whenever sauseschritt needs to breathe fresh air with regard to us-politics, he loads down the fresh air podcast, presented by npr (national public radio). this time, in a crowded metro, full of desparate and violent passengers, an interview with brian de palma on his new movie redacted. sauseschritt really gets used to terry gross' voice and giggles. thanks for letting us listen to another america, terry!

here is more about redacted on rottentomatoes followed by an interview with brian de palma. we also got the background for de palma´s fictionalized documentary on bbc news.

there is some hope to overcome the mental gartenzwerg. some thesis presented by ulrich beck via sightandsight:

(...) The nationalist perspective - which equates society with the society of the nation state - blinds us to the world in which we live. In order to perceive the interrelatedness of people and of populations around the globe in the first place, we need a cosmopolitan perspective. The common terminological denominator of our densely populated world is "cosmopolitanisation", which means the erosion of distinct boundaries dividing markets, states, civilizations, cultures, and not least of all the lifeworlds of different peoples. The world has not certainly not become borderless, but the boundaries are becoming blurred and indistinct, becoming permeable to flows of information and capital. Less so, on the other hand, to flows of people: tourists yes, migrants no. Taking place in national and local lifeworlds and institutions is a process of internal globalisation. This alters the conditions for the construction of social identity, which need no longer be impressed by the negative juxtaposition of "us" and "them". (...)

foto by georginchen

... at least we assume so. why reach out to the world, better stay at home and enjoy more of the same. is it correct that we are not reaching out, but much more like to stay home ? china herald presents some results on "regional" blogging in china, which may be valid also for europe:

(...) If I remember well, the Chinese research also showed that most blogs would link to other blogs in their own region, rather than to websites elsewhere in China.
I have not seen any research on weblogs in the Netherlands, German or Belgium, but I'm quite sure that there is very little overlap between countries and cultures. Even when people do speak the same language, like the Dutch and a part of the Belgians, that does not mean they really talk to each other.
Despite the technological possibilities, people tend to stay within their own comfort zone. That makes those weblogs who don't even more important (...)

definitely, and sauseschritt will put more effort in it. more of it on danwei.

and sauseschritt will not catch any of my us-colleagues at work. its time to remember what thanksgiving really is and where it comes from.

3quarksdaily makes us aware of an article in boston globe ideas:

(...) Another Thanksgiving approaches. It's that day when families across America gather to watch parades and competitive sports on television and to overindulge in stuffed turkeys, creamed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and rich pies.

Every schoolchild in America knows the story of the original Thanksgiving. In 1621 in Plymouth, émigré English Calvinists struggled to make their way in the harsh climate of this New World. Wampanoag Indians helped them, teaching them to grow corn. In gratitude the Pilgrims invited the Native Americans to join in their harvest feast. On this secular holiday, with our extended families around us at the Thanksgiving table, we may be moved to give thanks not only for the feast but also for our families, our country, and our many other gifts.

But this modern version of Thanksgiving would horrify the devout Pilgrims and Puritans who sailed to America in the 17th century. (...)

und weil die metro das thema der nacht zu sein scheint, erinnert sich sauseschritt der neuesten ausgabe der wiener stadtzeitung augustin, in der die arbeiten von hannes gröblacher vorgestellt wurden:

(...) Stellen Sie sich vor, Sie sitzen in der U-Bahn. Sie tragen ihr Montag-Morgen-Gesicht und vertrauen darauf, dass alle anderen es Ihnen gleichtun und sich leeren Blickes auf innere Gefühlslandschaften konzentrieren. Plötzlich spüren Sie ein leises Kribbeln, als würden Sie beobachtet. Sie erwachen aus ihrer Starre und sehen sich um: Das sitzt dieser Kerl gegenüber und ZEICHNET Sie! Aber das ist doch (...)

sketches by janimaj

one of the best, because most simple and precise music videos brought to us lately. thanks to annalogue who posts a great muzak category:

und wer die ipod gadgets liebt und für sein/ihr designer-ego unentbehrlich findet, mag die kombination von beiden lieben. aber natürlich gibt es auch schon die verarschung dazu.

a fistful of euros currently posted a book review on torture condoned by the us administration:

(...) Administration of Torture starts with an intriguing introduction in which ACLU lawyers Jameel Jaffer and Amrit Singh build their case that the current US Administration did condone torture, that the abuse of prisoners was indeed systemic, that senior government officials, like Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, were personally involved, probably for the first time in US history, in determining which interrogation techniques were to be used and that those techniques were possibly illegal and even unconstitutional bordering on war crimes.

The text of the introduction in which these allegations are made, 52 pages long, is corroborated by over 300 footnotes pointing directly to official documents that are reproduced in the book over 374 pages. The true scope of the enormous investigative work done by Jaffer and Singh becomes clear when you know that over 100,000 of these official pages have been released to the ACLU and its partners under the Freedom of Information Act. (...)

photo by allessandro clemenza

yes, sauseschritt escaped the complete entropie in paris and could make it to vienna and turino. after two hours of useless waiting for the airfrance bus (which officially was NOT on strike) three South Corean girls and myself conquered a taxi to give us a ride to the airport.
paris followed me to central europe. in his cold, empty and very uncomfortable vienna appartment sauseschritt started to read geert maks book: in europe. travels through the twentieth century and found the following text on paris:

(...) In Paris, even the ordinary is often impressive. That applies particularly to the city´s public transportation system (...) Every detail speaks of the unparalleled feeling for quality: the automatic ticket system, the uniform prices, the clear signposting, the high frequency of departures, the seeming effortless, with which the trains rocket these thousands of people through the city. You rarely see anyone running for a train: the next one will be coming in two or three minutes. One seldom feels unsafe: there are always people around, every corner is put to good use. And only very rarely is one ever tempted to go by car: nothing can equal the speed, for example, of the RER connection between the EiffelTower and Versailles. And most amazing of all is that the system has been running exactly this way for many years, as though it is the most normal thing in the world. If you want to catch a glimpse of the future, you need only travel around Paris one afternoon (...)

well, not only that the gentleman writing this nonsense did not have any idea of the public transportation strikes of 2006 and 2007, he also seemed to be blank of any real time experiences in paris metro and rer. petite anglaise has, definitely!

and finally, sauseschritt remembers what happened on gare du nord this summer, when police fought black youngsters and blocked the station until late midnight:

photo by retlaw snellac

two reasons why sauseschritt does post this hints to explore the silk road: firstly, there is this chinese colleague, who lives in Europe and is so much interested to travel the silk road, and secondly: suseschritt will have to stay for some time there, in order to promote and complete a project of big 0. enjoy the fotos, but also the travel report on ferghana.

facing one of the biggest ecologigical desasters in the black sea region, one would think russia and ucraine will work together to combat the oil spill. no, on the contrary: political tensions are on the rise and old land disputes are taken up again in. there are elections in russia:

(...) The largest sea disaster in the modern history of Russia and Ukraine is turning into a political scandal. Deputy head of the Russian Federal Natural Resources Supervision Service (Rosprirodnadzor) Oleg Mitvol has proposed building a temporary dam from Tuzla Spit, which is Ukrainian territory and has been an island since the 1920s, to the Russian shore. Mitvol says that is the only way to prevent the pollution of the Sea of Azov with fuel oil from the recent oil spill the Strait of Kerch. The idea has caused a storm of emotion in Ukraine. Ukrainian politicians see the proposal as a renewal of an old land dispute and Russian electioneering.(...)

das öffentliche verkehrswesen streikt wieder einmal in paris, der letzte streik hat (in krassem widerspruch zu sauseschritts vollmundigkeit) gezeigt, dass es tatsächlich ernst wird. da es in frankreich offenbar weder eine konflikt- noch verhandlungskultur gibt, meldet sich die stadt einfach ab und überläßt menschen ohne auto ihrem fussgänger - schicksal. flott titelt spiegel online: der tag der improvisationstalente.

wie soll sauseschritt morgen zum flughafen kommen? taxis nehmen keine bestellungen an (denn das verringert ihre gewinnspanne an tagen wie diesen drastisch) und sind in solchen situationen auch nicht auf der straße oder an standplätzen zu bekommen, der rer b ist tres pertubé und ein auto steht auch nicht zur verfügung. bleibt nur der air france flughafenbus und dieser ist auch im normalzustand völlig unzuverlässig. magnifique !!! meine sympathie mit beiden, der regierung und den streikenden hält sich naturgemäß in grenzen.

jill/text made sauseschritt aware of this movie by director jennifer fox. again a documentary, but this time 350 minutes long. the trailer made me very curious, as did annelogue' s post:

(...) This summer, Danish television showed “FLYING: Confessions of a Free Woman” in a series of 6 episodes. At first I was not too keen to watch it, but after seeing one episode I was completely engrossed in it. The film is asking questions and considering issues that are really important to women. What does the modern woman want? What is a woman’s life like around the world? Do women have a special language? The narrative is following Jennifer Fox’s personal life over four years and her conversations with other women around the world. Super intimate and honest conversations. I’m really impressed. There are only very few of my own friends who are so open about their lives and how they live (...)

itunes has a complete interview with jennifer fox about the making of the film. more reviews on rottentomatoes. many more episodes plus a long review on divine caroline.

in 2002 mk2 released two movies directed by bartabas on dvd. sauseschritt watched chamane. this is the second movie of the artist, horsetrainer and movie director clement marty (bartabas). the original movie was released in 1996.

the new york times movie review states:
(...) Gorgeously shot in the wide-open Siberian wilderness this outdoor adventure chronicles the dramatic escape of a big-city bred violinist from a Siberian labor camp. Underlying the action is the tale of a man who learns to become one with his environment rather than trying to dominate it. The story begins as enigmatic, Asian tribesman Toli comforts the starved violinist Dimitri that they will be escaping soon (...)

see parts of the encounter of the main character with a russian kosack:

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photo taken by lyalka

the economist reports (ENG) how history is supposed to be interpreted nowadays in russia:

(...) RUSSIA'S past was admirable, its present is more than magnificent and as for its future—it is beyond anything that the boldest mind can imagine.” Thus Count Alexander Benckendorff in the 1830s, on how Russia's history should be viewed and written. This advice from the head of the country's first secret police is now being heeded in the Kremlin, where a new Russian history is being forged.

The decade after the collapse of communism was notable for the absence of any official ideology. Weary of grand designs, the Russian elite preferred pragmatism and enrichment. Asked about his national dream in 2004, President Vladimir Putin said that it was to make Russia competitive. But Russia's new oil-driven strength and its aspirations to be a world player have once more created a demand for something more victorious and uplifting. And as Mr Putin looks for ways to stay in power after his second presidential term expires next March, his ideological comrades are placing him in a gallery of Russia's great leaders, a quasi-tsar (...)

dazu auch eine meldung aus der moscow times in hinblick auf die bevorstehenden wahlen zur duma (ENG):

(...) Pro-Kremlin youth groups, backed by police, are in the final stages of preparations to inundate the city with tens of thousands of loyal teens with orders to prevent an Orange-style revolution in the lead-up to the Dec. 2 State Duma elections.
Few of the conditions that led to Ukraine's 2006 Orange Revolution or the Rose Revolution a year earlier in Georgia are present in Russia, however, and opposition youth groups say they aren't looking for a confrontation. But this isn't stopping the authorities from confining them to the periphery anyway.
Activists from Nashi, Young Guard and Young Russia have been pouring into schools, universities, clubs and bars nationwide to spread one message among Russia's youngest electorate: It is your duty to vote for United Russia, the party of President Vladimir Putin (...)

im oktober 2002, während des urlaubs auf der halbinsel krim, wollte e. unbedingt auch nach kertsch, allein die verkehrsverbindungen in den osten der halbinsel waren derart schlecht, dass wir dies nach einigen bemühungen bleiben ließen.
die ölkatastrophe ließ sauseschritt aufhorchen und auch, dass die medien eigentlich nur sehr halbherzig berichten. ja, kertsch ist in europe, das asovsche und das schwarze meer sind es auch! sauseschritt folgert, dass die mentalen landkarten der west- und mitteleuropäer entweder (1) noch immer vom kalten krieg geprägt sind; (2) ein falschverstandener modernismus den blick auf europa verstellt; (3) tankerunfälle inzwischen langweilig geworden sind. nichtsdestoweniger darf in erinnerung gerufen werden:

(...) Die Umweltkatastrophe im Schwarzen Meer dürfte weit schlimmer sein, als bisher angenommen: Mehr als 2000 Tonnen Heizöl sind aus einem Öltanker ausgelaufen, der nach einem schweren Sturm am Sonntag leck geschlagen war. Mehr als 30.000 Vögel und zehntausende Fische sind laut Angaben des Gouverneurs Alexander Tkatschow bereits verendet. Zudem seien Futtergründe für Delfine bedroht.

Die Beseitigung der Folgen des Unwetters, bei dem auch tausende Tonnen Schwefel austraten, werde laut Behörden mindestens zehn Jahre dauern. Der Leiter der Umweltaufsicht, Oleg Mitwol, sprach von einer „schwierigen Lage“. Etwa 800 Helfer waren am Dienstag nach russischen und ukrainischen Angaben im Einsatz, um den Ölteppich abzutragen und verschmutzte Strände zu reinigen. Zusätzlich werden sich 500 Soldaten an den Säuberungsarbeiten beteiligen (...)

berichtet die presse (GERM).

die liste der tankerunfälle ist lang. der guardian führt die bekanntesten an (ENG), hier einige beispiele: der exxon valdez oil spil in alaska 1989, die sea empress ölkatastrophe 1999, iguacu 2000, galapagos islands, cabo finisterre in spanien 2002, karachi 2003, die leckenden schiffe aus dem zweiten weltkrieg im pazifik, die ölpest im gefolge des hurrikans katrina, ölpest vor der küste des libanon 2006, die philippinen 2007, dorset and east devon (england) 2007.

nicht gerechnet die ölpest entlang der ölpipelines, die gerne auch als lebensadern der modernen wirtschaft bezeichnet werden. nicht gerechnet, die alltägliche ölverschmutzung, auch dokumentiert im flickr cluster oilspill:

der kolumbianische maler fernando butero stellt nun seine arbeiten über abu ghraib in washington (ENG) aus. das wird naturgemäß kontroversiell diskutiert, interessanterweise auch zwischen den kritikern der geschehnisse. die zeit berichtet (GER):

(...) Aber es nicht so sehr diese Geschichtslosigkeit, die befremdet. Es ist vielmehr die Entertainisierung des Irakkrieges, für die die Ausstellung nur ein Beispiel ist. Dieser Vorwurf ist weniger Botero zu machen, der seine Bilder Berkeley kostenlos überlassen will, sondern vielmehr all jenen Schriftstellern, Filmemachern, Regisseuren und Drehbuchautoren, für die der Krieg im Irak nur ein Steinbruch ist, aus dem sie, um mit Adorno zu sprechen, Produkte der Kulturindustrie herausbrechen (...)

ted, a platform to spread ideas of global relevance brings to us talks and performances of politicians, experts and others, who are considered of having interesting ideas. only recently sauseschritt presented some research on the use of mobile phones.

this time sauseschritt wishes to continue with the climate change issue raised in his previous post. geo-engineering, risk control or moral hazard ? I agree with david keith, that we should talk about it widely and not leave it to those, who would not dare to discuss it democratically. how about commenting on it, dear readers?

(...) Environmental scientist David Keith talks about a cheap, effective, shocking solution to climate change: What if we injected a huge cloud of ash into the atmosphere, to deflect sunlight and heat? As an emergency measure to slow a melting ice cap, it could work. Keith discusses why it's a good idea, why it's a terrible one -- and who, despite the cost, might be tempted to use it (...)

photo by snorriax

as we are sure that international media will not report as widely as they should:

on 11 november 2007 around 150.000 people marched against their governments decision not to sign the kyoto protocol. this march and country wide protests were organised by walk against warming, which reports on its website:

(...) In 60 cities and towns across Australia, 150,000 people took part in Walk Against Warming events across the country to send a clear message to all political parties that not enough has been done to tackle climate change and that delaying further action until the next election will be too late to prevent its dangerous impacts (...)

the independant media center reports that:

(...) Like the USA, Australia has refused to sign the Kyoto protocol and has the second highest emissions on a per capita basis behind Luxembourg. Australia exceeded the United States for the average highest emitter per capita in the developed world between 1996 and 2005. Action on Climate change has become the most important issue in the Australian Federal Election with voting on November 24. The climate policies of both major Australian parties allow Australia’s emissions to continue to rise, despite scientific projections and warnings that Catastrophic Climate Change may be Inevitible unless Drastic Steps are Taken with Arctic Sea Ice already Heading for Rapid Disintegration and predictions of Disastrous Sea Level Rise (...)

and worldchanging has a very optimistic view on the willingness of australias´s population to deal with the problem:

(...) Apparently a vast majority of Australians support taking measures to cope with and combat global warming -- 92 percent according to a poll, the highest percentage of 17 countries studies -- as well as 69 percent favoring immediate action despite potentially high economic impacts (...)

anbei der ausschnitt einer werbeaussendung der hotelgruppe best western.
die verwendung des begriffs flüchtlinge scheint in das weihnachtskonzept zu passen. während weltweit flüchtlinge an den wohlstandsgrenzen wie tiere verenden, flüchten die wohlbestallten in eben jene räume, die von anderen verlassen werden mussten.
aber: sind wir nicht alle flüchtlinge, unstete, wanderer ? sind die unterschiede zwischen uns allen denn so gross, wie uns immer von globalisierungskritikern weisgemacht wird? sind wir nicht im grunde alle menschen? lasst uns, gerade zur adventzeit, wieder näher zueinander stehen! wir sitzen doch alle im selben boot, oder?