Saturday, December 31, 2011

Another year !

May we all remember what a wonderful joyous privilege it is to begin another year, a new year, to go on with our lives, living with love, sharing that love, and smiling, yes, laughing, simply because we are there and aware and mindful of being there!

HAPPY NEW YEAR - FROHES NEUJAHR - BONNE NOUVELLE ANNÉE - BUON ANNO

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

FIVE MONTHS OLD

To celebrate reaching the ripe old age of FIVE MONTHS with my new (Terri's, thank you) stem cells with vigor and élan to become ever better, ever stronger, ever more, I am posting this festive piece by Mozart to match my mood and spread joy to whomever may happen to hear it. Joy and love is what we are all here for, and I know that is what I celebrate every single day of my new life.


- Thanks to Philippe Sollers for sharing this performance on his website; and don't forget that his new novel appears at the beginning of 2012.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Celebrate !

Merrry Christmas, everyone, and don't forget to celebrate your life and the life of all those dear to you. Rejoice in love and smile with that joy.
Let us ALL do what we can to ensure that all those in our world teetering on the edge of life are able to continue to live, let us help the sick and the needy, let us bring smiles where there are frowns, let us constantly think about how wonderful it is to be alive.
With that, Christmas and the New Year can be a gift for everyone.

So, giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, let's go ... life is a wonderland.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Václav Havel - IN MEMORIAM

With the greatest of respect for this most honorable defender of human rights, I am deeply grieved that VÁCLAV HAVEL has died today. His voice and thoughts will be sorely missed in our age of increasing human rights with simultaneous increase of threats to precisely those rights. Let us all be vigilant to carry on the cause of one of the authors of CHARTER 77.

Let us all remember this man with deepest admiration and in deepest humility!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

FREEDOM FOR LIU XIAOBO !

Yesterday was International Human Rights Day.
In Berlin, Nobel Literature Prize laureate Herta Müller joined in a demonstration at the Chinese Embassy for human rights and especially to free the Chinese author and Nobel Peace Prize winner LIU XIAOBO.
Also yesterday, Nobel Prize laureates around the world called for the release of LIU XIAOBO from the prison in China in which he has been held since 2009 for an eleven-year sentence. This call was made on the eve of the presentation of this years Nobel Prizes in Oslo and Stockholm.

Do not forget
LIU XIAOBO !
Free
LIU XIAOBO !

Freedom of expression and opinion, free access to information, freedom of speech is a fundamental human right. LIU XIAOBO's "crime" in China was to demand nothing more than this in the Charta '08 for the respect of the rights "guaranteed" in the Chinese constitution.

LIU XIAOBO
must be set free.


Liu Xiaobo's poem from prison:

Your Lifelong Prisoner

To Xia

My dear,
I'll never give up the struggle for freedom from the oppressors'
jail, but I'll be your willing prisoner for life.

I'm your lifelong prisoner, my love
I want to live in your dark insides
surviving on the dregs in your blood

inspired by the flow of your estrogen

I hear your constant heartbeat
drop by drop, like melted snow from a mountain stream
if I were a stubborn, million-year rock
you'd bore right through me
drop by drop
day and night

Inside you
I grope in the dark
and use the wine you've drunk
to write poems looking for you
I plead like a deaf man begging for sound
Let the dance of love intoxicate your body

I always feel
your lungs rise and fall when you smoke
in an amazing rhythm
you exhale my toxins
I inhale fresh air to nourish my soul

I'm your lifelong prisoner, my love
like a baby loath to be born
clinging to your warm uterus
you provide all my oxygen
all my serenity

A baby prisoner
in the depths of your being
unafraid of alcohol and nicotine
the poisons of your loneliness
I need your poisons
need them too much

Maybe as your prisoner
I'll never see the light of day
but I believe
darkness is my destiny
inside you
all is well

The glitter of the outside world
scares me
exhausts me
I focus on
your darkness –
simple and impenetrable

-Harvard University Press from No Enemies, No Hatred: Selected Essays and Poems by Xiaobo Liu. Copyright © 2012 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Art Provokes Thought

Yes, the play Golgota Picnic, now at the Théâtre du Rond-Point, production Centro Dramático Nacional Madrid, production déléguée Théâtre Garonne Toulouse, coproduction Festival d’Automne à Paris, and which has already been performed in Spain, Toulouse, Graz, and is coming to Hamburg in January, has been "greeted" everywhere by the protests of those so unfirm in their fundamentalist religious "beliefs" that they very christianly and catholically have NOT seen it and condemn all those who do to a hell of their own fantasies and demand its prohibition as "blasphemous" (hello Sharia!) and is confronted in Paris (City of Lights, former center of the Enlightenment) with violent actions to disrupt the performances, with pious ultra-rightists, royalists, and Pius Brothers at the fore and a dangerous coalition with populists neo-nazis and fascists.
Can art be so dangerous? Can a play in a theater cause so much havoc? Remember the idiotic protests against the film The Exorcist in fundamentalist Baptist strongholds in the States, but also in rabid Catholic neighborhoods in the Northeast? Blasphemy is in the eye of the beholder, and is NOT a legal term. Freedom of expression is NOT limited by the beliefs of others; quite the contrary, freedom to believe is no longer possible if all opinions cannot be expressed. There is also a freedom NOT to believe, by the way. Moreover, true belief could never be endangered by satire or diatribes against it.
In any case, it is time to support the performances of this play wherever they may be and to condemn vehemently those who would attempt to deprive you of your right to decide on your own whether to watch it or not.
Praise is due again to Charlie Hebdo for satirizing in its latest issue the fundamentalists at work in Paris; the "blasphemous" caricatures are a refreshing breath of fresh air!
And here, to shock, please, irritate, interest, or baffle you, a video trailer of Golgota Picnic:

Friday, December 9, 2011

Welcome to the Twenty-First Century !



I wish for more such fellow countrymen before the country of my birth sinks fully into the dark night of medieval ignorance and prejudice. Mr. Prayer-Perry should perhaps ask his god who gave him the right to demean and discriminate other fellow humans or to deny them the rights and privileges and duties he enjoys himself. He is not running a campaign for president, but a campaign for Ayatollah of America. Watch out, people, before they put you under a veil with stars and stripes and introduce a christaria reminiscent of the horrors one of the first great American authors, Nathaniel Hawthorne, described in The Scarlet Letter. I for one will always be in solidarity with all the Hester Prynnes everywhere!

The New York Times, by RICHARD A. OPPEL Jr., Published: December 8, 2011
OKATIE, S.C. — Gov. Rick Perry of Texas’ hard turn the past two days on gay issues, in which he has suggested that gay rights are inconsistent with both American and Christian values, has generated enormous criticism from lesbian and gay organizations and some religious groups, and has even helped split Mr. Perry’s top campaign aides over a new ad.
In that campaign ad, released on Wednesday, Mr. Perry says “you don’t need to be in the pew every Sunday” to know it is wrong that gay men and lesbians openly serve in the military at a time when there is no organized prayer in public schools.       

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Real Writers Do Not Really Die...


In memoriam for Christa Wolf, a brave voice of the GDR and of a united Germany afterwards, a warning voice, a lyrical voice, a thinking voice, a voice of literature.
Her words will continue to sound loudly from her texts, all of which deserve repeated reading.
Sad is that another has disappeared who dared to think in our all too thoughtless age.

Christa Wolf Dies at 82; Wrote of the Germanys
By DAVID BINDER and BRUCE WEBER, Published: December 1, 2011, The New York Times
Ms. Wolf, a leading writer from the former East Germany, explored the weight of history on ordinary people as well as her own struggles with Nazism and life in a Communist society.

Christa Wolf, écrivain de l'ex-RDA, laisse une œuvre marquée par le doute et l'espoir

LEMONDE.FR | 01.12.11 | 21h34 

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Celebrating the New Normal

A New Friend, New Caring

Siang Be, a new friend from my last brief stay in Station 51 due to a fever episode, is just beginning his battle against mantle-cell lymphoma and will have as much support and encouragement along the way as Detlef and I can possibly muster for him.
His wife Steffi will enjoy that support, too, and we will share all that those who have been down such a road are unique in being able to give to others just entering such uncharted territory.
There is a special solidarity possible among "patients"; a nod, a smile, a little shake of the head is enough between us, because we know this "dark cloud" from the inside, know therefore HOW MUCH LIGHT there is inside that supposed darkness.
Siang will be beginning his chemo today, and I am simply calling upon everyone who read's this to think of him and his wife - they are two REAL people! - and wish them strength and healing. They needn't know you; you needn't know them: just send positive vibrations into room 13 of Station 51 of RVK so that he can achieve the cure I have achieved due to the successful beginning of my fight in precisely that same Station!
YOU CAN BEAT THIS, SIANG! HANG IN THERE, STEFFI! WE ARE THERE FOR BOTH OF YOU!

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Hiddensee Beauty for New Stem Cells

Fog, sun, cool, great air, good feelings, simply wonderful!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Toot, Toot

Choo choo train, bouncy bus, puff puff boat ... and then tomorrow all the engine noises will stop and there will be the island
with only the sounds of horses and bicycles, waves and wind, rustling leaves and joyful birds, and even our own voices will become quieter.
To wake up, there is always the triple horn blast of the first ferry out, and at this time of the year, sunsets are early enough for us to see every one of them before dinner.
It's going to be great!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Charia Hebdo Mon Amour ...

Glad now to be a regular subscriber, the "front pages" of the first two issues I have received (starting by my special request with the controversial one from last week that led to the arson and destruction of Charlie's offices).

MERCI BIEN, CHARLIE !   Satire à plus forte raison !

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

SUPPORT CHARLIE HEBDO !

When fundamentalists set fire to the premises of ANY organ of the press, it is time for ALL of us to stand up in defence of freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of thought and CONDEMN those who try to burn caricatures, words, or pictures they may dislike.
CHARLIE HEBDO deserves the support of all free-thinking people everywhere!


Even the New York Times found space to report about this atrocious attack on freedom of expression. I have now subscribed to the satirical weekly I have so long enjoyed to show some form of practical solidarity myself. You can, too, online with this link to Charlie Hebdo's subscription service and shop.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Hiddensee this year, too!

What a dream is about to come true for us this year...
We are going to make it to Hiddensee for 6 nights!
How often did I look at that water tower outside my window in the KMT-Unit (left) and fantasize that it was the lighthouse at Hiddensee (right), and now I have the medical permission to go, Detlef has vacation days approved for the trip, the train tickets are booked, the schedules for the ferry in hand, and our hosts Gerd & Dorina there are looking forward to welcoming us to the vacation house we've been to every year since we met.
HIDDENSEE, one of the most wonderful islands in the world; and it will be the only vacation we've been able to have out of town this whole year!
We are a lucky couple in love!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

The Statue of Liberty

In the "debate" on immigration currently raging in the USA (and which is much more a populist diatribe to coddle the fearful and get their uninformed votes, especially in "Republican" circles), I would simply like to remind us all of Lady Liberty's position on that issue, as engraved on a bronze tablet there:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
[Emma Lazarus: The New Colossus, 1903]

Do you want to close the golden door? Where does YOUR family originate from? Only North American Indians can claim "non-immigrant" status, so wake up everybody. The rest of us nearly successfully wiped out all the "natives". This is ONE world, people. Let it be one with liberty and justice for ALL!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

At home together

Without the screws in his leg, Detti is back home and life is as it should be.
Time to visit Koko, even if it's too cold to bring him out, but I can't let Detlef walk around alone right now with his incision and screw holes still on the mend.
We are so very in love!

Thursday, October 6, 2011

These photos are not allowed ...

A shameful prohibition of photos in the "restored" Tränenpalast, the infamous border-crossing at Friedrichstraße Station in Berlin, where the control procedures were everything from intimidating to demeaning and inhuman and "no photos" allowed, was something I would never have thought possible. So before the guard told me "photos forbidden", I had already photographed the old GDR sign "photos forbidden", the row of control cabins, one of which you were closed off in alone to be able to enter or depart the GDR, and the interior of one of them.

The explanation given, upon my complaint up front, was "copyright issues". Now, I'm asking who claims a copyright to GDR signs and control cabins? The personal mementos in showcases elsewhere were of no interest to me anyway, neither to look at nor to photograph; I only wanted to see that horror site without the horror guards who were once there. They have unfortunately been reincarnated under other auspices.

Shame on the organizers!

Monday, September 19, 2011

F.ully D.um P.arty † Sept. 18, 2011

Without sorrow and with much relief I am pleased to announce the death yesterday of the F.ully D.um P.arty in Berlin. With election results at a level between the "animal protection party" and the neo-nazi proto-party (which also fortunately sank since the last election here), these neo-liberal worshippers of deregulated markets and lower taxes for the wealthy have disappeared from ALL parliaments in Berlin, i.e. from the city-state parliament (Abgeordnetenhaus) and from ALL twelve of the district assemblies (Bezirksverordnetenversammlungen). They garnered a mere 1.8% of the votes in the state and district elections here yesterday.
An added benefit to the city and its districts is that all of those self-serving free-marketeers will now have to find a job on the free market themselves. Until now they have been able to play well-to-do yuppies with party jobs, parliamentarian assistants, party work-groups etc. And jobs in the party organization will also be greatly reduced, as the F.ull D.ummies P.rotectorate will have very little money in the coming years; party financing here depends largely on the number of votes in the last election, so they will be nearly bankrupt. I look forward to those yuppies veering into Arbeitslosengeld II (unemployment welfare), being tossed from one unpaid trial job to another, and having to accept wages far below anything reasonable because THEY so long opposed any minimum wage in this country. Yes, the organization's and the individuals' bankrupcies are looming near. And, to borrow one of their latest populist slogans and apply it to them:

KEIN RETTUNGSSCHIRM FÜR DIE FDP!
NO EMERGENCY PARACHUTE FOR THE FDP!

Now, with one of the two components of the Tigerente rotting, Angie Buttons should finally call for a mercy killing of her ill-fated and embarrassing coalition and have the Federal Parliament (Bundestag) vote no confidence and call for new elections.

I hope soon here to be able to write the obituary of the Tigerentenkoalition.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Remembering Remembered

The Daily Show's first broadcast after 9/11 begins with an unforgettable tribute and appeal by John Stewart. It remains well worth remembering, so I am linking it in here.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

It's all about liberty !

Don't forget what happened ten years ago today.
And remember, the attack was against LIBERTY, your freedom and mine to be whatever we are, to say and write and read any opinion we wish, to live freely with each other in an atmosphere of respect and true tolerance, to cast off the chains of any and all religious fundamentalism.
We still have a lot to do to push back what encroached on our liberty that day as two towers burned and collapsed. All too often since then we have witnessed the tower of liberty collapsing for "security" or for "religious reasons" at different spots around the globe, and we must do all in our power to strengthen the tower of individual liberty everywhere.
With liberty and justice for all, we may be able to make this world a better place for all and finally witness the smoke of 9/11 lifting to reveal the blue sky once more.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Do Something to Help

Government is NOT your enemy; your enemy are those trying to convince you that "the market" will solve everything. Deregulation of the markets (banking, finance, insurance, hedgefunds, etc.) is precisely what has led to the financial crises around the world today. Financial institutions must be regulated and FORCED to do what they refuse to do on their own: care for the welfare of their employess and the country as a whole. Only watching "return" to stockholders is a rip-off for the average citizen who sees those companies use the country as a base without bearing any responsibility.
Fair taxation: higher for the rich and for high-profit business, lower for the less well-off
Solidarity: health insurance for everyone to cover all healthcare costs
Good government: for the interests of the people as a whole, not for a select few with more lobbyists
Control: of the markets, not of your government

ENACT THE PRESIDENT'S JOB PLAN! There should be even more done for the average citizen, but at least this is a plan that even the Republicans should be able to support despite the anarchists in their ranks!

Monday, September 5, 2011

That was my city...

...and ten years later, that is still how I remember it.

Twin Tower Cameos from Dan Meth on Vimeo.

Wishing Fleischmanns a Speedy Recovery

The charming Catskills village of Fleischmanns, where we spent a fantastic holiday a few years back, was swamped by the hurricane last week. Mountain creeks took over everything and the people are busy cleaning up, repairing, refurbishing. I hope they will soon again be able to welcome the tourists on whom they depend. It is such a charming town, and I wish them all the best.

Here a video of what Irene did there:

Fleischmanns NY - The Day After Irene - August 29th 2011 from VeccVideography on Vimeo.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

A Wonderful Day

The Countess would have turned 85 today.
My doctors in the outpatient clinic were pleased today and did a marrow biopsy on me which will certainly show that I am continuing in full remission. Detlef maneuvered me through the narcotics allowing them to puncture my pelvis again and get me quickly back up on my feet.
The CMV test last week was negative, meaning the chances are good it was so today as well and I can soon drop the pills against it.
Micha is feeling better, fever free, will probably get out on Friday, and we can all have a nice evening together.
Life is wonderful.

Friday, August 26, 2011

HOME IS WONDERFUL

... and this time, there's no further hospital stay looming in the future. I've finished with all that, just have to get through the next weeks and months of living with and supported by my new stem cells without any GvHD or infections during the immune-suppressed period necessary to prevent the former.

As well as everything else has gone, this should go well, too.

And below is what I have left behind me!

Friday, August 19, 2011

I'm coming home soon!

(Thanks to my dear friend Nancy for the reminder of this title from the Broadway musical "The Wiz")

And this one I remembered myself: 

Saturday, August 13, 2011

50th Anniversary of an Infamous Structure

The Berlin Wall was begun 50 years ago today, dividing families, friends, lovers, for "economic" reasons. This cynical action, which quickly became deadly brutal as many died trying to cross the Wall, was finally overcome on November 9, 1989. Without the fall of the Wall, I could not lead my life where I do today, with my husband in Weißensee.

Never forget! The Berlin Wall was an example of man's inhumanity to man.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Everyone should be able to ...

Everyone should be able to have the privilege, the duty of marriage with the one they love!

Detlef and I, who celebrated 15 years of relationship in May, were able yesterday to celebrate our Tenth Wedding Anniversary. The law allowing civil unions between gays and lesbians came into effect on August 1, 2001, and we were there that day with our paperwork complete and got the first appointment to say "I do" in the Weißensee district of Berlin. On the morning of August 7 at 9am we were in the handsome room in Parkstraße with Detlef's mom and our friend Erich to become legally wed. Waiting for us at home was Detlef's father with a congratulations basket, and that evening we threw a spontaneous party to celebrate to which everyone was able to come; better than had we planned it long in advance.

May every country, state, jurisdiction that has not already done so speedily enact legislation to enable gay and lesbian couples to make their relationships legal, with all the duties and responsibilities and privileges and rights involved.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Taxation WITH Representation - Caring for the People!

30 Years Ago Today: The Day the Middle Class Died MichaelMoore.com

Perhaps the anarchist tea-party henchman of the wealthy few who duck taxes and all social responsibility should think about this rather than spending all their time attempting to destroy government of the people, by the people, and FOR the people!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Let them drink tea ...

... yes, drink tea is what those lame-brains should do and leave governing the country, especially given the implications of poorly caring for a citizenry and a country's obligations in our ever more globalized system, to those interested in and committed to governing well, judiciously, fairly, socially, responsibly rather than to those who are actually only interested in abolishing government altogether.
It is time to call these Tea-Party denizens what they truly are: dangerously radical ANARCHISTS !

See also this accurate editorial in today's print edition of The New York Times:

To Escape Chaos, a Terrible Deal
There is little to like about the tentative agreement between Congressional leaders and the White House except that it happened at all. The deal would avert a catastrophic government default, immediately and probably through the end of 2012. The rest of it is a nearly complete capitulation to the hostage-taking demands of Republican extremists. It will hurt programs for the middle class and poor, and hinder an economic recovery.
[...]
Democratic negotiators decided that the automatic cut system, as bad as it is, was less of a threat to the economy than another default crisis, and many are counting on future Congresses to undo its arbitrary butchering.
Sadly, in a political environment laced with lunacy, that calculation is probably correct. Some Republicans in the House were inviting a default, hoping that an economic earthquake would shake Washington and the Obama administration beyond recognition. Democrats were right to fear the effects of a default and the impact of a new recession on all Americans.
President Obama could have been more adamant in dealing with Republicans, perhaps threatening to use constitutional powers to ignore the debt ceiling if Congress abrogated its responsibility to raise it. But this episode demonstrates the effectiveness of extortion. Reasonable people are forced to give in to those willing to endanger the national interest.
Democrats can look forward to the expiration of the Bush tax cuts next year, and will have to make the case in the 2012 elections for new lawmakers who will undo the damage.

And, I might add, the wealthy MUST carry more of the burden of taxation; and tea partiers should stop believing that they are helping themselves with what they demand: they are only helping the very wealthy to the detriment of all less well-off!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Tax Those Well-Off More & Help Those in Need More !

Use money wisely, tax wisely and fairly, spend on needs!


President Obama: Both Parties Have a Responsibility to Solve this Problem

Here is a link to the full text of this speech of reason!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Tell everybody, whether they ask or not!

Fantastic it is that this long overdue action to move the USA one step closer to the Twentyfirst Century has finally taken place. Guess what, you can be gay and serve your country, too!

Military certifies repeal of ‘don’t ask’ policy

The Washington Post, July 22
The Obama administration announced Friday that the military had made all necessary preparations to allow gays to serve openly in the armed forces, setting the stage for the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 60 days.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented President Obama with a formal certification Friday afternoon at the White House that the military’s ability to fight and recruit would not be harmed by the overt presence of gays in the ranks.

The certification marked the final hurdle in a nearly two-decade-long campaign by gay-rights groups and civil-rights advocates to integrate the armed forces. Under a law passed by Congress and signed by Obama in December, the 18-year-old “don’t-ask, don’t-tell” policy will now automatically vanish in 60 days.
Congratulations to Obama, the outgoing and incoming Defense Secretaries, and all the commanders of the American military for recognizing - finally - that you can be gay and still serve and defend your country. This move into the Twentyfirst Century should be quickly followed by legalizing gay marriage throughout the country and abolishing that so-called "Defense" of Marriage edict that at best applies to the Late Middle Ages and Maledictus and his crew of hypocrites.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Wherever I May Be, You May Be, Anyone May Be ....

... August 13, 2011, is a date none of us should ever forget. Fifty years ago this horror was erected; its destruction was necessary for me to find the love of my life and for millions to enjoy release from repression and acquisition of basic human rights.
Take a moment to look at this incredible collection of images of the Wall, 99+1, horrifying. Never forget that day of infamy, that Wall of cruelty, the privilege of living free!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Die Rettung beginnt heute.

Today, with Terri here, begins the transplant phase of my treatment, exams and talks today tomorrow, fully stationary as of Wednesday, and I feel excellent emotionally & physically.
Detlef is in good shape, too, and we will make it through the coming ordeals connected with the transplant, the chemo before, the nadir danger phase thereafter, the adoption of the new stem cells from Terri, their grafting and becoming productive, so that I once and for all have leukemia FREE bone marrow for perfect blood cells for the longterm future!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Rainbows and Dreams

Over my personal rainbow, leaving the storm behind me, propelled with the stem cells from my sister, accompanied by my loving husband Detlef, a long life of great love is waiting for me, normal, without medical intervention, simple and just waiting to be lived....

...and on the other side of that rainbow, my black-and-white films turns into technicolor, too!

Friday, July 8, 2011

With Deepest Admiration and Respect ...

... for Cecilia Bartoli, I simply must share this parody of her stage countenance so lovingly, campily performed by the quite gifted "Kimchilia Bartoli", the Korean-American counter-tenor Kangmin Justin Kim. He does "Agitata da due venti" in pure Cecilia style, a wonder to watch and hear, which brought a smile to my face throughout and ended by letting the sun come out today!

And here is a link to his youtube channel with "straight" recital pieces to enjoy, such as this one by Vivaldi.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Mini-Golf in the Big City


The mobile phone pix may not be so great, but Petra's idea of taking us to play mini-golf Saturday a week ago was a super great idea.
Who cares if I came in last, cause I don't think I've ever won at putt-putt, not even as a kid back at White Lake.
The idea was to spend time while home from treatment with friends doing something enjoyable together.
And afterwards we went out to eat dinner, pigged out completely, and were then driven back home after a perfect outing.

Posted by Picasa

Monday, July 4, 2011

Thoughts on the Fourth of July

Freedom is the justice of the recognition of the validity and right to be of the difference of others, i.e. of others' freedom. There is no freedom without others, no justice without freedom, no freedom without its recognition and acceptance of and by others.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Spaceship Orion Has Landed ...

... or something like that, though it is called The Humboldt Box, whatever reference to a shoe box or packing crate that may call to mind being quite adequate. It's raison d'être was to provide an elevated platform from which to view reconstruction of the Berliner Schloß where there is now a grassy area after demolition of the Palast der Republik and archeological excavations where the remainder of the original Palace stood.
The only problem: Construction will not begin until 2013, so now we are "privileged" to have this strange "temporary landmark" object obscuring all perspectives from and down Unter den Linden and marring the view across to other real buildings temporarily possible after the clearing of the site. Also, there are inside very few spots from which one will later be able to view the construction work, as, of the upper floor terraces, only one looks in that direction, and both are full of tables and chairs for the "exclusive café" with overpriced items on the menu. Pay for a coffee to sit there and hope others don't just try to see the view between you and the rail, which is their perfect right, as you must also pay admission to enter the whole curious object.
The exhibition pieces to "introduce" the museal usage of the reconstructed palace are arbitrary and lost in the cold steel and concrete atmosphere. The "Humboldt Lounge" on the northern end of the third floor provides one escape from the obvious commercial aim of the entire structure, as there it is possible to sit on an upholstered bench at a huge window overlooking the Lustgarten with the museums and cathedral flanking it. There are even books from a library you can browse in. That, at least, is good for a refuge from unpleasant weather, as was the case today.
One can only hope the Berlin Palace will be more quickly completed than planned so that this bizarre spaceship can liftoff from its launching pad and never be seen again.
The operators tout it as a new "event location", the 4th floor barren for that purpose (and you can also have the café and terraces for your private pleasures as well), but evidently only for German speaking "events" (aber kein Ereignis!), as their website knows no other language whatsoever.
At least I made a few photos there and could spend some time where it's warm to write a while on such a chilly rainy day at the end of June during my time out of the hospital between chemo and marrow transplant.
And by the way, as an "Opening Special" (Neudeutsch) Eintritt (Altdeutsch, translation: admission) is only 2 euros through August 15.
Here is the webcam image of the spaceship on its scarred-earth site, though it doesn't seem to update on its own...

... and here are some photos I took from there this early afternoon:

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Amore

De amore vestro, io vi ricordo che quelli sono straziati dallo Amore, che quando e' vola loro in grembo, lo vogliono o tarpare o legare. A costoro, perché egli è fanciullo et instabile, e' cava gli occhi, le fegate et il cuore. Ma quelli che quando e' viene godano seco et lo vezzeggiano, et quando e' se ne va lo lasciano ire, et quando e' torna lo accettono volentieri, et sempre sono da lui honorati et carezzati, et sotto il suo imperio trionfano.
[Niccolò Machiavelli a Francesco Vettori, Firenze, 10 giugno 1514]

Saturday, June 25, 2011

New York Makes a Former Citizen Happy!

New York Allows Same-Sex Marriage, Becoming Largest State to Pass Law
The New York Times, June 24, 2011

ALBANY — Lawmakers voted late Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, making New York the largest state where gay and lesbian couples will be able to wed and giving the national gay-rights movement new momentum from the state where it was born. [...]
Dozens more states have laws or constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Many of them were approved in the past few years, as same-sex marriage moved to the front line of the culture war and politicians deployed the issue as a tool for energizing their base.
But New York could be a shift: It is now by far the largest state to grant legal recognition to same-sex weddings, and one that is home to a large, visible and politically influential gay community. Supporters of the measure described the victory in New York as especially symbolic — and poignant — because of its rich place in the history of gay rights: the movement’s foundational moment, in June 1969, was a riot against police inside the Stonewall Inn, a bar in the West Village.
In Albany, there was elation after the vote. But leading up to it, there were moments of tension and frustration. At one point, Senator Kevin S. Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, erupted when he and other supporters learned they would not be allowed to make a floor speech.
“This is not right,” he yelled, before storming from the chamber.
During a brief recess during the voting, Senator Shirley L. Huntley, a Queens Democrat who had only recently come out in support of same sex marriage, strode from her seat to the back of the Senate chamber to congratulate Daniel J. O’Donnell, an openly gay Manhattan lawmaker who sponsored the legislation in the Assembly.
They hugged, and Assemblyman O’Donnell, standing with his longtime partner, began to tear up.
“We’re going to invite you to our wedding,” Mr. O’Donnell said. “Now we have to figure out how to pay for one.”
This is truly good news, well-timed to crown Christopher Street Day celebrations and parades around the world, including the one in Berlin today. Gay Pride has been served, and those who love and commit to each other have been recognized in yet another jurisdiction. May the rest of the USA and the WORLD follow suit forthwith!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

SHAME on the USA!

Bank robber planned crime and punishment bank robbery - Gaston Gazette
Being sentenced to jail was the only way this man had to have the medical treatment he needed paid for. Could there be anything more shameful for a so-called civilized country than to give its inhabitants a choice between jail, bankrupcy, and death from serious illness?

And some of you out there still think universal health care insurance is communist? It is merely humane and it is an absolute necessity!

Wake up and support Obama on all measures to provide FULL coverage for ALL people in the US whatever illness they may have, however rich or poor they may be, regardless of what some private insurance company aims to reach in profit goals!

SOLIDARITY FOR THOSE ILL IS WHERE HUMANITY BEGINS!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Great to have a niece drop in...

We had a really nice visit with Jenn, who managed to fly over from London for my first weekend back home after the last hospital stay. It's so much better to really be face to face, smile to smile with our wonderful niece and to enjoy Hard Rock, the Gay Pride Festival, and a museum visit with her here in our great hometown of Berlin! Detlef and I both are so grateful for the love our families bring to us in our great love!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Home from the Second Round

Life is so wonderful when you can weather the storm of a heavy duty consolidation chemo against AML and get back home again with counts sufficient to provide you protection against infection.
I feel well, my counts are continuing to climb, and I am grateful...
... grateful to the nurses and staff of Station 51A (and B and 52) of Charité's Virchow Klinikum for their tireless support,
... grateful to the doctors of the oncology/hematology team there, Dr. Flörcken, Dr. Kuhnitz, Dr. Kreher, Dr. Westermann, Dr. Müller, et al. for their unceasing efforts to carry me through it all,
... to all my friends and family here who visited and called, to all my friends and family in the states who face-booked me words of encouragement,
... to Claudia & Alma for hosting Koko while I'm at home, so I can see him even if I can't be around him,
... to my dear sister, Terri, who stands ready to provide me with the stem cells that are a genetic match and which I need for the marrow transplant next month,
... to Detlef for always being there for me with his limitless love.

And, yes, I am even grateful to myself for mustering the strength that is rewarded by my home right here so full of love!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Pale, Paler, Palin - Poetically Speaking

Sarah Palin's Midnight Ride, by Ben Greenman, from The New Yorker online.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Une Présidente pour la France !

A woman must become President of France, says Sollers in this lyrical TV discussion of the Strauss-Kahn affair as that would be the only way finally to end the Monarchy (whether of a republic or of a kingdom) which gives rise to such impossible behavior as DSK has demonstrated.

Sollers très Lyrique sur Strauss Kahn [Fun] CSOJ... by peanutsie

Monday, June 6, 2011

Palin Makes Me Pale !

Should I be surprised to find out that the Paling paleface of party teabags is THIS stupid? Probably not. And later, she even insisted that the nonsense she spouted about Paul Revere was correct! Nothing I abhor more than self-satisfied ignorance, proud of itself and labeling intelligence arrogant. Even though her "followers" have tried to change the Wikipedia entry on Revere to make her FALSE version sound right, the foreign language versions will remain unaltered, as they are also too dum even to try to read, much less change, them! And print encyclopedias and history books will continue to have the correct version, whatever that Paling paleface burps out!


Here, the text of her hopelessly long explanation of the ride of Paul Revere:

He who warned, uh, the … the British that they weren’t gonna be takin’ away our arms, uh, by ringin’ those bells and, um, by makin’ sure that as he’s ridin’ his horse through town to send those warnin’ shots and bells that, uh, we were gonna be secure and we were gonna be free … and we were gonna be armed.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (an essential poet of American literature, by way of explanation for paling paleface fans) got it right in his poem "The Ride of Paul Revere":
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--
One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Take my counts up, up, and away in that beautiful balloon!

I'm climbing into that balloon and want to have my counts ascend rapidly for a quick return home to maximize the amount of time I have there before coming into the Marrow Transplant Unit!
Let's go now, soaring white cells, ascending platelets, rising red cells!
May my marrow provide the necessary propulsion for me to go up, up, and away from the hospital and back home for a while!
With the love of Detlef and the support of so many friends and family members, it must be possible to get this balloon off the ground!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

A Fabulous Birthday!

Despite being in the hospital, my birthday was wonderful. Best wishes came from so many on fb, from visitors here, including a cake from my brother- and sister-in-law, from all the nurses and doctors on the ward, as well as those on the other that we pass on the way during our walking rounds. It was good, and I KNOW I'm on the right path to a permanent cure from this AML!
A special thanks and all my love to my loving, caring, wonderful husband Detlef!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Down In The Valley


And out of the valley I'll come out full of love and life for the ages!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

SHAME ON MINNESOTA !

There is really nothing else to say. It is so absurd, painful, arrogant, and inhumane that some people so HATE others LOVING each other and making a commitment to that LOVE !
Why do so many Republicans hate so much and fear the freedom of their fellow citizens so intensely?

West Central Tribune

Legislature sends anti-gay marriage amendment to 2012 election
ST. PAUL -- An 18-month campaign about gay marriage began moments after the Minnesota House approved a constitutional amendment on the issue late Saturday. [...]
The House debate, the most emotional in years, climaxed with Rep. John Kriesel, R-Cottage Grove, explaining why he was one of four Republicans to vote against the amendment.
Kriesel recalled losing both legs to an improvised explosive device in Iraq.
“I nearly died...” Kriesel said to a silent House. “I thought I was dead. I remember thinking about my life and kids. ... It changed me.”
If he can be with who he loves, the freshman lawmaker said, others also should have that ability.
His wife sitting nearby, Kriesel added that he joined the Army at 17 because “I love the country.”
“This amendment doesn’t represent what I went to fight for,” he said, with demonstrators’ chants drifting in from outside the House chamber. “Hear that out there? That is what I went to fight for and I am glad about that.”
After ending on the losing side, Kriesel went out through the giant House doors to the loudest cheer of the day from gay rights supporters.
He walked past them en route back to his office, with dozens of people shaking his hand or offering a hug.
When he left, the crowd of a couple hundred resumed singing “We Shall Overcome” and chanting “We Will Prevail.”






THERE IS ANOTHER POSSIBILITY:

For First Time, Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage
Republicans and older Americans remain opposed
by Frank Newport
PRINCETON, NJ -- For the first time in Gallup's tracking of the issue, a majority of Americans (53%) believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages. The increase since last year came exclusively among political independents and Democrats. Republicans' views did not change.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Back for More

Back in Virchow today, my consolidation chemo starts tomorrow. Within four weeks altogether, I should be out again, once more for three weeks, perhaps even four, and then comes the stay for the marrow transplant.
It is amazing, again this time, how much they have already accomplished since I came in a little after 11am: echocardiogram (OK), lung function test (OK), laying of my new central-vein catheter for infusions and drawing blood, x-ray to check proper placement of the vein catheter, talk with the doctor about the consolidation chem course (5 days, high-dose Ara-C in 3g ampules morning and evening on days 1, 3, & 5). Tomorrow morning they'll give me the protocol and start, and I also begin all the extra things to help me withstand any side effects.
I'm ready, and we're going to do this right!
It is good to know my lovey, Detlef, can bring Koko home this evening. At least that way, he has one of our "family" members there, even if it's unclear who babbles more, our parrot or I. And I will have a chance to see the pretty birdy on skype at least. He will be good company for Detlef, who once more, I think, is more nervous about everything than I am. But it is our LOVE that will carry us through all of this so that we can have decades and decades together afterwards!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A Weekend to Enjoy

Before the bulldozer of treatment plows back into our lives beginning Monday, we are just going to enjoy every second of this wonderful weekend together! It was ushered in, so to say, by a fine visit from my sister and bone marrow donor, who flew back out yesterday. How great to spend time together while I'm out of the hospital and feeling good!
The same applies to this weekend with my cherished husband Detlef. Hard Rock is on the agenda, maybe with a couple of friends joining us there if they get their act together, while another two are coming with breakfast tomorrow morning.
Otherwise, we want to be just with ourselves, loving and calm, strong and determined, with the greatest of will for me to move another step towards ultimate victory over this AML.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

VE Day / Liberation of Europe, May 8, 1945

With the capitulation of the German Reich to the Soviet Army in Karlshorst in Berlin, Victory in Europe over the Axis was finally secured on May 8, 1945, 66 years ago today.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Yes, He Gets the Credit !

Credit accrues where credit is due!





The Colbert Report

Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Obama Takes Credit for Bin Laden's Assassination
Barack Obama is so desperate for a bump in the polls that he takes the easy road of killing the world's most wanted man. (04:44)

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

PEACE

Please, let there be peace!





Please, think about it!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Fifteenth Anniversary

Fifteen years ago today, Detlef and I began our ongoing love story, never once faltering, even now stronger in the face of a battle for my health, and determined and convinced that our unwavering love-life will continue for at least twice as long as it already has!
And he has a poem from me for the occasion:


An Detlef

Zu dir bin ich endlos hingezogen
– O maßloses Glück von dir –
und strahle in dem Liebesbogen,
lächle, flamme auf zu dir.

Ein Wunder täglich frisch gemacht
just hier im schlichten Leben haben wir,
und Augen haben sonst nie soviel gelacht
wie einander zugewandt die unsren vier.

Meine Hand in deine habe ich fest gelegt,
mein Herz geschenkt dir voll von mir.
Deine Hand zu Lebensbrunst mich erregt,
da Liebe ist die Heimat dir und mir.

O Liebster! Wir haben kaum begonnen!
In uns glüh’n noch abermillionen Sonnen.

--Rick, 2. Mai 2011
Zu unserem 15ten Jahrestag

Osama Bin Laden Dead | The White House

Osama Bin Laden Dead - The White House





Osama Bin Laden Dead
Posted by Macon Phillips on May 02, 2011 at 12:16 AM EDT
Tonight, President Obama addressed the Nation to announce that the United States has killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda. Watch or read his full remarks below, and learn more from the transcript of the White House briefing call afterwards.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON OSAMA BIN LADEN
East Room, 11:35 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.
And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.
We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.
Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we’ve made great strides in that effort. We’ve disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.
Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world.
And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.
Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.
Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.
For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda’s leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There’s no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must –- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.
As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not –- and never will be -– at war with Islam. I’ve made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.
Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we’ve done. But it’s important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.
Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.
The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who’s been gravely wounded.
So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.
Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who’ve worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.
We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.
Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.
The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Close Guantánamo!

Yet another post to call for an end to this questionable detainment center, years after Obama's election and promise to close the incarceration center at Guantánamo, where people are held under suspicion, without trial or tribunal, and with scanty or no evidence, only the claim (by whom? how determined?) that they are "dangerous" to the U.S. and its allies.


CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!


The WikiLeaks disclosures, though feeding both the pros and cons, offer NO information whatsoever that could justify continuation of this facility and detention of those "suspects" against whom the suspicion is not even substantial enough to bring charges against them in either criminal or military courts or tribunals!



CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!



Here only one of the many articles in the press since yesterday, this one from The Washington Post:




Anne E. Kornblut, Monday, April 25, 9:40 PM

A trove of newly released documents about detainees at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has revived familiar questions: Were too many innocent men incarcerated there over the past decade?

Or did U.S. officials ultimately free too many dangerous detainees?

Advocates on both sides of the debate have new evidence to cite in the documents, obtained by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which say how the current and former detainees were classified by U.S. investigators.

Some initially considered dangerous were freed after spendIng years in the facility; others, released because they appeared harmless, later returned to battlefields in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and elsewhere.

The documents — whose overall thrust is consistent with years of reporting on Guantanamo but offer new details — did not shake partisans from long-held positions.

“These documents are remarkable because they show just how questionable the government’s basis has been for detaining hundreds of people, in some cases indefinitely, at Guantanamo,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “The one-sided assessments are rife with uncorroborated evidence, information obtained through torture, speculation, errors and allegations that have been proven false.”

CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO NOW!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter Sunday on the Way to Recovery

What a gift this weather is, in addition to the absolute joy of having these few weeks out between chemo treatments, transplant, etc., to be able to walk around the most beautiful parts of our wonderful city of Berlin! Detlef & I together, just relishing every second we have, basking in love and life, determined to go on and on and on and on and on and on and .....


Thursday, April 21, 2011

Calling on China to Respect Human Rights!

FREE AI WEIWEI!




CALL FOR THE RELEASE OF AI WEIWEI

Greetings,

To the Honorable Minister Mr. Cai Wu

Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China

Our museums are members of The International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Committee of ICOM for Museums and Collections of Modern Art (CIMAM), a non-governmental organization with formal relations with UNESCO. On April 6, CIMAM sent a communiqué calling for the release of Ai Weiwei. Our museums, foundations, and communities of Facebook fans and Twitter followers support CIMAM's statement:

"The detention of artists and activists is not only inconsistent with China's commitment to the fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in China's own constitution, it is also inconsistent with the Chinese government's pledge, through the Ministry of Culture, to promote all artistic disciplines and to advance artistic ideas. As organizations that represent modern and contemporary art around the world, such actions and the obscurity surrounding them are diametrically opposed to our values. They are of grave concern and consequence for the well-being of Ai Weiwei and for the artistic community at large, and hinder future collaboration with the Chinese colleagues we welcomed at our recent annual meeting in Shanghai."

请愿书

致 中华人民共和国文化部 蔡武

诉求: 要求释放艾未未

本博物馆為国际博物馆协会(ICOM)之成员。也為其下负责现代美术之博物馆暨收藏国际委员会(CIMAM)之委员,此委员会虽非为政府机构,但与联合国教科文组织有着正式的关系。我们在此支持国际委员会于四月六日所发表之请求释放艾未未的声明:

"对艺术家及人权份子的拘捕,不仅违反了中国在国际人权宣言以及宪法中对于基本人权的保障,同时与中国政府藉由文化部所宣导,對於各式艺术创作及创意的提倡並不一致。身为代表着全球现当代艺术的机构,此做法与我们所深信的价值是背道而驰的。我们对于艾未未的人身安全以及整体艺术界感到深切的忧虑。此外,这也将影响我们于上海举行的年度会议中与中国艺术界所建立的合作关系."

Sign the petition to free Ai Weiwei here.

Here are the initiating signatories:
Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
and Alexandra Munroe, Samsung Senior Curator, Asian Art
Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Director General, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao,
and Deputy Director and Chief Officer for Global Strategies, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
Glenn Lowry, Director, The Museum of Modern Art, New York
Sir Nicholas Serota, Director, Tate and Chris Dercon, Director, Tate Modern
Kaywin Feldman, President, Association of Art Museum Directors and Director
and President, Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Yongwoo Lee, President, The Gwangju Biennale Foundation
Michael Govan, Director, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Vishakha Desai, President and Melissa Chiu, Vice President of Global Arts, Asia Society
Jim Cuno, President and Director, Art Institute of Chicago
Julián Zugazagoitia, Director, Nelson Atkins Museum, Kansas City
Ann Philbin, Director, Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles
Olga Viso, Director, Walker Art Center
Alfred Pacquement, Director, Musée national d'art moderne/Centre de création industrielle, Paris
Arnold Lehman, Director, Brooklyn Museum
Jill Medvedow, Director, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
Julia Peyton-Jones, Director and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Co-director of Exhibitions and Programmes
and Director of International Projects, Serpentine Gallery, London
Poul Erik Tøjner, Director, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
Neal Benezra, Director, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Tony Ellwood, Director, and Suhanya Raffel, Deputy Director, Queensland Art Gallery, Australia
Thomas W. Lentz, Elizabeth and John Moors Cabot Director, Harvard Art Museums
Ann Goldstein, Director, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Apinan Poshynanda, Bangkok Art and Culture Centre Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand
Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, Artistic Director, dOCUMENTA (13) and Bernd Leifeld, CEO, documenta
Manray Hsu, Founding Director, Taipei Contemporary Art Center
Holly Hotchner, Nanette L. Laitman Director, Museum of Arts and Design, New York

Joel Wachs, President, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Pittsburgh


Ai Weiwei arrest protests at Chinese embassies worldwide
Inspired by artist's installation with 1001 Qing dynasty seats, curator suggests taking chairs into street in silent protest


AND DO NOT FORGET:


Free Liu Xiaobo, free Liu Xiaobo, free Liu Xiaobo!