Ludwig Wittgenstein

This day in 1951 one of the most interesting and maybe hard to understand-philosophers died, Ludwig Wittgenstein.

During my theological studies I of course came across the ideas of Wittgenstein and some extraits form his works, notably 'Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'.

I'm no specialist in the thinking of Wittgenstein but he was a fascinating intellectual and many are the stories around him and his very few friends, among whom we find Bertrand Russell, of course.

One of the most funny but also perhaps misleading anecdotes is the one when Wittgenstein and Russell discussed what we actually are able to know and perceive as human beings.
This discussion is - according to Russell - said to have ended with the two philosophers arguing whether or not there was a rhinoceros in the room, leading them to crawl around the room looking for it.
This is taken from my memory, wherefore I can't promise that it's correct in detail.
Many people regard this story being idiotic and as such something that confirms that philosophers are dealing with questions of no common interest at all.
Personally I think it shows the contrary!

I share with you some Youtube-sequences displaying Anthony Quinton and experts discussing Wittgenstein and his thinking and writing.








(Photo Ludwig Wittgenstein copied from: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrSuJWqD1toi47cva5UHy5RwMYm0GfFGwITBaKtMUS9H1lw4sjaMhhbCDdhUY7AyY2v2tm6O1JSe8JqG5kWN3_-W0ZNzTzEiM-pPco652FvW1hS6H3prylXR1jBkaTBQ8kpwq4A/s1600/wittgenstein-buona.jpg)

Vasaskeppet/The Vasa Ship

This day, 50 years ago, the royal combat ship Vasa (Vasa ship/museum site) - or the ship that was designed for combat but only succeeded in making 1,3 km in the harbour of Stockholm - was salvaged from the bottom of the sea at the inlet of Stockholm.
There it had been dwelling for 333 years (it sank the 10th of August 1628), almost intact, thanks to the cold water with its special quantities of salt balance.

This ship has become one of the most 'inspected failures' in the world, with more than 1,1, million visitors per year. Only the open air museum Skansen in Stockholm receive more visitors, among the museums in Stockholm.

The ship was built during the reign of Gustav II Adolf (Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden) and was meant to become the finest and greatest war ship in the Swedish Royal Navy and (one of) the most important flagship(s) in Europe.
Vasa was one of the heaviest armed ships in the world at the time and it was designated to be used during the Thirty Year's War. It had 64 canons.

When it sank it had 150 men aboard and more than 30 drowned.

It was forgotten and it was first when the amateur historian Anders Franzén (1918-1993) started looking for it, that it became known to the public. He nourished a dream to salvage the old ship and so he did.
Another important person was Per Edvin Fälting the divers forman, besides all the men and women involved in the practical work.

At first the government and members of the parliament and different institutions, were sceptic towards Franzén's ideas as they saw him as a treasure-hunter but when he succeeded finding sponsors - among them king Gustaf VI Adolf memorial fund - they became more interested. Later on the Wallenberg fund also contributed with money.

It was though after the ship reached the surface that the politicians really understood the potentials of this shipwreck.

Le Batteur, Patrice Leconte

This small filmic episode I found through one of my friends on Facebook and it's quite an interesting philosophical or purely human, compassionate reasoning around a percussionist participating in the performance of Ravel's 'Boléro':

Annalisa Ericson död

Annalisa Ericson was a Swedish actress and dancer, participating in both light comedies as well as more dramatic roles.
She started off as a ballet dancer at a very young age but later on continued to educate herself to become an actress, first and foremost at theatres and in reviews but later on in films.

One of her most famous roles was that in the film 'Blåjackor' (or 'Sailors'), originally an operetta (light opera), where she danced with the actor Nils Poppe in some of the most famous dance scenes in Swedish cinema. Sometimes they were referred to as the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of Swedish film.

Library card in La Châtre

Now I've got a library card at the Library in La Châtre/Bibliothèques de la Cdc La Châtre, Sainte-Sévère:

The first books I loaned were: 'Légendes & Diableries du Berry' (Gilbert Laconches), 'La Petite Fadette' (George Sand) and...

...'Doppler' by Erlend Loe, an author I listened to at Akademibokhandeln in Stockholm a couple of years ago, when introducing this very book.

 

(Picture of 'Légendes & Diableries du Berry' taken from:http://r.kelkoo.com/r/fr/3012701/5101/90/90/http%3A%2F%2Fpmcdn.priceminister.com%2Fphoto%2F684470783.jpg/JDe3BuiTWdpjEmpT9vxpFYYazU8WOlK1BZnq4gfSyMc-)
(Picture of 'La Petite Fadette' taken from: http://multimedia.fnac.com/multimedia/images_produits/ZoomPE/9/1/7/9782070424719.jpg)
(Picture of 'Doppler' taken from: http://www.mediatheque-noisylesec.org/lf/wp-content/uploads/erlend-loe-doppler.gif)

Garizim and Johannes Hellman

I'm posting these pieces (above and below) of music as Johannes Geworkian Hellman is going to visit us the 14th and 15th of April.
Johannes is a member of the 'folk music' group Garizim.

We met Johannes a couple of years ago at the Medieval Restaurant, 'Sjätte tunnan', in the Old Town in Stockholm, where he used to play sometimes.
He is one of only seven or eight professional 'hurdy gurdy' ('vielle'/'vevlira')-players in Sweden and in order to develop his skill he is now - thanks to a scholarship - travelling through some countries in Europe in order to meet other musicians, play with and learn from them.

These recordings are not technically brilliant but it might give you an idea of the music they play. It's 'folk music' with a modern touch.
In a couple of weeks they will release their first CD and the 27th of April they are going to play at 'Stallet', Nybroplan in Stockholm.

R.I.P. Sidney Lumet

I guess that most of you have seen one or more films by Sidney Lumet and I also believe he is so well known that I don't have to introduce him to you.
He was by some called a "actor's director", somewhat of an honorary title one can say.
He made more than 50 films during his lifetime.

Below I publish some trailers/teasers displaying some of his most well known œuvres.
If you prefer other films by Lumet, films you might think are more important than these, let me know.

12 Angry Men

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Murder on the Orient Express

Dog Day Afternoon

Serpico

Daria Endresen - an interesting photographer/artist

Frida Und Die Schmetterlinge

Dans Les Tenebres (2009)

Eva (2010)
Closing In (2008)

(Copyright: Daria Endresen)

I found these pictures on FB if I remember right.
They are - I think - very beautiful, dreamlike photos, combining an almost chirurgical approach with a very innocent and austere and at the same time, sensual depiction of the body, combined with a surrealistic execution.
Somewhat reminding me of renaissance paintings with a 'medieval frankness'.

Nuclear tests 1945-1998

Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project's "Trinity" test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan's nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea's two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear).

Each nation gets a blip and a flashing dot on the map whenever they detonate a nuclear weapon, with a running tally kept on the top and bottom bars of the screen.
Hashimoto, who began the project in 2003, says that he created it with the goal of showing"the fear and folly of nuclear weapons." It starts really slow — if you want to see real action, skip ahead to 1962 or so — but the buildup becomes overwhelming.

Rock-Ragge död

For most of you, not being Swedes or having lived in Sweden, 'Rock-Ragge' might be a name that sounds somewhat strange and I fully understand.

He was actually one of our first 'rock icons' in Sweden becoming nationally known in 1957 when he played with his first band 'Rock-Ragge and his Four Comets'.

He died from cancer.