Sunday 3 August 2014

trip-wire

Just after Israel asserted its independence from American hand-wringing and revealing itself as not another fawning lap-dog, telling the US never to second-guess its handling of security—an internal affair—again, it has been revealed that the intelligence apparatus of Israel closely monitored the communications and negotiations between the US foreign minister as he tried to help broker last year a peace settlement between Palestine and Israel, soliciting support from various regional players.
Of course, the US has gotten many bitter tastes of its own medicine, polling parties for willingness to cooperate with their policies and corporate dictates—or knowing the price of success and how cheaply others may be bought, or whether, by this intelligence algorithm, other measures will have to be introduced. Toppling tragedy could only follow, because naturally any such enlightened, knowing how political sentiment will bear out, that materiel-support will continue, and timing aggressions when America is too overcome by other events, would choose such a moment to prosecute its aims.

arm-chair coaching or ARG:GER

I realise that this speculation is a little behind in coming, but we watched the final match at a Public-Viewing in Rovinj while on vacation, and I continued to be fascinated by the fact the tense stand-off, also being followed by two living Popes, who happened to hail from the countries of the opposing teams, and how such a coincidence of events will never occur again. The Argentine pope had earlier pledged neutrality, asking for no divine intervention, but I don't know what the thoughts of the Pope-Emeritus from Germany were on that subject. They may have watched the game together, though their minders suggested that play started well past their bedtimes.

Saturday 2 August 2014

francofollies

Here, this fanciful Italian regional wine-map, is but one of the several outstanding examples from a fantastic collection of the repertoire of French graphic artist Antoine Corbineau. The website features more wonderful designs, which include more maps and promotional materials for shows and conventions, and information about commission and purchase.

kettling

Laughing Squid shares the opening of a special, long-running exhibit in the Victoria and Albert Museum on the history of so called Disobedient Objects, providing a virtual tour that includes instructions on how to make (hack) ones own gear of resistance, a bit ironic (or appeasing) for Her Majesty's Constabulary. The special-showing addresses social movements, protests and uprising through the artefacts of shanks, propaganda, personal protective equipment and other make-shift items from all over the world.

insatsu bunka

Previously on PfRC, we shared a gallery of art deco style Japanese advertising posters curated by Collectors' Weekly. Recently I came across this exhibit from the serendipitously exquisite BibliOdysessey (always an intrepid explorer) that features examples of artwork from the earlier Taishล Era, which more or less corresponds to the Western transitional period from Art Nouveau to the Secessionist period but seem more on the modern edge of the style. Please visit the website for more information about this movement and links to larger collections.

'murica


Friday 1 August 2014

croatia week: linguistic landmark

Brothers Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius are probably best known for the Cyrillic alphabet and orthography named after them, but the missionaries to the Slavs were also diplomats to the Muslim world and tried to improve relations between the Caliphate and Byzantium and philosophy professors at the university of Constantinople, before undertaking Great Moravia. There, they devised the so-called Glagolitic script, which the Cyrillic script is derived from, in order to give the people a system of writing, derived—like Cyrillic—from their native Greek alphabet but suited to the character of the Slavic language. I am not sure how exactly a way of writing is matching how a language is composed, especially when invented, but you can download the font here.  There are many manuscripts and inscriptions, ancient and retro-revival, all over Croatia, where the system was developed.
The written word, however, did not succeed in standising the Croatian language. Today, a Latin system of writing is employed, devised by Ljudevit Gaj who based his script off of the special letter forms and diacritical marks invented for Czech and Polish, and the language has, bolstered by national and literary identity, taken on a lexical standard, though much mutual-intelligibility is retained among neighbouring languages and dialects. I tried to learn a little bit and I think it accorded us some special attention for the effort, and would like to pick up some more for a return visit. Aside from the usually pleasantries and politely saying I want something, I remember the fun word for waterfall—Slap—and the term for feedback (Fragenbogen)—Upitnik, which sounds like something one would not want to solicit, being all up in another’s business.