.. amazing!
Pineberries: looks like a white strawberry, but tastes like a pineapple!

The Pineberry is a strawberry cultivar owned by breeder Hans de Jongh and commercialized by VitalBerry BV in Made, The Netherlands; it was publicized in German in April, 2009, as Ananaserdbeeren, or pineapple strawberry.

Grown in glasshouses, pineberries start off green, gradually turning paler as they ripen. When the fruit is sweet and juicy enough to eat, the flesh is almost totally white but studded with red seeds - the reverse of the usual variety.

The 'Pineberry' is disease resistant, but is not very profitable. Due to small-scale farming, small berry size and low yield crop, the Pineberry has been marketed to European restaurants, bakeries and wholesale markets.
The berry has been dubbed the Pineberry for the UK market.

White strawberries are not rare as garden supply stores in the UK have other white varieties of strawberry called White Soul and White Delight.

Discovered wild in South America and rescued from extinction by Dutch farmers, they can now be bought online at www.Waitrose.com (online grocery shopping in England).

They are smaller than most commercially grown strawberries, measuring between 15 and 23mm across - slightly less than an inch. According to Waitrose they can be used as an alternative to their red counterparts in a range of recipes and desserts.

All commercially grown strawberries originate from an 18th century European cross between wild varieties from North and South America which achieved the sought-after combination of sweet taste and large, juicy berries. They quickly took over from the tiny, tart-tasting fruits now known as alpine strawberries, which have been grown and enjoyed in European since before Roman times.

www.dailymail.co.uk & Wikipedia

Darkness sits still
All around me
Awake, on guard
And awaiting for
Things to come
Brace myself
For a challenge, an event
Whatever news
When that phone rings
I sit still, prepared
Welcome whatever tidings
A problem - a trial
To keep the mind awake
But by that 5 am break
When numbness envellopes
The mind, fogs (fucks?) the brain
Feel no longer interested
To adress a test, answer to inquiries
Sit still to endure it to the end
Of this non event.
¶ --RL

we will taste the islands and the sea

I know that some night
in some bedroom
soon
my fingers will
rift
through
soft clean
hair

songs such as no radio
plays

all sadness, grinning
into flow.

----------------------------------
moaning and groaning

she writes: you'll
be moaning and groan-
ing in your poems
about how I fucked
those 2 guys last week.
I know you.
she writes on to
say that my vibe
machine was right-
she had just fucked
a third guy
but she knows I don't
want to hear who. why
or how, she closes her
letter. "Love."

rats and roaches
have triumphed again.
here it comes running
with a slug in its
mouth, it's singing
old love songs.
close the windows
moan
close the doors
groan.
¶

Henry Charles Bukowski, born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer.
Bukowski's writing was heavily influenced by the geography and atmosphere of his home city of Los Angeles, and is marked by an emphasis on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, and the drudgery of work.
A prolific author, Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories, and six novels, eventually having over 60 books in print.
In 1986 Time called Bukowski a "laureate of American lowlife
More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Bukowski

"There are worse things than being alone,”
   -Charles Bukowski

Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded. The military did not reveal how the Reuters staff were killed, and stated that they did not know how the children were injured.

After demands by Reuters, the incident was investigated and the U.S. military concluded that the actions of the soldiers were in accordance with the law of armed conflict and its own "Rules of Engagement".

Consequently, WikiLeaks has released the classified Rules of Engagement for 2006, 2007 and 2008, revealing these rules before, during, and after the killings.

WikiLeaks has released both the original 38 minutes video and a shorter version with an initial analysis. Subtitles have been added to both versions from the radio transmissions.

WikiLeaks obtained this video as well as supporting documents from a number of military whistleblowers. WikiLeaks goes to great lengths to verify the authenticity of the information it receives. We have analyzed the information about this incident from a variety of source material. We have spoken to witnesses and journalists directly involved in the incident. WikiLeaks wants to ensure that all the leaked information it receives gets the attention it deserves. In this particular case, some of the people killed were journalists that were simply doing their jobs: putting their lives at risk in order to report on war. Iraq is a very dangerous place for journalists: from 2003- 2009, 139 journalists were killed while doing their work.
www.collateralmurder.com

Dutchman Rob Gongrijp is co-producer of this website www.collateralmurder.com and his website http://rop.gonggri.jp has fascinating details on how this came to be...

"I’m in Washington DC right now where I just assisted WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange put on a press conference. Before today I was in Iceland for almost two weeks, yet again without properly seeing it. Apart from that one day at the volcano I haven’t gotten out much. That is to say: I have literally spent all the other days in “the bunker”, locked away behind closed curtains in rented apartments in Reykjavik, working to get things ready for today. At least I can now tell you all what I have been helping WikiLeaks with....."
See also WikiLeaks http://wikileaks.org

The Band's music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll; every member was a multi-instrumentalist.
Helm's drumming was often praised. Singers Manuel, Danko, and Helm each brought a distinctive voice to the Band: Helm's southern voice had more than a hint of country, Robertson was the group's chief songwriter, but he sang lead vocals on only three studio songs released by the Band ("To Kingdom Come", "Knockin' Lost John" and "Out Of The Blue").
Strains appeared in the 1980s, when the bulk of songwriting royalties were going to Robertson alone while the others had to rely on income from touring.

In late summer 1965, Bob Dylan was looking for a backup band for his first U.S. "electric" tour. Levon and the Hawks were recommended by blues singer John Hammond, who earlier that year had used Helm, Hudson and Robertson on his Vanguard album So Many Roads. With Dylan, they played a tumultuous series of concerts from September 1965 through May 1966, The Band reunited with Dylan, first in recording Dylan's album Planet Waves, released in January 1974, and then for the Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Tour, which played 40 shows in North America during January and February 1974. Later that year, the live album Before the Flood was released, documenting the tour.
'Before the Flood' was one of the first Dylan albums (became a life long fan) and also made me note The Band.

By 1976, Robertson was weary of touring. After having to cancel some tour dates due to Manuel suffering a severe neck injury in a boating accident in Texas, Robertson urged the Band to retire from touring with a massive Thanksgiving Day concert on November 25, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, California.[25] The concert featured a horn section with arrangements by Allen Toussaint, and a stellar list of guests, including Hawkins, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Ronnie Wood, Paul Butterfield, and Neil Diamond.
The concert was filmed by director Martin Scorsese: The Last Waltz. Another 'documentary' we should be grateful for Mr Scorsese to have made.

In 1983, the Band reformed and recommenced touring, though without Robertson.
While the reunited Band was touring, on March 4, 1986, Manuel committed suicide in his Florida motel room. The band participated in former Pink Floyd leader Roger Waters' The Wall Live in Berlin concert in 1990, and in Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert celebration in New York City in October 1992.

In 1994 Robertson appeared with Danko and Hudson as The Band for the second time since the original group broke up. The occasion was the induction of The Band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Helm, who has feuded with Robertson for years over accusations of stolen songwriting credits, did not attend.

Rick Danko died in his sleep at age 56 on 10 December 1999.

Robertson became a music producer and wrote movie soundtracks (including acting as music supervisor for several of Scorsese's films) before a highly praised comeback with a Daniel Lanois produced, eponymous solo album in 1987. He released a second solo album, Storyville, in 1991. Pity he stopped recording his music as I liked his solo productions very much.

In 2007 Levon Helm released a new album, an homage to his southern roots called Dirt Farmer, which was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album on 09 February 2008. Electric Dirt followed in 2009 which also won a Grammy Award. Helm regularly performs concerts at his barn in Woodstock, New York.
Chances are I'll never see him play, but I sure liked his CD's.
Helm has also had a considerable career as an actor, which I wasn't aware of. He has appeared in the movies The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Shooter, Smooth Talk, The Right Stuff, The Dollmaker, Feeling Minnesota, End of the Line, Coal Miner's Daughter and In the Electric Mist, among many others.

Links:
http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/theband/photos/collection/photo/1

http://www.thebandmusic.net/   (official site from Capitol Records)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_Robertson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levon_Helm

Having my leg in plaster and being mostly restricted to the couch, enables me to tackle that pile of unread books...

At the end of WW2 a number of former American pilots formed the "Flying Tiger Line", which soon became the world's leading air freight company.
In 1975 the Flying Tigers took part in relief efforts for cambodians who were surrounded by Khmer Rouge forces. The 'Ricelift' exposed the Tiger pilots to enormous risk. Though they were technically 'non-combatants', all this really meant was that they couldn't shoot back...

This is the memoir of Larry Partridge who, in a plane nicknamed 'Nancy' (which also became the callsign into Phnom Penh), after his wife, flew 52 missions into PNH during 1975, delivering rice and other supplies in hostile conditions (a noticable difference with the Berlin Airlift).
Published by McFarland & Company Inc., 2001.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7864-0768-2

Besides describing 'flight- & ground operations Saigon - Phnom Penh, against a background of advancing NVA troops in Vietnam, it describes the relations among the crew and their motivation and features a pet cockroach named Hiram and a 'mother' to the crew aged 13...

The Douglas DC-8-63AF N783FT (msn 46003) they flew is, remarkably, still around.
Its career took it, besides to Flying Tigers, also to Lufthansa Cargo, Air India and is currently listed with Air Transport Int'l.

I have described Flying Tigers in my gallery Airlines Remembered in a dedication HERE...

Another excellent book to read about the Flying Tiger Line, from start to finish is 'Tiger Tales' by Tiger captain LaVerne Moldrem. Recommended reading!
Another book I have (yet to read) is 'The Mighty Tiger', by Joe Brenner (Trafford Publishing, 2003).

The first chapter of 'Flying the Frontiers, Vol.3 by Shirlee Smith Matheson (subtitled 'Aviation Adventures Around the World') details the career of Cedric 'Ced' Mah, who really started his career as a Tiger pilot flying the 'Burma Hump'.

Links: Wikipedia Vietnam War and Wikipedia Flying Tiger Line
Flying Tiger Line Pilots Association www.flyingtigerline.org