Wonky Weather

Torrential rains have fallen over California over the past few days. Tonight is to bring up to ten inches (25cm) of rain (the harshest period of the storm yet). Though I cannot really make comments about the weather as I have very little control over the subject and usually it is considered dull conversation, I still have several questions related to the topic.

1) Why does rain fall while I am not there? I love the rain and I am a little disappointed to be missing it.

2) There are many mudslides, particularly in Southern California, which largely endanger expensive homes along the Pacific Coast Highway. Though these homes are located on a hillside and many overlook the Pacific Ocean, meaning highly prized property, why were they ever allowed to be built in the first place? As a taxpayer whose taxes go into emergency funds that have, in previous serious storm situations been paid out to mudslide residents, I am curious why the land was ever approved for residential use. If the land is not stable to build on, why are tax payers helping with the costs of repairs?

3) With unprecedented weather in other areas of the world (Europe) where are the discussions of climate change? Though this can be a completely natural global occurrence, I believe that this is a prime time for advocates to come forward and be vocal.

One last note, in the article about mudslides the seriousness of this storm really hits home. My hometown lost a little boy in a rain induced auto accident. Though I love the rain, I hope these next hours of downpour are safely enjoyed.

~PB

Crazy Monarchs

I was reading in my 'Easy French Reader' the other day and there was something that I found quite striking. I was reading a story of French history and there were references to the crazy/mad monarch, Charles VI: "En 1392, le roi de France, Charles VI, devient fou...En 1420 les Anglais forcent Charles VI, qui est encore fou..."

Reading this got me thinking...Was he really crazy or did he just not follow societal or leadership conventions of the time. I think about how many monarchs throughout history we have heard were mad. Were there bad genetics (and destructive inbreeding) in royal veins or were they unable to deal with the pressures of court or where they raised to have unreal/unpractical perspectives of the world they they were unable to maintain the image of sanity or were they just beyond their time in not believing in the social conventions and were therefore considered mad.

I think it is interesting to delve into what really made them be considered crazy. I have found a link that explores these mad monarchs from King George III of England to Ludwig II of Germany. This is some of what the page says about Charles VI:

In April 1392 Charles suffered from a mysterious illness which caused his hair and nails to fall out. He was hardly recovered, still suffering from occasional bouts of fever and behaving incoherently, when he set out on a punitive expedition after an assassination attempt on one of his advisors...Charles' mysterious illness of 1392 could have been typhus or encephalitis. If this disease was encephalitis, then it could very likely have been a contributory factor to the bizarre features of Charles' behaviour, for encephalitis can cause a marked character change and give rise to impulsive, aggressive and intemperate activity, similar in its symptoms to those of schizophrenia.

So it appears that he truly did suffer from constrained mental capacities. The question can then become why people tolerated being ruled by the unwell. Locke would argue that the contract between the governed and the governing had been broken. I think part of this revolt can be seen with the American revolution under King George III. Had George III not been ill would the course of history be different?

My Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving, the most traveled and family oriented holiday in the US. Nine out of ten people are spending the day with their family. However, it is disheartening when I am one of those 10% who are not at home. I actually traveled away from my family for the holiday. Working provides ample opportunities and enjoyment but I think that with such a family oriented holiday it is really hard to be away.

This holiday is I believe the most raw of all our holidays. It is not glamorized or commercialized like others nor does it revolve even around religion (meaning no one is left out). This holiday is the one time that I think Americans take the time to find their families and their gratitude and recenter. It is a humbling experience that Americans can all share. Though families hold a lot of drama and sometimes these events are stressful, there is a shared connection that cannot easily be pushed away like at other holidays. We have to take the time to look at what is important to us and attempt to show it.

So the big question then...what am I thankful for? I am thankful for so many things that I do not want to sit here and list them. I will say that my family and friends are always my greatest blessings. They are the most challenging and therefore the most rewarding. I am appreciative of my work and that I have such fun people to spend the holiday with here. And though I felt quite alone today I am grateful for those people who contacted me today to greet me. With that, I will head to sleep with a belly full of food and despite being thankful will feel slightly sorry for myself about having to be away from my home.

Message, manner and art

I went to an exhibition about Street Art recently in Coventry which was, to my surprise, quite interesting. In addition, the art gallery included a museum incorporating some pieces from the 18^th century to now. 

The street art exhibition was focusing on artists such as Banksy (arguably the most famous of them), Miss Tick, Sickboy or Pure Evil. These pseudonyms already manifest a statement about the authors and their wish to remain anonymous. The wishes of some artists to remain absolutely anonymous like Banksy might reveal some form of existentialism thought about just being an average person in the world. This practice is normal considering the nature of their works and its illegality. Indeed, graffiti is their main modus-operandi (but not the only one) and can be found, as it name implies, anywhere in a city. This is one of the main characteristic of street art and it reflects the desire of the authors to use the public space so they can reach the public and thus diffuse their designs or ideas. 

This idea of using the street as a tool also reflect the fact that they feel they cannot be seen in regular art galleries, mainly due to the elitism present there, and also probably for financial and time management reason. This has given way to the development of an underground culture which has been appealing to many. A lot of these graffiti bring with them a political message often encapsulated with some dark humour. They often appear to be criticising governments, traditions and denounce the unfairness of the world. Indeed, the use of opposite symbols in the same work or their falsifications is a recurrent technique leading to a caricatured scene.

I find the dark humour, facetiousness and creativity of these artists funny and interesting. Yet, seeing these works in an art gallery is making feel uneasy about the motives of displaying these already public works in a different place. Is this art a way for them to cry out their feeling of unjustice? Is this wish to remain anonymous genuine or do they just want to be famous in another way? Or is their seemingly opposition to traditions and government a genuine critique of their time or a childish idealist caprice? These artists probably do not care about how people judge them. I guess that my main bite against them is more born out of a weariness of art or rather what is called art and the whole elitism behind it. In particular contemporary art and its interpretation which I believe  is quite grotesque and a bad satire of the art world (especially when it comes to price).

Thus, when I read and look at street art, which is supposed to be radically opposed to capitalism and by proxy to contemporary art, how it is used, displayed and talked about in general; I cannot help but think about contemporary art and that, although street art tries to be different in its approach and in its aspiration, people still long for popularity and a desire to be different which in the end make them very similar. I, for one, could just appreciate art whether it be street art, contemporary or anything else just for the aesthetic aspect of the works and would gladly ignore any critical messages conveyed in most of them. I do not condemn the fact that art can be used to convey a message but rather, the manner in which it is done and its genuineness.

-Croissant

The Three Musketeers

Arriving in the mail as a thoughtful gift, I have started reading The Three Musketeers. I am approximately a third of the way through the book and already have a few comments. Though I find the book entertaining I am not nearly as pleased with this book as I was with The Count of Monte Cristo, and this is why...

1. I believe that Dumas is a thorough writer. As he is writing a serial, he add a lot of details and people and events to extend his story and therefore his pay. However, though I am familiar with The Three Musketeers I was more knowledgeable about the plot and characters in The Count. I think that reading a novel of this nature becomes very slow and bogged down with details if you are less familiar with the general flow of the book. I have stopped looking at all the notes in the back of the book and have decided that it would be impossible to get everything from the book on the first read.

2. D'Artagnan is beyond annoying. As he is the ever present character and I cannot stand him, I find myself frustrated listening to his story. He is quite immature, rash, and has very little foresight. He has just accepted a trip to London to retrieve earrings. This is just one of many actions that moves the plot along but demonstrates his inability to be calm and control himself. He lacks composure and has a vengeance that is quickly activated. Certainly this is just a story and many intrigues are meant for entertainment but I am quickly bothered by his demeanor.

3. Though I like the inclusion of issues pertaining to King Louis XIII and Richelieu, I wish there was more in relation to this topic. In The Count there were many scenes with the King and political questions of revolution. I am sure there will be more about the King and Queen to come in The Three Musketeers however, I like issues of politics and I want to see more in both the royal relationship and the tension between the King and Richelieu. I just imagine that I have not yet hit the climax of events yet. However this only goes to show that the novel is too long in making one wait so long before getting to plot development and away from character development.

4. The book is entitled, The Three Musketeers, however much of the character development does not include these musketeers at all. I am more interested in the characters of Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Yet I know so little about them at this point and to be honest I cannot tell the difference between any of them. Their individual characters have been described yet there is not enough about them to distinguish them in my mind yet. This however could be the point? They are one unit as the title implies and I do not need to establish individual relationships with any of them.

These are such some brief opinions yet I am anxious to continue reading so I can develop completed opinions.

Dawson City

Dawson City will be the first city that I will write about. I will mainly detail the current state of the city and what made it famous and why it is not the case anymore.

Dawson City owes its existence to the discovery of gold fields in its area. In August 1896, a certain Robert Henderson was prospecting in the area. He met on his way back a group of men led by George Carmack and invited them to have a look. Carmack and his companions discovered what they called “Bonanza” creek and went to claim it in the town of Forty Miles.  This news provoked the birth of the city of Dawson at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers. By June 1897 the new town had a population of some 4,000, by June the following year the population had grown to over 25,000. Word of the Klondike gold discovery hit San Francisco and Seattle in July of 1897, prompting people to this new gold field in the Canadian North West. All that winter they had been arriving in Dawson, but it wasn’t until the spring of 1898, when several hundred boats and scows of all description and size left Lake Bennett, as soon as the ice went out of the lake all heading for the Klondike goldfields some 600 mile away down north on the Yukon river. Many of them had a disastrous trip wrecking their boats in the White Horse Rapids, or the Five finger rapids, losing everything, many lost their lives. By mid-summer the new town of Dawson City had a population of some 30,000 people. Everyone looking for an opportunity to stake a claim and go back home with their pockets full of gold.

The Klondike gold rush was characterised by a sudden start and a short span. In addition, the travel that the prospector, people from all walks of life who had left their original activities behind them, had to do was exhausting. Boats of all kinds sailed north out of western port cities (Seattle, Portland), nearly bursting with people, gear and pack animals. This journey was the most challenging and time-consuming aspect of the gold rush. Stampeders were physically unprepared and poorly equipped for the severe northern climate and terrain. Some died and many abandoned the journey. Travellers did not always fare better in the summer. Stampeders struggled in rain, fog, boulders, and bogs. Without its covering of snow and ice, the trail to the summit led over giant boulders over which people literally crawled. For instance, to move one outfit over Chilkoot pass, stampeders packed and cached their goods up to forty times and hiked up to 1,000 miles. The terrain on the last four miles of the trail was too rough for pack animals. Discarded supplies littered the trail as stampeders cast unnecessary items aside. Many took three months to move their goods from Dyea to the summit. Most stampeders felt disappointed when they reached Dawson. Local miners had claimed all the gold-bearing creeks up to a year earlier. Without gold "for the taking," late arrivals milled about town. Many went home. Some found jobs in and around Dawson. People made good wages working another miner’s claim, or in saloons, hotels, and other support positions. Others looked for gold on nearby creeks but rarely found any. The irony of the gold rush was that after risking their lives and fortunes on the journey, most stampeders never struck it rich. About 40,000 people reached the Klondike, only four of every ten who tried.

As for the city of Dawson itself, although this boom town was destroyed by fire on Thanksgiving 1897, it became by 1898 the “Paris of the north”: the biggest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco, with all the amenities of the outside world only 286 km (165 miles) south of the Arctic Circle,. On June 13, 1898, Yukon Territory was formed out of the western part of the Northwest Territories encompassing the Yukon River water shed. The Yukon was governed by Ottawa, with a Commissioner who had his headquarters in Dawson which was now the capital of the new Yukon Territory. Dawson offered entertainments in its elaborate theatres, hotels, saloons and dance halls. Moreover, fine stores were selling all the things that were available in the stores in the rest of Canada and the United States, including the latest fashions from Paris. Four major religious orders erected churches, Anglican, Presbyterian, Methodist and Roman Catholic. By 1900 Dawson had electricity, water and sewer, and telephone, and in 1901 was connected by a telegraph system to the rest of the world. However the golden age of Dawson City was short and when gold was found on the beaches of Nome Alaska, in 1899, it was estimated that by spring 8,000 left Dawson for Nome. In 1900 Dawson had a population of 5,400.

By 1903, more than $96 million in gold had been taken out of the creeks. Ten years after the discovery of gold, the rush was over. There were a few millionaires and many who left with unfulfilled dreams. The Klondike Gold Rush is remembered as the greatest adventure of them all. It was a brief, exciting period of history that continues to live through memory and existing reminders of the gold rush period in Dawson City, Whitehorse, Skagway and places in between. By 1960, there were 350 permanent residents and tourism had become a growing focus for Yukoners. The Yukon and Canadian governments realized that Dawson City provided a priceless heritage that should be preserved. Dawson was declared a National Historic Site and the National Parks Service was placed in charge of the restoration of significant Dawson buildings and gold mining sites.

Today Dawson city has been reconverted as a touristic attraction that largely take profit from its history. It is thus possible to visit the house of writer Jack London, who started his career as a gold prospector and ended up writing short stories about his adventures proving that the Klondike gold rush spawned more than dream of gold and riches. It is also possible to come to the first modern licensed gambling casino in Canada: Diamond Teeth Gertie. Gold Prospecting is still going around and it is possible for the neophytes to try out their luck in one of the free claims available such as Claims 6. Dawson City seems to host a lot of events, ranging from the dog sledge race to French Can-Can spectacle, all along the year which is given its size quite unexpected. Dawson City has been saved from History thanks to its interesting past and the desire from the Canadian government to development its attractiveness to tourism. Not to be forgotten is also the spirit of adventure that it conveys thanks to its remote location, the reason of its existence and its beautiful landscapes and faunas which extend on an immense surface.

-Croissant

New Flight Security

I am concerned about the new Transport Security Administration (TSA) processes implemented last week. Either I have to enter a screener that basically strip searches me or have an extensive grope session in front of fellow uncomfortable passengers. Hmmm. This is not only degrading but can it be questioned whether my rights are in jeopardy?

I have chosen to fly and therefore am subject to those terms and conditions which includes extreme tactics to maintain safety. I am all for safety but how much will this aid the process versus just take additional time to get through the gate and appear to improve safety. Is my body meant to be private? I wonder why we are not yet flying nude (though crevices will still remain a problem). Why maintain personal privacy and modesty if a government agency can require you share it with these hired officials? If I went however to check into my flight while naked, I would be arrested. This is a hypocritical policy that I doubt will largely deter those who want to compromise flight safety.

I want to continue but I have to work...

My new hobby/endeavor

I have put in some thought as to what I am interested in pursuing. I am interested in people in history and I think I will pursue this however many months ago I wanted to conduct in-depth research about a person I find important and interesting. I think that my research will suit this blog and discussion between us. I want to seriously research the Marquis de Lafayette. He was French and American and I want to read his writings and better understand his contributions to both France and the United States. I am quite interested in this and now that I have made it known, I will have to begin...

A journey of a thousand miles always starts with a single step..

I have not written in a long time yet, it is not because I do not wish to do so anymore but rather because of time. A few months ago, I had the idea to write about various cities in the world. The reason behind the selection was that they were mostly lost in the middle of nowhere but held once, a certain status or at least they did and still have to me.  

Some of them have a historical value, others have been the goal of some expeditions while most of them have an inspiring name. I do not really aim to make a specific point about them. It is just that they hold an interesting significance to me and I probably wonder deep down why some cities stay in the sunshine while others are forgotten like these ones.

My list of cities includes:

Timbuktu, which was for long time thought as legendary

Zanzibar, a haven for slave trade and departure point of famed explorer D. Livingstone

Archangelsk, a lost city in the north

Vladivostok at the end of the Transiberian

Dawson City, starting point of the Klondike Gold Rush

Samarqand, a very old city and main stage on the Silk Road

Ushuaia, at the edge of South America

I hope to be able to finish this project in a not too far future!

-Croissant

Joan of Arc lecture

Oh how the tale is twisted. This evening I attended an Alliance Française lecture presented by Norman Stokle entitled ‘Joan of Arc: Fact or Fiction’. The presentation was kicked off with a retelling of Joan of Arc’s story and how she became the French heroine and Godly legend. This mystic story fabricated but this aligns with most stories surviving the test of time. Though I found myself getting swept up in Joan’s fantasy story, and somewhat wishing it were all true, I was enlightened by the second half of the lecture.

Stokle look various aspects of Joan’s life and related physical evidence to what was most likely, or rather most plausible. It is likely that Joan was not the peasant shepherd that she is portrayed as. He began critiquing her beginning as the child of Jacques d'Arc and Isabelle Romée of Domrémy, born in 1412; there is not any birth record for Joan and there are accounts of local residents claiming they did not even know of Romée’s pregnancy. Also, during Joan’s heretic trial, a close friend with whom she played as a child, testified that Joan was older than her by several years and she herself was born in 1410. Joan’s date of birth can now be believed to be 1407 or 1408. Again there is no such record for her birth at that time. However Stokle claims that another birth of an illicit match taking place in 1408 could have sent Joan into the country to be raised. This match was between Isabella of Bavaria-Ingolstadt, the mother of King Charles VII of France, and Charles, Duke of Orleans. This would make Joan and Charles VII, whom she crowned king, her brother. This would explain her ease at being able to meet with him, convince him to give her an army, and her ability to persuade him to Reims to be crowned legitimate king of France. Additionally, Stokle claimed that Joan was well educated from her letters, her use of language that was not native to Domrémy, and her demonstrated ability to converse with nobility which if she was a peasant would be highly implausible.

Joan had claimed also to hear voices, those of St. Margaret of Antioch and St. Catherine of Alexandria which were claimed later by the Catholic Church to have never existed. So who then was speaking to her?

Further contestation of Joan of Arc’s story lies with the death itself. It has been detailed that Joan was burned at the stake however she was placed on a platform that was higher than any other stake used in execution and her head was covered. It was illustrated that in the square in which she was burned all of the windows were nailed shut. There is also on record that there were two other women being tried for heresy at the same time and held in the same tower, at Rouen, as Joan. This would lend to the idea that it was not Joan of Arc that was burned at the stake but rather another convicted ‘witch’. This is further evidenced by later letters and receipts containing her name, Jeanne la Pucelle. Such letters showed the same acquaintances which can demonstrate that an imposter was not possible.

One final comment that caught my eye about Joan’s stay at Rouen—the British man who oversaw the trail of Joan of Arc was the Earl of Warwick, Richard Beauchamp. Though the trail was held by the Church, the results were directed by the English. Is this why the French helped her escape death? Was the desire to rebel against the British the reason for her survival or was it due to gratitude of Joan’s accomplishments?

Stokle ended by claiming that her military victories and her crowing of the king are assured. These are true and alone can demonstrate her great contributions to unifying France. However, for these tings to happen it was necessary for her to have the confidence of the King and the military. As this confidence was in place, Stokle believed there must have been more to the story.

I enjoyed the discussion that Stokle led but I wonder how much of this research is true and how much of this research can be added to the many other theories surrounding Joan. Scholars can argue that Joan was crazy, a lesbian, a Protestant, and they can defend their arguments. Stokle can defend successfully his arguments that Joan was not born a peasant but half brother to a king and was indeed not executed. Though he displayed evidence such as letters after her presumed death and demonstrated the lack of evidence surrounding her supposed birth date, I am interested to know how whether this is enough to change her whole history. Though this research was convincing, I find that it doesn’t really matter. Jeanne d’Arc has proven herself as a hero and with that she gains the glory that comes with it—the glory of an epic history.

St. John's Church

Though I am still on holiday and have not the time to write an extended article, I want to briefly share my notes about St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia.

This church was made famous by the convention that was held there in 1775. Patrick Henry made the notable speech including the line "Give me liberty or give me death". This was an early instance of American treason against the British crown. Every Sunday during the summer the speech is reenacted with a collection of 18th century statesmen. It is an interesting portrayal including an organ concert prior to the main event.

I enjoyed the ardently patriotic event despite its slightly peculiar cheesiness. My quick note however was regarding the patriotism regarding the separation from England. This event takes place in an Episcopal church which is the American Church of England. It follows the practices established by Henry VIII. This church still follows the Book of Common Prayer, derived from the monarchs of Britain but praise themselves for American separation. A British flag hangs next to an American flag over the door. If this reenactment was so much about the revolution and resulting separation from Britain, then why is the church still following this religion? Of course religion transcends time and national revolutions but it is somewhat ironic when you see these things combined.

A summer at the Royal Academy

The Royal Academy of Art in London offers the possibility to see two exhibitions this summer: Sargent and the Sea and the Summer Exhibition.



John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) is an American expatriate painter, popular for his portraits. However this exhibition do not focus on this part of his life. Indeed, the aim of the exhibition is to “demonstrate the role that the sea played in Sargent’s early development. As it name implies, focuses on its works about seascape and marine, reminds me a lot of impressionists and Barbizon school, notably Eugène Boudin. Mainly because they painted the same subject: sea, coast and beaches and boats sceneries involving mainly fishermen and fisherwomen rather than bourgeois on vacation and the effect of climatic conditions on the seascape. Sea storms seem to have inspired him which is unsurprising given that Sargent’s inspirations have also included John Mallory Turner. His travels during his youth, in Europe, seem to follow a fashionable path amongst the painters of the time. He went in Brittany and Normandy, which were popularised thanks to the development of the railways, to Capri and Naples under the shadow of the Vesuvio and close to the buried Pompeii and through various ports and harbours like Venice in between. In addition, he also painted during his transatlantic travel which is more unusual. As I said earlier, if his style was reminiscent of previous and contemporary prestigious painters, the way he depicted the sea was something of a novel as he tried to avoid representing the limit between the sky and the ocean.

On a side note (slightly off-topic and probably ludicrous I reckon), paintings of naked kids brought to me the question: Does painting young naked kid would seem paedophile nowadays? I do not know if Sargent painted them directly on the beach or from memory, most likely in his studio, but I wonder how an artist painting that kind of subjects now would be criticised and worse, if he would be pursued for paedophilia. Yet, in this case it is art. I am not saying that paintings displaying that kind of explicit content should be banned but I find this discrepancy ironic. On a different subject, there was also an other exhibition at the Royal Academy and as I could get in for free, I did not mind checking it out.

The Summer Exhibition 2010 is quite a fun exhibition where unknown and more famous artists show their works of the year and where people can buy them. It is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art exhibition, now in its 242nd edition. A leaflet with the price is provided. There are works for the taste of everybody on various medium: painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, architecture and film. It is a rather large exhibition as it occupies a little less than a dozen of rooms which are defined by a common topic. Some artists are members of the Royal Academy and some are not. Although, most of them seem to be English by their name and their number, according to the Guardian, seems to reach 11,000 which seems a lot to me. 1,100 would be closer to the reality I suppose (here is a list of the exhibitor last year, I could not find it for this year.)




Overall , the Summer Exhibition is a good opportunity to see new things and to develop a taste in art that one would not be naturally drawn to. Some of them are really weird like this video of a woman licking some hair (i couldn’t figure if it was an animal or the head of someone..) for 3 minutes, and I think that the price was around £800. But that is what makes this display fun and entertaining.

-C

Art Hop

I have recently attended an art function in my hometown called Art Hop. Art galleries twice a month open their doors to the culturally curious. The artists are on the premises to talk about their pieces and there are refreshments provided at every location. It is an amazing idea for the culturally starved region and the art that is produced has been of high caliber however in this town there is always something wrong...

The event takes place on the first and third Thursday of every month between 5pm and 9pm. Though this is a fun mid-week entertainment opportunity how regular can attendance or motivation be? I think the premise is good but those hours are difficult to accommodate if the person is working. Unless the person plans to only visit one venue, this is quite restricted.

These venues are also quite small--artist studios or galleries or just exhibits in parks. They are nice to look around but as they are fairly small it would be more reasonable to attend multiple locations and exhibits. The problem here is that they are all scattered throughout the city. Though certain areas are more concentrated than others the need to drive between venues is a large deterrent to attending such functions. Further, a large portion of area residents do not own cars. This is discluding to large portions of the population (probably the population that might benefit the most).

My next note for improvement--artists and sales. This event has turned into more of a sales event for budding artists than exhibits. My most recent participation involved two venues: a watercolor exhibit (with images inspired by Georgia O'Keefe) and an sculpture exhibit (largely tea sets). The artists were on hand to discuss their pieces and it was quite interesting yet, I would rather peruse their work in peace. I felt compelled to ask them questions because they were excited to have anyone looking at their work. Even more so did I feel like I needed to by something because they are standing over me as I look. I felt uncomfortable especially when there were things I did not like (mainly the watercolors). Though artists need recognition and sales, I think that making this event revolve around sales will limit people that legitimately like looking at art.

Though I like the idea there needs to be more appropriate time for the event, closer venues, or shuttle transportation options, and there needs to be a greater emphasis on art education and appreciation than sales. This area is greatly in need of cultural advancement and growth and this idea is moving in the right direction but it unfortunately neglects people from the start.

Renaissance Drawing at the British Museum: from Fra Angelico to Leonardo

I recently went to the British Museum to see the exhibition about drawing during the Renaissance in Italy. As I have never been that interested in the subject I nevertheless, was interested in the historical background and was looking for some answers. Fortunately this exhibition was answering my questions while featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci, Fra Angelico, Jacopo and Gentile Bellini, Botticelli, Carpaccio, Filippo Lippi, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Verrocchio and Titian. In order to gather all these artists in one place, the British Museum pooled into its own collection and into the Florence based Uffizi collection. The Renaissance was a period, starting in Italy in the 15th century and then in Europe, which saw an intense revival of the classical art and learning from the Greek and Roman civilisations. Hugo Chapman, the curator of the exhibition, notices that “marble figures like Bacchus encouraged artists to recognise the sensuality and beauty of the human body. The sculpted Bacchus presents an idealised vision of the perfect male body.” Indeed, amongst these drawings we can see that the artists, such as Leonardo or Raphael, started to draw different subjects of the day-to-day life and that their portraits were focusing on the body and the face of their subjects.

The exhibition begins by focusing its attention on the innovation that developed the profession of artists: the paper. In fact, it points that the Chinese invention of papermaking had been brought to Europe via the Islamic world. The invention of the printing press in Germany in the 1450s gave a huge impetus for papermaking, above all in Italy which was the most literate and urbanised region of Europe. Renaissance paper was handmade from cloth fibres (not wood pulp as today) obtained from old clothes, sails and ropes. To complete the explanation, a video shows how paper was made and visitors are invited to touch different types of papers to feel the differences. This is obviously a detail, but it is a good way to put into its historical context this artistic breakthrough.

The exposition then proceeds to show the evolution of artists’ techniques through the ages and how important were the various Italian city-states. Starting with pioneers religious men such as Fra Angelico or Lorenzo Monaco, the spectators' attentions are then focused on the main cities. Florence, with mainly the Medici and the Tornabuoni amongst others, has been one of the first city were the Renaissance artists could evolve from religious subjects and thus became a pole for them. The powerful Italian families wanted to use their talents to express their wealth and leave behind them a glorious picture. The Vatican was also another major player as it attracted artists such as Raphael or Michelangelo from Florence. There, the most successful of them would receive the most important commission and be able to impose their own style and thus fulfil their ambition as being the best artist. Leonardo Da Vinci’s career, apart from being one the quintessential Renaissance man, shows the important cities and families at this time as he worked for no less than Florence’s Medici, Milan’s Sforza, the Doge of Venice and the Vatican and then Francois 1er of France. However, his career does not reflect the way Renaissance was present in all the Italian peninsula as many lesser cities also employed lesser artists.

 Although I have never been a huge fan of this period artistically speaking, I can still appreciate the precision of these drawings and this exhibition allow the visitors to observe the artists’ talent with their pencil and sometimes even compare these with the finite paints, notably Lorenzo Monaco’s tryptich. The historical side, was an interesting side of the exhibition, showed that artists had a huge ambition and how through this war between them the style of the Renaissance evolved progressively from a religious theme to everything that the artists wanted to show.

-C

The Lessons of Afghanistan?

The interview from General McChrystal, Commander of the US army and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in the magazine Rolling Stone showed his frustration and the gap growing between what the politicians want and what the military commanders want to do. I believe that he fully knew the consequences of such an act and wanted out. It also another sign of the values’ change compared to before, yet people expect the same results. Indeed, the lessons of the decolonisation, Viet-Nam and others have not been learnt. 

Does this gap between the two men shows the limit of the American war machine? It is obvious that if a developed army can win a battle against some partisans is not a trouble, winning the war against them is different. People at home do not want to hear about casualties but they still want to “win” the war. It is really odd because wars invariably involve casualties on both. It seems as if it was paradoxical. Interestingly many political figures such on both side the American political spectrum talk about winning the war and being patriotic and how they believe in freedom. Yet they have no trouble, imposing their own value on a different people leaving thousands of kilometers away from them. Is it the condition of winning the war? That’s not really democratic, it reminds me of the time of colony where western nations would “educate” other nations. The prime intention of letting people being master of their destiny is praiseworthy, however it is really hard to implement, let alone in a country prone to tribal war as it is a conflict between idea where education play a big role. The problem in this war is that the conditions of a victory are blurry. How are the strategists in the field supposed  to meet these requirements?

Then what can be the role of an army, how will it help a wannabe superpower to assert its influence and ambitions: I would think that this army wouldn't retaliate heavily, should be ready to take loss and reacting accordingly: no massive show of firepower, compassionate answer since political correctness is all over the place, rendering everything less natural and genuine. So are we back to Louis XV and the War of the Austrian Succession where France would be the peace maker of Europe while asking for nothing in return bar glory? However nowadays, soldier’s lives are much more valued this day making it hard to continue that kind of enlightened war.

And that is the trend as developed nations or at least western nations are less and less inclined to suffer human losses which make the exercise of war even harder. This will give the opportunity to others developing states to try the same: China in Africa, it is too early to get any lesson from its involvement there but it s not too glorious either, they benefited from an immaculate picture and used their own principles without adapting too much to the locals, it gets the job done but it doesn't make a country live if the workers are foreigners and do not integrate.

In conclusion, the role of an army shifted heavily toward a humanitarian pattern, it should rather defend and develop than attack and destroy, this is a frustrating position for the army now as they are being asked the double tasks of winning the war and bearing the brunt of the casualties while reorganising civil life.

I think that the Afghanistan war was started out of revenge and its goal was poorly designed. I do not put into question its motive and fully agree with it. However, the West and  chiefly the USA should have focused on continually eradicating Taliban leadership and their drug field without trying to get involved too much in the politics of this country not yet suited for democracy, instead they chose to achieve the impossible in spite of the previous lessons. Much easier said than achieved. And would have it been possible from a moral point of view? certainly not. However now, the coalition must go on.

-C

German Nationalism

A Wall Street Journal article last week (not available online) presented a somewhat alarming story It chronicled an immigrant to Germany who began flying the German flag in recognition of his World Cup pride. This article claims that liberal youths took the German flags that he had hung. This liberal movement appears anti-nationalistic and my guess, shows that there is shame or embarrassment about Germany's past. My research is not extensive however, I have opinions and questions on the subject.

I have had an extensive conversation with a German friend about German nationality. Though this is only one account, I find it convincing. She claims that Germany cannot show nationalism because people, the world, still hold them accountable for their history. This is nothing that Germany should be proud of. The Germans have conducted treacherous acts and they should not be proud of that. They need to distance themselves as much as they can from German history.

One of my responses is, 'how can young generations be held accountable for something they had no influence over'? A young German person today cannot be happy to be German because their great-grandparents were in the wrong place at the wrong time? German citizens were asked--told--to defend--improve--their country. The citizens had little liberty on the matter.

Though I am not trying to praise the Germans for their World War actions, but I wonder what committee judged them and who established the standard? Ethics in international affairs is a tricky business but where is the line drawn for what is 'good war' and what is 'bad war'. War is unfortunate and ugly but all sides in every conflict cannot conduct themselves virtuously. The victor writes the history and the history says that Germany is 'bad'. Russia is scarcely seen as a peaceful country yet they are allowed to show their pride. The ethics scale is hypocritical and subjective.

However there are signs of returning German assertiveness. An article comparing and contrasting the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the French President Nicolas Sarkozy detailed the growing rift between the two countries. For the last fifty years Germany has largely accommodated European (French) interests in an attempt to 'play nice' and support peaceful, unified directions (even in conflict with Germany's individual interests). The Greek credit situation has pushed the buttons of German generosity. The point is that Germany has so much to be proud of and it is starting to see that. Merkel is standing up to France in defense of its personal stability, profitable exports, and more higher ranking football team.

I argued with my friend for an entire evening over how much stronger Germany would be outside the EU. She however never agreed with me. Now, I think we were both right. She knew Germany, and many German citizens, could not yet face its past. However, I had an outside perspective of how strong the nation really is and how much it could accomplish. Should Germany be nationalistic, yes. Can Germany be nationalistic, slowly.

~PB

Strange visitors

While walking the streets of London, one can notice curious elephant statues sitting in various positions and sporting different colours. I thought at first that it was an exhibition of some special kind and I really like the concept. It reminded me of the statues of Anthony Gormley in New York put up for the Event Horizon, previously talked about here. I, personally, cannot remember seeing a lot of these exhibitions showcased. I could recall La Terre vue du Ciel, a photography exhibition in Paris inspired by the eponymous book, about Yann Arthus-Bertrand's pictures taken from an helicopter all around the world.

However, these exhibitions do not match the sheer size of this one.  Indeed, 250 pachyderms, painted in unique colors and schemes by the same number of artists and designers, are scattered over various inner borough of London, sometimes sitting lonely, sometimes sitting in group.  It is not either an exhibition per se as these sculptures are being auctioned and the street is their showcase. The charity Elephant Family, created in 2002, is responsible for such an original initiative. It aims to protect as its name indicate elephants and more precisely the Asian variant, pointing that in 100 years its population decreased by 90% from 250000 to 25000 beasts. To do so, the foundation has been create a natural reserve for them and other “services” susceptible to help them in their task.

This public auction is not their first time as they did it already in 2007 in Rotterdam, 2008 in Antwerp, in 2009 in Amsterdam, this year in London and Emmen Bergen and next year Copenhagen. Given the amount of parades that happen in Netherland and around, but it appears that the main organisation is based in there. Nevertheless, wherever this charity is from is not really the important point. London's auction ends on the 4th of July. Prices start at around £5000 which is to me not that expensive, although right now working in an auction house does not really help to keep a decent vision of the world as it is an environment where prices are crazy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this concept as it makes people enjoy the city in which they are if they want to see these elephants. I liked the fact to randomly see these sculptures in the street and the discrepancy between their own nature as exotic animal painted in various schemes and colour and the urban environment; I found the concept really good. I also like the fact that it is a charity rather than a regular exhibition probably because as a charity it is always heart-warming to see such an innovative idea in the hand of a non-for-profit organisation. It seems to be a win-win situation for the charity as it does not need to rent some space in a museum to exhibit the statues and for the city it is a good PR campaign. I hope that in the future more of these will be possible, however not to the extent of becoming hype so that it does not lose its charm and here is the fine line not to cross.

-C

San Francisco, 2nd Part

The second part of my article on San Francisco focuses more on its museums and POIs. As I said earlier, the city is quite large and as a result a lot of the museums and other interesting parts of the city are located miles away from each other; indeed, unlike Washington where everything is nearly concentrated around the Mall, San Francisco requires that the tourist, or visitor, to benefit from a certain endurance.

During my long treks in the city, I came across the Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific exhibition and reconverted later into a theatre. I thought that given its name, it would be one of the arts museums of San Francisco and, curious, I instead entered in the Exploratorium: a museum dedicated to the kids and explaining different laws about nature. I was a tad disappointed at first but it is a lot of fun for the kids and I found myself watching for minutes a video of a marble guiding games.

The DeYoung was the first “big” museum I went in, and with big museum comes the big crowd. It was even bigger as it was one of the first of an exhibition about the masterpieces from the musée d’Orsay in Paris.  long queue was to be passed and bearing with the manners of a lot of old ladies that pretended to be heavily involved in the art world was another worry. The rooms allocated to the exhibition did not leave a lot of space for a true appreciation of the works and it was even reduced by the sheer amount of people that were cramping them. On the other hand its restaurant offered a menu à la carte and in French (s’il vous plait!) which was really fitting to the eyes of any Americans going to a museum. The park, nearby, were exhibiting some sculpture that were abstract and thus open to any interpretation. The museum is located in a national park, the Golden Gate Park, and as a result in a green environment which is rather pleasant.

On our way to Sausalito, we (your croissant and his peanut butter) stopped to admire the shape of one of the icon of the city: the Golden Gate Bridge. A parking has been built in order for the people to stop and enjoy the sight which is quite amazing. Indeed, all the dimensions involved are massive, from the bridge and its arches to the straight that it crosses. In addition, it provides a view on the Pacific which opens any possibility of travel on it. Nonetheless,  the best spot is located on the other side of this parking lot and is known of only few people as it is located in the former military base of Presidio. There, the view is even more grandiose and the travellers can observe the coast, the Golden Gate and a bit of the bay.

Sausalito is a little posh sea town nestled in the bay and close to the golden gate. It offer a stunning view on San Francisco and has the advantage of not being too far from it and yet at a reasonable distance to enjoy a quiet life. Indeed, from what I have seen of the city, the houses and the shops reminds of one of these charming towns on the Riviera: not too touristy but classy, not too pretentious and really pleasant. The atmosphere is nearly village like. We walked along the marina which is big an only filled with boats that could round the world and then went to a sea food restaurant built on a pier: the Spinnaker, the view is even more stunning as people eat directly on the sea and waiting a quarter of minutes to benefit from a table next to the windows would be a crime to avoid: in a word it is a gem.

The museum of the Legion of Honor is another museum of classic arts in San Francisco. It is far from the down town but it location is probably one of the best I have ever seen. It overlook the city, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Bay and the Pacific coast all at once. The museum is, unlike the modern building of the DeYoung, a reproduction to the ¾ of the musée de la Légion d’Honneur in Paris and is thus a classic building. It was built to honor the fallen Californian soldiers in the Great War. I was surprised to see a statue, amongst others, of Jeanne d’Arc at the entrance, although that was not the first I noticed in the country. The collections in the museum is classic like the building and does not bear anything special bar a lot of sculptures from Rodin, including the Thinker. However, I enjoyed the porcelain collection and its explanation about the diverse factories built in Europe. The good point about this museum is that there are less people around and everything is quieted which made my visit really enjoyable. The restaurant, also offering an a la carte menu and in French (aussi!), added to the charm of the museum. An exhibition about the Impresionnist (again!) was in preparation and I am pretty sure that when it will open the place will be bustling with people and it will not be as charming as it was when I went.

I, then, decided to walk on the trails on the coast as the weather was exceptional. The environment of San Francisco reminds me of the south of France with its pines and climate. So from the Legion of Honor, I went to Sutro baths via a trail which replaced an old tramway line. The view was needless to say beautiful and several bench were present in order to make the walk the more agreeable possible. Sutro Baths, built in 1896, used to be “an extravagant public bathhouse envisioned and developed by the eccentric one-time mayor of San Francisco, Adolph Sutro.” The place burned down in 1966 and now the ruins offer a picturesque point of view on the ocean. The Cliff House let people sip a glass of champagne while admiring the vista. From there, one can overlook Ocean Beach and its long strip of sand.

My last stop was the infamous prison of Alcatraz. I first went on a boat cruise around the bay and to Angel Island, the Ellis Island of the west. Indeed, it is the place where mainly Chinese immigrants were parked before entering or not the country. It was once hosting a Union base which was never under attack during the Secession war. It is now part of a natural park and a place of relaxation for city-dwellers. The boat then took me to the island of Alcatraz. The island in the middle of the bay offers a nice point of view. It used to be like Angel Island part of a defense system for San Francisco. The visit of the prison is quiet short and I believe that its reputation makes it more impressive when it was just a little prison in an old fortress based on a little rock. I believe that the prisoners incarcerated in the prison were its biggest “achievement” and apart from some quotes from Al Capone and others, not much is said about them. Their cells are presented as such with some little commentary but no real history is provided, it is rather anecdotic. To be fair though, an audio guide and movies were completing the visit, things that I did not have the luxury to  hear and watch..On the other hand, the trip on the boat and the islands themselves offered plenty of opportunity for any photograph.

My experiences in San Francisco tended to tell me that it is a quite complete city compared to the others I have visited. Not as urban as New York, but really enjoyable and much more outdoor activities orientated if less “intellectual”, I think that it is a fair trade-off and I believe it is an advantageous one compared to New York if it is smartly balanced.

-C

The longest day(s)

I just read about the match opposing the American John Isner (ATP rank 19) to the French Nicolas Mahut (ATP rank 149) at Wimbledon (). THIS is probably the match of the century: it is the longest match in the world and already lastest 10 hours on two days, Tuesday the 21th and Wednesday the 22th. The previous longest match lasted already for 6 hours 33 minutes in 2004 at Roland Garros between Frenchmen Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément.

The score is now at 6/4 3/6 6/7 7/6 59/59, yes that’s right! In addition to this extraordinary feat, Isner made 98 aces while Mahut 95, as a result, the previous record of 51 aces by Ivo Karlovic in 2005 at Wimbledon has been shattered. Even the electronic scoreboard could not keep up with it! The game stopped in the fifth set at 59/59, hence a total of 163 games so far (another record), because of the lack of sunlight to the dismay of the audience singing “We want more” who gave them a standing ovation.

The fifth set is by itself already the longest match, and de facto the longest set, in the history of Wimbledon with 7 hours 06 minutes logged in already, without any toilet breaks till 58/58! Whoever wins this game tomorrow will also have to play the next match on the same day and it will leave the winner one of the shortest recovery time for it: a dubious honour. The video, at 58/59, shows the American exhausted, while the Frenchman looks surprisingly sharp.




 This avalanche of statistic is representative of the nerves and the endurance of the players. Watching a match showing a little less than 200 aces is probably not the most fascinating one but the sheer length is definitely what makes it exceptional, both men seem to be giving everything despite the fatigue: this is really a true example of courage and tenacity. Having read many comments about this match, the question of tweaking the fifth set at Wimbledon and in other Opens (such as Roland Garros and the Australian Open) might be pushed on after such a display. Indeed, unlike the four first sets, the fifth set cannot be ended with a tiebreaker. Players have to go through 15-30-40-point sequence for every point and they need a two points lead which can be a recipe for a very very long match as exposed in this article.  The US opens do not benefit from this rule and guarantee an end with no loophole. I, for one, believe that the Wimbledon fifth set makes for a great display of tenacity, spectacle and endurance.

I personally wish that somehow, Isner and Mahut would play for over and over; even if I know that this will get boring in the end. This match is inspiring and is a breath of fresh air in this moment dominated by the World Cup ( fair enough, France's elimination does not help). Just for the sake of it and perhaps because it will be heartbreaking for the loser..

-C

Comments from the players on the BBC after the second day:

 Mahut
“We're fighting like we have never done before. We'll come back tomorrow and see who is going to win this match. Everyone wants to see the end."

Isner
"He's serving fantastic, I'm serving fantastic. Nothing like this will ever happen again."

Is China buying up the world?

While the world cup started and is currently captivating the media, it appeared to me that another event seems to have passed quite unnoticed. Following the disaster of the Greek economic situation, China came in the form of a white knight. It might be a good deal for debt-ridden Greece but I wonder how this situation will turn out. China has already been strongly developing its ties in Africa and in the Middle East. It seems like China is trying to get a foothold in Europe so it could better protect its own interest. This deal would mostly concern maritim arrangements in the Piraeus port and some touristic contracts. Somehow, it reminds me of the way the EU soft power operates: investing heavily in developing countries and then forcing them to adopt positions more favourable to EU standards, most of the time they concern human rights and other subjects linked to freedom and lifestyle or simply business wise, it could be related to a sort of bullying. Same goes for China, unfortunately for Greece; the Chinese government does not have the same credentials as the EU governments of nowadays. In a parallel story, India is suspicious of Chinese exportations and its government is taking measures to ensure that Chinese equipments do not contain spywares, so Greece could provide the perfect foothold on Old Europe for the Chinese to install more spywares. Interestingly, I could not find a lot of articles in the western press on this event but I found a 2009 article, in French on this Chinese website, talking about a China-Greek deal in the Piraeus port but recently nothing bar an article concerning the rehearsal of a Greek tragedy at the Experimental Theatre of Beijing......


While browsing this website I found an article describing how China was slamming US pressure on RMB exchange rate and another one, including a poll, trying to find some argument to explain this situation, as if this situation was only affecting the US. The low exchange rate of the Chinese currency is a major component in China’s economic growth as it favours its exportations. At the same time, China and its government want to have the respect of the world for their achievement and keep their currency at the level of a developing nation, in a word they want to have their cake and eat it. What stroke me was the rhetoric employed which is bare of any critical spirit: everything seems to between China and the US when it comes to troubles and otherwise China is a peaceful nation. It is not surprising, yet it is the first time I have ventured on these kind of “news” sites and it was a shock.

However the million dollar question is what would happen when China’s soft power on developed nations will not be enough; indeed, it is plausible to believe that developed nations should be more reluctant to be told what to do as they have more choices and power than developing nations, and what would then happen to China’s "harmonious world"?

-C