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April 13, 2008

BBC Casteneda documentary; New Firefox extensions; Life/death art

Carlos Castaneda And The Shaman. Tales From The Jungle. a one-hour BBC documentary on the controversial author of "The Teachings of Don Juan" series, and on Mexico's Yaqui Indians.

New Firefox extensions reviewed:

Fireday is a series for reviewing Firefox extensions every Friday (Friday + Firefox = Fireday) and selecting the best and worst extensions that are out there so you know which ones to use and which ones need adjusting.

The entire list is below so find the extension that best suits your needs and drop a line to see if there is an extension you want reviewed...

More vodka infusables. Cantaloupe sounds pleasant, but there's garlic, too.
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This Fennel and Fig Infused Vodka recipe sounds intriguing.

Wonder if it would work in iced tea? I'm not a big vodka drinker.

Left behind:

Life Before Death, an exhibit by "Walter Schels, an artist terrified of death," as the Guardian UK calls him, of 24 terminally ill people before and after death (How to stare death in the face):

Walter Schels, an artist terrified of death, took a series of extraordinary portraits of 24 terminally ill people, before and after death. The result is a profound and unforgettable show

Life Before Death
Wellcome Collection, London NW1; until 18 May

'I think that after I have died, the suffering won't show on my face. If my soul is able to float away, as I hope it will, I will lie there completely at peace.'

Beate Taube, facing death at 44, was mercifully right. The suffering is not there in her countenance. In the hour of her death, Taube's eyes are closed and there are traces of terminal exhaustion, but she looks neither in pain nor asleep. If it is possible to speak of posthumous expressions, hers is one of absolute concentration, as if she was listening to faraway music or contemplating a deep inner secret.

As in life, so in death. A month before she died of cancer, Taube was photographed by German artist Walter Schels. She is pensive, alert, her concentrated gaze seeing far beyond him; had her eyes been open, she would have looked, you feel, almost exactly the same in the mirror-image portrait he took after her death. What exactly has occurred in between? Nothing visible has changed in the passing.

Beate Taube, facing death at 44, was mercifully right. The suffering is not there in her countenance. In the hour of her death, Taube's eyes are closed and there are traces of terminal exhaustion, but she looks neither in pain nor asleep. If it is possible to speak of posthumous expressions, hers is one of absolute concentration, as if she was listening to faraway music or contemplating a deep inner secret.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 12:52 AM | Permalink