tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44425133187702261362024-03-19T07:08:47.172+02:00AWIL-UM : Thoughts in PerspectiveKnowledge, understanding. We believe in activities that add value and quality to one's life. Keep knowledge free and curiosity everlasting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-27296261696745507492021-07-10T22:44:00.001+03:002021-07-10T22:44:06.312+03:00The Taking of Tiger Mountain / China / 2014<div class="separator" style="text-align: left;">In the winter of 1946, the Chinese Civil War was in full swing. The
great destruction and violence caused by the conflicts made the winter
even more difficult. The limited resources that could still be found in
villages turned the defenseless peasants into easy targets for the gangs
of bandits that emerged after the end of the war with Japan. Such a
gang proved to be a very dangerous enemy because it managed to take
control of a former Japanese army weapons depot on the top of the
“Tiger” mountain and in addition showed signs of pursuing an alliance
with the Kuomintang.</div>
<p style="text-align: left;">Captain (code name / 代号) 203, as Shao Jianbo (少剑波), played by Lin
Gengxin (林 更新), is nicknamed, leads a group of about 30 People’s
Liberation Army soldiers. Being in a precarious situation in terms of
food and ammunition, the chances of surviving the winter in a region
controlled by bandits are not very high. Fortunately, they manage to
overrun a bandit camp and quench their hunger for a while. The film
begins to pick up speed after the arrival of Yang Zirong (played by
Zhang Hanyu / 张涵 予) and nurse Bai Ru (Tong Liya / 佟 丽娅).</p><figure class="wp-block-image size-large" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="wp-image-6991" height="225" src="http://florincosma.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tiger-mountain1-1200x675.jpeg" width="400" /></figure><p></p>
<p>The group advances towards a village, almost abandoned because of
bandit attacks and thefts. Here they manage to set up an operations
headquarters to help the villagers defend themselves in the event of a
new attack. Yang Zirong assumes a different identity and infiltrates the
group of bandits and because he has such well developed abilities of
persuasion and self-control he succeeds to go through several tests and
dangerous moments. Eventually Captain 203’s soldiers launch an attack
with minimal chances of success, which, of course, they carry to the end
successfully.</p>
<p>The 2014 Taking of Tiger Mountain (智取威虎山 / zhì qǔ wēi hǔ shān) is
based on the book 林海雪原 (Línhǎi xuěyuán) written by Qu Bo (曲波) in 1957
and translated into English as <em>Tracks in the Snowy Forest</em>. .曲波
starts from a real incident in northeast China. Yang Zirong really
existed, was born in 1917 and joined the People’s Army in 1945 as a
soldier, later becoming a scout and platoon leader. His military career
was intense and he quickly gained the recognition of his comrades and
superiors. Unfortunately, he did not get to see the end of the civil war
because he died in 1947 during a fight with several bandits. Until
then, however, he managed to restore order in many places.</p>
<p>智取威虎山 was directed by Tsui Hark (徐克). He is a Chinese director born
in Vietnam in 1950 with a rich film experience in Hong Kong, the United
States and in recent decades in mainland China also. For this film he
received the award for best director in 2016 at the Hong Kong Film
Awards.</p><p><a href="https://florincosma.ro/en/the-taking-of-tiger-mountain-china-2014/" target="_blank">Originally published on florincosma.ro </a></p>
<div style="position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;"> <iframe style="width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden" frameborder="0" type="text/html" src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x81kopu" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen > </iframe> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-50936938123523145222021-07-07T20:34:00.002+03:002021-07-07T20:34:35.622+03:00Shanghai Astronomy Museum – 2021<ul class="x"> Subject: <a href="https://florincosma.ro/subject/architecture/" rel="tag">Architecture</a>, <a href="https://florincosma.ro/subject/china/" rel="tag">China</a>, <a href="https://florincosma.ro/subject/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a></ul>Keywords: <a href="https://florincosma.ro/keyword/chinese-architecture/" rel="tag">Chinese architecture</a>
<div id="timpul"><br /></div>
<hr />
<div class="thumbnail" style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Shanghai Astronomy Museum – 2021" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="100" itemprop="image" src="https://florincosma.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/eurasia-museum-space-shanghai.jpeg" width="400" />
</div>
<header class="entry-header clr">
<h2 class="single-post-title entry-title" itemprop="headline">Shanghai Astronomy Museum – 2021</h2>
</header>
<p>The newly built Shanghai Astronomy Museum just opened it’s doors (for
invited guests) on Monday, 5 July. This news is important because this
museum is now the largest in the world according to the floor area of
58,600 square meters. While the total exhibition space can host around
6000 visitors daily, the two domes it houses are not the largest. That
record is still being held by Planetarium No.1 in Sank Peterburg with
diameter of 37m. The two domes in Shanghai are 23 meters (21 according
to other sources) and 17 meters in diameter but have cutting edge 14K+
resolution projectors.</p><p><a href="https://florincosma.ro/en/shanghai-astronomy-museum-2021/" target="_blank">Read the full article here </a><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-73418827548327006952021-07-06T21:57:00.005+03:002021-07-06T21:57:44.290+03:00Xi – Merkel – Macron summit, a win-win<p>In the context in which various hegemonic forces are trying to stir up
trouble it is a sign of relief to see world leaders agreeing
constructively on issues. Not many countries I imagine will openly
choose a discourse of conflict when that of win-win cooperation is the
alternative. </p><p><a href="https://florincosma.ro/en/xi-merkel-macron-summit-a-win-win/" target="_blank"> Read the full article here </a><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-85575468437531060142021-07-05T21:52:00.000+03:002021-07-05T21:52:03.246+03:00The world hopes China and the US can cooperate on their rivalry<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PnXa09Qo8fDWEA3bbN9qsZYtAGHlrFAwpeDvED1yYFD6cnQc0ZHlmaprec93o4VzebcK66xqK1r08FuyOq4fyejfxwHTMCF78FXqCsUEEpFeNmgAa4iXBcAKikZA_F31jMp88JMJJQSA/s500/W020210703502735901128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="500" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4PnXa09Qo8fDWEA3bbN9qsZYtAGHlrFAwpeDvED1yYFD6cnQc0ZHlmaprec93o4VzebcK66xqK1r08FuyOq4fyejfxwHTMCF78FXqCsUEEpFeNmgAa4iXBcAKikZA_F31jMp88JMJJQSA/w228-h141/W020210703502735901128.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>The talks were mainly centered around China – US relations but also went
into pandemic related issues. Beijing and Washington are without a
doubt in an open strategic battle for world influence and most likely
the decade will be marked by this rivalry. The main aspect needed to be
secured now is for the two sides to agree on a set of red lines and
rules. If the two can not agree then their rivalry could become
problematic for other countries.<p></p><p><a href="https://florincosma.ro/en/china-upholding-change-at-9th-world-peace-forum/" target="_blank">Read the full article here</a><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-58459795580879239852021-07-04T20:04:00.003+03:002021-07-04T20:04:22.432+03:00The Eurasian Link - No.4<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKL1AzTJAuyLtNX1N3AGFgLv8NMHFPHyiCMgi9u_Pfzyx-tvW89Pf4-ck5WkUoYrNFcdgPuBmJypYwxmDvhou4w7eDecD0gxPBptH_gsjvgiIWnjbKH1bphznes4kB9vwsLZtfdLRKWb5/s652/eurasian-link-4-page001.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKL1AzTJAuyLtNX1N3AGFgLv8NMHFPHyiCMgi9u_Pfzyx-tvW89Pf4-ck5WkUoYrNFcdgPuBmJypYwxmDvhou4w7eDecD0gxPBptH_gsjvgiIWnjbKH1bphznes4kB9vwsLZtfdLRKWb5/s320/eurasian-link-4-page001.jpeg" /></a></div>Hi friends, I would like to announce the new issue of The Eurasian Link magazine. You can access the pdf by clicking on <a href="https://issuu.com/fc-eurasianlink/docs/the_eurasian_link_04" target="_blank">this link</a>.<p></p><p>This is the table of contents:</p><p>@Xi and Putin talk, their partnership the basis of a new world order<br />@Dissatisfaction in Iran after the election of Raeisi<br />@Russia – Belarus space research in Union State framework <br />@CIS member states will cooperate on fighting cybercrime<br />@Kunanbaev translated for the first time into Norwegian<br />@Cui Hao (崔颢) – Yellow Crane Tower (黃鶴樓)<br />@Salyut-7 / Russia / 2017 </p><p>Many article are in English, Russian and Romanian.<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-77468137149005607162021-07-03T23:31:00.009+03:002021-07-03T23:36:27.671+03:00Cui Hao (崔颢) – Yellow Crane Tower (黃鶴樓)<ul class="x" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Cui Hao (崔颢) – Yellow Crane Tower (黃鶴樓)" class="attachment-full size-full wp-post-image" height="100" itemprop="image" src="https://florincosma.ro/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/eurasia-cui-hao.jpeg" width="400" /> </ul><ul class="x" style="text-align: left;">Subject: <a href="https://florincosma.ro/subject/chinese-poetry/" rel="tag">Chinese Poetry</a>, <a href="https://florincosma.ro/subject/culture/" rel="tag">Culture</a></ul>
<ul class="x" style="text-align: left;"> Keywords: <a href="https://florincosma.ro/keyword/cui-hao-%e5%b4%94%e9%a2%a2/" rel="tag">Cui Hao (崔颢)</a></ul><hr style="text-align: left;" /><div style="text-align: left;">Cui Hao ( <b>崔颢</b><i> </i>) lived between 704 and 754, mostly under the reign of Emperor Xuanzong <b>唐玄宗 </b>(713-756)
of the Tang Dynasty in what is called the “Golden Age of the Tang
Dynasty”. At roughly the same time in Europe, the Emirate of Cordoba was
nearing its birth.
</div><p style="text-align: left;">崔颢 was contemporary with other great Tang poets such as Li Bai ( <b>李白 </b>), Du Fu ( <b>杜甫 </b>), Meng Haoran ( <b>孟浩然 </b>), Wang Wei ( <b>王維 </b>). In total, about 50,000 poems written by over 2,000 authors survived from that period, according to the book <i>Quan Tangshi </i>(全 唐诗 = Anthology of Tang Poetry) published in 1705. <br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"> .: <a href="https://florincosma.ro/en/cui-hao-%e5%b4%94%e9%a2%a2-yellow-crane-tower-%e9%bb%83%e9%b6%b4%e6%a8%93/" target="_blank">Read the article</a> :. <br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-28966834261452754632016-11-13T08:22:00.001+02:002016-11-13T08:51:24.844+02:00Country in search of firefly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: #990000;"><span style="color: white;"><span style="font-size: large;">America's decission to ellect Trump as their new president created an interesting and intriguing wave of anti-trump supporters around Europe. The situation in Romania is the one I tried to examine and in doing so I managed to outline the two most important ellements that draged down the country since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, corruption and lack of education. The ~elite~ of the country was not capable to withstand the tempations of taking easy and unearned money in exchange for factories they had no desire (and knowledge) to modernize and make competitive. The state, the biggest buyer, began choosing products form outside because the ones signing the contracts for these products got some easy money that way. The other ellement is the educated young and urban people who are most often educated fools mainly because of the way the system devolved. </span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="entry-content" itemprop="articleBody">
* firefly. meaning "licurici" in romanian is the name given to the USA because of the perception in mass-media and on the streets that decissions taken by politicians here are in fact dictated by the United States.<br />
<br />
Privesc cu amuzament elanul mediatic ”trumpofobic” din România,
similar cu cel din State dacă păstrăm proporțiile (motivele sunt în
totalitate altele), și încerc să identific cauzele acestui fenoment.
Dacă în sfera rețelelor de socializare lucrurile sunt mai simple, de
regulă se generează trenduri iar ”voința de like” (și de integrare)
generează un ”frenzy”, un comportament de gașcă, în audio-vizual apar
liderii de opinie, fiecare cu propria părere categorică (privite în
ansamblu aceste păreri au direcția ”trumpofobică” reprodusă printr-un
număr variat de stiluri). Neo-liberalii și neo-conservatorii s-au unit
în contextul alegerilor din 2016 în momentul în care au văzut că cineva
perceput ca fiind din afara sistemului riscă să le fractureze planurile.
În ce măsură Trump are dorința și capacitatea de a capitaliza valul de
antipatie îndreptat spre ”establishment” rămâne de văzut fiindcă până și
în propriul său partid sunt voci care îl reneagă.<br />
<br />
Situația României este una delicată însă nu datorită alegerilor din 8
noiembrie ci datorită contextelor istorice, geografice, politice și
economice. Oricine știe că aici se întâlnesc interese, Statul Islamic ne
privește ca pe un pământ musulman, Rușii ne privesc ca pe o oaie
neagră, Europa de Vest ne vede ca pe un popor de hoți și criminali iar
Americanii ne consideră ca pe restul, un loc unde la nevoie pot să
ridice o bază militară. Însă de ce este presa din România atât de
traumatizată de victoria republicanilor (Partidul Republican a câștigat
și majoritatea în Congres). Răspunsul sincer și direct este că pot
dispărea banii, nu în presă ci în mediile politice și economice. Pot
dispărea sprijinul politic și cel financiar acordat de licurici
protejaților iar asta periclitează întregul sistem corupt din România.
Punctul de cotitură care simbolizează revenirea noastră printre țările
libere (1989) reprezintă și marcajul de unde începem să numărăm cu
minus. Nu vreau să spun că toată corupția din țară provine de acolo,
Rușii și-au urmat propriile interese în tot acest timp, la fel și marile
state din UE.<br />
<br />
Vreau să fac aici o paralelă, cam trasă de păr, cu situația
economiilor africane. România după 1990 avea o bază industrială solidă
însă ne lipseau tehnologiile, eficiența și calitatea și desigur banii.
După ce sistemul de cooperare economică între statele comuniste a căzut
și perspectiva pieței libere s-a ivit un număr de aspecte au fost
observate: nu aveam directori competenți și capabili să înțeleagă
economia de piață și să vândă; dacă nu vinzi nu produci bani iar pentru a
menține întreprinderea împrumuți bani; procesul de privatizare este
inițiat la recomandarea statelor capitaliste, fabricile sunt date
aproape gratis fiindcă sunt falimentare și findcă directorii și cei din
conducere primesc o bună parte din bani ca mită; așa apar mulți
îmbogățiți de carton, proști, incompetenți și lacomi. Cazul african este
diferit, acolo nu există lucruri ce pot fi privatizate, se lucrează în
schimb cu ajutoare financiare pentru dezvoltare, dacă vin bani pentru o
școală cu 4 săli de clasă se construiește una cu o singură sală sau două
dar fără acoperiș iar restul întră în buzunarele ierarhiei de putere
pentru a finanța forțele armate sau garda de corp privată.<br />
<br />
Cine sunt oamenii clanului Bush-Clinton-Obama la noi? În mare parte
toți politicienii de vârf, de ce? Fiindcă anii căderii cortinei de fier
(și al retragerii influenței rusești) au fost anii președinției lui
George H. W. Bush, anii în care în România puteai face bani ușor (de
regulă nu prin muncă) și cei care doreau sau aveau nevoie de bani erau
dispuși să facă orice, de aici fenomenul corupției care încă este foarte
puternic dar și imensele derapaje morale (ilegale și inumane). Era
visul oricărui român, mai ales cel scos din foamete, să aibă stilul de
viață opulent din Dallas, mulți se mulțumeau cu pălării de cowboy, alții
primeau mită în schimbul unor afaceri dezavantajoase pentru stat.
”Elita” noastră politică s-a construit prin corupție de către oameni
care nu aveau nicio intenție să construiască o societate post-comunistă
ci să-și construiască un statut financiar, o stabilitate materială
propriei familii.<br />
<br />
Un alt aspect pe care îl consider important este existența și
dezvoltarea unei pături de proști educați. În România școala este pentru
vasta majoritate o glumă de neînțeles însă orice prost visează să-și
acopere frustrările cu ceva, există și un proverb pe tema asta (dacă îl
știți răspundeți în rubrica de comentarii). Au apărut diplome primite
fără merit, au apărut profesori corupți, a apărut un sistem care produce
greșeli. Un prost cu acte este mult mai ușor de influențat, mult mai
arogant, mult mai guraliv, mai eficient. Recomandarea mea este să citiți
variat, să gândiți în context și în ansamblu, să nu săriți la concluzii
și să vă îndoiți de propriile capacități până la proba contrarie. În
plan politic și social ce înseamnă această pătură de proști educați,
să-i numim tineri frumoși și liberi fiindcă vanitatea și ”libertatea”
cognitivă sunt epitetele perfecte. Sunt predispuși la influențe externe
(externe lor nu neapărat externe țării), nu au piloni centrali de
conștiință, vor integrare cu orice preț într-un grup cu estetică activă
și de forță. Trendurile exact în aceste grupuri apar și se propagă.<br />
<br />
În cadrul acestui articol nu am urmărit o discuție pe tema efectelor
geopolitice ale viitoarei președinții Trump ci am dorit, pornind de la
exemplul american, să prezint și să explic situația României.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-85818201706088052402016-07-12T23:34:00.001+03:002016-07-12T23:36:32.502+03:00The Eye of the Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUxjdJwVby6aq0M9rEwlH0u7rGXhvUbTPp95TNRu21w1_ZCYYFbiTo6b4xzlMmGwkyg6_4XwppCaUwPRKo_-47MFMCuOYaU_cTiqBVz1GFHxF2zssS_N6P0mLCsdmuEbaMHkkAac05-o/s1600/c9fe15785f79b876770b24c8448888e3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbBUxjdJwVby6aq0M9rEwlH0u7rGXhvUbTPp95TNRu21w1_ZCYYFbiTo6b4xzlMmGwkyg6_4XwppCaUwPRKo_-47MFMCuOYaU_cTiqBVz1GFHxF2zssS_N6P0mLCsdmuEbaMHkkAac05-o/s200/c9fe15785f79b876770b24c8448888e3.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
The Eye of the Heart refers at a symbolic level to the perception of Divinity. Anyone who is on the winding road towards awakening know that this statement contains many more works than those written. If you, for whatever reason, don't understand the levels of thought in that phrase then maybe this book is exactly what you need. Schuon is a "practitioner" and a "believer" and this makes his work to be something more than a pure academic text, it comes to help in the search of the seeker. From the beginning, this eye of the heart will be explained followed by a segment dedicated to knowledge (that among other segments) composing the first part of the book dedicated to "Metaphysics and Cosmology".<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Any knowledge is that of the absolute reality"<br />
"(...) to know (understand) is to know Divinity"</blockquote>
Frithjof Schuon includes in his work a wide field of spiritual research, something characteristic to Perennialists and Traditionalists. The Islamic branch of human spirituality is strongly present through the prism of sufism. Christianity is also analyzed in the desire by Schuon to demonstrate the transcendent unity of religions. Because I am personally interested in Islamic philosophy and exegesis I've concentrated my attention more on these aspects, needless to say that this limits the richness of the text. A beginner will find a great (albeit steep) introduction into the inner aspects of Islam, that's why I also recommend the following: "Islam. Introduction in the esoteric doctrine" by Titus Burckhardt, ”Understanding Islam” by Frithjof Schuon, ”History of Islamic Philosophy” by Henry Corbin and many more.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"(...) the simple fact that man makes use of all his faculties in prayer, it doesn's mean that emotions need to be taken as an end by themselves and let the to alter the doctrinal truths"<br />
"Man is the only terrestrial being that can purify itself while being conscious of its flaws"<br />
"Contrary to that is generally stated, meditation does not posses any virtue of bringing by itself enlightenment, (...) it needs to distance the interior obstacles that opposed to understanding, not "new" understanding, but "preexisting" and "innate".</blockquote>
<br />
In conclusion, the Eye of the Heart by Frithjof Schuon is a book of the heart because you will not want to read it once, but you will want to come back to it from time to time, to taste the pure wisdom it has to offer. I am far from making a compete review of the book, I have left out many aspects because what matters is reading the book for yourselves. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-1527253209510428702016-04-20T07:40:00.001+03:002016-04-20T07:40:44.492+03:0034th Fajr International Film FestivalThe 34th Fajr International Film Festival is set to begin today in Tehran, under the supervision of Reza Mirkarimi, renowned Iranian film writer and director. The event will last until the 25th of April. This annual event succeeded to secure for itself, thanks to the success of past editions, an important place in the world cultural map, achieving a leading role in shaping cinematic tradition in the Middle East and south-western Asia. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq0nMwgshkwe1sbyvlh5VQ_6FbSWBvlvUcbIvfkPV6sQokOgcxgJwVF4SD6IBbCkcinPoKTeL1FO6dqeEmXVB74CPp7YDCbk-hT0yKNzROxlYWRt6e9xvjpOHVCcQMc1Mm-1ZRzzlv076/s1600/fajr+2016.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq0nMwgshkwe1sbyvlh5VQ_6FbSWBvlvUcbIvfkPV6sQokOgcxgJwVF4SD6IBbCkcinPoKTeL1FO6dqeEmXVB74CPp7YDCbk-hT0yKNzROxlYWRt6e9xvjpOHVCcQMc1Mm-1ZRzzlv076/s320/fajr+2016.png" width="320" /></a></div>
A total of 15 films, 12 being foreign, will compete for the festival's most sought after awards, Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, and the Special Award. The foreign films are: <br />
1944 (Elmo Nuganen ; Estonia / Finland)<br />
Amama, When a Tree Falls (Asier Altuna ; Spain)<br />
El Clasico (Halkawt Mustafa ; Iraq)<br />
Walking Distance (Alejandro Guzman Alvarez ; Mexico)<br />
Frenzy (Emin Alper ;Turkey)<br />
Dawn (Laila Lakalnina ; Estonia / Poland / Lithuania)<br />
Song of Songs (Eva Neymann ; Ukraine)<br />
Rams (Grimur Hakonarson ; Ireland / Denmark / Norway / Poland)<br />
The Treasure (Corneliu Porumboiu ; Romania / France)<br />
Guarani (Paraguay, Argentina)<br />
Norfolk (Martin Radich ; United Kingdom)<br />
I’m a Teacher (Russia)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-30503780178454771612016-02-22T23:04:00.000+02:002016-02-22T23:04:12.986+02:00Time and money<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh_HoIiGxrajo1y1Isdlx8r0MSAE0nAggZ7QkvfcmlRJKIZyHF-P3S6CT2EVcmQglG1nEEugbkjWeHlC-e_N5QA_B0kANn2RXMCULWNE87miwO47948clh73rmOWhioII-lQi_KABH8mm/s1600/the-persistence-of-memory-1931.jpgLarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh_HoIiGxrajo1y1Isdlx8r0MSAE0nAggZ7QkvfcmlRJKIZyHF-P3S6CT2EVcmQglG1nEEugbkjWeHlC-e_N5QA_B0kANn2RXMCULWNE87miwO47948clh73rmOWhioII-lQi_KABH8mm/s320/the-persistence-of-memory-1931.jpgLarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">.: artist : Salvador Dali :. .: title : Persistence of Memory :. .: year :
1931 :. .: style : surealism :. .: observation : the clocks symbolize the relativity of space/time :.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are work places where you feel like in a complicated relationship. You would like to quite but you insist on waiting for the other one to make the first move, to say: you know what, everything was nice but you should move on. And so, you, trying to mask that joy which the other one tries not to notice reply that you`re sorry and that's it. I don`t know if you`re in this situation, maybe yes, maybe no. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />Let's think about what are we working for actually. Money is the most obvious answer however this answer is false. Your money is not your money, contrary to what you may think, money belongs to the banks, to the people who successfully sell you whatever they have to sell. And so what are you really working for? For having comfort, for social status, for you addictions and illusions, for survival. <br /><br />Why wouldn't you go to some forgotten and isolated cave to live among squirrels and bears? You don't go because you're not their kind, you wouldn't resist and so you remain to tire yourself out for hot water, electricity, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. In the same way you could collect paintings and go to explore exotic places or even other planets. Whatever makes you happy. If you work for money you work for nothing, if at the end of the day you had nothing to learn from this or even come back home angry and frustrated you simply waste your life and even reduce your life expectancy. <br /><br />In theory you can dodge this game if you are creative, stupid or drunk. Drunk on all the things that can enlighten you, stupid because you see all too clearly the stupidity of it all. Creative as some sort of transcendence (religious or even kantian transcendence), a sparkle of light that permeates through this wall made up of superb yet rotting material.<br /><br />Money are a tool, maybe, I mean surely, but more so a tool for subordination, a mechanism to decide who, what and how, in the end something necessary, that can ward off our tendency to slip into rebellion and debauchery. But what am I saying here, money is everywhere, especially in rebellion and debauchery, it's omnipresent like the elementary particles. From graffiti to advertisements there aways appears an allusion to our enthusiasm to let ourselves dominated by the power of money. Hunt those sales and selloffs, it will make you happy, even the act of emptying your wallet will get you one step closer to salvation, if not, the system will get upset and start to expand and contract like a monster and will come after you vengeful with the same power he used while caressing your illusions.<br /><br />You work for money? I invite you to ask for more, not more money but more from yourselves. Our survival depends on it, enlightenment is sometimes eased by this. Think of all that time, the time you put into this economic mechanism. It may very well be an abandoned time, voluntary cuts in your life expectancy and expectations from life, if you do not search for something else, something hidden behind all your pleasures, addictions and habits. <br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-18220850630129417752016-02-16T06:24:00.000+02:002016-02-16T06:25:35.156+02:00Syrian update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR63c7IAr1fVLuRkYBwXmAps90IFqm1DBYFOHOIEV0qMrsveKgLJorYutSe7bEp5pT6AlUBk1R-oW0IdtmV_2CNeBEacClAQfUH0zISWiMOzK91uLIbJ-Q8ep_zrfFNV8NPHdOO4FKUHl/s1600/Syrian+refugies+associated+press+YARMOUK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipR63c7IAr1fVLuRkYBwXmAps90IFqm1DBYFOHOIEV0qMrsveKgLJorYutSe7bEp5pT6AlUBk1R-oW0IdtmV_2CNeBEacClAQfUH0zISWiMOzK91uLIbJ-Q8ep_zrfFNV8NPHdOO4FKUHl/s400/Syrian+refugies+associated+press+YARMOUK.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Syrian refugee camp in Yarmouk, photo by <span class="irc_su" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">Associated Press</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared recently that Turkey and Saudi Arabia tried to enter with their armies into Syria for the past two years. Various militant/terrorist groups operating in that country are known to be supported by the ruling elite in Turkey and Saudi Arabia while the legitimate government is allied with Russia, Iran and China. <br /><br />Regarding this situation, Michael McFaul, former US ambasador to Russia, posted on twitter that "Putin is winning in Syria" on 12 February. He followed up his first remark with: "Creating facts on the ground beneficial to his Syrian ally". McFaul is in present a professor of political science at Stanford University.</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Turkey is currently targeting Kurdish militia in Syria, the same militia that is fighting terrorist and rebel forces there. Ankara doesn't want to witness a growing in the power of the Kurdish population in this neighboring country, fearing that it will cause unrest at home, sparking renewed activity for independence by the Kurdish minority in east Turkey.<br /><br />Russian diplomat Gennady Gatilov declared yesterday in the German magazine Spiegel that "The Syrian government made many mistakes and then foreign forces intervened (...) Bashar Assad could have prevented the escalation if he had taken democratic reforms in time. Without them, the conflict continued to spread". He goes on adding that through his unwillingness to change he inadvertently created the environment that fostered the current crisis. He goes on by saying that "if he stepped down now, Syria would be destroyed as a country. I believe we are on the same footing in this regard even with the Americans".<br /><br />The Syrian crisis is without a doubt fostering greater conflicts and dangers throughout the region and beyound, reaching as far as western Europe. The European Union is facing disintegration because of the migrant situation and the only solution to this problem is peace in Syria and rebuilding its former thriving economy. </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-35409312947830229122015-11-15T12:25:00.000+02:002015-11-15T12:25:03.647+02:00Roots of Terrorism<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n56N0Jdxcs4H4x3ja3FvBSgWeN0mzK_XDOWu3cMcOXPjGzR-d1KLUy8URLh7EeVQ5wgl57-VM9GNVs_N4SM62ZDSX8REOQS41cidcHCgBkimcfOzkKlTflqtNh1C6a_09NV-kRikDHxd/s1600/paris-attacks-bataclan-eagles-of-death-metal-sign-nov-2015-billboard-650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8n56N0Jdxcs4H4x3ja3FvBSgWeN0mzK_XDOWu3cMcOXPjGzR-d1KLUy8URLh7EeVQ5wgl57-VM9GNVs_N4SM62ZDSX8REOQS41cidcHCgBkimcfOzkKlTflqtNh1C6a_09NV-kRikDHxd/s200/paris-attacks-bataclan-eagles-of-death-metal-sign-nov-2015-billboard-650.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagles of Death Metal were singing at<br />
Bataclan
when the terrorists opened fire.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Terrorism did not show its hideous face to the world for the first time in 2001 but that year the impact of terrorism became globalised, like most other things. It started a chain reaction which now threatens Europe more than any other region on Earth mostly because of geographic proximity to the epicenter. The word implies extreme fear as a means to an end. But why would a group / an individual want to instill these negative emotions upon a collective?<br />
<br />
The people behind such behavior could range from rational, psychopaths to the irrational, emotional and instinctive individuals. The rational type is not unlike a general giving an order to a group of young soldiers to take part in a battle with little chances to be won. The irrational element has many underlying structures, one of these structures could be religion. In all cases these individuals are not opened to dialogue and consider their actions warranted. <br />
<br />
Traditionally, but not always, terrorist attacks target symbols of authority like the Pentagon in 2001, the Reichstag fire in 1933 but also army barracks, police stations or anything related to state authority. Other targets are purely symbolic in nature and meant to either attract attention, give a warning or as revenge. These could be landmarks like the Twin Towers, parts of Palmyra and the Buddhas of Bamiyan. Finally, the most devastating attacks on society are those done in public places like schools, theaters, public transport stations, concert halls, etc. These are not landmarks, are usually unknown to those outside the area, and have no link to any form of state authority. These are sadly the easiest of targets.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn90cne7gEWUab7CY5pryN0soJVRngEXa43_gADCvBrWA5kOc5AMq0LIdU1R8mkJH_JL9HyYc9wP5fnvUtyRITCPCHbzrKRyLfPKqcXT5BHD5jD4pOpise_LIKAOWhDJ4wD6t8IcrHm60/s1600/702px-Reichstagsbrand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn90cne7gEWUab7CY5pryN0soJVRngEXa43_gADCvBrWA5kOc5AMq0LIdU1R8mkJH_JL9HyYc9wP5fnvUtyRITCPCHbzrKRyLfPKqcXT5BHD5jD4pOpise_LIKAOWhDJ4wD6t8IcrHm60/s200/702px-Reichstagsbrand.jpg" width="155" /></a>The recent events in Paris are an act against humanity, part of a wider range of cases that do include attacks in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria that are not known in Europe or to which Europeans are not emotionally bound. This implies that the emphasis some will try to place on Islam and its role is fundamentally false and risks to intensify a conflict that normally should not exist in a developed society, religious conflict.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6DuyDs3-GmSv7MzKmfBF_by_-o2v6Pse6lHkoyzhdlUxtQCLR7tjdWUph5eaxonRBhS-MugIcFgrTg4P7t4nirDTtKVU8LtICHhlZvKu6EVO7kP2N3TEp26H2Vm3l0TlywFNRuyh7O9W/s1600/Destruction_of_Buddhas_March_21_2001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie6DuyDs3-GmSv7MzKmfBF_by_-o2v6Pse6lHkoyzhdlUxtQCLR7tjdWUph5eaxonRBhS-MugIcFgrTg4P7t4nirDTtKVU8LtICHhlZvKu6EVO7kP2N3TEp26H2Vm3l0TlywFNRuyh7O9W/s200/Destruction_of_Buddhas_March_21_2001.jpg" width="200" /></a>The roots of terrorism run deep in time towards antiquity or even beyond. There is a relative consensus that the first terrorist incident was the case of the Sicarii Zealots when in the 1st century CE Jews tried to expel the Romans by attacking them with daggers concealed in their cloaks. A pre-modern fight for independence. But even in Assyrian times the use of fear and terror was a weapon, usually used by the ruling class, as we learn from Gustave LeBon. These are nonetheless only a symptom of the root cause.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-88666472068256957992015-10-20T23:23:00.001+03:002015-10-20T23:23:24.892+03:00Passing Thought: Will of having no willThrough observations I have seen that man, in his most widespread form, is stagnant. This motionless of the heart is tied to his misplaced will or the lack of it altogether (the possibility of this is debatable). Simply put if one does not have a strong will then his actions shall be dictated by other (exterior) factors. Furthermore his spiritual development will be hindered by the fact that he does not have the desire to seek. <br />
<br />
However this "will" question is a far more delicate one. There comes a time when change has no more meaning and man is untied from "will", Schopenhauer has more on this. The fact of the matter is that by taking the oriental approach of minimizing your desires you eliminate frustrations and ultimately achieve happiness. In a way the will of having no will.<br />
<br />
Maybe the issue is not in having a will or not having desires but in having a correct direction. How can we correctly assess such a thing? Let's leave it for another passing thought. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-46813579501998087952015-10-14T07:08:00.000+03:002015-10-14T07:08:17.968+03:00Late Night Post #20 : Universe is calling<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96iWkXp-f36vqA2E8jgPPoehlbyxTroP9QRKf7XoZVY31MyVOjFzmkVyAjD74Z9p0FLjEWjZzqro2MgaLLxnkwwBgo8Eb7eXTow6fD5tYc7hDmqhxNwpJ0aR495pzumFkpCPcb_nf6Enp/s1600/6e6e1471ef6258511cdb2ae7ec19e63f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96iWkXp-f36vqA2E8jgPPoehlbyxTroP9QRKf7XoZVY31MyVOjFzmkVyAjD74Z9p0FLjEWjZzqro2MgaLLxnkwwBgo8Eb7eXTow6fD5tYc7hDmqhxNwpJ0aR495pzumFkpCPcb_nf6Enp/s320/6e6e1471ef6258511cdb2ae7ec19e63f.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Nothing that man
creates will live longer than this universe, a lonely space probe
could still fly millions of years after humanity is no longer and
seconds before the Big Crunch but after that, nothing, the snake
bites it's tail, everything is recycled and reborn with another flash
of light. If this is life, then life has death and if we have souls
that don't experience death, do they experience life? Maybe
souls are beyond life and death created before creation itself, emanating from Eternity. </div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If our true nature is that of a soul, why are
we here, is life a punishment, a reward, a transition... or is there
nothing beyond this universe and the universe itself is one strange
thing that was born and will die like everything within itself... if
it was created, it can't be infinite, can it? However, have you
witnessed the death of an atom? Maybe we, like the building blocks of
matter don't die, but change.... A part of me could probably make it
into a sun, somewhere out there, who knows... who cares... it's death
anyway you choose to call it. </div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
My life is centered
around books, the ideas in them to be more precise. Ideas some other
dead or dying individuals considered worthy for posterity. In a way
we should try to make our life as good and long as possible and be
surrounded by the fiction of our minds, yet some of us are not
satisfied with this and search for more, like I did.<br />
<br />
Photo: painting by Tim Gustard<br />
<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-13960733027599576212015-10-06T23:36:00.000+03:002015-10-07T10:59:30.701+03:00Putin and Obama at UNGA 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wLvwNWp3B5gJC9kCl8F9kgFl7-0-C3dO-jB4e_yJ2OliN3q-rTD1RLEqhzTNPxq260zMgo2phpWkdtHA3sttEPKbBjkVJW9vAxqr0-pMZpTeAFOPEsGR4xHqJLQVrvz_BdZX9LZS9uT1/s1600/putin+obama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wLvwNWp3B5gJC9kCl8F9kgFl7-0-C3dO-jB4e_yJ2OliN3q-rTD1RLEqhzTNPxq260zMgo2phpWkdtHA3sttEPKbBjkVJW9vAxqr0-pMZpTeAFOPEsGR4xHqJLQVrvz_BdZX9LZS9uT1/s320/putin+obama.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The political climate was turbulent this year and the forecast isn't going to be sunny. Judging the two speeches wasn't a very complicated task, these are more like statements and in some degrees I felt both leaders tried to gather support, allies maybe. I began with Putin but in this article I will leave him after Obama for reasons you will see.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Barack Hussein Obama II</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEJXZAB0pl1bX_Xqj1WxvF4ryMibh2enux4yeFbft43XyT0yx_BjmfpBf7fBI_E5CHbnSxCGMEsafLn1lNySZP8yssWZIx70Jt9oQN7E6fcmJZNYsh2GTmoM1Vg22EL3W0ZyBMgiwcb3-/s1600/obama+unga+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLEJXZAB0pl1bX_Xqj1WxvF4ryMibh2enux4yeFbft43XyT0yx_BjmfpBf7fBI_E5CHbnSxCGMEsafLn1lNySZP8yssWZIx70Jt9oQN7E6fcmJZNYsh2GTmoM1Vg22EL3W0ZyBMgiwcb3-/s320/obama+unga+2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
The American president's performance (indeed it was somewhat of a show) was something a typical American could relate to. Simplicity enriched with idealism and a hefty does of shallowness. The idea of USA's exceptional role in the world is still strong as a mindset. In order "to prevent a third world war" the United States, after the Second World War "worked with many nations". Presumably also with the United Kingdom that under Churchill created plans to invade the Soviet Union. The US itself had plans to nuke Moskow. Furthermore "they supported the steady emergence of strong democracies accountable to their people instead of any foreign power", wonderful phrase but coming from the mouthpiece of the US is deeply puzzling. This country has a long history of interventions in other countries in order to place political or military leaderships favorable to their interests. In Afghanistan they armed the Taliban, remember? Not to mention South America, Panama maybe?<br />
<br />
The speech goes on with interesting points but then you get to parts like "we see greater polarization (...) movements on the far right (...) calling for the building of walls to keep out immigrants" targeting Hungary but also, funny enough, the US itself, remember Mexico? Another example of dissonance between American speech and actions. Obama recognized Iran as "revolutionary", the third in order after "rising China" and "resurgent Russia". Rising implies evolution, resurgency implies regeneration, reviving after a bad period. Obama makes clear the fact that these three "old enemies, perceived adversaries" are getting stronger while America "cannot by itself impose stability on a foreign land", speeking of Iraq. The general idea is not that Obama says that the US is weak but that the US is searching for allies. <br />
<br />
He mentions "revolutionary" Iran's violation of the NPT while omitting that Israel, despite the fact that it has nukes, is not a member of the NPT and does not allow international inspectors. "America has few economic interests in Ukraine", if it had, we would of known by now however it has many interests in making life hard for Russia. "For 50 years, the United States pursued a Cuba policy that failed to improve the lives of the Cuban people. We changed that." We will see what the Cuban president has to say about that but at least in western media it seems that something changed especially after Ukraine. The US tried to invade Cuba once and to assassinate Castro hundreds of times.<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin</h3>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfah93G91k_1h8iM2vk7iWYj_1KuEMk0aZHiFITLf0hkgEc9KA0iS8jYmHfARF_sh5Zz1RKkKOgK0S-199khOqdgxmWF9ofHG8PE_Jx0cipKOYJmS5k5K9e0FHshnY1zdz5LdVSvKxS6U/s1600/GyyEgWpZZAjOMxoDyAx9LhYhYGIiwnof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfah93G91k_1h8iM2vk7iWYj_1KuEMk0aZHiFITLf0hkgEc9KA0iS8jYmHfARF_sh5Zz1RKkKOgK0S-199khOqdgxmWF9ofHG8PE_Jx0cipKOYJmS5k5K9e0FHshnY1zdz5LdVSvKxS6U/s320/GyyEgWpZZAjOMxoDyAx9LhYhYGIiwnof.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Putin's speech had the following main themes: to strengthen the UN by building on the principles on which it was created (disdain from scheming and trickery and a spirit of cooperation) ; state sovereignty ; the Islamic State did not come from nowhere ; he addressed the Muslim spiritual leaders to intervene and counteract Islamic State propaganda; the WTO should be respected and states should refrain from imposing unilateral sanctions; economic selfishness ; climate change.<br />
<br />
Climate change is almost unilaterally acknowledged as a problem. The Russians tried to adopt a different strategy from their American counterparts, they situate themselves somewhere above and don't want to interfere in other countries and they want these countries to know that. They don't care about corruption or human rights, these are internal issues to be addressed by the sovereign country in question, not by a foreign power. Russia doesn't propose to civilize the universe, at least not yet. The Islamic State issue is an almost open attack on the United States of America. This is indeed common sense because in truth ISIS was armed either directly or through third parties by the US to bring down Assad. Similar in concept to how the CIA used Ukrainian far right groups to bring down Yanukovych.<br />
<br />
You can read the full transcripts here: <a href="http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/50385" target="_blank">Putin</a> ; ObamaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-62681263781550491592015-10-02T22:29:00.000+03:002015-10-02T22:30:19.928+03:00From the Past : Karim Khan Zand<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZgIJmwozdh4KKh6WUbwyXxi1PyK89bAVONpPm9TSBtw953-s78Xu5d64KhGO2RMaWH0BLYURddDq-lr26d9Lh1pjXX5LO0loalPBc8FI0aGDpWvZENtP-wXlTZILtS__L-0GDkK2W26i/s1600/Karim+Khan+Zand+Iranian+Emperor+1750+-+1779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaZgIJmwozdh4KKh6WUbwyXxi1PyK89bAVONpPm9TSBtw953-s78Xu5d64KhGO2RMaWH0BLYURddDq-lr26d9Lh1pjXX5LO0loalPBc8FI0aGDpWvZENtP-wXlTZILtS__L-0GDkK2W26i/s320/Karim+Khan+Zand+Iranian+Emperor+1750+-+1779.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Kharim Khan Zand was a "Vakil", a ruler and founder of a short lived dynasty in Iran in the 18th century (1751 - 1794). His rule was not marked by glorious military conquests but by the stability and equilibrium he gave to the state, whose capital was in Shiraz. His time was a transition towards the modernity attributed to the Qajars. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-73399547512976651222015-09-17T21:36:00.003+03:002015-09-17T21:36:43.359+03:00Nightly Poem #15 : Ideas / Ideile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3NNmNstb_wjaauDaPwL2Y8aG6HvCKfjbY8XhK6nmkGS66uNrBYY2BRyQXk6OF6v9gHxwR1zhGkLvrIuLNJ3pzgtJ6F5xI4qEdbzrhRprAn4Nb6afjHHe15VzBhEJD4nrlIPUF0EBl8Rf/s1600/miluno_by_complejo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR3NNmNstb_wjaauDaPwL2Y8aG6HvCKfjbY8XhK6nmkGS66uNrBYY2BRyQXk6OF6v9gHxwR1zhGkLvrIuLNJ3pzgtJ6F5xI4qEdbzrhRprAn4Nb6afjHHe15VzBhEJD4nrlIPUF0EBl8Rf/s200/miluno_by_complejo.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #444444;">Banii, anii, viețile și morțile</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">se duc, se intorc si se-nvârt</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">ca într-un film halucinant și mut.</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Se pierd florile pe câmp,</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">se prind ideile în gând. </span><br />
<br />
Money, years, lives and deaths<br />
they come, they go and swirl<br />
like in an old and silent movie.<br />
Flowers are withering in the fields<br />
as ideas in our thoughts take roots.<br />
<br />
photo by Alberto Polo Iañez (<a href="http://albertopoloianez.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">http://albertopoloianez.deviantart.com/</a>)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-5342020148311967262015-09-05T21:42:00.001+03:002015-09-06T12:24:00.974+03:00Late Night Post #19 : Justice<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil43eJ233Q-jcHvRUJDaPrqZ-WLq0GwoG0c6p3ZTNH1dLDCLtHmK71qa1J9tmNgsrOLyIPlF5nvLDDeGMmenVUXar-inVsKkXj4rSNccsGviX0hrD4v3T2wSYgjlsi2wbZxtPi7dyMiASs/s1600/Emblemata+Nova+by+Andreas+Friedrich.+Engravings+by+Jaques+de+Zettre.+Published+by+Lucas+Jennis+in+Frankfurt%252C+1617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil43eJ233Q-jcHvRUJDaPrqZ-WLq0GwoG0c6p3ZTNH1dLDCLtHmK71qa1J9tmNgsrOLyIPlF5nvLDDeGMmenVUXar-inVsKkXj4rSNccsGviX0hrD4v3T2wSYgjlsi2wbZxtPi7dyMiASs/s640/Emblemata+Nova+by+Andreas+Friedrich.+Engravings+by+Jaques+de+Zettre.+Published+by+Lucas+Jennis+in+Frankfurt%252C+1617.jpg" width="449" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="commentDescriptionContent">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Emblemata Nova by Andreas Friedrich. Engravings by Jaques de Zettre. Published by Lucas Jennis in Frankfurt, 1617 </span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<center>
<iframe src="http://www.4shared.com/web/embed/audio/file/CnnqtDc-ce?type=MINI&widgetWidth=530&lightTheme=true&playlistHeight=0&widgetRid=507154160930" style="border: 0; height: 60px; margin: 0; overflow: hidden; width: 530px;"></iframe></center>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Arcade Fire - Culture War</i></div>
<br />
What if you could make right something that is unjust, what if you can, from the beginning, stop the injustice to take place. But... what is injustice? Having your rights trampled on, this is injustice, being cheated, this is unjust. The world as it is revolves around one main thing, the strong trample the rights and the lives of the weak. Considering we are all brothers and sisters this is the ultimate injustice. However not all consider themselves our brothers and so they walk on others like walking on weeds or better said, they themselves are weeds. <br />
<br />
This isn't a complicated issue, true things usually end up being simple, the difficulty lies in positioning yourself correctly in order to see the problem objectively. From the treatment of other nations to the mundane examples of violence among people we, humans, place ourselves on the lowest step of the ladder that leads to the heavens, the step closest to hell. But how can we climb upwards when everyone seem to go down, in waves after waves. Unsurprisingly, this has absolutely no influence.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<b>Arcade Fire - Culture War [lyrics]</b><br />
<a href="http://www.arcadefire.com/" target="_blank">www.arcadefire.com </a><b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Now the future's staring at me<br />
like a vision from the past,<br />
and I know these crumbs they sold me,<br />
they're never gonna last.<br />
Though we know the culture war,<br />
we don't know what it's for but<br />
we've lived the southern strategy.<br />
You know it's never gonna last,<br />
so keep it in the past.<br />
<br />
These are different times that we're living in.<br />
These are different times.<br />
Now the kids are growing up so fast.<br />
Paying for our crimes.<br />
<br />
You left while I was sleepin'.<br />
You said, "It's down to me".<br />
Oh I've read a little Bible.<br />
You see what you want to see.<br />
Oh, we know the culture war,<br />
we don't know what it's for but<br />
we've lived your southern strategy.<br />
You know it's never gonna last<br />
so keep that shit in the past.<br />
<br />
These are different times that we're living in.<br />
'Cause these are different times.<br />
Now the kids are growing up so fast.<br />
They're paying for our crimes.<br />
<br />
The dominos they never fell<br />
but bodies they still burn.<br />
Throw my hand into the fire<br />
but still I never learn,<br />
will I ever learn?<br />
<br />
That these are different times.<br />
Now the kids are growing up so fast<br />
and paying for our crimes.<br />
We'll be soldiers for you, mommy and daddy,<br />
in your culture war.<br />
We'll be soldiers for you, mommy and daddy,<br />
but we don't know what it's for.<br />
<br />
We're soldiers now in the culture war.<br />
We're soldiers now, but we don't know what it's for.<br />
We're soldiers now in the culture war.<br />
We're soldiers now, but we don't know what it's for.<br />
So tell me what's it for.<br />
<br />
You want it? You got it, here's your culture war.<br />
You want it? Now you've got it, so tell me what's it for. </span><br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-66104369930864848822015-08-17T22:07:00.000+03:002015-08-17T22:08:34.019+03:00.: Irving Penn :. photographyI recently discovered Irving Penn while doing research for a Slovak photographer which I will showcase in a future article of the series. Irving was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, in 1917 to a family of Russian Jews. He attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art from 1934 to 1938. He studied under Alexey Brodovitch drawing and painting. In the 1950's he started his own studio in New York and began making advertising photographs. Around the same time he married model Lisa Fonssagrives. <br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Irving Penn / 16 June 1917 - 7 October 2009</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Parents / Herry Pen and Sonia Greenberg</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Spouse / Lisa Fonssagrives (1950)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Children / Tom Penn (1952)</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">School / Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> period / 1934- 1938</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> professors / Alexey Brodovitch</span></span><br />
<br />
He is best known for his fashion photographs done for Vogue magazine however he also pursued different themes. For example his interesting series of celebrity portraits or his still life works.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivGMPpKGsPFZFxOCdJ6Pr4HflHBrdP74KmFdGJUDjHqSRjtm95t66DYZErrIlkAaEhgnREnPj4Cb0QAGqXBU6EjlnHrVJCdJEHt763o2Ish6HPNjHTf7ucv-u85KndVW7kQmoQAXEFbmw/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+Nadja+Auermann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiivGMPpKGsPFZFxOCdJ6Pr4HflHBrdP74KmFdGJUDjHqSRjtm95t66DYZErrIlkAaEhgnREnPj4Cb0QAGqXBU6EjlnHrVJCdJEHt763o2Ish6HPNjHTf7ucv-u85KndVW7kQmoQAXEFbmw/s640/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+Nadja+Auermann.jpg" width="466" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nadja Auermann</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7cC1Ttp0gwRRph-YmwZNO9_4uVg3gQORC-1D6AOqAG7mykRdan5y98t6yUzJCYbdYFaPdguxYZMqGAg1MOqjBN9BFDFFvZBGBLal-_EOfz9G73uY1G9KQS0WLUqqs4NpNBbNrDVu5qPp/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Salad+Ingredients.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh7cC1Ttp0gwRRph-YmwZNO9_4uVg3gQORC-1D6AOqAG7mykRdan5y98t6yUzJCYbdYFaPdguxYZMqGAg1MOqjBN9BFDFFvZBGBLal-_EOfz9G73uY1G9KQS0WLUqqs4NpNBbNrDVu5qPp/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Salad+Ingredients.jpg" width="493" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1947 - Salad Ingredients</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d6UrGy35Hb2HWM_7zWmZOiD3bF3xuiozqyPMUq2tQc3BM6ll4FtVIwGNPWujfT4gejxVC1WLjM72d0yCZGHbaUKgFesd2dSIgDu264G2qpctU_KeiZk0jwU3K-JPWK1lC0YEEpRwzYDK/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Salvador+Dali+in+New+York+20+February.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d6UrGy35Hb2HWM_7zWmZOiD3bF3xuiozqyPMUq2tQc3BM6ll4FtVIwGNPWujfT4gejxVC1WLjM72d0yCZGHbaUKgFesd2dSIgDu264G2qpctU_KeiZk0jwU3K-JPWK1lC0YEEpRwzYDK/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Salvador+Dali+in+New+York+20+February.jpg" width="510" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1947 - Salvador Dali in New York 20 February</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepl5TlKcHo6BKclALi7LL_3DnaMTuUjK5EvxGDGNaSSDyb6tcRONJ0HxtB3-SsN_iT4n2tpNROTb6l4ctVYnHCTxksJkjoPVBhLp9NYUDxP6sCy9_Qqg1uSye7M0pu5rIcCcNbm5DbtoZ/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Theater+Accident+-+for+Vogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiepl5TlKcHo6BKclALi7LL_3DnaMTuUjK5EvxGDGNaSSDyb6tcRONJ0HxtB3-SsN_iT4n2tpNROTb6l4ctVYnHCTxksJkjoPVBhLp9NYUDxP6sCy9_Qqg1uSye7M0pu5rIcCcNbm5DbtoZ/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1947+-+Theater+Accident+-+for+Vogue.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1947 - Theater Accident - for Vogue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisbmA4GvUf3yF6wqgQP5tddEBr4xnF7yVkk-T5n3dhHfd-_27e4zOYjeoBBg1-QX_IKEECUvRCKZpo-_LFWyGWVNfOZ4fFmDfi7SqTBXQU0yGxNd3Gl9wt9be0JrTa4qMnbOydjj_qSsg/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1948+-+Marcel+Duchamp+-+New+York.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisbmA4GvUf3yF6wqgQP5tddEBr4xnF7yVkk-T5n3dhHfd-_27e4zOYjeoBBg1-QX_IKEECUvRCKZpo-_LFWyGWVNfOZ4fFmDfi7SqTBXQU0yGxNd3Gl9wt9be0JrTa4qMnbOydjj_qSsg/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1948+-+Marcel+Duchamp+-+New+York.jpg" width="492" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1948 - Marcel Duchamp - New York</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZVx64jkKVenvjTIktr08bX5N6R1vGMQMEdWPNw93d4uSrUvDzfPVTjvfCJue1giJjcBWZZIIOZdVewqhavt5PY073OdneTKpuJ-qz5q1vy6YKjdwI6e3fNwLM6NDoC-xMJ2vOfddQr4Y/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1949+-+Unknown+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZVx64jkKVenvjTIktr08bX5N6R1vGMQMEdWPNw93d4uSrUvDzfPVTjvfCJue1giJjcBWZZIIOZdVewqhavt5PY073OdneTKpuJ-qz5q1vy6YKjdwI6e3fNwLM6NDoC-xMJ2vOfddQr4Y/s400/Irving+Penn+-+1949+-+Unknown+title.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1949 - Unknown title</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uGqFvydCnSxy4g6hptZS5NVFxWgA92m4Zp_AvBaG2hrAmmBfKLoJfcLMlg3zVGQbWV2dYWH90O8TIPo7BDp9R06yC6GhfJxc0FJ_q7IYsUpXz9xUG-dgclwcs3G2aZxCl7RK7oBbXIDl/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1950+-+Balenciaga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uGqFvydCnSxy4g6hptZS5NVFxWgA92m4Zp_AvBaG2hrAmmBfKLoJfcLMlg3zVGQbWV2dYWH90O8TIPo7BDp9R06yC6GhfJxc0FJ_q7IYsUpXz9xUG-dgclwcs3G2aZxCl7RK7oBbXIDl/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1950+-+Balenciaga.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950 - Balenciaga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-_XG-T8sUid86vDf06Gi5cfUslmKNuvBSruUryuacQMu0krT8VuqcHV56_nWHA8AMM-fm0i40ZfBCfnn3PuiYvksnGmD3jfJEB8vXvEdwicg5bcWCsXh9ooCTTXm7qRfgcHDkIMUhJ-k/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1950+-+Locomotive+fireman+-+London.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-_XG-T8sUid86vDf06Gi5cfUslmKNuvBSruUryuacQMu0krT8VuqcHV56_nWHA8AMM-fm0i40ZfBCfnn3PuiYvksnGmD3jfJEB8vXvEdwicg5bcWCsXh9ooCTTXm7qRfgcHDkIMUhJ-k/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1950+-+Locomotive+fireman+-+London.jpg" width="474" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1950 - Locomotive fireman - London</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvjL6THIvRpuxcfxqszztpv3I2oAZhmz4zi3PoN0ITgvqO0yUtOFdCM0ZRT65fLn2gyG15zHii8wZIKa4xHgg3bp3kpS2DLqKcDUJdM7tYdXXSTvO08sH-UsSjOga_Rlyq56cpM7ynZBG/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1960+-+John+Kennedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvjL6THIvRpuxcfxqszztpv3I2oAZhmz4zi3PoN0ITgvqO0yUtOFdCM0ZRT65fLn2gyG15zHii8wZIKa4xHgg3bp3kpS2DLqKcDUJdM7tYdXXSTvO08sH-UsSjOga_Rlyq56cpM7ynZBG/s400/Irving+Penn+-+1960+-+John+Kennedy.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1960 - John Kennedy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFa1S_beSLb6ygOZ0yBTPyzHmoeoy9OGCQ8m_yXac5GLF9SlKua4hBX_HHMfa-lk2J9tnjRUiR-Rdo5S6LpiZ4tBlvpoRO48ygiW-edl2MzmZneeXRghr9W-1cAs4zqMNS4DAUEXjAVAn/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1967+-+Hells+Angel+doug+-+San+Francisco.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFa1S_beSLb6ygOZ0yBTPyzHmoeoy9OGCQ8m_yXac5GLF9SlKua4hBX_HHMfa-lk2J9tnjRUiR-Rdo5S6LpiZ4tBlvpoRO48ygiW-edl2MzmZneeXRghr9W-1cAs4zqMNS4DAUEXjAVAn/s400/Irving+Penn+-+1967+-+Hells+Angel+doug+-+San+Francisco.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1967 - Hells Angel doug - San Francisco</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo7P44H299nR33XLP8kC4moMkiQr9-5x4MvJ9C-MhudnqlSFvS2_RRKMDKoRIcAzzv7h8F2Srx6Zlxika6l8ChWyJsCUp_8EbKupfpcUvA3bs0rH8ASoXQvLWleNOfgi9IWWCXnO2rB7r/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1986+-+Miles+Davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRo7P44H299nR33XLP8kC4moMkiQr9-5x4MvJ9C-MhudnqlSFvS2_RRKMDKoRIcAzzv7h8F2Srx6Zlxika6l8ChWyJsCUp_8EbKupfpcUvA3bs0rH8ASoXQvLWleNOfgi9IWWCXnO2rB7r/s400/Irving+Penn+-+1986+-+Miles+Davis.jpg" width="383" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1986 - Miles Davis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4NAJ5kFOPEwdLmkNwhB-f1suDSVjpiBJu8jrVo0-pxQog7GQ5bJ3pmzzX_R9VD9PV6nQDQWPfbU18phZ53sdr_bcWTJzbwqO_21RZBACjjNFlcmmWuCnqmDR9WKfQsvJuaDQPab4RY2D/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+1986+-+Paulina+Porizkova+-+Vogue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4NAJ5kFOPEwdLmkNwhB-f1suDSVjpiBJu8jrVo0-pxQog7GQ5bJ3pmzzX_R9VD9PV6nQDQWPfbU18phZ53sdr_bcWTJzbwqO_21RZBACjjNFlcmmWuCnqmDR9WKfQsvJuaDQPab4RY2D/s640/Irving+Penn+-+1986+-+Paulina+Porizkova+-+Vogue.jpg" width="486" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1986 - Paulina Porizkova - Vogue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs3u50rSuBVEPNI1M5afjUpjbV_TLnsyMuFLSb6ol9_XSuM-NmYX4017FGYEntJ9jXXCZnEdFrLbsmoysN_K9k0nGamdH8kG_hm3MDrA3kebKqBVU9hNF9ptEmrbM2D7STn9xFfVlYdxK/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+New+York+still+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAs3u50rSuBVEPNI1M5afjUpjbV_TLnsyMuFLSb6ol9_XSuM-NmYX4017FGYEntJ9jXXCZnEdFrLbsmoysN_K9k0nGamdH8kG_hm3MDrA3kebKqBVU9hNF9ptEmrbM2D7STn9xFfVlYdxK/s400/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+New+York+still+life.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideW9TDl86gDWvp94byhju_l5aEHR2k2gao0YMHGWRnosSUt39GqnFlzoDMCc5kxY75MDh3_qFOUc6KnL_Sp_UChkhPeZRFxdYNW4lb7ZY7sYTFZ48OIyzbK41nMo9SlkV-jzXqRNvmlfs/s1600/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+Unknown+title.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEideW9TDl86gDWvp94byhju_l5aEHR2k2gao0YMHGWRnosSUt39GqnFlzoDMCc5kxY75MDh3_qFOUc6KnL_Sp_UChkhPeZRFxdYNW4lb7ZY7sYTFZ48OIyzbK41nMo9SlkV-jzXqRNvmlfs/s640/Irving+Penn+-+%253F%253F%253F%253F+-+Unknown+title.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-25472701624197781592015-07-14T20:51:00.002+03:002015-07-15T09:25:16.586+03:00Passing Thought : Iran - West deal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbtzZTdoSkfRrZmZB5Ds5nCG68cDivEx-7B712GFfBzIO3f1CE8CX54AZaWNrpATrS081pA9qHZGvF7fh4dU6P20kBADTX1jjHC4wqjRqSh_sDmX0h8nQlLL29BB-Jn4b4IKNK8zoE0kO/s1600/GTY_iran_world_leaders_ml_150402_16x9_992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVbtzZTdoSkfRrZmZB5Ds5nCG68cDivEx-7B712GFfBzIO3f1CE8CX54AZaWNrpATrS081pA9qHZGvF7fh4dU6P20kBADTX1jjHC4wqjRqSh_sDmX0h8nQlLL29BB-Jn4b4IKNK8zoE0kO/s400/GTY_iran_world_leaders_ml_150402_16x9_992.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
When I began my studies of the Persian language back in 2010, motivated by the desire to understand Iranian culture, I unsurprisingly became witness to its present. The artistic treasures I have seen forever enriched my soul while the standoff between the Islamic Republic and the West helped me to better understand the political climate of the world.<br />
<br />
Iran and the West are on the verge of paving a very productive road for both sides, something I first suspected last year when the deteriorating relation between Russia and the US made Iran a country courted by most world powers. In the long run things will translate in better living conditions for its people and more exposure in the EU and US, both culturally and economically. On the other hand the West never did like to play fair and probably Iran will renounce part of its sovereignty regarding nuclear research.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-28519175909831892102015-06-25T22:46:00.000+03:002015-06-25T22:46:09.841+03:00Passing Thought : Wozniak and Artificial IntelligenceSteve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, said during a public speech at the Freescale Technology Forum 2015 in Austin, Texas, that robots will keep humans as some sort of pets, not to unbalance the natural ecosystem. What I have found out so far is that he financed an AI company and that he previously referred to this possible future as "our biggest existential threat". The Bilderberg meeting held this year (11-14 June, Telfs-Buchen, Austria) had artificial intelligence as part of the subjects of discussion. What they talked or decided we don't know because this isn't an open and democratic organization. We can, however, see the effects. I don't know if Wozniak was invited or subscribes to the group, just found it intriguing. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-5896318365033870282015-06-24T22:32:00.001+03:002015-06-24T22:35:19.376+03:00aPaD : Luis Ricardo Falero<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4442513318770226136" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4442513318770226136" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4442513318770226136" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOSNC9Hux-29R-_-BfnvZZNBDBBp9sdM1Ww6bblJjlHVqVPAg4KdbM29A80orpbYOBKD1phNxFH5EJkU5xSwj5Dri99vhyvoI5-uqI6hVqqejVH0ZFPEAMapy2PTipj8WUKVTfzNZsl_D/s1600/1883+-+Luis+Ricardo+Falero+-+The+Moon+Nymph.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOSNC9Hux-29R-_-BfnvZZNBDBBp9sdM1Ww6bblJjlHVqVPAg4KdbM29A80orpbYOBKD1phNxFH5EJkU5xSwj5Dri99vhyvoI5-uqI6hVqqejVH0ZFPEAMapy2PTipj8WUKVTfzNZsl_D/s1600/1883+-+Luis+Ricardo+Falero+-+The+Moon+Nymph.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
.: artist : Luis Ricardo Falero :.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
.: country : Spain :.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
.: title of work : The Moon Nymph :.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
.: year : 1883 :.</div>
<div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">
.: comment : Luis Falero was born in Granada in 1851, he studied art in Paris and then settled in London where he died in 1896 at just 45 years of age. His work is centered around nudes which he uses in different subjects ranging from mythology to orientalism and allegories. :.</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-33536131890863828442015-06-23T22:49:00.000+03:002015-06-23T22:49:00.409+03:00Passing Thought : Why militarization?My question is straightforward, why Risc a nuclear war for Ukraine? Why is America so eagerly wanting to protect a country largely split in two with huge problems with corruption and organized crime and above all, a country that isn't a NATO member? Why this offensive against a formerly "friend", Russia? American propaganda is running wild in Eastern European countries, it seems the US wants to create public support for such beligerant attitudes. Let's hope humanity will prevail and this demonic plan will fail.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-68366765723769632182015-06-23T11:42:00.001+03:002015-06-23T11:42:28.075+03:00aPaD : Megan Duncanson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b-iHsxK7mnnEIRStjPQLjSVVeVAaBNlhsp3HLvvgmzpoIX5BeEbhSimkMJcCJo0C5P1_hKLDJSW7nr9Zn5nrow1GhmXD1-yUd9yVkTwlwQvZj3fZPDIXVhRNkoftRwdbV4YNW9W1WUJI/s1600/ea9dd471431d9320a635a7358b573206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5b-iHsxK7mnnEIRStjPQLjSVVeVAaBNlhsp3HLvvgmzpoIX5BeEbhSimkMJcCJo0C5P1_hKLDJSW7nr9Zn5nrow1GhmXD1-yUd9yVkTwlwQvZj3fZPDIXVhRNkoftRwdbV4YNW9W1WUJI/s1600/ea9dd471431d9320a635a7358b573206.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.: artist : Megan Duncanson :.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.: title : Under the light of the Moon :.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Painting a Day</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442513318770226136.post-24907938932689434722015-06-22T22:17:00.000+03:002015-06-22T22:17:00.371+03:00Filler : Giovanni Boldini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBr2zscDAxo-bcHRy1xJMbq3X3edFDk6uTNeOclZhCNgDVwy-9Q8gzQ-ITHDg_-QGx8y0rhqS2N-dfoHf11m-gENCUYrUteKTFVExBo8YeG1E1TeQ-y2q7wbMFKs2T-HnSBwd7WCGJPYg/s1600/1905+-+Giovanni+Boldini+-+Spanish+Dancer+at+the+Moulin+Rouge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSBr2zscDAxo-bcHRy1xJMbq3X3edFDk6uTNeOclZhCNgDVwy-9Q8gzQ-ITHDg_-QGx8y0rhqS2N-dfoHf11m-gENCUYrUteKTFVExBo8YeG1E1TeQ-y2q7wbMFKs2T-HnSBwd7WCGJPYg/s400/1905+-+Giovanni+Boldini+-+Spanish+Dancer+at+the+Moulin+Rouge.jpg" width="335" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.: artist : Giovanni Boldini :.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.: title : Spanish dancer at the Moulin Rouge :. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
.: year : 1905 :.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0