Coffee: Sulawesi Kalossi

The strongest of the three bought in London.

Great coffee, no strong aftertaste. No specific strong flavours.

Errol Morris - "The Fog Of War (The 11 lessons of Robert McNamara)"

RobertMcNamara to Fidel Castro (1992)

lesson 1: emphasize with your enemy

lesson 2: rationality will not save us

Robert McNamara

"I have three questions for you
1. Did you know the missiles were there?
2. Would you have recommended Kruschev to use them?
3. What would have happened to Cuba?"

Fidel Castro answered: 

"1. yes
2. I not only would, I did recommend using them
3. Cuba would have been destroyed."

lesson 3: there's more beyond one self.

lesson 4: maximize efficiency

about the nuclear bombing of Tokyo:

interviewer: you knew this was going to happen?
Robert McNamara: well I was part of a mechanism that recommended it

lesson 5: proportionality should be an issue in war

(Errol Morris certainly has his own style. Keep wondering about the many cuts in the middle of sentences though. Sometimes it seems a strange kind of MTV clip, switching every couple of seconds, while the gracious sentences keep rolling on.

lesson 6: get the data

lesson 7: belief and seeing are both often wrong

Errol Morris (is it him?) is sometimes heard, and he's very very eager, angry almost. Far from the objective journalist.

lesson 8: be prepared to reexamine your reasonings

lesson 9: in order to do good, you may have to engage in evil

Definitely do not agree with him. He's sometimes too quicksilver about the moral highground. "When I was secretary of state, Agent Orange was used. After the war, some said this was a toxic chemical. But let's look at the law for a moment. We don't have a clear law stating which chemicals are illegal. I would never allow the use of an illegal chemical. Did I sanction its use? I cannot remember."

Quite intriguing though.

lesson 10: never say never

McNamara: never answer the question that's been asked. Answer the question you wish had been asked.

lesson 11: you can't change human nature

"The fog of war means, it's so complex it's beyond the human mind to comprehend. Our judgement, our understanding, are not adequate. And we kill people."

And again Philip Glass did the score.

Duffy - "Endlessly"

Can't help to shake off the memory of Olivia Newton-John in Grease, the way she sings, the lyrics.. violins and a slightly high-pitched voice as if she had a whiff of helium.

update

Actually, it's not bad. It's good backgroundmusic, which means it's not interesting enough to really listen to.

update

and "lovestruck" is 95% Kylie M.

House-roll

better make this a separate overwhelming grabbing-all post

• Werde:Erdball - "Lass mich ein Komputer sein" (!)
• Antiloop - "In My Mind" (!)
• Zombie Nation - "Kernkraft 400" (!!)
• Darude - "Feel The Beat"
• Werde:Erdball - "Sternenkind"
• PPK - "Resurrection" (!)
• PPK - "Reload" (resurrection sequel) (mneuh)
• Grauzone - "Ich möchte ein Eisbär sein" (-)

Zombie Nation - "Kernkraft 400"

Am I mistaken, or am I on a house-roll?

Antiloop - "In My Mind"

90's techno-house (not too hard)

beautiful when coding in a silent world at 7am

Welle:Erdball - "Lass uns ein Computer sein"

Komm nun zu mir und schalt mich an.
Drück meine Tasten sanft und dann,
lad mein Programm in dich herein
so können wir vollkommen sein.

Wir werden monoton und kühl.
Es gibt kein Schmerz und kein Gefühl.
Wir speichern alles in uns ein,
und würden auch unsterblich sein.

Dass ist ein Zustand der sich lohnt
von allem Menschlichem verschont.
Jetzt ist es endlich an der Zeit,
die Technik steht für uns bereit.

Jetzt sind wir ganz weit weg von hier
zu einer Einheit schmelzen wir.
Die ganze Welt ist viel zu klein,
so lass uns ein Computer sein.

Wir würden bald die Welt regiern
und jeden Sinn für Zeit verliern.
Ich wär ewig mit dir allin,
komm lass uns ein Computer sein.

lass uns ein Computer sein.

Jetzt sind wir ganz weit weg von hier
zu einer Einheit schmelzen wir.
Die ganze Welt ist viel zu klein,
so lass uns ein Computer sein.

Jetzt sind wir ganz weit weg von hier
zu einer Einheit schmelzen wir.
Die ganze Welt ist viel zu klein,
so lass uns ein Computer sein.

Progamm geladen
der Start erfolgt jetzt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFCL_yHmSjk

Emilina Torrini - "Thinking Out Loud"

...

Like the leaves at my feet
He is a victim of gravity
The unbearable colour of things
Gets him down

And as his raincoat covers me
We know it was never raining

Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud

Like strings in a fan
The shoelaces aren't done
The solitude reflection of his fate
Gets him down

And as the shadow covers me
I thought he was only sleeping

Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud
Sorry it was me
Was I thinking out loud

His clothes on the floor
Underwear silverlined
The smell of lavender and tar
Brings me down

If the telephone should ring
God knows it could never be him

...

Emiliana Torrini - "If you go away"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrj3YPTCbtA

One of the most haunting versions I've heard so far.

Juan Gabriel Vásquez over Joseph Conrad

In ‘De geheime geschiedenis van Costaguano’, uw tweede roman, speelt de Pools-Britse schrijver Joseph Conrad een grote rol.

,,Ja, zijn invloed strekt zich uit over alles wat ik schrijf. Van hem heb ik geleerd wat je in een roman allemaal kan. Een romanschrijver moet de duistere plekken opzoeken, in de wereld, maar ook in de mensheid, en daar vervolgens zo nauwgezet mogelijk verslag van doen.’’

[...]

„Zeker, maar er is wel een verschil met de positie van de schrijver hier [Europa] en in Zuid-Amerika. Schrijvers worden daar nog altijd gezien als mensen die ertoe doen. Misschien is dat lang niet altijd terecht, maar belangrijk is dat de woorden van schrijvers en intellectuelen daar nog serieus worden genomen. Ze maken mensen kwaad, men vreest ze. Vargas Llosa heeft onlangs nog Hugo Chavez uitgedaagd met hem te debatteren. Chavez ging die uitdaging niet aan. Hij durfde niet.’’

Een geschiedenis die zichzelf als de enige ware ziet, baart dictaturen.

[NRC, 2010-11-27]