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Jane Austen Takes Over Chick Flick Sunday
Yesterday was the epitome of Chick Flick Sunday at work as Jen and I watched not one or two but THREE Jane Austen related movies in between being very busy with the radio and telephones. Jen wondered if I had gotten a little carried away with the NetFlix queue but I guess they just lined up that way when I was checking off movies for inclusion.
We watched the Masterpiece Theater editions of Mansfield Park and Northanger Abby and then followed that up with Miss Austen Regrets which was based on the last few years of Jane Austen's life as she looks back on her life and loves and helps her favorite niece, Fanny, decide about a husband. I believe that most of the movie was culled from letters to her sister and other bits and pieces of family correspondence.
Truth be told, it's kind of depressing as it's very sad to think that a woman who wrote so compellingly of love and passion ended up spending her life as a spinster living with her mother and her sister, Cassandra. Still, you've got to admire someone for sticking to their principals of not getting married simply for convenience or money - as was often the case during the time period in which Miss Austen lived. Jane wanted to marry for love and if she couldn't marry for that then she wouldn't marry at all.
One of the lines I liked best in Miss Austen Regrets is when she is talking to her niece Fanny about men and tells her that "the only way you can get a man like Mr. Darcy is to make him up". Sad, but true, particularly if your favorite Mr. Darcy is the one played by Colin Firth (rowr!). Still, if you're an incurable romantic like myself, you always hope that someday your own Mr. Darcy will show up on your doorstep perhaps lost and looking for directions that only you can provide him.
Alas, I am no Elizabeth Bennett, Catherine Morland, Fanny Price, Ann Elliott, Eleanor or Marianne Dashwood, or Emma Woodhouse though there are times when I fervently wish I was as even though they have to go through some tough times to get there - all of these heroines eventually end up with the man they love and, for all intents and purposes, live happily ever after. Right?
Just for kicks, I took a quiz to see what Jane Austen character I am and got the following results which I don't think are quite right:
You're Fanny Price from Mansfield Park! You are quiet and feel alone most of the time, and you don't usually speak out. Because of your quiet, sweet nature, you are sometimes used as a most unfortunate scapegoat.
Marianne Dashwood
Catherine Morland
Anne Elliot
Elizabeth Bennet
Emma Woodhouse
Elinor Dashwood
Alone - yes, for the most part ... quiet and don't speak out? No, I don't think so! And I also rather doubt I serve as anyone's unfortunate scapegoat! Still, she held out for her Edward and she got him in the end so in that case, I guess I wouldn't mind being Fanny Price after all. Truth be told, though, I really do believe I am more Marianne Dashwood then any other Austen character.
How about you? Anyone else want to take the quiz and tell me your results? Guys - you are excluded unless you're feeling brave!
Labels: Jane Austen, romance
Mo 1:49 PM EDT
You had me at "Colin Firth" :)
I think I am more Elinor Dashwood. She was always the one I could relate to the most.
Plus, she gets Hugh Grant in the end, so who can argue with that?
Have you seen the movie "The Jane Austen Book Club" ? I read the book - which was cute - but haven't seen the movie.
Marilyn 1:53 PM EDT
We watched Emma for the first time this weekend. I've never read Jane Austen... I think I'd probably like her so I'll have to take a look next library stop.
Jean-Luc Picard 3:12 PM EDT
I recommend seeing the British tv production 'Lost In Austen' in which a girl from 21st century London swaps places with Elizabeth Bennett and tries to keep the plot on track!
I got the same result. I've taken a different quiz and got Elinor Dashwood, which is probably more accurate. In reality I am a romantic at heart, but also quite sensible, outspoken and responsible.
Patti 4:54 PM EDT
I've not seen the movies or read the books .so the results of the quiz would mean nothing to me.
sorry to be a party pooper!
katherine. 9:33 PM EDT
hmmmm maybe.
especially this past year.
We are big Austen fans here...our fave is the 8 hour A&E version of Pride and Prejudice...
You Scored as Elinor Dashwood
You're Elinor Dashwood, the "sense" of Sense & Sensibility! You tend to hide your emotions, but you feel deeply. You also feel obligated to carry the burden of keeping everyone in your family under control.
I suck at the Jane Austin thing.. haven't seen the movies nor read the books.. i suppose I suck. I won't take the quiz because I believe the last quiz I toook told me I would die in my sleep in 2013 so I have get busy doing stuff...
Amazing Gracie 1:36 AM EDT
I don't understand how I missed out on Jane Austin! I read "The Merchant of Venice," in 7th grade, and "Beowulf," in the 8th! I had to read Les Miserables in French and translate it to English when I was a Junior in H.S. But somehow, I didn't get any Austin. I'll have to break down and watch one of the TV programs! Your enthusiasm is contagious!
~~~Blessings~~~
Jane Austen Movies 11:46 PM EDT
I've seen the two Masterpiece productions you mentioned, but not Miss Austen Regrets. I love Olivia Williams though, so I can't wait. I'm actually in the process of compiling a list of Jane Austen Movies for my period movies website. BTW, I'm a retired firefighter and I wanted to tip my hat to you. Dispatchers perform a thankless task that all too often goes unnoticed. Cheers!
Tuesday Tidbits
A Quote For Monday
Zuppa Toscana - The At Home Version!
Looking at the Sky on Friday - The Bleh Version
I've Got a Question - You've Got an Answer
Open Wide!
"The Moving Wall" Stops in Norwich
Amanda's Birthday Wrap-Up
Tackling the Tardis (Cake!)
Amanda's Birthday Tardis
Happy Birthday, Miss Delirium!
Sculptures of Peace and Joy in Rhode Island
Lawnwork Explained
A Brief Glimpse of Rhode Island
Sunday Scenery
Conscious, Alert, and Oriented Times Four
Procedural Update
Going Under the Knife Laser
A Picture Story
You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!...
A Quick Saturday Post
Santa Cruz - Day Two
My Three Anniversaries on the Third
Rockin' On With Our Bad Selves!


text:
Martin House ist der Name folgender im NRHP gelisteten Objekte:

 Martin House (Clark County, Kentucky), ID-Nr. 79003591
 Martin House (Muhlenberg County, Kentucky), ID-Nr. 85001900
 Martin House (Shelby County, Kentucky), ID-Nr. 88002937
 Martin House (Louisiana), ID-Nr. 93000832
 Martin House (Massachusetts), ID-Nr. 74000365
 Martin House (Ohio), ID-Nr. 79001859
 Martin House (Tennessee), ID-Nr. 72001227

Siehe auch:
 Martin House and Farm, ID-Nr. 78000437
 Darwin D. Martin House, Prairiehaus nach einem Entwurf von Frank Lloyd Wright

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


The SDS100 arrived today, and we've had a chance to play with it. Here's our initial first impression.
Monitoring local simulcast systems, I'm not getting any choppy stuttering on any site. I used to be able to receive one site of the Vance County system reasonably well, but the other was pretty much unusable in remote areas of the county. The SDS100 picks up both with no issues. The SDS-100 does far better job at pulling in weak signals with clarity compared to other Digital Scanners.
Faster scanning. Roughyl 25-50% faster plowing through conventional channels, or 100-120 channels/second vs 80 for the x36.
The screen is much brighter and crisper than the displays of the x36 scanners. MUCH CLEARER. And it's color, and customizable. Did I mention it's clearer and quite nice on the eyes at night as well.
It will charge and run simultaneously, although you have to turn on an option in the battery menu first. You can only charge the scanner with the USB-mini port. The USB-micro port does not charge the scanner.
The speaker is slightly better than that of the 436, but not something audiophiles are likely to go crazy over.
The SDS gets noticeably warmer than the 436. It draws about 1400mA from the USB port when charging, about 800mA just scanning with the screen on, and about 750mA with the screen off. That's almost exactly 4x the power consumption of the 436, and why AAs are not a practical option.
It's slightly shorter than the 436, narrower (especially with the taper at the bottom), and significantly thicker. It has a kind of hand grip molded into the bottom half. It the rubber trim around the handgrip area feels slightly slicker than the rubber trim around the 436.
Sensitivity seems quite good. The SDS100 has picked up a few things on analog FM that my 536 completely missed, even when I manually held on the channel and turned the squelch all the way down to 0.
The only negative compared to the 436 is battery life. But overall, it's worth the price, despite that. 4.5 Stars.


text:
Virecourt est une commune française située dans le département de Meurthe-et-Moselle en région Grand Est.

Géographie
Virecourt se situe sur la rive droite de la Moselle entre Bayon et Chamagne.

Urbanisme

Typologie
Virecourt est une commune rurale, car elle fait partie des communes peu ou très peu denses, au sens de la grille communale de densité de l'Insee.

Par ailleurs la commune fait partie de l'aire d'attraction de Nancy, dont elle est une commune de la couronne. Cette aire, qui regroupe , est catégorisée dans les aires de  à moins de .

Occupation des sols

L'occupation des sols de la commune, telle qu'elle ressort de la base de données européenne d'occupation biophysique des sols Corine Land Cover (CLC), est marquée par l'importance des territoires agricoles (78,6 % en 2018), une proportion identique à celle de 1990 (79,3 %). La répartition détaillée en 2018 est la suivante :
prairies (46,4 %), terres arables (26,4 %), forêts (14,9 %), zones urbanisées (6,5 %), cultures permanentes (5,8 %).

L'IGN met par ailleurs à disposition un outil en ligne permettant de comparer l'évolution dans le temps de l'occupation des sols de la commune (ou de territoires à des échelles différentes). Plusieurs époques sont accessibles sous forme de cartes ou photos aériennes : la carte de Cassini (), la carte d'état-major (1820-1866) et la période actuelle (1950 à aujourd'hui).

Toponymie
Virecourt fut autrefois nommée Werecort, Vourecourt ou encore Woyrecourt.

Histoire
Longtemps située sur la seule route longeant la Moselle (la route par Roville et Mangonville n'ayant été tracée que plus tard), Roville occupait une place de choix dans les échanges avec le Sud par Charmes.

1789-1790 : suppression de la féodalité puis des ordres réguliers et confiscation des biens du clergé.

Les Templiers et les Hospitaliers

Son histoire est intimement liée à celle de l'ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem. À Virecourt se trouvait une commanderie (maison seigneuriale), la Commanderie de Virecourt, une chapelle, des granges et des étables ainsi qu'un colombier.

1203 : un clerc nommé Arnulphe et sa sœur Gesla de Nancy font don de leur alleu de Virecourt aux Templiers.

1311-1312 au concile de Vienne présidé par le pape Clément V, l'ordre du Temple est dissous et la plus grande partie de ses biens est donnée à l'ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem. Virecourt passe ainsi des Templiers aux Hospitaliers.

Le commandeur était seul seigneur et haut-justicier dans le village. Cependant, en 1480, les habitants formèrent le projet de se donner au duché de Lorraine. Cette volonté d'indépendance fut sévèrement réprimée et pour que personne n'oublie, les commandeurs firent inscrire le procès-verbal de répression dans les papiers terriers.

1710 : après avoir été rattachée à la commanderie de Lorraine puis à celle de Saint-Jean-du-Vieil-Aître, Virecourt est érigée en commanderie particulière ; son premier commandeur nommé en 1723 est Jacques-François de Chambray.

Politique et administration

Démographie

Culture locale et patrimoine

Lieux et monuments
 Gare de Bayon.
 Le « château », qui abrite actuellement la mairie et des logements locatifs. Importante ferme jusqu'au deuxième tiers du  (et déjà dotée de l'appellation de « château » sur les cartes postales de l'époque), l'édifice devient après la guerre de 1870 la propriété d'un optant, M. Coume, qui se lance dans la production de chicorées. Il transforme profondément l'immeuble, l'exhausse, l'agrandit, etc. Il recrée dans les salons et la salle-à-manger une "atmosphère" alsacienne : boiseries en sapin sombres, balustres, plafond boisé, cigogne sur les vitraux. Il agrémente le jardin d'une importante serre reliée à la maison par un jardin d'hiver. Celle-ci abritait palmiers et autres plantes exotiques.Après avoir été propriété de la ville de Nancy, les lieux sont rachetés par la municipalité de Virecourt qui y transfère le siège de la mairie au tout début des années 2000.
 Église Saint-Servan : de dimensions modestes, l'église se compose d'une nef unique à trois travées ; la dernière, à fond plat, formant le cœur. La tour-clocher, peu élevée, empiète largement sur la première travée. Une chapelle, au nord, dédiée à saint Jean-Baptiste, ouvre complètement sur la travée du cœur. La clef de sa voûte en ogive est ornée d'un blason difficile à déchiffrer (dû à l'absence [?] de polychromie). Cette chapelle est un ajout des chevaliers de Malte qui agrandit de manière importante l'espace intérieur. La construction du premier édifice daterait de 999. La tour est romane. Le chevet date du . La nef a été remaniée au 16e. Cinq éléments remarquables sont à signaler :
 Dans le cœur, placée à environ deux mètres du sol dans le mur de chevet, se trouve une remarquable niche ornée et grillagée gothique formant réserve eucharistique. La cavité est encadrée d'un ornement ogival agrémenté de choux frisés. Le fronton présente un motif sculpté important.
 Toujours dans le cœur, sur le mur sud, se trouve un intéressant lavabo liturgique gothique.
 La clef de voûte de la travée médiane porte une croix de Malte, rare témoignage actuel de la présence des Hospitaliers autrefois.
 La tour-clocher est soutenue dans la première travée par une colonne romane dont le chapiteau est orné de deux têtes humaines sculptées. Une cavité creusée à hauteur de main accueille un bénitier.
 L'église de Virecourt possédait autrefois un intéressant font baptismal aujourd'hui conservée au musée d'Épinal, réemploi tardif d'un autel gallo-romain. De forme presque cubique, celle-ci présentait, en ronde-bosse, sur chacune de ses faces, des groupes de figures.Il convient enfin de citer un chemin de croix exécuté en 1935 par Pierre-Dié Mallet .
 Site de la Moselle Sauvage : Virecourt se trouve sur le site de la Moselle Sauvage qui s'étend de Chamagne à Tonnoy. Il s'agit de l'un des derniers tronçons de rivière à lit mobile du Nord-Est de la France, ce qui en fait un espace privilégié à l'échelle nationale. Depuis 2002, le conseil régional a été à l'initiative du classement de cette partie de la Moselle (entre Bayon et Charmes) en Réserve Naturelle Régionale, confortant l'intérêt patrimonial majeur de ce site (présence de castors sur la commune...).

Personnalités liées à la commune

Héraldique

Voir aussi

Bibliographie

Articles connexes
 Liste des communes de Meurthe-et-Moselle

Liens externes

 Site mairie

 Virecourt sur le site de l'Insee

Notes et références

Notes

Références

Commune en Meurthe-et-Moselle
Aire urbaine de Nancy
Localité sur la Moselle en France
Commune abritant une commanderie de l'ordre de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem
Alleux, fiefs et seigneuries de l'ordre du Temple


Looking for a needle in a haystack – or where's Wally the component?
For a few years now, I have a Zoom H2 audio recorder, with several microphones. It records really nicely.
Last week I wanted to fire it up again, to record my neighbours chickens. I turn it on. Nothing. Change batteries, nothing. But it does seem to rattle slightly when I move it.


On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal signed his eighth and final state budget, which includes money that ends years of state education funding cuts. He also signed the "Hands-Free Georgia Act," which makes it illegal to hold your cellphone while driving except to use one button to answer or end a call.
Gov. Nathan Deal signed multiple bills into law Tuesday and signaled he would sign more in the coming days.
Deal signed his eighth and final state budget, which includes money that will end years of state education funding cuts. The more than $26 billion budget also includes money to help expand public transit in the metro Atlanta region.
Deal said he is pleased with Georgia's financial situation compared to when he first took office.
Deal also said he plans to sign the legislation that will rebrand MARTA as The ATL on Thursday. It will allow the 13 counties in the metro Atlanta region to vote on joining one transit system operated by a single governing body.
After signing the budget, Deal traveled to Statesboro to sign the "Hands-Free Georgia Act." That will make it illegal to hold your cellphone while driving except using one button to answer or end a call.
Deal said he believes the new law will save lives.
Texting while driving is already illegal in Georgia, but Deal said that law is hard to enforce.
The law goes into effect July 1, but there will be a 90-day grace period. A first offense under the new law is punishable by a ticket or points on your license.


Bloating, cramps, headaches, anger, depression, and low back pain are just a handful of the symptoms, which women endure when dealing with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
An intriguing angle to PMS is its link with a depressed nervous system. While chiropractic care isn't a treatment for PMS (or any other condition), many women with spinal distortions have seen an improvement in their reproductive health while under chiropractic care. Restoring a more normally functioning nervous system helps the entire body work the way it was designed. Also, there is great research on how chiropractic care is effective with infertility.


text:
Mirbelia spinosa är en ärtväxtart som först beskrevs av George Bentham, och fick sitt nu gällande namn av George Bentham. Mirbelia spinosa ingår i släktet Mirbelia och familjen ärtväxter. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Externa länkar

Ärtväxter
spinosa


text:
/Rebecca Taylor MEP
/Campaigns
/My Work in Parliament
/Map
/Pay and Expenses statement
ALDE backs call to end roaming charges
Posted on May 30, 2013 by Press releases from ALDE
Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament are delighted by the strong proposal of Commissioner Neelie Kroes to abandon mobile roaming by Easter 2014. By then, Kroes said, the EU could deliver a full, final legislative package to e…
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,Growth & Jobs,ITRE :: Industry, Research and Energy	| Comments Off on ALDE backs call to end roaming charges
Fisheries reform a big step forward
The European Parliament has reached a political agreement with the Irish Presidency on the Reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. The agreement was brokered at 3.30am (CET) this morning in the European Parliament in Brussels.
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,Agriculture and Fisheries,PECH :: Fisheries,CFP - Common Fisheries Policy,Fish stocks	| Comments Off on Fisheries reform a big step forward
Fisheries reform not a perfect deal but a huge step in the right direction
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,Agriculture and Fisheries,PECH :: Fisheries,CFP - Common Fisheries Policy,Fish stocks	| Comments Off on Fisheries reform not a perfect deal but a huge step in the right direction
Commission must not delay 2014 budget
Whilst acknowledging the presence today of Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski in the Budget Committee at a delicate time between the execution of the 2013 budget and the negotiation of the next multiannual financial framework, European Liber…
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,,Budget Reform,BUDG :: Budgets,Financial Perspectives	| Comments Off on Commission must not delay 2014 budget
The European Commission must no longer postpone the presentation of the 2014 Budget
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,,Budget Reform,BUDG :: Budgets,Financial Perspectives	| Comments Off on The European Commission must no longer postpone the presentation of the 2014 Budget
ALDE Newsletter May 2013
24 May 2013 Headlines ALDE NewsProfiles of MEPs in the News Networking ALDE News ALDE supports an ambitious and global trade agreement with the United States of America The European Parliament on May 23 gave its full support for the rapid commencement of negotiations in view of a trade and investment agreement with the United States. The resolution gives the European Commission a negotiating mandate to negotiate an ambitious and comprehensive trade and investment partnership between the world's two largest markets. ALDE is committed to ensuring that negotiations take place in a transparent manner and request that Parliament be informed at every stage. Read More No Single Supervisory Mechanism until an agreement is reached with the ECB During the May Strasbourg plenary session the European Parliament voted on the deal reached with Council last March on a Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), the first building block of the Banking union. The Parliament though decided to hold the final vote adopting this proposal until an agreement is reached with the ECB ensuring due democratic accountability of the ECB's supervisory arm. The ALDE group decided to further keep pressure on the ECB also by abstaining to the report as amended. Read More EU action plan urgently needed to ease catastrophic Syrian refugee crisis For the last two years, the international community has stood by as Syrians are increasingly being crushed between the brutal actions of the Assad regime and extremist groups. There are now seven million Syrians that rely on aid. 4,5 million Syrians are internally displaced and the amount of refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan is expected to rise to 3,5 million in the coming months. The European Parliament, on the initiative of Marietje Schaake (D66, Netherlands), adopted on May 23 a resolution on the urgent humanitarian crisis and how to deal with Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. Read More ALDE continue to strongly support EU membership for Iceland Reacting to statements made by a spokesperson for the new coalition government in Iceland announcing that no further negotiation will be held with the European Union and Iceland on future EU membership without a prior referendum, Hans Van Baalen (VVD, NL), spokesperson on Iceland for the ALDE Group in the European parliament, made the following statement: "The Liberal Democrat Group in the European Parliament strongly supports EU membership for Iceland. With its strong and old democracy it will be an asset to the EU…"Read More European Parliament rejects Czech 'opt-out' on charter of fundamental rights On the proposal of Andrew DUFF (Lib Dem, UK), ALDE coordinator in the Constitutional Affairs Committee, the European Parliament called on the European Council to reject a request to amend the Treaty of Lisbon which would weaken the force and limit the application of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the Czech Republic. With a vote of 574 to 82 and 24 abstentions, MEPs for the first time used their right not to support an amendment of the EU treaties. Read More Free movement for pets across Europe Ferrets, dogs and cats have gained on May 23 greater opportunities to travel across EU borders. MEPs have given their support to changes in the law providing for the movement of non-commercial pet animals. The new arrangements are built on the success of 'pets passports' legislation approved a decade ago. Read More Member States must endorse an EU strategy against tax fraud, evasion and tax havens Ahead of the May EU Summit, due to focus on tax fraud and tax evasion, the European Parliament adopted its own recommendations that all Member States should endorse a common European strategy against tax fraud, evasion and havens. ALDE spokesperson on the subject Theodoros Skylakakis (Greece) said: "Reality must take precedence over mere lip-service. Evaders exploit the respective Member States' national tax legislation loopholes. If they don't start taking concrete action, they will just serve as accomplice". Read More Media freedom and pluralism: Commission must take all EP recommendations on board Member States and the Commission should take appropriate measures to ensure better monitoring and enforcement of media freedom and pluralism across the EU, given that this right has become legally binding with the entry into force of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (Article 11 (2)), according to a report by ALDE MEP Renate Weber on standard settings for media freedom across the EU, adopted during the Strasbourg May plenary session of the European Parliament. Read More EU leaders must address growing euroscepticism caused by crisis "EU leaders tomorrow need to produce actions not more words and address the issues that are giving rise to increased euroscepticism across the EU," said Guy Verhofstadt in a debate in the May Strasbourg plenary session ahead of the EU summit on tax havens and energy policy. Read More Freed Chinese dissident launches Transatlantic Human Rights Link The blind Chinese activist who escaped house arrest and whose freedom in the USA was organised by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has marked the anniversary by launching a transatlantic project for parliamentarians to adopt individual human rights defenders worldwide. Read More Recovery and Resolution Directive (RRD): Protection of small depositors guaranteed On May 20th the European Parliament's Economic and Monetary Affairs committee adopted its report on an EU framework for bank recovery and resolution, which aims to provide Member States' relevant authorities with common and effective tools to address the banking crisis and eventually the orderly winding up of insolvent institutions, to safeguard financial stability and to minimise taxpayers' exposure to losses. Read More Europe needs a future proof Audio Visual Media Services Directive ALDE, the group of Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament during the May Strasbourg plenary session voted against the Borys report on the implementation of media regulation in the EU. We denounce the lack of an innovative, future-oriented approach to tackle the important challenges that technological changes impose. In today's rapidly changing media landscape, legislation needs to adapt to internet-driven changes such as Connected TV, bringing together internet and broadcasting. Read More Mali: International donor support only effective if elections deliver stable government Leading ALDE MEP Louis Michel (MR, Belgium), who has been recently nominated as Head of the EU's observer mission for the presidential elections in Mali says that the forthcoming elections are a vital opportunity to start rebuilding this broken State. Following yesterday's donor conference in Brussels- co-hosted by the EU and France, which saw pledges of over 3.25 billion euros to rebuild Mali, M. Michel said: "The funds pledged yesterday to rebuild Mali are vital but only as long as there is good and stable government. The presidential and legislative elections scheduled for 28 July next are the first step towards the return to stable democracy…."Read More Combatting Homophobia: time for concrete actions long overdue May 17th is the International Day against Homophobia and also marks the 23rd year since the World Health Organization (WHO) deleted homosexuality from the international list of classified diseases. Unfortunately though lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people worldwide still suffer from discrimination, persecution and violence. The ALDE group reiterates its commitment to combat this persistent hatred both in Europe and in the wider world Read More Rethinking education to address the skills gap Even amid the economic crisis, Europe is facing acute shortage of skilled labour. Parallel with the unemployment queues, an estimated 2 million unfilled jobs are available across Europe. While the problem has traditionally been linked to low-skilled jobs, filling jobs in high-skill sectors, such as engineering and IT, is also becoming increasingly challenging. Europe can only end the crisis and resume growth if it delivers the right skills for the future. But European education and training systems need investment, updating and reform if the right skills for employability are to be delivered. Read More Window of opportunity opens up for Ukraine On the same day the European Commission has given the green light to the Council for the signature of the Association Agreement with Ukraine, ALDE hosted a "Ukraine day" to discuss the current situation in the country. Leonidas Donskis who organized this event said "Today's decision of the European Commission, despite it being technical in nature, sends a strong political message to the Ukraine authorities that the Association Agreement is not an association with corrupt officials or dysfunctional judiciary , it is an association with and for the Ukrainian people."Read More Road transport: smart tachographs for greater competition and safety On May 14th the European Parliament, Council and Commission reached a second reading agreement on the new technical standards for digital tachographs used to record and monitor driving times, breaks, and rest periods of professional drivers for both goods and passenger transport. The idea behind the introduction of 'smart' tachographs which are integrated with the GNSS and other Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) applications within Europe is to ensure a level playing field and proper working conditions for drivers. Read More The future of the Common Fisheries Policy hangs in the balance Following a marathon Fisheries Council meeting to establish a mandate for further negotiations with the European Parliament on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, the Council is moving towards Parliament's position but the deal is still not done according to ALDE MEPs. Pat the Cope Gallagher (FF, Ireland), ALDE shadow on the basic regulation of the CFP commented during the meeting: "I would like to pay tribute to the Presidency for their work in progressing this extremely important policy within the Council of Ministers. The new mandate will allow the Irish Presidency to resume negotiations with the European Parliament. It appears that some of the Parliament important issues have been addressed by Council." Read More EU needs stronger instruments to tackle cross-border organised crime After months of work since its establishment in March 2012, the European Parliament's Special Committee on organised crime, corruption and money laundering (CRIM), chaired by ALDE MEP Sonia Alfano, adopted on May 7th its first interim report which includes preliminary recommendations on action and initiatives to be taken both at international, European and national levels. Read More MEPS back lower CO2 emission levels in vans Members of the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee approved on May 7 a report on the Commission's legislative proposal amending the Regulation to define the modalities for reaching the 2020 target to reduce CO2 emissions from new light commercial vehicles (Vans). The report confirms the 2020 target as defined in legislation adopted in 2011 and defines the modalities for reaching this target and includes key issues such as emission limit values, phasing requirements, method of calculating a carmaker's average emissions, long-term targets, eco-innovations and implementation. Read More EU must take bold step towards Magnitsky visa ban list The Irish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted a resolution stating that the Irish Presidency will highlight their concern and that of the international community about the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky but it has backed down from sanctioning Russian officials involved in his death. Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE Leader in the European Parliament made the following statement: "I strongly welcome the decision by the Irish Parliament to use its Presidency of the European Council to highlight the case of Sergei Magnitsky. I am confident that the Irish Presidency will relay these concerns to the next European Council and consequently to the EU-Russia Summit. " Read More Potential bee killer pesticides banned by EU A chemical implicated in the recent rapid decline of bee numbers has been banned by the European Commission as Member States remained divided on the matter. Chris Davies (UK, Lib Dem), ALDE environment spokesperson has been campaigning for neonicotinoids to be banned since evidence first started being reported that the controversial pesticide could be causing bee colonies to die. Read More Mandatory rotation of audit firms is essential to ensure their independence Ahead of the April 25 vote in Parliament's Legal Affairs committee on rules for improving the quality and independence in the auditing of major companies (especially banks), Liberals and Democrats underlinef the need to establish some time limits on the contractual relationship between auditors and their clients. Read More ALDE secures mandatory rotation for audit firms Thanks to crucial ALDE backing, the need to establish time limits on the contractual relationship between auditors and their clients was approved by MEPs on the Legal Affairs committee of the European Parliament by a majority of 15 in favour, 10 against, with no abstentions. Read More Europe needs a new narrative to counter euroscepticism Recent Eurobarometer figures show a decline in support for the European project. Sixty years after the start of this project, Europe has to regain confidence of its citizens. An updated version of the European story is necessary to reinterpret its existing 'raison d'être' of peace through a common market. Read More No EU PNR before Data Protection Rules are firmly in place The majority of the European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee voting during an April committee meeting rejected the draft Directive on the use of airline Passenger Name Record data (PNR) within the EU, proposed by the Commission in February 2011. According to the ALDE members, the EU PNR proposal, as it stands, does not incorporate all the requests made by the Parliament in 2010, raises concerns regarding its conformity to fundamental rights and disregards the current shaping of an EU Data protection directive. Read More ALDE backs better protection for home buyers After months of negotiations, on April 22nd an agreement was reached between the European Parliament, Council and Commission on the Mortgage Credit Directive which aims to create a level playing field where minimum harmonisation requirements will apply to all EU countries and, most importantly, consumers will be guaranteed due protection. Read More ALDE lead on Single Seat election pledge At a April 23rd public hearing hosted by the ALDE group and organised by the cross-party campaign for a Single Seat, participants from all major political groupings will be asked to endorse a statement committing to pursue the campaign in their election manifestos for the European Parliament next year. Read More Minimum EU standards for asylum will end current lottery between Member States The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee confirmed on April 24 the agreement reached with Council on two pieces of legislation which are part of the EU Asylum package. One text updates the rules governing the functioning of a database of asylum seeker fingerprints (also known as Eurodac) and its access by police authorities. The second text deals with the setting up of common EU procedures to process the asylum applications in order to overcome the current discrepancies in Member States (also known as Procedures Directive). ALDE welcomes the endorsement of these two important asylum instruments because it paves the way for the final adoption in plenary, normally in June, of the whole Asylum package. Read More Networking Open Door Days Brussels and Strasbourg ( May 4 and 19) The ALDE Group once again enjoyed a very successful European Open Door Day both in Brussels, 4 May and in Strasbourg, 19 May. In Brussels ALDE Staff, greatly assisted by our current interns, had the chance to meet and greet the visitors, who in turn had the opportunity to have their photographs taken and printed on personalised 'ALDE on your side' t-shirts. More than 2500 visitors passed by our stand and left with smile, a t-shirt and little more knowledge of who we are.In Strasbourg more than 24,000 visitors passed through the European Parliament and the ALDE Stand, a record number by all accounts. The ALDE Staff were on hand throughout the day to answer any questions the public had about our Group, and were very impressed with the interest the general public had in the affairs of the European Parliament. The 8th ALDEPAC Annual Conference "Africa and the Challenges of Urban Sustainability" Lilongwe, Malawi 25-28 April. THE NEW "BABEL" OF THE METROPOLIS The European and African Liberals and Democrats focused on Urban Sustainability through good governance and local democracy. Today about 70% of humanity lives in cities and in particular the African continent has experienced massive urban growth in recent decades. Forecasts indicate that between 2010 and 2025, some African cities will represent up to 85% of their countries population. Roughly 800 million people worldwide live in slums, many of them in Africa. The cities are exploding and becoming complex entities that face major challenges: mobility, waste, crime, work, parallel economy, corruption, taxation, zoning, medical services and schools. On a community level there are divisions between rich and poor neighbourhoods, inexistent interaction with immigrants, homeless, abandoned children – all this reflecting the new "Babel" of the Metropolis. At Lilongwe we discussed at length with African experts the challenges of urban sustainability requiring decentralization, popular participation, transparency and much optimism. More specifically we addressed: land management, public-private partnerships, investments, environmental issues and the promotion of durable eco-tourism, resilience against hardships and the key-partnership of urbanisation and culture The Conference was officially opened by the Speaker of the Malawi Parliament, Hon. Henry Chimunthu Banda and closed by H.E.K. Hastings Kachali, Vice President of the Republic of Malawi. The meeting was attended by Parliamentarians from 40 different African countries including Ministers from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Senators, Mayors, representatives from UN-HABITAT, the African Development Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Africa Regional Director of our Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, Hubertus Von Welck.Meetings with EU Ambassadors and with Malawi NGOs were organised and the third ALDEPAC book "TOWARDS A PAN-AFRICAN LIBERAL MANIFESTO" was presented.Members of the ALDE Group, Niccolò Rinaldi, Marielle De Sarnez, Hans van Baalen, Nathalie Griesbeck and Catherine Bearder greatly contributed to the success of this conference. ALDE "BOOST SME" CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER May 2013 Reporting back…The trilogue negotiations on the COSME programme, made to support SMEs across Europe (and a constant feature in our newsletter), are expected to come to an end soon. Having said that, its most important aspect is subject to tough negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework, the budget of COSME having already is reduced by 350 million Euros (15%). A week ago, SME campaign host Jürgen Creutzmann, along with his colleagues in the SME Intergroup wrote an open letter calling on the EP chief negotiator Alain Lamassoure "to ensure that COSME is properly financed." In the Parliament….In its report assessing the ECB activities for 2011, the European Parliament endorsed an ALDE amendment at its April plenary session, calling on the Central bank to directly intervene in helping SMEs against the current and serious credit crunch they are facing in several Member States. Especially in Southern Europe, the crisis is undermining the financial foundations of many SMEs. ALDE rapporteur on the report, Ramon Tremosa who tabled the amendment said: "We don't have a monetary union if competitive SMEs in some Member States have to shut down because credit is scarce and falling. We also don't have a monetary union if SMEs in some Member States have to shut down because they pay between 4 and 8% more for a loan than similar SMEs in other parts of the euro zone. This difference has become structural".The negotiations on the European Regional Development Funds in the Regions Parliamentary Committee illustrate the difficult struggle for SMEs. First, the Commission proposal envisaged that only SMEs could be eligible under ERDF investment priorities. Then the Council's negotiating mandate said that all enterprises (large and small) should be able to access money available under the innovation/research (ERDF art. 5.1) investment priorities. ALDE's initiative to support the extension of eligibility for large companies with the condition that the focus was kept on SMEs, was at first endorsed by almost all groups. However, during the trilogue negotiations in March, the EPP rapporteur and the S&D coordinator agreed to support the Council's proposal. Until the committee vote in July and the plenary vote due in October, ALDE will continue the fight to persuade the other groups to return the focus back to SMEs. In the Commission…The results of DG Enterprise's public consultation on the TOP 10 most burdensome legislative acts for SMEs were published earlier this spring. On the basis of 1000 questionnaires it shows in what ways 'Brussels' really gives SMEs problems. On top: problems with the REACH regulation on chemicals and with transnational VAT. This survey is a step in the right direction Commissioner Tajani. Now ALDE will be on your side to tackle those problems!The link to the final report: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/files/top10report-final_en.pdf Coming up…In an earlier edition, we claimed that Munich was also the place for our next 'Boost SME' conference – but this will now take place 150 km north in Nürnberg! On the 9th of June, representatives of small and medium sized enterprises will discuss liberal SME politics with ALDE members. Hosted by FDP MEPs Nadja Hirsch and Jürgen Creutzmann panellists (a.o. Olle Schmidt, Philippe de Backer and the Bavarian minister for Economy Martin Zeil) will deal with the three main targets of our SME campaign (reverse side) and discuss the "Shortage of skilled workers, recognition of foreign qualifications, reconciliation of family and work, the integration of women into the labor market". For more information, please contact Karin Sauerteig.An overall boost for SMEs is appearing on the horizon. If the negotiations with the United States on a transatlantic free trade agreement succeed, both the EU and the US economies are expected to profit widely – and with them small and medium sized enterprises. As a first step the plenary is set to adopt its mandate for the negotiations on 23rd May.Read More Profiles of MEPs in the News Hans van Baalen (VVD, the Netherlands) Hans van Baalen was born on June 17th 1960 in Rotterdam. He studied International Law and International Relations at the Leyden University. He served in the Royal Netherlands Army and currently holds the rank of Reserve Colonel.Before entering politics, Mr. Van Baalen worked as a journalist and was director of Public Affairs Consultants Deloitte, Touche Tohmatsu. He was International Secretary of VVD and served as campaign manager to Frits Bolkestein and Gerrit Zalm in the 1998 and 2002 general elections. From 1999 to 2009 Van Baalen was Member of the Netherlands Parliament. He was Member of the European Convention and of the Parliamentary Assemblies of the Council of Europe and of NATO.Hans became a member of the European Parliament in 2009. He is also leader of the VVD delegation and a member of the ALDE bureau. In 2009 Van Baalen was elected President of Liberal International, the world federation of liberal political parties. In the European Parliament he is a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the ALDE co-ordinator for the Sub-Committee for Security and Defence. He is also Chairman of the Japan Delegation and a Member of the Delegations for relations with the United States and Afghanistan.On behalf of the ALDE group, Van Baalen is the shadow rapporteur for the Ukraine, Iceland and Belarus. He is actively involved in free trade issues (Japan, Latin America). As President of Liberal International he actively participates in ALDEPAC, ALDELAT, ALDECALD and the Arab Alliance for Freedom and Democracy (AAFD). Van Baalen will lead the VVD in the European elections in 2014.Hans van Baalen lives in the Hague with his wife Ineke Sybesma, (director of the Victim Support Fund in The Netherlands) and their young son Robert. For more information, please contact:ALDE Press Service and Inter-institutional relations unitneil.corlett@europarl.europa.euwillem.vandenbroucke@europarl.europa.euALDEJoin ALDE on FacebookFollow ALDE on TwitterEventsICT and Web Entrepreneurship: How to keep the creative class in the EU2013-06-06 EU Tax Free Zones: a tool against recession 2013-06-05 Russian Political Prisoners2013-06-05 Facing the paradox: ensuring skills and talents for European economic growth2013-06-05 ALDE SME Conference in Nürmberg2013-06-08 Videos Schaake Marietje 22 May plenary speech on EU trade and investment agreement negotiations Bowles Sharon 21 May plenary speech on Banking union single supervisory mechanism 75-7 . Harkin Marian 22 May plenary speech on Social pillar of the economic and monetary union Guy Verhofstadt May plenary speech on the the preparations for the European Council meeting Inevitable change for China – A testimony by Chen Guangcheng in the EP . Fiona Hall 20 May 2013 plenary speech on Report Herbert Reul Renewable energy in the EU ALDE Seminar: A Roadmap towards a Single Seat: Countdown to the 2014 European Parliament ElectionsLinksAlliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe – ALDE Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party – ALDE Party European Democratic Party – EDP Liberal International Friedrich Naumann Stiftung LYMEC European Parliament
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New Schnegen rules strengthen EU borders
Last night the European Parliament, Commission and Council reached an agreement on three major pieces of legislation within the framework of border management. Two of them lay down new Schengen governance rules by establishing an evaluati…
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Justice and Home Affairs,Immigration policy, Press Release,Civil Liberties,LIBE :: Civil Liberties	| Comments Off on New Schnegen rules strengthen EU borders
EU internal and external borders rules strengthened
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Justice and Home Affairs,Immigration policy, Press Release,Civil Liberties,LIBE :: Civil Liberties	| Comments Off on EU internal and external borders rules strengthened
Clear vehicle registration raises safety standards
The European Parliament's Transport committee voted today on three pieces of legislation – also known as "Roadworthiness Package" – enforcing new rules on standards on safety checks for all vehicles to improve both road safety and environ…
Posted in ALDE	| Tagged Press Release,,Transport,TRAN :: Transport and Tourism,Transport safety,Road	| Comments Off on Clear vehicle registration raises safety standards
Road safety: clear registration will ensure vehicles meet safety standards
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Customer Centricity
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By	Davin Wilfrid
Business leaders seem resigned to the negative effects of the so-called "war for talent." Employers, desperate for any advantage in a highly competitive age, focus tremendous energy (and money) filling up their hiring pipeline with talented people. Meanwhile, high performers in the organization slip out the side door for better opportunities and the cycle continues.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Wharton School professor Peter Cappelli puts it succinctly:
"Businesses have never done as much hiring as they do today. They've never spent as much money doing it. And they've never done a worse job of it."
Cappelli points to two main reasons companies are struggling:
Employers rarely promote from within — In the 1970s, 90% of vacancies were filled internally, whereas now few hiring managers even look internally.
Retention has gotten much more difficult — 95% of all hiring today is to fill existing positions.
Cappelli offers several remedies, including requiring internal job postings, getting more realistic about job requirements, and measuring the results of hiring practices.
We think organizations can do even more. And it starts with understanding why the "war for talent" is an inept metaphor that leads to bad business practices.
Wars, real or metaphorical, are defined by their scope — they are what has to be won. You can lose a battle but still win the war. The "war for talent" implies that the ultimate objective is to gather the best troops; an idea that is false in both military and business contexts. The objective of a business is not to win the war for talent — it is to win the war.
The "war for talent" implies that the ultimate objective is to gather the best troops; an idea that is false in both military and business contexts."
Successful business leaders are focused on driving outcomes, not stockpiling talent.
At Catalant, we've seen several forward-thinking companies rethink the relationship between strategy and talent. Rather than making marginal improvements to hiring practices and philosophies, these organizations improve total business performance by focusing on business agility.
Agility Goes Both Ways
The war for talent got a lot harder when things got better for employees. Even beyond the hot job market, today's employees have several advantages previous generations didn't, including remote work options and increased skills portability. This gives them agility — employees can more easily than ever change their work situation to better meet their goals.
Business agility is the perfect compliment to employee agility. Both want to deliver on important work. Both want to surmount obstacles like silos and dysfunction.
What is Business Agility?
Business agility means going as fast as possible without losing stability.
Take our Agility Benchmark assessment to see how you stack up to other organizations in your industry.
For senior leaders, business agility means focusing on execution. Simply defining goals and KPIs for the organization is not enough. Leaders need to fully understand the work to be done in order to properly allocate resources and support. The result is better business performance all the way around, from bottom line growth to retention.
Below are just a few examples of organizations we've seen focus on business agility to drive business performance.
Unilever Grows with Expanded Talent Pool
At Unilever, growing the bottom line meant thinking differently about how to access and deploy talent. The organization's BeResourceful initiative launched as a way to help business leaders in the organization get out of the war on talent and into a more flexible, modular strategy that leveraged talent bases outside the organization. So far the results include:
An initiative in Pakistan to develop a new product to guarantee ice cream delivery in 10 minutes or less. The initiative included a hackathon with over 350 ideas, plus a partnership with a logistics company that developed a dedicated AI platform for the product. The result was an additional 1% growth in the 1 billion Euro market.
An effort to launch five new beauty products in Indonesia with limited marketing support. By filling the gap with temporary marketing talent accessed through the Catalant platform, the division was able to successfully launch all five new products in 9 months or fewer.
An initiative in China to market a shampoo brand to millennials. With few millennial workers on the team, Unilever created a crowdsourcing campaign that helped create a successful new campaign in only two months.
Learn More: How Unilever Powers Growth with Customer Centricity
Agile organizations are able to…
Make decisions 3x faster
Develop products 5x faster
Source: Leading agile transformation: The new capabilities leaders need
to build 21st-century organizations, Mckinsey
Anheuser-Busch InBev Takes a Fresh Look at Internal Talent
Rethinking the war on talent doesn't necessarily mean looking to supplement in-house talent with external talent. In the case of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the focus on business agility meant finding new ways to identify and access the right skills for the company's key business initiatives.
To combat disruption, Anheuser-Busch InBev sought to disrupt itself. For example, in 2015 the company launched ZX Ventures with the mission to fund and support potentially disruptive ideas both inside and outside of the company. The initiative was part of a broader effort to tap into the best resources and ideas, and to move quickly to close the gap between strategy and execution.
"We have over 200,000 people in our company. Most of the expertise, most of the knowledge that we are looking for in the market, we already have," says Fabio Kapitanovas, VP of People and Management at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
To encourage leaders in the organization to think more flexibly about aligning talent to strategy, the organization is also changing compensation models to encourage dynamic re-prioritizing of critical projects rather than static annual goals.
"We have over 200,000 people in our company. Most of the expertise, most of the knowledge that we are looking for in the market, we already have."
– Fabio Kapitanovas, VP of People and Management, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Shell's Innovation Exploration
At Shell, a highly volatile market landscape led the organization to rethink nearly everything about how it executed on strategy. The company had grown to be one of the largest oil & gas companies in the world, but pressure from climate change and digital disruption meant change was in order.
"We realized we needed to do a lot more commercial innovation, and started to look at what that meant. And we realized that meant a lot of experimentation, digital innovation, incubating ideas. We recognized pretty quickly we were not set up with the resources and talent to actually drive that."
To address the challenge, Missen and her colleagues set out to test new ways of driving innovation. One of the first projects they launched was a reverse mentoring initiative, in which the team identified 50 people within Shell who were qualified to help senior leaders understand different aspects of digital innovation (eventually 8 of the 50 were selected to participate). Missen says the initiative showed them how limited job titles are when searching for specific capabilities for a defined project.
"What was interesting was that these people came from all parts of the organization, and very few of them were working in what we'd call digital roles. Most of them were pretty junior in the organization and they were hidden," says Missen.
The success of that project sparked a larger initiative within Shell to think differently about how it could close the gap between strategy and execution by quickly aligning new projects to strategies, accessing and allocating the right people and capabilities to those projects, and tying the results of those projects to business value.
Using Catalant as a platform for tracking and organizing projects as well as the skills and interests of its employees, the Downstream Commercial business started by encouraging people to use their discretionary time (about 20% of their total work time) to work on projects throughout the organization. The "Opportunity Hub," as Shell calls it, has already started to pay dividends. In one case, Missen says, an employee in Houston was able to produce real results on an eight week supply chain sustainability project after locating an employee with the right skill set working in a manufacturing plant near Cairo, Egypt.
"We absolutely believed that this is one of the things that's going to change our company," she says. "People love the fact that they get access to opportunities and projects they had no visibility into in the past."
We're looking at how we can efficiently access and use the diverse talent we already have in Shell." – Caroline Missen
Read about Shell's Opportunity Hub in the Wall Street Journal
About Catalant
Catalant started as an expert marketplace to help businesses find expert freelancers to augment skills they didn't have in-house. Since then we've partnered with organizations like Unilever, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Shell to provide a software platform for prioritizing and organizing important initiatives, quickly accessing the best people for the right work (regardless of their title, function, or even company), and making better business decisions.
Find out how Catalant helps companies like Shell, Unilever, and Anheuser-Busch InBev drive better business outcomes.
Is It Time to Rethink the War for Talent?2019-06-242019-07-16https://gocatalant.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/catalant_logo_on_light_tagline_right.svgCatalanthttps://gocatalant.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/hiring-shaking-hands_istock-931508808_2100x890.jpg200px200px
Davin Wilfrid
Davin Wilfrid is the Director of Content Marketing for Catalant Technologies. In his spare time, he builds terrible-sounding instruments.


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GOP, Dems both unveil debt plans; Obama to TV
DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a fresh outbreak of brinkmanship, first Republicans, then Democrats drafted rival fallback legislation Monday to avert a potentially devastating government default in little more than a week.
President Barack Obama readied a prime-time nationally televised speech on short notice amid the gridlock. One official said he would call for compromise.
The official said Obama would quote Ronald Reagan — a hero to many conservatives — who said during his presidency that failure to raise the debt ceiling would do "incalculable damage."
Underscoring the dramatic standoff, several networks agreed to carry rebuttal remarks afterward by House Speaker John Boehner.
Despite warnings to the contrary, U.S. financial markets have appeared to take the political maneuvering in stride — so far. Wall Street posted losses Monday but with no indication of panic among investors.
Without signed legislation by day's end on Aug. 2, the Treasury will be unable to pay all its bills, possibly triggering an unprecedented default that officials warn could badly harm a national economy struggling to recover from the worst recession in decades.
Obama wants legislation that will raise the nation's debt limit by at least $2.4 trillion in one vote, enough to avoid a recurrence of the acrimonious current struggle until after the 2012 elections.
Republicans want a two-step process that would require a second vote in the midst of a campaign for control of the White House and both houses of Congress.
There were concessions from both sides embedded in the competing legislation, but they were largely obscured by the partisan rhetoric of the day.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky urged Obama to shift his position rather than "veto the country into default."
And Reid jabbed at tea party-backed Republicans who make up a significant portion of the House GOP rank and file. The Nevada Democrat warned against allowing "these extremists" to dictate the country's course.
The measure Boehner and the GOP leadership drafted in the House called for spending cuts and an increase in the debt limit to tide the Treasury over until sometime next year. A second increase in borrowing authority would hinge on approval of additional spending cuts sometime during the election year.
Across the Capitol, Reid wrote legislation that drew the president's backing, praise from House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi — and criticism from Republicans.
By design or not, the two sides' harsh remarks obscured concessions that narrowed the differences among the nation's political leaders as they groped for a way to resolve the economic crisis.
With their revised plan, House Republicans backed off an earlier insistence on $6 trillion in spending cuts to raise the debt limit.
And Obama jettisoned his longstanding call for increased government revenues as part of any deficit reduction plan.
Pending the president's televised speech, the White House also declined repeatedly to say whether Obama would veto the revised House measure.
White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer called the proposal "not a serious attempt to avert default because it has no chance of passing the Senate."
Not all Republicans were happy with their leadership's decision to scale back legislation that had cleared the House last week, only to die in the Senate.
Among House conservatives who have provided the political muscle for the Republican drive to cut spending, the revised legislation was a disappointment. "I cannot support the plan," said Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, one of the leading advocates of legislation that cleared the House last week and died in the Senate.
But two rank-and-file Republicans said their constituents were voicing concerns other than the rising federal debt.
Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., said his office is getting calls from constituents saying, "If I don't get my Social Security check, it's your fault."
Rep. Tom Reed, a New York freshman, said many of his constituents are telling him to stand firm in his drive to cut spending. "But I will admit there's some anxiety in the district" about Social Security and other programs, he added.
As Boehner readied his legislation, Senate Democratic leaders called a news conference to announce their own next steps.
The Democrats' measure would cut $2.7 trillion in federal spending and raise the debt limit by $2.4 trillion in one step — enough borrowing authority to meet Obama's bottom-line demand.
The cuts include $1.2 trillion from across a range of hundreds of government programs and $1 trillion in savings assumed to derive from the end of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Boehner ridiculed the $1 trillion in war savings as gimmicky, but in fact, they were contained in the budget the House passed earlier in the year.
The legislation also assumes creation of a special joint congressional committee to recommend additional savings with a guaranteed vote by Congress by the end of 2011.
Yet in the maneuvering it appeared another of the president's long-held conditions appeared to be in danger of rejection.
Neither Boehner's measure nor the one Reid was drafting included additional revenue, according to officials in both parties.
In addition to a two-step approach to raising the debt limit, the House measure would require lawmakers in both houses to vote later this year on a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced federal budget.
An earlier bill, passed in the House last week but then scuttled in the Senate, would have required Congress to approve an amendment and send it to the states for ratification.
That same bill would have made $6 trillion in spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit.
Obama promised to veto that bill even before the House voted on it.
Each side offered accounts of secret maneuvering designed to put the other side in a poor light.
Democratic officials said Obama called Boehner on Saturday night, one day after the collapse of compromise talks, and offered to reduce his demand for new tax revenue by $400 billion.
In return, Obama said that he wanted Republicans to abandon their demand to cancel parts of the year-old health care law if future deficit cuts did not materialize.
This official said Boehner rejected the proposal on Sunday.
Republicans disputed that account — and offered one of their own.
In their version of events, Reid agreed on Sunday night to a two-step approach to raising the debt limit that Obama has rejected.
Democrats denied it.
None of the officials involved would agree to be quoted by name.


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TV2 Séf (dawniej: Chili TV, LiChi TV) – węgierski kanał telewizyjny o tematyce gastronomicznej. Został uruchomiony w 2016 r. jako Chili TV; w 2018 r. zmienił nazwę na LiChi TV; od 2020 r. funkcjonuje pod nazwą TV2 Séf.

Przypisy

Linki zewnętrzne
 Oficjalna strona kanału

Węgierskie stacje telewizyjne
Węgierskojęzyczne stacje telewizyjne


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Draper Scores Hat Trick As Brave Defeat Ice Dogs
May 26, 2019 jsbajada Game Review 0
SYDNEY – Jordan Draper scored a hat trick and two goals to Brayden Low helped in the CBR Brave comeback win over the Sydney Ice Dogs 6-4 at the Macquarie Ice Rink on Saturday evening.
Draper scored his first goal at 17:45 of the third period, with Bayley Kubara and Brayden Low picking up the assists. Draper scored his second goal, a short handed goal, at 14:18 of the third period, with Brayden Low and Hayden Dawes picking up the assists. Draper's third goal came at 0:28 of the third period unassisted.
The first goal for Low, a power play goal, was scored at 8:23 of the third period, with Andreas Camenzind and Wehebe Darge picking up the assists. Low's second goal, the game winning goal, came at 4:04 of the third period, with Hayden Dawes getting the assist.
Hayden Dawes got two assists for two points.
Paul Crowder's first goal for the Ice Dogs came at 8:04 of the second period, with Aiden Sillato and Dylan Manierka-Quaile picking up the assists. The second goal for Crowder, a power play goal, was scored at 15:23 of the third period, with Aiden Sillato and Tim Crowder picking up the assists.
Tim Crowder scored one goal and one assist for two points.
Alex Tetreault was the winning goalie for CBR Brave, making 16 saves on 20 shots, for a Save Percentage of 0.800. Garrett Bartus was the losing goalie for Sydney Ice Dogs, making 39 saves on 45 shots, for a Save Percentage of 0.867.
Annesley Scores Two As Bears Win Over Adrenaline In Overtime
Game Preview: Melbourne Ice vs Newcastle Northstars


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Ełektron T5L64 – tramwaj wytwarzany od 2013 roku w 80% w ukraińskich zakładach, a w 20% przy pomocy partnerów zagranicznych.

Pierwszy egzemplarz został zbudowany na zlecenie miasta Lwowa. Oferty w przetargu otwarto 5 lipca 2012 roku, a umowę w tej sprawie podpisano 24 lipca. Tramwaj został zbudowany jako pięcioczłonowy, w 100% niskopodłogowy. Pojazd wyposażono w system odzyskiwania energii w trakcie hamowania oraz klimatyzację przedziału pasażerskiego. Tramwaj może być wytwarzany w wersji dla torowisk o rozstawie szyn równym 1000, 1435 i 1524 mm. Pierwszy egzemplarz został wyprodukowany w wersji dla torowiska 1000 mm. Tramwaj trafił do eksploatacji 1 lipca 2013 roku, zainteresowanie zakupem wstępnie wyraziły władze Eupatorii i Kaliningradu.

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 Ełektron T19

Wagony tramwajowe Ełektron


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Interview with Catherine – A South African expat living in Calgary
Catherine is a South African expat who moved to Calgary in 2019 with her husband and two children. She says it's been a wonderful adventure and she enjoys sharing her experiences on her blog, Cape Town to Calgary. In her interview with Expat Arrivals, Catherine tells us about the ups and downs of her new life in Canada.
Read more about expat life in our Expat Arrivals Canada country guide.
About Catherine
A: South Africa
Q: Where are you currently living?
A: Calgary, Canada
Q: When did you move here?
A: 2019
Q: Is this your first expat experience?
A: Yes, this is my first expat experience, but my husband lived in Canada before.
Q: Did you move here alone or with a spouse/family?
A: I moved here with my husband and two children.
Q: Why did you move?
A: We moved to Canada in search of a more secure future for our family, for the adventure and the new experiences of living abroad.
Living in Calgary
Q: What do you enjoy most about Calgary? How would you rate the quality of life compared to South Africa?
A: I love the small-town feel of Calgary and the fact that we are so close to the Rocky Mountains. Calgary is a very family-friendly city and there is a great community feel. There are also so many wonderful things to do and places to explore, and we especially love all the outdoor spaces – parks, woods, walking and bike paths.
We had a great quality of life in South Africa, and we lived in the winelands region so we loved getting out and about to the vineyards and the beach. Calgary also offers a wonderful quality of life, and while we no longer have the vineyards and beach, there are so many more places to explore. We definitely feel much safer here – while there is crime, it's mostly petty in nature and it's not unusual to see people leave their garages wide open all day or kids leave their bikes and toys laying in the front yard.
Q: Any negative experiences?
A: Overall, our expat experience in Canada has been very positive and we have enjoyed our time here. The only real challenge I experienced in the beginning was driving – Calgary drivers can be quite aggressive and the roads are an endless construction site. We had to redo our diver's tests here as our South African drivers were not recognised, and this was quite stressful as there are lots of new rules to learn and cars drive on the other side of the road here.
A: The biggest adjustments here involved the drastically different climate. Coming from sunny South Africa to snowy Canada can be quite a shock to the system. Winters are very cold and with the snow you need lots of layers, jackets, mittens and boots, and this was a huge adjustment for our kids, who were used to running around barefoot most of the year. It's also quite a challenge to learn to drive safely in the winter conditions.
Houses are also very different here – they are not hidden behind high walls and fences and having our front door and garage open right onto the road took some getting used to for these safety-conscious South Africans.
We haven't experienced any major culture shock, but there are still some days where we may have said or done something that a Canadian didn't understand and vice versa, and it made for an awkward moment. But overall, we have adjusted quite easily to the way of life here.
Q: What's the cost of living compared to home? Is there anything particularly expensive or particularly cheap in Canada?
A: The cost of living in Calgary is high compared to back home, but it's all relative once you start earning a Canadian salary. Housing is quite reasonable, and pretty much on par, if not cheaper than what we would have paid in Cape Town. Food is expensive, especially meat. Fresh produce is also expensive and not always the best quality – we really miss the beautiful fresh South African produce. Cars are affordable and gas is cheap, but insurance is exorbitant. Schooling and healthcare are free, although dental, optometry and medicines are not included under Alberta Health, and they are expensive. However, most companies offer their employees health benefits to help cover these costs.
Q: How would you rate the public transport in Calgary? What is your most memorable experience of using your city's transport system?
A: Calgary has an extensive public transport system consisting of an integrated system of trains and buses. For the most part, they run efficiently, and we usually use the train if we want to go into downtown. If we go anywhere else, we use our own car. While I feel safe, it can be a bit dodgy sitting at the train station in downtown at night as there are often unsavoury characters wondering around looking for drugs. There have been some interesting characters on my train rides, including a man who hopped on with his shopping cart of all his worldly possessions and another who played his reggae music and sang along on max volume on a packed rush-hour train.
Q: How would you rate the healthcare in Calgary? Have you had any particularly good/bad experiences with regards to doctors and hospitals? Are there any hospitals you would recommend?
A: Calgary has an excellent healthcare system and we have only had positive experiences. My husband and daughter had an accident that required medical attention and the paramedics were there within minutes. They were taken to Foothills Hospital where they received great care.
The health system works differently here to what we are used to – you have to have a family doctor (GP) who is your go-to for all health needs. You can't see a specialist directly and if you do need a specialist you need to get a referral from your family doctor. In order to find a doctor you have to set up an appointment with a doctor to meet each other and decide if you like each other. The doctor has the right to decide that they don't want to be your family doctor – we found this really strange. Fortunately, we have found a lovely family doctor, who happens to also be South African.
Q: What are the biggest safety issues facing expats living in Calgary? Are there any areas expats should avoid?
A: Overall, Calgary is a safe city and the majority of crime here is petty in nature, such as car break-ins. I feel safe pretty much everywhere I go and am not afraid to walk home from the train station late at night – the only thing I need to worry about are the coyotes that wander the streets.
Drugs are a major and devastating problem here, especially among the youth, and many of the petty crimes are related to this. It's not uncommon to see drug deals taking place on a downtown street corner or young people shooting up on the sidewalk. There is also some gang activity, which is mostly concentrated in the city's northeast.
Q: How do you rate the standard of housing in Calgary? What different options are available for expats?
A: There are many different options when it comes to housing in Calgary, including freestanding/detached houses, townhouses and condos/apartments. Every neighbourhood has a good selection of different housing and something for every budget. We live in a detached house with a back deck and small yard. A feature we particularly love about our house is the finished basement, which adds a lot more living room to the house.
Q: Any areas or suburbs you'd recommend for expats to live in?
A: Where an expat wants to live will depend a lot on their lifestyle and family situation. Young expats who don't have kids should consider living closer to downtown where there are great restaurants and entertainment options. It's also close to the Bow River, which has great walking paths and parks for picnics. Those with families will likely head to the suburbs, of which there are so many to choose from. Great family areas include Tuscany and Scenic Acres in the north west, and Signal Hill, Sundance, Somerset, Bridlewood and Silverado in the south.
Meeting people and making friends in Calgary
Q: How tolerant are the locals of foreigners? Is there obvious discrimination against any particular groups? Have you ever experienced discrimination in Calgary?
A: Calgary is a very multicultural city and there is a general underlying culture of respect for other people and their differences in Canada. However, this doesn't mean that discrimination doesn't happen. While we, as immigrants, haven't experienced any negativity, we do occasionally see news reports about people who have been victims of racism or discrimination.
Q: Was meeting people and making friends easy? How did you go about meeting new people?
A: We haven't struggled to meet people. Before moving to Calgary, I had networked quite a lot with South Africans already living in the city, so before we arrived, we already knew a few people and managed to connect with them in person once we arrived. Some of whom we have become good friends with. We have also tried to get involved in our community, the school and church, but this has become quite difficult in the current climate of Covid, with many things shut down.
Q: Have you made friends with locals or do you mix mainly with other expats? What advice would you give to new expats looking to make friends with the locals?
A: Our friends are a mix of Canadians and fellow expats. Initially, when we arrived, we tended to mostly hang out with other South Africans, but once we started to get more involved in life here, we met more Canadians. Having children has definitely helped with this, as we have made friends with some lovely families from all over the world through the school.
You need to get involved in your community here and integrate into Canadian life as much as possible. I see it over and over again, how South Africans come here and only hang out with other South Africans. It's really not a healthy situation. It is definitely easier to be close to those who come from your own country, but this sense of familiarity can prevent you from truly making the most of life here and integrating fully.
Working in Calgary
Q: Was getting a work permit or visa a relatively easy process? Did you tackle the visa process yourself, or did you enlist the services of an immigration consultant?
A: We came to Canada via the Express Entry system, which is a skilled, points-based system, which grants permanent residence. The process itself is not difficult, but it is long and time consuming. We worked with an agent, but in hindsight we realise what a complete waste of money this was – we could definitely have done the whole process ourselves. The only time I would recommend an agent or immigration lawyer is if you have a complicated case that may require more documents or involve additional procedures.
Q: What is the economic climate in the city like? Do you have any tips for expats looking to find a job? Which resources did you find most useful?
A: The economy in Calgary is not great at the moment. Alberta has suffered a double-whammy with the falling oil prices and Covid, which have contributed to massive layoffs, unemployment and economic losses across the province. It's not impossible to find a job, but it may be challenging. Expats need to network as much as possible, and those who really want to move here may have to take a job a few steps lower on the corporate ladder and build their way back up again. Good places to look for jobs are Indeed and LinkedIn.
Family and children in Calgary
Q: How has your spouse or partner adjusted to your new home?
A: Both of us have adjusted to life here really well, although I will admit that I have experienced a bit more homesickness lately.
Q: Did your children settle in easily? What were the biggest challenges for them during the move?
A: It's been a huge adjustment for our children and it's taken a long time for them to settle. They were taken away from everyone and everything they had ever known to a foreign land where the climate, people and pretty much everything, was so different. Initially, it was a big struggle to deal with their fluctuating emotions and adversity to change, but we can say now that they have finally settled and we are so proud of how they have grown and matured in the last few months.
Q: What are your favourite family attractions and activities in Calgary?
A: There is so much to enjoy as a family in Calgary and we have really enjoyed getting out and exploring. Each neighbourhood has outdoor parks and ice rinks that are free to use, and we enjoy walking to one of these on the weekend. The bike paths and forested areas in and around the city are also great for getting outdoors as a family and being in nature – if you're lucky you'll also spot some of the beautiful wildlife that roam freely, including deer, moose, squirrels, hares, beavers and even coyotes and bears.
Q: What are the schools like, any particular suggestions?
A: Calgary has an excellent education system and parents will have a wide variety of options when it comes their kids' schooling. Public schools consist of the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School Board schools, and there are also a range of private schools. No matter which option you choose, kids will get a good education. Our children go to our local public school and we are quite happy with the school.
Q: Is there any advice you would like to offer new expat arrivals to Canada?
A: Immigration is a massive leap of faith and it's not an easy journey, but you just need to keep going. Always remember your 'why' for doing it. It's a big adjustment and you need to embrace the changes – you need to realise you are moving to a new country, and you can't expect that life will ever be the same again. You need to have realistic expectations about this and be patient with yourself and your partner and family – you will all experience it differently, and that's okay. Be excited, research your new country and all the wonderful things you can enjoy there, rather than focus on what you may be leaving behind.
Embrace it, have fun and enjoy all the new experiences. It's not easy, but it will most definitely be worth it!
►Interviewed in January 2021
►Learn more about Moving to Calgary


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Last Trip to a Museum in 2012 - The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism at De Young Museum in San Francisco
My museum visits in this year (2012) have been greatly augmented by my trips to China, Austria and Italy in May and October, especially the one to Europe, which I have sporadically discussed in my previous blog entries.
Yesterday, 30 December 2012, I returned to De Young Museum in San Francisco for The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, on the very last day of the exhibit, of which The De Young Museum website informed us was "A selection of major works from the William S. Paley Collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.. A pioneering figure in the modern entertainment, communication and news industries, Mr. Paley (1901–1990) was a founder of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), and a dedicated philanthropist and patron of the arts. The Paley Collection, which includes paintings, sculpture and drawings, ranges in date from the late 19th century through the early 1970s. Particularly strong in French Post-Impressionism and Modernism, the collection includes multiple works by Paul Cezanne, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso, as well as significant works by Edgar Degas, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, Andre Derain, Georges Rouault and artists of the Nabis School such as Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard."
It was an astonishingly rich collection and one highlight succeeded another. Though I've seen most of them in New York's MOMA, it was wonderful to see them again, in our home museum. Amongst those wonderful works, I particularly love these below:
The Seed of the Areoi, 1892, Paul Gauguin
Strawberries, c 1905, Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Milk Can and Apples (1879-80), Paul Cezanne
Reclining Nude, 1897, Pierre Bonnard
Two Dancers, 1905, Edgar Degas
Mme Lili Grenier, 1888, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Woman with a Veil, c 1907, Henri Matisse
Seated Woman with a Vase of Amaryllis, 1941, Henri Matisse
Odalisque with a Tambourine, Henri Matisse
Boy Leading a Horse, 1905-06, Pablo Picasso
Still Life with Guitar, 1920, Pablo Picasso
Portrait of Ambroise Vollard, 1925, Georges Rouault
Oasis (Mirage), 1944, Georges Rouault
I also stopped by to see another special exhibit: Rudolf Nureyev: A Life in Dance, which featured photos, video clips and costumes of the great dancer, overwhelming in its opulence and extravagance with a tint of vulgarity, redeemed by his unapologetic conviction.
Posted by Matthew Felix Sun at 10:21 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ballet, Bonnard, Cezanne, Dancer, Danseur, De Young Museum, Degas, Matisse, MOMA, Nureyev, Painting, Picasso, Renoir, Rouault, San Francisco, Toulouse-Lautrec, William S. Paley
Colorblindness and Congested Nose
Recently, I read an article online on a Chinese newspaper, Global Times, speculating that the great Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh's unique vision might be due to his possible colorblindness. The theory was hypothesized by a Japanese medical scientist, Kazunori Asada. It published several photos of Van Gogh's original painting and filtered version of them, simulating what colorblind people would see, and several scenery photos as well, both "normal" and "colorblind" versions.
Further search online yielded a more comprehensive article, Was Vincent van Gogh Colorblind?, which gives a fuller account of Asada's research:
Kazunori Asada, a Japanese medical scientist, has hypothesized that Vincent van Gogh was colorblind — a theory that would explain the artist's use of clashing, often discordant colors.
Asada was incited to explore the theory after visiting a "Color Vision Experience Room" in Hokkaido, which provides visitors with the opportunity to experience vision as a colorblind person does.
To test his theory, Asada used a piece of software that filters light to simulate various degrees of colorblindness. Asada settled on a midrange spectrum deficiency to apply to several of van Gogh's paintings, a process which subtly but significantly changed the overall color effect of each work: the reds became softer, the blues less notable, and the yellows muted to the point of drab.
Kyle Chayka at BLOUIN Artinfo challenges the theory, reminding Asada that one of the commonalities among Post-Impressionist artists, including Paul Gauguin and André Derain, was an "unorthodox" pairing of colors.
Furthermore, I found a Tumblr blog by Kazunori Asada, The Day I Saw Van Gogh's Genius in a New Light, where the scientist pointed out that the simulated view of Van Gogh's paintings were actually closer to "normal" vision:
Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)
Below are those scenery photos from Global Times as mentioned in the beginning of this blog post. Again, the right column images are of the simulated colorblind vision:
These are very interesting images. For those scenery pictures, I actually prefer the "colorblind version" for their otherworldly poetic atmosphere.
However, I cannot deny that those pictures are only shadows of the real thing and miss a huge dimension. This realization in turn reminded me of an intense experience I had recently regarding olfactory sense.
One day, despite struggling with a cold, I made a chicken stew, with a large array of spices. Through my congested nose, I was satisfied with the lovely smell emitted from the stove top. A nice stew of intense flavor and smell. Satisfied.
Yet, not until midnight that I realized what I had smelled earlier was only a shadow of the reality.
In the middle of night, my nose suddenly got cleared up and an ever more intense smell of delicious cooking crashed into my bedroom and every cell of my body was stirred by the fortissimo olfactory symphony. The flavors danced and clashed in the air and I was both amazed and irritated, thinking that one of my neighbors must be cooking in the ungodly hour. Slowly, with my head got clearer, I realized that it was the remaining smell of my own chicken stew, prepared several hours earlier, from my very own kitchen.
It was a very strange experience. Yes, while cooking, I knew my stew smelled great. Only later that I realized I was only smelling the shadow of it. What glory the reality was, comparing to some filtered ones! By extension, our little understanding of the universe we live in is only the shadow of shadow of shadow, perhaps. And that's very optimistic.
Labels: Colorblind, Cooking, Olfactory, Science, Sense, Van Gogh, Vision
Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele in Wien (Vienna)
Though I have always been drawn to Northern and Central European artists, such as those from Germany and Netherlands, before my recent trip to Vienna, Austrian artists, beside Oska Kokoschka, hadn't made much impression on me, though I was not aware of other leading figures, such as Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) and Egon Schiele (1890-1918).
Of these two, I was more familiar with Klimt, largely due to the broadly-reported lawsuit over his painting, Adele Bloch-Bauer I, which eventually was transferred from Belvedere, Austria to the heir to its original Jewish owner, then was sold to Neue Galerie, New York, and there I saw the painting in 2010, along with Klimt's Bildnes Baronin Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt (Portrait of Baroness Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt). During the same trip, in New York MOMA, I also saw Klimt's Hope, II. Egon Schiele was fuzzier to me.
Adele Bloch-Bauer I, Gustav Klimt, 1907, Neue Galerie New York
Bildnes Baronin Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt (Portrait of Baroness Elisabeth Bachofen-Echt), Gustav Klimt, c. 1914, Neue Galerie New York
Hope, II, 1907-08, Gustav Klimt, Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York City
In October, I re-visited Vienna, Austria, where the 150th anniversary of Gustav Klimt was being celebrated by practically every important art museum, therefore my survey of his oeuvre became more comprehensive and I had much better understanding of Klimt.
In the meanwhile, the new museums I visited during that second trip to Vienna, mostly concentrating on Austrian art, brought me to the presence of another great Austrian artist, Egon Schiele and he instantaneously became one of my favorite artists.
Both Klimt and Schiele represented perfectly their time and place, with the older Klimt, the epitome of eroticism and decadence, the excess of fin de siècle, thoroughly bourgeois, and the younger Schiele, the comprehensive fear of the end of the century and the clear and present doom to come, despite his occasional Tiffany lamp styled, innocent enough landscapes and townscapes.
Since Klimt was the of the founding members and president of the Wiener Sezession (Vienna Secession) in 1897, it is fitting to start my discussion from a trip to Secession Building (Wiener Secessionsgebäude).
Secession (Wiener Secessionsgebäude), Wien
The center piece of Klimt celebration in this rather modest museum was the Beethoven Frieze, loaned from Upper Belvedere, after Richard Wagner's interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with an overall length of 34.14 m (long walls 13.92 m each, front wall 6.30 m), and height of 2.15 - 2.00 m. There was a fascinating video of the restoration process of this rather delicate, and "temporary" work. There was a replica of a section of it for viewers to exam very closely. For the real thing, one could see it in reasonably close range, on raised platform, mounted on top of a specially built room to its specific dimensions, covering all four sides of the wall. The dominant theme was love or lust and the overwhelming color was gold. This series was heavy with symbols yet I felt it was a bit underwhelmed, despite its visual dazzle.
Beethoven Frieze restoration video, Secession, Wien
Beethoven Frieze copy, Secession, Wien
For more permanent murals by Klimt, one should go to Burgtheater and Kunsthistorisches Museum. I did spent a night at Burgtheater for a play by Herinch von Kleist - Der Prinz von Homburg, but we missed the entrance to the grand staircase adored with Klimt's murals before the show and it was closed afterward. No intermission to exploit. We were able, however, to see some of his drawings on the wall, just outside the auditorium. Without the glittery colors he loved to employ, one could appreciate more of his draftsmanship but they didn't have the hallmarks of a Klimt and definitely was not as satisfying.
Burgtheater, Wien
Klimt Drawing, Burgtheater, Wien
The great art museum Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna celebrated Klimt with another raised platform, granting viewers a close look to Klimt murals dressed in their most splendid colors. The theme was aptly called "Face to Face with Gustav Klimt". His figures, confined in the niches, were quite like late medieval to early Renaissance paintings, stylized, otherworldly and absolutely enchanting. They bore less obvious hallmark of Klimt we generally attributed to him - free-flowing sumptuousness. Here, they were tightly controlled. Very classical.
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
Face to Face with Gustav Klimt, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien
Klimt's more signature paintings could be seen in two museums specializing in Austrian arts: Oberes Belvedere (Upper Belvedere) and Leopold Museum. These two museums, particularly Leopold, also boasted a stunning collection of Egon Schiele.
Oberes Belvedere and Fountain, Wien
Klimt's paintings in Oberes Belvedere bore all the familiar traits of his; even his landscape had an unfettered sensuality, which was the hallmark of its epoch of self-expression and self-indulgence, of Freud.
Allee im Park vor Schloß Kammer, Gustav Klimt, um 1902, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
His figure, particularly those female nudes, such as Eve (Eva) and Judith below, seemed live in the time and space utterly outside the domain implied by their respective titles. They were confident, seductive and overtly sensual. The juxtaposition of endless arrays of colors and patterns were dazzling. However, the overwhelming compote induced a sensation verging at nauseating.
Adam und Eve, Gustav Klimt, 1917-18, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Braut, Gustav Klimt, 1918, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Judith, Gustav Klimt,
Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Wasserschlangen, Gustav Klimt,
1904-07,
Oberes Belvedere, Wien (public domain)
Kuss, Gustav Klimt, 1907-08, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
After Klimt, the symbol of sumptuousness and sensuality of Fin de siècle and Viennese Secession, Egon Schiele's paintings of expressionism school, collected by the same Oberes Belvedere, Wien, were nitty-gritty reality, viewed through a personal lens, with a man whose creative height coincided with the brutal World War I. Even his quite becalming landscapes and townscapes had an unsettled feeling, and later in years, such as his 1917 Vier Bäume, a color scheme reminding viewers of bloodshed, despite and because of its undeniably beauty and certain nauseatingly sweetness.
Fensterwand (Hauswand), Egon Schiele, 1914, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Vier Bäume, Egon Schiele, 1917, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Move on to his figure paintings, one was flooded by the survey of resigned hopelessness, yearning desire for life and love in adversary, and utter despair. Here were the manifests of tragedy of human race.
Mutter mit zwei Kindern III (Mutter III), Egon Schiele, 1915-17, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Familie (Kauerndes Menschenpaar), Egon Schiele, 1918, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Tod und Mädchen, Egon Schiele, 1915, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Umarmung (Liebespaar II, Mann und Frau), Egon Schiele, 1917, Oberes Belvedere, Wien
Astonishingly, Leopold Museum provided even more comprehensive survey of Egon Schiele, along with a few canvases of Gustav Klimt.
Leopold Museu, Wien
The Klimt paintings in Leopold were early works, in the realism tradition, though not without the keen psychological observation in its portraits.
Gustav Klimt, Leopold Museum, Wien
Leopold Museum did have one of his later works, a masterpiece, Tod und Leben (Death and Life), which seemed combined the outlandish surface beauty of his own, and the depressing pessimism from his younger peer, Egon Schiele.
Tod und Leben, 1910, Gustav Klimt, Leopold Museum, Wien
However, no one could outdo Egon Schiele in the province of unmitigable sadness and despair, demonstrated by his seemingly innocent landscapes and townscapes, seductive femme fatales, and the most wrenching group portraits. He became my new hero, who had an unflinching look at misery and death.
Speaking of death, a sad note was that both Klimt and Schiele died in 1918, of the great influenza after World War I. Death had never been far away from frivolity.
Leopold Museum, Wien
Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum, Wien
Der Häuserbogen II (,,Inselstadt''), 1915, Schiele, Leopold Museum
Kalvarienberg, 1912, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Versinkende Sonne, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
,,Rabenlandschaft'', 1911, Schiele, Wien 1900, Leopold Museum
Die Kleine Stadt II, 1912-13, Schiele, Wien 1900, Leopold Museum
Bildnis Wally Neuzil, 1912, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum, Wien
Trauernde Frau, 1912, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Sitzender Männerakt (Selbstdarstellung), 1910, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum, Wien
,,Die Eremiten'', 1912, Egon Schiele, Leopold Mueum, Wien
Rückenansicht eines weiblichen Halbaktes mit Tuch (Fragment), 1913, Schiele
Rückenansicht eines weiblichen Halbaktes mit Tuch (Fragment) (details), 1913, Schiele
Blinde Mutter, 1914, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Mutter mit zwei Kindern II, 1915, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Drei stehende Frauen (Fragment), 1918, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Kardinal und Nonne, Egon Schiele, Leopold Museum
Liebssatt, 1915, Egon Schiele, Wien 1900, Leopold Museum
- Magnificent Churches in Vienna
- Naked Audience for Naked Men Exhibit at Leopold Museum, Vienna
- Angelic and Evil - Bunkerei and Palais Augarten in Augarten, Vienna
Label: Austria, Austria and Italy Trip 2012
Labels: Austria, Austria and Italy Trip 2012, Belvedere, Burgtheater, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, Klimt, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Leopold Museum, Schiele, Secession Museum, Vienna, Wien
Last Trip to a Museum in 2012 - The William S. Pal...
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