Mercantile Shakespeare at KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The absolute symbol of Kuala Lumpur, these Petronas Towers. Designed by the Argentinian-American architect César Pelli, they were finished in 1998, and at that time the two tallest buildings in the world (now surpassed by a building on Taiwan). A proud achievement, of course... and just think of the vast financial economy of this place, its business offices, the enormously opulent shopping malls, even the wealth of musical culture (the KL Orchestra is here).
The marvellous park landscaped behind these twin towers has trees and plants from every part of Malaysia, brought here as symbols of the unity of the country also 'in nature' (they are admirably labeled and described).
Strolling around the ponds this morning and contemplating the wealth of the place, I noticed two trees in particular that might be regarded as a symbol of some of world-economy gone mad.
There's the Adenanthera pavonina, also called the Sandalwood tree or the Red Bean Tree. Its red fruits - small pellets invariably of about 4 grains weight each - have often been used as a standard measure for weighing gold. Thus this tree is particularly apposite to this place (in the photo you can see one on the left).
Then there's the Cassia javanica, also called the Apple Blossom Tree. The great naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (1753) gives a description, adding that he has not seen its flowers but that he's heard they are flesh-colored. Indeed, looking at some of them just to the right of this photo (not pictured) they do have a fleshy color.
That gold and that flesh... the wealth of this place and the state of the world economy... Who would not think of William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596/8)? Antonio has put down as a bond to the moneylender Shylock for the gold he needs a pound of his own living flesh. Of course, he defaults on his loan and ... The rest is in the play! ... and perhaps in some of these high-level offices.
Mercantile Shakespeare at KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The absolute symbol of Kuala Lumpur, these Petronas Towers. Designed by the Argentinian-American architect César Pelli, they were finished in 1998, and at that time the two tallest buildings in the world (now surpassed by a building on Taiwan). A proud achievement, of course... and just think of the vast financial economy of this place, its business offices, the enormously opulent shopping malls, even the wealth of musical culture (the KL Orchestra is here).
The marvellous park landscaped behind these twin towers has trees and plants from every part of Malaysia, brought here as symbols of the unity of the country also 'in nature' (they are admirably labeled and described).
Strolling around the ponds this morning and contemplating the wealth of the place, I noticed two trees in particular that might be regarded as a symbol of some of world-economy gone mad.
There's the Adenanthera pavonina, also called the Sandalwood tree or the Red Bean Tree. Its red fruits - small pellets invariably of about 4 grains weight each - have often been used as a standard measure for weighing gold. Thus this tree is particularly apposite to this place (in the photo you can see one on the left).
Then there's the Cassia javanica, also called the Apple Blossom Tree. The great naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (1753) gives a description, adding that he has not seen its flowers but that he's heard they are flesh-colored. Indeed, looking at some of them just to the right of this photo (not pictured) they do have a fleshy color.
That gold and that flesh... the wealth of this place and the state of the world economy... Who would not think of William Shakespeare's 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596/8)? Antonio has put down as a bond to the moneylender Shylock for the gold he needs a pound of his own living flesh. Of course, he defaults on his loan and ... The rest is in the play! ... and perhaps in some of these high-level offices.