Fuchsia Fanatic

 

I have become a fuchsia fanatic.
I don't have a clue as to the name of this specific plant, nursery sold it as a Fuchsia, end of story
Have had excellent results with propagation
Cost in nursery range between R100,00 to R400,00, excluding container.
Don't like direct sun, and soil must be moist
Image, mobile phone

A little Learning is a Dangerous Thing: Origin and Meaning

These words came to mind after watching Big Brother Africa, Episode 3, for a few unwanted moments. One of the contestants, inmates or whatever they are called, made sweeping statements in an endeavor to create the impression that he is intellectually superior to his less fortunate companions. None of his fellow prisoners, some of which appear to be very smart, rose to the occasion to put him back in his cage, but that is another story.
The source most often quoted as the origin of these words, is part of poem written by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) in his “Essay on Criticism”

“A little learning is a dang'rous thing;
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely sobers us again.
Fir'd at first sight with what the Muse imparts,
In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts,
While from the bounded level of our mind
Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind;
But more advanc'd, behold with strange surprise
New distant scenes of endless science rise!”
(Lines 215 to 224)

The meaning of the first line is fine, it could be dangerous to tackle something if you do not have the necessary knowledge. The first surrealistic image that comes to mind is Karin bearing down on a faulty toaster with a screwdriver in her hand, scary stuff.
The second line refers to the Pierian Spring. What is the significance of this spring? This spring originates from Greek mythology. Situated in Macedonia it was the sacred place of the Muses. Now, it was believed that if a person drank from this spring it would serve as a source of inspiration and great knowledge.
So, to drink deep from the spring implies to full onself completely (with knowledge), rather than just a taste, which is too little
“The shallow draughts intoxicate the brain” meaning that one can get drunk on a little bit and think you know everything, which is dangerous.
“And drinking largely sobers us again” probably alluding to an increase in knowledge implies how little we know, a sobering thought.
So, to understand the meaning of the first line one has to read further to see it in context.
There are a number of expressions in common use today that are used out of context, in that they form part of a larger source.
The second line is used in a number of writings, but the oldest reference I could find was that of Titus Petronius in the Satyricon, which reads as follows:-
"This is the right armour of genius-
Drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring.
Only then pour out your heart."
Same meaning different context.
Hope this post will stimulate someone to go to other sources to confirm,test and question.
Image from Wikipedia

Silly Fashions

Could not think of a caption to do justice to the occasion, maybe it will hit me later. Most probably something to the point.....
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Hercules (Heracles) and the Hydra: Mythology, Second labor

This was the second task that Hercules had to undertake to atone for his sins. The Hydra was a terrible nine-headed water serpent that lived in the swamps of Lerna and guarded the gates of the underworld.
The Hydra had nine heads. Eight of the heads were mortal, and the ninth head, surrounded, by the other eight, was immortal. However should one of the mortal heads be removed, two would grow in its place. The Hydra also had an obnoxious and poisonous breath.
The Hydra would devour cattle and other livestock in the surrounding areas, and in general, terrorize the locals. To solve this problem Hercules was sent off to kill the monster.
Hercules took his nephew along with him, Iolous, who was an expert charioteer and Olympian.
Before Hercules could kill the Hydra, he had to kill a giant crab, sent by Hera to make things more difficult. He killed the crab with his club. The crab was rewarded with a place in the constellation, Cancer, by Hera for services rendered.
To flush the Hydra from hiding, he shot a number of flaming arrows into its lair.
Hercules soon found out that it was impossible to kill the beast with a club, his preferred weapon, and took a sword, (some sources say sickle), covered his mouth with a cloth, and chopped the heads off one at a time. His nephew then cauterized the neck wound with a flaming torch, so that no further heads could grow.
After a long struggle the eight mortal heads were removed, leaving the immortal head. This was chopped off and buried under a large and heavy stone. (If the head was immortal, why would this help? Just to keep it out of the way? Somewhere I read that this head came back later to cause problems..will find out in due course)
Hercules then dipped the points if his arrows in the poisonous blood of the hydra, (some sources say gall), for future use.
The interesting part about this story is that it was seen as incomplete, as he had help from his nephew, and did not undertake the task on his own.
Some sources maintain that the original tasks set were increased, to make up for the slip-up.
Image from Wikipedia.:
(Hercules from Roman Mythology and Heracles from Greek. If you do a net search use both, different range of hits)
First Labor, the Nemean lion

Crazy Images

I wish it would be possible to eavesdrop on this conversation. How do you carry this situation over to the Operations Manager.
"Hello!!!"
"Zat you Mike?"
"Yes...who is this?, I am busy, speak up.."
"It's Pete?"
"Pete who?...hurry up man...."
"The new guy"
"Yes, yes, what do you want?"
"I am afraid we have a bit of a problem....."

Mythology: What were the 12 labors of Hercules?

One of the best known characters in Greek mythology was the tragic myth of Hercules, son of the Greek god Zeus and a man of enormous strength.
In a fit of madness he killed his own children. To atone for his crime he was forced to serve King Eurystheus, who set him the tasks that are known as the twelve labours of Hercules.
In summary , these twelve tasks were as follows:
1) First task was to kill the Nemean lion, a monstrous beast that terrified the country of Nema.
2) His second task was to kill the Hydra, a terrible nine-headed water serpent
3) Thirdly he had to capture, alive, the Arcadian stag
4) His fourth task was the capture of the Erymanthian boar
5) Then he had to clean the Augean stables. Labor Five.King Augeus had a herd of 3,000 oxen and the stables had not been cleaned for 30 years.
6) His sixth labour was the slaying of the Stymphian birds, which fed on human flesh
7) Hercules had to capture the Cretan bull sent by Neptune to the king of Crete for sacrifice.
8) Task number eight was the capture of the mares of Diomedes.
9) The ninth labor was to obtain the the girdle (belt) of Hippolyte, the queen of the Amazons.
10) Then he had to capture the oxen of Geryon, a monster of with three bodies
11) His eleventh exploit was to obtain the golden apples of the Hesperides
12) His final task was the bringing up of Ceberus from the underworld.

Image from Wikipedia

Silly Signs: Police

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When and How was Julius Caesar assassinated?

Julius Caesar was assassinated on the 15th day of March, known as the Ides of March, 44 BC. Much has been written about his death and most of it dramatized for effect. The only available written documentation of his death that I could lay my hands on is that of Suetonius, the respected Roman scholar and historian, and the author of the Lives of the Caesars.
Following, quoted verbatim, from the English translation of his work on “De Vita Caesarum, Divius Iulius”, paragraph LXXXII.

“ As he took his seat, the conspirators gathered around him as if to pay their respects, and straightway Tillius Cimber, who had assumed the lead, came nearer as though to ask something: and when Caesar with a gesture put him off to another time, Cimber caught his toga by both shoulders: then as Caesar cried: “Why, this is violence!” one of the Cascas stabbed him from one side just below the throat. Caesar caught Casca’s arm and ran it through with his stylus, but as he tried to leap to his feet, he was stopped by another wound. When he saw he was beset on every side by drawn daggers, he muffled his head in his robe, and at the same time drew down its lap to his feet with his left hand, in order to fall more decently, with the lower part of his body also covered. And in this wise he was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke, although some have written that when Marcus Brutus rushed at him, he said in Greek, “You too, my child”. All the conspirators made off, and he lay there lifeless for some time, until finally three common slaves put him on a litter and carried him home, with one arm hanging down. And of so many wounds none turned out to be mortal, in the opinion of the Physician Antistius, except the one in the breast. The conspirators had intended after slaying him to drag his body to the Tiber, confiscate his property, and revoke his decrees: but they forboe through fear of Marcus Antonius the consul, and Lepidus, the master of horse”

Suetonius based his writings on interviews with people present at the assassination and writings available at the time.
If there are other sources more credible than his, please let me know

Silly Signs: Trash

No idea as to the source of this image

Achilles' Heel, Origin and meaning

To have an Achilles’ heel implies that one has a vulnerable point. If this vulnerable point is attacked it will bring about the ruin of a person, country, object or idea, irrespective of any inherent strength.
In Greek mythology, this referred to a physical weakness. Modern usage is more symbolic for the downfall of virtually anything due to an inherent weakness.
In the mythological sense, Superman had an Achilles’ heel as in kryptonite. In the modern sense a marketing plan could have an Achilles’ heel if for example one was reliant on poor salesmen.
Origin is from Greek mythology. As a baby, Achilles was dipped in the river Styx by his mother to make him immortal. During the dunking process his mother had to hold him by the heel, and this part of his body, was covered by her hand, and no contact was made with the water. This became his vulnerable spot. He was invulnerable except for his heel.
Achilles excelled during the Trojan War, specifically during the final stages. After he had killed Hector, Achilles was killed by Paris, with an arrow to his heel. Some sources say the arrow was poisoned.
Achilles therefore, considered immortal, was killed via his heel, his only weak point.

The origin and meaning of “(Caught) on the horns of a dilemma”

The origin and meaning of “(Caught) on the horns of a dilemma” turned out to be more difficult than I imagined. The meaning was the easier part, and the origin more difficult.
Meaning : Refers to a situation where one is confronted with making a decision based on two options, the results or consequence of either decision having equally unpleasant results. So, no matter what decision you have to take, the outcome is unfavourable.
Origin
From the 1933 print of the Oxford Shorter Dictionary, Dilemma has Greek origins. Di meaning two and lemma an assumption or a premiss. According to the same source dilemma was a form of argument,(Rhetoric), in which an adversary was given the choice of usually 2, "but possibly more" alternatives equally unfavourable. The alternatives are the horns of the dilemma, either of which can cause pain.
The origin of the horns I could not determine. Most refer to the horns of a bull, and even to the devils horns. Somewhere I saw a source that quoted a Greek translation meaning a four legged animal with a tail, but lost the site.
An example of the phrase in modern terms by Oxford " the dilemma of a swimmer among drowning men, who all catch at him" (Page 510).

Silly Signs: Cops Hiding

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Et Tu, Brute (And you too, Brutus) : Origin and Meaning

What does Et tu Brute mean? These words are said to have been Julius Caesars last words after being assassinated on the Ides of March by a group of Senators, including Marcus Brutus, someone he had considered a close friend.
A number of translations exist:-
“And you, Brutus?”
“You too, Brutus?”
“Even you Brutus?”
“And you, (too) Brutus?”
Today, this quotation is mostly used to refer to an act of ultimate betrayal, usually from a trusted person.
The source of this quote appears to be from William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: -
“Caesar: Doth not Brutus bootless kneel?
Casca: Speak, hands, for me! (They stab Caesar.)
Caesar: Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar! (Dies.)
Cinna: Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!”
Purists are still debating the correct translation, but the question is whether the translation efforts are directed towards translating the Shakespeare version, or Caesars last words.
Further sources of Caesars demise are the writings of Suetonius, a Roman biographer and historian. (69 AD- 122 AD). In his biography of Julius Caesar reference is made to a Greek phrase "καὶ σὺ τέκνον”. This has been translated by scholars to “You too, my child?”.
Why Greek at this serious point in time? It would appear as though the words uttered by Caesar were also the first few words of a Greek saying "You too my son, will have a taste of power," which implied that he (Brutus) would be heading for the same fate.
Suetonius : “ ….was stabbed with three and twenty wounds, uttering not a word, but merely a groan at the first stroke, though some have written that when Marcus Brutus rushed at him, he said in Greek, You too, my child?”.
So, according to Suetonius there was written documentation as to Caesars last words. Plutonius, another respected philosopher and historian, maintained that Caesar died witout saying a word.
More Caesar quotes at a later post.
Image : Wikipedia
Source : Suetonius " The Lives of the Caesars- The Deified Julius"
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar
>Updated 23 June 2009<

Kahlil Gibran - On Children

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

Silly Signs : Get her a Diamond...

Says it all....
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