A picture that was in the news the other day about a crowded beach in Albania.. Unbelievable. I hope people dont mix up their umbrellas and towels..
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Where is the beach?
A picture that was in the news the other day about a crowded beach in Albania.. Unbelievable. I hope people dont mix up their umbrellas and towels..
Letters to Vanessa
A fascinating book I am reading right now, called Letters to Vanessa by Jeremy Hayward,
Letters to Vanessa is the guidebook for a generation caught in the crunch between the hard realities of science and the genuine yearning for an experience of the sacred. In a series of letters addressed to his teenage daughter, Dr. Hayward points the way past the limits of science and shows how we can connect with the magical, multidimensional universe of soul. Along the way he presents the most recent findings of neuroscience, cognitive psychology, new biology, and physics in a most engaging and understandable way. He also provides practical meditation instructions that will enable everyone to reconnect with the joyous reality of ordinary life.
Jeremy W. Hayward holds a Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Cambridge University and has pursued research in molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts Medical School. . He began study and practice of Buddhism in 1967 and became a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1970. In 1974, Acharya Hayward helped to found the Naropa University.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Home vs.holidays
One of the best things you can do for your personal wellness and inspiration is to go on holiday quite away from home. The new impressions, sights and sounds, images will stay on your mind and you can recall those memories whenever you like..It opens up a new world, the feeling of freedom and uniqueness occurs.
The first picture is where I live, the second where I spent my holidays back in January, South Africa. The contrast is quite enormous, even the main colour structure is completely different.There is something good in both places, though..
The first picture is where I live, the second where I spent my holidays back in January, South Africa. The contrast is quite enormous, even the main colour structure is completely different.There is something good in both places, though..
Saturday, August 26, 2006
From the train
I took these pictures from the train that I went with after work today. Nothing spectacular, just scenes from real life and real views.
Friday, August 25, 2006
An unbelievable story
An unbelievable criminal case has (almost) come to an end in Austria
Austrian girl 'found' after years
Police found stairs leading to a dungeon in the house
More details have emerged in Austria suggesting that a woman found near Vienna on Wednesday is a schoolgirl who vanished eight years ago.
The passport of Natascha Kampusch was found at the house where she was allegedly imprisoned and the woman had the same distinctive scar as the girl.
DNA test results are due later on Thursday which Austrian police expect will confirm the woman's identity.
The suspected kidnapper died after throwing himself in front of a train.
The man, named in Austrian media as Wolfgang Priklopil, had been chased by police earlier on Wednesday evening and his red BMW car was later found abandoned.
The schoolgirl's disappearance at the age of 10 had sparked a huge manhunt eight years ago.
The woman says she is Natascha Kampusch and relatives of the missing girl say they are confident she is telling the truth.
The woman - said to be in good health - says she was abducted and held captive in a sealed garage at the house in Strasshof, in the Gaenserndorf area on Vienna's northeastern outskirts.
Police were called when she was found staggering in a garden nearby.
It is not clear what the kidnapper's motives were. Police say he had no connection to the girl's family and there had been no ransom demand.
A police investigator told the BBC's PM programme that "he gave her food, he gave her all the supplies she needed".
"He gave her books, even taught her how to read and how to write, and mathematics and all things like this, according to what she told us."
Police have searched the garage, and say it looked like a dungeon.
Austrian media report that the room had a cavity measuring four by three metres (yards), with an entrance measuring 50cm by 50cm. They believe it was blocked with a sound-proof safe whenever the kidnapper left the scene.
A bed and bookshelf with children's books were reportedly also found there.
"She is white-pale, looking as if she had been out of the light of day for a long time, but she articulated well and could read and write," the Austria Press Agency quoted a police investigator as saying.
'Stockholm Syndrome'
APA also reported that she burst into tears on Wednesday night when she met the man believed to be her father, Ludwig Koch, at the police station.
Ms Kampusch's disappearance in 1998 shocked Austria and triggered a search that extended into Hungary and included the dredging of riverbeds.
The young woman says she was held captive for eight years
According to police, before committing suicide Wolfgang Priklopil had called a friend for help on Wednesday, saying he was being pursued by police for drink-driving.
Psychologists quoted by Austrian media say they believe the woman suffered from "Stockholm Syndrome" - a psychological condition in which captives begin to sympathise with their kidnappers.
Priklopil had been questioned by police in April 1998, as one of more than 1,000 owners of white vans. He was later released. A schoolfriend of Ms Kampusch had told police the girl had been abducted in a white van.
Police are investigating whether the woman had been beaten or sexually abused by the kidnapper.
What now for Natascha?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
Inside the cellar
What do psychologists make of the extraordinary case of Natascha Kampusch, abducted at 10, deprived of her childhood, and now back in the real world after eight years?
In March 1998, Natascha Kampusch was snatched from a Vienna street as she walked to school.
For eight long years, she was held in a cellar she believed to be rigged with explosives. Her only human contact was with her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, who effectively brought her up. He provided her with clothes, food, helped her with her studies. It is not yet clear if he sexually abused her.
But on Wednesday, Natascha escaped. An elderly neighbour of the man she had to call "master" found the 18-year-old, pale and in distress, and called the police. Natascha was soon reunited with her parents.
"Her life has been suspended, and it will take a lot to reconnect," says Dr Anuradha Sayal-Bennett. "She's obviously a very brave young woman, very resourceful, to have managed to escape."
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
Cellar girl 'our daughter'
That can only stand her in good stead for the long and difficult task of coming to terms with what she's been through. Natascha's is such a rare case that while she has undoubtedly suffered enormous trauma, there is no way of saying in advance what the precise effects will be - or how best to treat her.
Phillip Hodson, a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, says those treating Natascha will be guided by her, asking her if she wants to talk about her experiences, and monitoring her for depression and flashbacks, for which there are a range of therapies.
"Go in with no assumptions, establish a basic rapport. Establish how used she is to conversation. Always put it as questions - 'they think you should talk about it; what do you think?'" he says.
Arrested development
It will be important to re-establish as normal a life with her loved ones as possible. But the life of a 10-year-old, or of an 18-year-old? For her first words to her father - after "I love you" - was "Is my toy car still there?" It had been her favourite plaything.
Dr Jack Boyle, a Glasgow psychologist who specialises in treating abused children, says a bit of both. "She has moved on emotionally from being a 10-year-old, yet that was the life she had that was abruptly cut off."
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Psychological response in hostages, in which they come to identify with their captor
Named after 1973 robbery in Stockholm, where bank employees sympathised with their captors
Famous case is heiress Patty Hearst (above), who helped her captors rob a bank
Another difficulty will be the feeling of abandonment, that no-one came to rescue her. A 10-year-old believes that adults are to be trusted, that her parents will be there for her, and these expectations have been shattered, says Mr Hodson.
"At the time of the kidnap, she will have been saying 'why don't my parents come and get me?' Then she'll have despaired of that happening, and thought 'bugger them'. That will be a considerable barrier to reunited with her family."
Then there's Stockholm syndrome, the coping mechanism whereby abductees exhibit loyalty to their kidnapper. Because Priklopil committed suicide after she escaped, this will further complicate Natascha's reactions.
"She'll have a lot of conflicting reactions - guilt and relief," says Dr Sayal-Bennett.
Phillip Hodson says his death will, in a way, be like losing a family member - even if she's glad he's dead.
"If somebody has been there through your transition from childhood to adulthood, it's impossible to not to form some sort of familial feeling. And she set in train the events that led to his death. That's a lot to come to terms with."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Austrian girl 'found' after years
Police found stairs leading to a dungeon in the house
More details have emerged in Austria suggesting that a woman found near Vienna on Wednesday is a schoolgirl who vanished eight years ago.
The passport of Natascha Kampusch was found at the house where she was allegedly imprisoned and the woman had the same distinctive scar as the girl.
DNA test results are due later on Thursday which Austrian police expect will confirm the woman's identity.
The suspected kidnapper died after throwing himself in front of a train.
The man, named in Austrian media as Wolfgang Priklopil, had been chased by police earlier on Wednesday evening and his red BMW car was later found abandoned.
The schoolgirl's disappearance at the age of 10 had sparked a huge manhunt eight years ago.
The woman says she is Natascha Kampusch and relatives of the missing girl say they are confident she is telling the truth.
The woman - said to be in good health - says she was abducted and held captive in a sealed garage at the house in Strasshof, in the Gaenserndorf area on Vienna's northeastern outskirts.
Police were called when she was found staggering in a garden nearby.
It is not clear what the kidnapper's motives were. Police say he had no connection to the girl's family and there had been no ransom demand.
A police investigator told the BBC's PM programme that "he gave her food, he gave her all the supplies she needed".
"He gave her books, even taught her how to read and how to write, and mathematics and all things like this, according to what she told us."
Police have searched the garage, and say it looked like a dungeon.
Austrian media report that the room had a cavity measuring four by three metres (yards), with an entrance measuring 50cm by 50cm. They believe it was blocked with a sound-proof safe whenever the kidnapper left the scene.
A bed and bookshelf with children's books were reportedly also found there.
"She is white-pale, looking as if she had been out of the light of day for a long time, but she articulated well and could read and write," the Austria Press Agency quoted a police investigator as saying.
'Stockholm Syndrome'
APA also reported that she burst into tears on Wednesday night when she met the man believed to be her father, Ludwig Koch, at the police station.
Ms Kampusch's disappearance in 1998 shocked Austria and triggered a search that extended into Hungary and included the dredging of riverbeds.
The young woman says she was held captive for eight years
According to police, before committing suicide Wolfgang Priklopil had called a friend for help on Wednesday, saying he was being pursued by police for drink-driving.
Psychologists quoted by Austrian media say they believe the woman suffered from "Stockholm Syndrome" - a psychological condition in which captives begin to sympathise with their kidnappers.
Priklopil had been questioned by police in April 1998, as one of more than 1,000 owners of white vans. He was later released. A schoolfriend of Ms Kampusch had told police the girl had been abducted in a white van.
Police are investigating whether the woman had been beaten or sexually abused by the kidnapper.
What now for Natascha?
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
The Magazine answers...
Inside the cellar
What do psychologists make of the extraordinary case of Natascha Kampusch, abducted at 10, deprived of her childhood, and now back in the real world after eight years?
In March 1998, Natascha Kampusch was snatched from a Vienna street as she walked to school.
For eight long years, she was held in a cellar she believed to be rigged with explosives. Her only human contact was with her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, who effectively brought her up. He provided her with clothes, food, helped her with her studies. It is not yet clear if he sexually abused her.
But on Wednesday, Natascha escaped. An elderly neighbour of the man she had to call "master" found the 18-year-old, pale and in distress, and called the police. Natascha was soon reunited with her parents.
"Her life has been suspended, and it will take a lot to reconnect," says Dr Anuradha Sayal-Bennett. "She's obviously a very brave young woman, very resourceful, to have managed to escape."
WHO, WHAT, WHY?
A regular feature in the BBC News Magazine - aiming to answer some of the questions behind the headlines
Cellar girl 'our daughter'
That can only stand her in good stead for the long and difficult task of coming to terms with what she's been through. Natascha's is such a rare case that while she has undoubtedly suffered enormous trauma, there is no way of saying in advance what the precise effects will be - or how best to treat her.
Phillip Hodson, a Fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, says those treating Natascha will be guided by her, asking her if she wants to talk about her experiences, and monitoring her for depression and flashbacks, for which there are a range of therapies.
"Go in with no assumptions, establish a basic rapport. Establish how used she is to conversation. Always put it as questions - 'they think you should talk about it; what do you think?'" he says.
Arrested development
It will be important to re-establish as normal a life with her loved ones as possible. But the life of a 10-year-old, or of an 18-year-old? For her first words to her father - after "I love you" - was "Is my toy car still there?" It had been her favourite plaything.
Dr Jack Boyle, a Glasgow psychologist who specialises in treating abused children, says a bit of both. "She has moved on emotionally from being a 10-year-old, yet that was the life she had that was abruptly cut off."
STOCKHOLM SYNDROME
Psychological response in hostages, in which they come to identify with their captor
Named after 1973 robbery in Stockholm, where bank employees sympathised with their captors
Famous case is heiress Patty Hearst (above), who helped her captors rob a bank
Another difficulty will be the feeling of abandonment, that no-one came to rescue her. A 10-year-old believes that adults are to be trusted, that her parents will be there for her, and these expectations have been shattered, says Mr Hodson.
"At the time of the kidnap, she will have been saying 'why don't my parents come and get me?' Then she'll have despaired of that happening, and thought 'bugger them'. That will be a considerable barrier to reunited with her family."
Then there's Stockholm syndrome, the coping mechanism whereby abductees exhibit loyalty to their kidnapper. Because Priklopil committed suicide after she escaped, this will further complicate Natascha's reactions.
"She'll have a lot of conflicting reactions - guilt and relief," says Dr Sayal-Bennett.
Phillip Hodson says his death will, in a way, be like losing a family member - even if she's glad he's dead.
"If somebody has been there through your transition from childhood to adulthood, it's impossible to not to form some sort of familial feeling. And she set in train the events that led to his death. That's a lot to come to terms with."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Some quotes from Einstein
"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.""Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."
"The release of atom power has changed everything except our way of thinking...the solution to this problem lies in the heart of mankind. If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."
"Now he has departed from this strange world a little ahead of me. That means nothing. People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
"The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking."
"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)
Sky
The unstable weather made the sky very interesting to watch today. The pictures are taken near my parent's house, the mountains in the background are Swiss.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Generator
I found a cool toy on the net today, a soup generator , it is not very useful but fun!http://www.redkid.net/generator/soup/sign.php
Reflection
I like pictures that show a reflection of an object in any kind of pond, it adds a certain amount of mystery the to whole image .
Burg Gutenberg
We did a short trip to Burg Gutenberg in Balzers,Liechtenstein yesterday. You walk up passing a vineyard,the view from above is quite nice. The patterns of the huge clouds were also an impressive sight.On the bottom there is a small pond with ducks and dragonflies which were too shy to be photographed.
Friday, August 18, 2006
German words in English
It is a fascinating fact that some German words have established in the English language, as they seem kind of unique.. here are some of the most important..
abseil v. descend a steep rock face etc. by using a doubled rope coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point (E: rapel)
achtung int. attention! angst n. fear, anxiety, inner torment
ansatz n. initial assumption for the solution of a mathematical problem
autobahn n. motorway
bildungsroman n. novel describing personal development and formation
blatt n. (pl. blätter) newspaper
blitz n. swift action ~krieg n. war waged by surprise
bratwurst n. (pl. G: ~wĂĽrste E: ~wursts) barbecued sausage
braunerde n. geological term (non-calcic brown soils)
doppelgänger n. a person of almost identical appearance but not related
dummkopf n. (pl. ~köpfe) moron, simpleton
durchkomponiert adj. musical term, opposite of strophic
edelweiss n. alpine flower
eigen(~value, ~function, ~vector) n. mathematical terms
ersatz n. substitute
fach n. a singing vocal type, e.g.: lyric, coloratura, heldentenor
fest n. (usually in compounds) abundance
festschrift n. (pl. festschriften) collection of learned papers, usu. honouring a colleague gastarbeiter n. (pl. gastarbeiter) (lit) guest worker
gedankenexperiment n. thought experiment
gemĂĽtlich adj. cosy ~keit n. cosiness
gestalt n. (pl. ~en) the whole (appearance) of something
gesundheit n. health, here: interjection if someone sneezes
gneiss n. G: Gneis geological term
graben n. geological depression, ditch (F. Herbert, Dune)
glockenspiel n. musical instrument
hausfrau n. house-wife (usually slightly derogatory or patronising)
heldentenor n. tenor voice especially suited for heroic operatic roles
hinterland n. district behind coast or river banks
kaffeeklatsch n. get-together, cf. kitchen cabinet, chardonnay society
kaputt adj. not functioning
kindergarten n. day-care centre, playschool, preschool
kitsch n. without artistic taste, corny
kummerbund n. waist-band worn under tuxedo (really of Hindustani & Persian origin: kamar-band "loin-band")
lederhosen n. shorts made from leather
leitmotiv n. (also–but not in G.) leitmotif musical theme, esp. with Wagner lied n. (pl. ~er) song, esp. by Schubert
lumpenproletariat n. rabble-proletariat (coined by Marx/Engels)
meister n. (usually in compounds) expert
realpolitik n. politics of the possible Reich (3rd) n. period of the Nazi regime (1933-45)
riesling n. dry white wine
rucksack n. (pl. G: ~säcke E: ~sacks) bag with harness carried on one's back
sauerkraut n. fermented cut cabbage
schadenfreude n. delight about someone else's misfortune
schlepp (G: schleppen) v. to drag around
schmalz n. sickly sentimentality
schnaps n. (E: schnapps) type of gin, strong liqueur, spirits
schnitzel n. meat cut
schuss n. downhill ski run
sitzprobe n. rehearsal of a musical stage work where singers are sitting and without costumes spiel n. smooth talk for the purpose of selling, cheating, seducing
sprechgesang, sprechstimme n. intoned speech with melodic contours
strafe v.(!) 1. cover with gun fire, 2. slide sideways in computergames
strudel n. dessert, cake stumm adj. mute
sturm und drang late 18th century novel style
torschlusspanik n. sense of panic in middle-age brought on by the feeling that life is passing you by (Weird and Wonderful Words, Eric McKean, OUP)
ĂĽber- adj. (mostly spelt uber) over as in Overlord (cf. meister)
umlaut n. diacritical vowel urtext n.
original, authorised text
verboten adj. prohibited
wanderlust n. fond of walking/hiking
weltanschauung n. world view, philosophical stance
weltschmerz n. depression
windjammer n. large sailing ship
wunderkind n. exceptionally gifted child
zeitgeist n. societal attitude, spirit of the times
zugzwang n. in chess: a player is forced to move, but any move will be disadvantageous
abseil v. descend a steep rock face etc. by using a doubled rope coiled round the body and fixed at a higher point (E: rapel)
achtung int. attention! angst n. fear, anxiety, inner torment
ansatz n. initial assumption for the solution of a mathematical problem
autobahn n. motorway
bildungsroman n. novel describing personal development and formation
blatt n. (pl. blätter) newspaper
blitz n. swift action ~krieg n. war waged by surprise
bratwurst n. (pl. G: ~wĂĽrste E: ~wursts) barbecued sausage
braunerde n. geological term (non-calcic brown soils)
doppelgänger n. a person of almost identical appearance but not related
dummkopf n. (pl. ~köpfe) moron, simpleton
durchkomponiert adj. musical term, opposite of strophic
edelweiss n. alpine flower
eigen(~value, ~function, ~vector) n. mathematical terms
ersatz n. substitute
fach n. a singing vocal type, e.g.: lyric, coloratura, heldentenor
fest n. (usually in compounds) abundance
festschrift n. (pl. festschriften) collection of learned papers, usu. honouring a colleague gastarbeiter n. (pl. gastarbeiter) (lit) guest worker
gedankenexperiment n. thought experiment
gemĂĽtlich adj. cosy ~keit n. cosiness
gestalt n. (pl. ~en) the whole (appearance) of something
gesundheit n. health, here: interjection if someone sneezes
gneiss n. G: Gneis geological term
graben n. geological depression, ditch (F. Herbert, Dune)
glockenspiel n. musical instrument
hausfrau n. house-wife (usually slightly derogatory or patronising)
heldentenor n. tenor voice especially suited for heroic operatic roles
hinterland n. district behind coast or river banks
kaffeeklatsch n. get-together, cf. kitchen cabinet, chardonnay society
kaputt adj. not functioning
kindergarten n. day-care centre, playschool, preschool
kitsch n. without artistic taste, corny
kummerbund n. waist-band worn under tuxedo (really of Hindustani & Persian origin: kamar-band "loin-band")
lederhosen n. shorts made from leather
leitmotiv n. (also–but not in G.) leitmotif musical theme, esp. with Wagner lied n. (pl. ~er) song, esp. by Schubert
lumpenproletariat n. rabble-proletariat (coined by Marx/Engels)
meister n. (usually in compounds) expert
realpolitik n. politics of the possible Reich (3rd) n. period of the Nazi regime (1933-45)
riesling n. dry white wine
rucksack n. (pl. G: ~säcke E: ~sacks) bag with harness carried on one's back
sauerkraut n. fermented cut cabbage
schadenfreude n. delight about someone else's misfortune
schlepp (G: schleppen) v. to drag around
schmalz n. sickly sentimentality
schnaps n. (E: schnapps) type of gin, strong liqueur, spirits
schnitzel n. meat cut
schuss n. downhill ski run
sitzprobe n. rehearsal of a musical stage work where singers are sitting and without costumes spiel n. smooth talk for the purpose of selling, cheating, seducing
sprechgesang, sprechstimme n. intoned speech with melodic contours
strafe v.(!) 1. cover with gun fire, 2. slide sideways in computergames
strudel n. dessert, cake stumm adj. mute
sturm und drang late 18th century novel style
torschlusspanik n. sense of panic in middle-age brought on by the feeling that life is passing you by (Weird and Wonderful Words, Eric McKean, OUP)
ĂĽber- adj. (mostly spelt uber) over as in Overlord (cf. meister)
umlaut n. diacritical vowel urtext n.
original, authorised text
verboten adj. prohibited
wanderlust n. fond of walking/hiking
weltanschauung n. world view, philosophical stance
weltschmerz n. depression
windjammer n. large sailing ship
wunderkind n. exceptionally gifted child
zeitgeist n. societal attitude, spirit of the times
zugzwang n. in chess: a player is forced to move, but any move will be disadvantageous
Sunday, August 13, 2006
The new movie by Almodovar - Volver
Last night I went to the Cinema and watched the new movie by Pedro Almodovar " Volver".It is about the life of three women near Madrid,the mother Raymonda (who is Penolope Cruz) , her sister, who works as a hairdresser in an "illegal" saloon which she runs from home.
And Raymondas daughter.
Raymonda is marrried to a guy who has just been sacked from his office.
Raymonda takes on some more jobs in order to survive with the money, and one day when she comes home from work she finds her daughterstanding completely confused in the middle of the road.
She just killed her father as he tried to molest her in her room.
Now the mother had to get rid of the dead body inthe house and carried it wrapped in tissues to a nearby abandoned restaurant, which used to belong to a friend of her, who was trying to sell the restaurant because he got a better job somewhere else.
As soon as Raymonda put the dead body into the fridge, a man knocked at the door, asking if he and his film crew who just finished their work could have a meal here.
Raymonda spontaniously decided to arrange some from and cook for 30 people to earn some money.
Then there is her sister the hairdresser, who one day sees the ghost of her dead mother who lost her life in a fire 4 years ago.
This ghost moves in with her daughter and helps out in her saloon, pretending to be a Russian immigrant who doesn't speak the language.
And so the story goes on , and the viewer is really taken in witch it, is being put in a different kind of realty as the movie always goes along the borderline of surreality and possibility. Moreover it is a story of great emotions and destiny I really enjoyed watching it, as finally all turns out different then it seemes, the viewer is being led into a dead end, believing something that turns out to be wrong.
In my opinion this is masterpiece of the challenging entertainment, if you get a chance to see it, don't miss it.
Summer dream
Can you see the man between the palmtrees? It is Daniel and he looks like he is fresh from the series "Lost" :-)
Safari
It is quite amazing to see animals you only know from magazines or television in their natural environment. Being on a safari means you drive around the area with your car all day in hope of spotting zebras, lions, elephants.. That is the only thing that makes the experience a bit "artificial" as the car itself is quite a contrast to the calm and original nature the Safari park consists of. But the car on the other hand is a central tool to survive as you would soon be eaten by the lions while just walking around a bit.. They can be very hungry..
Landscapes
The beauty and diversity of South Africa is overwhelming.My holidays there are already 8 month back but still, as soon as I look at the pictures a certain melancholy crosses my senses, maybe it has also got to do with the fact that the mind tends to lighten up the past in a positive way in order to refrain from bad memories..No that would just be self comfort . In this case nothing has to be put in a positive light as the whole experience was amazing. 
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Erich Fried - a great poet
Erich Fried is an Austrian Poet born in 1921, died in 1988, I have always adored him for his critical political attitude,his criticism on society structures that suppress the weaker, for his beautiful love poems,which never sound artificial or cheap, which touch deep down . Two poems published here are in German and English the others in the original language : German.
Eine Stunde
Ich habe eine Stunde damit verbracht
ein Gedicht das ich geschrieben habe
zu korrigieren
Eine Stunde
Das heiĂźt: In dieser Zeit
sind 1400 kleine Kinder verhungert
denn alle 2½ Sekunden verhungert
ein Kind unter fĂĽnf Jahren
in unserer Welt
Eine Stunde lang wurde auch
das WettrĂĽsten fortgesetzt
und 62 Millionen achthunderttausend Dollar
wurden in dieser einen Stunde ausgegeben
für den Schutz der verschiedenen Mächte
voreinander
denn die RĂĽstungsausgaben der Welt
betragen derzeit
550 Milliarden Dollar im Jahr
Auch unser Land trägt dazu
sein Scherflein bei
Die Frage liegt nahe
ob es noch sinnvoll ist
bei dieser Lage der Dinge
Gedichte zu schreiben.
Allerdings geht es
in einigen Gedichten
um RĂĽstungsausgaben und Krieg
und verhungernde Kinder.
Aber in anderen geht es
um Liebe und Altern und
um Wiesen und Bäume und Berge
und auch um Gedichte und Bilder
Wenn es nicht auch
um all dies andere geht
dann geht es auch keinem mehr wirklich
um Kinder und Frieden
Erich Fried
One Hour
I have spent one hour
correcting
a poem that I have written
One hour
That means: In this time
1400 small children died of starvation
because every 2½ seconds
one child under five starves to death
in our world
Also for one hour
the arms race continued
and 62 million eight hundred thousand dollars
were spent in this one hour
for the protection of various powers
from each other
for the military spendings of the world
at the moment amount to
550 billion dollars per year
Our country also
contributes its mite
The question arises
if it still makes sense
to write poems
with the way things are
It maybe true
that some poems are about
military spendings and war
and starving children
But others are about
love and aging and
meadows and trees and mountains
and also about poems and pictures
If it wasn't also for
all these other things
then nobody really cares
about children and peace either anymore.
Translated from the German by Anna Kallio
Nicht nichts
Nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber nicht dasselbe
Nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber vielleicht weniger
Nicht nichts
aber weniger
und weniger
Vielleicht nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber nicht mehr viel
Wintergarten
Deinen Briefumschlag
mit den zwei gelben und roten Marken
habe ich eingepflanzt
in den Blumentopf
Ich will ihn
täglich begiessen
dann wachsen mir
deine Briefe
Schöne
und traurige Briefe
und Briefe
die nach dir riechen
Ich hätte das
frĂĽher tun sollen
nicht erst
so spät im Jahr
Aufhebung
Sein UnglĂĽck
ausatmen können
tief ausatmen
so daĂź man wieder
einatmen kann
Und vielleicht auch sein UnglĂĽck
sagen können
in Worten
in wirklichen Worten
die zusammenhängen
und Sinn haben
und die man selbst noch
verstehen kann
und die vielleicht sogar
irgendwer sonst versteht
oder verstehen könnte
Und weinen können
Das wäre schon
fast wieder
GlĂĽck
Erich Fried
Compensation [Abolition]
To be able to breathe out
ones unhappiness
to breathe out deeply
so that one can
breathe in again
And perhaps being able to speak out
ones unhappiness
in words
in real words
which are connected together [coherent]
and make sense
and which oneself
still can understand
and which perhaps even
somebody else understands
or could understand
And to be able to cry
This again
nearly would be
happiness
Translation by M. Kaldenbach
Die lautere Wahrheit
Die ganze Unwahrheit
setzt sich aus lauter ganz wahren
Wahrheiten
oder
Teilwahrheiten zusammen
Nur haben sich die
miteinander
noch nie ganz
auseinandergesetzt
So ist die ganze
LĂĽge
möglich geworden
aus: Erich Fried; Gesammelte Werke, Band 3, Seite 259
Was weh tut Wenn ich dich
verliere
was
tut mir dann weh?
Nicht der Kopf
nicht der Körper
nicht die Arme
und nicht die Beine
Sie sind mĂĽde
aber sie tun nicht weh
oder nicht ärger
als das eine Bein immer wehtut
Das Atmen tut nicht weh
Es ist etwas beengt
aber weniger
als von einer Erkältung
Der RĂĽcken tut nicht weh
auch nicht der Magen
Die Nieren tun nicht weh
und auch nicht das Herz
Warum
ertrage ich es
dann nicht
dich zu verlieren?
Herrschaftsfreiheit Zu sagen
"Hier
herrscht Freiheit"
ist immer
ein Irrtum
oder auch
eine LĂĽge:
Freiheit
herrscht nicht
ERICH FRIED
Eine Stunde
Ich habe eine Stunde damit verbracht
ein Gedicht das ich geschrieben habe
zu korrigieren
Eine Stunde
Das heiĂźt: In dieser Zeit
sind 1400 kleine Kinder verhungert
denn alle 2½ Sekunden verhungert
ein Kind unter fĂĽnf Jahren
in unserer Welt
Eine Stunde lang wurde auch
das WettrĂĽsten fortgesetzt
und 62 Millionen achthunderttausend Dollar
wurden in dieser einen Stunde ausgegeben
für den Schutz der verschiedenen Mächte
voreinander
denn die RĂĽstungsausgaben der Welt
betragen derzeit
550 Milliarden Dollar im Jahr
Auch unser Land trägt dazu
sein Scherflein bei
Die Frage liegt nahe
ob es noch sinnvoll ist
bei dieser Lage der Dinge
Gedichte zu schreiben.
Allerdings geht es
in einigen Gedichten
um RĂĽstungsausgaben und Krieg
und verhungernde Kinder.
Aber in anderen geht es
um Liebe und Altern und
um Wiesen und Bäume und Berge
und auch um Gedichte und Bilder
Wenn es nicht auch
um all dies andere geht
dann geht es auch keinem mehr wirklich
um Kinder und Frieden
Erich Fried
One Hour
I have spent one hour
correcting
a poem that I have written
One hour
That means: In this time
1400 small children died of starvation
because every 2½ seconds
one child under five starves to death
in our world
Also for one hour
the arms race continued
and 62 million eight hundred thousand dollars
were spent in this one hour
for the protection of various powers
from each other
for the military spendings of the world
at the moment amount to
550 billion dollars per year
Our country also
contributes its mite
The question arises
if it still makes sense
to write poems
with the way things are
It maybe true
that some poems are about
military spendings and war
and starving children
But others are about
love and aging and
meadows and trees and mountains
and also about poems and pictures
If it wasn't also for
all these other things
then nobody really cares
about children and peace either anymore.
Translated from the German by Anna Kallio
Nicht nichts
Nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber nicht dasselbe
Nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber vielleicht weniger
Nicht nichts
aber weniger
und weniger
Vielleicht nicht nichts
ohne dich
aber nicht mehr viel
Wintergarten
Deinen Briefumschlag
mit den zwei gelben und roten Marken
habe ich eingepflanzt
in den Blumentopf
Ich will ihn
täglich begiessen
dann wachsen mir
deine Briefe
Schöne
und traurige Briefe
und Briefe
die nach dir riechen
Ich hätte das
frĂĽher tun sollen
nicht erst
so spät im Jahr
Aufhebung
Sein UnglĂĽck
ausatmen können
tief ausatmen
so daĂź man wieder
einatmen kann
Und vielleicht auch sein UnglĂĽck
sagen können
in Worten
in wirklichen Worten
die zusammenhängen
und Sinn haben
und die man selbst noch
verstehen kann
und die vielleicht sogar
irgendwer sonst versteht
oder verstehen könnte
Und weinen können
Das wäre schon
fast wieder
GlĂĽck
Erich Fried
Compensation [Abolition]
To be able to breathe out
ones unhappiness
to breathe out deeply
so that one can
breathe in again
And perhaps being able to speak out
ones unhappiness
in words
in real words
which are connected together [coherent]
and make sense
and which oneself
still can understand
and which perhaps even
somebody else understands
or could understand
And to be able to cry
This again
nearly would be
happiness
Translation by M. Kaldenbach
Die lautere Wahrheit
Die ganze Unwahrheit
setzt sich aus lauter ganz wahren
Wahrheiten
oder
Teilwahrheiten zusammen
Nur haben sich die
miteinander
noch nie ganz
auseinandergesetzt
So ist die ganze
LĂĽge
möglich geworden
aus: Erich Fried; Gesammelte Werke, Band 3, Seite 259
Was weh tut Wenn ich dich
verliere
was
tut mir dann weh?
Nicht der Kopf
nicht der Körper
nicht die Arme
und nicht die Beine
Sie sind mĂĽde
aber sie tun nicht weh
oder nicht ärger
als das eine Bein immer wehtut
Das Atmen tut nicht weh
Es ist etwas beengt
aber weniger
als von einer Erkältung
Der RĂĽcken tut nicht weh
auch nicht der Magen
Die Nieren tun nicht weh
und auch nicht das Herz
Warum
ertrage ich es
dann nicht
dich zu verlieren?
Herrschaftsfreiheit Zu sagen
"Hier
herrscht Freiheit"
ist immer
ein Irrtum
oder auch
eine LĂĽge:
Freiheit
herrscht nicht
ERICH FRIED
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Picture in the Picture
There is quite a cool website I came across the other day, you can always zoom deeper into the mosaic-picture, and new pictures appear, it takes a bit to load, (macromedia shockwave necessary) but it really is a great visual journey..
Picture in the Picture
Monday, August 07, 2006
Seaside vs. Rain
Its raining heavily here today in Austria. A good reason to remember a different kind of wetness, the wild, splashing sea in South Africa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)