Sunday, March 01, 2015

China 1

Ressuscitar este blog? Agora em português.

Estou há quase dois anos na China. Aqui os expatriados dividem-se entre os que falam mandarim, os que estão a aprender, os que tentaram mas deixaram-se disso e os que nem encetaram a aprendizagem.  Como dizia alguém, aprender a falar chinês é um projecto de vida. Ler Confúcio no original parece-me um projecto ainda mais temerário que ler Pushkin no original.

Gostava de roçar a minha língua pela língua de Lo Kuang-chung, mas paciência...


Monday, November 08, 2010

Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Cartoon


Stereotypes



In a recent exibition at the Museu Berardo in Sintra, Portugal one could see this curious depiction of the political map of Asia at the beginning of the XIX century...
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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Georges Sand

A young woman near Qalandia check-point (Palestine)

A contribution to the discussion on the use of veil ...
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Monday, January 25, 2010

Barclay de Tolly


Logistics were paramount. Feeding the horses turned out to be the crucial strategic skill....
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Sunday, January 17, 2010

Unknown Artist (tbc)


Narguileh Den...


A smoking establishment in Jaffa. The contacts of the artist were promised for next Saturday...

Prince Piotr Bagration


The battles around Borodino


I had to find a Russian coffee-table book on "Bá-rá-di-nô " to get some diagrams of the battles to make sense of the otherwise excellent book by Dominic Lieven "Russia against Napoleon"...





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Friday, January 15, 2010

David Lynch


CSI Jerusalem...


A car slices a curve, control is lost and accident follows. Pilot and second passenger look fishy. Cars passing by don't stop. Half a hour later suspects leave and nothing could have make us imagine something had happened. Point is the Blogger turned into paparazzi cum private investigator and took photos. Creepy like a David Lynch film...



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Fausto Zonaro



ORIENTALIST STREET PAINTING



The outside wall of a bakery in Jaffa in 2010। Refusing the all pervasive neon lights, the owner resorted to old style advertising। Does not the Right Honourable Read share with this Blogger of Yours that the colours and the composition evoke the technique of orientalist paintings (like Zonaro) ? ...

Monday, January 11, 2010

Orlando Figes

Night Life in Beirute...

Some photos taken with a NOKIA E-71 during incursions into the BO18 and the MusicHall... Reminded one of Moscow nights, maybe the blend of "East" and "West", but from distinct approach angles. Moscovites are Westerners influenced by the (Central Asian)East, Beyrouthins are (Middle)Easterners influenced by the West.



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Friday, November 27, 2009

Samir Kassir




Historiography of Beirut


I believe what separates somewhat frivolous current upper class tourism, with travel-for-travel-sake four times a year journeys, from serious traveling is the careful research and the "further readings". Here's my direct bibliography for the recent hop into Lebanon:








Nicolas Sursock




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