Of course we could just change a letter. Drop a ‘t’, and add an ‘f’. ‘To talk to death’ becomes ‘to talk of death’. The crux of the matter. Whether ‘tis best to “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” with Dylan Thomas; or pass peacefully with Percy Bysshe Shelley: “How wonderful is death. Death and his brother sleep.” Two poets. Two points of view. To some degree, for mere mortals like us, the choice may be simply a matter of age and experience; but both poets, and perhaps one could say most poets, die young. To be continued.

Original appearance May 22, 2007, © 2007 / CIP 3 594 / SHE

Through the magic of time manipulation welcome to the world of yesterday that I write tomorrow. More precisely what I wrote forward, presented backwards, so you can read it forward, as I wrote it originally. Alice would look through the glass darkly and smile. Back To The Future was right. Go push a button, point a pixel, falsify a photo, fax a file, add an attachment… Technology is at very minimum a two edged sword. Trust and truth are sometimes the twin deceased. It is a crazy world we live in.

590 – Manipulation … Time Travel and Travail / used May 22, 2007 / CIP 2, pg 10, © 2007 / Mixed / SHE / Original appearance May 22, 2007

The Roman Baths (Thermes) and the Medieval Museum of Cluny is way beyond fascinating. Real ruins, downtown Left Bank. Hot and cold running water from about 1800 years ago. A Frigidarium, Caldarium and Tepidarium, nestled amongst the National Museum of the Middle Ages. Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance architecture with a near unbelievable collection of Medieval art, all right across the street from the Sorbonne. Thank you Alexandré du Sommerard. The original baths were built around 210 and sacked by the barbarians around 280; the medieval mansion was built between 1485-1510; in between it was a monastery and home to Papel Nuncios. A brilliant series of Lady With the Unicorn tapestries, original stained glass from Sainte-Chapelle, and 21 statues of the Kings of Judah are major featured exhibits. The statues, carved around 1220, were decapitated during the French Revolution and the heads buried and lost till 1977.

Original appearance Aug 10, 2005, © 2005 / Cluny, Museum & Roman Baths of Cluny / 6 PL PAUL-PAINLEVÉ, 75005 / 01 53 73 78 00 R / CIP 140, OO 15, RD 10, YP 30/7-10

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The name says it all. But is it the pond the British often refer to, or the chasm the French seem to think it is? With the Russian bear currently quiescent, and Islamic extremism in the ascendancy, is the Atlantic a help or a hindrance? Does it protect you from American hegemony or provide you with the last watery grave from an Eastern onslaught? Possibly a couple of the questions are overdrawn and over dramatic. Perhaps you envision the Final Fortress Europe – from the Urals to the Atlantic, a safe sanctuary for everyone in between.

Continued below / Original appearance May 13, 2007, © 2007 / RC2 481 / EUS

From this cowboy’s point of view – pipe dreams. For the next 50 to 100 years many, if not most, Americans probably don’t think you will be able to defend yourself alone. From Jeremy Rifkin’s point of view – irrelevant. He seems to think that you and he agree that you have proven war is a thing of the past. As usual the truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Continued below / Original appearance May 13, 2007, © 2007 / RC2 482 / EUS

The more salient point for us here is whether it is the NATO structure or a European army that will provide your main line of defense. Certainly opinions on both sides of the Atlantic are split on that question. On the American side, while there are influential and important segments (particularly the military), who might lean towards the NATO side of the equation I think the preponderance of those who have an opinion has very gradually over the years shifted towards the more purely European option. Partly of course it is the cost factor. More and more Americans feel Europe should pay more and more of the cost of arming and defending Europe. Partly it is the nature of the perceived threat. As the Russian goliath has diminished we see you as more capable of jointly defending yourself. And partly it is, despite Romano Prodi’s bluster that the EU’s goal is to establish “a Superpower on the European continent that stands equal to the United States.” (Page 298) we don’t see you as a credible threat to the US for many years.

Continued below / Original appearance May 13, 2007, © 2007 / RC2 483 / EUS

Of much greater current concern would be the command and control structure. I dare say Americans would have as visceral a reaction to having American troops under French command as the French do to the opposite. We do on occasion consent to having American troops under nominal foreign command, but French command, particularly in a real combat situation, would be a much tougher nut to crack. I expect we (and you) would need to retrace and retract many of the missteps of the past 60 years to get to a place where that was either conceivable or common sense.

That aside NATO does still have some current and probably future utility in the American European relationship. In those areas where NATO and Europe see common goals and/or have a common policy there is an advantage to having a common military structure. As a stopgap and in some situations it provides Europe with insurance while they build up their military capabilities. Kosovo illustrated considerable distance to go in this regard. Lastly, in this cowboy’s opinion, we are more likely to be allies than enemies in the more distant future. Culture and trade, history and heritage, geography and governance all point in a common direction with the Atlantic as the focal point.

Original appearance May 13, 2007, © 2007 / RC2 484 / EUS

It’s deep in the 15th and way off the beaten track, but, if you ever find it, salute it. The world and medicine owes a great deal to the Pasteur Institute. Louis Pasteur founded it in 1887 and since then its researchers have won 8 Nobel Prizes. The major contributions are in such diverse fields as infectious diseases, immunology, rabies, viruses, anthrax, AIDS and microbiology, and they are legend. Beyond Pasteur, if you are not a Doctor you probably don’t know the names, but if you are not dead you should appreciate them: Roux, Laveran, Metchnikoff, Bordet, Nicolle, Bovet, Lwoff, Jacob, Monod, Montagnier. You can find it at the euphonic address 25 rue du Docteur Roux.

Original appearance July 28, 2005 © 2005 / Pasteur, Institut Pasteur, a Foundation / 25 RUE DU DOCTEUR ROUX, 75015 / 01 45 68 82 83 / CIP 137, OO 12, RD 28, YP 30/5-28

In the Sixties I read a lot of Joseph Wood Krutch. By the mid Seventies, enough had slowly sunk in, that I abandoned the city (it was, and had been for the last twenty years then, Los Angeles). I left it all for a glamorous place called Fish Camp. As I recall the population sign said 52 or 53, but in the winter it was closer to 8 or 9, including me. I dare say Mr. Krutch might have called it Walden Town. He wrote books about Henry David Thoreau among others. In 1929 he came up with a classic called The Modern Temper and in 1954 the National Book Award winner The Measure of Man. In 1959 it was Human Nature and the Human Condition. In between and after he penned a number of tomes on natural nature and the desert. He could be an early answer to the question, Where do cowboys come from? One of my favorite quotes from Joseph Wood Krutch: “Both the cockroach and the bird would get along without us, although the cockroach would miss us most.”

Original appearance May 9, 2007 / CIP2 587 / © 2007 / SHE

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann, Desiderata, Copyright 1952.

It was cold and snowing that night – it might have been 1974 or 1975. There wasn’t a soul in the bar. It was early – say 10:00-10:30 PM. The bartender, this cowboy, knew he had to stay open till 2:00 AM. He read and recited the Desiderata out loud to that empty bar – what, maybe 20, 30, 40 times that night. With only two words changed he has repeated it almost every day of his life since then. It has helped. Thank you Mr. Ehrmann.

Original appearance May 9, 2007 / CIP2 588 / © 2007 / SHE