The Winter of Enchantment or Where is Victoria Walker?

It has to be said that I don't really care where she is so much, as why she has stopped writing. In 1969, at the age of 21, she wrote a wonderful novel called The Winter of Enchantment. It is about a young boy, Sebastian, who, with the aid of a winking teapot, a magic mirror, and a cat who's swallowed a magic fish, rescues a girl from a hundred-year-long captivity and defeats the evil Enchanter.

The first I heard of this author was when I started hanging out at abebooks.com and abebooks.co.uk. There was a spirited discussion on the Booksleuth Forum about the book. That's great fun, BTW. If there's a book you loved, but the title and the author's name have escaped you, you can ask for help in the forum by giving as much info as possible. Example: "India. Repressed woman. Trip to caves. Trial". If all goes well, one or more helpful types will (virtually) jump up and down shouting, "A passage to India! A passage to India!".

Anyway, let us return to our muttons. It transpires that both The Winter of Enchantment and the sequel, A House Called Hadlows are out of print. There are only about six copies in private hands according to one poster.

I decided to try my library. Nothing in my branch, but Tunbridge Wells had a copy. I reserved it. It came. I read it. I LOVED it. A House Called Hadlows was at another library and I tried to reserve it. Alas, this library is out in the wilds of rural Kent where computers are unknown (they're still using those cardboard tickets and a stamp). The book could not be found. A copy can command about £450!!!!!!!!!! I told the librarian the good (or bad) news, and suggested that maybe they would like to take steps to make sure that The Winter of Enchantment does not do a disappearing act.

Write Neil Gaiman has taken up the trail as well. Check out the relevant entries at his site.

WOOHOO!! A new look. It was touch and go for a few minutes, but I've got my hedgehog and my search box so I'm happy.

What's in a name? revisited

I have just changed the name of the Blog from The Narcissistic Hedgehog to The Eclectic Hedgehog. Since so many disparate items take my fancy and are thrown together willy-nilly, I felt it was a more appropriate name. See the original explanation here.

OK, more Simpsons stuff: this time from The Guardian

Eat my lab coat Looking for good science on TV? Try the Simpsons, suggests Michael Gross Thursday October 30, 2003 The Guardian When my youngest daughter became addicted to the Simpsons, I found myself slowly drawn in. For her, the initial attraction was in the yellowness of the characters — yellow being her favourite colour. For me it was the humorous yet highly sophisticated angle the series offers on science. As far as I am concerned, it is abundantly clear that the people behind the Simpsons are proceeding with a scientific rationale. The core object of their investigation, the Simpson family, is a system trapped in a dynamic yet extremely stable equilibrium. In 14 years, and more than 300 episodes, virtually nothing has changed irreversibly. In every episode, the writers change just one parameter in order to probe the response of the equilibrium system. The change may temporarily affect many people in the Simpsons' home town of Springfield and turn their small world upside down, but by the end of the episode, the system will have returned to its initial state. The meandering path on which it returns allows us to observe the mechanisms of reactions between the system's components. For example: Homer breaks his jaw and has to wear a brace that doesn't allow him to speak. To break out of the isolation, he encourages others to speak to him about their problems and he learns to listen. Thus he is suddenly seen as a thoughtful and understanding person by all around him. Other initial disturbances include Bart and Lisa being transferred to different schools, Marge rediscovering high school admirers, and Grandpa Simpson falling in love. Each of these experiments triggers major reactions, but by the end of the episode, everything is back to normal. Notable exceptions to this rule are the Halloween episodes, forming a mini-series under the title Treehouse of Horror. In total reversal of the general policy, these episodes feature "magical" and unrealistic events that snowball into ever bigger catastrophes, leading ever farther from the normal state. While the normal episodes illustrate the "negative feedback" situation, where changes result in forces that lead back to the initial state, the Halloween episodes show positive feedback, where a small change can trigger a major catastrophe, and the planet is eventually taken over by dolphins, zombies, aliens or some such. Circumstantial evidence for the scientific thinking behind the series is found in many science-based jokes featuring the laws of thermodynamics, nuclear power and evolution (often greatly egged on by radiation leaks from the nuclear power station where Homer works). Modern technology is represented not only by the power station, but also in advances such as the town's notoriously flawed and pointless monorail. While there is no criticism of the technology as such, its failure is shown to result from the involvement of stupid operators (Homer responding to imminent meltdown at the power station by playing "eenie-meenie-minie-mo" with the control buttons, for example), greedy proprietors, and gullible customers. Lack of scientific knowledge in the general public is a recurring theme. Homer, of course, represents the absolute zero level of scientific literacy. When the family is playing scrabble and he moans, "Nobody can make a word with these letters," we are then given a glimpse of the letters aligned in front of him: "O X I D I Z E." Even though his job at the power plant would in theory require some knowledge of physics, glimpses of understanding are extremely rare. (Although they are worth waiting for. When Bart is busy building a perpetuum mobile for a school project, for example, Homer storms around shouting: "In this house we obey the laws of thermodynamics!") Homer's daughter Lisa is the person to turn to for competent scientific answers on everything from astronomy to zoology. On some occasions, she even gets to practise real scientific research, for example when she isolates the pheromone that makes bullies attack nerds, and when she compares Bart's intelligence with that of a hamster. Her scientific prowess does her little good, however, as most of the other characters are too dumb to appreciate herknowledge. She also lacks role models, as the only scientist to appear regularly is a "mad inventor" style nerd. Thus, while extending the scientific method of experimental analysis to the field of cartoon series, the Simpsons presents some sobering lessons to real-life scientists. I love the fact that we have a TV format where you can mention thermodynamics without scaring people away. But as my kids and I are getting close to having seen all the episodes, and there is the danger that the Simpsons may come to an end at some point, we desperately need more TV made by people who care about scientific understanding, not about blinding their viewers with techno-babble. In other words, please give us less kryptonite and warp drive, and more power stations and three-eyed fish. Michael Gross is a science writer in residence at the school of crystallography, Birkbeck College, University of London. His latest book, Light and Life, is available from Oxford University Press.

If Professor Frink is reading this, perhaps he would care to e-mail me his comments.

"When troubles come they come not single spies but in battalions", and that's all I want to say about this disastrous year.

On to more important things:

The Independent had a piece on Fox's lawsuit against The Simpsons D'OH!

Doh! Murdoch's Fox News in a spin over 'The Simpsons' lawsuit By Andrew Buncombe in Washington 29 October 2003 Serious news is no laughing matter. Especially at Fox News Channel. That, at least, is the allegation of The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, who has accused Rupert Murdoch's "fair and balanced" news channel of threatening legal action after a particularly pointed episode poked fun at Fox. The episode in question featured a "Fox News Crawl" at the bottom of the screen, which parodied some of the more unlikely items featured by the right-wing news channel. The cartoon ticker read: "Pointless news crawls up 37 per cent ... Do Democrats cause cancer? Find out at foxnews.com ... Rupert Murdoch: Terrific dancer ... Dow down 5000 points ... Study: 92 per cent of Democrats are gay ... JFK posthumously joins Republican Party ... Oil slicks found to keep seals young, supple ..." Mr Groening told National Public Radio that, after the cartoon was broadcast last year on Fox Entertainment Channel, he was threatened with legal action by the news channel. He said: "We did the crawl along the bottom of the screen. Fox said they would sue the show. And we called their bluff because we didn't think Rupert Murdoch would pay for Fox to sue itself. We got away with it. "But now Fox has a new rule that we can't do those little fake news crawls on the bottom of the screen in a cartoon because it might confuse the viewers into thinking it's real news." Yesterday, Robert Zimmerman [any relation to Bob Dylan?], a spokesman for Fox News Channel, denied that the news channel had ever threatened a lawsuit. "We are scratching our heads over here," he said. "We liked the cartoon. We thought it was great." Earlier this year, Fox tried to sue the comedian Al Franken over his book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them. The suit was thrown out of court and the publicity helped Mr Franken's book become a bestseller. 29 October 2003 10:56

The Achinoam Nini Page "The Web's first and largest Achinoam Nini fan site". So says its creator, (and I think it's great, and much better than the official site); he goes on to say that Noa is "Israel's greatest female singer". There I part company from him: I think that honour goes to Chava Alberstein. Ofra Haza would have been in the running too, had she lived. Forget her disco stuff — listen to Yemenite Songs. I believe that has also been released under the title Fifty Gates of Wisdom.

Nevertheless, Noa is wonderful. I'm listening to her singing Nocturno, and it's sending shivers down my spine. Here is a translation of the lyrics taken from the CD liner notes. They are by Leah Goldberg and have been translated from the Hebrew. Can't find details of the translator.

All the stars hidden away
and the moon in a pich black night
From the north
to Yemen
not a ray of light.

Morning, loyal widower
clutch your grey sack tight
From the north
to Yemen
not a ray of light.

No light, not a ray of light.

Light a small white candle
in this darkened tent,
this heart of mine
From the north
and south to Yemen
then a brilliant light will shine!

The light, the light will shine.

Ay caramba! Is it really this long.

A most heartening article in my daily e-mail from the BBC today, on the role of painkillers in preventing Alzheimer's. There is even hope that a treatment may follow. If there is an upside to my taking anti-inflammatories for all these years, it must be that.

Blogging is big business according to New biz on the blog, an article in today's Guardian. Apparently "Weblogs are one of the few things online still capable of generating both media buzz and bucks".

WOOHOO!!!!



CNN.com - Fox renews 'Simpsons' through 2005 - Jan. 17, 2003

Message from Blogger Control in response to my issue: one of the BlogSpotPlus servers was down — hence the disappearing archives. That hasn't resolved my problem with the other two blogs though. Think I'll let the dust settle for a few days in the hope it'll right itself.

Now to more sensible matters. The Daily Mail [yuk] has published a fearless exposé of Kabbalah, which it calls a religion. Firstly, Kabbalah is not a religion: it is a mystical expression of Judaism. Secondly, the 'pop' Kabbalah espoused by Madonna et al has nothing to do with 'real' Kabbalah. For more on the latter go to Aish.com and click on Spirituality and then on Kabbalah101. You will find only good wholesome fare there. The site makes it clear that the study of Kabbalah cannot be divorced from the study of Torah.

WOOHOO!!! they're back, they're back! My own dear little Archives.

I want my Archives (and I want them NOW!!!)! I've had nothing but trouble since I opened the new blogs!!!!

WOOHOO!

Cracked it! I'm up to my ears in new blogs. Must have been a temporary glitch .

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Ever the optimist, I tried using Netscape. No luck!

I don't understand how I can publish this blog and not others.

Throws self out of pram.

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STILL SULKING

I tried applying under a different user name and going for a basic blogspot. Same problem. What is happening. Checked at Blogger control. My 'issue' is still unreviewed.

Throws out rattle to join teddy.

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[SULKING]

I just opened a new blog, but every time I try to post to it I get the message "oops, not ready to publish. Try again" (or words to that effect). I popped over to support, and, sure enough, that very issue was covered — last September, when Blogger was hoping to resolve it soon. I can do it through my own ftp client, uploading the page like a regular web page, but that's not the point.

Throws teddy out of pram.

I'm a Type Four — what are you?


Enneagram Institute

free enneagram test

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Not sure if I've posted this before (I'm blogging from a distance thanks to "Blog This!"), but it's excellent, so no apologies for doing it again.GRiM Software has produced this great little inspirational tool for writers called "Musings". Best of all, it's FREE.

Lord of the Rings
I haven't seen either of the films — I thought Tolkien's trilogy was too wonderful to risk spoiling it. But here's a fun site. Have you ever wondered what your Elvish or Hobbit name might be? I'm sure you have. Well fret no more. Help is at hand. Click on the links below and all will be revealed.

I journeyed to Middle Earth and found that my Elvish name is Eámanë Elanessë (Nindë Elanessë if I use my full forename). My Hobbit name is Bramblerose Hardbottle, which doesn't thrill me mightily; if I use my full forename it is the marginally more agreeable Flora Hardbottle.

From Personal Journaling Magazine: The Art of the Blog.
Also from the magazine at WritersDigest.com, advice on how to "Create a Journaling Space"

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Hubris!!! (See my post of 4 Jan) We are now in the grip of snow and ice (in this neck of the woods it's more the latter) and have been for the last few days. I believe it started on Monday. The wind this afternoon, although very strong, seems a little warmer, or, at any rate, less cutting.

Another cheesy quiz

Results...
What Cheese Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Oh yeah — it's stopped snowing

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It's snowing! And here's the proof:



It won't last long — it rarely does in the sub-tropical paradise that is this little corner of the South-East. Nevertheless, the children opposite are making a valiant attempt at a snowball fight. Not bad considering the snow cover must be all of 1 cm thick.

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Auld Lang Syne: a rant

Below are the words of the poem by Burns. This is not the only version, but it is the one sung all over the world as the New Year begins. Or is it? Hands up who thinks I've made a mistake? Who thinks the fourth line should read "For the sake of auld lang syne"? If you do, then this rant is aimed at you. You are responsible for my starting the New Year, every New Year, with gritted teeth. If you are a Scot, then shame on you. Things seems to go better across 'the pond' — well they do in the movies and TV, which is sadly my only experience of the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Auld lang syne means simply "days long past" or "the good old days" or words to that effect. So asking if one should forget one's old friends for the sake of the good old days is nonsensical. Obviously the malefactors (who seem to be in the majority) are confusing the last line of the first verse with the last line of the chorus. That is an explanation: not an excuse [wags finger].

To find out more about the songs, and to see more versions and more verses, go to Cantaria, A Critical Analysis of Auld Lang Syne, or The Singing Christmas Tree.

And a Happy 2003 to one and all!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my Dear,
For auld lang syne.
We'll tak a cup o kindness yet
For auld lang syne

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Is it my imagination, or is there a strong Portuguese/Brazilian presence on Blogger? Perhaps the lusophones are just better at updating. It seems to me that a goodly preponderance of updated blogs, when one follows the link, are in Portuguese. I don't speak it, but I do speak Spanish so I can make out a page of written Portuguese without too much difficulty — though not well enough to tell whether it's the Portuguese of Portugal or Brazil (or Mozambique, Angola, Goa or Macao for that matter).

Useless fact number 999: Mozambique is a member of the Commonwealth and is as far as I know the only member state not to have been part of the old British Empire. But do they play cricket? Still, not playing cricket is no bar to memberhsip — after all, we don't play it in England these days!!!! Come on, lads, I know Australia is invincible, but a team of visiting aliens from Alpha Centauri who hadn't been told the rules could put up a better showing.

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I was woken from a dream this morning, not by a person from Porlock, but by a Jack Russell demanding her Beggin' Strip. The dream vanished almost immediately, but left in its wake a sense of something vital and significant. Maybe fragments will return during the day.

One thing I do remember from the dream is a friend referring to a poem she had once read. I realized she was talking about October Dawn by Ted Hughes, and also remember my feeling of surprise that she didn't know that. The poem is at once so right and so unexpected (as all good poetry should be), that I'm posting it here for others to enjoy.

October Dawn
by Ted Hughes

October is marigold, and yet
A glass half full of wine left out

To the dark heaven all night, by dawn
Has dreamed a premonition

Of ice across its eye as if
The ice-age had begun its heave.

The lawn overtrodden and strewn
From the night before, and the whistling green

Shrubbery are doomed,   Ice
Has got its spearhead into place.

First a skin, delicately here
Restraining a ripple from the air;

Soon plate and rivet on pond and brook;
Then tons of chain and massive lock

To hold rivers.   Then, sound by sight
Will Mammoth and Sabre-tooth celebrate

Reunion while a fist of cold
Squeezes the fire at the core of the world,

Squeezes the fire at the core of the heart,
And now it is about to start.

Ted Hughes, The Hawk in the Rain, 1957

Interesting piece in today's Grauniad about the Centropa project: "Combining oral history with family snapshots and old Jewish community photo albums, the Centropa project is also unearthing valuable records of once- vibrant but now vanished Jewish communities in central Europe."

BTW, that's not a typo in my first sentence. Back in the good old days BC (Before Computers), when papers were churned out on great big printing presses, The Guardian was notorious for its typos, earning it the affectionate nickname above.

Listening ad infinitum to Noa singing Nocturno (see Archive 12/01/01-12/07/01, entry for 7 December - sorry, too tired to do a proper link). It sends shivers up my spine.

Another quiz: this time it's my aura. I expected sludge brown but was pleasantly surprised.

What Is Your True Aura Colour?
brought to you by Quizilla

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Just found Everyday Warriors "A gathering place of comfort, information and support for people of all ages who battle chronic illness, physical or mental challenges and for those who care for them." Since I fall into all the categories, I hope to find it a place of refuge. Meanwhile there are the joys of Soul Food Café to refresh my spirit. I shall lose myself in this lovely labyrinth. I think it is as much the wondrous Heather Blakey's affinity with Greek myth that enchants me as anything. I once saw the world in the hard bright glory of those ancient tales. Where did all that glory go?

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This site is amazing — a garden of delights for aspiring writers. The Soul Food Café is its name, and it certainly lives up to it. So taken by it am I that I've made it one of my permanent links.

In the words of another famous diarist^*, "And so to bed."

^*It was Samuel Pepys. But then you knew that.

Had a little tech difficulty. Couldn't work out why my first message today was dated 10 December!! Then I realized it was because I selected text from an unpublished post from that date, pressed Ctrl +X and pasted my new message in its place. I should have deleted the whole lot. Annoyed because it means my times are wrong (yes, I know, get a life). The advantage of Live Journal is that one can alter the time manually. The disadvantage is that one can't post pics (unless linking to them from another site).

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Just found Diarist.net. Looks like a good find. In its own words it's "a comprehensive starting-point for both writers and readers of online journals. Whether you call us diarists, journalers, or bloggers, we've got everything you need to know all about the people who tell all."

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Ooops. It's been a while. Still now that the festering season is over, perhaps I shall make more regular entries. Although if Tony Blair is right, we should all, in the words of Noel Coward, "unpack our troubles from our old kitbags and wait until we drop down dead."

I've just found this site. It's a journal resources page. No idea if it's any good because I haven't looked at it properly yet.