Garry Kasparov, leader of the Russian opposition, spoke in Vienna about the Russia after the killing of Anna Politkovskaya and after he had been questioned by the Russian Secret Service.
He said, he didn't notice much difference in the behaviour of the Russian police and Lukaschenko's Belarus police. Asked about the lack of support the opposition has by the Russian people he said that things were beginning to change because more and more people realized that a better life was connected to political freedom. "All we want are free and fair elections and respect for the Constitution". The Russian opposition wouldn't ask the West to back them up. All they wanted was that the West wouldn't back up Putin. Putin had lots of advocates in the West who would be silent as regards the political situation, with regard to economic relations. But silence means consent (Information: report in the Austrian daily "DerStandard" from today).
4/27/2007
4/25/2007
Cast pearls before swine?
"HE EMERGED FROM THE METRO AT THE L'ENFANT PLAZA STATION AND POSITIONED HIMSELF AGAINST A WALL BESIDE A TRASH BASKET. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic and began to play."
The man was Joshua Bell, one of America's top violinists.
What do you think, happened?
Did anyone recognize him?
Did they queue up and wanted his autograph?
Read the rest of Gene Weingarten's story "Pearls Before Breakfast" and Joshua Bell's little experiment.
The man was Joshua Bell, one of America's top violinists.
What do you think, happened?
Did anyone recognize him?
Did they queue up and wanted his autograph?
Read the rest of Gene Weingarten's story "Pearls Before Breakfast" and Joshua Bell's little experiment.
4/16/2007
Kurt Vonnegut (2)
Read Kurt Vonnegut on and off during the (by the way very cheery) weekend in Muenster (Timequake, A Man Without a Country). Want to read more. I know some of his work from my university days, but nothing written within the last 15 years.
A quote:
”True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country”.
Ethan Bodnar has an account of someone who met KV as a child.
Here’s a blog entry of someone who listened to him in a lecture.
And here’s a collection of tributes.
A quote:
”True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country”.
Ethan Bodnar has an account of someone who met KV as a child.
Here’s a blog entry of someone who listened to him in a lecture.
And here’s a collection of tributes.
4/12/2007
So it goes
He used this quote numerous times,often in connection with things that could not be changed. The reason? Maybe it helped him to made the notion of death and mortality a little bit more bearable. Who knows? Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., the great American writer, died yesterday. His „Slaughterhouse-Five“ is based on significant events of his life, especially the witnessing of the bombing of Dresden (which killed more than 135,000 people) when he was a prisoner of the German Army.
4/08/2007
My new pet, the stone marten
"The Beech Marten (Martes foina), also known as the Stone Marten, is the most common species of marten in Central Europe. Beech martens are long, slender, short-legged predators with long, bushy tails. They grow to a size of 40 to 50cm in body length and weigh up to two kilograms. Their brown coats have a forked white marking at the throat, which distinguishes them in appearance from the Pine Marten whose throat marking is cream-coloured and more rounded.
Beech martens frequently live in areas of human settlement, often in attic spaces ...."
Cute animals, really. But not so cute living in one's own attic.
Beech martens frequently live in areas of human settlement, often in attic spaces ...."
Cute animals, really. But not so cute living in one's own attic.
4/06/2007
A legend was here
Yes, I promised to write a review of the Bob Dylan concert.
As it happens, there's no way I could write one, just a very personal account.
The reason: I had no idea it would be that impressive. I've listened to Dylan songs for all my life and lately even more, especially to his latest album "Modern Times", almost daily, on my way to work.
But it's another thing to experience the art of a living legend face-to-face.
From the moment he set foot on stage there was an air of unexcited restlessness around him. Totally focused. No attempt of conversation. One song after the other, extremely short pauses. Dense concentration, sometimes the flicker of a smile. I had heard most of the songs before, but each well-known song appeared to be a completely new one, so much ad-hoc-interpretation, so many variations. But this loving approach towards his own work made each song even more substantial. Interesting also, how a rather raucous voice can come over in such a mellifluous manner.
Excellent band, obviously well chosen, good mixture between great individual performance and stepping back behind the master.
Highlights of the evening were "Spirit on the Water", "Nettie More" and, unbelievably beautiful and touching "Like a Rolling Stone".
We sure had a whopping good time.
Thanks, Bob Dylan.
And here's the setlist I failed to concentrate on during the show ...
As it happens, there's no way I could write one, just a very personal account.
The reason: I had no idea it would be that impressive. I've listened to Dylan songs for all my life and lately even more, especially to his latest album "Modern Times", almost daily, on my way to work.
But it's another thing to experience the art of a living legend face-to-face.
From the moment he set foot on stage there was an air of unexcited restlessness around him. Totally focused. No attempt of conversation. One song after the other, extremely short pauses. Dense concentration, sometimes the flicker of a smile. I had heard most of the songs before, but each well-known song appeared to be a completely new one, so much ad-hoc-interpretation, so many variations. But this loving approach towards his own work made each song even more substantial. Interesting also, how a rather raucous voice can come over in such a mellifluous manner.
Excellent band, obviously well chosen, good mixture between great individual performance and stepping back behind the master.
Highlights of the evening were "Spirit on the Water", "Nettie More" and, unbelievably beautiful and touching "Like a Rolling Stone".
We sure had a whopping good time.
Thanks, Bob Dylan.
And here's the setlist I failed to concentrate on during the show ...
4/03/2007
The Chinese are coming
The Chinese architect and artist Ai Weiwei is going to travel to the Documenta in Kassel, Germanywith 1001 Chinese people, as part of the exhibition's project "Fairytale". 1001 people from all walks of life, farmers, fishermen and -women, policemen and -women, architects, even women belonging to a minority who hadn't their own names, until recently.
When asked in an interview by the German daily "Sueddeutsche" today, if and why this project was a work of art, Ai Weiwei, who is also a blogger, answered: "It's art, if you call it art ... It was my dream to make it possible for people to travel to the Documenta, to put art in a different context .. and it's surreal in that aspect that China is still seen as a different planet in the West and China also hasn't come to terms in what happens in the West. Therefore I thought, why don't I bring the two together?"
Whatever may come of this project, it sure will attract big attention. Isn't the fear of the East, especially the Chinese people, something deeply grounded in our European minds?
Read more
When asked in an interview by the German daily "Sueddeutsche" today, if and why this project was a work of art, Ai Weiwei, who is also a blogger, answered: "It's art, if you call it art ... It was my dream to make it possible for people to travel to the Documenta, to put art in a different context .. and it's surreal in that aspect that China is still seen as a different planet in the West and China also hasn't come to terms in what happens in the West. Therefore I thought, why don't I bring the two together?"
Whatever may come of this project, it sure will attract big attention. Isn't the fear of the East, especially the Chinese people, something deeply grounded in our European minds?
Read more
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
