Dioscórides in Salamanca

The Universidad de Salamanca disclosed by their project Dioscórides illustrations and descriptions from medicinal plants, as conserved in the 15th and 16th century. These knowledge is from the time the power and influence of the Spanish Empire was on their highest point. The illustrations are beautiful, basic and to the point.

“Edición facsimilar del manuscrito 2659 con el mismo nombre conservado en la Biblioteca Universitaria de Salamanca. Esta joya bibliográfica datada a finales del XV o principios del XVI consta de 191 folios de papel de 330 x 230 mm. Y ofrece los márgenes decorados con ilustraciones de las plantas que se mencionan en el texto. El facsimil está encuadernado en piel y se acompaña de un pequeño volumen que contiene la historia del manuscrito así como explicaciones técnicas y botánicas. “

I am feeling very close to where my scientific interests and education began. It is like feeling home and back to my basics. While I am in the university shop, I was thinking how I can recall, restore all this knowledge of plants and ecosystems, hidden in sometimes far parts of my brain (time is doing is work already), almost forgotten, and apply it to the challenges of my job as city manager? That is the challenge. To link the interesting areas. What a simple visit to a shop can do. How much more is their under the surface?

Home

“Estamos viviendo un periodo crucial. Los científicos afirman que solo tenemos 10 años para cambiar nuestro modo de vida, evitar que los recursos naturales se agoten e impedir una evolución catastrófica del clima de la Tierra.”

I am in Salamanca now, for holiday, and still impressed by the movie Home of Yann Arthus-Bertrand. The website contains more facts and figures: GoodPlanet.org.

What is my answer? Something to reflect on the coming weeks, on my journey in Spain.

Go with the flow… of the flu

I think we have to prepare as good as we can. More we can not do, simple. Is it a hype or will we eventually all become sick? We don’t know. We estimate as good as we can but control, no, no control. Something to learn to live with. No control does not fit within our human dictionary. We have to go with the flow of the flu. It will go where we go, isn’t it?

A virus as our predator. Will he sharpen it’s teeth or just walk by? In the mean time, let us stay very quiet. Yes, we have no control.

Darwin

It is the year of. 200 years ago born like we all. Darwin developed bit by bit his theory. It is complex, that is why I guess. And yes, sometimes hard to understand, even for me as former (am I?) ecologist, but I promised myself to study, not read, study his Origin of Species.

What I do hope actually is that this Darwin year will lead to a more common understanding of where ‘nature’ is all about. And thereby to more respect for. Then the political focus will return. This seems to be washed away with all the social, financial and economic crises we are facing. Will Darwin bring us back on track by showing us how things actually work? And can that please be implemented in the new world order whereabout more and more politicians (very carefully though) about. Is this what they mean with ‘opportunities’? I really do hope so.

Ivan Shishkin

I did not know or hear from him before, Ivan Shishkin (in Russian: Иван Иванович Шишкин), but I met him and his work through my iPod Touch Program “Art“. He is an incredible forest, tree and landscape painter. Here with his painting A Rye Field. It gives quite an impression of the depth of the vast and open Russian landscapes. A masterpiece. See more of his works.

Discovery with Google

You download a free program, Google Earth, on your computer, connect to the internet. One evening you surf over the African continent and see what? A new area, with moutain and forests, which is not displayed on any existing map, is not registrated anywhere!

You have discovered, from behind your desk, a new unknown and unspoiled territory. That is astonishing. Isn’t it. Quite a discovery.

If this happened the way, I descibe it now, I am not sure off, but the discovery of Mozambiques’s Mount Mabu is a story on its own. It is the discovery of a paradise with new species which strangely enough we now do want to protect.

They were protected from men, but with this home-discovery it will, I’m afraid to say, be very difficult to protect them. The area will attract more scientists, new explorers, curious, businessmen, tourists, new inhabitants and with them new roads, stores, factories et cetera.

Wouldn’t it have been better to keep this whole discovery of Mount Mabu very, very secret, such for the sake of this unspoiled ecosystem?

Change

This is the year of change, obviously. There is the new president Obama, which goes for a new world order. There is change in society. Change in government. Change in public management. Change in the world financial and economical system, which seems to collapse under our hands. And there is change in personal circumstances. For me the year 2009 has really started with lots of changes.

How to manage “change”, how to lead myself to develop in and adapt to change. I know one thing: in managing change the day to day skills, habits, routines, will NOT work. Change is always undergoing several medical procedures at once, or have to connect and balance all the pieces at the same time. It is managing all the emotional connections that are essential for transformation in one stroke. Quite a challenge.

Change seems to be my mission this year. This article is one of the first actions.

Tussen hoop en vrees

De kredietcrisis, die letterlijk de hele wereld doet balanceren tussen hoop en vrees, is een crisis van het collectief. Van Planeet Aarde. Van niet alleen personen, gemeenten, bedrijven of landen, die spaarcenten, zekerheden en tegoeden in rook zien opgaan.

Het is een gevoelscrisis, een gedeelde waarde zoals ík nog nooit heb meegemaakt. Een complete overstroming van ons maatschappelijk en economisch systeem. Een storm die over ons raast, de dijken breken door. 1953, Katrina, een Tsunami, de parallellen zijn zo te trekken.

En als elke ramp, zal het vele slachtoffers eisen, zullen velen van ons straks hun wonden moeten likken, uithuilen, begraven en heel voorzichtig opnieuw beginnen. Broos, wankel met nieuwe eerste pasjes. Of de tol betalen met veroorzaakte armoede. Is dit een collectieve groeistuip van de eerste orde? Eén die ons meer één zal maken dan ooit tevoren, één die ons doet voelen dat we het alleen samen kunnen.

Eerst maar eens wachten tot het water dadelijk gaat zakken. We leven tussen hoop en vrees en kijken allemaal naar de graadmeters. Gaan ze op? (zie wel valt allemaal mee), gaan ze neer? (oeps). De AEX is geworden tot graadmeter van onze collectieve hoop. Een NAP in tijden van watersnood.

Waarom een weblog?

Veel mensen houden een weblog bij. Zo ook ik. Niet altijd, ik weet het. Ja, met tussenpozen, maar toch. Waarom eigenlijk? Wat is de drijfveer van dit schrijven van mij, van dit willen “vastpakken” van momenten, van reflecties, beelden, overtuigingen of gedachten.

Lezend in Nachttrein naar Lissabon van Pascal Mercier kom ik op pagina 250 een mogelijke verklaring tegen. Mercier citeert Pessoa: “Ik geloof dat een zaak onder woorden brengen betekent dat de kracht ervan wordt bewaard en de verschrikking ervan wordt weggenomen”.

Mooi gezegd. Komt erg dicht in de buurt.

Landschap: spiegel van de geest?

Zou het zo kunnen zijn dat het landschap als spiegel van de geest kan worden beschouwd. Dat aantrekkelijkheid, kracht en mysterie (de drie verklarende factoren voor waardering) er worden verenigd, zoals ook in onze hersenen. Zie hier het landschap van the Palouse.

Dat het landschap de toestand van onze geest, onze stemming weerspiegelt, uittekent of beschrijft. Als dat zo is, dan zou ik zeggen: ik voel mij zo.