Dreams

So nice to know it's not just me.

(Then again, my last stint at university finished less than two years ago...)

The Great Man theory

In the past couple of years I've often pondered the effect that just one individual can have on the course of world events.  That one individual usually being George W.  Bush,  of course.  I used to view history as primarily the result of complex,  slow-moving forces all coming together,  a kaleidoscope of factors continually changing to create events,  and was very sceptical of the "Great Man" theory of history.

Then Dubya came along.  It's simply inescapable that the situation the world is in right now could have been radically different if the Bush regime had not taken power following the US predential election in 2000.  An election which ultimately ceased to be Bush versus Gore at the ballot box and became Bush v. Gore,  a case before the Supreme Court to decide whether Florida's recount of votes could proceed,  a recount widely expected to give Gore the presidency.  The case was decided by just one vote.  So one decision,  by one person,  on one day in December 2000,  had a massive,  far-reaching effect on the course of world history for the next eight years and beyond.

That one person is generally considered to have been Sandra Day O'Connor,  the politically centrist judge who usually decided cases in which her colleagues were split along predictable ideological lines:  four conservative,  four liberal.  That day she voted with the conservatives.  I've just watched the interview she did yesterday with John Stewart,  where he asks her to recall that decision;  it's one of the things that motivated this post.

Obviously the word "Man" in my title there is meant in the old-fashioned,  gender-neutral sense.

Now,  thanks to that 5-4 decision,  we are left with an almost impossible challenge to prevent further climate change,  the worst economic mess since the Great Depression,  and a vastly greater threat from Islamist terrorism than that which existed on 11 September,  2001.  To quote an analysis in The Guardian today:

Eight years of neocon foreign policies have been a spectacular disaster for American interests in the Islamic world,  leading to the advance of Hamas and Hezbollah,  the wreckage of Iraq,  with more than two million external refugees and the ethnic cleansing of its Christian population,  the rise of Iran as a major regional power,  and now the implosion of Afghanistan and Pakistan,  probably the most dangerous development of all.

When it comes to the terrorist threat and especially the mess in Pakistan and Afghanistan,  I'm increasingly thinking that Obama just may not have time to undo the massive damage wrought by the previous regime.  He needs to reduce the American presence in Iraq,  force Israel to finally get serious about peace,  and radically revise the entire Western approach to Pakistan and Afghanistan,  all before Pakistan implodes to the point where the risks get nuclear.  While of course simultaneously pushing through tough moves on climate change and warding off the worst recession in seventy years.

Time will tell,  but can anyone be that Great?

If you're in a horrible car accident whatever you do don't rub your eyes

Just came across this line in something I was translating:

Nach dem Berühren von gezündeten Airbags sind die Hände zu waschen
[Hands must be washed after touching inflated airbags]

Huh?  Why??  I mean, airbags are meant to cushion your face and the upper parts of your body - arms, hands etc. - in an impact.  Why would there be something on them that would be harmful to the skin??

But it turns out that there is,  or at least was until very recently.  After being "deployed",  airbags are covered in a kind of dust,  which also flies up into the air in the vehicle.  The dust is mostly stuff like talcum powder,  but on the older airbags it will also contain "a small amount of a potential skin irritant,  sodium hydroxide."  The website I'm quoting there is a guideline for emergency rescue personnel,  which goes on to say:

Hands should be washed with mild soap and water after handeling [sic] a deployed bag.  Also avoid rubbing your eyes,  eating,  or smoking after handeling the bag until you have removed the gloves and washed your hands.  Rescuers also should take care to avoid introducing the residue into the eyes or any wounds of the patient.

Is this widely known?? Wikipedia knew, but wikipedia knows everything.  It was obviously news to me but then I spend virtually no time in cars and don't get out much. 

I find it all slightly distressing. You'd think people in car accidents would have enough to worry about already.

Nothing can be translated. Fortunately, so can everything

Not even a single word in any given language can ever be translated perfectly into any other language.  Every word occupies a unique position in the vast,  incredibly complex interwoven web of words and meanings that is a language,  and no two of those complex interwoven webs will ever be the same.

On the other hand,  there is not a single concept or idea familiar to the speakers of any language which cannot be explained to the speakers of any other human language.  There is not a single human sentiment expressable in one language which cannot be expressed in every other language.  Ultimately,  given enough time and patience,  anything which can be said in one language can be said in another.

In conclusion,  therefore,  do NOT ask me to translate an Excel list of random words and phrases plucked from somewhere in your latest catalogue,  because you offend against the fundamental principles of translation.  And you piss me off.
To say nothing of what you're doing to your customers.