TOMSK, Russia: The building at 32 Kartashov Street had had enough. It once served as home to a 19th-century merchant, a little log masterpiece with ornate doors and shutters carved like doilies and a structural swagger that said, "Look at me!" But after the Soviet years, when the place became a woebegone flophouse, it was nearly dead. An engineer might have noted that its roof had wilted and rot was chomping at its beams. The neglect, though, seemed to go deeper, as if the building had all but given up after realizing that no one in this Siberian city could even be bothered. A city official named Nikolai Zakotnov went past 32 Kartashov one day and vowed to rescue it. Here would stand an example of how Tomsk could defend an architectural heritage that is as charming as it is unexpected. On side streets all over this riverfront city are wooden buildings erected before Communism and now in various states of decay. As Tomsk prospers from the trade in the region's natural resources, pressure is growing for new real estate projects, especially in the commercial district. What to do about the gingerbread houses?
TOMSK, Russia: The building at 32 Kartashov Street had had enough. It once served as home to a 19th-century merchant, a little log masterpiece with ornate doors and shutters carved like doilies and a structural swagger that said, "Look at me!"
But after the Soviet years, when the place became a woebegone flophouse, it was nearly dead. An engineer might have noted that its roof had wilted and rot was chomping at its beams. The neglect, though, seemed to go deeper, as if the building had all but given up after realizing that no one in this Siberian city could even be bothered.
A city official named Nikolai Zakotnov went past 32 Kartashov one day and vowed to rescue it. Here would stand an example of how Tomsk could defend an architectural heritage that is as charming as it is unexpected.
On side streets all over this riverfront city are wooden buildings erected before Communism and now in various states of decay. As Tomsk prospers from the trade in the region's natural resources, pressure is growing for new real estate projects, especially in the commercial district. What to do about the gingerbread houses?
Are Down's syndrome, blind and chemotherapy dolls a blessing or just a sick joke? Supporters say they help children Take a look at the doll in the picture. What do you see? You'll probably notice almost immediately that its face is not as "regular" as the rosebud-mouthed, snub-nosed dolls that come as standard in toy shops. But if you picked it up and examined it more closely, you'd see that they are not the only features that you don't find on a "normal" doll: a horizontal crease in the palm of the hand, the ears set low on the head, a flattened bridge across the nose, a slightly protruding tongue. This is a Down's syndrome doll, designed with the aim of giving Down's children a toy that reflects themselves as they are, and not the mainstream version of physical perfection trailblazed by the likes of Barbie and Baby Annabel. They are not the only "disability dolls" available on the market. Far from it. You can buy dolls with prosthetic limbs, walking frames, hearing aids, "blind" dolls complete with guide dogs. When Mattel launched Becky - Barbie's friend in a wheelchair - it sold out within two weeks. In the past few years, the toy industry has been waking up to the fact that it makes good financial sense to cater for overlooked consumer groups.
Take a look at the doll in the picture. What do you see? You'll probably notice almost immediately that its face is not as "regular" as the rosebud-mouthed, snub-nosed dolls that come as standard in toy shops. But if you picked it up and examined it more closely, you'd see that they are not the only features that you don't find on a "normal" doll: a horizontal crease in the palm of the hand, the ears set low on the head, a flattened bridge across the nose, a slightly protruding tongue.
This is a Down's syndrome doll, designed with the aim of giving Down's children a toy that reflects themselves as they are, and not the mainstream version of physical perfection trailblazed by the likes of Barbie and Baby Annabel.
They are not the only "disability dolls" available on the market. Far from it. You can buy dolls with prosthetic limbs, walking frames, hearing aids, "blind" dolls complete with guide dogs. When Mattel launched Becky - Barbie's friend in a wheelchair - it sold out within two weeks. In the past few years, the toy industry has been waking up to the fact that it makes good financial sense to cater for overlooked consumer groups.
LONDON (Reuters) - A Monet water-lily painting sold for 41 million pounds ($80.5 million) Tuesday, doubling the previous auction record for the artist and ensuring London's key art market season got off to a flying start."Le Bassin aux Nympheas" had been expected to fetch 18-24 million pounds, but after an intense bidding battle it smashed the previous Monet auction record of $41.5 million set in May. It was part of the evening sale of impressionist and modern art at Christie's which raised 144 million pounds ($283 million), the highest total for an auction in Europe. All figures include buyers' premiums. Olivier Camu, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie's in London, said the sale "illustrates the continuing strength and confidence of the art market." Some experts have predicted a correction or even collapse in values due to deepening economic gloom caused by falling stocks, rising oil prices and the mortgage meltdown.
LONDON (Reuters) - A Monet water-lily painting sold for 41 million pounds ($80.5 million) Tuesday, doubling the previous auction record for the artist and ensuring London's key art market season got off to a flying start.
"Le Bassin aux Nympheas" had been expected to fetch 18-24 million pounds, but after an intense bidding battle it smashed the previous Monet auction record of $41.5 million set in May.
It was part of the evening sale of impressionist and modern art at Christie's which raised 144 million pounds ($283 million), the highest total for an auction in Europe. All figures include buyers' premiums.
Olivier Camu, head of impressionist and modern art at Christie's in London, said the sale "illustrates the continuing strength and confidence of the art market."
Some experts have predicted a correction or even collapse in values due to deepening economic gloom caused by falling stocks, rising oil prices and the mortgage meltdown.
Key to whom? I hate fawning journalists. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
World is home to more than 10 million millionaires The number of people around the world with at least $1 million in assets passed 10 million for the first time last year, according to a report. And their bank accounts are growing even faster. The combined wealth of the globe's millionaires grew to nearly $41 trillion last year, an increase of 9 percent from a year before, Merrill Lynch & Co. and consulting firm Capgemini Group said Tuesday. That means their average wealth was more than $4 million, the highest it's ever been. Home values were not included in asset totals. "The growth of their wealth is outpacing the growth of their population, and that's a trend that's going to continue in coming years," said Ileana Van Der Linde, a principal with Capgemini.
The number of people around the world with at least $1 million in assets passed 10 million for the first time last year, according to a report. And their bank accounts are growing even faster.
The combined wealth of the globe's millionaires grew to nearly $41 trillion last year, an increase of 9 percent from a year before, Merrill Lynch & Co. and consulting firm Capgemini Group said Tuesday.
That means their average wealth was more than $4 million, the highest it's ever been. Home values were not included in asset totals.
"The growth of their wealth is outpacing the growth of their population, and that's a trend that's going to continue in coming years," said Ileana Van Der Linde, a principal with Capgemini.
Inequality and wealth concentration will continue to grow. Yippee. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
A lot of that is capitalised value which has nothing to do with the productivity of the underlying assets, but still it's a huge amount of potential leverage through credit.
Here's a proposal: we can get the infamous target of 0.7% of world GDP for development aid out of these people by taxing wealth above $1M at 1% per year. Any objections to unanimous consent? When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
I don't know. Maybe they're not rich enough to feel comfortable sharing. Shouldn't we have another round of tax cuts instead?
Or is it? Nominal GDP is measured in dollars, which are losing value, so the world's nominal GDP can be giong up just on account on the dollar's devaluation which has been more than 9% last year. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
Indeed, if the 600 000 new millionaires all only own a million, that's already 600 billion ; good for 1.5% of the wealth increase. Also, since house values are not counted, it's possible much of the rise comes from savvy investors selling real estate before the bust... Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
And then, what proportion of development aid ends up in the hands of millionaires ? Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
Girard's thinking, including textual analysis, is a sweeping reading of human nature, human history and human destiny. His contention is controversial: Religion is not the cause of violence, as many suppose; it was, in archaic societies, a way of solving it. Here's why: People are social creatures, and their behavior is based on imitation to a much greater degree than generally supposed. How else to explain why a generation decides at once to pierce their tongues, or why stocks rise and fall? How to explain how a child learns language? Even our desires are not our own; we learn them from others. <...> Envy and resentment are the inevitable consequences of this drive toward mimesis. These emotions, in turn, fuel conflict; it occurs whenever two or more "mimetic rivals" want the same thing, which can go to only one. It might be a woman, a presidency or a research grant. Many religious prohibitions are meant to regulate and control such conflict. <...> "The first culture which rebels against that system is the Jewish culture," Girard said. He explains that the Bible is actually counter-mythical. Over a period of centuries, the books of the Old Testament begin to catch on to mankind's scapegoating mechanism. While they describe and even celebrate violence, they gradually begin to question and fight it as well. For example, many of the psalms "show a narrator who is surrounded by a crowd of good-for-nothings, who are trying to encircle him and turn him into a victim." The story of Job also is revealing: "It's a small community, but he's been the dictator for years. Everybody loves him, he does no one any harm," Girard said at the Old Union lecture. "One fine morning he wakes up, and everybody is against him. His three 'friends' are ready to explain how bad he is now. And everybody is ready to explain how bad he is at the same time. He has turned from the absolute hero to the scapegoat of the community. Job is like a long psalm and shows you what happens to communities. No myth will ever show you that."
Girard's thinking, including textual analysis, is a sweeping reading of human nature, human history and human destiny. His contention is controversial: Religion is not the cause of violence, as many suppose; it was, in archaic societies, a way of solving it.
Here's why: People are social creatures, and their behavior is based on imitation to a much greater degree than generally supposed. How else to explain why a generation decides at once to pierce their tongues, or why stocks rise and fall? How to explain how a child learns language? Even our desires are not our own; we learn them from others. <...>
Envy and resentment are the inevitable consequences of this drive toward mimesis. These emotions, in turn, fuel conflict; it occurs whenever two or more "mimetic rivals" want the same thing, which can go to only one. It might be a woman, a presidency or a research grant. Many religious prohibitions are meant to regulate and control such conflict. <...>
"The first culture which rebels against that system is the Jewish culture," Girard said. He explains that the Bible is actually counter-mythical. Over a period of centuries, the books of the Old Testament begin to catch on to mankind's scapegoating mechanism. While they describe and even celebrate violence, they gradually begin to question and fight it as well.
For example, many of the psalms "show a narrator who is surrounded by a crowd of good-for-nothings, who are trying to encircle him and turn him into a victim." The story of Job also is revealing: "It's a small community, but he's been the dictator for years. Everybody loves him, he does no one any harm," Girard said at the Old Union lecture. "One fine morning he wakes up, and everybody is against him. His three 'friends' are ready to explain how bad he is now. And everybody is ready to explain how bad he is at the same time. He has turned from the absolute hero to the scapegoat of the community. Job is like a long psalm and shows you what happens to communities. No myth will ever show you that."
Reading that last paragraph, I could not help but be reminded of China's wheelchair-riding torchbearer in Paris, Jin Jing, who went from "golden girl [who] lifts a nation" after protecting the flame from a demonstrator in the Paris torch relay, to "cultureless, brainless stupid ... traitor" (and worse) for urging Chinese people not to boycott Carrefour out of consideration for the company's Chinese employees.
Same goes for images of Wang Qianyuan/Grace Wang urging calm at a Chinese student rally at Duke University in April, as well as images of Chinese demonstrators intimidating pro-Tibet and pro-human rights demonstrators in Canberra and Seoul. ... all progress depends on the unreasonable mensch.(apologies to G.B. Shaw)
There's nothing like telling those in power exactly what they want to hear to make them feel better about themselves, apparently.
Should we all buy copies of his work and hand them out at Guantanamo? 'Look - you're not being scapegoated. It says so here.'
This won't answer your question(s), but near the end of the article:
Only a few months earlier, Girard had spoken at an informal philosophical reading group in History Corner for several dozen faculty and students. Girard recapitulated the story of the Old Testament Joseph, son of Jacob, bound and sold into slavery by his "mob" of 10 half-brothers: "They all get together and try to kill him. The Bible knows that scapegoating is a mob affair." Joseph reestablishes himself as one of the leaders of Egypt and then tearfully forgives his brothers in a dramatic reconciliation. It is, he said, a story "much more mature, spiritually, than the beginning of Genesis." The story is unlike any in archaic literature: "It's a very beautiful story, which like many biblical stories, is a counter-mythical story," he said, "because in myth, the lynchers are always satisfied with their lynching." But at the reading group, he suggested his audience might not have noticed this before. After all, they had been trained to think that the Bible was a completely backward book, superceded and preceded by better efforts, with little that was new to the world.
Girard recapitulated the story of the Old Testament Joseph, son of Jacob, bound and sold into slavery by his "mob" of 10 half-brothers: "They all get together and try to kill him. The Bible knows that scapegoating is a mob affair." Joseph reestablishes himself as one of the leaders of Egypt and then tearfully forgives his brothers in a dramatic reconciliation. It is, he said, a story "much more mature, spiritually, than the beginning of Genesis."
The story is unlike any in archaic literature: "It's a very beautiful story, which like many biblical stories, is a counter-mythical story," he said, "because in myth, the lynchers are always satisfied with their lynching."
But at the reading group, he suggested his audience might not have noticed this before. After all, they had been trained to think that the Bible was a completely backward book, superceded and preceded by better efforts, with little that was new to the world.
I don't understand how a figure based on collected and edited oral histories, whose existence has no historical basis, who talked to burning bushes and collected miraculous tablets of stone directly from the hand of god, and who organised the deaths of thousands, can be 'counter-mythical.'
That novel approach, according to Girard, is forbearance and forgiveness, girded by faith, as exemplified by Job, Jesus and Joseph (as opposed to the rancor and revenge of other traditions).
It is an interesting idea, but I wonder how it would hold up under cross-cultural scrutiny: even within an Indo-European/Semitic context. ... all progress depends on the unreasonable mensch.(apologies to G.B. Shaw)
