Gloom and doom?

As someone who had indeed spent a fair amount of time researching and writing about the darker side of human life, I thought there was much to think about in Mark Mazower's FT review of David Cannadine's new book. (Though I've not read the book yet and can't say whether Mazower is fair to it or not.)

Such as this:

It is true that many historians will find themselves occasionally pondering why they spend so much time describing human nastiness and so little on virtue or beauty. Yet the best example we have of a genuinely cosmopolitan history with an ameliorist agenda – Unesco’s History of Humanity – hardly constitutes strong evidence of its intellectual viability. On the contrary, it was way back in 1965 that historian Jack Plumb described one of the volumes in that series as having the effect of “an encyclopaedia gone berserk, or re-sorted by a deficient computer”. As for the European Union’s own efforts to fund cheerleading histories in the spirit of e pluribus unum, they have been a complete waste of money and certainly don’t seem to have furthered the cause of integration.

The Plumb quote alone is worth the price of admission; however, the rest is definitely worth reading as well, even if there is a substantial amount of history being written that emphasises 'virtue and beauty' and stresses some (at least long-term) good news about the human race.

Historians aren't really all that grim a bunch.

Honest. 

A most remarkable year

One of the nicest things for me last year was to see the positive (and almost immediate) response my book, The Most Remarkable Woman in England: Poison, Celebrity and the Trials of Beatrice Pace, received.

It takes a while for reviews to appear (especially the academic ones), so there will be some more in 2013, and the odds are that they won't all be upbeat.

Still, considering it's only been out for four months, I'm quite pleased with the crop of comments and reviews this book has attracted. (See below.)

For more information and updates, see the book-related blog, 'like' the book on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

And, by all means of course, do buy the book.

OK, on with the (2012) comments...

'A fascinating analysis of one woman's domestic disaster, the power of the press and public opinion. Loved it!' -- Jenni Murray, host of BBC Radio 4's "Woman's Hour" (for my interview on 'Woman's Hour' see here.)

'Sometimes life is better than fiction. Is there any novelist who could have got this extraordinary story so perfectly right, inventing it: the violence at the heart of it, the suspense, the succession of revelations, the passions so raw and inchoate that they have a mythic force? And then there's the grand sweep of the narrative, beginning in the bleak poverty of an obscure cottage in the Forest of Dean, acted out finally on the national stage. [...] John Carter Wood's book about the Pace trial works because of his sober and scrupulous assembly of the evidence, quoting the words that were spoken and written at the time so we can feel the textures of the material for ourselves – the found poetry of precise reportage.' -- Tessa Hadley, in The Guardian (26 October 2012)

'A fascinating  real-life murder story.' -- Harvard Professor Steven Pinker, on Twitter.

'Just for once, my crime book of the year isn’t a novel, but a factual account. In 1928, a quarryman called Harry Pace died of arsenic poisoning and his wife, Beatrice, was tried for his murder. John Carter Wood’s account of the case and trial has it all: suspense; surprise; and a searing account of one woman’s life, marriage, and journey from poverty and obscurity to celebrity and notoriety. Wood is brave enough to allow much of an incredible story to tell itself through newspaper accounts, letters and Beatrice’s private papers, and the book is all the richer for it. And because it’s a true story, he has no choice but to include some of the more incredible plot elements that a novelist might lose courage with! A fascinating snapshot of interwar England, brilliantly brought to life.' -- Nicola Upson, Faber website

'This book will be an invaluable aid to those interested in the history of criminal justice and British society in the 1920s.' -- June Purvis, in the Times Higher Education (22 November 2012)

A 'splendid piece of historical detective work...immaculately researched, fluently written and utterly compelling'. -- Dominic Sandbrook, Literary Review (Dec 2012-Jan 2013)

'John Carter Wood writes with verve and elegance, weaving insights into the broader social ramifications of this trial without losing the thread courtroom drama that makes the book such a compelling read. He has also done much original research, clearing up questions that previous accounts left unanswered and providing dozens of illustrations, some of which have come from previously-inaccessible private archives. The result is a vivid portrayal not just of one woman's fate, but of a society in transition. Highly recommended!' -- Andrew Hammel, Amazon.co.uk review

'This is history as murder-mystery. John Carter Wood tells a spellbinding story of murder, using the trials of the accused (Beatrice Pace) to reflect the nature of celebrity culture, the legal system, and gender relations in 1920s Britain. The fundamental question remains: did Beatrice Pace kill her husband? You will have to read the book to find out!' -- Joanna Bourke, Professor of History, Birkbeck College [book jacket blurb]

'The trial of Beatrice Pace was one of the most sensational news stories in inter-war Britain. In this thoroughly researched and clearly-argued study, John Carter Wood is not solely concerned with the usual question of whether or not Mrs Pace was guilty. Rather he also focuses on the period's celebrity culture, the role of the press, the development of public interest and the police. In so doing, he has produced a model for modern social and cultural historians.' -- Clive Emsley, Professor Emeritus, Open University [book jacket blurb]

Yesterday's News

A striking passage from Orwell's diary, 19 October 1940:

The unspeakable depression of lighting the fires every morning with papers of a year ago, and getting glimpses of optimistic headlines as they go up in smoke.

Gave me a bit of a shiver, and not just because it's turned right nippy here in the last week.

Moral victory

From a comment on the likely membership of the bottom half of the upcoming Bundesliga season in Der Spiegel (my translation):

The real winner of the German championship last season was Mainz, because no other team exceeded their financial potential as much as the one led by Thomas Tuchel. The former second league team had less financial clout than any of the other clubs but ended up in ninth place. That was not only unbelievable but also the greatest success in the club's history.

Just saying, like.

Wir sind nicht nur ein Karnevalsverein!

Just the end of the beginning

Having spent three cold mornings on 'the Mall' witnessing inaugurations in person (one with youthful optimism, one with already chastened disappointment, one with a sense of palpable discomfort...I'll let you figure out which was which) it was with a curious jumble of feelings that I watched today's event on a small (and often interrupted...clogged tubes, no doubt) window on my computer screen.

Other than the fascinating experience of viewing a parade of American political elites wander onto the stage (my, how frail does the elder Bush look? And how hale the Mondales and Carters!) there is some strange combination, I must note, of appalling and stirring in inauguration ceremonies.

It's perhaps the odd mixture of grandiose empire and humble republic that is uniquely American.

I must confess to a busy confluence of emotions today, most of which I want to keep to myself.

But, to put it briefly: a bit too much of the Almighty, but, all things considered, a very inspiring beginning, the kind of thing that makes one clutch one's passport with a sincerity not usually felt.

Much of the rest of the administration is going to be engaged in grubby politicking; but, you know, that's the nature of a republic, and I hope that President Obama proves he has the mettle for making headway in that game. Still, the guidelines set today were, as far as I could hear them, quite a good beginning.


Enough prologue. Let's get down to business.

(Image via the Washington Post)

With any luck...

Our friend Andrew has posted some incisive thoughts on why an Obama victory today is something worth caring about:

He's sometimes dismissed as a dreamer or a 'Messiah,' and his followers as glassy-eyed ideologues. But this is a caricature. During the Democratic primaries, he defeated a cunning and aggressive political machine without resorting to rumor-mongering or schoolyard insults, and looks set to repeat that achievement today. His campaign inspired unfeigned, sincere enthusiasm -- and then bound it to a regime of discipline enforced by loose but effective hierarchies. There were no damaging leaks, no dramatic resignations, no off-the-record tell-all interviews. And throughout both campaigns, Obama's message genuinely appealed to what Abraham Lincoln called "the better angels of our nature." Some bitterly mock Obama's eloquence. I pity these curdled, angry souls. They were abandoned by their better angels long ago.

One of the things that has so surprised me about the Obama campaign -- and one of the things that convinced me to support it wholeheartedly -- was that it was nice to see liberals get their act together in such a relentlessly competent way.

They were truly ahead of the curve much of the time -- and when they weren't they caught up quickly -- and this was something almost beautiful to behold.

Surely, behind the scenes there must have been a lot more chaos than they let on.

But that's a story to be told later.

Effective organisation, coherent thinking and consistent decency may not seem all that exciting, but given the last eight years (and what the other team were offering for the next four) they sound pretty good to me.

Fond greetings to our friends stateside who will -- with any luck...well, with more than luck -- be celebrating tonight.

You know who you are.

It's going to be OK

Something occurred to me last night, sort of out of the blue:

Barack Obama is going to win this election.

Given all the signs, this shouldn't be all that controversial. However, there have been several stories about nervous Democrats not wanting to believe it'll be true, fearing another stolen election or a last-minute shift in the polls.

I can understand this. And until last night I suppose I could count myself as one of those folks.

But with only a few days left, I want to enjoy this road to victory. This is going to be something to savour, increasingly so as the McCain-Palin campaign goes through it's final, absurd death throes and becomes more and more of an embarrassment.

There'll be plenty of suspense, to be sure, about how exactly this all turns out (and there are a few Senate races and ballot initiatives to be watched closely), but I believe it's going to be a lot less close and contested than the press narrative in this final stretch will suggest.

This is not an argument for complacency: to the contrary, I urge Democrats (and those of any affiliation leaning toward Obama) to go out and cast their votes and thereby increase the chances that the word 'landslide' is uttered sometime on Tuesday evening. Given what I've read (and heard) the Democrats have learned from previous mistakes and have the ground war well in hand.

Just remember: you don't get bragging rights unless you were part of the effort.

It's good to win. Let's win big.

And have fun doing it.

Just think: we will never have to hear from Joe the Plumber ever again.

Ah, bliss...

Hebbo! And greetings from Universe B!

Thanks to Boing Boing, I have discovered something important: the world's fastest growing religion, Tarvuism.

Like you, probably, I was a bit confused, as I'd never heard of it before. However, they have statistics, so it must be true.

Who is Tarvu and what is Tarvuism, you might ask?

Well...

Tarvu - creator of Universe A and Universe B (we live in Universe B) - came to Earth over 3,000 years ago as a tiny baby boy. After landing in the oceans, and swimming with Oobu the holy octopus, Tarvu came ashore and lived amongst men and women so that he could teach them "to live". Soon his Word spread, and that Word became Tarvuism.

Tarvuism is one of the oldest and largest religions in the world, with over 1 billion followers in over 150 countries - from afar as Iceland to Timonia - speaking as many languages. As Tarvu said "Every land is nice, and everyone who lives there is nice too". (Chronicles of Amzamiviram, Cpt 44).

(Source: www.tarvu.com)

I am considering becoming a member, not least since -- as the following video emphasises -- 'it's so easy to join'.




Sounds like fun!

Further information available at www.tarvu.com!

But in case you think Tarvuism is a bit...strange (I mean, thinking that octopi are 'holy creatures' is maybe not for everyone, yeah, I can see that), you may wish to consider instead the wisdom of Blossom Goodchild. (Via Spiegel)

Goodchild not only brings wisdom to the masses by channelling the spirit of White Cloud, 'a native American spirit energy' but has also foretold the arrival of alien beings from the 'Federation of Light' who are due to arrive in the skies above Earth (specifically, perhaps, to Alabama)...well, today.

There has been some confusion in the message (interstellar space is a vast distance, why should we expect it to work any better than your basic cell phone, eh? Cynics...).

Blossom explains:

I think I may have put a spanner in the works by saying 'Alabama isn't in the Southern Hemisphere'. Mind you, the reply The Federation gave me 'It used to be' ... it seems was, true! However, it seems many have misread the letter and are assuming that the ship will appear in Alabama. The Federation DO NOT say this. They say 'We give to you the name of Alabama'. Here are some thoughts I have received as to its meaning.

1. The only thing comes to mind is "Stars fell on Alabama". This motto is printed on car license tags in the state of Alabama.

2. I was very interested in hearing of the October 14th date, I have longed for this for so long. In 1999 I saw quite a few UFO's in Adelaide and on several occasions and one of them was what I assumed was a light ship because it was like a ghost, the ship was say 60 feet in diameter and white, but the middle had a band of all the colours of the rainbow. Later I went to a psychic and he told me that Adelaide used to be a space port around 50 000 years ago. As soon as I read the words in the October 14th article "In days of old, it used to be" I immediately thought that Alabama might be the name of the old space port in Adelaide.

Not content with such superficial thinking, Blossom considers a deeper possibility:

8. Maybe the Credence Clearwater Revival song, 'Sweet Home Alabama' may be of some help - 'Sweet Home Alabama, Lord I'm Coming Home To You.... Where The Skies Are Blue....' Isn't Australia lovingly nicknamed 'Gods own Country?'

Of course, 'Sweet Home Alabama' was a song by Lynyrd Skynyrd, but who's going to split hairs over southern rockers over the lightyears? Not me!

Hebbo! and welcome to our new intergalactic friends, I say.

The future, my friends, is looking brighter.

Do not worry.

Tarvu abides.

A momentary lapse of luggage

I would like to think that the willingness to publicly admit having done something Really Fucking Dumb shows a certain degree of character. Perhaps it even marks a refreshing acknowledgement of one's limitations and fellowship with the other sometimes confused mammals we know as Homo sapiens.

On the other hand, it might just be a kind of psychological masochism.

In any case, there I was yesterday, having returned to London from a very fine time at a crime history conference held at my university and making my way to the place where The Wife and I will be staying for a couple of weeks in scenic south London. And what do I do? In a not entirely explainable momentary lapse of reason upon disembarking, I left my suitcase on the train.

Although I realised my mistake within seconds, the doors had closed and the train was already in motion by the time I made it back through the gates.

Yes, this is very stupid.

But it is even more stupid than you think: this is the second time I have done this in the last few years.

Indeed. I am a singularly silly boy.

To make a long and wearisome story short, all is well that ends well. Thanks to the extraordinarily kind, competent and sympathetic assistance of three employees of Southern railways, I had my suitcase back within a couple of hours.

I had the opportunity to thank all of them personally (and wrote a letter to the company commending their work).

However, my gratitude is also due to the unknown fellow passenger who saw me leave the train without my suitcase and who handed it in a few stations down the line, allowing my agony of frustration and self-loathing -- while intense and certainly justified -- to be brief.

Thank you. Whoever you are.

The next couple weeks in this exhausting city will most likely dim the temporary glow of fellow-feeling that that experience gave me.

But still: it has been nice while it's lasted.

Oh yeah

We don't have TV. (Long story.)

But that was just as exciting on radio.

Old school.

Es gibt nur einen Jogi Löw...

The glass: half full or half empty?

A long way to go.

Still, I hadn't expected to be this optimistic at the halfway mark.

Weiter so!

Yay

Here's to yesterday's decision by the California Supreme Court

striking down two state laws that had limited marriages to unions between a man and a woman, ruled on Thursday that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry.

The 4-to-3 decision, drawing on a ruling 60 years ago that struck down a state ban on interracial marriage, would make California the second state, after Massachusetts, to allow same-sex marriages.

I'll let hilzoy take over from here:

Six of the seven justices on the court were appointed by Republicans.

This is a wonderful, wonderful thing. I am a complete sucker for marriage. I think everyone should have one. The idea that our governments decide to prevent people from having them -- that there are couples out there who love each other and want to get married and can't, not for comprehensible reasons like a ban on incest, but just because of flat-out bigotry, or because of the imaginary threat that same-sex marriages pose to heterosexual marriages -- is just plain wrong. Moreover, I think it's wrong not just substantively, but legally: distinctions based on sexual orientation ought to be suspect, and in this case the state does not have a compelling interest in drawing one.

Yay for California, and yay for its Supreme Court.

Also being a complete sucker for marriage, I say: Yay indeed.

Now, be careful blowing out all those candles...

Today, Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary. A bit early, but, you know, no biggie.

I am grateful to Francis for reminding me of that and to Norm for expressing succinctly why it is worth celebrating.

So, from both of us here, very hearty congratulations.

As Norm's first reason for why this is worth celebrating suggests, this is an anniversary that is still (and will always be?...always is a long time...) marked by the memory of horror.

That was brought home to me about a decade ago when I was assigned as a teaching assistant to a course on Jewish history. I must admit to a certain amount of trepidation, as that was really not my field, and I was dreading facing courses full of students with a decade of Hebrew school in them, who would, of course, know far more than a humble goy like me about the history of their religion and ethnicity (as I learned right away, the issue of 'who is a Jew' -- whether it is about belief or about blood -- is one that seems to divide many Jews).

As I discovered, however, most of my students (about 90% Jewish according to one definition or another) knew very little about the topic of the course. Other than for the Orthodox students (a minority...but a strikingly intense and well-read minority) most of my class had two points of identity with Judaism: 1) The Holocaust and 2) Israel.

They ended up being a bit frustrated, as the professor (one of the best and most good-humoured I've worked with) spent all of two weeks on those topics. In fact, the last two.

The rest of the time was taken up with Jewish life and thought between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Although my memory of the course has become a bit fuzzy with time (and my research interests lie elsewhere), that was a remarkable period in Jewish history. A weird, ambiguous time, full of tragedy and occasional terror, but also of great achievement and patches of joy. (Indeed, there is nothing about that description that is confined to specifically Jewish history...those were an interesting few centuries in Europe for everyone.)

But, for my students, someone like Moses Mendelssohn was as distant as any other random eighteenth-century figure. The historic schisms among Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed Judaism were as foreign to them as any other historic event.

Which was rather a shame, I thought. There is quite a remarkable history of Jews in Europe before that iconic year 1933, when all the worst nightmares were let loose.

This was brought home to me only last week, when I (accompanied by The Wife and The Mother-In-Law) visited the Jewish cemetery in the Franconian village of Kleinbardorf, one of the largest in Bavaria. (Largest Jewish cemeteries that is, not villages as such.)

To give you an idea of what it looks like, here's a photo (sorry for the quality: the visit was spontaneous and I didn't have a proper camera with me. This is the best that my sorry Motorola can do...)


The cemetery has existed since the seventeenth century. It's a lovely, quiet place, particularly isolated as it's at the top of a hill and not all that accessible, really.

The most moving of the many monuments for me was this one:

Now, there might for some of you be a strange cognitive dissonance seeing that helmet in a Jewish cemetery.

However, this is a monument to Jewish soldiers who died in the First World War in the service of their country.

There is, I think, a special poignancy to this kind of memorial, and a reminder of just how integrated (indeed, how German), one particular Jewish community was. For many war heroes who survived the horror of either front in that war, the notion that they had done their bit for the Fatherland sustained their belief that they were immune from any political twist or turn.

That turned out to be wrong. In the worst possible way.

On the other hand, it seems to me a particular sorrow that the first victims of Nazism were not only specifically Jews (and socialists and Communists, and Catholics and homosexuals), but rather (all of them) other Germans. The extent to which a single society tore itself apart is -- even at this historical distance -- astounding. And that not only the children of war heroes, but even the war heroes themselves, could be re-imagined as 'enemies of the Reich' is a testament to how fragile modern collective identities can be.

Like my former students, however, I think it would be in some way wrong to focus too much on what has gone so wrong. Jewish history (like German history) is much longer than the sum of twelve years' horror.

There is a longer and more positive -- if still troubled -- historical relationship that, for those who lived it, was neither doomed nor second-rate.

This deserves at least some recognition.

Just as the quite remarkable -- flawed, full of ordinary ambiguities and disputes, and even a few extraordinary ones -- history of a state that has endured sixty years is more than the atrocity that preceded it.

No simple answers here. But a sincere hope that some -- however minor (we're not optimists here) -- improvement is on the way.

Mazel Tov!

Feel the Liebe

This week in the 'I wasn't expecting that' file: Germany topped a recent poll as the world's most popular nation.

As reported by Der Spiegel:

According to a new BBC World Service survey of international opinion, Germany is held in higher regard than any other large country when it comes to influencing global politics.

According to the survey which was carried out in 34 countries, the global view of Germany's influence is predominantly positive. On average, 56 percent of people questioned had a positive opinion of Germany, compared to only 18 percent who did not.

A more detailed version of the report itself is available here (pdf) which provides information on the world's perceptions of several countries (including Israel, Russia and the US).

German Joys provides some analysis:

A few longer-term factors come to mind, in no particular order. First, Germany's deeply integrated into the EU and no longer presents any military threat to anyone. Second, Germany gives a pretty significant amount of foreign aid (this explains a lot of Japan's popularity as well). Third, the German diplomats I know personally tend to be smart, well-trained, and well-disciplined. They are actually diplomatic. They keep a low profile and talk about reconciliation, compromise, mutual interests, peaceful means, etc. Fourth, German leaders are routinely seen on the international stage taking responsibility and sincerely apologizing for their country's past misdeeds. Fifth, Germans are renowned for being the least nationalistic large nation there is. Sixth, aside from the beer-swilling package tourists, Germans abroad generally leave a good impression. Some of the phrases I've heard: "diligent", "polite", "speak good English", "diplomatic", "don't ask awkward questions", "seemed interested in our local culture", "ate the local food."

These are all part of it, sure.

But it may be that one powerful factor has been overlooked.

(More info: German/English.)

That's Entertainment

Hmmm....

More violent films=less violence.

More pornography=less sex crime.

Excellent. If only all solutions were so easy. Bring it on...

(And people made a fuss when J. G. Ballard argued there should be more sex and violence on television. What a visionary.)

Apocalypse postponed

I'm feeling slightly less gloomy today than a few days ago. This might partly be because the sun shows every intention of shining today. It might also be related to the fact that I had a chipped tooth fixed with remarkable ease, rapidity and lack-of-charge last evening.

For the somewhat brightened outlook, I have also to thank Ario, who offered a lovely Nina Simone song in response to my apocalyptic musings.

And then, last but not least, there's the American intelligence community, whose new National Intelligence Estimate -- while not entirely reassuring -- appears to be somewhat less immediately distressing than recent statements from the US government. As the New York Times reports:

Iran is continuing to produce enriched uranium, a program that the Tehran government has said is intended for civilian purposes. The new estimate says that the enrichment program could still provide Iran with enough raw material to produce a nuclear weapon sometime by the middle of next decade, a timetable essentially unchanged from previous estimates.

But the new report essentially disavows a judgment that the intelligence agencies issued in 2005, which concluded that Iran had an active secret arms program intended to transform the raw material into a nuclear weapon. The new estimate declares instead with “high confidence” that the military-run program was shut in 2003, and it concludes with “moderate confidence” that the program remains frozen. The report judges that the halt was imposed by Iran “primarily in response to increasing international scrutiny and pressure.”

The report, no doubt, will be bickered over in the usual noisy way, and what it all adds up to is, as ever, a bit murky. (And are these not the agencies -- at least some of them -- who dropped the ball on predicting the collapse of the Soviet Union, preventing September 11th and proving the presence -- or lack thereof -- of Iraqi WMD?)

Now, it's far from prophesying an imminent Age of Aquarius, but the fact that 'international scrutiny and pressure' has had an effect is encouraging. (And a good argument for more of the same.)

Apocalypse delayed, then.

'Tis the season to be jolly.

The vital 5 percent

Although I think the idea of websites that enable people share their innate creativity with millions--those like, say, Flickr--I normally don't spend any time looking at them, since...well, most people are not, in the end, all that innately creative.

(See 95% of what's on YouTube. Or most blogs...um...I realise I'm moving on to thin ice here, so I'll just stop now, shall I?)

However, A General Theory of Rubbish does us all a great service by pointing out a delightful set of photos (sorry, 'photostream') taken by 'Martinish'.

It contains, for instance, many scenes from everyday life in Britain (and, based on my incomplete browsing, several from abroad).

Among others, it includes this fine photo of the Barbican Centre, which nicely brings out the ways that it is both wondrous and hideous at the same time. (I go back and forth on whether I'd rather live there or see the thing demolished.) Some others capture something truly...British: for example, 'sunday', 'market cafe' and 'bowling green'.

And there are many other themes as well.

Thank you, Martinish, for helping to confirm my theory that while 95% of things are crap it is that other 5% that helps make life worth living.

Lucky to be alive

Ah, one more thing I meant to catch up on.

It was Richard Dawkins's birthday yesterday, and I wanted to take the opportunity to note that, along with some heartfelt gratitude for his work.

The Selfish Gene is one of those relatively few books that I can describe as genuinely 'life changing'. The God Delusion, which I just read and have been meaning to comment on (someday...) didn't alter any views, but I could still call it 'life affirming'. The essays in A Devil's Chaplain not only had me riveted, but stand as prime examples of all that an 'essay' can be. The Extended Phenotype, though somewhat harder going, has certainly influenced my thinking on a number of things.

For all these books, for those I've yet to get to (a handsome, illustrated edition of The Ancestor's Tale is on my shelf, awaiting a time when I can give it full attention), and for sharing his wisdom so eloquently, Obscene Desserts sends sincere birthday wishes.

I thought I would post an excerpt of my favourite piece of Dawkins's prose. I see that it's actually part of something that the man himself has suggested to be read at his funeral. That's entirely appropriate, of course, as its an enormously thoughtful meditation the sorrow of death.

It is also, however, a moving statement about the joy of life, along with being a statement of the vast improbabilities that each of us overcomes in being able to enjoy it and a reminder--now that we're here--not to waste it.

It is, thus, perfect for birthdays as well.

And it is in that sense, that I quote it here.

We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who will in fact never see the light of day outnumber the sand grains of Arabia. Certainly those unborn ghosts include greater poets than Keats, scientists greater than Newton. We know this because the set of possible people allowed by our DNA so massively exceeds the set of actual people. In the teeth of these stupefying odds it is you and I, in our ordinariness, that are here.

Here is another respect in which we are lucky. The universe is older than 100 million centuries. Within a comparable time the sun will swell to a red giant and engulf the earth. Every century of hundreds of millions has been in its time, or will be when its time comes, 'the present century.' The present moves from the past to the future, like a tiny spotlight, inching its way along a gigantic ruler of time. Everything behind the spotlight is in darkness, the darkness of the dead past. Everything ahead of the spotlight is in the darkness of the unknown future. The odds of your century's being the one in the spotlight are the same as the odds that a penny, tossed down at random, will land on a particular ant crawling somewhere along the road from New York to San Francisco. You are lucky to be alive and so am I.

Indeed.

Happy Birthday!

Wir sind (doch) nicht nur ein Karnevalsverein

This is the face of determination.

This is the face of desperation.

This is the face which is going to ensure that Mainz '05 spends another year in the first division of the Bundesliga.

And after 16 matches without a win, this is the face that has led the team to two consecutive victories in the first two games this year's Rückrunde, including yesterday's win against Borussia Dortmund.

This...is Jürgen Klopp.

The other Bundesliga teams -- far too rich, far too conceited -- are kicking out their coaches left, right and centre. But in Mainz...Kloppo still reigns!

OK...I feel better now.

(Kloppo!!!)