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Fleves by Zen

"We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth". John F. Kennedy, October 26, 1963

Molene - home

Apropos - art - bio

- index -

- Each link below is a topic specific page, with usefull links and info (new window)

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- contact -

- nea -

zenart

Azure

Serena Konig

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Business Asia by Bloomberg

Editorials & Commentary

National News Center / US

-Guardian

Africa

Caribbean

Guardian weblog guide

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kathimerini

athens news

le figaro

le monde diplomatique

EuroNews

Spectator

Economist

Wired

Except where otherwise noted all artwork & content is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Saturday, July 31, 2004

care2.com green networking has relaunched

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Support a Good Cause

Find a Job

Meet New Friends

Find Hiking Buddies

and much more!!!

Kritik [ ] 7:36 PM

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Mobile social software applications

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I found this very interesting list mentioned by Marc Canter on his blog.

elastic space - Mobile social software applications

A growing list of social applications that work in a mobile context. newszen - news views

Kritik [ ] 6:14 PM

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Thursday, July 29, 2004

RSPCA cruelty statistics - I am ashamed of the outrageous cruelty that is allowed to continue

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

RSPCA cruelty statistics - I am ashamed of the outrageous cruelty that is allowed
<br />to continue - photo by Zen

Latest RSPCA cruelty statistics

Assessment statistics
The RSPCA's new animal welfare assessment statistics show that between 1 June 2003 and 31 May 2004:

- more than 108,000 complaints were made to the RSPCA involving 650,489 animals
- RSPCA inspectors gave advice in relation to 38,514 animals
- 1,543 animals are still on the 'critical list', i.e. the advice given has, so far, been ignored
- basic requirements for animals such as food, water, adequate living conditions or access to veterinary care were found to be lacking in 11,150 cases.
- dogs are causing the most concern, with 11,133 failing to be looked after correctly
farm animals (sheep, cattle and pigs) are the second most common call out (10,008) followed by rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters (4,270), cats (3,898) and then horses (3,523).

Read the full
report>>

Make a donation to the RSPCA>>

Kritik [ ] 9:57 PM

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Lysergically Yours by Frank Duff reviewed by KJR for Bookzen

bookzen - literary reviews

"Lysergically Yours" by Frank Duff reads like a cross between Jay McInery and William Gibson, full of nefarious action and dark characters, all described in a cyber-aware language of grungy, punker realism. Fast-paced, "Lysergically" is a gripping tale of a skateboarding, code hacking, college-aged drug dealer trying to finance his way through university, then trying to save his life. With total non-challance and a discussion of the merits of his theory about such matters, Jerry eats free pizza at the physics lab lunches and impersonates faculty at the chemistry department dinners to make ends meet. He finds himself getting the attention of equally esoteric young punkers also trying to figure an angle on surviving in Toronto, and their introduction to the reader and into the story is surprisingly well paced for a first novel.

Everything is described in the flippant off-handed way of a young person for whom all kinds of amazing details are sliding by way too fast to catch. Particularly rewarding are the humorous if hard headed descriptions of the ways and means of drug dealing and then gambling, including bar room discussions of Dostoyevsky's own thoughts from "The Gambler."

While the novel is reminiscent and evocative of university life, choosing courses, making ends meet, dressing sloppy, drinking beer, and finding a date, this novel is much more than just a gritty campus memoir. It is suspenseful, in both the story line and the pacing, and brought to life by the switching between long, langorous mouthfuls of descriptives to short staccato observations of danger. In its language and creation of suspense in the invisible hacker life underground, "Lysergically" is like the best of William Gibson, morphed with John Grisham ("Pelican Brief").

Possibly it is the author Frank Duff's gift for language, the ability to spit out laconic one-liners that reduces all of life to fast non-idealized transactions that gives the book so much punch. Of course, the plot is so well thought out that it rambles along seemingly aimlessly, with the momentum of a freight train. The word thriller has to be used to describe this novel.

If not messianic, nor utopian, Duff's message is at least vaguely optimistic, that good will prevail, and that the progress enabled by science will touch many lives for the better in the future. There is also the punk embrace of the gritty reality many of us wake to daily, a world of weapons, dirt, greed, violence, and stupidity. As you might guess from the title, there is some of the late Timothy Leary's missionary zeal in the message. "Lysergically Yours" is one of the few books, including Dune Messiah, about the drug-induced ability to see into the future, a talent which is used in that book as well as this to avoid immediate catastrophic danger.

"Lysergically Yours" is available at selected US and Canadian bookstores, online, and as a free text file download at http://256k.org/fd/

Kritik [ ] 3:28 PM

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Monday, July 26, 2004

pPod the chic way to spend a penny in London

Les Francais are waiting for le pissPod

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NYKRIS have launched pPod - the world's first >iPod based interactive audio service.

pPod combines text, spoken word audio, and music to deliver a guide to London's public loos - truly a convenience for iPod users on the move.

Go to the pPod page and download the 7mb file.

pPod is on the BBC

I found this - The Toilet Museum

If you spent all you money on an i-pod to have a nice pee, you will soon be able to stay at Stelios' new venture the easy Hotel. It should be opening soon. It is going to be very basic, quel
surprise! But it is in a nice area of London not far from Harrods (I remember thier loos used to be very nice. Back in the sixties Mum took off her emerald ring to wash her hands and forgot it on the wash basin. She telephoned the night watchman, who kindly went to look and miraculously it was still there).

The easy Hotel has kind of modular rooms, with at least, a double bed, shower and LOO from £5 a night...

Kritik [ ] 9:48 PM

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The Rubin Museum of Art Saturday October 2 Official Opening Ceremony 10A.M.

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Karma? Top Floor, Next to Shoes by Kay Larson
Stalled in a cab one evening in 1998, the businessman Donald Rubin leaned out his window, stunned by a thought. Next to him loomed the dark, vacant Barney's building at 150 West 17th Street in Chelsea. In a flash, Mr. Rubin decided to buy the building, gut it and make a new museum in Manhattan, a glittering showcase for a reclusive spiritual art from the other end of the earth.....An infusion of $60 million has transformed a decommissioned temple of haute consumerism into an elegant, multihued jewel of a museum, designed by the architect Richard Blinder of Beyer Blinder Belle. via... nyt

The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) is home to a comprehensive collection of art from the Himalayas and surrounding regions.

Mission Statement
"The Rubin Museum of Art (RMA) is a cultural and educational institution dedicated to the art of the Himalayas. Its mission is to establish, present, preserve and document a permanent collection that reflects the vitality, complexity and historical significance of Himalayan art and to create exhibitions and programs designed to explore connections with other world cultures. RMA is committed to addressing a diverse audience - from connoisseurs and scholars to the general public and young children. Through its collection, library, exhibitions and educational programs, RMA will become an international center for the preservation, study and enjoyment of Himalayan art."

Saturday October 2 2004

Official Opening Ceremony 10A.M. Free entry 11- 5 P.M.

Six Floors of Exhibitions Story-telling in the galleries and theater Himalayan Street Fair: Music and dance, traditional games, a scavenger hunt, booths and activities on Himalayan themes for adults, children and families. Café and Shop in the Colonnade

Sunday October 3 2004

Free entry 11 - 5 P.M. Six Floors of Exhibitions Story-telling in the galleries and theater Café and Shop in the Colonnade

150 West 17th Street New York NY 10011

Tel: 212-620-5000 ext.318 info@rmanyc.org

Kritik [ ] 6:29 PM

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Friday, July 23, 2004

On a ping and a prayer, alfa testing ping.net

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Thank you Social Software News

What's So Great About Ping?

Ping is a free service for adding a faceroll (pictures of your fans) to your blog or website.

It's Easy: It only requires you to cut and paste one line of html. You choose how many fans to show.

It's Fun: Fans can see each other, making your site even more personable.

It's Useful: Fans get their own mini-blogs to post listings with news, jobs, sale items and questions related to your blog.

It's Free: 100% free. Targeted google ads are included on fan pages to pay for the server and bandwidth.

Kritik [ ] 8:43 PM

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Somewhere deep the garden

Ping Wa and Goosetave

Ping Wa "Oi, Goosetave".

Goosetave "I say old chap, I'm a oie not an oi".

Ping Wa "Oh, like Ping Wa".

Goosetave "Yes, Ping Oie"

Ping Wa "O.K. Watave".

Kritik [ ] 1:54 AM

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Thursday, July 22, 2004

Marianne la belle Francaise - I love the new stamp design

francaiszen - la vie artzen
- art culture info expo

Marianne stamp,
by Thierry Lamouche chosen by president Jacques Chirac.

It will be issued by la poste in January 2005. La Poste
had a competition to design a new stamp the theme was " L'engagement de Marianne en faveur de l'environnement et des valeurs fondamentales de la Republique". 50,000 designs were sent in from all over France. The winning designer Thierry Lamouche is an illustrator, who lives in Saint-Ange le Vieil, Seine-et-Marne.
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15 - 31 July - An exhibition of stamps, representing Marianne since 1849, can be seen at the "la galerie des tapisseries" the National Assembly, 33 quai d'Orsay. 10-7pm daily except le dimanche. It's free.
Online
exhibition>>

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The four famous faces who have represented Marianne - Brigitte Bardot (1970) Mireille Mathieux (1978) Catherine Deneuve (1985) Laetitia Casta (2000)

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There is a good article relating to the history of Marianne in
the IHT

Kritik [ ] 11:04 PM

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Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Feedburner a super new tool

bloggzen - total immersion blogging
technology innovation

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If you currently publish an RSS or Atom syndicated content feed, FeedBurner can help you! Get stats on your traffic. Understand the size and distribution of your feed's readership. Sidestep the format wars.

Distribute Atom or RSS versions of your feed automatically with SmartFeed.

Enhance your Feed content.

Splice your feed with your Flickr photos;

Make your feed XML web browser-friendly; and more.

This one goes to eleven!

Kritik [ ] 5:23 PM

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My friend Robert MacLean won the AA short-screenplay contest in Los Angeles-TWICE!

artzen - art culture info expo

bookzen - literary reviews

Bob's latest news:

Dear Family, Friends and Associates, I won the AA short-screenplay contest
in Los Angeles-TWICE! Once would have been plenty. The winners are posted at
aascreenplaycontest.com
and the two-minute script is below for your possible amusement.

It's called DARK IN HERE.The second one, JUST LOOKING, is too long to share
with you at this moment.

In other news, have signed with Dutch drama agent Pieter Vink and Anco Entertainment
to translate and perform some of my plays in Europe and Turkey. They're under
"Auteurs" at toneelwerken.nl

And finally, in addition to the film projects I'm already spending my youth
on, Despina Mouzaki's company Cinegram here in Athens cinegram.gr
want to co-produce LINDA, my low-budget comedy about a Greek whore and the American
president, for the international market. We're looking for partners for them.
Best from Bob

Here's the AA winner: DARK IN HERE

INT. BEDROOM - DAY

A MOTHER and her LOVER are having sex. A NOISE.

INT. HALL - CONTINUOUS

Wrapping her robe on, the MOTHER meets her nine-year old SON coming in from

baseball WHACKING his ball into his glove. She kisses him, hugs him and

puts him into a closet.

INT. CLOSET - CONTINUOUS

Her SON stands there in the dark. SOUNDS OF SEX OFF-SCREEN.

INT. BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS

The MOTHER and her LOVER are doing it. A NOISE. She looks out the window.

INT. HALL - CONTINUOUS

The MOTHER hurries her LOVER into the closet. Her HUSBAND COMES IN the

front door. She hugs him.

INT. CLOSET - MEANWHILE

The SON and the LOVER stand there. SOUNDS OF TALK OFF-SCREEN.

SON

Dark in here.

(no answer)

I have a baseball.

(no answer)

Want to buy it?

(no answer; makes to leave)

OK, I'll ask my dad.

LOVER

(holds him there)

How much?

SON

Two hundred and fifty dollars.

Pause. The Lover takes out his money and counts it.

INT. FRONT HALL - ANOTHER DAY

The SON comes in from baseball with the glove. His MOTHER in her robe

kisses him and puts him in the closet.

INT. CLOSET - MOMENTS LATER

The SON stands there. The door OPENS and his MOTHER pushes her LOVER in.

They stand there. VOICES OFF-SCREEN.

SON

Dark in here.

(no answer)

I've got a glove.

(no answer)

Want to buy it?

LOVER

How much?

SON

Seven hundred and fifty dollars.

Pause. The Lover nods and reaches into his pocket.

INT. FRONT HALL - ANOTHER DAY

The SON is on his way out, his FATHER coming in.

FATHER

Want to throw the ball around?

SON

I sold it. And my glove.

FATHER

You sold them? For how much?

SON

A thousand dollars.

FATHER

That's not honest! They're not worth that! I hope you're going to tell

this in your next confession!

INT. CHURCH - ANOTHER DAY

The FATHER comes out of a confessional and nods at his SON, who GOES IN.

INT. CONFESSIONAL - DAY

The SON kneels by the screen.

SON

Dark in here.

NEW ANGLE: we see that the PRIEST is the Lover.

PRIEST

Don't start that shit again.

THE END

Read more of Bob's work on his site that I developed
for him.

Kritik [ ] 10:06 AM

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Thursday, July 15, 2004

Solitary Summer by Elizabeth von Arnim - reviewed by KJR for Bookzen

bookzen - literary reviews

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"Solitary Summer" is a sunny book full of reflections on nature, books, authors, society, and gardening. If you remove the references to horse carts, these memoirs of Elizabeth von Arnim might be those of a contemporary suburban matron living with her children and wealthy husband in a large house far out in the country in the US or Europe. But this is not a contemporary story, and the narrator is an aristocrat circa 1900 with education, freedoms, wealth and comforts much rarer in her own day than in ours. Some of her discussions about the poor people in the local village betray her aristocratic roots. I think to a modern reader, she like Henry David Thoreau, whom she reads and idolizes, will seem a bit politically incorrect, but only just a bit.

In the main, her comments about people who do not enjoy thoughtful books, who do not enjoy nature, or who do not enjoy the life of the mind would ring true in any age. Like most true intellectuals, she is a rebel and a non-conformist, and has the ability to laugh at herself and her foibles. After experimenting with her unorthodox ways of gardening and child rearing, more often than not she returns to doing it the traditional way. Yet through her chaotic missteps, she learns and explains to us why the old ways may be the best.

I found her many reflections refreshing. It was fun to share her life. Her writing style is very accessible, friendly, and open. Essentially, these are the memoirs of a woman who is seeking consciously to know herself better through the peace and relative solitude of a summer spent wandering in her large garden and the surrounding fields.

At the end, as the cold rains of October pelt the windowpanes, she confides to her older, stoic husband that she doesn't know herself any better for her summer strolls, though she appreciates herself and women in general more. As readers, we probably appreciate her more, too, and wish that there were more volumes of her sound reflections on the nature of life and happiness for us to read.

Kritik [ ] 1:31 PM

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Art Galleries, are they scaring away thier victims?

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This is a fascinating article from The Art Newspaper that I found on Forbes.

It dicusses how art can be sold outside the confines of galleries and all that they entail. Are Art Galleries Necessary?

"Contemporary art dealers are finding that art fairs and the Internet can replace the hassle and expense of maintaining a full-time gallery". more>>

I also came accross this spot on piece on Jason Calcanis Art Blog, Gallery Rudeness by Caryn Coleman citing an article by Paige West of Art Addict

"Intimidation is a well-known sales tactic, especially in some of the Blue Chip galleries. If you aren't "in the club" (they don't know you and/or you've never purchased anything at the gallery), many galleries won't offer any assistance, even if you ask"...more>>

Too true, the same can be said of some auction houses, estate agents, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels and chic shops. Manners...?

Kritik [ ] 12:30 PM

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I hope they stop people from continuing to mutilate gundogs

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

photo by zen

Overhaul for animal welfare laws

The biggest crackdown on animal cruelty for nearly a century has been unveiled by the UK government...via BBC

Outdated law allows animals to suffer Current legislation is hampering the prevention of animal cruelty and must be urgently updated.

While the RSPCA waits for the government Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to publish a draft Animal Welfare Bill, the Society is stepping up its awareness-raising campaign with press advertising, and a summer roadshow providing a mobile information point for the public. To find your nearest roadshow, click here.

Make a donation to the RSPCA

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Don't miss the The Wag & Bone Show 14th August at Windsor Racecourse

Kritik [ ] 12:18 AM

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Wednesday, July 14, 2004

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Bobo update, read this.....the killing was planned>>

Kritik [ ] 10:52 PM

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We are all outraged by the killing of Steve Sipek's beautiful Bobo

Last year I had an unfortunate fall and cracked my scull when I hit the paving stones. I was gone...my Bengali cat, Jardina rushed over and bit me several times very hard, on my achilles tendon. I eventually came to. She knew instictively what to do, no one can say that animals are stupid, don't have feelings, or feel pain. They are far wiser than humans, that is why they are feared, as rivals. Read the stories below.

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy

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Tarzan's friend was killed,

Let Steve know you care too, sign the memorial book>>

Discuss this tragedy>>

The story>>

Steve Sipek was rescued from a fire by a brave tiger, the animals know>>

I am posting the Saint Francis quote again, it is apt more and more...it is a shame!

"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough.

We have a higher mission - to be of service to them whenever they require it.

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men."

Saint Francis of Assisi

The opposite is probably true too, if you see a person abusing another they probaby abuse thier pets. I have known people who do this, they are ignorant of many, many things, they need help.

Kritik [ ] 10:03 PM

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Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Cell Book, Mo Book

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Chinese author moves into texts

A Chinese author is writing a novel aimed to be transmitted in text message-size chunks.

Qian Fuchang has reduced his novel Outside the Fortress Besieged into 60 chapters of 70 characters each, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.via..BBC

Kritik [ ] 8:42 PM

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Pokia....makes the Mayfair phone fun

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This is the new Mayfair model

The retro accessory, now only a series of prototypes made in London by the British designer Nicolas Roope, was inspired by Roope's disdain for trends in cellphones, which seem to have reached a dead end, with metallic and miniature becoming moronic and minuscule...via IHT

Kritik [ ] 8:22 PM

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This news is most frightfull...

">Bush Seeks Shift in Logging Rules By FELICITY BARRINGER

The Forest Service today proposed scuttling a Clinton-era rule, which put 58.5 million acres of national forest largely off-limits to logging, mining or other development, in favor of a new system that leaves it to state governors to seek greater or fewer strictures on the construction of logging, mining, recreational or other roads on federal forest land...via...">NYT

Read more articles, about what is happening>>

Earthjustice - Bush "Roadless Rule" Proposal Would Eliminate Forest Protections Proposal will leave millions of acres vulnerable to logging, mining

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) Federal officials are allowing a 665-acre timber harvest in a roadless area of Tongass National Forest, the first since an anti-logging rule was lifted early this year.via...CNN

Kritik [ ] 2:18 PM

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Monday, July 12, 2004

This is the ideal London Transport, neat site, check out thier links page

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"We are the designers and makers of the Brompton folding bike. The Brompton is a bike which rides well, is safe, and yet folds easily into a very compact and portable package: other folding bikes have their own character and purpose, but none we feel matches the Brompton's convenience or gives you the same freedom and independence".

Kritik [ ] 11:24 PM

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bookzen - literary reviews

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser - Reviewed by KJR for Bookzen

"An American Tragedy" is about a youth trying to escape the suffocation of poverty and intellectual abuse in pursuit of the American Dream. Though the reason for escape is sound, the dream to which he aspires is ephemeral at best, available to few, and appreciated and understood by even fewer. "An American Tragedy" bears much resemblance to Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment," though the crimes are more minor and, possibly ironically, the punishment more harsh in twentieth century America than in nineteenth century Russia.

I wish I had read this book when I was 16 or 17 to wise me up, though it might have been considered hackneyed and trite by the oh-so-sophisticated 60's-era teachers at my schools in the proper, snobbier, wealthier suburbs surrounding Boston. Like those in the Bush White House, I was not from the pages of "A Separate Peace" or "Catcher in the Rye." Like Clyde Griffiths in this book, I was raised in a born-again religious right American family, and my father was still teaching Bible class and Sunday School some fifty years later.

The tragedy, which by implication Dreiser thinks is a peculiarly American one, concerns the attempt of a young man, a boy of only about 13, who can pass for 15 because of his size, attempting to free himself from the suffocating constraints of the church mission where his parents care for and preach to the indigent. And unlike his associates who have taken jobs as bellhops at the largest and grandest hotel in Kansas City to make ends meet, for Clyde, this job is not just a means to a fast buck or a way to feed himself: being a bellhop is the first step on the road to opportunity and access to such things as fancy clothes and powerful motorcars. Like the Tom Cruise character in "Heaven Can Wait," who buys lots of hats to proclaim his success as a boxer in 1880's Boston, Clyde buys himself slacks and sweaters, coats and hats to proclaim that he is on his way. He even begins lavishing expensive clothes on his unappreciative floozy girlfriend, to the extent that he cannot loan money to his older sister, who having earlier run away from home herself, shows up again later abandoned and pregnant. Ironically, it is the unconditional love of his mother, which he originally found so suffocating, that sustains and nurtures Clyde at the end.

Involved in a joy ride in a stolen car that ends tragically, Clyde creates a new life for himself in another city, only to feel trapped again within a couple of years when his girlfriend becomes pregnant. The pregnancy occurs just as Clyde has met the love of his life, an attractive, upperclass young woman whose family has a summer house on the lake.

It is his intense desire to be free at virtually any cost, his obsession with freedom and access to the good life that he sees around him, that eventually costs Clyde his freedom. As with Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment," Clyde never doubts his guilt or tries to deny it. He believes rather that it was his own stupidity that led to his feeling caught in a situation in which he even began to seriously contemplate a crime. This endless fascination with the crime itself as a means of escape he blames on his having been found out. Unable to defend himself, Clyde cannot escape the prejudices of a legal system wanting to make an example of him, and is a victim of the political ambitions of law enforcement officials seeking to show themselves tough on crime in an election year. As such, "An American Tragedy" could be considered an argument against capital punishment.

As a book written in 1925 about life in the American Midwest of 1910 or so, this book, with its descriptions of roadhouse bars, stolen cars, juke boxes, electrically illuminated marquees, telephone calls, and political corruption, feels very modern. I thought before reading this book that fatal car accidents and teenagers racing fast cars was the province of the 1950's and of James Dean and Marlon Brando. Not so; they were doing it back when Brando's grandmother was a girl.

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Saturday, July 10, 2004

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Brainstorm 2004 July 14-16, Aspen, Colorado

Since 2001, FORTUNE's editors have been gathering the smartest, most influential people we know to discuss the evolving role of business in the world at large. Over the past three years, Brainstorm has developed into a unique forum positioned at the critical intersection of business, technology, and world affairs.

Brainstorm 2004 will be hosted by FORTUNE and the Aspen Institute at Aspen Meadows

Kritik [ ] 7:19 PM

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August evening

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EDWARD SAID MEMORIAL CONCERT
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
Daniel Barenboim (conductor/piano)
Barbican Concert Hall, London EC2
Wednesday 4 August 2004, 7.30 p.m.

The London Review of Books is delighted to bring the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under their conductor Daniel Barenboim to the Barbican on 4 August to celebrate the work of Edward Said, who died in September last year.

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Thursday, July 08, 2004

Support the National Trust by visiting one of their wonderful properties

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The National Trust young writers competition

Are you under 18 with an eye for a story?

Our historic houses and beautiful countryside properties teem with thrilling, mysterious, spooky and romantic stories. Now the National Trust and Young Writer magazine are offering a fantastic prize for the best stories or poems inspired by a visit to a Trust property.

The two age categories are 7-11 and 12-18.
Closing date for entries is 31 August 2004.

Kritik [ ] 9:49 PM

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Rank and pile

londonzen - park life
francaiszen - la vie

London gets new taxi rank signs
BBC photo

la vie du chien, Poo Poo a la francaise
Le dernier cri of chic spots to poop

Kritik [ ] 8:28 PM

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Wednesday, July 07, 2004

The saga of the parrot and the fourposter bed

ecozen - animals ecology philanthropy
francaiszen - la vie
londonzen - park life

oil painting by Serena Konig

Several years ago, whilst in Toulouse to collect a fourposter bed. My partner Alastair went to buy me a puppy as a present, the pet shop didn't have any, so he got 2 Canaries instead. On his way out he heard anguished shrieks coming from the back of the shop. There in the gloom was a red and grey African parrot in a tiny cage on the floor. This was the start of our parrot saga. There wasn't room in the van for the bed, the cages and us. So a friend drove and we took the train back to Provence. It was a night train, the parrot shrieked the whole time. We called him Corot, perhaps subconsciously because "the Corot" had caused much trouble over the years. Anyway, Corot was sad and lonely and needed better quarters; So Richard and Pierrot our friends who just happened to be master welders were commissioned to make a bird palace fit for Corot.

In the mean time we scoured the pet shops for a companion, near Avignon we found "Richard" another red and grey. He had a very poorly friend huddled up next to him, a black Madagascan...we called him "Pierrot". The aviary was splendid, customisable, demountable. Filled with trees and fallen branches, also a mist system. OK so I couldn't resist buying the tropical rainforest tape! (it was played about once, although I am sure I detected a flicker of appreciation from Corot).

They all got along fine, even the canaries. The fencing was of a smaller guage to stop the canaries escaping. Little by little we saw chewed bits, holes. They were repaired. Richard would sit on a tree and sing away to Pierrot as a diversionary tactic while Corot clipped through the wire.

I had a dream about them escaping, that morning I went downstairs and heard people shouting that the birds had gone! The canaries were still there as was poor Pierrot, but Richard and Corot were gone! We all rushed round the garden (the aviary was on the terrace outside the dining room) we caught sight of something red in one of the little pine trees. It was Richard, he didn't want to come down. Alastair finally managed to reach him, Richard grabbed the palm of his hand in his pincer beak, it hurt. So he was safe and sound and back with Pierrot. I am really glad that Corot flew to freedom and wish the others had gone too. A neighbor came to tell us she had seen a red and green parrot in her garden, was it ours. We saw parrots in Avignon, in the trees behind Credit Agricole.

When winter came the cage was dismantled and put up in the living room. This was fine for all, the 4 dogs never bothered the birds, the mice lived on the floor of the cage and ate seeds. One morning Pierrot was dead on the floor. He usually perched on an old wooden ladder. We took him to the vet, who said that we should be able to find out quite easily how he died. He took a big pair of scissors and literally cut him in half! I am very fond of the vet he is the dearest of friends, but he obviously didn't think that we might be feeling a bit sad or upset by poor Pierrots' demise, he was still warmish. He had always picked at his feathers and looked very ragged, his beak was white which made him seem somewhat anaemic too. So there he was, neatly sliced, mirrored, Pat said immediately that it was kidney failure. Well.

Richard was lonely. We could see all this happening again. When Corot arrived we had thought of flying to Africa and setting him free. One day Pat took us to see a client who kept all kinds of birds, including African Greys, so Richard was introduced into the bird place. I heard some time later that he had mated, had children and was happy. Isn't that super. So when I hear of all these news stories about Parrot infestations in England, on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco as Marc Canter wrote about and elsewhere, I am pleased they are free. Maybe one of them is someone's Corot.

P.S. The fourposter was too tall for the bedroom ceiling and so languished in the garage until flooded...which is another story.

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I know that by rescuing Corot from the pet shop prison others were ordered to replace him. We must stop this pet trade and the breeding of animals for pets.

World Parrot Trust
THE CHARITY FUNDING PROJECTS AND PROMOTING
EXCELLENCE IN PARROT CONSERVATION AND WELFARE The WPT is campaigning to stop importation of wild caught birds into the European Union. Sign the petition

Please red this about the plight of Parrots.The African Grey Parrot, Psittacus erithacus, has a wide distribution, across the tropical belt of Africa, including the islands of Bioko and Príncipe in the Gulf of Guinea. This species is harvested intensively for the pet trade. More>>

Free Parrots.net News and views v.good site, you can join, help.

Harvard biologist Mike Schindlinger introduces you to the parrots he studies, as individuals, as they move through their daily lives - singing, cavorting and playing as they explore their environment; doing chores, like eating, roosting, and caring for young - with an intelligence not dissimilar, in ways, to our own. More>>

Kritik [ ] 12:30 PM

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Tuesday, July 06, 2004

The ultimate Wishlist

The girl with the pearl earing probably knew her...so delightfull, her story is too...

londonzen - park life
artzen - art culture info expo

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Johannes Vermeer (1632-75) A Young Woman Seated at the Virginals

Seeing the light by Gregory Rubinstein

"When Baron Freddy Rolin walked into my office in the spring of 1993, carrying a small painting under his arm, I certainly did not expect it to be the beginning of a deeply engrossing research project, which would last more than a decade. Nor did I imagine that at the end of it all, the painting would be generally accepted as an authentic work by that most intriguing and mysterious of all the Dutch masters of the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer.....

.....This short account can only give a small taste of this picture's life story since the day more than 300 years ago when Vermeer first put his brush to the canvas. It has, however, been my great privilege to have accompanied this young woman on her way for the last eleven years, and steer her towards the fast-approaching moment when she will become the first Vermeer to be offered for sale at auction since 1921".
Read the whole story >>

Gregory Rubinstein is a senior director in the Old Master Paintings & Drawings department, Sotheby's London.
Old Master Paintings, Part 1
July 7, 2004 at 7:00 pm Sotheby's 34-35 New Bond Street, London

Kritik [ ] 6:48 PM

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"Summer" by Edith Wharton, reviewed by KJR for Bookzen

bookzen - literary reviews

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Like many of her books, "Summer" by Edith Wharton is a commentary on manners, social classes and life's circumstances. Typically, she touches on the more comfortable echelons of society, though it was surprising to me how deeply she delved into the very poverty-ridden outer margins of society. We see here a "misalliance," a briefly joyous-seeming fling that becomes life changing, and then life threatening. In "Summer," set around 1900, a solitary young woman, possibly abused as a small child, now sheltered by her guardian to the point of being limited, lives in a remote and isolated New England town. She is bored to the point of suffocation. As June's warm breezes caress her, she meets a young man who is better educated, with much wider opportunities than anything she has experienced or indeed, can even really imagine. This is the dark story of a romance, the warmth and promise of which fades as autumn nears. Though for the more aware reader, and for our heroine, Charity Royall herself, the promise will have always been illusory.
The whole review >>

Kritik [ ] 6:27 PM

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Sunday, July 04, 2004

If you aren't going to the British Grand Prix next weekend , go to LA

bookzen - literary reviews
londonzen - park life
francaiszen - la vie

Swink invites you to celebrate the Lying, Cheating & Stealing online theme issue:

Sunday, July 11th

1644 Elevado Street
Los Angeles, CA 90026 (in Silverlake)

Reading starts at 7:00 pm
Celebration starts at 8:00 pm

Open bar

Please RSVP to laparty@swinkmag.com or at 310.861.5996

Swink is a new L.A. NY literary magazine.

Kritik [ ] 8:01 PM

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Friday, July 02, 2004

artzen - art culture info expo

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If the expenditure of money for entertainment in America is any indication of taste, clearly the majority of us are addicted to trash.
Marlon Brando

Kritik [ ] 6:39 PM

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We the Media : Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People By Dan Gillmor
Grassroots journalists are dismantling Big Media's monopoly on the news, transforming it from a lecture to a conversation. Not content to accept the news as reported, these readers-turned-reporters are publishing in real time to a worldwide audience via the Internet. The impact of their work is just beginning to be felt by professional journalists and the newsmakers they cover.
In We the Media: Grassroots Journalism by the People, for the People, nationally known business and technology columnist Dan Gillmor tells the story of this emerging phenomenon, and sheds light on this deep shift in how we make and consume the news. [Full Description]
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