[Winfield Hill]

Fifteen years ago we bought a fish, a great fish, a beautiful elegant
fish, a Clown Loach. He was about three years old then, and such a
masterful fish, so full of life and elan, springing about the tank,
displaying his bright colors, that we had to get him a partner.

So we bought another small younger Clown Loach.

As the tank's population grew, with new fish of many types and sizes,
the pair of clown loaches remained center stage. In a few years they
grew further, to almost the same size, two large healthy fishes,
swimming in dance formation, exploring the tank for adventure while
courteously avoiding trouble with the other fish. Always intensely
attune to each other, often curving side-by-side, they grabbed our
attention and captivated our imagination. Gracefully darting for
food at feeding time, searching the reaches of the tank during the
quiet times, their flashes of color and intensity helped us know
everything was well in the fish tank world.

As each evening approached, the two brilliant Clown Loaches would begin
an intense battle dance, to determine who would get a favored sleeping
spot. Although there were several conch shells to choose from, they
would contest - dart and dash, swirl and nip back and forth in complex
patterns for up to an hour. Things would seem to settle down, with one
entering the shell... but in a moment he'd back out and the dance would
start again as if to say, we're not done yet, the day offers more before
we sleep. Fins on display, intense colors changing in seconds in an
amazing feat of biochemistry, they commanded attention.

Gradually they'd settle in, first one fish wriggling deep into the shell,
out of sight, followed by over the next five minutes by the remaining
Clown, pressing in like a stopper, with just a red bit of tail hanging
out to indicate where they were.

It was early to bed for these two, often before the tank lights were
dimmed at the appointed hour, "Twilight for the fishes."

This afternoon our master Clown Loach unexpectedly died. We found him
lying in death in the middle of the tank, with his partner of fifteen
years beside him quietly keeping vigil. After the body was removed,
the remaining Loach immediately hid himself and hasn't been seen since.
It's the end of an glorious era for our tank community, the end of the
partnership of these two fine creatures, the end for our original fish,
our beloved fish, and a time for deep sadness.

 

[Ban]

Fifteen years ago we bought a fish, a great fish, a beautiful elegant
fish, a Clown Loach. He was about three years old then, and such a
masterful fish, so full of life and elan, springing about the tank,
displaying his bright colors, that we had to get him a partner.

So we bought another small younger Clown Loach.

As the tank's population grew, with new fish of many types and sizes,
the pair of clown loaches remained center stage. In a few years they
grew further, to almost the same size, two large healthy fishes,
swimming in dance formation, exploring the tank for adventure while
courteously avoiding trouble with the other fish. Always intensely
attune to each other, often curving side-by-side, they grabbed our
attention and captivated our imagination. Gracefully darting for
food at feeding time, searching the reaches of the tank during the
quiet times, their flashes of color and intensity helped us know
everything was well in the fish tank world.

As each evening approached, the two brilliant Clown Loaches would
begin an intense battle dance, to determine who would get a favored
sleeping spot. Although there were several conch shells to choose
from, they would contest - dart and dash, swirl and nip back and
forth in complex patterns for up to an hour. Things would seem to
settle down, with one entering the shell... but in a moment he'd back
out and the dance would start again as if to say, we're not done yet,
the day offers more before we sleep. Fins on display, intense colors
changing in seconds in an amazing feat of biochemistry, they
commanded attention.

Gradually they'd settle in, first one fish wriggling deep into the
shell, out of sight, followed by over the next five minutes by the
remaining Clown, pressing in like a stopper, with just a red bit of
tail hanging out to indicate where they were.

It was early to bed for these two, often before the tank lights were
dimmed at the appointed hour, "Twilight for the fishes."

This afternoon our master Clown Loach unexpectedly died. We found him
lying in death in the middle of the tank, with his partner of fifteen
years beside him quietly keeping vigil. After the body was removed,
the remaining Loach immediately hid himself and hasn't been seen
since. It's the end of an glorious era for our tank community, the
end of the partnership of these two fine creatures, the end for our
original fish, our beloved fish, and a time for deep sadness.

Amazing how we can develop love and attachment to other creatures (animals
and plants), especially when we do not have offspring of our kind.
We have a tortoise and our little daughter and us love her with so much
affection. Hopefully she will survive us all, since she is only 4yrs. old
and they eventually become 150.

 

[Active8]

On 2 Apr 2005 19:30:29 -0800, Winfield Hill wrote:

Allow me to express my deepest condolence for your loss. Please
accept the small gift I've posted to ABSE.

Though it may not lessen the pain of your loss, know that the
master's death was not in vain. I'm reminded of my love for all
things living in nature. Also, I believe that I have learned
something about writing from your *most eloquent* eulogy and
obituary. Your style is remarkable.

 

[Winfield Hill]

Active8 wrote...

Allow me to express my deepest condolence for your loss. Please
accept the small gift I've posted to ABSE.

Thanks, Mike, very nice, that's very kind of you.

Though it may not lessen the pain of your loss, know that the
master's death was not in vain. I'm reminded of my love for all
things living in nature. Also, I believe that I have learned
something about writing from your *most eloquent* eulogy and
obituary. Your style is remarkable.

First Terry, then the Pope, and then our great fish. It was more
than I could handle yesterday. Watching "The Big Fish" on HBO in
the evening and crying at the end played a role as well. Sheesh!

Now, just to concentrate a bit on power MOSFET characteristics.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Amazing how we can develop love and attachment

It is not so amazing if we understand the kind of concussion we call
"eternal love" which is an important part of the cultural pattern we
have lived in for thousands of years.

It is a combination of fear and strong convictions, mastered by
aggressivity when needed.
That is what we see on tv every day, romance, fear, aggressivity, male
and female roles and the social processes which create those roles.

Right now we live in a confused era, the era of secularization. Some
people still defend and try to re-inforce the old creationist culture,
others are trying to replace it with equality between the sexes,
democracy replacing the rule of God, human rights replacing the
draconic laws of the old testament.

Electronics plays an important part in the secularizing process, as we
can meet in the medium of text, where our social strength is nullified
and only the strength of our arguments decide how seriously we are
taken by others.

Logic and reason are slowly replacing strong convictions and fear.

Electronic media spread information all over the globe, showing us more
alternatives, reinforcing patterns, destroying patterns, creating new
patterns of life.

Industrialization and free markets equalize the conditions all over the
globe. Capital flowing to poor countries where it is cheap to build
factories, where cheap labor is available. After some time the economic
conditions will be come equalized between all nations and all people in
the world.

In the old cultural pattern foreplay was handled by the society. The
training of boys and girls to become men and women created a kind of
automatic excitement and amazement towards the other sex.

As modern secularized people we have to DO things with our minds and
bodies, instead of just BEING men and women, to create a nice love life.

The fixed state of mind which make some people so happy and others so
unhappy must be replaced by thinking flexible minds when we abolish the
created love and all the social processes which create gender roles and
the holy matrimony.

The fixed mind has a strong tendency to be amazed, like a pot smoker
who likes to stare at hypnotic screensavers and listen to music. It is
a healing of an overworked mind.

Many stressing factors in life are tearing the mind apart again,
creating anew a need for healing, for amazement, for love.

 

[Jim Thompson]

Fifteen years ago we bought a fish, a great fish, a beautiful elegant
fish, a Clown Loach. He was about three years old then, and such a
masterful fish, so full of life and elan, springing about the tank,
displaying his bright colors, that we had to get him a partner.
[snip]

This afternoon our master Clown Loach unexpectedly died. We found him
lying in death in the middle of the tank, with his partner of fifteen
years beside him quietly keeping vigil. After the body was removed,
the remaining Loach immediately hid himself and hasn't been seen since.
It's the end of an glorious era for our tank community, the end of the
partnership of these two fine creatures, the end for our original fish,
our beloved fish, and a time for deep sadness.

Win, My condolences. As a salt-water-tank person myself, I know the
grief of losing a Clown... they seem to have personalities.

I have a Lion I'm watching closely... he managed to jump out of the
tank and land on the support plexi, then wriggle back in. He's
showing obvious bruises. I changed the light support panels so there
are no gaps he can jump through.

...Jim Thompson

 

[Active8]

It is not so amazing if we understand the kind of concussion we call
"eternal love" which is an important part of the cultural pattern we
have lived in for thousands of years.

It is a combination of fear and strong convictions, mastered by
aggressivity when needed.
That is what we see on tv every day, romance, fear, aggressivity, male
and female roles and the social processes which create those roles.

Right now we live in a confused era, the era of secularization. Some
people still defend and try to re-inforce the old creationist culture,
others are trying to replace it with equality between the sexes,
democracy replacing the rule of God, human rights replacing the
draconic laws of the old testament.

Electronics plays an important part in the secularizing process, as we
can meet in the medium of text, where our social strength is nullified
and only the strength of our arguments decide how seriously we are
taken by others.

Logic and reason are slowly replacing strong convictions and fear.

Electronic media spread information all over the globe, showing us more
alternatives, reinforcing patterns, destroying patterns, creating new
patterns of life.

Industrialization and free markets equalize the conditions all over the
globe. Capital flowing to poor countries where it is cheap to build
factories, where cheap labor is available. After some time the economic
conditions will be come equalized between all nations and all people in
the world.

In the old cultural pattern foreplay was handled by the society. The
training of boys and girls to become men and women created a kind of
automatic excitement and amazement towards the other sex.

As modern secularized people we have to DO things with our minds and
bodies, instead of just BEING men and women, to create a nice love life.

The fixed state of mind which make some people so happy and others so
unhappy must be replaced by thinking flexible minds when we abolish the
created love and all the social processes which create gender roles and
the holy matrimony.

The fixed mind has a strong tendency to be amazed, like a pot smoker
who likes to stare at hypnotic screensavers and listen to music. It is
a healing of an overworked mind.

Many stressing factors in life are tearing the mind apart again,
creating anew a need for healing, for amazement, for love.

And maybe leaving our minds open to or willing to receive and follow
crafty liars.

As many reasons as I have to be happy and greatful for what I have
and what I may receive (no. what I *will* recieve - I claim it now),
just thinking about the state the world is in (and really always has
been in) makes me sad... sometimes angry and frustrated. I'm talking
about the confusion and friction caused by religion and politics -
pumped into our homes by the media via high pressure sewage lines
and RF links. I see otherwise intelligent people act and speak as if
they were brainwashed. I can't be brainwashed - I'm too damn
confused. [ Am I weird, or what? ] I know there are people in
group, there are people I've met, and authors I've read (a small
percentage of the world! ) that are intelligent enough to see
through the smokescreen. Our predicament shouldn't baffle me - those
of us that know the truth and reality are scared.

If we'd all use as much as possible of the tool we've got in our
heads and apply a little common sense, I think there'd be hope. I
think the stress factors and confusions are a major mental block.
But maybe our minds are wired to just fall short of the intelligence
and patience required to fix everything.

We can all start with love - respect (golden rule) for all living
things, and the rock we're stuck on. It's a common sense thing. The
emotional side of love is irrelevant to the solution and even
impedes us at times. But that same aspect of love has it's time and
place in life.

Too bad we're not perfect. I'm going to try to be more perfect by
first going back to being happy while letting the negative stuff
roll off my back without totally ignoring it. I gotta stop venting
before I write another book. Take care.

 

[John Fields]

It is not so amazing if we understand the kind of concussion we call
"eternal love" which is an important part of the cultural pattern we
have lived in for thousands of years.

It is a combination of fear and strong convictions, mastered by
aggressivity when needed.
That is what we see on tv every day, romance, fear, aggressivity, male
and female roles and the social processes which create those roles.

Right now we live in a confused era, the era of secularization. Some
people still defend and try to re-inforce the old creationist culture,
others are trying to replace it with equality between the sexes,
democracy replacing the rule of God, human rights replacing the
draconic laws of the old testament.

Electronics plays an important part in the secularizing process, as we
can meet in the medium of text, where our social strength is nullified
and only the strength of our arguments decide how seriously we are
taken by others.

Logic and reason are slowly replacing strong convictions and fear.

Electronic media spread information all over the globe, showing us more
alternatives, reinforcing patterns, destroying patterns, creating new
patterns of life.

Industrialization and free markets equalize the conditions all over the
globe. Capital flowing to poor countries where it is cheap to build
factories, where cheap labor is available. After some time the economic
conditions will be come equalized between all nations and all people in
the world.

In the old cultural pattern foreplay was handled by the society. The
training of boys and girls to become men and women created a kind of
automatic excitement and amazement towards the other sex.

As modern secularized people we have to DO things with our minds and
bodies, instead of just BEING men and women, to create a nice love life.

The fixed state of mind which make some people so happy and others so
unhappy must be replaced by thinking flexible minds when we abolish the
created love and all the social processes which create gender roles and
the holy matrimony.

The fixed mind has a strong tendency to be amazed, like a pot smoker
who likes to stare at hypnotic screensavers and listen to music. It is
a healing of an overworked mind.

Many stressing factors in life are tearing the mind apart again,
creating anew a need for healing, for amazement, for love.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Don't you think something like: "Win, I'm sorry for your loss." would
have been a little more appropriate than a rant using his sorrow for a
springboard?

No but I wonder why he doesn't simply buy a new fish, and this time a
female as a company for the lonely surviving male.

I see it as animal cruelty to keep two male fishes in a tank just
because their eternal fight for power makes an interesting visual
spectacle.

I also see sport fishing when they release the fish again as animal
cruelty. Catching fish if you are not hungry is sick.

And I am not a fanatical animal rights activist, on the contrary, I
think people should remember that animals are animals and people are
people. I don't hesitate to kill animals when I am hungry. But I think
it is wrong to subject animals to painful treatment for our pleasure.

 

[Ban]

snip


And maybe leaving our minds open to or willing to receive and follow
crafty liars.
snip

Too bad we're not perfect. I'm going to try to be more perfect by
first going back to being happy while letting the negative stuff
roll off my back without totally ignoring it. I gotta stop venting
before I write another book. Take care.

In Existence everything *is* perfect, even us! What makes you feel the need
of improvement is your *wife*. Apart from not being able to improve, it will
only make you feel inferiour. In fact this attitude will create hell in your
life.
Of course when you want to be happy you will create such a sadness, because
that is all you can do. Rather have a look at the real self with its fear of
dying, its restless mind, its sex hormons and so on. It will be shocking in
the beginning, because the nice picture you have made up of yourself is all
fake, everybody can see this but yourself. Looking at your fear, it will
drop by itself, and the first time you can experience your courage. And you
will see: as you are, nature wanted you to be, accept it with humbleness and
you will be rewarded infinitly.

 

[Active8]

No but I wonder why he doesn't simply buy a new fish, and this time a
female as a company for the lonely surviving male.

I see it as animal cruelty to keep two male fishes in a tank just
because their eternal fight for power makes an interesting visual
spectacle.

I also see sport fishing when they release the fish again as animal
cruelty. Catching fish if you are not hungry is sick.

And I am not a fanatical animal rights activist, on the contrary, I
think people should remember that animals are animals and people are
people. I don't hesitate to kill animals when I am hungry. But I think
it is wrong to subject animals to painful treatment for our pleasure.

That was rude dude. Insensitive. Let's drop this now. I'm sorry I
replied to the post that pissed John off.

 

[John Woodgate]

I read in sci.electronics.design that Roger Johansson

No but I wonder why he doesn't simply buy a new fish, and this time a
female as a company for the lonely surviving male.

He probably will, but it won't be the same. Even my limited contact with
my friends' boxers told me that.

I see it as animal cruelty to keep two male fishes in a tank just
because their eternal fight for power makes an interesting visual
spectacle.

I'm not sure that Win meant two males. He wrote that article in a time
of high emotion, and a missing 's' in '(s)he' is quite a possibility.

Of course Loach(m) + Loach(f) => Loach{1 +exp(kt)}. A tank take-over or
'loach encroach'.

 

[Active8]

In Existence everything *is* perfect, even us! What makes you feel the need
of improvement is your *wife*. Apart from not being able to improve, it will
only make you feel inferiour. In fact this attitude will create hell in your
life.

You're right on... above and below. Thanks for posting something
positive. I just meant we don't always act/behave perfectly. I
accepted that *everything* *is* perfect (complete) even when it
seems otherwise.

Of course when you want to be happy you will create such a sadness, because
that is all you can do. Rather have a look at the real self with its fear of
dying, its restless mind, its sex hormons and so on. It will be shocking in
the beginning, because the nice picture you have made up of yourself is all
fake, everybody can see this but yourself. Looking at your fear, it will
drop by itself, and the first time you can experience your courage. And you
will see: as you are, nature wanted you to be, accept it with humbleness and
you will be rewarded infinitly.

I've experienced some of all that. It's a never ending journey in
our lives. Some paths circle around, too. You stated that well.

 

[Winfield Hill]

Roger Johansson wrote...

No but I wonder why he doesn't simply buy a new fish, and this
time a female as a company for the lonely surviving male.

I see it as animal cruelty to keep two male fishes in a tank
just because their eternal fight for power makes an interesting
visual spectacle.

Sorry, but you don't know much about fish. It's not possible to
sex the fish, so I have no idea what our two fish were. I merely
called one "he" to simplify the writing, and didn't mention the
other's sex. I think their interaction and relationship would be
independent of sex anyway. Perhaps that's because in home tanks
they don't grow large enough (only 4 to 5 inches long in our case)
to reproduce, compared to 12 inches in the wild. Sorry to have
misled. I do know these two fish were very close companions.
That made their bedtime dance all the more interesting.

 

[keith]

Roger Johansson wrote...

Sorry, but you don't know much about fish. It's not possible to
sex the fish, so I have no idea what our two fish were. I merely
called one "he" to simplify the writing, and didn't mention the
other's sex.

I wuz wondering if there wasn't something new in the fishy world!

I think their interaction and relationship would be
independent of sex anyway. Perhaps that's because in home tanks
they don't grow large enough (only 4 to 5 inches long in our case)
to reproduce, compared to 12 inches in the wild. Sorry to have
misled. I do know these two fish were very close companions.
That made their bedtime dance all the more interesting.

We had a few clowns in our tanks when we were in NY. We had a pair for
five years (nothing like yours), but they too were in the 4-5" range.
Wonderful creatures. I do feel your loss.

Loaches and Pecostmosus (some as large as 8") or two for the bottom,
Cardinals for the schooling middle, and a Beta for the roof was what we
tended to do for our "pretty" tank.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Sorry to have
misled. I do know these two fish were very close companions.
That made their bedtime dance all the more interesting.

Okay, we talk about animals which have very little intelligence, and
even I have some limits for compassion.

I can accept if kids have ant farms, and your fishes are
probably not much more intelligent than ants.

But fish are at and around the limit I think is reasonable for talking
about animal cruelty.

The inventor of the aeroplane, the german immigrant Weisskopf
(Whitehead) who flew two years before the Wright brothers, experimented
with birds when he was young.

http://www.weisskopf.de/history.htm

" Very early on he had great interest in how birds flew. With a friend
he began catching birds, tied their legs together and studied the
"tethered flight of birds". The police forbade the young researchers
from this activity"

This shows that the german police had views on animal cruelty around
1880, which obviously applied to birds.

The Wright brothers visited him at least twice in his workshop and
talked about his designs.

The last time they left his workshop he said, according to his helper,
"I bet those rascals will never finance my aeroplanes, and now I have
told them all my secrets."

 

[Winfield Hill]

Roger Johansson wrote...

Okay, we talk about animals which have very little intelligence,
and even I have some limits for compassion.

I can accept if kids have ant farms, and your fishes are probably
not much more intelligent than ants.

But fish are at and around the limit I think is reasonable for
talking about animal cruelty.

Do I understand correctly? After arguing I badly mis-treated my
fish, you argue maybe not, because they're unintelligent? I don't
know where to start. First, fish are NOT stupid. If you were aware
and looked about, you'd know that. For example, are you familiar with
my wife's work? Second, I believe they had a great life in our tank,
complete with the usual environmental requirements, plus well filled
with interesting stimulus and attention. Their life was a full one.

Third, animals send us strong signals about their needs, moods and
desires, if we pay attention, and these two fish were no exception.
Finally, you have completely misinterpreted their bedtime dance. For
that I accept the blame; you never witnessed nor studied it, and you
relied on my poor description. The fault is mine.

Or, ahem, are you of the persuasion that believes no animal should
be a pet, ever? OK, I see... Guilty as charged.

 

[mike]

Roger Johansson wrote:

[...]

The inventor of the aeroplane, the german immigrant Weisskopf
(Whitehead) who flew two years before the Wright brothers, experimented
with birds when he was young.

http://www.weisskopf.de/history.htm

" Very early on he had great interest in how birds flew. With a friend
he began catching birds, tied their legs together and studied the
"tethered flight of birds". The police forbade the young researchers
from this activity"
[...]

Roger J.

Many people claimed to fly before the Wright bros. Here's some of them

"Who Was the First to Fly"
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0159.shtml

It looks like Whitehead's claims were intended to attract investors.
His claims are examined in more detail here:

"The Legend of No. 21"

http://www.first-to-fly.com/History/History of Airplane/Whitehead.htm

Mike Monett

 

[Roger Johansson]

Finally, you have completely misinterpreted their bedtime dance. For
that I accept the blame; you never witnessed nor studied it, and you
relied on my poor description. The fault is mine.

I just got the impression that those fishes were two males, living in a
rather small aquarium, not able to live a natural life. It didn't sound
like a natural life for them. I just could not imagine myself enjoying
their
dance knowing that they would probably be happier around a coral reef
or wherever such fishes usually live.

Or, ahem, are you of the persuasion that believes no animal should
be a pet, ever? OK, I see...

I have known several dogs and many cats during my life, especially when
I was young and my family had both dogs and cats, and I feel very
differently about dogs and cats.

Dogs are not suitable as pets, they cannot live naturally, they cannot
run around in flocks and hunt animals. The dogs I have known would
definitely have been happier in the wild. Not because they were
unhappy in any way, for being pets, they were so adapted to my family
that they thought they were humans and family members just as the
others in the family. But it is just so obvious that it is a very
unnatural life for a dog.

Cats are very different from all other pets. I get the impression that
cats choose to live with humans because they like it.
You cannot order a cat around, it lives with us voluntarily.

It is often a good life for them, if they are free to go out into the
nature whenever they like. If they don't like one home they often find
another family and another home to live in. That happens now and then
in the country.

Cats have several times followed me from a nearby village to my
house in the forest, checking me out as a possible alternative human
to live with.
I was friendly to them and gave them water but did not allow them to
sleep over in the house because I didn't have time for cats.

 

[Roger Johansson]

Many people claimed to fly before the Wright bros. Here's some of them

"Who Was the First to Fly"
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0159.shtml
It looks like Whitehead's claims were intended to attract investors.
His claims are examined in more detail here:
"The Legend of No. 21"

http://www.first-to-fly.com/History/History of Airplane/Whitehead.ht
m

These are the first two web pages I have seen which try to refute the
pro-Whitehead web sites, and don't think they succeed at all. There are
several historical facts which are difficult to refute.

The first link here is what convinced me, but there are many web pages
about Whitehead you can check out before you make your final judgement.

http://www.flightjournal.com/articles/wff/wff1.asp

Read the article From The Bridgeport Herald, August 18, 1901,
written by an eyewitness reporter from this newspaper and published
four days after the event.

By the way, some anti-Whitehead people have tried to discredit this
article saying it was strange that the article was not published the
same day but four days later. But The Bridgeport Herald was a wekly
newspaper, so the article was published in the first issue after the
event. Nothing strange about that.

http://www.thehistorynet.com/ahi/blgwhitehead/index3.html
http://www.deepsky.com/~firstflight/Pages/article.html
http://www.weisskopf.de/history.htm
http://www.weisskopf.de/museume.htm
http://historynet.com/ahi/blgwhitehead/index.html
http://www.unmuseum.org/gustave.htm
http://www.gatm.com/whitehead/
http://www.deepsky.com/~firstflight/Pages/article8.html

After studying the material from both sides on this issue I am sure you
will come to the same conclusion as many before you, Whitehead had a
working powered aeroplane with enough control of its flight to go where
he wanted to go.
He used it many times, more than two years before the 1903 first
flight by the Wright brothers.

And his plane nr 21 did not land with a crash as so many others,
including the Wright brothers plane in 1903. Whitehead's plane landed
softly and cleanly on both land and water and could start anew and fly
back to the place it started from.