God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut

How glad I am to have heard this man speak at Emory U. a few years ago. From Dresden to Iraq, Kurt Vonnegut saw the evil in our world, and offered us a humanist's alternative to it.

Enjoy his interview on Jon Stewart's the Daily Show. (click)

Kurt Vonnegut: America's darkest humorist

Photo courtesy of Edie Vonnegut

from Rolling Stone.

Playing chess with Kurt Vonnegut

Why should the pawns be the first to die, Vonnegut asked the 12-year-old. Let's see the knights and bishops take some heat!

Andrew Leonard

Apr. 12, 2007 | (Kurt Vonnegut died Wednesday night in Manhattan. He was 84.)

When I was 12 years old I played chess with Kurt Vonnegut on a Thanksgiving Day in New York City.

I remember the moment more clearly than I can recall the last 10 Thanksgivings. The miasma of haze from a battalion of New York chain smokers, smoking like no one will ever smoke again. The buzz of conversation from buzzed writers zipping around my head like crazed dragonflies, beautiful and incomprehensible. Bursts of laughter, the reflection of light off martini glasses.

Vonnegut, his face of hangdog kindness with eyes locked in a permanent sad twinkle.

My father and Vonnegut were good friends. One trickle-down side effect of this was that, in between devouring Asimov and Heinlein and a score of other lesser science fiction lights, I was also handed by my Dad "The Sirens of Titan" and told, "Heinlein's a fascist, read this." Another perk was having him crouch down on the floor that Thanksgiving, eschewing the give and take of New York conversational tango, and invite me to play a game of chess.

On a whim, he suggested that we rearrange the board. Why did the pawns have to go in front, those sacrificial lambs about to be chewed up by the slaughter-house of the front lines, those powerless vassals of the high and mighty? Let's force the feudal lords out of their foxholes and into the hurly-burly!

Let's put the pawns in the back row, he proposed. Let's put the knights and bishops and kings and queens in the front rank!

Oh, the thrill of chess sacrilege!

Of course I was game -- how could I not be!? As we explored the craziness inherent in this new lineup, I had only a shred of comprehension as to how this casual act of ad-libbed creativity was of a piece with everything that Vonnegut represented, as an artist, as a writer who willed strange new worlds that spoke directly to all-too-familiar human dilemmas. Mostly, I figured him as a really nice guy who enjoyed messing with the head of an extremely dweeby 12-year-old.

And, well, shaking up the board like that was kind of weird.

And I liked it.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Skip forward 12 years, to 1986. Not my best year -- a year of mistakes, a year that I can look back on now and see as a key demarcation line between an endless American childhood and something approximating adulthood. But at that exact moment, dreariness and self-doubt reigned. I was living in Gainesville, Florida, working as a greeter at a Chinese restaurant and a hired hand for a catering company, waiting to hear whether a judge would let me escape an act of extreme stupidity and flee the country back to my budding obsession, Taiwan.

Then one day, a close friend called me up and told me that Kurt Vonnegut was giving a speech in Tallahassee. We should go, she said!

I was a little doubtful. It seemed like a strange way to connect back to him. In the intervening decade, I'm not sure I'd even seen Vonnegut a single time -- divorce had split my family up and splattered it across the East Coast. What would it be like to see him as a fanboy where once I had faced him across a topsy-turvy chess board? Would it be depressing? I was already depressed enough. I didn't relish the opportunity to unfavorably compare myself with the 12-year-old version of me.

But my friend was convincing. So we trooped off -- along with another friend -- to the Florida Panhandle, to see what Vonnegut looked like from a distance.

I'd be lying if I said I could remember a single word he said. But I remember we laughed and felt enlightened. Vonnegut had an incomparable way of mixing bleak pessimism with avuncular warmth. He could inspire even in the moments when he was underlining, highlighting and italicizing just how fucked up and criminally insane the world really was.

At the end of the speech, my friends urged me to lead all of us to the stage and see if we could chat with the great man himself. I was reluctant, but I had no actual choice. After a decade of dining out on the anecdote of how I dallied with Vonnegut in my parents' living room at age 12, I was in no position to shy away from him now.

There was a gatekeeper. She was reluctant to let us pass. The moment was fraught.

I told her, tell him the kid he played chess with on Thanksgiving is here.

It was weird enough to work. He appeared. His sad twinkle was intact. His warmth was overflowing. The two-hour car ride back to Gainesville was glorious, if only because, on that hot humid Florida summer night, Vonnegut proved that he was exactly as I remembered him.

One hell of a decent human being. We will no doubt hear, in the days to come, some insidious echo of the culture wars as the Vonnegut legacy is appraised and battled over. Already, the New York Times obit, (which, I hasten to note, fully gives the man his due), includes the sentence "His harshest critics called him no more than a comic book philosopher, a purveyor of empty aphorisms."

I'm sure Ann Coulter will have something even meaner to say.

All that is so much chaff. Kurt Vonnegut was a good man, a kind man, a mensch. Our world is a shallower, drearier place, without him. But anyone who has enjoyed any of his work, or been lucky enough to bask in his twinkle, can still rejoice, because we will always have him, in all his idiosyncratic twisted-chess perversity. The world is less without him, but it will always be more because of him.

-- Andrew Leonard

http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/04/12/vonnegut/print.html

Rock the (Cat's) Cradle.

Jameson

Bare Bones

 Bare Bones

What does it take to have a life-long, loving friendship with a bisexual philosopher ruled as much by passion as reason?

First and foremost it takes an infinite list of shared loves and values: philosophers, poets, music, art, films, adventure, non-conformist, creative urges and actions, Walking your Talk. And sacred time together to enjoy and share life, including going on the road together for unexpected adventures.

Then, it takes touch. Letting go of inhibitions, loving the other's body as the temple in which the person's mind/psyche lives. Accepting the other's body not unlike the way we accept our own, as a given. The exact right amount of sexual intimacy, no less, though possibly a bit more than needed.

Come to an understanding of what it means for two psyches to collide, to move to a higher plane than selfishness. A reconciliation of differences, an embrace of similarities to the point of enrichment. A living dialog about everything.

Trust and Honesty. Trust that you will do what you say you will. Trust even in small things, to be considerate, not take each other for granted, or abuse the friendship. Trust that allows you to let down your guard, remove your mask, take off your pants and experience something new. Trust that you will honor this love you have in words and in actions.

 At least once in your lifetime a passionate kiss. A kiss not because one or the other wants it, but because you both want it, hopefully while you are both alive.

January, 2012

It is not sex that gives the pleasure, but the lover.

Asheville Spring '07

Shoji Retreat, Asheville.
photo by Jameson

We celebrated spring by playing in the snowfall in Asheville, and soaking in the hot tub at Shoji (click).

Here are some photos:

Asheville Spring '07

We all enjoyed the local brew, the food, the art, and the nightlife of alternative Asheville. The city's progressive attitude and awareness was everywhere evident, from Malaprops Bookstore to the dancers of Scandals and other clubs.

Asheville

The mountains of North Carolina
and the city of Asheville.

Here are a few photographs of previous treks to the Blue Ridge:

Looking Glass Falls






















Brother John at the Devil's Courthouse




















Dillard House Field






All Photos by Jameson

Asheville News

(click)

Our Photos of Asheville and friends

(click)

Blue Ridge Mountain photos

Our Asheville page



Happy Trails...

Jameson

Do the Locomotive

Vincent Kessler/Reuters

The black and chrome train with three double-decker cars bettered the previous record set in 1990. (see article below from the N Y Times)

From streetcars to commuter trains, at least the idea of riding in something besides an automobile is entering the heads of Georgians. Here's yet another letter to the AJC:


READERS WRITE

By Jack Miller, Don Case, Weston M. Stacey, Alida C. Silverman, Michelle Abel, Mary Lou McCloskey, Greg Barnes
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/04/07

Transit: Georgia behind the times

The same day that the AJC editorial board makes a strong plea for commuter rail in Georgia ("Sign it, already, Editorial, April 3), Europe announces that a train in France has clocked 357 mph, a speed that would get you from Atlanta to Savannah in about 45 minutes. The last time I drove that way, I hadn't passed the clogged junction of I-75 and I-675 in 45 minutes.

Despite the federal funding, Georgia's yellow-smog road crowd continues to oppose the most sensible transportation for the 21st century. What is it that fuels such stubborn resistance —- highway lobby greed, or just plain ineptitude?

JACK MILLER, Atlanta

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2007/04/04/edletts0404a.html

And from the New York Times:

By ARIANE BERNARD

Published: April 4, 2007

BEZANNES, France, April 3 — A French high-speed train broke the world speed record on rail on Tuesday, reaching 357 miles an hour (574.8 kilometers) in a much publicized test in eastern France, exceeding expectations that it would hit 150 meters a second, or 540 kilometers an hour.

The train, code-named V150, is a research prototype meant to demonstrate the superiority both of the TGV high-speed train and of its probable successor, the AGV, which is also manufactured by the French engineering group Alstom. The performance on Tuesday came close to but did not break the world speed record for any train, set by an electromagnetic train in 2003.

The French railroad company SNCF and Alstom publicized the event as a test of “French excellence,” building on national pride for the 25-year-old bullet train.

The train reached its maximum speed in about 16 minutes at a site about 125 miles from Paris on a specially chosen sector of tracks of the new Eastern Europe TGV line, which will begin service between Paris and Strasbourg in June. The V150 train, with a reduced number of train cars and larger wheels, incorporates technological elements from the AGV.

SNCF and Alstom insist that the demonstration does not fulfill any immediate commercial purposes, but others say the speed could serve as a selling point in Asia and other markets.

“This world speed record is intended for research, to improve security and performance,” said Anne-Marie Idrac, the head of SNCF upon leaving the train. “And today the train that runs the fastest is the Eastern TGV. We don’t see the market today for such high speed.”

Alstom, the world high-speed train leader, with 21 percent of the market, is hoping it might parlay the record into sales, as its competitors — Siemens of Germany and Hitachi of Japan — have cut into Alstom’s lead in the competition for the market.

But Alstom has 70 percent of the market for trains that reach 270 kilometers (168 miles) an hour or more, Patrick Kron, Alstom’s chief executive, said in an interview.

“There are big developments to come in Europe, but also Latin America where we just announced we are competing for an order in Argentina,” Mr. Kron said.

High-speed trains are a potentially lucrative market in developing countries — China and India are the biggest markets, with China spending about 15 billion euros a year on its rail network, while India is looking at developing a high-speed train system.

Crowds gathered on bridges overlooking the rail tracks to watch the train race by, and national television broadcast live images from the train.

“It’s quite an achievement; I hope it’s going to help us sell a lot of TGV’s,” said Arnaud Delahaye, a 32-year-old technician from nearby Reims as he watched the V150 train from behind fences after its arrival at a purpose-built control center.

The Maglev from Japan holds the world record for a train with a speed of 581 kilometers (361 miles) an hour recorded in 2003; it uses electromagnetic technology, where the train does not actually touch the rail. This technology is more costly, typically runs shorter distances and is less compatible with existing rail networks.

High-speed trains have not caught on in the United States as they have in Europe, where TGV travel is generally considered faster transportation than air travel for distances that the TGV can cover in less than three hours.

France operates 400 TGV trains on about 1,100 miles of track built especially for high speeds.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/04/business/worldbusiness/04train.html

Chugging On,

Jameson

Easter Candy

Chocolate Jesus
By Cosimo Cavallaro (click)

Was just too sweet for the Catholics who threatened the artist and gallery director with death. Here's a holy response well worth pondering.

David Kuo: That Chocolate Jesus

David KuoFri Mar 30, 8:01 PM ET

The public won't see that "anatomically correct sculpture" of a fully naked chocolate Jesus with arms stretched wide as if on a cross. That's a shame.

I am generally pretty laid back about such things - artists should be able to do whatever it is that artists want to do. I may object, I may be horrified, but art and art and art should be as free as art can be. As such, let this "artist" do what he wants.

If art is free to express itself, however, so to the public is free to declare judgment. And so with this piece of "art" I can freely say that I think it is absurd... but also that in some ways it is actually the perfect piece of art for holy week.

Why? Because it reminds all of those who follow Jesus of how he was mocked and ridiculed, how he was scorned and beaten, how he was humiliated... and all because of his love for us. Those are good things for his followers to remember.

Jesus' story isn't nice, it isn't neat, it isn't comfortable. It is the opposite of all of those things. In so many ways those of us who say we follow Jesus actually want a sort of "chocolate Jesus" of our own - one that is sweet, one that demands little from us, one that we can mold into our forms - perhaps politically conservative, perhaps liberal, maybe happy with just a few of our dollars given to the poor every now and again, perhaps content with those who simply say they love him and then lead lives little different from anyone else.

It is easy for some religious leaders to decry a piece of art and say - as some have (apparently with a straight face) - it is "one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever." (I suppose that genocide in Darfur is merely an "affront" to Christian sensibilities?) But instead of getting all amped up over this "art," Christians should be spending time facing the real and very challenging Jesus found in the Gospels and encouraging others to do the same. I know that is what I need to do.

Happy Easter (may your basket be full)

Jameson

Streetcar named Scarlett

Latest on Atlanta Streetcars:

Today's letter in the AJC:

ajc.com > Print Edition

READERS WRITE: A streetcar desire

By Fred Maidment, Thomas M. West, Jack Miller, Terry Cole, Marshall F. Akers
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/27/07

Responses to "Streetcar plan rolls today to next phase," Metro, March 26, and "Streetcars on Peachtree, y'all," @issue, March 26

An appealing plan

Is it possible that streetcars will bring the long imagined upgrade of Peachtree Street? Will a streetcar named Scarlett (after Scarlett O'Hara of "Gone With The Wind") make our premier thoroughfare grand once again?

The proposed look portrayed in the plan's sketch certainly is appealing. The wider sidewalks have already made a good start in the Midtown area. As springtime arrives in Atlanta, nothing is more attractive than the idea of strolling along a fine boulevard with flowering trees, enticing shops and cafes, and sleek light rail in the form of modern streetcars.

Let's keep this brilliant plan on track.

JACK MILLER, Atlanta

Dar points out that it was here at 13th and Peachtree that Margaret Mitchell was killed by an automobile. All the better to replace cars with streetcars named in her honor.

• Graphic: See the blueprint

And also today: Atlanta's Mayor,

Franklin rings bell for Peachtree streetcars



Trolly Good, Jameson

Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

What better time to explore the Yellow Brick Road (click) than Elton John's 60th birthday. In Elton's bitter song, so harmonious, the yellow road is the road of howling celebrity dogs, of penthouses, of vodka tonics, the opposite of the John Denver Country Road. Elton longs for the horny toad and the farm--
Singing in Madison Square Garden, partying in style in New York, Elton certainly hasn't given up the howl of society dogs for the howl of the old owl in the woods. If there is anything beyond the yellow brick road for Elton, it seems to be the streets paved with gold.

W.W. Denslow's drawing of Scarecrow hung up on pole and helpless, from first edition of book, in 1900


The Yellow Brick Road for me has always been more than Hollywood and fantasy land. Over the rainbow, curving back upon itself, rather than going straight; twisting, turning, it has no automobiles, and takes us into the world of wizards and witches. Those in a hurry use magic to get wherever they are going. But it is best to linger, to meet the others who wander this enchanted way.
The yellow brick road leads into Pan's Labyrinth, (read the review) removed from but not immune to the horrors of Fascist Spain. It leads to danger, down the rabbit hole, into the forest of Hansel and Gretel, or the forest of Red Riding Hood. Perhaps this is where Elton's old Owl howls best.

Sir Elton (right) and his partner David Furnish wore lavish costumes to a pantomime-themed party to celebrate Matt Lucas' civil partnership to TV producer Kevin McGee in 2006.

I'd not say Goodbye to that Yellow Brick Road so quickly. Its scarecrows and cowardly lions are our best hope of reaching the Emerald City.




Amazing Trails,

Jameson

Saint Patrick/ Savannah Encore

We March to Savannah Again:

We made a second pleasant weekend trip to Savannah, having brunch at the Firefly Cafe (click), visiting Johnny Harris on World Famous Victory Drive, Spending an evening at the usual clubs, including Blaine's and Chuck's (click) on Riverstreet. We celebrated the Old Snake Chaser and all things Irish.

Here are a few photographs:

Savannah '07

Happy Vernal Equinox and St. Patrick's Day (click)

Jameson

GOOD NEIGHBOR POLICY

This weekend G.W. Bush is off to Latin America, supposedly to better our image there and to promote the use of ethanol. He has signed a deal, sweet as sugar cane, with Brazil (Rain Forest be damned). All the while, his visit raises the old debate: capitalism v. socialism.
On the eve of his visit, Bush invoked the name of Simon Bolivar (photo, left). Pres. Chavez holds Bolivar as a hero, and has claimed his socialism is based on ideals from Bolivar. Who is right? More importantly, which ideology has more to offer the people of Latin America?
Here is where history offers an answer. President Franklin Roosevelt understood how to combine socialist and capitalist principles into a working combination. Europe and Latin America have done so for decades. Roosevelt also changed our policy toward Latin America-- from one of intervention and imperialism to one of respect and cooperation-- the Good Neighbor Policy. Had we a president with the brilliance and insight of Roosevelt, we would be greeted not with protests but with cheers from the people of Latin America. We need leaders who don't name drop Simon Bolivar, but rather understand and believe in his ideals.

See also: Bush in Argentina (click)

Hasta Luego,

Jameson

Savannah Sojourn

March comes to Savannah

We made a pleasant weekend trip to Savannah, having brunch at the Firefly Cafe (click), visiting the Signature Gallery(click), Spending an evening at the usual clubs, including Blaine's and Chuck's (click) on Riverstreet. Dar dispensed gold and other gifts from the Orient.

Here are a few photographs:

Savannah '07

Happy Vernal Equinox and St. Patrick's Day (click)

Jameson

Found: Jesus... with wife and son.

Buddha had a wife and child before finding enlightenment. Maybe Jesus did too:

From the BBC:

Jesus tomb found, says film-maker

A documentary claims this is the ossuary of Jesus Christ

Jesus had a son named Judah and was buried alongside Mary Magdalene, according to a new documentary by Hollywood film director James Cameron.

Local residents told the BBC News website they were pleased with the attention the tomb has drawn.

"It will mean our house prices will go up because Christians will want to live here," one woman said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6397373.stm?ls


Look Deep Within.

Jameson

Last night, watching the ever provocative Bill Maher, I heard Ayaan Hirsi Ali, one of his panelists-- whose new book, Infidel, is bringing her increased recognition--speak about the Islamic religion. Naturally, I agree with Maher, all religions are absurd and often preposterous. But her indictment of Islam as practised today in much of the world was as sharp as the knives her grandmother used to cut her genitals when she was five. This woman, recently a member of the Dutch Parliament, star of murdered Van Gogh's film, Submission, deserves our ear , if not our heart. Here are some details:


Photo from her WIKI Entry (click)

	Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ali, born in Somalia and raised in Kenya became a Dutch citizen and was a Dutch member of parliment from 30 January 2003 until 16 May 2006.
She is under threat from Islamists for her public rejection of the Muslim faith and its cultural practices which subjugate women.
In a BBC World Service radio interview [1] the week of June 19, 2005 Ali talks about the steps which led up to her rejection of Islam ...

I came to the conclusion [that] I do not believe in the existence of a god or in the hereafter.

She co-produced (with Theo van Gogh) the short film Submission, Part I on the lack of rights for women under Islam. Van Gogh was later murdered by an Islamic extremist in reaction to the film.

And from the current issue of Newsweek:

---

Ayaan Hirsi Ali on Fighting Muslim Extremists

Threats and armed guards have followed provocateur Ayaan Hirsi Ali to America. But that suits her just fine.

By Eve Conant

Newsweek

Feb. 26, 2007 issue - Ayaan Hirsi Ali moved to the United States last September when she was invited to join the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. Last week her controversial memoir, "Infidel," was published here. With armed guards just outside her office, she sat down with NEWSWEEK's Eve Conant to discuss the Muslim extremists who have threatened to kill her, life in America and whether she's a "colonial feminist":

CONANT: Do you know how many fatwas are out against you right now?
HIRSI ALI: No. There is no official state fatwa, like the one Salman Rushdie had. Thereare simply individuals who think that by killing me they will go right to heaven. I can't live my life looking over my shoulder all the time and thinking, "Oh, my God, am I going to be killed now?"

Do you have to take extreme measures for protection?
The bodyguards [outside] are armed, yes, but I'm not allowed to go into too much detail. The Dutch government is responsible for the armed guards—they pay for them. The Americans provide intelligence gathering. I'm so, so sorry I can't tell you more; you can try talking to the two guys outside, but they won't tell you anything.

Have you felt threatened here in America?
Not threatened, but I've been recognized by some Muslim individuals who let me know they are not pleased with what I'm doing. That also happened in Europe, just people walking up to you and telling you, "Oh, you're that woman, I can't stand you." I just say, "OK, look, I'm eating now, please leave me alone."

You're at a conservative think tank. Does that reflect your position on American politics?
I consider myself a liberal, a classic liberal. The state should provide opportunity but not coddle you. I'm an atheist, but I'm not proselytizing atheism. I'm for equal opportunity for women and for gays. Some of my colleagues here don't agree with me on all issues, but that's good because you can sharpen your own thoughts that way. We agree to disagree.

You've been accused recently of being a colonial feminist.
Yes I have, but I also don't really know what that means. Look—what am I saying about Muslim women? Allow a Muslim girl to finish school, let a Muslim woman be financially independent and let her control her own body. Is that colonial feminism? Then fine, I'm a colonial feminist.

Some accuse you of being critical of Islam because of your rough childhood. What was the moment that transformed you into the person we see now—a woman more likely to wear Prada than a veil?
Let me tell you, I'm not wearing Prada today [laughs]. There are some 150 million women [of different religious backgrounds] who have undergone genital mutilation. When I was living in Africa I was not aware that this was a bad thing, because it happened to all the girls around me. And my arranged marriage: I wanted out of it, but I didn't blame it on Islam. What I tried to do in my book is explain the context in which these things took place. At that time Islam was absolutely not relevant as a source of pain to me. The real moment, for me, was after the 11th of September. I started to download bin Laden's propaganda and compare it to what was written in the Qur'an, just to check if it was really there. It was, and I was really disappointed and deeply disturbed.

Do you want to stay in the United States?
Yes, I'm happy here. The only thing that bothers me is when you go to a restaurant they put ice in your water.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17201010/site/newsweek/

Google her (news): every hit is fascinating...

Jameson

Tennessee Totality

From Lookout Mountain to Fall Creek Falls, we waltzed across Tennessee, eating Egyptian food at Starr's party, hiking the snowy trails to the highest waterfall (and icycles) east of the Mississippi, and enjoying the company of friends and family. Have a look:

Tennessee Totality

Happy Trails...

Jameson

Everlasting Boner

Whether they are 'Romeo and Juliet'
Or 'Two Gentlemen of Verona,'

Death could not part these two eternal lovers.




For Five Thousand years they have hugged within kilometers of Verona, where Romeo and Juliet embraced. Archaelogists have promised not to break them apart.


They prove that...

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of Doom.

Shakespeare, Sonnet CXVI

Their Story:

Scientists to save 5,000-year-old embrace

By Phil StewartMon Feb 12, 9:53 AM ET

Italy won't split up its Stone Age "lovers."

In a Valentine's Day gift to the country, scientists said they are determined to remove and preserve together the remains of a couple buried 5,000 to 6,000 years ago, their arms still wrapped around each other in an enduring embrace.

Instead of removing the bones one-by-one for reassembly later, archaeologists plan to scoop up the entire section of earth where the couple was buried, they told Reuters.

The plot will then be transported for study before being put on display in an Italian museum, thereby preserving the world's longest known hug for posterity.

"We want to keep can them just as they have been all this time -- together," archaeologist Elena Menotti, who announced the discovery a week ago, told Reuters.

Their removal will be a relief for archaeologists who had to hire extra security to guard the rural site outside the northern city of Mantova after the discovery made world headlines.

STAR-CROSSED LOVERS?

More importantly, it will give scientists a chance to figure out what was has become one of Italian archaeology's greatest mysteries: the first known Neolithic couple to be buried together, hugging.

Was it a sudden death? A ritual sacrifice? Or maybe they were prehistoric, star-crossed lovers who took their own lives.

That is a crowd-pleasing theory in these parts, since Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was set in nearby Verona.

But scientists acknowledge they still know precious little about the now-famous Stone Age couple, whose embrace has become a subject of world newspaper headlines and chat shows.

Italians dubbed them the "Lovers of Valdaro" after the Mantova suburb of farmland and factories. But even their gender is a open question until scientists confirm the theory that they were a man and a woman.

Archaeologists seem certain the couple died young, since their teeth are intact and that they died during the Stone Age because of an arrowhead and tools found with the remains.

But new evidence indicates the couple were not alone and that the remains may have left been near a Stone Age settlement.

A CULT? DEATH GRIP?

Archaeologists on site showed Reuters photographs of another skeleton found nearby, suggesting the couple were in some sort of prehistoric burial ground.

While the single body was buried East-West, possibly following the daily path of the sun across the sky, the Stone Age couple were buried "the wrong way."

"They were buried North-South, and we don't know why," said archaeologist Daniela Castagna, standing over the grave site.

John Robb, lecturer at Cambridge University and an expert in Neolithic Italian remains, says the trouble with the Stone Age couple is the singularity of the find -- which makes it difficult to explain using known historic data.

He said Neolithic burials are almost always single burials.

"There are a couple of mass burials. There are couple of examples of heads being found under houses. And then, about one burial in every 20 or 30 sites is completely unique," he said.

"And these are probably things that have strange ritual circumstances of one kind or another."

But until scientists get a closer look at the bones, all anyone has are loose theories.

The discovery generated Internet conspiracy theories with some taking a darker interpretation of the hugging skeletons.

One reader on AOL, said it was absurd to assume "this couple is in eternal bliss."

"Maybe it is eternal hatred that had them locked together in a death grip," wrote another reader.

Other people have called for the couple to be left alone -- something that Italian archaeologists say would leave the remains vulnerable to looters, vandals and even bad weather.

There is also a practical reason, the owner of the land hopes to soon build warehouses on it.

"We say rest in peace -- unless you're dead long enough to be interesting," wrote another reader, Jim Noonan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070212/sc_nm/archaeology_italy_embrace_new_dc_1

Happy Valentines

Jameson

Good Training

Eurotram has won the hearts and minds of the people of Strasbourg - "it has given us back our city".

Is it too much of a fantasy to imagine light rail in Atlanta with a nice streamlined bullet train aimed for Savannah? Here is my letter to the AJC:


http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/strasbourg/strasbourg1.html



From The AJC:

READERS WRITE

By Mick Travis, Phyllis Lazarus, Ann Daiss, Jack Miller, Jim Dexter, Andy Kives
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 02/08/07

Transportation

Responses to Jim Wooten's column "Rail reversal may point us to better ideas," @issue, Feb. 6

Atlanta area needs 21st-century plan

Anyone who has traveled the world, including the finest cities in the United States, knows that rail is one of the essential components of success. Imagine Paris without the Metro, London without the Underground, Strasbourg without light rail. Imagine San Francisco without trolleys, cable cars and electric buses, not to mention its rapid transit system.

Rail is hardly the 19th-century relic Jim Wooten imagines. It is ever-wider roadways, jammed with traffic, that have become the 21st-century nightmare of which we need to rid ourselves.

Forget the 20-lane roads, and the tunnels choked with gas fumes. We need Georgia leaders who have the vision and courage to bring 21st-century rail to our state.

Wooten is right that such rail needs to go somewhere: Macon, Savannah, and ultimately Florida, the Northeast and the West. With a Japanese-style bullet train, we could get to Savannah in the time it takes to have lunch in the club car. That's what I call a future we can look forward to.

JACK MILLER, Atlanta

Tunnels won't fix traffic problems

Jim Wooten's column makes it clear why he and the rest of the "nothing-but-roads" crowd is so opposed to commuter rail. Instead of investing a few million dollars upgrading existing railroad tracks for passenger service, they want to spent more than $25 billion blasting huge tunnels directly beneath the city of Atlanta, primarily for the benefit out-of-town truckers.

I'd suggest that if Wooten likes blasting tunnels so much, we should start by blasting one directly beneath his house.

JIM DEXTER, Decatur

http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/printedition/2007/02/08/edletts0208a.html



Stay on Track

Jameson