Berlin: Carnival of Cultures
 Deeply
ingrained in the German psyche is the belief that culture equals national
culture. No surprise then that the German approach to immigration
has been a bit schizophrenic - as an foreigner you have two options
either keep to yourself with a view to going home or you integrate
completely with a view to becoming a real German. Anything inbetween
would open the specter of multiculturalism....
Reality check: 1 in 7 Berliners is a foreigner so the city is unavoidably
multicultural. The Karneval der Kulturen is a celebration of the city´s
ethnic diversity and its growth over the past 3 years indicates a
welcome shift from the culture = nation mindset described above.
The Karneval is Berlin's most colourful and vivacious festival, taking
place every year in June over the Whitsun weekend. Thousands of representatives
from over 70 cultures don their glad rags and dance along the streets
of Kreuzberg in a joyous celebration of Berlin's multi-ethnicity.
Four purpose-built stages host all kinds of performances, the main
stage is at Blücherplatz, the children's stage at Mariannenplatz. 06-05-2008
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Barcelona - Montjuďc Castle opens to the city this summer
 Besides
the Centre per la Pau (Peace Centre), Montjuďc Castle will have an area
dedicated to the memory and dignity of those executed by firing squads
It
is now a year since a new Ministerial Order changed the function of
Montjuďc Castle and Barcelona City Council began to work with the
central government on developing new uses for the grounds that would
allow it to become a city amenity.
At the Presidency, Territory and Public Function Commission, Presidency
Delegate Ignasi Cardelús took stock of the year that has passed since
the ministerial order established that the Castle would house a Peace
Centre.
Mr Cardelús explained that the agreement has allowed the City Council
to form the majority in the Consortium that will run Montjuďc Castle,
and that the grounds will have other civil uses in addition to housing
the Peace Centre, which will be an “international standard bearer".
He also pointed out that on 15 June the grounds will open their doors,
allowing those who so wish to visit areas in the Castle that have been
inaccessible till now, like the Bastion of Santa Amŕlia or the castle’s
underground rain-water tank. 06-05-2008
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Florence discounts
 In Florence’s crowded historic center,
it can feel
like there are as many Americans as locals—and tourism board and
province officials want it to stay that way. They were in New York
recently to introduce the Fiorino Effect, a series of wide-ranging
discounts they hope will keep Americans visiting despite the weak
dollar.
The promotion kicks off May 15—timed to the start of Il Genio Fiorentino,
a 10-day festival—and runs through December 31. It provides a 10
percent discount at participating hotels and restaurants in Florence
and neighboring small towns like Reggello and Barberino Val D’Elsa.
Americans will also get free admission to the Palazzo Medici, a 20 percent discount on exhibits at the Palazzo Strozzi, and a 15 percent discount on performances at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
Be sure to mention the Fiorino Effect when booking your hotel room and download the voucher
before you go. It has an image of the fiorino (florin), a gold coin
introduced in the 1200s by Florentine bankers and that enjoyed a heyday
as the preferred currency for trade. The promoters are quick to compare
it to the role played by the dollar—for now, anyway.
05-08-2008
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Comprehensive Paul Klee Retrospective at The Albertina in Vienna
 Starting
on May 9 and running through August 10, the Albertina will present a
comprehensive Paul Klee retrospective. The starting point of the
exhibition will be Carl Djerassi’s important gift to the Albertina of
works by Paul Klee. Additional exhibits from the holdings of the
Albertina, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and other
international collections and museums will show this important
collection in the context of the exceptional creativity of Paul Klee.
The German-Swiss painter and graphic artist Paul Klee (1879–1940)
was one of the most interesting and idiosyncratic artistic
personalities of classical modern art. His fascinating oeuvre –
positioned on the interface between representational and abstract art -
interweaves aspects of visual reality and surreal-poetic images to form
complex pictures, often with enigmatic allegorical allusions. In
addition, there are works whose pictorial architecture places
elementary forms of geometry and formal compositional considerations in
the forefront, without losing sight of the inner poetry of the picture.
Paul Klee influenced many artists – including subsequent generations of
artists – especially through his teaching activities at the Bauhaus
(1921–1931) and his theory of art, which he presented in a number of
essays and writings.
05-08-2008
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Polish parliament to ratify EU treaty
 Polish Prime
Minister Donald Tusk says his country's parliament will vote to ratify the EU
Reform Treaty at a special session this Tuesday. The compromise was made on
Saturday and avoids the need for a national referendum which experts say could
have delayed the Treaty's approval and weakened Warsaw's position in the EU.
Tusk made the deal with President Lech Kaczynski. It brings an end to the
deadlock that started after the Conservative opposition, led by Kaczynski's twin
brother Jaroslaw, threatened to block approval of the Treaty negotiated when
their party was in power.
It is understood the compromise includes a parliamentary resolution recognising
and protecting Warsaw's
sovereignty in the face of EU legislation.
A two-thirds majority of deputies is required for ratification. Research
suggests most Poles support the Treaty's implementation.
03-31-2008
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A new multi-cultural Dublin
 In Dublin you can hardly hear any English. The
city centre is filled with traffic fit for a true metropolis and you are
surrounded by excited conversations in Spanish, French, Italian and Polish.
Dublinis bustling. The streets are crowded; restaurants and pubs are full at
all hours. It’s a big city in a small space, like London
squeezed into Camden or Soho.
On the streets of Dublin
the close and complicated relationship with the British can be sensed in
architecture, traffic planning, monuments and street names. The long-lasting
economic boom makes business blossom and the shopping possibilities, variety of
restaurants and selection of pubs never-ending.
Ireland was stated as the
least developed country in Europe before
joining the European Union in 1973. With the help of EU grants and foreign
investments, the 1990’s saw the rise of the Irish economy and the boom it’s
still riding on, “The Celtic Tiger”. Now Ireland is one of the world’s
wealthiest nations. Low corporate taxation has attracted international
companies, and a surplus of jobs creates immigration. Workforce pours in from
“lesser” European economies such as Germany,
France, Spain, Italy,
Poland and the UK. Dublin, its capital city, competes with the likes of Paris and London for the
title of most multicultural city in Europe.
And one of these days it just might win.
03-31-2008
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