Father and son walk across the cold and wretched post-apocalyptic world carrying only pieces of a map, a revolver and two bullets and whatever they are able to find from deserted villages and cities on their ‘road’. The story is a one about despair and universal nightmare – the world that ceased to exist – but at the same time it is brutal and terrifying, it is a beautiful story about hope and humanity.
Throughout the wearing wandering the boy and father go through short conversations about their own place in the world that is left with an extraordinary tenderness; for the father the son is his warrant to live. And for the son carrying the fire symbolizes them being the good guys.
They sat by the side of the road and ate the last of the apples.
What is it? The man said.
Nothing.
We’ll find something to eat. We always do.
The boy didn’t answer. The man watched him.
That’s not it, is it.
It’s okay.
Tell me.
The boy looked away down the road.
I want you to tell me. It’s okay.
He shook his head.
Look at me, the man said.
He turned and looked. He looked like he’d been crying.
Just tell me.
We wouldn’t ever eat anybody, would we?
No. Of course not.
Even if we were starving?
We’re starving now.
You said we weren’t.
I said we weren’t dying. I didn’t say we weren’t starving.
But we wouldn’t.
No. We wouldn’t.
No matter what.
No. No matter what.
Because we’re the good guys.
Yes.
And we’re carrying the fire.
And we’re carrying the fire. Yes.
Okay.
Posted in Books.
Tagged with Cormac McCarthy, The Road.
By MKL
– July 1, 2009
On Saturday, Secretary Clinton’s husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said:
What’s going on in Iran, really? … They have some ethnic differences there and some religious differences, but basically, this is about a government trying to deny the modern world.
“And the idea is they just don’t think they can keep control, if everybody gets to say what they really believe, and go where they really want, and be who they want to be. … And they’re right.”
Photo: Getty Images
Posted in Current Affairs.
Tagged with Bill Clinton, IR, Iran.
By MKL
– June 23, 2009
No no, it’s not about terrorism. No, it’s not about nukes either, nor about Ahmadinejad. It’s wheat fungus.
The L.A. Times reports:
Crop scientists fear the Ug99 fungus could wipe out more than 80% of worldwide wheat crops as it spreads from eastern Africa. It has already jumped the Red Sea and traveled as far as Iran. Experts say it is poised to enter the breadbasket of northern India and Pakistan, and the wind will inevitably carry it to Russia, China and even North America — if it doesn’t hitch a ride with people first.
“It’s a time bomb,” said Jim Peterson, a professor of wheat breeding and genetics at Oregon State University in Corvallis. “It moves in the air, it can move in clothing on an airplane. We know it’s going to be here. It’s a matter of how long it’s going to take.”
Though most Americans have never heard of it, Ug99 — a type of fungus called stem rust because it produces reddish-brown flakes on plant stalks — is the No. 1 threat to the world’s most widely grown crop.
The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Mexico estimates that 19% of the world’s wheat, which provides food for 1 billion people in Asia and Africa, is in imminent danger. American plant breeders say $10 billion worth of wheat would be destroyed if the fungus suddenly made its way to U.S. fields.
Hat tip: FP Passport
Posted in Current Affairs.
Tagged with agriculture, food.
By MKL
– June 15, 2009
Myytti ja mystiikka, muisti ja mielikuvitus kuuluvat yhteen, ja niiden potentiaali on suunnaton aivan riippumatta siitä, miten ’todellisia’ ne oikeastaan ovat. Raikkaille lähteille päästäksemme meidän pitää kuitenkin olla aina vlamiita kyseenalaistamaan yhä uudelleen, tulkitsemaan tuoreesti ja tarkastelemaan myyttien sisältöä ja merkitystä uusista näkökulmista. Muussa tapauksessa kulttuuria uhkaa tukahtuminen. Niin kävi muinaisissa imperiumeissa Egyptistä Roomaan, ja nyt kivettyminen koettelee kristittyä länsimaailmaa.
Alas Akropoliilta on toimittaja, kirjailija, runoilija Leif Salménin seitsämäs esseekokoelma ja jatkaa samaa linjaa Palatsi Bosborin Rannalla –kirjan kanssa. Salmén tarkastelee länsimaisen yhteiskunnan henkistä perintöä ja yhteiskunnan rappiota ja kehitystä . Hänen keskustelujensa päähenkilöitä ovat niin Sokrates ja Montaigne, kuin Musil, Marx sekä Spenglerkin – ja tapahtumapaikat vierivät läpi Euroopan ja Pohjois-Afrikan ja halki Yhdysvaltojen. Omalla tavallaan Salmén on eittämättä kosmopoliitti, jonka kuuluvimmaksi ääneksi jää kaikumaan vieraiden kulttuurien arvostuksen ehdottomuus.
Miettiessäni Asklepiosta, viimeistä jumalaa, jonka Sokrates mainitsi ennen kuolemaansa, tajuan nyt yhä hämmästyneempänä, että olen loppujen lopuksi optimisti. Sanotaan, ettei historiasta ole mitään opittavaa, mutta minä ainakin olen kaikesta elämästäni ja kokemastani oppinut, että julmimmatkin tragediat jäävät unholaan, ja vaikka Ikaros syöksyikin maahan, hänen isänsä Daidaloksen aatteet elävät edelleen. Ihmiskunnan mitta ei ole yksilö vaan maailma. Ihmiskunta nousee aina, vaikkakin arpisena ja kolhittuna katastrofin jäljiltä, katse tyhjänä ja tuijottavana, mutta pian sen haavaisille huulille nousee arka hymy, kun se muistaa mistä koostuu – meistä kaikista.
Posted in Books.
Tagged with Books, essays, Salmén.
By MKL
– June 12, 2009
Robert D. Kaplan had an interesting article, Revenge of Geography, in the new FP. And as usual Kaplan caused some controversy so the Revenge of Geographers was inevitable.
If you haven’t yet read either of the pieces, you can spend the next 15 minutes or so much worse.
Posted in Current Affairs, IR.
Tagged with Geography, IR, Robert D. Kaplan.
By MKL
– June 9, 2009
Florentino Pérez became the president of Real Madrid second time June 1, 2009. It took him only eight days to start his second Galácticos project with a signing of Kaka - one big signing a year, that brings more money that is spent on the player. In 2009 it was Kaka, so hopefully Man Utd will be able to hold for Cristiano Ronaldo for at least one more year. It is quite understandable actually, buying just one big player a year. If you wish to fund the transfer with added merchandise sales and sponsor deals, it wouldn’t make any sense to buy two or more players a season. All of them would be basically be eating the revenue rise from each other. So one big player a year it is. Hopefully. Because irreplaceable - that what Ronaldo is for Man Utd.
Luís Figo (£38.7m from FC Barcelona) - joined in 2000
Zinedine Zidane (£44m from Juventus) - joined in 2001
Ronaldo (£26m from Inter Milan) - joined in 2002
David Beckham (£25m from Manchester United) - joined in 2003
Kaka (£58.9m from AC Milan) - 2009
Posted in Uncategorized.
Tagged with Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, Figo, Florentino Perez, Galacticos, Kaka, Real Madrid, Ronaldo, Zidane.
By MKL
– June 9, 2009
What a Friday, having fun with WolframAlpha! Tomorrow I will do Olympic distance triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run) also just for fun, so it’ll be bloody funny weekend for me. But back to WolframAlpha for tonight, its quite fun tool to play with.
I can't say that aloud.
Top 10 WolframAlpha Easter Eggs
10 Even Better WolframAlpha Eggs
Hat tip: Mashable
Posted in My world.
Tagged with Triathlon, WolframAlpha.
By MKL
– June 5, 2009
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