Morocco - Honored Guest

In yesterday's post, I mentioned that Morocco is the Guest of Honor at the 2012 International Book Fair in Geneva.

As a result, in addition to several books, as well as other displays and exhibitions featured throughout the Palexpo center, the book fair program includes sessions about the place of books in Morocco, seminars on current political and cultural developments there and tributes to various deceased Moroccan writers. Special attention is being given to women and children in writings. There is also a workshop on Arabic calligraphy.

At the entrance to the Moroccan bookstore section, I was delighted to find a book that is a modern reprint of French Romantic painter Eugene Delacroix's sketchbook and diaries from his travels in North Africa in 1832, when he accompanied a diplomatic mission to Morocco and Algeria shortly after the French had conquered Algeria. The mission set sail from Toulon, France, landed at Tangier, Morocco and then traveled across Morocco into Algeria, returning to France via Oran and Algiers. Delacroix's artwork was profoundly affected by these travels and the colorful sketches from his journals served as inspiration for some of his most famous paintings. Delacroix would have been inspired by some of the exhibits, such as this display of a saddle, musket and riding boots, probably very like those he observed firsthand and painted.

Two young Moroccan women, dressed in kaftans, greeted visitors to the bookshop,

and two other kaftan-clad hostesses were ready to treat visitors to a tea ceremony with the tiny multi-colored glasses that are used to hold the very hot, very sweet mint tea that is served everywhere in Morocco,

while another display case featured sumptuous - and likely heavy - ceremonial kaftans and headdresses.

One display featured a selection of traditional musical instruments

while in another area, a musician enchanted several children by playing the oud.

There were examples of mosaics, crafts that North Africans carried with them to the Iberian peninsula,

copper worked receptacles,

and Berber jewelry,

as well as displays featuring the bounty of Moroccan agriculture, such as grains,

spices and scents.

All in all, my visit to the exhibits at the book far provided a lovely reminder of the beautiful and exotic country where I spent eight years of my adult life among lovely people and had many life-enriching and life-changing experiences, including the birth of my second son in Tangier some 135 years after Delacroix had first landed there. As it had with Delacroix and has with so many others before and since, Morocco also worked its magic on me.
   

Books, Books Everywhere!

It is very heartening for those of us who, much as we may appreciate the convenience of reading on Kindle or other electronic devices, still love the shape, feel, smell and texture of an authentic book to see that despite all, the Geneva International Book Fair is still going strong. I know, for example, that my young grandchildren will almost always choose to settle down to thumb through a well-loved book even when there are other noisier, glitzier and more colorful distractions around even though they are also able to manipulate iPads, Androids and their ilk much more competently than I.

Yesterday, I visited the Book Fair with Friend J. The Fair is the 26th one to date. It began Wednesday, 25 April and will run through Sunday at the Geneva Palexpo. Part of the exposition dealt with opportunities for students to have study experiences abroad

in order to learn languages - not merely English - literally to open themselves to the world.  And yes, the Police also had a stand!

Books in French, including textbooks for the very young, dominated the displays.

In addition, there were some books in English, including an impressive display of books stressing the learning of English as a Second Language. When I stopped to take a photo of this display, one of the attendants chuckled and exclaimed that I was the first person she had seen take a photo of the English ESL books. Ah well, it takes all kinds!

There was a large area dedicated to books, mostly in French, from African authors and dealing with African topics, history and cultures.

Several people - young and old - were gathered for a presentation.

Being a weekday morning, the Palexpo was not as crowded as it will be tomorrow and Sunday. But I was happy to see that many visitors were there all the same. Reading must play a major role in any civilized society. Perhaps one indication of a society's degeneration is when it no longer places significant value on books or the learning and knowledge they represent. For a bibliophile such as myself, the experience was wonderful.

It was heightened further because the Book Fair Guest of Honor for 2012 was Morocco, a country I have long considered as a very special place and that has played significant roles in my own life, changing it entirely, in fact.

More on the Moroccan expositions in a later post ...

If it's 2012, it's time for another Doomsday Prediction!

For most of us, just getting through the daily routine, whether it be employment outside the home - or within, child-rearing, studying, reading, writing, exercising, visiting or whatever, is enough to keep us occupied. There are others, however, who are less preoccupied with the "now" that we are experiencing here on our beleaguered planet. They are more preoccupied with the future, and an apocalyptic one at that.

Some sources for this apocalyptic vision derive from eschatological (end-of-time) writings in the three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam). Others may derive from doomsday scenarios in various non-Abrahamic religions. For a recap of such religious-based beliefs and scenarios, see this article. It also seems that every year, there has been at least one off-the-wall religious figure who has predicted the end of the world with such specificity that he (invariably, this individual is a "he) is left with significant egg on his face. Even worse, many of his subsequently disappointed - and disillusioned - followers acted on his predictions to their personal, professional or financial detriment. This was recently the case with the predictions of Harold Camping in 2011. It was equally the case with similar predictions Camping made in 1988 and 1994.

P.T. Barnum may seriously have underestimated how many incredibly gullible people are born every minute.

In 2012, however, numerologists such as Camping are pinning their hopes on the "magic date" of 21 December 2012, i.e., 21-12-2012. The twenty-first day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of the second millennium is also regarded as the end-date of a 5,125-year cycle in the Mayan calendar. According to non-mainstream interpretations, the date will trigger a series of cataclysmic and transformative events leading either to the End of Days - or some close facsimile thereof.

There is money to be made on such beliefs, and potentially lots of it. Some, for example, are attempting to do a thriving business by selling Doomsday shelters. One facility based in Nebraska in the US touts itself as the developer of the "largest, strongest and most defensible ... shelter in North America, accommodating up to 900 people for up to one year of autonomous, underground survival" and is selling membership spaces at USD 25,000 per person. Imagine! A family of four can be saved for a year after a cataclysmic event, providing that they can fork over USD 100,000 up front and providing that space is still available. Of course, getting to the location, described as "centrally-located within a one-day drive from virtually everywhere" - which is a real stretch for me here in Central Europe, presupposes that there are drivable roads and functioning gas pumps for fuel. In case one gets bored while waiting for the year to pass, there are potential outdoor activities available. The area is surrounded by "excellent farming, fishing, hunting and water resources." It almost sounds like a vacation, assuming of course, that those "excellent resources" are not destroyed in the cataclysmic events. In case you are interested, you can find a list of the features provided here. I personally love the idea of the "fully-stocked wine cellar." In fact, I have one of those right here so I think I'll pass on relocating.

This is not the only site selling ready-made shelters, as can be seen even with a cursory internet search. The US, probably the country most preoocupied with this 2012 Doomsday phenomenon, is also a nation intensely preoccupied with reality television. It is thus no surprise that there is a TV reality series entitled "Doomsday Preppers," described as exploring "the lives of otherwise ordinary Americans who are preparing for the end of the world as we know it." What is a surprise - to me, at least - is that the series is being shown on the National Geographic Network, up to now considered a comparatively serious network.

I am seriously wondering just how rampant insanity in the US has become.

I was not at all reassured by the real estate section of yesterday's Geneva Tribune. It contained a short article describing a structure being built in Kansas that is probably one logical conclusion of the Doomsday phenomenon, at least for the very wealthy. This structure, a creative use of a former Cold War missile site, will offer luxury accommodations - underground, of course - and will also feature an indoor farm that will provide enough fish and vegetables to sustain up to 70 people for as long as needed. Of course, the price for accommodations here is USD 7 million, making the USD 25,000 per person for the Nebraska shelter seem somewhat paltry. Four buyers have already expressed interest.

Only in America. Sigh.

More Scandinavian "Noir"

In an earlier post, I noted the growing fascination hereabouts with a genre broadly known as "Scandinavian 'Noir.'" The first glimmerings of this came with the amazing posthumous success of Swedish writer Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy of novels featuring Lisbeth Salander, who is one of the most original - certainly among the most asocial - female characters in literature.

Scandinavian police procedurals, such as the Kurt Wallander series from the pen of Swedish writer Henning Mankell, have also become popular. In fact, British actor Kenneth Branagh was so enthralled by the possibilities in their plots that he obtained Mankell's permission to recreate the original Swedish TV series (shown with English subtitles in the UK) in English, with himself as star. I have viewed both the subtitled Swedish and the Branagh versions and have enjoyed both. Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo has written a series of best-selling crime novels featuring Detective Harry Hole. I have not yet seen any of these novels staged for TV, but with the phenomenal success of the Swedish crime writers, can a Norwegian TV series be far behind?

Last fall, I was introduced to "The Killing," a wonderfully suspenseful Danish series that is extremely popular worldwide, even in the original Danish with subtitles. The lead female role, that of Detective Sarah Lund, is wonderfully portrayed by Danish actress Sofie Grabol, who has also raised global consciousness about Faroe Islands jumpers (pullover sweaters in American English) to an extent that she should receive a commission on sales. I am not alone in anticipating Series III on this side of The Pond this fall.

Earlier this year, another Danish series, "Those Who Kill," introduced another quirky Danish police detective, Katrin Ries Jensen. While local friends and I enjoyed the series, it never enjoyed the viewer share in Denmark that it was expected to receive and thus will not continue beyond this season. We unhappy viewers elsewhere in Europe were slightly mollified when BBC 4, which my local cable channel provides as part of its service, began showing a brand-new Danish-Swedish series, "The Bridge." I viewed the first two episodes last night and was not at all disappointed. Again, a female detective, Swedish this time and named Saga Noren, is in one of the lead roles. She must, however, collaborate with her male Danish counterpart Martin Rohde to solve a series of murders that involve both jurisdictions.

While Sarah Lund will likely remain my preferred Scandinavian female sleuth (Lisbeth Salander is in a class of her own because she does not function within institutional systems or boundaries but rather in spite of them), Saga Noren is, in my opinion, the quirkiest of the three detectives. Her lack of inhibition in matters sexual matches that of Lisbeth Salander. All four females share a single-mindedness that borders on obsession in their quests for answers.

Still, it is refreshing to see female characters who are allowed to be every bit as effective as males in similar positions are usually seen. If some scenes raise eyebrows, perhaps that means that we should finally realize - once and for all - that women are not lesser beings. If their behavior in some circumstances is unacceptable to some simply because they are women, perhaps that same behavior should also be unacceptable when men do it.
 

Mother Nature and Equipoise

Both yesterday and today, I ventured out on my bicycle even though the forecast was for more April showers. Here, for example, is one of the views that greeted me today.

While I did have some scattered raindrops and faced a strong headwind on my return home, I was glad that I had made the effort. The gathering clouds presented some spectacular contrasts.

But most of all, I was enchanted when a red squirrel darted across my path. In this post from 2010, I wrote about experiencing a similar event. This time, however, instead of vanishing into the foliage along the path, the little creature scampered up the trunk of a nearby birch tree. I dismounted and pulled out my camera, hoping to get a shot, but the little squirrel was simply too shy. I could get occasional glimpses of its tufted ears and its russet tail, but it remained obstinately out of sight - certainly out of view of my little camera's capacities. So, I moved on, once more delighted at this rare sighting.

So this makes two sightings in little more than two years of the elusive and increasingly rare little creature. Because this location was quite a distance from my previous sighting, I dare to hope that it was an additional and not simply the same squirrel. Perhaps they are making a comeback. One can hope.

Other wildlife species considered vanished from this area also seem to be making a comeback, although not everyone is delighted by that. Thus, the Geneva Tribune reported this week that cameras positioned at various points on the Saleve, the mountain located in France that looms over Geneva and that features in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein, captured photos of a wolf several times at the end of March.

Those familiar with the origin of the novel may remember that Ms Shelley, at the time Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, was spending the summer with her future husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and other literary friends at a villa on Lake Geneva rented by Lord Byron. The weather being rainy and cold, not conducive to wandering about the countryside or other activities, the group decided to amuse themselves by having a competition to determine who could write the best horror story. Thus, this world-famous novel was born.

The cameras were placed on the Saleve in the hopes of capturing photos of a lynx. While the lynx has still proven elusive, scientist were surprised to see that there is at least one wolf there. Neighboring livestock owners are not at all excited by this, much like similar controversies surrounding the return of the wolf that continue in my own native Montana.

But I live in hope that we can all manage to find some way to coexist. Mother Nature apparently believes that we can.

Visiting in the Rain

April showers have certainly come this year, almost with a vengeance in their frequency. As I mentioned before, this is generally a good thing around because the winter months here in the lakeside plain area were much too dry. Still, what is rain on the plain becomes snow in the mountains. I've noticed, with some trepidation for the mountain-based communities, that the high mountain snow that was beginning to melt now appears to have been replenished. So there will be even more of it to melt. Still, life goes on.

Thus yesterday, along with Sweet Momma I, I set off for Lausanne to visit a mutual friend, Sweet Momma B, who is currently living there with her son, little Prince M and his father Proud Dad Big J. There were some moments, as here, when the sun broke through the clouds to shine in the Lausanne streets.

The young family are now living in Lausanne while Big J completes his MBA course at IMD, a top-ranked business school, self-described as "a world pioneer in executive education." IMD certainly attracts some high-powered visitors. Former US President Bill Clinton is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech on "Embracing Common Humanity" for the IMD Excellence Forum on 20 May.

Sweet Momma B is expecting another little one in May and, although looking very well, is getting quite fatigued in these latter stages. While she will relinquish one reason for this fatigue - her part-time position - today, the principal reason for it is lively little Prince M.  Prince M will remain a constant, albeit very sweet, burden.

As with all little boys I have known, Prince M loves a challenge, this one in the form of a light pole that he wants to push out of the way.

Seeing that his strength is not quite up to the task, he abandons the challenge with a sweet, if mischievous, smile, intended to charm and save face.

After a nice visit with the growing family, I returned home by train, leaving Sweet Momma I clear sailing to pick up her daughters at their respective schools in Geneva. Traipsing towards my apartment from the train station, I noticed a lovely, if quickly fading, rainbow.

Eternal reminder that the current April showers will one day cease and that the May flowers will arrive in abundance, this rainbow was much appreciated. Unfortunately, the rainbow's promise does not hold true for the coming weekend.

Jelly Bean Vignettes

Like all of her cousins, Princess Jelly Bean loves treats like popsicles. They take her full-time concentration while they last - which is never too long.

Like her cousin Princess Butterfly, Princess Jelly Bean likes to try out new hair styles

even when she still doesn't have too much hair! Don't worry, little one, that hair will grow a lot, especially if you are anything like your Proud Grandmom Healer Sis!

She also likes to try her hand at the guitar, especially with a kind helping hand from a friend.

She loves being a cowgirl - just wait until she's able to ride a horse too!

But being very little still, she loves most of all to settle down and take a nap with her honey-bear bottle.

Like all of her cousins, she is growing up much too fast!

Rover to the Rescue

In the past couple years, it appears that more and more individuals around the world have found that they are involuntarily sharing space with some very unwelcome critters: bed bugs! According to the on-line Wiki article, bed bugs were nearly eradicated in the developed world in the early 1940s. Since the mid-90s, however, they have made a sensational - if uncomfortable for us all - comeback. As recently as March 2012, ABC News reported that pest control companies in the US have reported a 33.6 per cent increase in treatments to kill the pesky and unwanted little visitors. Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Los Angeles rank among the Top Five US cities for the number of bed bug treatments performed between January and December 2011.

In 2010, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) released its first-ever comprehensive global bed bug study to determine the extent of beg bug resurgence. The study concluded that the world is "on the threshold of a bed bug pandemic." So, along with all the world's other problems, we now have to confront a pandemic from pests that were nearly eradicated in the first half of the last century. This is definitely two steps backward. At least.

Bed bugs are infecting homes, apartments, retail stores, offices, places of worship, college dorms, hospitals, day cares, modes of transportation, movie theaters - basically all places where human beings live and gather. They are the size and color of an apple seed, like to travel and will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes. Besides mattresses and headboards, which used to be their usual haunts, they can now be found behind electrical switch plates, baseboards, picture frames, wall paper, upholstery and in furniture crevices. They are more difficult to treat for than cockroaches, ants and termites.

But "Man's Best Friend" offers hope. In response to a pest control market gap, the Florida Canine Academy trains "BedBugDogs" to detect bed bugs. The academy certifies the dogs and sells them. In fact, two are present and working for Scandog, a local Geneva business, which bills itself as the first Swiss company specializing in the detection of bed bugs.

Local businessman Didier Frey and his two certified BedBugDogs, Lucky, a Jack Russell terrier and Mailo, a golden lab, provide this service. Lucky specializes in smaller spaces while Mailo patrols larger ones. They were featured in Saturday's Geneva Tribune and have also received recognition in "News on Dogs."

While I hope that I will never need their services, it's good to know that they're around! 

Grand National Update

Although she did not win the Grand National yesterday, jockey Katie Walsh acquitted herself marvelously, coming in an exceedingly respectable third. For a time, it seemed as if she might actually win the extremely grueling four-mile+ race, but in the last few seconds, her mount Seabass was caught by Sunnyhillboy, who was himself caught at the wire by the eventual winner, Neptune Collonges, in a photo finish. The winning horse was later paraded around his home village in Somerset, to the delight of hundreds of villagers.

The race began late when one of the favorites, the gorgeous Synchronised, winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup race earlier this year, tossed his rider during the grandstand parade. He cantered off, thoroughly enjoying himself and delayed the start of the race until he could be collected and remounted. The start of the race was further delayed by two false starts with horse breaking through the starting tape early. Synchronised then managed to lose his rider again at the fence known as Becher's Brook on the first circuit of the course and galloped merrily along, continuing to jump, until he incurred a fracture to a hind leg. Another horse, According to Pete, fell at Becher's Brook during the second  circuit and also fractured a leg. So my wish for a safe race for all was not granted.

To the devastation of their owners - both horses were home-bred, practically family members - the injuries were such that both animals had to be euthanized. It was particularly sad for Synchronised's following who were looking forward to a double win.  As required, an investigation into the injuries is ongoing, but is currently at an advanced stage.

This is the second year in a row that two horses have died while attempting to negotiate the complex and exhausting Grand National course. Following last year's tragedy, improvements were made in accordance with safety recommendations. This year's events will likely result in additional modifications. This particular race is prima facie dangerous. But even knowing that and accepting those risks will never replace the beautiful animals who are sacrificed to it even while they give those of us who view them the thrill of a lifetime.

Spring Springing Up All Over

We have certainly had our share of April showers this month. This is excellent because the past winter was much too dry here in the plains around the lake. Given the voluminous snowfalls in the mountains, which have - in spite of the strong Swiss franc - helped to make the ski season profitable in the communities that depend on tourism, it is likely that some parts of Switzerland will later on have more problems with flooding than with drought. But for right now, farmers, gardeners and plants in this area are happy to see the moisture. Colors from one of the small community gardens nearby are brightening up a still drab outdoors.

Much of this community garden is still lying fallow. Plant covers, such as that to the left in this photo, are still protecting fragile sprouts from temperatures that have made this April the coolest of the past three years.

Of late I have had to seize a moment between showers to get in a bike ride. But yesterday morning was one of the nicest in several days, so I attempted one of my favorite paths, which has become green once again.

Today, I am happy to spend this afternoon indoors watching one of the classic English race meets, that held at Aintree. In about an hour, the famous Grand National steeplechase will take place. While there are lots of potential story lines, one that particularly cheers me up is that there are two women jockeys, Katie Walsh and her sister-in-law, Nina Carberry, in the classic race this year. Both hail from Anglo-Irish racing dynasties and both will be mounted on horses that could win. They're both getting backing from the racing public.

What great fun if one of them could win! Velvet Brown, the famous fictional jockey who won the Grand National in National Velvet and who was denied the win simply because she was female would be fully vindicated! So I am naturally rooting for both female hockeys. Whatever happens, I hope that all 40 horses and their jockeys will have a good race and wish especially that no horse and no jockey will be hurt. That has happened much too often of late.

Being Brothers

Prince Tyger spent more than two years being the major focus of attention in his family. And well he should have! But beginning late in 2010, Little Bro, Prince Lightning, arrived. Since that time, both Princes have had to share the limelight. Things went pretty well so long as Prince Lightning couldn't really get around too much

and, so long as he did what his adored Big Bro wanted him too and stayed where Big Bro wanted him to stay and didn't play with Big Bro's toys, things weren't too bad.

Of course, even when Prince Lightning became fully mobile, he still couldn't run around after balls in a field quite as fast as Prince Tyger could. At least, not without getting help from Proud Dad Big T.

Now, when Big T and Sweet Momma H attend events and family gatherings, Prince Tyger has to share the attention with Little Bro.

But having a brother means that there's also someone to share the fun with!

Which can really keep Big T and Sweet Momma H on their toes!

Happy Easter!

Brightly-hued tulips and other spring flowers are showing up in the local planters, such as this one along the Lake Road. Another sign of spring is that the little buvette (snackbar) down by the boat landing dock has now officially opened, seven days out of seven, from 9 am to 7 pm.

Last weekend, decorations began in earnest for at least two of the local fountains. Here is the one by the boat landing that features a bunny with a family of chicks.

and here is a close up of the little tableau.

Decorating the fountains is an Easter tradition in the canton of Vaud. This year, however, the bunny theme is replicated in store fronts as well. Woops, I see that my legs are reflected in the glass. Yikes!

The main fountain is located right in front of one of the local pastry-chocolate shops. Pastry and chocolate forme a wonderful combination, IMO. Once again, there are bunnies, although these are brightly colored and "protected" by a net.

This is the first year that I have noticed a net being used. At first, I was a bit stumped as to why. Here is a view of the fountain from one of the sides, this one featuring sheep. Notice the large goose perched on top.

Here is a view giving the overall effect.

Aha, now the reason for the net is clear. How else could butterflies flutter about the scene?