René François Ghislain Magritte, 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

Magritte's earliest paintings, which date from about 1915, were Impressionistic in style. During 1916–1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, under Constant Montald, but found the instruction uninspiring. He also took classes at the Académie Royale from the painter and poster designer Gisbert Combaz. The paintings he produced during 1918–1924 were influenced by Futurism and by the figurative Cubism of Metzinger.

From December 1920 until September 1921, Magritte served in the Belgian infantry in the Flemish town of Beverlo near Leopoldsburg. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he had met as a child in 1913. Also during 1922, the poet Marcel Lecomte showed Magritte a reproduction of Giorgio de Chirico's The Song of Love (painted in 1914). The work brought Magritte to tears; he described this as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes saw thought for the first time." The paintings of the Belgian symbolist painter William Degouve de Nuncques have also been noted as an influence on Magritte, specifically the former's painting The Blind House (1892) and Magritte's variations or series on The Empire of Lights.

In 1922–1923, Magritte worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, and was a poster and advertisement designer until 1926, when a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le jockey perdu), and held his first solo exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition.

Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became friends with André Breton and became involved in the Surrealist group. An illusionistic, dream-like quality is characteristic of Magritte's version of Surrealism. He became a leading member of the movement, and remained in Paris for three years. In 1929 he exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso and Yves Tanguy.

On 15 December 1929 he participated in the last publication of La Revolution Surrealiste No. 12, where he published his essay "Les mots et les images", where words play with images in sync with his work The Treachery of Images.

Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending Magritte's contract income. Having made little impact in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930 and resumed working in advertising.[10] He and his brother, Paul, formed an agency which earned him a living wage. In 1932, Magritte joined the Communist Party, which he would periodically leave and rejoin for several years. In 1936 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, followed by an exposition at the London Gallery in 1938.

During the early stages of his career, the British surrealist patron Edward James allowed Magritte to stay rent-free in his London home, where Magritte studied architecture and painted. James is featured in two of Magritte's works painted in 1937, Le Principe du Plaisir (The Pleasure Principle) and La Reproduction Interdite, a painting also known as Not to Be Reproduced.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II he remained in Brussels, which led to a break with Breton. He briefly adopted a colorful, painterly style in 1943–44, an interlude known as his "Renoir period", as a reaction to his feelings of alienation and abandonment that came with living in German-occupied Belgium.

In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.

In France, Magritte's work has been showcased in a number of retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017). In the United States his work has been featured in three retrospective exhibitions: at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. An exhibition entitled "The Fifth Season" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2018 focused on the work of his later years.

Politically, Magritte stood to the left, and retained close ties to the Communist Party, even in the post-war years. However, he was critical of the functionalist cultural policy of the Communist left, stating that "Class consciousness is as necessary as bread; but that does not mean that workers must be condemned to bread and water and that wanting chicken and champagne would be harmful. (...) For the Communist painter, the justification of artistic activity is to create pictures that can represent mental luxury." While remaining committed to the political left, he thus advocated a certain autonomy of art. Spiritually, Magritte was an agnostic.

Popular interest in Magritte's work rose considerably in the 1960s, and his imagery has influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art. In 2005 he was 9th in the Walloon version of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian); in the Flemish version he was 18th.

PM Kvirikashvili:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to host in Georgia Mr. Mike Pence, who is not only the Vice President of our country's key strategic partner, the United States of America, but also a great friend whom Georgia has made in such a short period. It is especially exciting that he is visiting Georgia in the company of his spouse.

After our brief introductory meeting in Munich, I was honored to hold meetings in Washington, at the invitation of the Vice President, and today we continue our dialogue in Tbilisi.

Mr. Vice President, your visit very shortly after taking office bears witness to your and President Trump's great desire to deepen your strategic partnership and friendship with Georgia, for which I am very grateful to you.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Throughout this time, America has played a vital role on our country's path toward democratic and economic development, safeguarding Georgia's sovereignty, and NATO membership.

Thanks to your assistance, today Georgia is neither a Soviet nor post-Soviet country. Today we are an EU associated European democracy. Together with the Americans, we are proudly standing guard protecting global security and making our contribution to regional stability.

The Georgian nation deeply appreciates the American people's friendship, solidarity, and strong support.

Mr. Vice President, today we discussed our strategic partnership further in depth. First, I would like to single out and welcome our defense and security cooperation. Your meeting with Georgian and American service members participating in the Noble Partner exercises is an unmistakable demonstration of the strong US support for spurring our country's sovereignty and integration into NATO alike.

This year, we adopted the Joint Action Plan that ensures enhancing Georgia's resilience, which is so crucially important for maintaining the stability and sustainability of Georgia and the region.

The United States of America has provided Georgia with significant financial assistance over these 25 years, and today we are happy to be an increasingly attractive country for American businesses. Today we offer one of the best business environments, extremely low corruption and red-tape rates, and equally low taxes, which is the best opportunity for American businesses to benefit.

Our goal is to put in place the best platform in the region suitable for American business interests. Notably, American companies are taking interest in engaging in large-scale regional infrastructural projects implemented in our country. Along with the Conti Group joining the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Consortium, we welcome the signing of the document on cooperation between the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Consortium and SSA Marine, one of the leading American port operators in the world. According to this document, the SSA Marine will operate the container terminal and invest in this most valuable project in the country today. The foregoing reaffirms the growing interest of American businesses and our country's immense potential for becoming the regional hub.

In the past 25 years, we have implemented numerous energy projects in cooperation with the United States. These projects ensure sustainable Euro-Atlantic energy security, and we are committed to continuing our cooperation in this direction as well.

We are a partner ready for high-level trade and investment relations with the USA based on mutual economic benefits.

Georgia is America's important partner in the region, which, among others, stems from our shared values, such as democracy and human rights. America has played an important role in the building of our democratic institutions. Our democratic development, for its part, is a precondition for developing Georgia as a sustainable and stable state that ensures the protection of the rights of every citizen and preserves our cultural uniqueness.

US support is vital in peaceful resolution of Georgia-Russia conflict. We deeply appreciate the US strong and unwavering stance on Georgia's territorial integrity. The decisions made by President Trump, you personally, Mr. Vice President, and the new Administration and the Congress on Georgia's occupied territories have proved unprecedented.

Today we discussed the serious challenges facing our country as a result of occupation. The US plays a tremendous role in the Geneva International Discussions format. Importantly, through high-level engagement, particular decisions must be sought for ensuring the de-occupation of and security in Georgia's territories, and for political conflict resolution.

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm that Georgia has always been and will always be by the US' side when it comes to any challenge or threat facing the world. Our strategic partnership focuses equally on strengthening security in Georgia, regionally, and worldwide, on promoting peaceful and democratic development.

Once again, I emphasize the importance of this visit and its outcomes. We appreciate the fact that, despite more than one challenge in different parts of the world, the Vice President is visiting Georgia as part of his first European trip.

I am also thankful to our American colleagues for visiting Georgia and their special contribution to deepening our bilateral cooperation.

I am convinced that our joint efforts will further deepen our strategic partnership. At the same time, we are eager to introduce the Vice President, his spouse, and the American guests to Georgia's culture and historical heritage as the pride and joy of the Georgian nation.

Thank you.

VP Pence:

Prime Minister Kvirikashvili thank you so much for those words and for the hospitality you shown me and my family.It was an honor to welcome you to the White House just a few short months ago. And now it is my honor to be welcomed by you to the beautiful and storied nation of Georgia.

The President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump sent me here with a simple message for you and for the people of Georgia: we are with you; we stand with you; we are proud of our friendship and strategic partnership with the nation and the people of Georgia. In a word, I am here to say: America first does not mean America alone. And America stands with Georgia.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the US diplomatic relationship with Georgia. Yet, this is a nation whose roots stretch back to the amiss of history. Sitting at the crossroads of empires and civilizations, where East meets West, where North meets South; Georgia has fostered your own language, your own traditions, your own identity over the millennia. Today the people of Georgia are renowned the world over for your vibrant culture, which, my wife and I enjoyed last night at our first super dinner featuring Georgian cuisine, and a lot of it and traditional song and dance from Abkhazia, South Ossetia and all across Georgia.

We have also been deeply inspired by the rich heritage of faith and my wife and I look forward to visiting the historic Sioni Cathedral and meeting the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church this afternoon. While this may be my first visit to this nation, the enduring courage and spirit of Georgian people have long inspired me. It was only a generation ago that Georgia was still imprisoned in then-Soviet Union. When that brutal regime collapsed, you reclaimed your independence and your freedom. You reached out our hand of friendship to Europe and United States of America and we were proud to reach back.

Today, I commended the Prime Minister for Georgia's democratic development, which has brought Georgia closer to unity with Europe and membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Further progress on the goals that the Prime Minister has set will bring Georgia even closer and NATO even closer to your grasp and it will strengthen the bond between our nations.

Now, nowhere is the bond between our two nations stronger than in our shared effort to promote security and stability across the wider world. Georgia is the key strategic partner of the US. Since 2004, thousands of Georgians have served shoulder to shoulder with Americans in Kosovo, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan alone, I say with grateful heart, Georgia has provided more troops on a per capita basis than any other country in the world. And 31 brave Georgian soldiers have given their lives for the cause of freedom. American people remember and mourn the sacrifice of your countrymen. They are heroes, all and they and their families will be enshrined in the hearts of American people forever. Later today I will meet with troops participating in the exercise Noble Partner. This initiative has brought together the armed forces of the US, Georgia and many other nations to train together and strengthen Georgia's ability to defend itself. It is only one of many examples of the US' commitment to Georgia's security.

President Trump and I stand by the 2008 NATO Bucharest statement, which made it clear that Georgia will one day become a member of NATO. As I expressed to the Prime Minister, it is heartening to see that Georgia already exceeds the NATO's goal of spending 2 % of its GDP on its national defense. But as we all know, Georgia's investment in defense is an investment born of necessity. At this very moment, just 40 miles from where we stand, Russian tanks stand on occupied territories at South Ossetia. Today, Russia continues to occupy one fifth of Georgian territory. So to be clear, the United States of America strongly condemns Russia's occupation of Georgian soil. The United States support Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Under President Trump the United States will reject any claim, at any time, by any nation that undermines this enduring principle. President Trump has called on Russia to seize its destabilizing activities. My purpose here is to reinforce that message to the people of Georgia.

In sign of our commitment President Trump will sign very soon legislation to solid and codify the United States' sanctions against Russia. As always, our country prefers a constructive relationship with Russia, based on cooperation and common interests, but President and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia: a better relationship, lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused sanctions to be imposed in the first place. We hope for better days and we hope for better relations with Russia. But the recent diplomatic action taken by Moscow, I can assure you, will not deter the United States' commitment to our security, that of our allies and freedom loving nations around the world, like Georgia. The US will continue to work with Georgia to reduce your vulnerabilities and counter Russian aggression and so, too will we work with Georgia to deepen our ties of commerce of which the Prime Minister just spoke.

The United States has a keen interest in expanding our trade and investment relationship with Georgia. And your ongoing reforms Mr. Prime Minister have clearly demonstrated your openness and commitment to the stronger commercial partnership with the west. Today I thank the Prime Minister for his leadership focused on bringing greater economic opportunity to all of Georgian citizens. The Anaklia Deep Sea Port shows the potential of a stronger bilateral relationship between our nations. American companies are investing alongside with Georgian counterparts in this multibillion-dollar project. As we look toward the future of our two nations have untold opportunities to contribute even more to each other's prosperity.The US has stood with Georgia for quarter century and under president Trump we will continue to stand with you as partners, as friends and one day we will stand together as allies. Georgia's future is in the west and as the people of Georgia have long declared, our strength is now and always will be in our unity. So thank you Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your hospitality here today and thank you for the strong leadership that you provide for this country. We look forward to working with you for the prosperity and the security of the people of Georgia and of our great nation.

22/06/23, London, United Kingdom. Breakout session on Accelerating Humanitarian Mine Action in Ukraine as a Precondition for Sustainable Economic and Social Recovery at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023

The UK is jointly with Ukraine hosting the conference to mobilise international support for Ukraine's economic recovery from the effects of war.

Credit: FCDO/KEVIN MORAN PHOTOGRAPHY

The province of Zeeland has a coastline of 650 kilometers. In Waterdunen, the interplay between water and land is expressed. Waterdunen is an icon for Zeeland and proof that Zeeland is dealing with water differently today. Waterdunen is a delta work. But it is different from the delta works that we know as big works to protect Zeeland from the water. Waterdunen combines nature, recreation and tidal effects in an innovative coastal reinforcement with safety as a precondition.

The walk runs for a large part in the former polders and also goes partly through the dunes. This is where the river Schelde flows into the North Sea, a busy shipping route that leads to the port of Antwerp (Belgium). On the other side lies Flushing

Roma communities are typically among the region’s poorest, lacking adequate housing and living conditions, formal employment, and access to quality education and healthcare, according to UNDP’s Regional Roma study.

Formal employment is often a precondition to be eligible for some forms of social protection. Many Roma are engaged only in informal labor, like gathering trash or selling used clothes.In addition, many lack necessary identity documentation, but can’t obtain them without legal addresses.

Photo: Jodi Hilton / UNDP

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman met yesterday in Brasilia with the President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio "Lula" Da Silva, and Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.

Minister Liberman said at the meetings that Brazil has become an important international player and that President Lula is one of the most esteemed leaders in the international community. Liberman noted that one of his first decisions upon assuming office was to reopen the Israeli consulate in Sao Paulo.

The Israeli foreign minister stated that perhaps Brazil could use its influence to persuade the Palestinians and the Syrians to join Israel at the negotiating table without preconditions. Liberman added that he expects a more balanced position from Brazil on Israel-related subjects that come up for discussion at the UN and other international fora. The Israeli foreign minister also said that, considering Brazil's important position in the international arena, he would expect it to adopt a firm stance against Iran's nuclearization, which threatens not only the Middle East but the entire world.

Ministers Amorim and Liberman signed an aviation agreement. They also discussed economic relations between the two states, and FM Liberman noted that business ties are flourishing, with more than 200 Israeli companies operating in Brazil, and 1.6 billion dollars in annual trade.

The talks took place in a friendly atmosphere. FM Liberman noted that Brazil has enjoyed Israel's esteem ever since the South American country supported the establishment of the Jewish state in November 1947 and also in light of the positive treatment Brazil's 100,000-strong Jewish community has always received. The minister also mentioned Israelis' – and his own personal – admiration for Brazil's soccer team. FM Liberman invited the president and foreign minister of Brazil to visit Israel, and President Lula replied that he indeed intends to visit. FM Amorim said that Brazilians welcome the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to Brazil in 23 years.

United Nations, New York, 10 March 2017 - An immediate push for peace and development is now imperative to end suffering and put the Afghan people on a path to progress, said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan at United Nations headquarters today.

“A major challenge is at hand,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, who is also the head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). “The Government has to pursue both an inclusive peace process and economic growth against the backdrop of an intensifying insurgency.”

In a briefing to the UN Security Council, Mr Yamamoto called on the Afghan Government, together with the international community, to “work hand-in-hand to make a discernible change in the lives of all Afghans so they feel the upward lift of economic and social progress.”

On peace, Mr Yamamoto spoke about UN efforts to rally Afghanistan’s neighbours to recognize their own stake in the process, while at the same time recognizing that the Taliban can be a part of the country’s long-term future.

“I travelled the region extensively to discuss how neighbouring countries can support and play a proactive role in peace efforts,” said the UN envoy. “I urge the countries concerned, particularly in the neighbourhood, to support the Afghan Government’s interest in an intensified regional peace effort.”

While reiterating the UN’s long-standing call for peace talks with no preconditions, Mr Yamamoto offered that Afghans and the world should be ready to accept the Taliban back into society. “The Government, neighbouring countries and other key powers should reinforce the message that the Taliban can be part of Afghanistan’s future, and its political and social fabric,” he said.

To underscore the suffering of the Afghan people and the need for peace, the UN envoy detailed the rising civilian casualty numbers as documented by UNAMA’s own recent annual report. “I am gravely concerned about reports pointing to an intense spring fighting season,” he added.

Rounding out his urgent call for action, Mr Yamamoto said: “We all need to make peace our new and absolute imperative.” Afghanistan’s most important battle ahead, he concluded, is the one for a lasting peace.

UN Photo/Manuel Elias.

PM Kvirikashvili:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to host in Georgia Mr. Mike Pence, who is not only the Vice President of our country's key strategic partner, the United States of America, but also a great friend whom Georgia has made in such a short period. It is especially exciting that he is visiting Georgia in the company of his spouse.

After our brief introductory meeting in Munich, I was honored to hold meetings in Washington, at the invitation of the Vice President, and today we continue our dialogue in Tbilisi.

Mr. Vice President, your visit very shortly after taking office bears witness to your and President Trump's great desire to deepen your strategic partnership and friendship with Georgia, for which I am very grateful to you.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Throughout this time, America has played a vital role on our country's path toward democratic and economic development, safeguarding Georgia's sovereignty, and NATO membership.

Thanks to your assistance, today Georgia is neither a Soviet nor post-Soviet country. Today we are an EU associated European democracy. Together with the Americans, we are proudly standing guard protecting global security and making our contribution to regional stability.

The Georgian nation deeply appreciates the American people's friendship, solidarity, and strong support.

Mr. Vice President, today we discussed our strategic partnership further in depth. First, I would like to single out and welcome our defense and security cooperation. Your meeting with Georgian and American service members participating in the Noble Partner exercises is an unmistakable demonstration of the strong US support for spurring our country's sovereignty and integration into NATO alike.

This year, we adopted the Joint Action Plan that ensures enhancing Georgia's resilience, which is so crucially important for maintaining the stability and sustainability of Georgia and the region.

The United States of America has provided Georgia with significant financial assistance over these 25 years, and today we are happy to be an increasingly attractive country for American businesses. Today we offer one of the best business environments, extremely low corruption and red-tape rates, and equally low taxes, which is the best opportunity for American businesses to benefit.

Our goal is to put in place the best platform in the region suitable for American business interests. Notably, American companies are taking interest in engaging in large-scale regional infrastructural projects implemented in our country. Along with the Conti Group joining the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Consortium, we welcome the signing of the document on cooperation between the Anaklia Deep Sea Port Consortium and SSA Marine, one of the leading American port operators in the world. According to this document, the SSA Marine will operate the container terminal and invest in this most valuable project in the country today. The foregoing reaffirms the growing interest of American businesses and our country's immense potential for becoming the regional hub.

In the past 25 years, we have implemented numerous energy projects in cooperation with the United States. These projects ensure sustainable Euro-Atlantic energy security, and we are committed to continuing our cooperation in this direction as well.

We are a partner ready for high-level trade and investment relations with the USA based on mutual economic benefits.

Georgia is America's important partner in the region, which, among others, stems from our shared values, such as democracy and human rights. America has played an important role in the building of our democratic institutions. Our democratic development, for its part, is a precondition for developing Georgia as a sustainable and stable state that ensures the protection of the rights of every citizen and preserves our cultural uniqueness.

US support is vital in peaceful resolution of Georgia-Russia conflict. We deeply appreciate the US strong and unwavering stance on Georgia's territorial integrity. The decisions made by President Trump, you personally, Mr. Vice President, and the new Administration and the Congress on Georgia's occupied territories have proved unprecedented.

Today we discussed the serious challenges facing our country as a result of occupation. The US plays a tremendous role in the Geneva International Discussions format. Importantly, through high-level engagement, particular decisions must be sought for ensuring the de-occupation of and security in Georgia's territories, and for political conflict resolution.

In conclusion, I would like to reaffirm that Georgia has always been and will always be by the US' side when it comes to any challenge or threat facing the world. Our strategic partnership focuses equally on strengthening security in Georgia, regionally, and worldwide, on promoting peaceful and democratic development.

Once again, I emphasize the importance of this visit and its outcomes. We appreciate the fact that, despite more than one challenge in different parts of the world, the Vice President is visiting Georgia as part of his first European trip.

I am also thankful to our American colleagues for visiting Georgia and their special contribution to deepening our bilateral cooperation.

I am convinced that our joint efforts will further deepen our strategic partnership. At the same time, we are eager to introduce the Vice President, his spouse, and the American guests to Georgia's culture and historical heritage as the pride and joy of the Georgian nation.

Thank you.

VP Pence:

Prime Minister Kvirikashvili thank you so much for those words and for the hospitality you shown me and my family.It was an honor to welcome you to the White House just a few short months ago. And now it is my honor to be welcomed by you to the beautiful and storied nation of Georgia.

The President of the United States of America, President Donald Trump sent me here with a simple message for you and for the people of Georgia: we are with you; we stand with you; we are proud of our friendship and strategic partnership with the nation and the people of Georgia. In a word, I am here to say: America first does not mean America alone. And America stands with Georgia.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the US diplomatic relationship with Georgia. Yet, this is a nation whose roots stretch back to the amiss of history. Sitting at the crossroads of empires and civilizations, where East meets West, where North meets South; Georgia has fostered your own language, your own traditions, your own identity over the millennia. Today the people of Georgia are renowned the world over for your vibrant culture, which, my wife and I enjoyed last night at our first super dinner featuring Georgian cuisine, and a lot of it and traditional song and dance from Abkhazia, South Ossetia and all across Georgia.

We have also been deeply inspired by the rich heritage of faith and my wife and I look forward to visiting the historic Sioni Cathedral and meeting the Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church this afternoon. While this may be my first visit to this nation, the enduring courage and spirit of Georgian people have long inspired me. It was only a generation ago that Georgia was still imprisoned in then-Soviet Union. When that brutal regime collapsed, you reclaimed your independence and your freedom. You reached out our hand of friendship to Europe and United States of America and we were proud to reach back.

Today, I commended the Prime Minister for Georgia's democratic development, which has brought Georgia closer to unity with Europe and membership in North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Further progress on the goals that the Prime Minister has set will bring Georgia even closer and NATO even closer to your grasp and it will strengthen the bond between our nations.

Now, nowhere is the bond between our two nations stronger than in our shared effort to promote security and stability across the wider world. Georgia is the key strategic partner of the US. Since 2004, thousands of Georgians have served shoulder to shoulder with Americans in Kosovo, in Iraq and in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan alone, I say with grateful heart, Georgia has provided more troops on a per capita basis than any other country in the world. And 31 brave Georgian soldiers have given their lives for the cause of freedom. American people remember and mourn the sacrifice of your countrymen. They are heroes, all and they and their families will be enshrined in the hearts of American people forever. Later today I will meet with troops participating in the exercise Noble Partner. This initiative has brought together the armed forces of the US, Georgia and many other nations to train together and strengthen Georgia's ability to defend itself. It is only one of many examples of the US' commitment to Georgia's security.

President Trump and I stand by the 2008 NATO Bucharest statement, which made it clear that Georgia will one day become a member of NATO. As I expressed to the Prime Minister, it is heartening to see that Georgia already exceeds the NATO's goal of spending 2 % of its GDP on its national defense. But as we all know, Georgia's investment in defense is an investment born of necessity. At this very moment, just 40 miles from where we stand, Russian tanks stand on occupied territories at South Ossetia. Today, Russia continues to occupy one fifth of Georgian territory. So to be clear, the United States of America strongly condemns Russia's occupation of Georgian soil. The United States support Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. Under President Trump the United States will reject any claim, at any time, by any nation that undermines this enduring principle. President Trump has called on Russia to seize its destabilizing activities. My purpose here is to reinforce that message to the people of Georgia.

In sign of our commitment President Trump will sign very soon legislation to solid and codify the United States' sanctions against Russia. As always, our country prefers a constructive relationship with Russia, based on cooperation and common interests, but President and our Congress are unified in our message to Russia: a better relationship, lifting of sanctions, will require Russia to reverse the actions that caused sanctions to be imposed in the first place. We hope for better days and we hope for better relations with Russia. But the recent diplomatic action taken by Moscow, I can assure you, will not deter the United States' commitment to our security, that of our allies and freedom loving nations around the world, like Georgia. The US will continue to work with Georgia to reduce your vulnerabilities and counter Russian aggression and so, too will we work with Georgia to deepen our ties of commerce of which the Prime Minister just spoke.

The United States has a keen interest in expanding our trade and investment relationship with Georgia. And your ongoing reforms Mr. Prime Minister have clearly demonstrated your openness and commitment to the stronger commercial partnership with the west. Today I thank the Prime Minister for his leadership focused on bringing greater economic opportunity to all of Georgian citizens. The Anaklia Deep Sea Port shows the potential of a stronger bilateral relationship between our nations. American companies are investing alongside with Georgian counterparts in this multibillion-dollar project. As we look toward the future of our two nations have untold opportunities to contribute even more to each other's prosperity.The US has stood with Georgia for quarter century and under president Trump we will continue to stand with you as partners, as friends and one day we will stand together as allies. Georgia's future is in the west and as the people of Georgia have long declared, our strength is now and always will be in our unity. So thank you Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your hospitality here today and thank you for the strong leadership that you provide for this country. We look forward to working with you for the prosperity and the security of the people of Georgia and of our great nation.

“I always smile when I recall the day my father called me and said that he had seen somewhere in a newspaper that the Donetsk Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs had announced enrollment to the Traffic Police Faculty. It was in 2013, and at that time, I had just graduated with honours from the Faculty of Law. His words, “Daughter, maybe you should apply? It is perfect for you. You have to try”— became life-changing. At that time, the Traffic Police Faculty hardly admitted any women – only in sporadic cases, and I wanted to overcome this barrier. I persistently prepared for exams, went in for sports to pass the required standards, and, yes, everything worked out. Then at the university, competing with men made me even more determined, and I had to work hard on my self-confidence. Thus, I became the first female platoon commander in the Faculty’s history.

Thereupon, the fateful year of 2014 came up, bringing certain political events in our country — the Revolution of Dignity and the war. I had to leave Donetsk, leave my friends, acquaintances, and continue my studies at the Odesa State University of Internal Affairs.

In 2018, I was the first offered to move to the new ‘Dialogue Police’ department. It was a new project for the National Police (NPU) since the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA) had approved in 2017 the concept of implementing, in the activities its bodies and units, the Scandinavian model of public order and safety during mass events. Primarily, they implemented it based on the experience gained by Sweden and Denmark: these countries were the first ones in the world that had established such “dialogue” police units.

The dialogue was a prerequisite for reforming the police approach to public order and safety. 2014-2017 mass events in Ukraine were very intense. Most of the time, the many law-enforcement officers involved were not very interested in, nor did they understand, the reasons behind the protests. The mere appearance of police officers at mass events would immediately increase the degree of aggression against the police. The lack of dialogue between the public and the police caused most of the conflicts. This has served as the main precondition for reforming the police’s public order approach.

The first dialogue police units were established in Kyiv and Odesa. The events on 10 April, 2 and 9 May 2018 turned into a real test for the dialogue police units’ staff, most of whom had managed to complete only theoretical courses by that time. It was like their “baptism of fire”. This time, no violations of public order and safety were committed, thanks to the measures of conflict de-escalation put by the dialogue police. The civil society activists acknowledged the efficiency of the police dialogue project that became justified in the city of Odesa. Since then, I have gained experience in nearly 1,000 public events.

The main task of the dialogue police is to establish communication between organisers of the event and the police and secure the constitutional right of citizens to peaceful assembly. Four basic principles are underlying the operations of the Dialogue Police Unit: facilitation of activities, possession of information, constant communication, and a differentiated approach to each participant. During the actions, the key aspect is to work with the organisers and formal and informal leaders of all movements. The crowd is not homogeneous, and there are different groups of people in it. Thus, we always opt for an individual approach for each group. Officers of the dialogue police units are in the crowd to the last. They ask as many questions as possible to understand what people want to get from the action and explain how they may achieve lawfully. It is quite often that the dialogue police officer should first allow the person to be listened to in silence, allow the person to speak out, and only after that, the communication should begin.

The specific features of any mass event include that even a seemingly insignificant mass event may become a severe problem for the entire city. For instance, the disconnection of electrical service in the building located at Seredniofontanska Street… There were no prerequisites for gross violations of public order, and residents of the building were waiting for representatives of the local power authority to solve their problem. It was expected that a meeting would take place, and thereupon, the action would end. Upon arrival, the local power authority’s representatives reported that electrical service would not be re-connected on that day due to a technical error. Thereupon, the building’s residents went out and blocked off the traffic by continuous moving on the pedestrian crossing. It seemed that the problem of one building became a problem for the entire city.

An interesting fact is that according to the Scandinavian dialogue police model, women should make up 30% of the dialogue police unit. Women are believed to better reduce aggression through dialogue, even in the most critical situation. This has often been the case in my practice. When an aggressive crowd is approaching, I am the first to enter into a dialogue, and my partner is joining me. A smile and a quiet discussion do give results. It is pretty often, though, that activists themselves would approach me and say: “No dialogue is possible at this stage, there will be a scrum, you should step aside”.

I recall another situation when the quarantine was announced for the first time in 2020. On 9 May, one of the activists came up to lay floral tributes, and he was totally against wearing a mask. None of his colleagues could persuade him to do so. Knowing his tendency to provocative actions, I did not want the situation to come to a boil, given that there were many journalists and other activists at the venue. My management decided that I had to conduct negotiations with him. After talking to him for 15 minutes, I persuaded him to put on a mask. Moreover, now, he may approach me, and we may start resolving other issues through dialogue during various mass actions.

Today, I also faced a similar situation: we arrived at the scene. It appeared that the water supply authority representatives were disconnecting water supplies to the consumers who had debts for water supplies in the area. There was a lot of police and special forces’ representatives at the scene. When it was time to disconnect the subsequent house put on the list of the debtors, the lady — owner of that house — would jump in front of the operating tractor. The situation went out of control when she said that she would lie under the tractor until all representatives of the water supply authority left the scene. It was cold on the street, and the ground was wet. My superior and I had to negotiate with her for an hour. Eventually, we managed to persuade her to get out, and thus, in my opinion, we managed to save her life.

There have also been numerous challenging tasks during my work at the dialogue police. There were brutal fights and clashes, which required me to go into the crowd and work. We worried that people would stop communicating with us. This is probably the worst. However, even in such moments, we managed to reach an understanding.

A problematic fact in the work of the dialogue police is that you almost always face aggression, you are constantly insulted, and they often turn to personal insults — I am not even talking about “routine” curses. Sometimes, this hurts, and you think to yourself: all right, tomorrow I will request a transfer to another department. Therefore, it is essential to be very stress-resistant, control yourself, and not fail in any case whatsoever because one mistake on the negotiator may cost years of establishing communication with public figures.

Historically, uniformed police officers cause aggression among citizens. Therefore, the dialogue police officer starts working in civilian clothes and a unique dialogue police vest with no special means and weapons. The dialogue police officer is always in a visible location. Their duties include explaining to citizens their rights and obligations and reporting on further actions on the part of the police.

From the beginning of my service until today, the number of women in the police has changed significantly. When I first came to the police, I was the only woman in each team I worked. There were also very few women holding managerial positions. But society is changing. And the police is changing too, encouraging more and more women to join the service. For a long time, I have been the only female officer in the department of preventive communication. And only now — in 2021 — more women negotiators currently undergoing training – are joining Odessa District Police Department No. 1.

I always explain what I do in my work and why and involve people in all process stages. A woman should create an atmosphere encouraging the team to move towards unity, involvement, and freedom of thought so that everyone feels like contributing to a common cause.

Early in my career in the police force, I was biased because of my gender. Despite my experience, some male colleagues did not consider me an equal partner and refused to work together simply because I was a woman or their wives disagreed with me being a partner to those police officers. At the same time, some men motivated and supported me. I have probably been lucky with managers who appreciated my professional qualities, to whom I could always turn for help.

My victories, both personal and professional, inspire and motivate me mainly. I believe that one day I will also become a role model for someone. As concerns the person I am today, I am completely and utterly grateful to my parents, who guided me towards the right path, supported and helped me in the most challenging moments of my life. In addition, I have been heavily influenced by our country’s political events: the Revolution of Dignity and war.

I do not think it works out very well for me. I do not know how to find a balance between work and personal life. My father works in the agricultural sector, my mother is a cook, and my sister is a teacher. Everyone except for my family — all my friends — are either police officers or public figures. Police activities took over my entire life.

Even my hobby — reading — is related to my professional activities. I always read something: laws, news; I am learning new methods of negotiation, psychology, and I am watching science films with an emphasis on the negotiation aspects. If I feel that I need to relieve stress, I go to the gym and do sports.”

*The views expressed in #AgentsofChange do not necessarily reflect the position of EUAM. Share your own story by writing to stories@euam-ukraine.eu (500 words maximum).

Kiscelli Múzeum - Museum Kiscell

History of the Gallery

FÕVAROSI KÉPTÁR/KISCELLI MUSEUM (MUNICIPAL PICTURE GALLERY) was founded in 1889 as the fine art collection of Budapest. The intention to establish a museum was first worded in 1887. The Museum of Budapest to be housed in the Art Palace in the City Park, was eventually founded in 1899. In the first years the Museum collected works of fine art "related excusively to the city". Around 1909 were given new impetus by mayor Istvan Barczy whose very definte ideas about the art patronage of the capital made changes "in the direction that in a view of a future–to–be municipal gallery the pure aesthetic values of the art objects purchased became more decisive than the subject they present". One of the preconditions of a modern gallery, an ever–expanding collection was ready, but the building to house it took decades to find. The problem was eventually sold with the purchase of the Karolyi Mansion (in 1928), where the new institution, the Municipal Picture Gallery was opened on October 16th 1933. Between the world wars, the Municipal Picture Gallery played an important role in making 19th and 20th century art aviable to the public. After World War II. the MPG was the first receive visitors. In 1949 was stated that "the MPG has collected the best pieces of Hungarian created in these last 150 years which in the future could serve as a basis for the National Gallery". Between 1953–57 the works of art purchased out of "purely aesthetic considerations" merged with the collection of the National Gallery (more than 7000 pieces). From 1963 the MPG began to collect art again in a new place calls Kiscelli Múzeum. As the branch museum of the Budapest Historical Museum collects 20th century fine art, and specialised for contemporary art.

Photo taken at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in northern Colorado, where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads a captive breeding and recovery program where this endangered species is bred and preconditioned for release into the wild.

Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

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The Monterey Bay Aquarium (or MBA, founded 1984) is located on the former site of a sardine cannery on Cannery Row of the Pacific Ocean shoreline in Monterey, California. It has an annual attendance of 1.8 million visitors. It holds thousands of plants and animals, representing 623 separate named species on display. The aquarium benefits by a high circulation of fresh ocean water which is obtained through pipes which pump it in continuously from Monterey Bay.

Among the aquarium's numerous exhibits, two are of particular note: The centerpiece of the Ocean's Edge Wing is a 10 meter (33-foot) high 1.3 million liter (1/3 million gallon) tank for viewing California coastal marine life. In this tank, the aquarium was the first in the world to grow live California Giant Kelp using a wave machine at the top of the tank (water movement is a necessary precondition for keeping Giant Kelp, which absorbs nutrients from surrounding water and requires turbidity), allowing sunlight in through the open tank top, and circulation of raw seawater from the Bay. The second exhibit of note is a 4.5 million liter (1.2 million gallon) tank in the Open Sea galleries (formerly the Outer Bay), which features one of the world's largest single-paned windows (crafted by a Japanese company, the acrylic window is actually five panes seamlessly glued together through a proprietary process).[1]

Sealife on exhibit includes stingrays, jellyfish, sea otters, and numerous other native marine species, which can be viewed above and below the waterline. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is also one of only two aquariums in the world to exhibit bluefin and yellowfin tuna (the other is Aquamarine Fukushima in Japan). For displaying jellyfish, the MBA uses an aquarium called a Kreisel tank which creates a circular flow to support and suspend the jellies. Visitors are able to inspect the creatures of the kelp forest at several levels in the building. The aquarium does not house mammals other than otters.

Photo taken at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in northern Colorado, where the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service leads a captive breeding and recovery program where this endangered species is bred and preconditioned for release into the wild.

In this photo, a National Geographic videographer captures footage for a three-part NatGeo series on black-footed ferrets.

Photo Credit: Ryan Moehring / USFWS

René François Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. ‘The Intelligence’ was created in 1946 by Magritte in Surrealism style.

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If you have#acquire#bang#bed#bonk#change#eff#feature#fuck#get#hit#hold#human#hump#individual#jazz#know#love#make#mortal#person#possess#score#screw#somebody#someone#soul#tally# a history#account#chronicle#record#story# of asbestos exposure#danger#, the leading#activity#directing#directional#directive#guiding#major#preeminent#prima#slip#star#starring#stellar#strip#superior# cause#create#crusade#drive#effort#entity#grounds#justification#make#movement#reason#venture# of mesothelioma, and believe#anticipate#conceive#consider#expect#judge# you may be showing#display#viewing# signs of mesothelioma, it is best#advisable#champion#finest#first#foremost#good#human#incomparable#individual#mortal#optimal#optimum#person#physiologist#primo#prizewinning#somebody#someone#soul#superfine#superior#top#uncomparable#unexceeded#unexcelled#unsurpassable#unsurpassed# to seek#act#assay#attempt#essay#move# immediate#close#direct#fast#prompt#quick#straightaway#unmediated# medical#examination#scrutiny# advice. Informing#Disclosure#Revealing#Revelation# your doctor#adulterate#charlatan#debase#dilute#doc#dr.#medicine#medico#mountebank#physician#scholar#stretch#student#theologian#theologiser#theologist#theologizer# of previous#early#old#preceding# asbestos exposure#danger# can alert#alarum#alive#awake#aware#conscious#fly#lidless#lively#perched#perked#preparation#preparedness#readiness#sign#signal#signaling#sleepless#vigilant#wakeful#warn#warning#wary#watchful# them to the possibility#alternative#being#beingness#choice#concept#conception#construct#existence#opening#option#theory# of an asbestos-related disease such#much#specified# as mesothelioma. mesotheliomalawyer-answers.blogspot.nl/2013/09/what-are-m...

EU partner, UNHCR, supports the Jordanian government with the registration of refugees. Syrian refugees regularly visit a centre to update essential data in regards their family composition. Registration is a precondition to access aid and services.

© European Union, 2022 (Photographer: Rajiv Raman)

Trying out my coconut hair oil as a preconditioned today! Hoping it helps my dry hair. #tropicaltraditions #coconutoil #stillwet

2 Likes on Instagram

Laura Lane claimed the portrait of Malcom Gladwell

Here's her write up:

I always knew I'd meet Malcolm Gladwell. I started daydreaming about it sometime after I finished reading Blink (I read his books out of order and came late to the Gladwell dogma. Outliers first, then Tipping Point, then Blink. What The Dog Saw wasn't out yet). A friend of mine told me he would go to a Starbucks in the East Village with his computer often to write. I lived in the East Village and would occasionally go to Starbucks but I wasn't sure which one he went to and looking for him seemed kind of weird. I figured it would just happen.

-Laura Lane

ISO-Reihe Canon G11

Result of a Canon G11 ISO/ASA test (I did this test in a shop!):

goal:

see the quality of the images under the possible ISO settings.

preconditions:

- camera was laying on the desk, triggert by 2 seconds timer

- camera set to autofocus 30.5 mm

- manual mode, f = 5,6, flash off

results:

- original foto 3648 x 2736 Pixel (9.98 MPixels) (4:3)

- each image size is 368 x 368 pixels

- ISO 80, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600

- no post processing (color, light, sharpness...)

The Eddie ~ 2011

Edward Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau (Kahului, Hawaii, May 4, 1946–March 17, 1978) was a well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikau's full name mean feeding parent, an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent, in the Hawaiian language. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu,... he saved many lives and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

In 1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. The City & County of Honolulu gave Aikau the task of covering all of the beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, as he braved waves that often reached 30 feet (9.1 m) high or more. In 1971, Aikau was named Lifeguard of the Year.

In 1978, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was seeking volunteers for a 30day, 2,500-mile (4,000 km) journey to follow the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian island chains. At 31 years of age, Aikau joined the voyage as a crew member. The Hokule'a left the Hawaiian islands on March 16, 1978. The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized about twelve miles (19 km) south of the island of Molokai.

In an attempt to get help, Aikau paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard.[6] Although the rest of the crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cape Corwin, Aikau was never seen again. He removed his lifejacket since it was hindering his paddling of the surfboard. The ensuing search for Aikau was the largest air-sea search in Hawaii history.

The last person lifeguard Eddie Aikau rescued at Waimea Bay was a young TV producer named John Orland, who had just wrapped up production on a TV pilot called the "Hawaii Experience," starring Bob Crane from Hogan's Heroes. He was rescued on February 19, 1978, less than a month before Eddie Aikau was lost at sea.

In Aikau's honor, the surfwear company Quiksilver sponsors the “The Eddie". Since its inception, the tournament has only been held eight times, due to a precondition that open-ocean swells reach a minimum of 20 feet (this translates to a wave face height of over 30 feet). The most recent tournament was in December 2009, when waves in the bay reached 30 to 50 feet (15 m) high. The contest only invites 28 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition. The event does not allow the use of jet skis to tow surfers into the waves.

In the 1970s, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands and to the rest of the world. According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, "Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no else would or could. Only Eddie dared."

The phrase originated during the first Eddie contest. The waves were huge and the conditions were extremely dangerous. While the contest organizers were discussing whether to put it on, Mark Foo looked at the conditions and said "Eddie would go." The phrase stuck and the Eddie went.

Preconditioning pen at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado. Preconditioning is an important pre-cursor to reintroducing captive bred black-footed ferrets into the wild. Ferrets are placed in outdoor pens for a minimum of 30 days. While in these pens, they are exposed to natural burrow systems and have the opportunity to encounter live prairie dogs.

Credit: Ryan Hagerty/ USFWS

René François Ghislain Magritte, 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

Magritte's earliest paintings, which date from about 1915, were Impressionistic in style. During 1916–1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, under Constant Montald, but found the instruction uninspiring. He also took classes at the Académie Royale from the painter and poster designer Gisbert Combaz. The paintings he produced during 1918–1924 were influenced by Futurism and by the figurative Cubism of Metzinger.

From December 1920 until September 1921, Magritte served in the Belgian infantry in the Flemish town of Beverlo near Leopoldsburg. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he had met as a child in 1913. Also during 1922, the poet Marcel Lecomte showed Magritte a reproduction of Giorgio de Chirico's The Song of Love (painted in 1914). The work brought Magritte to tears; he described this as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes saw thought for the first time." The paintings of the Belgian symbolist painter William Degouve de Nuncques have also been noted as an influence on Magritte, specifically the former's painting The Blind House (1892) and Magritte's variations or series on The Empire of Lights.

In 1922–1923, Magritte worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, and was a poster and advertisement designer until 1926, when a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le jockey perdu), and held his first solo exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition.

Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became friends with André Breton and became involved in the Surrealist group. An illusionistic, dream-like quality is characteristic of Magritte's version of Surrealism. He became a leading member of the movement, and remained in Paris for three years. In 1929 he exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso and Yves Tanguy.

On 15 December 1929 he participated in the last publication of La Revolution Surrealiste No. 12, where he published his essay "Les mots et les images", where words play with images in sync with his work The Treachery of Images.

Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending Magritte's contract income. Having made little impact in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930 and resumed working in advertising.[10] He and his brother, Paul, formed an agency which earned him a living wage. In 1932, Magritte joined the Communist Party, which he would periodically leave and rejoin for several years. In 1936 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, followed by an exposition at the London Gallery in 1938.

During the early stages of his career, the British surrealist patron Edward James allowed Magritte to stay rent-free in his London home, where Magritte studied architecture and painted. James is featured in two of Magritte's works painted in 1937, Le Principe du Plaisir (The Pleasure Principle) and La Reproduction Interdite, a painting also known as Not to Be Reproduced.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II he remained in Brussels, which led to a break with Breton. He briefly adopted a colorful, painterly style in 1943–44, an interlude known as his "Renoir period", as a reaction to his feelings of alienation and abandonment that came with living in German-occupied Belgium.

In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.

In France, Magritte's work has been showcased in a number of retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017). In the United States his work has been featured in three retrospective exhibitions: at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. An exhibition entitled "The Fifth Season" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2018 focused on the work of his later years.

Politically, Magritte stood to the left, and retained close ties to the Communist Party, even in the post-war years. However, he was critical of the functionalist cultural policy of the Communist left, stating that "Class consciousness is as necessary as bread; but that does not mean that workers must be condemned to bread and water and that wanting chicken and champagne would be harmful. (...) For the Communist painter, the justification of artistic activity is to create pictures that can represent mental luxury." While remaining committed to the political left, he thus advocated a certain autonomy of art. Spiritually, Magritte was an agnostic.

Popular interest in Magritte's work rose considerably in the 1960s, and his imagery has influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art. In 2005 he was 9th in the Walloon version of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian); in the Flemish version he was 18th.

Painted in 1951, Magritte originally called this painting "The Rock". It shows a stone on a monochromatic background and calls attention to the fact that weight is not a visible property. With no other imagery to provide a sense of scale, the subject could be a pebble or a monolith. A certain uncanniness accompanies the silent stone, particularly under the title 'The Active Voice' (La voix active). The artist’s choice of title here may be an ironic play on the pervasive sense of silence in this painting.

Rene Francois Ghislain Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop, minimalist and conceptual art.

This Magritte original was seen and photographed at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).

Week of the Stairs, No. 6: Labo (Landesamt für Bürger- und Ordnungsangelegenheiten). This is where people, living in Berlin, can hand in a formal obligation for the absorption of costs which in return is one of the many preconditions for the vast majority of foreigners when they want to apply for a visa for Germany.

Friedrichstraße 219/220, Berlin/Germany, district of Kreuzberg. Built in about 1930 for the insurance company Deutscher Herold. Volks- und Lebensversicherung AG, architect: Johann Emil Schaudt. - Take a look at the company's emblem!

Kiscelli Múzeum - Museum Kiscell

History of the Gallery

FÕVAROSI KÉPTÁR/KISCELLI MUSEUM (MUNICIPAL PICTURE GALLERY) was founded in 1889 as the fine art collection of Budapest. The intention to establish a museum was first worded in 1887. The Museum of Budapest to be housed in the Art Palace in the City Park, was eventually founded in 1899. In the first years the Museum collected works of fine art "related excusively to the city". Around 1909 were given new impetus by mayor Istvan Barczy whose very definte ideas about the art patronage of the capital made changes "in the direction that in a view of a future–to–be municipal gallery the pure aesthetic values of the art objects purchased became more decisive than the subject they present". One of the preconditions of a modern gallery, an ever–expanding collection was ready, but the building to house it took decades to find. The problem was eventually sold with the purchase of the Karolyi Mansion (in 1928), where the new institution, the Municipal Picture Gallery was opened on October 16th 1933. Between the world wars, the Municipal Picture Gallery played an important role in making 19th and 20th century art aviable to the public. After World War II. the MPG was the first receive visitors. In 1949 was stated that "the MPG has collected the best pieces of Hungarian created in these last 150 years which in the future could serve as a basis for the National Gallery". Between 1953–57 the works of art purchased out of "purely aesthetic considerations" merged with the collection of the National Gallery (more than 7000 pieces). From 1963 the MPG began to collect art again in a new place calls Kiscelli Múzeum. As the branch museum of the Budapest Historical Museum collects 20th century fine art, and specialised for contemporary art.

Posted via email from Anna Lena's Blog

Graphic Recording of a panel at transmediale festival in Berlin

www.transmediale.de/en/creativity-economic-resource

Creativity as an Economic Resource

Moderation: Andy Cameron (uk)

Panelists: Matteo Pasquinelli (it) | Adam Somlai Fischer (hu) | Dr. Barbara Lippe (at) | Markus Kühn (at)

Due to the economic crisis the creative industries have become a location factor praised by politicians as a growth market soon to outperform the car industry. The balance between artists and economic representatives is changing. It seems that the norm of the economy supporting the growth of culture is due to be reversed. We ask: in which way has this new framework changed the relation between art and capital? Can there be a balanced exchange between culture and economy? What are the preconditions for a cooperation at eye level?

This sample was taken with just one candle as light source. A precondition was to use an exposure time not longer than 1/15s. The distance to the objects was about 4m. The aperture of the lens was completely open (f1.0)

Under these conditions the ISO sensivity of the camera had to be set to ISO 3200.

The result is quite "dreamy" and smooth but under these conditions acceptable. A comparison to images taken with a 14-140mm zoom lens showed that this lens does not have focal length of 55m anymore as written on the front element. After the modification it now has a focal length of about 90mm which is already a short tele (180mm equivalent to 35mm film)!

The Leaf Wetness Smart Sensor provides accurate leaf wetness data in a number of growing and research applications. The sensor is ready to use and does not require any painting or coating. It uses a capacitive grid that is less sensitive to surface residues than resistive grid-based sensors, and comes preconditioned for consistent measurements between sensors and for long-term stability. Along with a 3-meter cable, a mounting bracket is included so the sensor can be easily positioned to mimic the wet-dry characteristics of the plants being studied.

www.onsetcomp.com/products/sensors/s-lwa-m003

RIPE are a leading manufacturer/supplier of inflatable packers for a wide variety of applications that include but are not limited to Geotechnical & Environmental investigations, Water Wells/Bores, Oil/Gas, Civil & Mining as well as Construction. We also supply the associated ancillary equipment providing a complete system. We are based in Perth, Western Australia but ship world-wide. Feel free to contact us at packers@ripe-packers.com or on (+61 8) 9475 0700 for all your packer related needs..

Roma communities are typically among the region’s poorest, lacking adequate housing and living conditions, formal employment, and access to quality education and healthcare, according to UNDP’s Regional Roma study.

Formal employment is often a precondition to be eligible for some forms of social protection. Many Roma are engaged only in informal labor, like gathering trash or selling used clothes. In addition, many lack necessary identity documentation, but can’t obtain them without legal addresses

Mohammed Hassani, 21, lives with his wife, two children and extended family in a Roma settlement on the outskirts of Skopje. Selling linens at the market, he grosses about 10 euros per day. His wife stays home to care for their children. Hassani has a primary school education and speaks Macedonian, Albanian and Romani.

Photo: Jodi Hilton / UNDP

Annex 2 States (the 44 whose ratification is precondition for the CTBT's entry into force) in colour. As of 1 June 2012, 36 have ratified (green), 5 have signed (yellow) and 3 have not signed (red). See www.ctbto.org/map/#status for interactive map.

FOLDS

Robert Seidel

www.robertseidel.com/folds.225.0.html

Lindenau Museum / Altenburg, Germany

18.6.–14.8.2011

www.lindenau-museum.de

// Installation

2-channel video, HD, variable loop on 19th century plaster casts of Kladeos, Kephissos, Belvedere Torso, Seer and the Three Goddesses from the Bernhard August von Lindenau Collection

// Dimension: 7,2 × 1,9 × 2,4 m

// Part of Focus Young Art. 2011

A regional exhibition programme of the Juergen Ponto Foundation for promotion of Young Artists, Frankfurt am Main / www.juergen-ponto-stiftung.de

Documentation EditorFalk Müller

Documentation SoundHeiko Tippelt

PhotographyJürgen M. Pietsch, Christian Seeling

// Artist Statement

The work folds for the Lindenau Museum (Altenburg, Germany) may be understood as a rapprochement with the history of the museum’s collection of plaster casts. I was particularly interested in the ancient, fragmented bodies – how through the loss of limbs they became almost abstract, fragmentary sculptures and yet still disclosed a nearly uncanny vitality. Also noteworthy is that the collection entails sculptures, Greek in origin, that have been replicated time and time again. Hewn from marble and partially painted in color, the originals were repeatedly copied in marble or plaster in different places across centuries, despoiled of color and slurred in detail.

Despite these multiple re-shapings that attend the loss of the original’s memory, new meanings and frictions arise with each copy in each respective present. They are the precondition for over 2400 years of the ongoing revitalization of the legacy of antiquity. The fold, a continually recurring visual and conceptual motif in my works, is for me the pictorial metaphor for these layers and distortions of meaning. In the projection the fold becomes connected to the fragmentary sculptures, swirls around them, makes them flow with bygone colors, protects or clothes them, gives them peace and lets them come alive for a moment, in order then to be stored as a further layer in the sediment of oblivion.

// Monographic Catalog available

FOLDS, Robert Seidel, Lindenau Museum Altenburg, ISBN 978-3-86104-070-0

www.robertseidel.com

United Nations, New York, 17 September 2018 - The UN’s top envoy in Afghanistan said important decisions made now on elections and peace will affect the fundamental fabric of the society and future of Afghanistan.

“The Afghan people are scheduled to cast their votes on 20 October to choose their parliamentary representatives for the first time since 2010,” Tadamichi Yamamoto told the Security Council. “Strategic decisions, underpinned by a national consensus, will need to be taken to guide the next steps towards peace.”

Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, noted that the October parliamentary elections will be a major test for Afghanistan’s democratic institutions and cautioned that political challenges could jeopardize the elections unless all leaders engage constructively and peacefully to ensure that elections are held on time.

“I urge all political actors and institutions to perform their duties, act responsibly, and to think of the Afghan people, bearing in mind the country’s bitter past,” said the UN envoy.

On peace, the UN envoy noted that President Ghani’s offer in February this year to the Taliban to engage in talks without preconditions created unprecedented political space for peace, culminating in the temporary ceasefire in June that showed reconciliation was possible.

“The second ceasefire in August, proposed by the government, was unfortunately not reciprocated by the Taliban,” he said, noting that setbacks were to be expected but stating that Afghanistan is in a better position now than at any time in the past 17 years to commence the process which would lead to talks for a negotiated end to the conflict.

“The most difficult phases lie ahead,” said Yamamoto, who urged all sides to agree on concrete measures to build confidence towards more structured talks.

“All sides must realize that there is no military solution to the conflict,” the UN envoy stressed.

Yamamoto touched on several other pressing issues in Afghanistan, including the increasingly high number of civilian deaths, notably among journalists and aid workers, and the importance of the full involvement of women in all efforts for the promotion, establishment and maintenance of peace and security.

The UN envoy went on to describe the upcoming Geneva Ministerial Conference as an opportunity to review civilian efforts in the country and for the international community to further clarify its expectations regarding the peace process and the ways it can support such a process.

In closing, Yamamoto quoted former Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s 2001 Nobel Peace Prize speech, which began with a few simple words: “Today in Afghanistan a girl will be born.”

That girl, said Yamamoto, will soon be old enough to vote, old enough to attend university, old enough to pursue the vocation of her dreams. “Will she be able to?” he asked. “I am sure that that girl will be watching closely the developments of the next few months.”

UN Photo/Evan Schneider.

René François Ghislain Magritte, 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

Magritte's earliest paintings, which date from about 1915, were Impressionistic in style. During 1916–1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, under Constant Montald, but found the instruction uninspiring. He also took classes at the Académie Royale from the painter and poster designer Gisbert Combaz. The paintings he produced during 1918–1924 were influenced by Futurism and by the figurative Cubism of Metzinger.

From December 1920 until September 1921, Magritte served in the Belgian infantry in the Flemish town of Beverlo near Leopoldsburg. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he had met as a child in 1913. Also during 1922, the poet Marcel Lecomte showed Magritte a reproduction of Giorgio de Chirico's The Song of Love (painted in 1914). The work brought Magritte to tears; he described this as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes saw thought for the first time." The paintings of the Belgian symbolist painter William Degouve de Nuncques have also been noted as an influence on Magritte, specifically the former's painting The Blind House (1892) and Magritte's variations or series on The Empire of Lights.

In 1922–1923, Magritte worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, and was a poster and advertisement designer until 1926, when a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le jockey perdu), and held his first solo exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition.

Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became friends with André Breton and became involved in the Surrealist group. An illusionistic, dream-like quality is characteristic of Magritte's version of Surrealism. He became a leading member of the movement, and remained in Paris for three years. In 1929 he exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso and Yves Tanguy.

On 15 December 1929 he participated in the last publication of La Revolution Surrealiste No. 12, where he published his essay "Les mots et les images", where words play with images in sync with his work The Treachery of Images.

Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending Magritte's contract income. Having made little impact in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930 and resumed working in advertising.[10] He and his brother, Paul, formed an agency which earned him a living wage. In 1932, Magritte joined the Communist Party, which he would periodically leave and rejoin for several years. In 1936 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, followed by an exposition at the London Gallery in 1938.

During the early stages of his career, the British surrealist patron Edward James allowed Magritte to stay rent-free in his London home, where Magritte studied architecture and painted. James is featured in two of Magritte's works painted in 1937, Le Principe du Plaisir (The Pleasure Principle) and La Reproduction Interdite, a painting also known as Not to Be Reproduced.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II he remained in Brussels, which led to a break with Breton. He briefly adopted a colorful, painterly style in 1943–44, an interlude known as his "Renoir period", as a reaction to his feelings of alienation and abandonment that came with living in German-occupied Belgium.

In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.

In France, Magritte's work has been showcased in a number of retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017). In the United States his work has been featured in three retrospective exhibitions: at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. An exhibition entitled "The Fifth Season" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2018 focused on the work of his later years.

Politically, Magritte stood to the left, and retained close ties to the Communist Party, even in the post-war years. However, he was critical of the functionalist cultural policy of the Communist left, stating that "Class consciousness is as necessary as bread; but that does not mean that workers must be condemned to bread and water and that wanting chicken and champagne would be harmful. (...) For the Communist painter, the justification of artistic activity is to create pictures that can represent mental luxury." While remaining committed to the political left, he thus advocated a certain autonomy of art. Spiritually, Magritte was an agnostic.

Popular interest in Magritte's work rose considerably in the 1960s, and his imagery has influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art. In 2005 he was 9th in the Walloon version of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian); in the Flemish version he was 18th.

Mixed-use is a style of urban development, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses into one space, where those functions are to some degree physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections.[1][2][3] Mixed-use development may be applied to a single building, a block or neighborhood, or in zoning policy across an entire city or other political unit. These projects may be completed by a private developer, (quasi-) governmental agency, or a combination thereof. A mixed-use development may be new construction, reuse of an existing building or brownfield site, or a combination. Traditionally, human settlements have developed in mixed-use patterns. However, with industrialization as well as the invention of the skyscraper, governmental zoning regulations were introduced to separate different functions, such as manufacturing, from residential areas. Public health concerns and the protection of property values stood as the motivation behind this separation.[4] The practice of zoning for single-family residential use was instigated to safeguard communities from negative externalities; including air, noise, and light pollution; associated with heavier industrial practices.[4] In the United States, the heyday of separate-use zoning was after World War II, but since the 1990s, mixed-use zoning has once again become desirable as it works to combat urban sprawl and increase economic vitality.[4][5]

In most of Europe, government policy has encouraged the continuation of the city center's role as a main location for business, retail, restaurant, and entertainment activity, unlike in the United States where zoning actively discouraged such mixed use for many decades. As a result, much of Europe's central cities are mixed use "by default" and the term "mixed-use" is much more relevant regarding new areas of the city, when an effort is made to mix residential and commercial activities – such as in Amsterdam's Eastern Docklands – rather than separate them.[6][7] Mixed-use developments are home to significant employment and housing opportunities.[11] Many of these projects are already located in established downtown districts, meaning that development of public transit systems is incentivized in these regions.[12] By taking undervalued and underutilized land, often former heavy industrial, developers can repurpose it to increase land and property values.[11] These projects also increase housing variety, density, and oftentimes affordability through their focus on multifamily, rather than single-family housing compounds.[13] This development pattern is centered around the idea of “live, work, play,” transforming buildings and neighborhoods into multi-use entities. Efficiency, productivity, and quality of life are also increased with regards to workplaces holding a plethora of amenities.[12] Examples include gyms, restaurants, bars, and shopping. Mixed-use neighborhoods promote community and socialization through their bringing together of employees, visitors, and residents.[12] A distinctive character and sense-of-place is created by transforming single use districts that may run for eight hours a day (Ex. Commercial office spaces running 9am - 5pm) into communities that can run eighteen hours a day through the addition of cafes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.[13] Safety of neighborhoods is in turn increased as people stay out on the streets for longer hours. Mixed-use neighborhoods and buildings have a strong ability to adapt to changing social and economic environments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, New York retail businesses located on long, commercially-oriented blocks suffered severely as they were no longer attracting an audience of passersby. By combining multiple functions into one building or development, mixed-use districts can build resiliency through their ability to attract and maintain visitors. Pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure is also fostered in these districts due to their increased density and reduced distances between housing, workplaces, retail businesses, and other amenities and destinations.[4] Mixed-use projects promote health and wellness, as these developments often provide better access (whether it be by foot, bicycle, or transit) to farmer's markets and grocery stores.[13] Due to the neoliberalist nature of large scale real estate developments, mega-mixed-use projects often fall short on meeting equity and affordability goals. High-end residential, upscale retail, and Class A office spaces appealing to high-profile tenants are often prioritized due to their speculative potential.[11] These projects are made to be attractive to businesses and individuals with significant capital. Mixed-use buildings can be risky given that there are multiple tenants residing in one development.[12] Mega-mixed-use projects, like Hudson Yards, are also extremely expensive. This development has cost the City of New York over 2.2 billion dollars.[14] Critics argue that taxpayer dollars could better serve the general public if spent elsewhere.[14] Additionally, mixed-use developments, as a catalyst for economic growth, may not serve their intended purpose if they simply shift economic activity, rather than create it. A study done by JLL found that “90 percent of Hudson Yards’ new office tenants relocated from Midtown."[14] Mixed-use projects may be seen as disjointed from the surrounding environment. Preserving local character, histories, and charm conflicts with building designs that represent economic growth and modernity.[11] Mixed-use projects are often at the center of this conflict. One of the first cities to adopt a policy on mixed-use development is Toronto. The local government first played a role in 1986 with a zoning bylaw that allowed for commercial and residential units to be mixed. At the time, Toronto was in the beginning stages of planning a focus on developing mixed-use development due to the growing popularity of more social housing. The law has since been updated as recently as 2013, shifting much of its focus outside the downtown area which has been a part of the main city since 1998. With the regulations in place, the city has overseen the development of high-rise condominiums throughout the city with amenities and transit stops nearby. Toronto's policies of mixed-use development have inspired other North American cities in Canada and the United States to bring about similar changes.[15] One example of a Toronto mixed-use development is Mirvish Village[16] by architect Gregory Henriquez. Located at Bloor and Bathurst Street, a significant intersection in Toronto, portions of the Mirvish Village project site are zoned as "commercial residential" and others as "mixed commercial residential."[17] Within the City of Toronto's zoning by-laws, commercial residential includes "a range of commercial, residential and institutional uses, as well as parks."[18] Mirvish Village's programmatic uses include rental apartments, a public market, and small-unit retail,[19] while also preserving 23 of 27 heritage houses on site.[20] The project is notable for its public consultation process, which was lauded by Toronto city officials.[20] Architect Henriquez and the developer had previously collaborated on mixed-use projects in Vancouver, British Columbia, including the successful Woodward's Redevelopment.[21]

Mixed-use spaces developed in Portland, Oregon

In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collaborates with local governments by providing researchers developing new data that estimates how a city can be impacted by mixed-use development. With the EPA putting models in the spreadsheet, it makes it much easier for municipalities, and developers to estimate the traffic, with Mixed-use spaces. The linking models also used as a resource tool measures the geography, demographics, and land use characteristics in a city. The Environmental Protection Agency has conducted an analysis on six major metropolitan areas using land usage, household surveys, and GIS databases. States such as California, Washington, New Mexico, and Virginia have adopted this standard as statewide policy when assessing how urban developments can impact traffic. Preconditions for the success of mixed-use developments are employment, population, and consumer spending. The three preconditions ensure that a development can attract quality tenants and financial success. Other factors determining the success of the Mixed-use development is the proximity of production time, and the costs from the surrounding market.[22] Mixed-use zoning has been implemented in Portland, Oregon since the early 1990s, when the local government wanted to reduce the then-dominant car-oriented development style. Portland's light rail system MAX encourages the mixing of residential, commercial, and work spaces into one zone.[23] With this one-zoning-type planning system, the use of land at increased densities provides a return in public investments throughout the city. Main street corridors provide flexible building heights and high density uses to enable "gathering places".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mixed-use_development

FOLDS

Robert Seidel

www.robertseidel.com/folds.225.0.html

Lindenau Museum / Altenburg, Germany

18.6.–14.8.2011

www.lindenau-museum.de

// Installation

2-channel video, HD, variable loop on 19th century plaster casts of Kladeos, Kephissos, Belvedere Torso, Seer and the Three Goddesses from the Bernhard August von Lindenau Collection

// Dimension: 7,2 × 1,9 × 2,4 m

// Part of Focus Young Art. 2011

A regional exhibition programme of the Juergen Ponto Foundation for promotion of Young Artists, Frankfurt am Main / www.juergen-ponto-stiftung.de

Documentation EditorFalk Müller

Documentation SoundHeiko Tippelt

PhotographyJürgen M. Pietsch, Christian Seeling

// Artist Statement

The work folds for the Lindenau Museum (Altenburg, Germany) may be understood as a rapprochement with the history of the museum’s collection of plaster casts. I was particularly interested in the ancient, fragmented bodies – how through the loss of limbs they became almost abstract, fragmentary sculptures and yet still disclosed a nearly uncanny vitality. Also noteworthy is that the collection entails sculptures, Greek in origin, that have been replicated time and time again. Hewn from marble and partially painted in color, the originals were repeatedly copied in marble or plaster in different places across centuries, despoiled of color and slurred in detail.

Despite these multiple re-shapings that attend the loss of the original’s memory, new meanings and frictions arise with each copy in each respective present. They are the precondition for over 2400 years of the ongoing revitalization of the legacy of antiquity. The fold, a continually recurring visual and conceptual motif in my works, is for me the pictorial metaphor for these layers and distortions of meaning. In the projection the fold becomes connected to the fragmentary sculptures, swirls around them, makes them flow with bygone colors, protects or clothes them, gives them peace and lets them come alive for a moment, in order then to be stored as a further layer in the sediment of oblivion.

// Monographic Catalog available

FOLDS, Robert Seidel, Lindenau Museum Altenburg, ISBN 978-3-86104-070-0

www.robertseidel.com

ArchDaily - Yokohama International Passenger Terminal / Foreign Office Architects (FOA)

© Satoru Mishima / FOA

Written by David Langdon

This article was originally published on ArchDaily in 2014.

The triumphant critical reception of the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal was the product of inventive architectural methodology and socially conscious thinking. Designed by Foreign Office Architects (FOA) in 1995, the futuristic terminal represented an emergent typology of transportation infrastructure. Its radical, hyper-technological design explored new frontiers of architectural form and simultaneously provoked a powerful discourse on the social responsibility of large-scale projects to enrich shared urban spaces.

The architectural competition for the terminal was famously intense, and winning it required the then-wife-and-husband team of Farshid Moussavi and Alejandro Zaera-Polo to rethink the established template of terminal design. Located on an important waterfront site in Japan’s second most populous city, the high-profile commission attracted 660 entries from around the world, the country's largest international competition to date. [1] The enormous, 430 meter-long project took eight years and a budget of £150 million to complete, and required FOA to temporarily relocate their studios to Yokohama to supervise construction. The public opening of the terminal occurred in 2002, serendipitously coinciding with the final game of the World Cup being held only a few miles from the shoreline.

The striking appearance of the terminal was made possible only by tremendous advances in computer-aided design. It was conceived primarily in section, with an incredibly complex series of surfaces that gently curve and fold into a navigable, inhabitable architectural topography. Atop the observation deck, the material fabric of the floor rises and falls in wave-like oscillations to create pathways and apertures into the vast, enclosed spaces below. These changes in elevation—sometimes subtle, sometimes sharp—were the essence of the novel architectural language invented for the project.

The building is organized in three vertical levels. Atop a first-floor parking garage, a spacious middle floor contains the terminal’s administrative and operational areas, including ticketing, customs, immigration, restaurants, shopping, and waiting areas. The steel beams that span the ceiling add a weighty feeling to the space that contrasts sharply with the feel of the observation deck, which has the sensation of being made of a light, flexible, and easily malleable plane. Connecting the three levels are a series of gently sloping ramps, which the architects decided were more effective than stairs at maintaining a continuous and multi-dimensional flow of circulation.

A unique structural system made of folded steel plates and concrete girders supports the building. The strength of the materials minimizes the need for vertical supports and allows for a mostly open floor plan, while the height of the structure allows for a spectacular variety of ceiling conditions in the interior spaces. According to the architects, the structural scheme is especially adept at coping with the lateral forces of seismic movements, a necessary precondition of buildings of its size in Japan. [2]

Throughout the project, a deliberate dynamism pervades the tectonic and material languages of the building. The abundance of non-orthogonal walls, floors, and ceilings creates a controlled sense of vertigo that is accentuated by similarly off-kilter fixtures and details. The effect is magnified by material cues, such as the shifting grains of the wooden planks on the observation deck that indicate the locations of creases, and the minimalist grey metal paneling that is revealingly worn by the structures under it.

While the contours of the building occasionally betray an element of randomness, they are in fact generated by a single circulation scheme that dictates spatial organization. The circulation operates as a continuous looped diagram, directly rejecting any notion of linearity and directionality. Visitors are taken through paths that meander vertically and horizontally before arriving at any destination, and their sight lines through space are comparably tortuous and indirect. For all of the chaotic complexity of the materials and formal gestures, the simplicity of this diagram offers a sense of clarity and reveals the process from which the building emerged.

The greatest conceptual strength of the project is perhaps its sensitive relationship with the urban waterfront. With the observation deck doubling as a fully accessible public plaza, the terminal seamlessly emerges from the neighboring Yamashita and Akaranega Parks to make one uninterrupted, universally accessible urban parkscape. Its height is calculated to achieve continuity with the shore and to ensure that inland views of the waterfront remain unobstructed.

The terminal won several international awards after its completion, including the 2004 Enric Miralles Prize, and brought enormous recognition to FOA, Zaera-Polo, and Moussavi. It also completely challenged the limited role of traditional public infrastructure projects, creating a new precedent of technological innovation and urban integration that many have since tried to match.

[1] "The Birth of the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal." Osanbashi.com. Accessed 22 Sept. 2014 from www.osanbashi.com/en/outline/.

[2] Farshid Moussavi Architects. “Yokohama International Port Terminal: Overview.” Accessed 22 Sept. 2014 from www.farshidmoussavi.com/flash/index.html#/projects/465.

René François Ghislain Magritte, 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

Magritte's earliest paintings, which date from about 1915, were Impressionistic in style. During 1916–1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, under Constant Montald, but found the instruction uninspiring. He also took classes at the Académie Royale from the painter and poster designer Gisbert Combaz. The paintings he produced during 1918–1924 were influenced by Futurism and by the figurative Cubism of Metzinger.

From December 1920 until September 1921, Magritte served in the Belgian infantry in the Flemish town of Beverlo near Leopoldsburg. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he had met as a child in 1913. Also during 1922, the poet Marcel Lecomte showed Magritte a reproduction of Giorgio de Chirico's The Song of Love (painted in 1914). The work brought Magritte to tears; he described this as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes saw thought for the first time." The paintings of the Belgian symbolist painter William Degouve de Nuncques have also been noted as an influence on Magritte, specifically the former's painting The Blind House (1892) and Magritte's variations or series on The Empire of Lights.

In 1922–1923, Magritte worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, and was a poster and advertisement designer until 1926, when a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le jockey perdu), and held his first solo exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition.

Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became friends with André Breton and became involved in the Surrealist group. An illusionistic, dream-like quality is characteristic of Magritte's version of Surrealism. He became a leading member of the movement, and remained in Paris for three years. In 1929 he exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso and Yves Tanguy.

On 15 December 1929 he participated in the last publication of La Revolution Surrealiste No. 12, where he published his essay "Les mots et les images", where words play with images in sync with his work The Treachery of Images.

Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending Magritte's contract income. Having made little impact in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930 and resumed working in advertising.[10] He and his brother, Paul, formed an agency which earned him a living wage. In 1932, Magritte joined the Communist Party, which he would periodically leave and rejoin for several years. In 1936 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, followed by an exposition at the London Gallery in 1938.

During the early stages of his career, the British surrealist patron Edward James allowed Magritte to stay rent-free in his London home, where Magritte studied architecture and painted. James is featured in two of Magritte's works painted in 1937, Le Principe du Plaisir (The Pleasure Principle) and La Reproduction Interdite, a painting also known as Not to Be Reproduced.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II he remained in Brussels, which led to a break with Breton. He briefly adopted a colorful, painterly style in 1943–44, an interlude known as his "Renoir period", as a reaction to his feelings of alienation and abandonment that came with living in German-occupied Belgium.

In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.

In France, Magritte's work has been showcased in a number of retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017). In the United States his work has been featured in three retrospective exhibitions: at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. An exhibition entitled "The Fifth Season" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2018 focused on the work of his later years.

Politically, Magritte stood to the left, and retained close ties to the Communist Party, even in the post-war years. However, he was critical of the functionalist cultural policy of the Communist left, stating that "Class consciousness is as necessary as bread; but that does not mean that workers must be condemned to bread and water and that wanting chicken and champagne would be harmful. (...) For the Communist painter, the justification of artistic activity is to create pictures that can represent mental luxury." While remaining committed to the political left, he thus advocated a certain autonomy of art. Spiritually, Magritte was an agnostic.

Popular interest in Magritte's work rose considerably in the 1960s, and his imagery has influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art. In 2005 he was 9th in the Walloon version of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian); in the Flemish version he was 18th.

Roma communities are typically among the region’s poorest, lacking adequate housing and living conditions, formal employment, and access to quality education and healthcare, according to UNDP’s Regional Roma study.

Formal employment is often a precondition to be eligible for some forms of social protection. Many Roma are engaged only in informal labor, like gathering trash or selling used clothes. In addition, many lack necessary identity documentation, but can’t obtain them without legal addresses.

Shemsije Abdullahi, 19, fixes her friend's hair on the street outside her home in Shutka, a Roma municipality outside of Skopje. She is jobless and wants to complete hairstyling school and open a salon.

Photo: Jodi Hilton / UNDP

Kiscelli Múzeum - Museum Kiscell

History of the Gallery

FÕVAROSI KÉPTÁR/KISCELLI MUSEUM (MUNICIPAL PICTURE GALLERY) was founded in 1889 as the fine art collection of Budapest. The intention to establish a museum was first worded in 1887. The Museum of Budapest to be housed in the Art Palace in the City Park, was eventually founded in 1899. In the first years the Museum collected works of fine art "related excusively to the city". Around 1909 were given new impetus by mayor Istvan Barczy whose very definte ideas about the art patronage of the capital made changes "in the direction that in a view of a future–to–be municipal gallery the pure aesthetic values of the art objects purchased became more decisive than the subject they present". One of the preconditions of a modern gallery, an ever–expanding collection was ready, but the building to house it took decades to find. The problem was eventually sold with the purchase of the Karolyi Mansion (in 1928), where the new institution, the Municipal Picture Gallery was opened on October 16th 1933. Between the world wars, the Municipal Picture Gallery played an important role in making 19th and 20th century art aviable to the public. After World War II. the MPG was the first receive visitors. In 1949 was stated that "the MPG has collected the best pieces of Hungarian created in these last 150 years which in the future could serve as a basis for the National Gallery". Between 1953–57 the works of art purchased out of "purely aesthetic considerations" merged with the collection of the National Gallery (more than 7000 pieces). From 1963 the MPG began to collect art again in a new place calls Kiscelli Múzeum. As the branch museum of the Budapest Historical Museum collects 20th century fine art, and specialised for contemporary art.

TOPOTEK 1 Martin Rein-Cano, Lorenz Dexler, Frans Gillberg, Berlin, Allemagne/German

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Le jardin est un lieu de conflits, de négociations et de stratégies. Pour créer et cultiver une incarnation du Paradis, la destruction des conditions originelles est incontournable. En outre, pour atteindre la paix dans le jardin, il faut combattre la pousse, les parasites, la vermine et les visiteurs indésirables. Face à la vision naturelle et originelle de la nature, le jardin apparaît comme un état d’un autre ordre, presqu’une maladie.

Le fil barbelé, issu de la transformation d'un outil en arme, devient ici un représentant du paysage comme lieu de stratégies de pouvoir, de moyens pour définir ou vaincre. La tranchée, telle que développée au cours de la guerre de Sécession, contient une définition de l'inaccessible, le « no mans land ». Sa possibilité inhérente de circuler et de créer de nouvelles frontières évoque une fuite constante d’un idéal. Descendre dans la tranchée crée de nouvelles perspectives. Tel un observatoire des réalités du jardin, la tranchée nous oblige à reconsidérer les représentations et les constructions de notre environnement. Mise dans un contexte de jardinage naturalisé idéal, cette installation pourrait être perçue comme violente, mais néanmoins, nos façons de cultiver sont mises sur la table.

The garden is a site of conflict, of negotiation and strategies. To create and cultivate this incarnation of paradise, the destruction of the preconditions is inescapable. Furthermore, to achieve peace in the garden, growth, pests, vermin and unwanted visitors have to be fought off. Compared to the view on nature as natural and original, the garden is an unorderly condition, an illness.

The transformation of a tool into a weapon, as with the barbed wire, becomes here representative to the landscape itself as being the arena for strategies of power, of means to define and defeat. The trench, as developed during the American Civil War, outlines a definition of the unreachable, the “no mans land“. Its immanent possibility to move and create new borders and geographies reminds us of that ever-escaping ideal. Stepping down into the trench creates new perspectives. As an observatory of the realities of the garden, it forces us to further consider representations and the construction of our surroundings. Put in a context of naturalized gardening ideals, this installation might be perceived as violent, but as such, the questions of how we cultivate are brought to the table.

The province of Zeeland has a coastline of 650 kilometers. In Waterdunen, the interplay between water and land is expressed. Waterdunen is an icon for Zeeland and proof that Zeeland is dealing with water differently today. Waterdunen is a delta work. But it is different from the delta works that we know as big works to protect Zeeland from the water. Waterdunen combines nature, recreation and tidal effects in an innovative coastal reinforcement with safety as a precondition.

The walk runs for a large part in the former polders and also goes partly through the dunes. This is where the river Schelde flows into the North Sea, a busy shipping route that leads to the port of Antwerp (Belgium). On the other side lies Flushing

As one of the preconditions to authorizing close to $300 million in aid, the United States is pressuring El Salvador to purchase genetically modified seeds from Monsanto instead of non-GM seeds from local farmers.

The US will reportedly withhold $277 million in aid through the Millennium Challenge Compact if El Salvador refuses to purchase GM seeds from the biotech / chemical company Monsanto.

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René François Ghislain Magritte, 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist, who became well known for creating a number of witty and thought-provoking images. Often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context, his work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. His imagery has influenced pop art, minimalist art, and conceptual art.

Magritte's earliest paintings, which date from about 1915, were Impressionistic in style. During 1916–1918, he studied at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, under Constant Montald, but found the instruction uninspiring. He also took classes at the Académie Royale from the painter and poster designer Gisbert Combaz. The paintings he produced during 1918–1924 were influenced by Futurism and by the figurative Cubism of Metzinger.

From December 1920 until September 1921, Magritte served in the Belgian infantry in the Flemish town of Beverlo near Leopoldsburg. In 1922, Magritte married Georgette Berger, whom he had met as a child in 1913. Also during 1922, the poet Marcel Lecomte showed Magritte a reproduction of Giorgio de Chirico's The Song of Love (painted in 1914). The work brought Magritte to tears; he described this as "one of the most moving moments of my life: my eyes saw thought for the first time." The paintings of the Belgian symbolist painter William Degouve de Nuncques have also been noted as an influence on Magritte, specifically the former's painting The Blind House (1892) and Magritte's variations or series on The Empire of Lights.

In 1922–1923, Magritte worked as a draughtsman in a wallpaper factory, and was a poster and advertisement designer until 1926, when a contract with Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels made it possible for him to paint full-time. In 1926, Magritte produced his first surreal painting, The Lost Jockey (Le jockey perdu), and held his first solo exhibition in Brussels in 1927. Critics heaped abuse on the exhibition.

Depressed by the failure, he moved to Paris where he became friends with André Breton and became involved in the Surrealist group. An illusionistic, dream-like quality is characteristic of Magritte's version of Surrealism. He became a leading member of the movement, and remained in Paris for three years. In 1929 he exhibited at Goemans Gallery in Paris with Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp, de Chirico, Max Ernst, Joan Miró, Picabia, Picasso and Yves Tanguy.

On 15 December 1929 he participated in the last publication of La Revolution Surrealiste No. 12, where he published his essay "Les mots et les images", where words play with images in sync with his work The Treachery of Images.

Galerie Le Centaure closed at the end of 1929, ending Magritte's contract income. Having made little impact in Paris, Magritte returned to Brussels in 1930 and resumed working in advertising.[10] He and his brother, Paul, formed an agency which earned him a living wage. In 1932, Magritte joined the Communist Party, which he would periodically leave and rejoin for several years. In 1936 he had his first solo exhibition in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York, followed by an exposition at the London Gallery in 1938.

During the early stages of his career, the British surrealist patron Edward James allowed Magritte to stay rent-free in his London home, where Magritte studied architecture and painted. James is featured in two of Magritte's works painted in 1937, Le Principe du Plaisir (The Pleasure Principle) and La Reproduction Interdite, a painting also known as Not to Be Reproduced.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II he remained in Brussels, which led to a break with Breton. He briefly adopted a colorful, painterly style in 1943–44, an interlude known as his "Renoir period", as a reaction to his feelings of alienation and abandonment that came with living in German-occupied Belgium.

In 1946, renouncing the violence and pessimism of his earlier work, he joined several other Belgian artists in signing the manifesto Surrealism in Full Sunlight. During 1947–48, Magritte's "Vache period," he painted in a provocative and crude Fauve style. During this time, Magritte supported himself through the production of fake Picassos, Braques, and de Chiricos—a fraudulent repertoire he was later to expand into the printing of forged banknotes during the lean postwar period. This venture was undertaken alongside his brother Paul and fellow Surrealist and "surrogate son" Marcel Mariën, to whom had fallen the task of selling the forgeries. At the end of 1948, Magritte returned to the style and themes of his pre-war surrealistic art.

In France, Magritte's work has been showcased in a number of retrospective exhibitions, most recently at the Centre Georges Pompidou (2016–2017). In the United States his work has been featured in three retrospective exhibitions: at the Museum of Modern Art in 1965, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1992, and again at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013. An exhibition entitled "The Fifth Season" at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 2018 focused on the work of his later years.

Politically, Magritte stood to the left, and retained close ties to the Communist Party, even in the post-war years. However, he was critical of the functionalist cultural policy of the Communist left, stating that "Class consciousness is as necessary as bread; but that does not mean that workers must be condemned to bread and water and that wanting chicken and champagne would be harmful. (...) For the Communist painter, the justification of artistic activity is to create pictures that can represent mental luxury." While remaining committed to the political left, he thus advocated a certain autonomy of art. Spiritually, Magritte was an agnostic.

Popular interest in Magritte's work rose considerably in the 1960s, and his imagery has influenced pop, minimalist, and conceptual art. In 2005 he was 9th in the Walloon version of De Grootste Belg (The Greatest Belgian); in the Flemish version he was 18th.

Preconditioning is an important pre-cursor to reintroducing captive bred black-footed ferrets into the wild. Ferrets are placed in outdoor pens for a minimum of 30 days. While in these pens, they are exposed to natural burrow systems and have the opportunity to encounter live prairie dogs. Most preconditioning is conducted at the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center in Colorado.

Credit: Ryan Hagerty / USFWS

A modern window in the church of Holy Sepulchre, Northampton. Made by stained glass artist Rachel Aldridge, from designs by students of the Caroline Chisholm School in Wootton and dedicated in June 2015. This is a memorial window , honouring the work of Caroline Chisholm (1808 - 1877), a far-sighted and independent 19th century woman, who was born in Northampton. The window overlooks the burial place of her parents, who encouraged her caring and pioneering spirit.

Born into a farming family, Caroline (née Jones) was encouraged from an early age to consider others. Her parents were known for providing food and shelter to those less fortunate than themselves.

When Archibald Chisholm, a soldier, asked for Caroline's hand in marriage, she sensibly laid down preconditions before she accepted, requesting that she should be treated as an equal and allowed to continue with her philanthropic works. This would have been highly unusual at the time when women were basically regarded as subordinate to men.

Her new husband having been posted to India, Caroline soon became aware of the poverty around her and set up a school for poor girls. A later move took the couple to New South Wales, where, again, Caroline observed the appalling conditions under which many immigrants were forced to live , some of them having been forced into a life of begging and prostitution. So she set up a Female Immigrants' Home in an old barracks in Sydney, offering housing and education and an opening into paid work. She was also instrumental in introducing the idea of work contracts to ensure that those in employment were treated fairly.

On returning to England in 1845 Caroline continued her good works by fighting to obtain free passage for convicts' families and setting up a loan society to help poorer families who wished to travel to Australia. Returning to Australia but this time to Melbourne, in 1854, she then set up refuges for women in need. Three years later she returned to England, where she died in 1877 and is buried in the Billing Road Cemetery, Northampton.

Roma communities are typically among the region’s poorest, lacking adequate housing and living conditions, formal employment, and access to quality education and healthcare, according to UNDP’s Regional Roma study.

Formal employment is often a precondition to be eligible for some forms of social protection. Many Roma are engaged only in informal labor, like gathering trash or selling used clothes.

In addition, many lack necessary identity documentation, but can’t obtain them without legal addresses.

©UNDP /Jodi Hilton

Read their story

Do you see anything strange? I see a skull with a tongue hanging out, and my fiance sees a little girl. I guess it's one of those odd things that you pick up on when you're preconditioned to see it. These are usually done intentionally as a psychiatric evaluation of some sort. It just showed up in one of my photos.

... and Karyn sees a deer butt!