“FUTURA, an ancient granary from the days of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy converted into an interactive nature-adventure attraction, is expected to bring a boom in international tourism to Mosonmagyaróvár, a small Hungarian spa resort of some 80 kilometres from Vienna.” >review (c) wieninternational.at 2012
High hopes for FUTURA
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Hungary, Mosonmagyaróvár, museum, review on 14 August 2012 by delclemHesse has been dead for 50 years now…
Posted in Uncategorized with tags biography, Germany, Hermann Hesse, Literature, review, Switzerland on 9 August 2012 by delclem
“Hermann Hesse spent his life searching for truth and inner harmony outside Germany. Yet his quests to the East ultimately led him back to the West and to the realization that the alternatives he found in the East offered no short cut to salvation. To mark the 50th anniversary of his death, Gunnar Decker presents a new biography of the successful author, one which also explains the Orientalism in his work.” >review (c) Qantara.de 2012
Districts: Trnje, Zagreb
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Croatia, districs, Trnje, urban historyy, Zagreb on 5 August 2012 by delclem
“Trnje may be regarded as the heart of Zagreb. Geographically speaking it is right in the centre of the city, bordered by the Sava river in the south, the east-west railway line in the north and major roads in the west and east. There are a number of important institutions in the district: the town hall, headquarters of the municipal works, Croatian radio, the stock exchange, the Croatian University Library and other important business institutions.” >full text (c) wieninternational.at, 2012
Raoul Wallenberg 1912-47(?): savior & victim
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Holocaust, Hungary, Raoul Wallenberg, Soviet Union, Stalinism, Sweden, World War Two on 4 August 2012 by delclem
“A Swedish diplomat saved the lives of many Hungarian Jews in the Holocaust, but his fate since he was abducted by the Soviets in 1945 is unknown.”
A call to remember & research on the occasion of his 100th birthday.
>full text (c) HAARETZ, 2012 >video on Wallenberg (c) YouTube, 2011
A statue of Raoul Wallenberg in Tel Aviv: photo by Tomer Appelbaum
Upper photo: Wallenberg portrait in the Austrian Embassy, Budapest (c) EPA
Hallstatt copied
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Austria, China, Hallstatt, Huizhou, replica, tourism, UNESCO World Heritage on 2 August 2012 by delclem
“The UNESCO World Heritage village of Hallstatt in Austria has been around for a couple of 1000 years. But, its much newer Chinese look-a-like, built near the prosperous town ofHuizhou, has just opened for business. China Minmetals Corporation spent roughly $960 million creating a replica of Hallstatt—hoping to attract homegrown tourists and investment. Brand new homes built in the vintage European style lay empty, awaiting wealthy Chinese to snatch them up. While the first Chinese visitors took in the spectacle, the inhabitants of the Austrian original had mixed feelings.” Video (c) NTDTV, 4 June 2012
Debated circumcision
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Austria, circumcision, Germany, Human Rights, Islam, Judaism, religion on 31 July 2012 by delclem
A fierce debate has been raging in Germany and Austria for weeks how ‘lawful’ the religiously motivated circumcision of little Jewish and Muslim boys is… Does it conflict with the basic human rights of personal integrity and self-determination? Or is it a sign of closet xenophobia against religious groups? See the articles below.
Olypmic stereotyping
Posted in Uncategorized with tags England, Great Britain, Stereotyping on 28 July 2012 by delclem
London 2012: A 12-part guide to the UK in 212 words each by Jon Kelly & Husain Husaini >full text (c) BBC News Magazine, 2012
Franz West 1947-2012
Posted in Uncategorized with tags art, Austria, Franz West, obituary, sculpture on 27 July 2012 by delclem
“Creator of an Art Universe”
“Franz West, an influential Austrian sculptor with a penchant for art objects that were willfully unserious, nonideological and accessible and were displayed in Central Park and on the plaza at Lincoln Center, as well as in international exhibitions and blue-chip galleries around the world, died on Wednesday in Vienna. He was 65.” >full text (c) NYTimes, 2012
From Ghandi to Hitler with Love?
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Gandhi, Germany, history, Hitler, India, letters on 23 July 2012 by delclem
This letter was allegedly written by Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler on 23 July 1939: is it authentic or fabricated? There were letters written indeed, it seems; but this one? >more Btw., a controversial movie on this topic was shot in 2011.
delirium clemens 