These are footprints of my visitors. Look at the red-rectangled entry!
I can hardly see it.
Well … I’ll enlarge it for you.
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So, she accessed your blog from Doha, didn’t she?
Yes, she did.
Doha
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Doha (Arabic: الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa, literally: “the big tree”) is the capital city of the state of Qatar.
Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar.
Doha is Qatar’s largest city, with over 60% of the nation’s population residing in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, and is also the economic centre of the country.
Doha also serves as the seat of government of Qatar.
Doha is home to the Education City, an area devoted to research and education.
Doha was the site of the first ministerial-level meeting of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization negotiations.
The city of Doha held the 2006 Asian Games, which was the largest Asian Games ever held.
Doha also hosted the 2011 Pan Arab Games and most of the games at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
SOURCE: “Doha”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
But how come the above exotic dancer read your blog?
Good question. Diane, do you know June, don’t you?
Yes, I do. She always make a comment at the bottom of your article.
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That’s right. June works as a public relations consultant, and last October, she organized a sushi party for an oil company in Doha.
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I see… but how did the exotic dancer step into the above picture?
Well… June invited the exotic dancer and asked her to entertain the guests and company directors at the party.
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I don’t think that this kind of scantly-clad dancing is allowed in Arabic coruntries because of the religious restrictions.
I know… I know… but this is an exclusive and clandestine party. She danced exotically and charmingly so much so that they all enjoyed it to the hilt.
But how did she know that June works for your blog?
It’s nice and easy. The exotic dancer did a search on GOOGLE like this.
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She then clicked on the picture at the upper-lefthand corner and get the following page:
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Then she clicked the “Website for this image” and viewed my blog.
This is a 2011 documentary directed by David Gelb.
The film follows Jiro Ono (小野次郎), an 85-year-old sushi master and owner of “Sukiyabashi Jiro (すきやばし次郎)”—a prestigious Michelin three-star restaurant.
He is one of the world’s greatest sushi chefs.
But his sushi shop is a ten-seat sushi-only humble-looking restaurant.
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He tries to perfect the art of sushi.
If you’re a sushi-gourmet, this is a must-see to improve your knowledge about sushi and re-discover the fine art of sushi.
You would have to wait for three months to sit at his sushi bar.
The price starts at 30,000 yen—roughly, 300 Canadian dollars.
No customeres have ever regretted to pay that much after eating the exceptionally delicious ensamble of suchi.
So you viewed the above DVD on August 22, and then made the above comment, huh?
That’s right. The chef whom June asked to help her is one of those sushi masters, and the company executive allowed him to use his private jet. On the day, the sushi master bought all the fish and required materials at the fish market in Tokyo, then flew to Doha, prepared sushi and demonstrated his skill at the party as well. Aftre the party, he flew back to Tokyo. He charged $9,000 for his fee and materials.
Wow! Amazing!
Look at the number for the “Holds” in the above page. Twenty seven copies are all checked out and 30 people are still waiting to see the DVD.
I wish I could see the avove DVD right away.
No problem! I’ve just found the video clip for the above movie for you.
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Ummmm … yammy, yam, yam, yam … Kato, why don’t you make a delicious ensamble of sushi for me?
NO problem! But I’m quite busy writing articles.
Take a break, Kato, and show me how to make delicious sushi.
Okay… First of all, you must make sushi rice.
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How to make Sushi rice
professional recipe
Sushi rice is the base of delicious suchi. If it is far below standard, then your sushi is ruined. So be careful. Once you make good sushi rice, then follow the next steps.
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Step-by-Step Directions
Kato, do you think I can make delicious sushi?
Of course, you can. If you follow the above steps one by one, you should be able to make delicious sushi. Then give me a shout and I’ll taste it and tell you whether your sushi is below or above standard.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
Do you like sushi?
I’m sure you do.
Why don’t you make California rolls?
I’ll show you how to make those rolls.
California Rolls
An Easy Sushi Recipe
Now, you know how to do it.
Enjoy it to the hilt.
In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.
The contemporary version, internationally known as “sushi”, was created by Hanaya Yohei (1799–1858) at the end of the Edo period in Tokyo.
Sushi invented by Hanaya was an early form of fast food that was not fermented (therefore prepared quickly) and could be conveniently eaten with one’s hands.
Originally, this sushi was known as Edomae zushi because it used freshly caught fish in the Edo-mae (Edo Bay or Tokyo Bay).
Though the fish used in modern sushi no longer usually comes from Tokyo Bay, it is still formally known as Edomae nigiri-zushi.
I like temaki sushi.
It is easy to make.
Here are the step-by-step instructions.
Kato, how come you place my name right beside Hypatia?
Oh … Diane, do you know who Hypatia is?
Yes, of course, I know. She is a Greek philosopher renowned for her beauty, isn’t she?
Oh …, ma ma mia … ooh la la … What an astounding jack-in-the-box!
Kato, what makes you so flabbergasted?
You know, Diane, not many people go to church these days.
I know. I know. But I don’t blame them.
Why not?
…’Cause there are so many diversions people are occupied with. Going to movies is more exciting than going to church. Sitting in front of the computer screen is much more fun than sitting on a hard bench in the church.
So, Diane, you don’t blame me for not going to church nor going to Buddhist temple, do you?
No, I don’t. But why are you talking about church?
Well … you know, Hypatia was killed by a Christian mob. Since you’re a devoted Christian and regular church-goer, you might have known the tragic incidents in the early history of Christianity—the murder of Hypatia, in particular. That’s what I thought.
I see…, but, Kato, you aren’t a Christian, are you? How on earth have you come to know Hypatia?
Well …I borrowed a DVD called “Agora” from Vancouver Public Library.
You watched the above movie on May 2, and jotted down the comment in the above, huh?
Yes, I did.
Your comment is too long, Kato. How come you always write a long comment? Make it short and get to the point.
I was thinking about writing an article on this movie. That’s why I made it long so that you will know for sure what the movie is all about.
Instead of a long comment, the trailer will do a much better job, won’t it?
The trailer is too short. I don’t think you get a relatively full account of the story. Let me tell you the outline. I rewrite here the above comment with a number of still photos.
This is a 2009 historical drama directed by Alejandro Amenábar.
Rachel Weisz plays as Hypatia—a female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in late 4th century Roman Egypt.
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Hypatia investigates the flaws of the geocentric Ptolemaic system and the heliocentric model that challenges it.
Surrounded by religious turmoil and social unrest, Hypatia struggles to save the knowledge of classical antiquity from destruction.
Max Minghella co-stars as Davus, Hypatia’s father’s slave.
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Davus
Oscar Isaac plays as Hypatia’s student, and later prefect of Alexandria, Orestes.
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(Orestes sitting behind Hypatia)
The film starts in 391 AD.
By the end of the 4th century A.D., the Roman empire was on the verge of collapse.
Yet Alexandria, in the province of Egypt, still retained much of its splendor.
It boasted one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the legendary lighthouse.
It was also proud of the greatest library on earth.
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The library was not only a cultural symbol, but also a religious one, a place where the pagans worshipped their ancestral gods.
The city’s long-established pagan cult was now challenged by the Jewish faith and a rapidly spreading religion until recently banned: Christianity.
After the storming of the library, many pagans converted to Christianity and Alexandria enjoyed a time of peace.
Hypatia continued her teaching and research, while her former disciples occupied important posts among the social elite.
The Roman empire finally split into two parts.
Many Christians saw this as a sign of the end of the world and decided to prepare themselves by living holier lives.
The story uses historical fiction to highlight the relationship between religion and science amidst the decline of Greco-Roman polytheism and the Christianization of the Roman empire.
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Cyril (Sami Samir)
The leader of the Christians, Cyril (Sami Samir), views Hypatia as having too much influence over Orestes and stages a public ceremony intended to force Orestes to subjugate her.
Hypatia’s former pupil, Synesius, now the Bishop of Cyrene, comes to her rescue as a religious authority counterweight, but says he cannot help her unless she accepts Christianity; she refuses.
Hypatia makes a personal discovery, theorizing that the Earth orbits around the Sun in an elliptic, not circular, orbit with the Sun at one of the foci.
Cyril convinces a mob of Christians that Hypatia is a witch and they vow to kill her.
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Hypatia among the mob
Davus tries to run ahead to warn Hypatia, but she is captured by the mob.
They strip Hypatia naked and are about to skin her alive until Davus persuades the mob otherwise, and they decide to stone her instead.
When everyone goes outside to collect stones, Davus secretly suffocates her to spare her the pain of being stoned to death and tells the mob that she fainted.
Davus leaves as they begin to stone her.
Hypatia’s mutilated body was dragged through the streets and burnt on a pyre.
Orestes disappeared, never to be seen again.
Cyril seized power of Alexandria.
Much later, Cyril was declared a saint and doctor of the Church.
Although none of Hypatia’s works survived, it is known that she was an outstanding astronomer and renowned for her mathematical studies for her conic curves.
1200 years later, in the 17th century, the astronomer Johannes Kepler discovered that one of these curves, the eclipse, governs the motion of the planets.
It is thought-provoking and quite fascinating!
Kato, how many more DVDs are you gonna borrow?
I’m trying to watch 1,001 movies in the library.
I see… So, the 1,001st movie will be “One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights),” huh?
You’re telling me, Diane.
Tell me, Kato, what impressed you most.
Well … I’d say Pharos—the lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders.
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And, of course, Library of Alexandria.
The lighthouse and the library … is that all?
Well … lastly, not the least important … Hypatia herself … Her talent, beauty and the tragic death.
You see, Diane, she is the last philosopher of the Hellenistic Era. Cyril, the leader of the Christians, convinced a mob of Christians to kill her. And her death, I think, actually started the Dark Age in the Christian world.
Why did he want to kill her in the first place?
Well … I think Cyril viewed Hypatia as a threat to his own dignity and power. He must have understood that she was much smarter than himself.
So, Cyril’s inferiority complex and jealousy killed Hypatia. Is that it?
You’re telling me, Diane. Cyril was a self-righteous, bigoted and opinionated man—the kind of guy I hate most in the human history.
Kato, you’re quite mad with him because he killed the most beautiful woman at the time, aren’t you?
No, not really. Actually, I’m speaking on your behalf.
On my behalf?
Yes, I am. If Hypatia had survived, she would have educated more women, some of whom would probably have gone into politics and gained the right to vote.
Do you really think so, Kato?
Yes, very much so. Unfortunately, the Christian mob killed Hypatia, and the coming of other intelligent and politically-powerful women died with her. Women had to wait for 1500 years to obtain the right to vote.
1500 years?
Yes, Hypatia was killed in 415. The American women voted for the first time in 1920. The Japanese women voted in 1946.
Kato, are you a feminist?
Yes, of course, I am.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World refers to remarkable constructions of classical antiquity listed by various authors in guidebooks popular among the ancient Hellenic tourists, particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries BC.
The most prominent of these, the versions by Antipater of Sidon and an observer identified as Philo of Byzantium, comprise seven works located around the eastern Mediterranean rim.
The original list inspired innumerable versions through the ages, often listing seven entries.
Of the original Seven Wonders, only the Great Pyramid of Giza (the oldest of the ancient wonders) remains intact.
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In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.
Woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office.
Limited voting rights were gained by women in Sweden, Finland and some western U.S. states in the late 19th century.
International organizations were formed to coordinate efforts, especially the International Council of Women (1888) and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (1904).
In 1893, New Zealand, then a self-governing British colony, granted adult women the right to vote and the self-governing British colony of South Australia did the same in 1895, but also permitted women to run for office.
Australia federated in 1901, and women acquired the right to vote and stand in federal elections from 1902, though uneven restrictions on Aboriginal women voting in national elections were not completely removed until 1962.
The first European country to introduce women’s suffrage was the Grand Duchy of Finland, then part of the Russian Empire, which also produced the world’s first female members of parliament in the 1907 parliamentary elections.
Norway followed, granting full women’s suffrage in 1913.
In most Western countries, women’s suffrage came after World War I, with some important late adopters being France in 1944 and Switzerland in 1971.
If Hypatia had survived, women might have gained the right to vote much earlier.
I see… so after you watched, you jotted down the following comment, huh?
Produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, this is a 1995 American romantic drama based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Robert James Waller.
The story in the diaries reveals the impact the affair had on the lives of a farm woman and a National Geographic photographer.
The affair took place while her husband and children were at the state fair in Illinois.
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She almost ran away with him to travel the world with him.
After a wrenching period of decision-making, however, she decided to stay at the last minute after considering the bigger picture that includes the consequences leaving would have on the lives of her teenage children and husband, who was a good, loving man.
After all the photographer finds meaning and his true calling as an artist.
It also has deep consequences on the lives of her son and daughter, who are both experiencing marital problems.
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Their mother’s story helped them to find a sense of direction in their lives.
It is an old-fashioned love story with some meanings in terms of the present day context.
Superb are the performances of Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.
Diane, have you seen the above movie?
Oh yes, I have. That was quite a popular movie back in those days of the late 1990s simply because the novel, on which the film was based, was a 1992 best-seller. Actually, 60 million copies were sold worldwide.
The Bridges of Madison County (Book)
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It is a 1992 best-selling novel by Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married
but lonely Italian-American woman (war bride) living on a 1960s Madison County, Iowa farm.
While her husband and children are away at the State Fair, she engages in an affair with a National Geographic photographer
from Bellingham, Washington, who is visiting Madison County to create a photographic essay on the covered bridges in the area.
The novel is presented as a novelization of a true story, but it is in fact entirely fictional.
However, the author stated in an interview that there were strong similarities between the main character and himself.
The novel is one of the bestselling books of the 20th century, with 60 million copies sold worldwide.
It has also been adapted into a feature film in 1995 and a musical in 2013.
Publication history
It was originally published in the UK under the title Love in Black and White.
A sequel entitled A Thousand Country Roads was published in 2002.
It tells the remainder of the two main characters’ story after their four-day affair.
They never meet again, but their lives are interlocked until death.
In 2005, the trilogy was completed with High Plains Tango, which came about when Waller was writing “A Thousand Country Roads” and he realized he had two novels’ worth of material.
“High Plains Tango picks up the story of itinerant master carpenter Carlisle McMillan, Robert Kincaid’s illegitimate son, who settles in Salamander, S.D.
There his life becomes intertwined with two very different women and almost overrun by the threats of eminent domain.”
SOURCE:”The Bridges of Madison County”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sixty million copies, eh? Amazing!
Did you watch the movie on July 3 for the first time?
Yes, I did. Actually, I was quite interested in the movie when it was quite often talked about in those days.
Then why didn’t you view the movie back in those days?
Well, I could hardly imagine that Clint Eastwood would take such a melodramatic role. You see, he was quite famous as a “Dirty Harry.”
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He was also famous as a hard-boiled guy in Spaghetti Western or Italian Western such as “For a Few Dollars More” directed by Sergio Leone.
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I could hardly think that Clint Eastwood would play a protagonist as a ladys’ man in “The Bridges of Madison County.”
Is that the reason you didn’t watch the movie in the 1990s?
Yes, it is. His womanizer-image destroyed my appetite for the movie.
Then how come you watched the movie at this time?
Well, as Clint Eastwood gets older, I’m getting softer on his image.
So how did you like the movie?
As I jotted down the comment, the performances of Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep are superb. I was quite impressed by their acting. The film was made based on a true story, I guess.
No, I don’t think so. As noted in the above article of Wikipedia, the novel is presented as a novelization of a true story, but it is in fact entirely fictional.
I know, but look at the following article about the author.
Robert James Waller
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Robert James Waller (August 1, 1939 – March 10, 2017) was an American author best known for “The Bridges of Madison County”—an enormously successful book in 1993.
He was also a photographer and musician.
Life
Waller received his BA (’62) and MA (’64) from University of Northern Iowa (then known as Iowa State Teachers College).
He received his PhD in business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington in 1968.
Later that year he returned to UNI and began teaching management and economics, and in 1977 became a full professor.
He became dean of the College of Business in 1980 and retired from that position in 1986.
It was announced in 2000 that he made a “seven figure” donation to Indiana University.
Several of his books have been on the New York Times bestseller list including 1992’s “The Bridges of Madison County” which was the top best-seller in 1993.
Both that novel and his 1995 novel, Puerto Vallarta Squeeze, have been made into motion pictures.
Personal life
In 1997, his marriage of 35 years to Georgia ended in divorce.
An article in People Magazine noted, “The parallels between Waller’s life and his art (his Bridges heroine, farmwife Francesca, sacrifices her chance for happiness with a globe-hopping photographer in order to stay home and shield her loved ones from small-town scandal) haven’t been lost on the locals”.
Waller died on March 10, 2017, at his home in Fredericksburg, Texas.
He was 77 and had been battling multiple myeloma.
SOURCE:”Robert James Waller”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You see, the author was divorced in 1997. What do you think made the couple get divorced?
Well, nobody knows for sure. Besides, he’s been dead now. The secret was buried with him.
But the author stated in an interview that there were strong similarities between the main character and himself. That’s the reason the novel is presented as a novelization of a true story, which has obviously damaged his wife’s feeling. Therefore, the couple got divorced, I suppose.
In any case, that’s none of your buinsess, Kato.
I know, I know … But aren’t you curious about it? The above Wikipedia article says: The parallels between Waller’s life and Francesca’s life remains on the locals.
After all, it is anybody’s guess.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Well…, Francesca almost ran away with Robert to travel the world with him.
After a wrenching period of decision-making, however, she decided to stay at the last minute after considering the bigger picture that includes the consequences leaving would have on the lives of her teenage children and husband, who was a good, loving man.
When you view the movie, you might be surprised to see how much damage a scandal would cause in such a rural community in those days.
As a matter of fact, Robert noticed an alienated woman in a local cafe-restaurant when he dropped in.
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The woman sitting beside Robert (played by Clint Eastwood) was ignored by elder waitresses because of her extramarital scandal.
However, the younger waitress reluctantly took an order, but on a second thought, the woman decided to get out because the customers inside all stared at her with most treacherously despising gaze.
She just couldn’t stand it.
In those days, you could hardly ignore those contemptuous gazes.
Those rural communities were open in terms of scandal and rumors but closed and close-knit in terms of human relations.
Kato watched “The Arabian Nights” or “One Thousand and One Nights” as his 1001th movie.
You might just as well want to view it.
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The stories in “the Arabian Nights” were collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa.
The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and literature.
In particular, many tales were originally folk stories from the Caliphate era, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Hazār Afsān which in turn relied partly on Indian elements.
What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves.
The stories proceed from this original tale.
Some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord.
Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.
Fascinating information in the above article!
I actually think I know the mysterious and inspirational lady you’re talking about.
She looks very much like the photo you displayed and she comes across as intelligent but disturbed at the same time.
Something must have happened to her that affected her more rational behavior, or at least that’s how it seems.
I certainly know about Kurosawa as he’s been famous and very popular here in Canada now for some time.
The movie “Throne of Blood” looks a bit too gory for me, though.
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More of a man’s film, I’d say.
Interesting story, for sure.
Are you keeping busy … too busy sometimes?
My boyfriend and I went to the Playhouse Theater on Saturday night and saw a hilarious play “La Cage aux Folles.”
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I had seen the movie years ago and then there was remake apparently with Robin Williams.
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The Birdcage (1996)
(Movie Trailer)
The movie was better, but the play was still quite marvelous.
Preparing now for Christmas.
Maybe I’ll get to Joe Fortes before that time. Hopefully.
Gotta run,
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Love, Diane ~
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Subj:Hi, Diane
What a big crook!
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Date: Tues., Dec. 20, 2011 10:11 PM
Pacific Standard Time
From: barclay1720@aol.com
To: diane3760@canada.ca
Hi Diane,
I’m glad to know that you’ve been happily preparing for the big event—X’mas!
Well…, I’m not a Christian, so X’mas is not such a big event in my life.
However, watching X’mas trees always makes me happy and puts me into a festival mood.
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Your big crook reminded me of James Herriot’s sheep story, in which a dying sheep is miraculously saved simply because she has been sent into a long sleep with a drug so that she couldn’t feel pain at all.
Pain and fear would give anyone a bad effect.
That’s what James Herriot said in the story.
Well, at least, your big crook gave me a bit of laugh, which made me happy. 🙂
By the way, the mysterious woman showed up in the afternoon with a DVD today.
She always puzzles me.
What is she doing?
She doesn’t have to sit at the online computer at all if she wants to view DVDs.
An offline computer will do.
How come she always sits at the online computer at the same time?
Some day, I might as well ask her.
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Sylvie had appeared 20 minutes earlier than you did.
You just missed her.
As usual, she seemed happy and satisfied with herself. 🙂 he, he, he, he, he,…
Well, I’ve just written a story about the “Titanic” movie and my own Titanic-like romance.
Please click the following link:
Date: Wed, Dec 21, 2011 11:27 pm.
Pacific Standard Time
From: diane3760@canada.ca
To: barclay1720@aol.com
Hi, Kato.
Yes, it’s a lovely crook isn’t it?
I’ll have to send you some photos of the cast when we’re in full regalia.
I’ve got an awesome shepherd’s outfit which I pretty well put together myself, and the rest of the group are really fun and committed to the play.
Of course, if I had got to be one of the three Kings it’d be an even better costume with more glitter and such, but what’s a girl to do.
You’ve got to dress for the role you’ve got.
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As it turns out, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is really sick and I’ve been substituting for her as well as playing my simple role as a shepherd, so it may turn out I get to do both roles on Christmas Eve.
Such fun I haven’t had since grade school, really!
It’s just filled me with such happiness.
We’ll perform the play at 5 PM on Dec. 24th.
Kato, come to my church & see for yourself, just for fun, why don’t you?
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By the way, I’m so fascinated with this mysterious lady.
You really should approach her and get to know her, if only to explain to her she can watch her DVD’s without booking time on the computer.
She’d probably bless you for this.
Let me know, okay?
Thanks for this information.
I’ve not got time right now but SOON I’ll peruse it.
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Love & Blessings,
Diane ~
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Kato, how come you didn’t come to my church to see the play?
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It was down-pouring. Too wet to go out.
I don’t think so. It was drizzling, but not definitely down-pouring. You should’ve come to see the play.
Anyway, I had a good laugh when you showed up at Joe Fortes Library with that giant crook. That was more than enough for me. 🙂 He, he, he, he, he,…
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Don’t be silly, Kato…I didn’t show up like that.
In any case, I could easily imagine how the play would go. So instead, I was looking for some funny X’mas video clips for a X’mas article.
You’re not dependable. You don’t show up or you come too late…always like that.
Talking of the play, Diane, you went to the Playhouse Theater to see “La Cage aux Folles,” didn’t you?
Yes, I did. Did you, Kato?
No, I didn’t…but I viewed the “Birdcage” DVD, which you mentioned in the mail.
Oh, did you? I think the movie is better, but the play is still quite marvelous.
La Cage aux Folles
It is a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and lyrics and music by Jerry Herman.
Based on the 1973 French play of the same name by Jean Poiret, it focuses on a gay couple: Georges, the manager of a Saint-Tropez nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star attraction, and the farcical adventures that ensue when Georges’s son, Jean-Michel, brings home his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to meet them.
The original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book.
The success of the musical spawned a West End production and several international runs.
The 2004 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival, the 2008 London revival garnered the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.
The 2010 Broadway revival was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.
La Cage aux Folles is the only musical which has won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical twice and the only show that has won a Best Production Tony Award (Best Musical or Best Revival of a Musical) for each of its Broadway productions.
A National Tour, based on the 2010 revival, will begin in October 2011 with George Hamilton as Georges and Christopher Sieber as Albin.
Synopsis
Georges, the master of ceremonies, welcomes the audience to his St. Tropez drag nightclub, “La Cage aux Folles”.
The chorus line known as Les Cagelles appear and introduce themselves to the audience.
Georges and his “wife”, Albin, have lived happily together for many years in an apartment above La Cage with their black “maid” Jacob.
Albin is a drag queen and the star performer of La Cage aux Folles under the alias of “Zaza”.
As Albin prepares to perform, Georges’ 24-year-old son Jean-Michel (the offspring of a confused, youthful liaison with a woman named Sybil) arrives home with the news that he is engaged to Anne Dindon.
Georges is reluctant to approve of Jean-Michel’s engagement, but Jean-Michel assures his father that he is in love with Anne.
Unfortunately, her father is head of the “Tradition, Family and Morality Party”, whose stated goal is to close the local drag clubs.
Anne’s parents want to meet their daughter’s future in-laws.
Jean-Michel has lied to his fiancée, describing Georges as a retired diplomat, and he pleads with Georges to tell Albin to absent himself (and his flamboyantly gay behaviors) for the visit.
Before Georges can break the news to him, Albin suggests that they hurry back to La Cage to make it in time for the next show.
They arrive in time and Albin takes the stage once more as Zaza.
While Albin is performing, Georges and Jean-Michel quickly redecorate the house.
Georges finally tells Albin of Jean-Michel’s plan and expects Albin to explode with fury, but he remains silent.
Albin then re-joins Les Cagelles onstage and tells them to leave.
He then begins to sing alone in defiance of Jean-Michel, stating that he is proud of who he is and refuses to change for anyone.
He angrily throws his wig at Georges and departs in a huff.
The next morning, Georges finds Albin after his abrupt departure and apologizes.
He then suggests to Albin that he dress up for dinner as macho “Uncle Al”.
Albin is still upset, but reluctantly agrees to act like a heterosexual for Jean-Michel.
Back at the chastely redesigned apartment, Georges shows “Uncle Al” to Jean-Michel.
Jean-Michel doesn’t like the idea and expresses his dislike for Albin’s lifestyle.
Georges angrily reminds Jean-Michel of how good of a “mother” Albin has been to him.
They then receive a telegram that Jean-Michel’s mother Sybil is not coming and Anne’s parents arrive.
Hoping to save the day, Albin appears as Jean-Michel’s buxom, forty-year-old mother, in pearls and sensible shoes.
The nervous Jacob burns the dinner, so a trip to a local restaurant, “Chez Jacqueline”, belonging to an old friend of Albin and Georges, is quickly arranged.
No one has told Jacqueline of the situation, and she asks Albin (as Zaza) for a song, to which he hesitantly agrees.
Everyone in the restaurant begins to take part in the song, causing Albin to yield to the frenzy of performance and tear off his wig at the song’s climax, revealing his true identity.
Back at the apartment, the Dindons plead with their daughter to abandon her fiancé, for they are appalled by his homosexual parents, but she is in love with Jean-Michel and refuses to leave him.
Jean-Michel, deeply ashamed of the way he has treated Albin, asks his forgiveness, which is lovingly granted.
The Dindons prepare to depart, but their way is blocked by Jacqueline, who has arrived with the press, ready to photograph these notorious anti-homosexual activists with Zaza.
Georges and Albin have a proposal: If Anne and Jean-Michel may marry, Georges will help the Dindons escape through La Cage aux Folles next door.
The Dindons do so, dressed in drag as members of the nightclub’s revue, and all ends well.
Audition for
“La Cage aux Folles”
SOURCE: “La Cage aux Folles”
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Was the playhouse packed?
Oh, yes, it was with a lot of people. We really enjoyed the play. How about you, Kato?
I didn’t see the play, but the “Birdcage” is quite an amusing movie. Nathan Lane, who played as Albert, is a funny guy—actually, the funniest homosexual I’ve ever seen in my life.
Funniest? In what way?
Well…, he was eating at the table with Robin Williams. He picked up some slimy stuff with a fork, but couldn’t manage to hold it, and dropped it. In doing so, he overreacted in such a hilarious way that I laughed to death. He was really a drag queen in the true sense.
I cannot recall such a funny scene.
Anyway, if someone with homophobia see the movie, he or she might change his way of thinking about homosexuality.
Kato, are you a homosexual?
Diane, are you trying to insult me?
Oh, no, I’m quite serious and curious.
Do I look like a drag queen?
Oh, no, you don’t. But I’ve noticed that a wildest-looking man sometimes turns out to be a homosexual.
I’m not against homosexuality, but acting like a drag queen is the last thing I want to do.
You know, Kato, there are quite a few anti-gay activists in Vancouver.
I know that. So the Vancouver School Board is taking an anti-homophobia policy, using film and video to engage youth and educators on issues related to homophobia.
How do you know?
I saw the sign board the other day.
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Where did you find it?
Of course, in Vancouver. Look at the map in the background. Don’t ask me such a foolish question.
So the school board is providing anti-homophobia programs, isn’t it?
I suppose so. If I was one of the school trustees, I would propose that each student should see “The Birdcage” so that all the students would laugh off homophobia. What would you say, Diane?
Maybe a good idea. I agree with you.
【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Wow! … What a funny drag queen!
As you know, a drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining.
There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once.
Drag queens also vary by class and culture and can vary even within the same city.
Although many drag queens are gay men, there are drag artists of all genders and sexualities who do drag for various reasons or purposes.
Women who dress like men for the same purpose are known as drag kings.
I hope Kato will write another interesting article.
So please come back to see me.
The Birdcage met with mixed reviews ranging from praise to condemnation in both the mainstream press and the gay press for the portrayals of its gay characters.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) praised the film for “going beyond the stereotypes to see the character’s depth and humanity.”
The Birdcage opened on March 8, 1996 and grossed 18 million dollars in its opening weekend, topping the box office.
By the end of its 14-week run, the film had grossed 124 million dollars domestically and 61 million internationally, coming down to 185 million worldwide.
So it became quite a popular movie.
If you happen to visit a library in your neighborhood, you might as well borrow the “Birdcage” DVD and view it.
Alexandria, the birthplace of Cleopatra, is located on the western edge of the Nile that flows into the Mediterranean. Stretching 20 Km along the coast, it was one of the largest cities in the world. Surrounded in the north by the Mediterranean, in the south by Lake Mareotis, in the east by the the Nile River, the city served as a perfect base for international trade among Europe, Asia and Africa.
But it was 69 BC, when Cleopatra was born. When Kato visited Alexandria in 2010, he couldn’t see the the glory of those days anymore.
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Seen from the window of the hotel room where Kato stayed is Pharos Island that was once offshore from the city but now connected to the mainland.
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Currently, the old fortress stands where once existed the ancient lighthouse—one of the Seven Wonders of the World. This huge lighthouse had a four-layer height of 130 meters. It is said that the light was visible from 55 km at sea.
Diane…, have you been to Alexandria?
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No, I haven’t. Have you, Kato?
Yes, I have. As a matter of fact, I’ve traveled around over 30 countries.
Oh…, so, you’re a world traveler, aren’t you?
Yes, I am. I visited the famous Egyptian city in the summer of 2010. . . I met Cleopatra. . . he, he, he…
You must be kidding.
I know you cannot believe it.
Nobody can, Kato. Cleopatra has been long dead. Everybody knows that.
I know, I know…, but I met Cleopatra. Actually, the woman I met believed that she was a born-again Cleopatra.
So, you met a crazy woman…, or at least a feeble-minded woman, didn’t you?
C’mon, Diane. She wasn’t crazy at all. Actually, she turned out an intelligent woman.
By the way, Kato, you told me several years ago, you would tell me a story that was based on the brochure I’d handed out to you.
Oh, yes, this is the story based on your brochure.
But the brochure I gave you has nothing to do with Cleopatra.
No, it doesn’t mention the name of Cleopatra. However, when you read the story to the end, you will know for sure that the nitty-gritty of the brochure has something to do with the love and death of Cleopatra.
Do you really mean it, Kato?
Yes, of course, I do. . . You’ll definitely find the story thought-provoking.
Then, tell me.
Actually, I posted the story on January 27, 2011. . . I translated it into English for you. So, take your time and enjoy reading it:
Kato woke up at 9:00 am, then went over to McDonald’s near the hotel and took a late breakfast.
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Kato ordered something like a shish kebab and ate it curiously. Then, with a guidebook in hand, Kato walked to the fortress. After viewing the old fortress, he ventured south into a back street, on both sides of which stood small houses and shops closely packed like sardines. Kato thought that he’d stepped into the world of Ottoman Turkey that had flourished between the 16th and the early 20th century.
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The shops sell various kinds of colorful spices and herbs. Kato sensed the indescribable smell mixed with dusty air like the quirky “smell of Egypt”.
Near the canal that flows south of the city of Alexandria stand the tenements where the poor people live. The windows seem to be decorated with a colorful laundry. When Kato saw a donkey pulling a cart in the narrow passage, he thought he’d flown back into the ancient days.
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However, he couldn’t find any remains or past glory that reminded him of Cleopatra. He just felt quite tired of walking through the narrow back streets.
When Kato felt hungry, it started to gather darkness. Fed up with fast food, he went to one of the ubiquitous Chinese restaurants and ordered both “a bowl of noodles in a brisket soup” and “a dish of fried rice with eggs, greens, and beef”. Eating like a starving pig, Kato could hardly move, but managed to walk back to his hotel room, and lay down on the bed. He soon dropped into a deep sleep.
Middle in the night, Kato suddenly woke up, and rubbed his eyes.
Then, he was startled!
A naked woman sitting by the window was staring at Kato.
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He thought he was still in a dream.
He rubbed his eyes again. However, the woman didn’t disappear.
In fact, she was smirking with her mouth covered by her right hand as if to show politeness.
Kato rubbed his eyes again.
However, the naked woman didn’t disappear. She didn’t look like an Egyptian woman he often saw in Alexandria. Even in the moon-lit hotel room, her skin gleamed whitish-blue like that of a French or German woman. The naked woman gave him a discreet smile.
“Who … who the hell are you?”
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“Cleopatra…hu, hu, hu…”
“No kidding!”
Rubbing his eyes again, Kato stared at the woman, who laughed merrily as ever.
He turned on the light at the bedside stand. The light turned her white skin into light-orange color. With an ornamental cobra in the center, a golden hairband held her black hair like an Egyptian queen.
Slightly below the shoulder, her left arm showed a gilt bracelet that looked like a coiling cobra.
Except for the hairband and the bracelet, she wore nothing.
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To his surprise, the naked woman remained still in the antique armchair like a nude model with her left leg drawn up on the edge and right leg stretching out. Naturally, the clean-shaven ripe peach between the legs was on full display.
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Although Kato considered it rude to be staring between her legs, he couldn’t help but hold his peering eyes.
From the crack of peach bloomed a pair of pink petals that looked like a cockscomb. With the petals Joining together at the top, the peach boasted a gleaming pearl. The woman really looked like a voluptuous Venus.
Wow! What a woman!
Kato gulped down a thick drop of saliva or two.
“But…, but, she cannot be that famous Cleopatra,” thought Kato.
“Does she tell me that she is a descendant of Cleopatra?”
As if to read his mind, she stood up and stepped forward.
Smiling like an innocent girl, she stopped in front of Kato.
“What are you thinking of?”
“How… how come you’re here with me?”
“’Cause you’ve been thinking of me for so long.”
“How do you know?”
“You’ve been looking for me in this town, haven’t you?”
“Give me a break. If you were Cleopatra, how could you possibly speak English?”
“I learned English for you.”
The woman sat down right beside Kato.
A sweet smell of perfume tickled his nostrils.
“What kind of smell?” He thought.
It definitely stimulated him sexually.
He had never sensed it before.
However, somewhere in his heart, the watchful self told him, “Do not be fooled!”
Are you still in doubt?
Well…don’t you think, you’re a bit out of your mind when you meet me like this…in the stark-naked for the first time?
Jeez…are you saying, I’m out of my mind?
Yes, I am. If you aren’t out of your mind, you don’t have common sense.
You’re talking nonsense. I have more common sense than you have.
Oh, yeah?
Yes, of course. You don’t have common sense to attend the funeral of your own father.
How do you know?
I told you. I’ve been watching you such a long time that I know everything about you.
But why have you been watching me?
‘Cause you wrote about me.
Did I write about you?
Yes, you did. Don’t you remember it?
Give me a break. I met you tonight for the first time. How could I possibly write about you?
Actually, I’ve seen you so many times that you’re quite familiar to me…so much so that you’re like my husband. hu, hu, hu… Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to appear in the buff like this.
Do you really want me to believe all this?
So, you’re thinking I’m telling a fib, aren’t you?
The smile vanished completely from the face of the woman for the first time. The cold look floated up on her face as if to face her cheating husband.
Kato pulled himself from her for a moment.
But the woman got closer to challenge him.
Although it was hot and humid in Alexandria, Kato felt a chill deep inside.
Her breasts hardened slightly with the nipples turned up.
The big nipples were those of a mother who gave birth to a child.
Kato saw goose bumps on the skin around the nipple, it was not that cold, though.
He wondered if its cause was anger or lust.
Since you don’t seem to believe me, I jot down your story right down here so that you can recall.
When I was an adorable third-grade pupil, 350 pupils of the same grade went to the movie theater near my elementary school to view the animation film called “Son Goku”, which is a story about an adventurous monkey. One of the unforgettable scenes was as follows:
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The monkey stands on the palm of the giant Buddha who remains seated. The monkey looks up and talks to him. “Hey, you! I’m a great monkey just like a superman. I flew to the end of the world and now I’m back on your palm.
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Full of friendliness and mercy, Buddha smiles. “Oh, are you? You can fly from one end of the world to another like a superman, can’t you? Why don’t you show me some proof?”
“No problem. I can show you the proof. I flew over to the end of the world and wrote my name on the stone pole that stood like a giant finger. If you don’t believe it, you should also travel to the end of the world. But I don’t think you can do it ‘cause you’re always sitting like this.”
Buddha keeps smiling. “Well, some people see me fly like a superman.”
“Don’t be silly. You’re always sitting like this. How could you possibly fly like a superman?”
“So you’ve only seen me sitting like this, haven’t you?”
Then Buddha slowly expands the palm of the other hand. The middle finger shows the name that the monkey wrote some time ago. “Is this the name you wrote when you flew to the end of the world?”
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Dum-founded, the monkey stares at the name, which in deed he wrote, thinking that he reached the end of the world.
But it turns out to be the middle finger of Buddha.
“You said you flew over to the end of the world, but in my eyes you just jumped from my right hand to left hand.”
It was such a thought-provoking scene that I can still remember it clearly.
If I were Buddha, I might have told Cleopatra the following:
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“You certainly enjoyed a string of love affairs, soaked and immersed in politics, gathered a great deal of power, and boasted the invaluable treasure. But, after all, you are not so different from the monkey. In my eyes, you have been moving around on my palm.”
“Is that so? Anyway, I’m so tired.”
“Are you really tired of living in this world? If you say so, you might as well kill yourself. I wouldn’t prevent you from doing so. It’s up to you.”
“I’m tired anyway. I did do my best. In your eyes, I might have done as the monkey did on your palm. Although all my efforts seem to be a futile struggle, I cannot think of any other way to lead my life. And now I’m really exhausted.”
“Every man or woman dies soon or later. Simply, it’s the difference between being early or being late. You think you did do your best, don’t you? If you really think so and there’s nothing you want or desire, it might be a good idea that you finish your life and take it easy at this point. Nobody has a right to say otherwise.”
Even if you lead a flashy, colorful life of Cleopatra, your life is nothing more than that of the monkey who, from the Buddha’s point of view, only wriggles around on his palm.
Although Cleopatra did her best, she didn’t achieve what she really wanted.
Nobody is perfect; so yo might feel hopeless and sigh in disappointment from time to time.
You might say, “I’m really tired to death.” just as Cleopatra did.
And if you ask Buddha what to do, he has to say the same thing:
“Every man or woman dies soon or later. Simply, it’s the difference between being early or being late. You think you did do your best. If you really think so and there’s nothing you want or desire, it might be a good idea that you finish your life and take it easy at this point. Nobody has a right to say otherwise.”
I accept what Buddha said. But, Kato, you forgot the important thing.
Important thing? What’s that?
So, I have come out this way. I stay here with you until I tell you the important thing. Then I’ll go home.
You go home? but where?
Of course, back to Heaven!
Do you really want me to believe this?
“Those who believe will be saved.”
Kato, there must be the same saying in Japan, is there?
Yes, there is the same saying in Japan, but I’m free of dire lament, great distress, acute regret or anything like that. I feel fairly contented with myself. So I don’t have to join Heaven. By the way, where did you get the above article?
I searched for it on the net, of course.
But the original article is written in Japanese. Did you learn Japanese?
Yes, of course, I did.
Look! Cleopatra didn’t speak English nor Japanese!
You’re right, Kato. Cleopatra didn’t speak both languages till her death in 30 BC. However, she spoke many languages of her neighboring countries. Indeed, without an interpreter, she communicated with Ethiopians, Arabs, Hebrews, Syrians, Medes, Parthians…You see, I have a talent for languages. Naturally, I’ve got a knack to learn Japanese.
And do you really believe, you’re Cleopatra?
Yes, of course. Do you, Kato?
Listen! We are in the year of 2010. Cleopatra died in 30 BC. And if you are the real Cleopatra, your age is 2040 years old. Who would believe such a nonsense story?
I’m not saying I’ve been here in Alexandria for all those years. I was born again as Cleopatra. Kato, have you ever heard of “reincarnation”?
Yes, I have. But I don’t believe in reincarnation.
Then, start believing it. Judging from all those articles you wrote, I thought you should be able to understand reincarnation.
Yes, yes, yes… I understand reincarnation, but understanding is one thing; believing is another. Anyway, I’ve never thought that Cleopatra would read my articles on the net.
So, I told you I was reborn.
Don’t be silly! No jokes anymore, please. You’re suffering from delusion. You’re talking gibberish. Is there a mental hospital near this hotel?
There isn’t such a thing! Have you ever thought, Kato, why I know the article you wrote?
By intuition?
No, not by intuition. I’ve been watching you for a couple of years. Think about why I showed up in the nude.
Why?
‘Cause I know you. You aren’t an indecent womanizer, are you?
No, of course not. But, what you’re saying is misleading my readers. Do you know that?
Why?
‘Because you’re saying there’s no chance for you and me to get romantically involved. Some readers may think that I am impotent.
Are you?
No, of course not.
You don’t have to worry about such a thing. hu, hu, hu…
Since I arrived here in Alexandria, I’ve been thinking about a romance with a charming woman like Cleopatra. And here you are. I might just as well hold you in my arms, and wanna turn tonight into a memorable night.
I know, I know…
Then let’s make it!
…make what?
Let’s make love, shall we?
Don’t be ridiculous, Kato. You’re here to search for Cleopatra, aren’t you?
Oh, yes, I am…but your nude is too much for me.
Okay. Then get up and stay away from the bed.
What do you think you’re doing?
I’m gonna take off the bed sheet, then wrap myself with it like this. Voila! How do I look now?
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I don’t think you’re a reborn Cleopatra, but I can sense that you’re quite knowledgeable about the queen. Tell me how you became intelligent enough to attract Caesar and Antony.
It’s a long story. Here’s an excerpt from the book you might be interested in:
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Cleopatra had passed her early childhood in the royal women’s apartments. She was educated according to the centuries-old program established for the pharaoh’s daughters, who were raised to rule alongside their brother-husbands—the girls’ curriculum was, in fact, the same as the boys’.
The pharaotic tradition had given a great deal of importance to scholarship, and the Ptolemies honored and even intensified this tradition. Like all the Hellenistic rulers, they sought to nurture the child’s general culture, or enkukleios paideia—the phrase from which we get the word “encyclopedia.”
The Ptolemies developed a nationwide system of primary and secondary schools, for the Greek elite of girls and boys who would be called upon to maintain the pharaoh’s power over the native masses.
In Cleopatra’s time, the course of study was based on Greek literature, especially the works considered masterpieces, which scholars had painstakingly assembled into a fixed canon, or collection of texts.
Thus, the child read and studied Homer’s epics, which were much admired at court; the poems of Hesiod and Pindar; the tragedies of Euripides, considered superior to those of Aeschylus and Sophocles; the comedies of Menander; and the Histories of Herodotus and Thucydides; Cleopatra learned the art of rhetoric from the speeches of Demosthenes. Her education in the sciences was equally thorough: she took courses in arithmetic and geometry, astronomy and medicine, disciplines that flourished in the Alexandrian schools. A gifted amateur, the young queen also learned to draw, play the seven-stringed lyre, and sing. She was an excellent horsewoman—a sure sign of Hellenism in a “barbarian” land.
Her intellectual abilities were remarkable, but the queen displayed a particular talent for foreign languages, though Plutarch, the Greek historian, may have exaggerated somewhat.
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pages 32 – 34 “Cleopatra”
Author: Edith Flamarion
Published in 1997 by Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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Cleopatra was a language genius, wasn’t she?
Yes, indeed.
But Greek and Roman historians wrote a lot of bad things about Cleopatra.
Like what?
For example, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote about Cleopatra in the first century AD as follows:
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This greedy and ambitious queen killed her relatives in a cruel way, and if one of them survived, she turned her violent rage to other people.
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So, do you think that I’m greedy and cruel woman?
No, not really. But I don’t think Cleopatra was a 100%-flawless women, either.
You know, Kato, history is written by the winner.
Yeah, that’s absolutely right. I know the winner sometimes wrote the history to his advantage.
The Greek and Roman historians described Antony and me as the indecent enemy—worse than necessary—of the first Roman Emperor Augustus (Octavian) so that they could praise the performance of the winner.
Yes, I know.
But even the harsh critique, Dio Cassius (the Roman historian;circa 235 ー 150 AD), wrote about me as follows:
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She was brilliant to look upon and to listen to,
with the power to subjugate every one,
even Julius Caesar, a love-sated man already past his prime.
She also possessed a most charming voice
and a knowledge of how to make herself agreeable to every one.
Her seductiveness, the ancients tell us, lay not only in her voice,
but in her vivacity and intelligence.
However, she also knew how to make the most of clothing, perfumes and jewels.
So, Dio Cassius actually praised you.
You’re telling me, Kato.
But, Plutarch wrote, “Her actual beauty…was not in itself so remarkable that none could be compared with her, or that no one could see her without being struck by it.”
Well, since nobody is perfect, no judgement is perfect. One could praise me, and another would disgrace me. But look at me, Kato. What do you think of me?
Listen, lady! Plutarch also wrote, “Cleopatra had the strange ability to attract people. The contact of her presence was irresistible, and the attraction of her person, joining with the charm of her conversation, and the character that attended all she said or did, was something bewitching. When she spoke, her grace in conversation, the sweetness and kindness of her nature, seasoned everything she said or did.”
So, Kato, can you believe Plutarch?
Well, taking into consideration the education she received, I would say that Cleopatra attracted men not by her beauty, but rather by her character and intelligence.
I’m glad to hear that, Kato.
Look, lady! Tell me the most memorable words you said to a man you loved so much in the past?
I don’t like to disclose that kind of secret, but you don’t seem to believe that I’m the reborn Cleopatra. So, I’ll tell you this. First of all, Antony was an obstacle and nuisance in the eyes of Augustus, who had told me that, if I would kill Antony, he would save my life.
Oh, really? But I hear that Cleopatra refused his offer. Is that right?
Yes, I refused it.
Home come…? Everybody thinks his or her life is the most important thing in this world. If I were you, I would have definitely killed Antony to live the rest of my life.
Antony might have known about Augustus’s offer through the rumor.
But Cleopatra decisively rejected the offer of Augustus. Right?
Yes, I did. But Antony was an incredulous man—just like you, Kato. Hu, hu, hu…
So…?
I wanted Antony to know the truth in my heart—my real intention.
So what did you do?
A week later after Augustus’s offer, I dressed myself to sit at the supper table.
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To dine with Antony?
Yes, that’s right. Saying “I’m thirsty”, Antony took a glass of wine in hand. And to attract his attention, I talked about a well-trained pet lion.
So…?
Antony listened to me with a touch of interest. Then, I picked up a flower from my tiara and put it into Antony’s glass.
Why…?
The flower was sprinkled with poison.
That is, Antony’s wine got mixed up with poison. Is that it?
Yes, his wine was mixed with poison. When I was finished with the lion story, Antony was about to drink his wine.
So, did you watch Antony drink his wine?
No, of course not. I grabbed his glass from his hand.
How come…?
I told the lady-in-waiting, Charmion, to bring one of the prisoners in death row.
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A prisoner in death row? Why…?
I handed his glass over to the prisoner and told the prisoner to drink it.
Then the prisoner must have died. Did he?
Yes, he died. The prisoner was to be killed sooner or later. Drinking wine, he sank into a happy death—better than thirsting himself to death, I suppose.
So…?
I told Antony. “If I could live without you, I wouldn’t have grabbed the wine glass from your hand.”
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I see. So, Antony got to know your true heart, and he began to love you more than ever before? Is that it?
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Hu, hu, hu,… Eventually, you seem to understand that I’m the reborn Cleopatra, don’t you?
Yes, I do, but you told me earlier, Kato, you would tell me a story based on the brochure I’d handed out to you.
Yes, I did.
Then tell me what part has something to do with the above story?
That part is as follows:
The pain of our neighbors is our pain too.
When neighbors suffer, neighbors must respond.
In this way we build a better world. We dignify humanity. We overcome what we have not caused.
Even now as we in Canada breathe the air flowing to us from Fukushima (in Japan), we are reminded we are connected to each other.
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Our lives are intertwined on the same planet, the same ecosystems, the same humanity.
Perhaps God has created such a world in order to perfect our humanity.
With the promise that death is not the end of life.
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I see. So, the death of Cleopatra is not the end of her life, is it?
No, it isn’t. The pain of Cleopatra is our pain too. Our loves and lives are intertwined on the same planet at present as well as in the past. Cleopatra indeed lived and will live to the future, not poisoning Antony but saving his life, to tell us to perfect our humanity.
Amazing!… so, Kato, you actually attended the service at the church with me on March 20, 2011, didn’t you?
Yes, I did as an invisible man. . . He, he, he,…
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
Well . . . what do you think about the born-again Cleopatra?
“Don’t be silly! . . . You cannot live twice!. . . Please talk about a more interesting story.”
If you say so, I’ll show you a 86-minute documentary about TOP 10 natural disasters.
It really gives you thrilling and unforgettable moments!
If you have a weak heart, don’t watch this shocking flick.
Natural Disasters
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In any road, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
There have been at least five mass extinctions in the history of life on earth, and four in the last 3.5 billion years in which many species have disappeared in a relatively short period of geological time.
The massive eruptive event is considered to be one likely cause of the “Great Dying” about 250 million years ago, which is estimated to have killed 90% of species existing at the time.
There is also evidence to suggest this event was preceded by another mass extinction known as Olson’s Extinction.
The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event occurred 65 million years ago at the end of the Cretaceous period and is best known for having wiped out non-avian dinosaurs, among many other species.
Cause of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction?
Many scientists believe that a comet or meteor triggered the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
You might wonder if another comet collides with the Earth in the near future.
Super Comet
This is a 2007 speculative documentary produced by ZDF and the Discovery Channel.
It was directed by Stefan Schneider.
The 84-minute film hypothesizes the effects on modern-day earth of a large comet impacting in Mexico near the same location of the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, the ancient impact of a comet or meteor that is believed to have triggered the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.
It alternates between interviews with climatologists and researchers and dramatized scenes following several groups of people as they attempt to survive in the days and months after the disaster: a separated family in France, a pair of scientists in Hawaii, a man who manages to survive for a period of time near the ground zero impact in Mexico, and a tribe in Cameroon.
It is such a thrilling, exciting and profoundly astounding docudrama that you would forget to take a pee during the show.
Great story about the Central VPL (Vancouver Public Library) and the old chap.
Of course, you DO look like a librarian.
You’ve spent so much time in the library that it comes naturally.
I’m surprised more folks don’t question you.
It’s funny about Sylvie as well.
Yes, I guess she overheard us talking.
You’re right in that I at heart really DO like people and love to help out where I can.
It’s just part of my nature so not a difficulty.
We’re all different, and we all have different gifts, isn’t it true?
Such lovely weather these days, isn’t it great?
I went for a stroll around Lost Lagoon after supper and ended up on Cathedral Trail.
You must check it out.
Just over the Lost Lagoon bridge between the Lagoon and Second Beach, the park has constructed a lovely cedar boardwalk.
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It looks so new that it still SMELLS deliciously of cedar and the construction is solid and beautiful.
It is meant to protect the environment but delightful to stroll over.
You must do so whenever you’re in the area.
… hope you’re enjoying this weather.
Let me know if you get to see the new boardwalk, okay?
How’s it going with the love life?
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Ciao, Diane ~
Subj:
Yes, yes, yes… I’m going out!
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From: barclay1720@aol.com
to: diane@vancouver.ca
Thurs., June 20, 2013 3:55 P.M.
(Pacific Daylight Saving Time)
Hi Diane,
What a lovely and gorgeous day we have today.
Are you enjoying the sunshine?
I hope you ARE.
Probably, you’re jogging around the seawall.
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I’m at the Main Branch now.
I think I’ll go to see the new boardwalk this late afternoon once I’m done with my article.
Just before the library gets closed, I’ll get out and drop in at the IGA supermarket near the library to buy a bunch of bananas for my supper.
Then, I’ll walk to the Rose Garden in Stanley Park.
Probably I’ll reach the Garden by 6:30 p.m.
Then I’ll take a break and eat my bananas.
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If you’ve got free time this evening, I’d like to see you at the Rose Garden.
…hope this mail will reach you in time.
Your smiling Bohemian, Kato
with a lot of love
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Subj:
I miss the rendez-vous!
From: diane@vancouver.ca
to: barclay1720@aol.com
Sun., 2013 July 14 10:30 PM
(Pacific Daylight Saving Time)
Hi Kato,
I’ve just received your mail now, which is too late for me.
It is 10:30 p.m. on Sunday evening.
I certainly miss the rendez-vous on the boardwalk.
I’ve had a wonderfully exciting and varied weekend, though.
so I can’t complain.
…hope you got to see the new cedar boardwalk, kiddo.
Sleep tight.
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Luv, Diane ~
So, Diane, you were quite busy hopping around a number of parties over the last weekend, eh?
Well … what else can I do? You see, Kato, I at heart really DO like people and love to go out with people. Furthermore, I’d like to help out where I can.
So, Diane, you go to parties and help your friends have a lot of fun, eh?
Kato, you’re so sarcastic. I’m not particularly preoccupied with wild parties. To tell you the truth, I embodied a profoundly personal and deeply sincere commitment to my spiritual beliefs.
Oh …? You sound quite serious, eh?
I taught Sunday School and undertook duties to support my Anglican Church and tried to help others in whatever way I could.
I know … I know …
Do you really know that, Kato?
Well … at least I can see that you’re always willing and happy to help others in whatever way you could.
I’m glad to hear that. By the way, Kato, how did you enjoy the boardwalk?
Just before the closing time, I checked the news on the newly constructed boardwalk in the library.
Did you find any?
Yes, I did. I looked into the following CBC news clip.
Check out Stanley Park’s first boardwalk
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I was quite excited because the boardwalk reminded me of Oze Marshland in Japan.
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Oze Marshland in Nikko
Wow! What a beautiful view! Have you been over there, Kato?
Yes, of course, I have. That’s the reason I got so excited about the new boardwalk in Stanley Park. Suddenly, the old memory about the trip to Oze Marshland came into my mind.
So, naturally, you imagined the same kind of scenery, didn’t you?
Yes, I did. I thought that it would be quite romantic if I strolled with you on the boardwalk in Oze Marshland. Anyway, I went to the rose garden in Stanley Park.
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I walked from West End Community Center along the green route to the Rose Garden.
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Rose Garden at Stanley Park
So, while you were waiting for me, you ate a bunch of bananas like a chimpanzee, didn’t you?
Yes, that’s right. Greatly expecting a romantic rendez-vous, I enjoyed eating my banana supper like a starry-eyed amorous chimp.
I’m really sorry, Kato. If I’d known it well in advance, I could’ve probably managed to meet you over there.
Anyway, I waited for an extra hour or so, but you didn’t show up. That was the first letdown.
Oh …? What was the second letdown?
Well … I went over to the stone bridge, then to the new boardwalk. Oh, yes… as you wrote, it still smelled deliciously of cedar. The boardwalk was stoutly built. I was expecting some romantic white flowers.
Lysichiton
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It is a genus in the family Araceae.
These plants are known commonly as skunk cabbage or less often as swamp lantern.
The spelling Lysichitum is also found.
The genus has two species, one found in north-east Asia, the other in north-west America.
Lysichiton has flowers which are typical of those of the family to which it belongs (the arum family or Araceae).
The individual flowers are small and are tightly packed on a fleshy stem called a spadix which is surrounded by a white or yellow but otherwise leaf-like bract called a spathe.
The spathe is hooded or boat-shaped at the top.
Lysichiton has flowers with both male and female parts present (bisexual), unlike many other aroids.
After fertilization, the green fruits become embedded in the spadix; each fruit usually has two seeds but may have up to four.
Several large leaves appear either just before flowering or soon afterwards; each has a short stalk (petiole).
Plants die down to a vertical rhizome in winter.
SOURCE: “Lysichiton”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
To my disappointment, I couldn’t find any flowers of lysichiton as I walked along the boradwalk. This was my second letdown. Then came the third letdown.
What was it?
To my sad surprise, the boardwalk ended after I walked for about five minutes.
Yes, yes, yes… the boardwalk is a rather short path. So, Kato, you were quite disappointed, weren’t you?
Yes, that’s true. I was not satisfied with the short boardwalk, but at least it reminded me of my nostalgic memory and melody.
I can see your nostalgic memory about the trip to Oze Marshland, but what is your nostalgic melody?
Listen to this:
Oze Marshland with Music
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Did you hear a lovely melody?
Yes, I did. It’s nice and sweet, isn’t it? What is it about?
Here are lyrics for you.
Summer Memories
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I recall as summer comes
Oze Marshland in the far away
Floating in the mist
Gentle silhouette along the boardwalk
Flowers of lysichiton in bloom
Dreaming by the water
Like rhododendron in the twilight
Oh, Oze Marshland in the far away
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I recall as summer comes
My trip in Oze Marshland
Among white flowers
Floating islands
Sweet sweet flowers of lysichiton
Dreaming in full bloom by the water
Nostalgic Oze in my eyes
Oh, Oze Marshland in the far away
Oh, Kato, I wish I could stroll with you on the boardwalk in Oze Marshland
Yes, yes, yes … some day, some day …
【Himiko’s Monologue】
What beautiful flowers they are!
I like “mizu-bashō” or flowers of lysichiton.
In English, it is usually called “White Skunk Cabbage.”
I hate this English name!
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I just don’t understand how come any man could come up with “Skunk” to call this beautiful flower.
As you know, a skunk produces the most disgusting and obnoxious fart.
In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
So please come back to see me.
Oze Marshland (尾瀬ヶ原) is a high altitude marshland in the Oze National Park, Japan.
Approximately 8km² in size, the marshland is well known for the various species of plants, including the “mizu-bashō” (White Skunk Cabbage), “Nikkō-kisuge” (yellow alpine lilies) and “Watasuge” (Eriophorum vaginatum).
The marshland is a popular hiking destination.
When you visit Japan, please drop in at Oze Marshland.
At least nine people have reportedly choked to death on New Year’s rice cakes in Japan, and officials are urging people to chew slowly on the treats.
Sticky rice cakes or “mochi” are an essential part of the Japanese New Year’s menu.
But the glutinous mochi, grilled or cooked in broth or with sweet beans, can get stuck in people’s throats.
The Yomiuri newspaper reported Friday that at least 128 people were rushed to hospitals after choking on mochi, with nine dying.
The Tokyo Fire Department said Monday that 18 people were taken to city hospitals during the first three days of the year and three males died.
The department advised people to cut mochi in small pieces, chew slowly and learn first aid.
In addition to the Tokyo deaths, three people died in Chiba prefecture, while one each died in Osaka, Aomori and Nagasaki prefectures, the newspaper reported.
In the Nagasaki case, an 80-year-old man choked on a mochi that was in sweet bean soup served for free at a Shinto shrine.
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Japanese customarily visit shrines and temples to welcome the new year, and mochi, sake and other treats are sold or given out.
Kato, I wonder if any of your family in your hometown of Japan has ever chocked to death.
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Oh no, nobody! As far as I know, none of my family have ever choked on mochi before because all the members have been quite slow in eating mochi. Slow-eating is one of my family traits, I suppose.
I’m glad to hear that. By the way, Kato, did you eat some mochi on the New Year’s Day?
Yes, I did. To tell you the truth, I ate four pieces of mochi for the first time in 30 years.
Why is that?
Well… As you know, Mayumi’s dream has come true and now she is in Vancouver. So Mayumi and I celebrated her new life in Vancouver while eating mochi on the New Year’s Day.
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How did you eat mochi?
Actually, I wrote about it the other day.
How to make Zenzai or
“mochi in sweet red-bean soup”
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Zenzai hasn’t changed a bit for long, and it is a staple snack of cold season.
In good old days, Zenzai used to wait for you to be eaten on the stove in your living room while you were preoccupied with other things.
But it doesn’t seem to go quite so these days.
If you ever want to make Zenzai over the gas stove, you might just as well make a delicious Zenzai.
Boil and make the red beans completely soft.
After throwing out the water, you add 250 ml of water and 200 grams of suger to make a delicious Zenzai
I’ll teach you how to boil the red beans and make a Zenzai with an elegant sweetness.
【Ingredients of Zenzai】
• red beans … 250g
• sugar … 200g
• water added at the last sweetening process … 250ml
• a pinch of salt
1) Selection of red beans
for making delicious Zenzai
The basics of make Zenzai
① Tannins or bitterness can be removed by boiling twice.
When this is done, you boil it for the third time and cook for an hour.
② After throwing out the water, you add 250 ml of water and 200 grams of sugar and then boil it.
NOTE: Before the removal of tannins, take a close look at the red beans placed in a pot.
When you find discolored red beans, please remove them.
2) Removal of tannins or astringency
Wash red beans in a pot, and add one litre of water.
Then put it on fire.
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Note: 1) The red beans do not need to be in water before boiling.
It is okay to place the pot on fire as soon as the beans and water come together in the pot.
2) In the first removal of tannins, add a plenty of water, instead of a little bit of water.
Once it boils, throw out the water and then add a plenty of water for the second boiling.
Even after the second boiling, the red beans are still hard.
The red beans become tender in the next step.
3) The basics of boiling red beans
Once it boils for the third time, don’t discard the water.
You cook the red beans until they become tender.
You cook them in low heat for at least an hour.
NOTE: 1) While being cooked, the water gets less.
Please add some water so that the red beans always remain under water.
In about an hour, the red beans will become tender so that you could feel the softness with your fingers.
However, if the red beans are fresh, you could make them tender in less than one hour.
Please cook them carefully while checking the softness.
As the red beans become soft, proceed to the next step.
When I made the Zenzai using the fresh red beans, they became soft in about 40 minutes.
4) How to make it sweet
Place the softened red beans in a pot with 250 ml of water and 200 grams of suger as well as a pinch of salt.
The amount of water at this time is 250 ml—no more, no less.
Once it boils, you cook them about 10 minutes in low heat.
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Bake enough pieces of mochi in a toaster or an oven.
Serve a bowl of sweet red-bean soup with two pieces of mochi.
Source: “Zenzai@Overseas” （お汁粉@海外）
The Original in Japanese
(Photos from Denman library)
Ummmm… looks delicious… Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve been delighted to have some mochi with Mayumi.
I thought you were not accustomed to sticky mochi. If you had eaten a piece of mochi, you might have gone to Heaven. So I dared not call you.
Nonsense! I know how to eat mochi. Anyway, do you think, Kato, those people who choked to death on mochi went to Heaven?
Of course, they did because Japanese customarily visit shrines and temples to welcome the new year. So those who died with mochi naturally welcome the new year in Heaven.
No kidding!
Anyway, Diane, I’ve got something for you to experience a heavenly feeling.
So, you jotted down your comment after viewing it on January 9, huh?
Yes, I did. Galia, a young woman from Jerusalem, got almost killed by the terrorist attack. The bus she rode exploded and she stopped breathing for 7 minutes when she was rescued from the inflamed bus.
Then what happened to Galia?
Well… she wandered in Heaven during those seven minutes.
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It is a thought-provoking film about the soul and body. I’m sure you would like it.
So, you jotted down your comment after viewing it on January 7, huh?
Yes, I did. It’s about Cary Scott, a well-to-do widow, and Ron Kirby, a much younger gardener. Both fall in love. Cary is an affluent widow in suburban New England, whose social life involves her country club peers, college-age children, and a few men vying for her affection.
I see… seems interesting.
Yes, it is. Cary becomes interested in Ron, who turns out an intelligent, down-to-earth and respectful yet passionate younger man.
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Then what happens?
Ron introduces Cary to people who seem to have no need for wealth and status and she responds positively.
Then what follows?
Cary accepts his proposal of marriage, but becomes distressed when her friends and college-age children get angry. Her daughter and son look down upon Ron and his friends, and both children reject their mother for this socially unacceptable arrangement.
Well… it’s understandable.
Eventually, bowing to this pressure, Cary breaks off the engagement.
Then what?
When Ron has a life-threatening accident, however, Cary realizes how wrong she had been to allow other people’s opinions and superficial social conventions dictate her life choices.
I see… so both reunite, don’t they?
Sort of… In those days back in 1955, Cary must have received a lot of pressure and tons of prejudice, I suppose. In any case, it is a fascinating and thought-provoking romance. Diane, this film is your cup of tea.
I think I’ll book the DVD. But, Kato, where does Heaven come in?
Well… Ron has a life-threatening accident… So he wanders in Heaven while he’s recovering.
Really…?
Well… you might as well wander in Heaven while watching the above movie. I paste here the full movie for you.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Wow! What fascinating movies they are!
I’d like to meet a guy like Ron.
What about you?
Rock Hudson was so handsome.
I wish I could meet someone like him in the near future.
Oh, well… there are some other interesting movies.
For example, look at Number 649 in the above list.
It is called “The Shawshank Redemption.”
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【Trailer】
Kato jotted down his comment as follows:
This is a 1994 epic American drama written and directed by Frank Darabont.
Adapted from the Stephen King novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the film tells the story of Andy Dufresne, a banker who is sentenced to life in Shawshank State Prison for the murder of his wife and her lover despite his claims of innocence.
During his time at the prison, he befriends a fellow inmate, Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding, and finds himself protected by the guards after the warden begins using him in his money laundering operation.
I think this is one of the greatest movies, in which you could feel, as if in realty, that maintaining one’s feeling of self-worth is quite important even when placed in a hopeless position.
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This film clearly shows how you can be free, even in prison, or unfree, even in freedom, based on one’s outlook on life.
The above comment sounds quite interesting, doesn’t it?
In any case, I hope Kato will write another interesting article soon.
I enjoyed watching the above “All That Heaven Allows”, too.
Another interesting movie is Number 652 in the above list, which is called “Séraphine.”
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Kato jotted down his comment:
This is a 2008 French-Belgian film directed by Martin Provost.
It shows the life of Séraphine Louis (1864–1942), who is a French painter in the naïve style.
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Self-taught, she is inspired by her religious faith and by stained-glass church windows and other religious art.
The intensity of her images, both in color and in replicative designs, are sometimes interpreted as a reflection of her own psyche because she walks a tightrope between ecstasy and mental illness.
If Wilhelm Uhde (German art collector and noted art critic) hadn’t happened to come up with one of her paintings, she might have remained unnoticed, led a normal life and died as a poor yet religious housekeeper.
Wow! You are really making me nostalgic now.
I do see the similarities between Halifax and Vancouver now that you point them out.
Point Pleasant Park and Stanley Park do share commonalities, as do Lost Lagoon and the Public Gardens in Halifax.
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Point Pleasant Park
I wonder if Point Pleasant Park has a real live beaver in one of its lakes?
I went to check out our resident beaver in Beaver Lake yesterday.
Saw his or her lodge, but apparently the beaver doesn’t come out and start working until dusk each day.
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I enjoyed a wonderful article and photos in Saturday’s Vancouver Sun.
It looks like the beaver has been in the lake for four years now, most likely coming from North Vancouver’s Capilano Watershed area, braving the currents and freighters in Burrard Inlet and shuffling his or her way up Beaver Creek to the Lake.
One of these days I hope to see the beaver in person.
With this lovely weather, it’s easy and fun to take a stroll in Stanley Park more regularly, don’t you think?
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You’re right about preferring the weather here to the weather in Halifax.
But some days I question even that as you can imagine.
I came out here in Vancouver on my own when I was only 21 yrs. old.
I had finished business college and had already had two fairly good jobs, but I was seeking adventure and a westcoast life.
I did stop briefly in Toronto where my older brother lived in a really cool hippie house, and considered living there, but decided to go for bust.
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I loved it immediately and made lots of friends.
Eventually my older brother moved out from Toronto and my younger brother moved out from Halifax.
Then my parents decided that, if the kids were all going to live in Vancouver, they should just come out as well.
Except for my older brother, we all settled here in Vancouver, quite happily.
Thanks for this, very well put together kiddo,
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Love, Diane ~
Kato, how come you pasted my old mail up there?
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Well… I used the above mail in the article called “A Thread of Destiny,” which is well read by the regulars of Ameba Blog (http://ameblo.jp/).
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I see…the article took the 8th position on the above access list, didn’t it? And I notice, “Fujiyama Geisha” was at the 12th position.
Yes, it was. You see, all other articles are written in Japanese. It is amazing that articles written in English were well read among the Japanese Net surfers.
So, some of your regulars are fluent in English, aren’t they?
No, not necessarily.
Why not?
You see … most of the Japanese don’t speak good English, but they can read the books written in English somehow simply because they’ve learned English at school for six years or so.
What part of the article attracted the Japanese readers?
I’d say, the lifestyle of hippies and hedonists attracted the Japanese audience.
From Hippies to Hedonists,
in Yorkville, Toronto
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Driving thru Yorkville
I doubt… because the title (“A Thread of Destiny”) doesn’t suggest the lifestyle of hippies and hedonists.
You’re right…well, maybe, some Net surfers searched Madonna on the Net, and happened to come to the video of Toronto Film Festival in the article.
Madonna’s Film Premiere
Toronto Film Festival
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Or some might’ve searched nightlife in Toronto.
Nightlife in Toronto
I doubt… Anyway, how come you’ve brought up Beaver Lake?
‘Cause you replied to my mail like this …
From: diane@vancouver.ca
To: barclay1720@aol.com
Date: Sat, Aug 11, 2012 2:00 pm
Pacific Daylight Saving Time
Hi Kato,
Thanks for this .. it was good to see you as well ~
I’ve been spending SO much time out hiking these days that I’ve been neglecting my paperwork.
I’ll read the Geisha story probably on Monday and can’t wait.
I’ll report back to you later.
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In the meantime, get your butt out of the library, kiddo and take a walk in Stanley Park, okay? 🙂
Stanley park
Love, Diane ~
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From: barclay1720@aol.com
To: diane@vancouver.ca
Date: Friday, August 10, 2012 8:55:36 PM
Pacific Daylight Saving Time
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Hi Diane,
What a gorgeous day we have here today!
I’m confined in the library as usual.
What a pity!
But I’m happy to see you at noon!
What a coincidence!
I was creating the following map when you tickled me at my shoulder, and wrote a story just for you in the morning.
So, you actually got your butt out of the library and took a walk in Stanley Park?
Oh yeah … and I went over to Beaver Lake the first time in my life—‘cause I remembered you wrote about it.
First time? … No kidding!
I’ve been in Vancouver for 20 years but had never seen Beaver Lake before.
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Beaver Lake
I’ve realized that the lake is shrinking … I mean, I can hardly see the surface of the lake because lily pads cover it all.
But the above pictures show the nice surface with some water birds, don’t they?
Well, a friend of mine took the above pictures years ago. Now, water grass covers the surface, and naturally I couldn’t find any beaver. So, I watched the following video instead.
Canadian Beaver dines out
on national emblem controversy
I suppose the beaver is an endangered species.
I hope not.
Well, actually, the beaver was once an endangered species.
Why was that?
I viewed an interesting DVD about the beaver in Canada.
So you jotted down the above comment after watching it, didn’t you?
Yes, I did. You know, beavers used to number ten millions in Canada. By the year of 1928, the ruthless greed of the mankind and slaughter by the hunters had reduced the beaver race to an extinct level.
Stanley Park is home to several other bodies of water in Vancouver.
Beaver Lake is a small lake, mostly covered by lily pads, home to fish and water birds.
As of 1997, its surface area was 3.95 hectares, but the lake is slowly shrinking in size.
One of Vancouver’s few remaining free-flowing streams, Beaver Creek, joins Beaver Lake to the Pacific Ocean and is one of two streams in Vancouver where salmon still return to spawn each year.
It is written in Japanese… So, unfortunately, you cannot read it… Anyway, in the above article I talked about his famous novel—“The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Diane, have you read the novel?
Yes, I read it a long time ago.
By the way, Diane, have you watched the following movie?
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Trailer (1939)
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No, I haven’t, but I viewed the following musical:
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So, Diane, you like musicals, eh?
Yes, I do… Talking about Victor Hugo, is he famous even in Japan?
Oh, yes! When I was a kid, I read a story about the struggles of ex-convict Jean Valjean.
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Did you like it?
I didn’t like it too much, but one scene was clearly implanted into my mind.
What kind of scene is that?
Well… Valjean, using the alias Monsieur Madeleine, has become a wealthy factory owner and is appointed mayor of a certain town. Walking down the street, he sees a man named Fauchelevent pinned under the wheels of a cart. When no one volunteers to lift the cart, even for pay, he decides to rescue Fauchelevent himself. He crawls underneath the cart, manages to lift it, and frees him.
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The town’s police inspector, Inspector Javert, who was an adjutant guard at the Bagne of Toulon during Valjean’s incarceration, becomes suspicious of the mayor after witnessing this remarkable feat of strength. He has known only one other man, a convict named Jean Valjean, who could accomplish it.
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How old were you when you read it for the first time.
I was ten or eleven years old, I suppose.
So, you were an avid reader, eh?
No, not really… in those days, the story of Jean Valjean was quite popular among the children of my age… so, naturally it interested me to a great extent.
So, you watched it on April 8, 2016, huh? … How did you like it?
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I wasn’t impressed so much as I read the original story.
Talking about Lady Hugo, is she related to Victor Hugo?
Yes, of course, she is the youngest daughter of Victor Hugo.
Adèle Hugo
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(28 July 1830 – 21 April 1915)
Adèle Hugo was the fifth and youngest child of French writer Victor Hugo.
She is remembered for developing schizophrenia as a young woman, which led to a romantic obsession with a British military officer who rejected her.
Her story has been retold in film and books, such as “The Story of Adele H.”
Childhood
Adèle Hugo was raised in a cultured, affluent home in Paris, the youngest child of Adèle (née Foucher) and Victor Hugo, France’s most famous writer.
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Adèle Foucher
Adèle enjoyed playing the piano, and was known for her beauty and long dark hair.
She sat for portraits by several well-known Parisian artists.
In 1851, the Hugo family moved to the island of Jersey, after Victor Hugo was forced into political exile.
The family remained on the Channel Islands until 1870.
It was in Jersey that Adèle met Albert Pinson, the object of her obsession.
Illness and pursuit of Albert Pinson
Signs of mental illness became apparent in Adèle in 1856.
Adèle became romantically involved with a British army officer, Albert Pinson.
Pinson proposed marriage to Adèle in 1855, but she rejected the proposal.
Adèle had a change of heart, wanting to reconcile with Pinson, but he refused to be involved any further with Adèle.
Pinson continued his military career, being sent to the Sixteenth Foot Regiment in Bedfordshire in 1856, where he seldom saw Adèle.
Pinson then went to Ireland in 1858, upon promotion to lieutenant, where he was stationed until 1861.
Despite Pinson’s rejection, she continued pursuing him.
Pinson developed a reputation for living a “life of debauchery”.
Adèle followed him when he was stationed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1863.
Adèle’s family worried for her well-being, and tried to track her whereabouts by letters.
In 1866, Pinson was stationed to Barbados, the British colonial center in the Caribbean region.
He completely abandoned Adèle when he left Barbados in 1869.
Adèle did not find her way back to France until 1872, and in the interim, the Hugo family was unable to track her activities.
The mystery of Adèle’s life in Barbados may have been revealed in an anonymous letter to the editor—signed only “P”—published in the New-York Tribune on May 27, 1885.
The head of the Catholic mission in Trinidad, Cathonoy, gave a similar account of Adèle’s wretched situation in Barbados in a letter dated September 8, 1885.
He relates an incident where he met a Barbadian woman of African descent, named Madame Céline Alvarez Baa, who requested that a mass be said for Victor Hugo after news of the author’s death.
Curious to know the reason for Madame Baa’s interest in Victor Hugo, Cathonoy asked questions, and learned that Madame Baa had given Adèle shelter when she was abandoned on Barbados, where she was known as “Madame Pinson”.
Adèle had been found wandering the streets, talking to herself, detached from her surroundings.
Madame Baa took the initiative to take Adèle to her family in Paris.
Adèle was then left in medical care.
A grateful Victor Hugo reimbursed Madame Baa for her expenses.
Erotomania
Adèle’s obsession was a manifestation of erotomania.
Along with her other symptoms of mental illness, including hallucinations, Adèle’s condition indicates schizophrenia.
The illness appeared in other members of the Hugo family.
Victor Hugo’s brother Eugène was also schizophrenic.
She was ultimately sent to live in a mental institution for the affluent outside Paris.
She remained there until her death.
Out of Victor Hugo’s five children, Adele was the only one who outlived him.
Much of what is known about Adèle’s life and her pursuit of Pinson comes from her diaries and letters.
Adèle kept a journal while she lived on Jersey and Guernsey, which she titled Journal de l’Exil (Diary of the Exile).
She stopped keeping a diary by the time she landed in Barbados, due to her mental deterioration.
SOURCES: “Adèle Hugo”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
How come you picked up Adele Hugo all of a sudden?
Well. . . I viewed the film: “The Story of Adele H.” a few years ago.
This is a 1975 French historical docudrama directed by François Truffaut, based on Adèle Hugo’s diaries.
It shows the life of Adèle Hugo, the daughter of world-famous Victor Hugo, whose obsessive unrequited love for a military officer leads to her downfall and insanity.
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Her father places her in an asylum in Saint-Mandé, where she lives for the next forty years.
She gardens, plays the piano and writes in her journal.
Adèle Hugo died in Paris in 1915 at the age of 85.
Although it is an heartbreaking drama, the film almost appears like a dramedy when Adèle views the show of a greedy hypnotizer.
At the time I laughed my head off to death.
Superb is the performance of 20-year-old Isabelle Adjani as Adèle Hugo.
Did you really laugh your head off to death?
Well… of course, I exaggerated a bit, but the scene appeared quite hilarious… You should view the movie.
I think I’m gonna book the DVD.
You’d better hurry… Four people are still waiting…
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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Well…, have you ever watched the movie of the Jean Valjean story?
If you speak Japanese, there is a Japanese version.
Here it is.
The following movie was made in 1950.
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Jean Valjean is played by Sessue Hayakawa (早川 雪洲 1889-1973) who starred in Japanese, American, French, German, and British films.
Hayakawa was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood during the silent era of the 1910s and 1920s.
He was the first actor of Asian descent to find stardom as a leading man in the United States and Europe.
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His broodingly handsome good looks and typecasting as a sexually dominant villain made him a heartthrob among American women during a time of racial discrimination, and he became one of the first male sex symbols of Hollywood.
During those years, Hayakawa was as well-known and popular as Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, although today his name is largely unknown to the public.
In any case, I expect Kato will write another interesting article soon.
Kato watched “The Arabian Nights” or “One Thousand and One Nights” as his 1001th movie.
You might just as well want to view it.
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The stories in “the Arabian Nights” were collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa.
The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and literature.
In particular, many tales were originally folk stories from the Caliphate era, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Hazār Afsān which in turn relied partly on Indian elements.
What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves.
The stories proceed from this original tale.
Some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord.
Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.
Written and directed by Isao Takahata in 1998 based on the 1967 semi-autobiographical short story of the same name by Akiyuki Nosaka, this animated war film depicts the lives of two siblings, Seita and Setsuko as well as their desperate struggle to survive during the final months of the Second World War.
It turns out a profoundly gripping, haunting and achingly sad anti-war drama.
Are you saying that the above movie has something to do with “The Two Popes”?
Oh no. . . I chose it simply because I read the original short story written by Akiyuki Nosaka. . .
I see. . . Is the story well-known in Japan.
Yes, it is. . . Actually, Nosaka won the Naoki Prize for best popular literature for this story and “American Hijiki”, which was published a month before. . . Both short stories along with four others were bundled as a book in 1968.
Then Isao Takahata directed the anime based on the short story, huh?
That’s right. . . The film was released on April 16, 1988, over twenty years from the publication of the original work.
I see. . . How does it go?
It goes like this:
Grave of the Fireflies
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PLOT
On 21 September 1945, shortly after the end of World War II, a teenage boy named Seita dies of starvation in a Kobe train station.
A janitor sorts through his possessions and finds a candy tin, which he throws into a field.
The spirit of Seita’s younger sister, Setsuko, springs
from the tin and is joined by Seita’s spirit and a cloud of fireflies.
They board a train.
Some months earlier, Seita and Setsuko’s house is destroyed in a firebombing along with most of Kobe.
They escape unharmed, but their mother dies from severe burns.
Seita and Setsuko move in with a distant aunt, who convinces Seita to sell his mother’s silk kimonos for rice.
Seita retrieves supplies he buried before the bombing and gives everything to his aunt, save for a tin of Sakuma drops.
As rations shrink and the number of refugees in the house grows, the aunt becomes resentful of the children, saying they do nothing to earn the food she prepares.
Seita and Setsuko leave and move into an abandoned bomb shelter.
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They release fireflies into the shelter for light.
The next day, Setsuko is horrified to find that the insects have died.
She buries them in a grave, asking why they and her mother had to die.
As they run out of rice, Seita steals from farmers and loots homes during air raids, for which he is beaten.
When Setsuko falls ill, Seita takes her to a doctor, who explains that she is suffering from malnutrition.
Desperate, Seita withdraws all the money in their mother’s bank account.
As he leaves the bank, he becomes distraught when he learns that Japan has surrendered.
He also learns that his father, a captain in the Imperial Japanese Navy, is most likely dead, as most of Japan’s navy has been sunk.
Seita returns to the shelter with a large quantity of food, but finds Setsuko hallucinating – she assumes that a few marbles she finds are the previously mentioned Sakuma drops, and offers Seita rocks, thinking she had just made rice balls.
Seita hurries to feed her, but she dies as he finishes preparing the food, and she herself falls asleep.
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Seita cremates Setsuko’s body and her stuffed doll in a straw casket.
He carries her ashes in the candy tin along with his father’s photograph, and though his death is never explicitly shown again, it can be assumed this is where everything ends for them.
Seita and Setsuko’s deceased spirits arrive at their destination, healthy and happy.
Surrounded by fireflies, the siblings rest on a hilltop bench overlooking the skyline of present-day Kobe.
SOURCE: “Grave of the Fireflies”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… seems like a sad story.
Yes, it is. . . You might cry if you see it.
Anyway, I’d like to watch the film.
You can see the trailer here.
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【Himiko’s Monologue】
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The following clip is a live-action TV drama of “Grave of the Fireflies”, made by NTV in Japan.
It was produced in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Like the anime, the live-action version of “Grave of the Fireflies” focuses on two siblings struggling to survive the final days of the war in Kobe, Japan.
Unlike the animated version, it tells the story from the point of view of their cousin (the aunt’s daughter) and deals with the issue of how the war-time environment could change a kind lady into a hard-hearted woman.
It stars Nanako Matsushima as the aunt, as well as Mao Inoue as their cousin.
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Wnat do you think about the above movie?
You don’t like a war-time story, do you?
Well… here’s a mood-changing clip just for you.
Gess what?… You can now laugh to the last tears.
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Mr. Mathane
In any road, I expect Kato will write another interesting article soon.
Kato watched “The Arabian Nights” or “One Thousand and One Nights” as his 1001th movie.
You might just as well want to view it.
(1001nite.jpg)
(1001nite10.jpg)
The stories in “the Arabian Nights” were collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central, and South Asia and North Africa.
The tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Persian, Indian, Egyptian and Mesopotamian folklore and literature.
In particular, many tales were originally folk stories from the Caliphate era, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Hazār Afsān which in turn relied partly on Indian elements.
What is common throughout all the editions of the Nights is the initial frame story of the ruler Shahryār and his wife Scheherazade and the framing device incorporated throughout the tales themselves.
The stories proceed from this original tale.
Some are framed within other tales, while others begin and end of their own accord.
Some editions contain only a few hundred nights, while others include 1,001 or more.
Denman Blog2 