Submitter: | Madroon, E. J. |
Description: | William Shakespeare had a point when he noted that: There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. Man is the animal that suffers most, because he has the gift of fearing the future, and regretting the past. Ever since the first sapiens were cursed with self-awareness, they have lifted their gaze beseechingly above the toil and tears of their short and brutal lives, to scour the heavens for a sign, any sign, of the state of Shakespeare's tide. Through the ages, they have been sadly disappointed. Not because the signs are not there, but because they can only be seen by those for whom they are intended (it would be chaos if it were otherwise). But, lo and behold! It finally happened last tuesday, 12 April 2011, at coffee time, on the ASTRON sun-deck, through the medium of the ASTRON solar telescope. Over the fiery horizon of our Star, there appeared a flaming letter, larger than life, and the right way up. This, clearly, was the last, definitive letter of the word ASTRON. Without any doubt, this was meant for us (the other thingies on the rim do not mean anything, of course, or perhaps they are messages to some other deserving beings). Naturally, the information content of a single letter does not stoop to details, but only indicates the favourable direction of the tide. The rest is up to us. Like Hobbes' friend, we must now state our views with confidence, and our key policies will be implemented eventually. Any funds that we care to apply for will be granted, unless they are not really in our best interest. Golden days lie ahead. Let us savour them. |
Copyright: | NORTSA |
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