Evolutionary significance of sonnets

[Nukemall]

In 'Z'ha'dum' Mr Morden lists the human achivements caused by centuries of bloodsheds, among which is writing sonnets. So what's the deal here?

 

[hypatia]

My best guess would be that war and suffering have inspired great works of literature.

There is a great line in one of Orson Well’s movies. He speaks of the countries that had war after war and then mentions their great achievements known the world over. Then he mentions (Sweden was it?) which never warred and whose only claim to fame was the invention of the ‘Cuckoo Clock’.

I think this line in B5 is getting at the same thing.

 

[Demon]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by hypatia:
<font color=yellow>Then he mentions (Sweden was it?) which never warred and whose only claim to fame was the invention of the ‘Cuckoo Clock’. </font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

It's Switzerland, and they're known for rather more than cuckoo clocks in real life /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Nukemall]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by hypatia:
<font color=yellow>There is a great line in one of Orson Well’s movies. He speaks of the countries that had war after war and then mentions their great achievements known the world over. Then he mentions (Sweden was it?) which never warred and whose only claim to fame was the invention of the ‘Cuckoo Clock’. </font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>
The film is 'The Third Man' I think.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Demon:
<font color=yellow>It's Switzerland, and they're known for rather more than cuckoo clocks in real life /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

Sweden, Switzerland!?!? Hey /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif Wellcome to my life! /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

/Com (a swede..)

 

[hypatia]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Com:
<font color=yellow>Sweden, Switzerland!?!? Hey /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif Wellcome to my life! /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

/Com (a swede..)</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>
Hey, I'm proud I remembered the quote at all! I saw the movie (Yes, it was the "Third Man" I believe, Nukemall) once and a long time ago.

So is it also Switzerland that held money belonging to Jewish citizens of Germany (and the temporarily conquered areas Germany grabbed in WWII)? I do remember hearing about lawsuits against banks in some country that always stayed "neutral" during wartime (and made out like bandits , apparantly, in the process).

Just curious.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

The Third Man was directed by Carol Reed. Orson Welles, who had the title role, wrote his own lines for the cuckoo clock dialogue, which did sound like it could have come from Morden's Shadow inspired lips. The lines were to the effect that with hundreds of years of peace, all Switzerland had given us was the cuckoo clock. At the time, the Swiss were known for making the best watches in the world too. But I agree with your view that the mention of sonnets was symbolic of the best of Earth literature. You are also corrrect that Swiss Banks had many Jewish agccounts during WW2, and made it almost impossible for survivors to get them after the war, since Jews fleeing Nazis weren't always able to save or pass along the paperwork. And the banks have been sued, with a few families able to get back their money. Some banks deliberately destroyed their records fairly recently. I can't blame the Swiss for some level of cooperation with the nazis during the war, but once it was over, they should have made every effort to find heirs. There is a similar situation with great art that was looted by the Nazis during the war, but not returned after, and some people have successfully sued to get back their families' possessions.

 

[hypatia]

Orson Welles. Sorry, I even spelled Welles with an "e" before the "s" and thought that I was wrong.

Anyhow, I am not saying anything about Switzerland, other than what you said. Maybe doing business wasn't so bad, but many have observed a noticeable neglect when it came to paying out again.

I agree with you when you say that maybe payments should be made now. Documents may be hard to come by, but by all reports, they are delaying matters far beyond that obvious concern.

But I suppose the situation is more complicated than I realize. Or that is what I'd be told if I inquired. /ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif

 

[Demon]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by hypatia:
<font color=yellow>Anyhow, I am not saying anything about Switzerland, other than what you said. Maybe doing business wasn't so bad, but many have observed a noticeable neglect when it came to paying out again.</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

I think that's something they have in common with banks the world over /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif Very keen to take your money, not so keen to pay it out.

If you ever walk the streets of Zurich, you're walking on top of more money than you can imagine, as the bank's vaults all run underground there, and are stuffed full of gold, works of art and just about everything else that's worth money!

 

[hypatia]

IIRC they also started paying out a little more when world opinion began to get pretty bad for them. Business is business.

It's hard to imagine what that street would look like after a big earthquake! /ubbthreads/images/icons/eek.gif Quick, grab your wheelbarrow and start shoveling gold! /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Demon]

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by hypatia:
<font color=yellow>IIRC they also started paying out a little more when world opinion began to get pretty bad for them. Business is business.</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>

Exactly. If paying out is good for business, then pay out they will.

<blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr><font color=yellow>It's hard to imagine what that street would look like after a big earthquake! /ubbthreads/images/icons/eek.gif Quick, grab your wheelbarrow and start shoveling gold! /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif</font color=yellow><hr></blockquote>
Fortunately for the Swiss, it's a very stable country in every sense! /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[Jade Jaguar]

I just asked a Jewish friend of mine, who stays up on this stuff, and he says the Swiss Banks reached a settlement a few years ago, but the money offered to people was so little, that most refused it, and the lawyers wound up getting about 60% of the settlement. Figures.

We seem to have moved from sonnets to the Swiss. Another odd fact about the Swiss I read a few years ago was that they have underground bomb shelters enough to house the whole country comfortably for a year or so, in case of a nuclear war. They also have plans for all major buildings and most residential buildings, stored below ground, to rebuild Switzerland exactly as it was, if it is destroyed! Can anyone spell anal!

 

[GenevaRanger]

Switzerland has 'underground bomb shelters' in every building for housing the inhabitants in case of a nuclear war. I live in one of these buildings; below there are caves that people use to put the stuff in they never use and this section can be closed with very thick concrete doors. However, I wouldn't call it 'comfortable' and I could surely not stay there for a year! /ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif I guess it is mostly intended as temporary hiding place, so rescue teams can get you out later or something like this...

I have never heard about plans kept underground of rebuilding whole Switzerland.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Thanks for the clarification. That's a lot more bomb shelter than any municipality in the US has, and probably more comfortable than the average US bomb shelter. Fortunately, we will probably never need them. I was hoping someone would post some more detailed info on this, since it's been a long time since I read this stuff. I think the thing about the plans for the buildings, and some shots of underground shelters in Switzerland were in a National Geographic article, probably 80s or earlier, so I think it's not sort of a minor urban myth, but could have been over stated.