tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.comments2024-03-18T22:01:58.528+01:00W-wa JeziorkiMichael Dembinskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comBlogger6472125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-58673538761214728302024-03-18T12:25:05.568+01:002024-03-18T12:25:05.568+01:00@ Gordon Hawley
Many thanks for the link – I feel...@ Gordon Hawley<br /><br />Many thanks for the link – I feel that many science-fiction writers have intuitions that point to some deep truth. The whole show is available as a radio broadcast; short excerpts are on YouTube too.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-24770611293286518172024-03-17T02:21:01.143+01:002024-03-17T02:21:01.143+01:00I've always been fascinated with time travel. ...I've always been fascinated with time travel. My own belief is that it's possible to travel back in time however you would only be an observer like a film or television program and that nothing could be changed.<br /><br />Rod Serling had some wonderful time travel episodes in The Twilight Zone. One of my favorite episodes is "No Time Like the Past" where a scientist attempts to go back in time to change events. He soon realizes this isn't possible and decides just to go back in time to a small US town and live a quiet life however he soon is caught up trying to prevent a tragedy in the town and ultimately he is the cause of the event.<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Time_Like_the_PastGordon Hawleynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-38312454781510485232024-03-16T14:51:49.980+01:002024-03-16T14:51:49.980+01:00"But to what purpose/Disturbing the dust on a..."But to what purpose/Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves"<br /><br />Perfectly put. One can speculate, but should never ruminate.<br /><br />As our mother used to say: "Don't cry over spilt milk".<br /><br />"What did we learn, Palmer?"<br />"I guess we learnt not to do it again."Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-52650695488551485872024-03-15T23:42:00.004+01:002024-03-15T23:42:00.004+01:00T.S. Eliot
BURNT NORTON
(No. 1 of 'Four Qua...T.S. Eliot<br /> <br /><br />BURNT NORTON<br />(No. 1 of 'Four Quartets')<br /> <br />Time present and time past<br />Are both perhaps present in time future,<br />And time future contained in time past.<br />If all time is eternally present<br />All time is unredeemable.<br />What might have been is an abstraction<br />Remaining a perpetual possibility<br />Only in a world of speculation.<br />What might have been and what has been<br />Point to one end, which is always present.<br />Footfalls echo in the memory<br />Down the passage which we did not take<br />Towards the door we never opened<br />Into the rose-garden. My words echo<br />Thus, in your mind.<br /> But to what purpose<br />Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves<br /><br />I do not know.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />MarekAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-44432341159852514322024-03-11T18:37:30.465+01:002024-03-11T18:37:30.465+01:00@ adthelad
Many thanks for the comment! Much to u...@ adthelad<br /><br />Many thanks for the comment! Much to unpack here...<br />1) 10 as 'on/off' or 'yes/no' – a good interpretation!<br />2) The role of Grace – very interesting – a topic worthy of coverage; I've not written specifically about the concept since Lent 2013 – about time!<br />3) I did suggest I was being speculative here; science and spirituality have a long way to go before unifying!Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-76723346484416272942024-03-11T11:36:57.665+01:002024-03-11T11:36:57.665+01:00My first reaction to your producing ten and the su...My first reaction to your producing ten and the subsequent deduction was 'Not if you're reading it as bit code or binary numbers for example. So 10 would be on/off, yes/no, or 2. A Gnostic's delight?<br />And if I were to tread into 'controversial' territory, it would be to say that the idea of belief in God without question is misleading as any Catholic or early follower of Christ would know that it is a gift of Grace, so much the work of the Greater party though requiring the cooperation of lesser.<br />Additionally, in the context of the above and general text, the statement 'Descendants of the second-century Gnostics walk the earth today, seeking knowledge and understanding rather than pursuing material goals in life!' sounds rather as if it were implying that descendants of Catholics are not.<br />Still, as I've said before, your blog, especially during lent, is always enlightening, and provides much food for thought.<br />adtheladhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11547876597884642821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-53075426783546971062024-02-23T20:36:21.212+01:002024-02-23T20:36:21.212+01:00@Jacek Koba
Hope your mother is improving! The cu...@Jacek Koba<br /><br />Hope your mother is improving! The culture jar of sterile modern medicine and a Black Madonna is what it's all about - what's more efficacious - Belief or Science? A blend of both obviously!<br /><br />In Olde Polish Ealing there was a chap in the parafia who used to distribute the newsletter; he was very short - his lack of height saved his life in 1940. On the platform of the Soviet railway station, the Polish officers were lined up in height order, with him at the far end the shortest Polish officer on the transport. He got chatting to the tallest sergeant; when the train pulled in, he decided to jump into the wagon with the NCOs. Later the train was split, the officers' wagons went on to Katyń, the NCOs' wagons didn't.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-21888906192305520822024-02-19T15:56:16.058+01:002024-02-19T15:56:16.058+01:00Long-term substance abuse treatment center offerin...Long-term substance abuse treatment center offering a continuum of care for individuals struggling with drugs and alcohol addiction.Nova Recovery Centerhttps://novarecoverycenter.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-64207419902388383792024-02-18T20:47:42.481+01:002024-02-18T20:47:42.481+01:00I have internalised a fear that sooner rather than...I have internalised a fear that sooner rather than later I will begin to see my cognitive powers wane and my spirituality reassert itself. The pattern running through humanity is hardly the reverse. What if I forget words, which have been a comfort to me all my life (English words, for example, as English is a learnt science to me, the words form a fine gossamer web, a slight breeze of self-doubt and I’m done for)? Will I start and end every day with Our Father just so I could hear myself utter any words whatsoever? I have learnt some childhood tales by heart and some passages from literature – but will they stand the test of time and perhaps acute pain? More to the point, will they stop Our Father, which I have tried to forget but can’t, from intruding? I have fresh in my mind that potent reminder of the strange relationship between science and spirituality from the Lublin university oncology clinic this winter – world class doctors, state of the art kit, immaculately clean and stripped of any distractions hallways, dimmed soft lights, and super friendly nurses … save for one “distraction” of course, the picture of the Black Madonna on one of the walls. It looked totally out of place there to my jaundiced eye, but then again? I was turning over these questions as I listened recently to two podcasts on BBC Radio 4, as part of their Point of View series: Sara Wheeler’s On Ritual, and John Gray’s The Importance of Pessimism. You may like the latter especially as Prof Gray talks about premonition and there is a Polish theme – the story of the Polish sociologist Stanislav Andreski, whom I had never heard of before, I admit, Andreski fled when he and fellow prisoners were being marched to the forest of Katyn. He had a premonition.Jacek Kobahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00602096438710949362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-12015760907862018002024-02-17T21:21:00.460+01:002024-02-17T21:21:00.460+01:00@ Glou3H
Thanks for visiting my blog during this ...@ Glou3H<br /><br />Thanks for visiting my blog during this time of annual contemplation! Interesting points raised (soullness spectrum disorder - good one) - I hope to cover much, much more between now and Easter Saturday.<br /><br />My best regards.Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-2381176119661727542024-02-17T17:07:17.356+01:002024-02-17T17:07:17.356+01:00RE: "And then – and only then – develop agric...RE: "And then – and only then – develop agriculture, settlement, cities, industry, technology, space exploration... with a higher awareness, pin-sharp intuition, guidance from above as it were"<br /><br />You mean have the cake and eat it too?<br /><br />Organized agriculture IS anti-spiritual/anti-nature. So are cities, etc. You paint a cozy fantasy you like but does not logically make sense in your cogent argument. Therefore, your subsequent cozy fantasy of "angelic beings" (revealing your WANT for fantasies) also falls flat...<br /><br />The obvious reality is that civilized humans have a lethal disease, a soullessness spectrum disorder (see https://www.rolf-hefti.com/covid-19-coronavirus.html), UNLIKE the indigenous peoples.<br /><br />Glou3Hnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-5084967710455606122024-02-13T15:03:18.443+01:002024-02-13T15:03:18.443+01:00It looks as if your mother and mine were on the sa...It looks as if your mother and mine were on the same train …..My mother s family were taken from their house in Antonin(as she called it) , Antonivka on the map now, north of the village of Horodets(Horodziec)., on February 10.They went by train to Sarny and then into Russia.My mother s camp was Vitunino in Archangielsk oblast. Telesfor Sobierajski wrote about Vitunino in his book, Red Snow.Helenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06221642833074989122noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-81774684506308433962024-02-12T00:37:00.455+01:002024-02-12T00:37:00.455+01:00I'm going in April. Thanks for the tips.I'm going in April. Thanks for the tips.DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05826342245843967236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-39729868948801034702024-02-11T10:03:14.192+01:002024-02-11T10:03:14.192+01:00@DC
All depends when! Sandomierz is optimal in ea...@DC<br /><br />All depends when! Sandomierz is optimal in early autumn after the school holidays have ended. Catch the wineries tour; it's still sunny and warm, but without the crowds. Zamość is good at this time of year, it works without the sun (though that helps to create the Mediterranean atmosphere). Surrounding countryside - Zamość has the Roztocze hills, Sandomierz also has rewarding rural walks. Might be a coin flip!Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-59314587934098108682024-02-10T23:03:53.751+01:002024-02-10T23:03:53.751+01:00Hi Michael, Please pardon the off-topic. I know y...Hi Michael, Please pardon the off-topic. I know you have been to both Zamość and Sandomierz. I have three nights in total to visit them. Which of the two would you pick to spend two nights? I mostly want to walk around outside and take in the sights, maybe hitting one or two museums or historic places. DChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05826342245843967236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-9311365043819219602024-02-09T23:05:04.246+01:002024-02-09T23:05:04.246+01:00Thank you for your good- natured replies to my com...Thank you for your good- natured replies to my comments. Wishing you all the very best.<br /><br />Michal<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-36898033199659955532024-02-09T18:27:19.382+01:002024-02-09T18:27:19.382+01:00@ Michał Karski
Grauniad is there, but currently ...@ Michał Karski<br /><br />Grauniad is there, but currently in third place when typing in a 'g'. The various Google services would still elbow it out even if I wasn't obsessing about gov.pl's daily Covid stats.<br /><br />Making pierogi at home? Too much mess and faff, cleaning up, time etc. Especially when I can buy some really good gourmet ones even locally :-)Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-87468282314961544082024-02-08T20:08:23.199+01:002024-02-08T20:08:23.199+01:00PS - other than the absence of the Graun, your cat...PS - other than the absence of the Graun, your catalogue is a fascinating record of what has changed and/or stayed the same. Kudos for your consistency in recording your thoughts on the blog in the first place. All power to your elbow. (Is there a Polish equivalent of that saying?)<br /><br />Cheers from MKMichal Karskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485336940590433312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-75056411134075197652024-02-08T11:41:30.876+01:002024-02-08T11:41:30.876+01:00No 'G' for 'Grauniad'? Since, as y...No 'G' for 'Grauniad'? Since, as you point out, The Telegraph, apart from being stuck in a pro-Brexit groove, is largely inaccessible online because it's behind a paywall, the Guardian, on the other hand, is one of the few online papers whose articles can all be read. On which note, here's something which you may or may not have seen. Smacznego:<br /><br />https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/feb/07/how-to-make-perfect-pierogi-recipe-felicity-cloake<br />Michal Karskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485336940590433312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-2240788474057270252024-02-06T22:27:53.914+01:002024-02-06T22:27:53.914+01:00Haha! Love the comments - exactly what's wante...Haha! Love the comments - exactly what's wanted in this discussion!Michael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-65073877423058130902024-02-05T15:40:30.853+01:002024-02-05T15:40:30.853+01:00And on the subject of dull men, I think I’ve got t...And on the subject of dull men, I think I’ve got to the stage where I’m repeating myself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-20392084070805518542024-02-05T15:38:24.727+01:002024-02-05T15:38:24.727+01:00PS - you are either jokingly self-deprecating or u...PS - you are either jokingly self-deprecating or unduly modest if you think you belong in a ‘dull men’s club’ since you invariably post interesting material.<br />MKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-20509690631122430002024-02-05T13:36:47.665+01:002024-02-05T13:36:47.665+01:00Reaction off the top of my head:
The 'trainsp...Reaction off the top of my head:<br /><br />The 'trainspotter' or 'anorak' is a specialist in his/her subject who is open to new information from others.<br /><br />The 'pub bore', on the other hand, is someone who is utterly close-minded and unwilling to take on board any opinions which conflict with his/hers/theirs.<br /><br />Some politicians come to mind who fit the second category.<br /><br />Best wishes. (Spring is around the corner).<br />Michal Karskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485336940590433312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-28171547514692311052024-02-04T12:28:49.824+01:002024-02-04T12:28:49.824+01:00@Scott Huminski
Thanks for that! Just enjoyed the...@Scott Huminski<br /><br />Thanks for that! Just enjoyed the set while cooking Sunday lunch. Kinda brings to mind the great King Uszniewicz, and of course Johnny Kolyma...<br /><br />https://jeziorki.blogspot.com/2012/04/lost-legend-of-rocknroll-johnny-kolyma.htmlMichael Dembinskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05657728002439035765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2650609952674727820.post-15324723242153630002024-01-28T22:34:20.445+01:002024-01-28T22:34:20.445+01:00yes..that is the one I meant.
As to the time squan...yes..that is the one I meant.<br />As to the time squandered I'd also save a holly lot of it by skiping lecture of all the papers in the blogosphere dealing with biophysical constraints of complex systems.<br />JUrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14317304655210072891noreply@blogger.com