Good for bilateral relations

Berlin police have found a body that is probably* that of a missing Russian artist who had been condemned by the Orthodox Church for an exhibit in her homeland. The death was an apparent suicide, police said Friday.

Anna Mikhalchuk, [unfortunately not English entry, yet - sj] who moved to Berlin in November, has been missing for three weeks. She created a stir in Russia with an 2003 exhibition that the church considered blasphemous, and was tried and acquitted by a Moscow court on charges of inciting religious hatred.
To be continued here.

Apparently!! I see.

In German - although most Germans would not know :) - there is a big difference between scheinbar (only looks like being true/a fact) and anscheinend (it looks very much like; thus seems quite probable).

This allows the conclusion: Apparently Anna Politkovskaja committed suicide by shooting herself into her back.

Thanks for having me.

* Meanwhile according to Spiegel online (German edition), Anna Mikhalchuk has been identified by her husband, the Russian philosopher and author, Mikhail Ryklin.

O tempora, o mores!

Today German lawmakers agreed to allow broader embryonic stem cell use. But they signaled their ambivalence by refusing to completely do away with restrictions.

Germany's science minister, Annette Schavan, said reforming the law was key to fostering research in Germany.

“This is a good day for both protecting life and also for research in Germany,“ Schavan, of the Christian Democratic Union, said after the vote Friday. *

Hear hear!

And may I add it is a good day for Mrs. Schavan et al.: Here questions like this one will not be asked.

There was, however, a German philosopher whose name is being pronounced like one of the words you could read in the devil's title: Kant.
And I am quite sure Kant would agree: What a bunch of hypocrites, per se!

Having followed the discussion about stem cell research from its beginning in the past milennium, I am not surprised, though.

To give you at least a glimpse, of what made me come to call hypocrites hypocrites, I commend reading this article.




* Full article here.

Wordy Wednesday IV

'Oh Sean - your Wordy Wednesday is now an institution.'

Of course, I could imagine one of his eyes twinkling when reading my dear friend James' (*) comment on last week's 'Wordy Wednesday'.

* Is it too much to call 'a' blogger your friend? - This, readers, is worth a post of itself, would you agree? :)
As this *idea* came - as most of my ideas - spontaneously - it would not be suprising, had you to remind me of this; in case you are interested in my thoughts/convictions. :)

Anyway, here's Wordy Wednesday IV. And again I do hope you will enjoy; and again I do ask you to leave comments on those posts you like (or dislike), 'cause (your) comments are the salt in the soup of any post. :)

Prodicus can be sure that I shall pinch this very post, but before doing so it's my pleasure linking to his site.
No, I do not agree to every detail he is posting about, but he's what I do call 'unique'.
In order to preparing you for what you are going to read:

I read the first part to Mrs. J, then stopped as if it were the end.
Her one word-comment: 'Impressive.'
Then I added the rest.
Mrs J: 'Sean, it's good to know you have an alibi. This would have been very embarrassing for me and the whole family.'
I, myself: Laughing and laughing and laughing.

Now you know a little more about my sense of humour, let's get a bit serious:
The Old Brit about a man I once (around 1990) tended to 'admire', until I started to learn that he has his personal Blairney stone (not to mix up with the Blarney Stone): Tony Blair.

Call me lazy: But here is another one by the Old Brit.

Ah, Ben Hur, ah Soylent Green; and despite I could go on praising the actor: here is the title I call the best of this week, made by Colin Campbell your host at the Adelaide Green Porridge Cafe. :)

No poem today? No. But a painting - by Fabian Perez**. Which one? Ah, difficult to decide. Actually, I should like to show you four. But as a copy of Dali's 'Girl in the window' (the fifth painting when you are scrolling) is hanging in our front building - I chose this one:

** Hat tip Sandra Singh at Internation Musings.

Remains a question to myself, tonight: Am I playing with Death, or is Death playing with me?

The Peace of the Night.

If the Games fail ...

"International companies are ignoring basic human rights in return for business opportunity, while the Communist party is offering profits in return for continued control of the internet and the ability to intimidate dissidents."

"The collusion of these two kinds of ugliness means that there is no way for western investment to promote freedom of speech in China, and that in fact it greatly increases the ability of the Communist party to blockade and control the internet.”

“You are helping the Communist party maintain an evil system of control over freedom of information and speech."

Three core statements from an open letter to yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang quoted by the Financial Times - almost 30 months ago, October 18th, 2005.
Its writer: Liu Xiaobo, Chinese intellectual human rights activist who accuses Yahoo of betraying its customers and supporting dictatorship by providing information on journalist Shi Tao to Chinese authorities.
Full article here.

Of course, Mr. Liu who had the pleasure of several years being spoilt by 'his' leaders' unlimited love - in prison - would be delighted by the increasement of voices demanding a boycott of the Olympic Games in Beijing, wouldn't he?

Hm, and that's what he said according to a yesterday published Spiegel-interview:

"That wouldn't be a good way to punish China. If the Games fail, human rights will suffer. The government would stop paying any attention to the rest of the world. I personally think: We want the Games and we want human rights to be respected."

And what do you think?

Prisoners in Freedom City

'For five articles they sentence him to 3,5 years in prison. Our daughter will be four years before she will see her father again.' Two sentences spoken by Zeng Jinyan that I do remember from the interview she gave two days ago, after her husband, Hu Jia, had been sentenced.

At the end of the interview Zeng Jinyan is waving back towards the camera.

She has entered that part of Beijing where the Hu's have a flat: Freedom City.

Lovely name, isn't it? Almost as lovely as The Place of Heavenly Peace.

But who am I but a 'misinformed malicious Western blogger'?

Let's watch some videos, documenting how intensively Mr. Hu the leader of the leaders and thus General Secretary of the CPC Central Comitee lets care his best men for the safety and freedom of an unemployed father aged 34 and his family, never giving up the hope these black sheep may find back on the left path.

Here we go:

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 1 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 2 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 3 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 4 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 5 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 6 / 7)

Prisoners in Freedom City (part 7 / 7)


In this sense: The peace of the night.

The Bastards of Beijing *

Quoting from China Daily - March 17th, 2008:

Chinese citizens are guaranteed freedom of speech by the nation's Constitution, Zhang Jun, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, said on Saturday.

"Citizens have the rights to express their ideas under the legal system, which includes suggestions to and criticisms of the government. These rights are protected by law and by the Constitution," Zhang said.

It is acceptable for people to criticize preparations for the Olympic Games or express their complaints, he added.

Zhang made the remarks in response to questions raised by foreign media at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing legislative session.

Marvellous, isn't it?

Well, the next sentence starts with a 'But'.

Back? Did you also see the portraits of nine leaders? Fine. Just keep these in your mind. Especially the one of the leader of the leaders, the General Secretary of the CPC Central Comitee, Mr. Hu Jintao.

End of the beforegoing.

Mr. Hu has been sentenced to 3,5 years in jail!

Ah, no. Not the General Secretary of the CPC Central Comitee.

Mr. Hu Jia.

Why would Mr. Hu Jia be sentenced, although he is not the General Secretary of the CPC Central Comitee?

Well, as one could - for certain reasons - not rely on Western newspapers, I do again tend to rather trust on the phare of journalism, the China Daily.

Back? Let's recapitulate then:

'Hu spread malicious rumors, and committed libel in an attempt to subvert the state's political power and socialist system.'

How did Hu, 'libel the Chinese political and social systems, and instigate subversion of the state, which is a crime under Chinese law'?
By 'two website articles' ... 'published [...] on overseas-run websites'.

In other words: 'An unemployed father aged 34 and the holder of a college degree' by 'spreading malicious rumor' tried to find oversea-allies to knuckle down his fellow countrymen - roughly one billion Chinese.

And here comes the moment to remember the portraits of nine leaders. Especially the one of the leader of the leaders, the General Secretary of the CPC Central Comitee, Mr. Hu Jintao.

Obviously these gentlemen do not only suffer from mental inferiority, but also are heroic cowards who fear 'an unemployed father aged 34 and the holder of a college degree'.



* How could this happen? I had just started to write a review of 'The Bastard of Istanbul' by Elif Safak. While writing the title suddenly the Olympic Games in Berlin ... err Beijing came to my mind, and thus the little faux pax seems to have happened.
Of course, I do distance myself from the title. Never would I call mighty criminal and corrupt cowards who suffer from mental inferiority bastards.


Postscriptum:

Ah yes, as the phares of China's daily journalism did not mention (surely due to a lack of space), I do allow myself to add:

Mr Hu Jia has a wife, Zeng Jinyan (24), and a two months old daughter.

But that's completely a different post.

China feels insulted ha ha ha

China Tuesday criticized a British newspaper's report that linked the Beijing Olympics with the Berlin Games of 1936, saying the story is an insult to Chinese citizens and to the people of the world.

Well, Tetrapilotomos and I, both people of the world, would not feel insulted, at all; due last not least to following old saying:

Those who feel insulted by others,
confess to their mental inferiority.


It's, by the way, a Chinese saying.

... and there is ...

... a time to dance ...

There's ...

... a time to cry ...

Wordy Wednesday III

Another Wordy Wednesday then. And as it is known latest since Donna Hightower's 'This World is a Mess': Why not on a Thursday?

Unlike last week today I shall listen to my stomach (German idiom). And this is what my stomach said the other week: Careful, Sean. Less is more.

Thus, instead of ten remarkable postings and perhaps too much reading stuff, tonight I do commend just five. Here we go:

1. To help us getting in the right mood for this year's Olympic Games, The Little Man let us for 7:04 minutes feel the wonderful spirit of those Olympic Games 72 years ago the 'leaders' of China are absolutely determined to surpass.

2. This is a great pleasure for me. Very probably he will leniently smile when reading 'this man is no blogger; he is a poet'. But that is what he is.
To visit his site every morning has (almost) become a ritual. And I am glad, Floots gave me permission to 'pinch' one of his recent gems. Here it is:

Now, is that poetry?!

3. Back to prosa. Late, only yesterday night, I noticed Ian Appleby's latest post: No nukes are good nukes. As (almost) always: Thought provoking.

4. And now to my badly neglected friend Erkan who's output is such amazing that one could daily spend hours on his site. To cut it short: I do admire his professionalism, his wonderful friendliness - and, just to make him happy - I wish Besiktas to become Turkish champion. :) Some days ago Erkan put the focus on following question: Should Wilders become censored?

5. And finally, a painting by the poet I introduced you to the other week: Janice Thomson. It's to be found on her second blogsite: Gray Sky Over Mountains.

And now, I hope to have found a nice little mixture. Enjoy, and have a marvellous week - until next 'Wordy Wednesday' - and if it will happen to be a Friday. :)

A coffee for The Poor Mouth

Hard times. :) Only five days after his birthday, Jams O'Donnell, master of The Poor Mouth, celebrates his blog's second anniversary.

Congratulations, Jams, and voilà, as promised, here's your anti-hangover-coffee.

By turning the mug you'd, of course, read:

When health is bad and your heart feels strange,
And your face is pale and wan,
When doctors say that you need a change,
A PINT OF PLAIN IS YOUR ONLY MAN.

Wanderers Night Song

Today's evening thought, posted by the famous Khan Semaj Mahgih spontaneously reminded me of Wandrers Nachtlied / Wanderers Night Song by Goethe.

Über allen Gipfeln

Ist Ruh',
In allen Wipfeln
Spürest du
Kaum einen Hauch.
Die Vöglein schweigen im Walde.
Warte nur, balde
Ruhest du auch.

Over all peaks
Reigns calm,
In all treetops
Senseth thou
Barely a breath.
The birdies keep silent in the wood.
Simply wait, soon
Resteth thou, too.

translated by McSeanagall :)

Flann fooled you, folks

I'll not tell which pseudonym he does currently prefer, but I may again say those few people still taking for granted Flann O'Brien died April 1st 1966, can look back on a remarkable long career as April fools.

Fact is, furthermore, that only last midnight Flanny, Tetrapilotomos and I as well as a certain chap who asked to remain incognito met in, at and around Seanhenge, having some pints of plain and, of course, at one stage of our vivid conversation Flann would raise his voice and not only enjoy our ears, hearts and grey cells but animate the rami zygomatici and rami buccales of nervus facialis to massively innervate our musculi risorii by declaiming following legendary dialogue:

The Plain People of Ireland: Isn't the German very like the Irish? Very guttural and so on?

Myself: Yes.

The Plain People of Ireland: People say that the German language and the Irish language is very guttural tongues.

Myself: Yes.

The Plain People of Ireland: The sounds is all guttural do you understand.

Myself. Yes.

The Plain People of Ireland: Very guttural languages the pair of them the Gaelic and the German.

* * *

And now - although it is most unlikely they exist - to all those who happen to not being in possession of the master's complete œvre: Saddle your ponies, folks, and hurry up. The friendly, most well-educated and -sorted bookseller just round the corner will be happy to fill the gaps of your education and in your bookshelf.