Tag: lifewide

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Masculinities

The exhibition of photos and film on “masculinities,liberation through photography” is an excellent example of how artistic approaches to central social phenomena enrich our understanding. The collection of images on masculinities enlightens and reveals the social construction of masculinity. All persons interested in such basic questions should grab the opportunity to pay a visit to the Barbican Centre in London until May 2020 (Later also in Berlin). Perfect choice of a location as the Barbican Centre represents a fine example of “brutal architecture” in London. This is already worth a visit for those not familiar with such concepts. Prepare to get lost somewhere in the multitude of cultural offerings. It feels like Centre Pompidou in Paris, but has additionally a splendid concert hall.

Depending on the time and location of our upbringing we are subject to different social constructions of masculinity. Browse through family collections of photos from grand fathers, fathers and your own youth and maybe your children. From the perspective of how masculinity has been framed at different epochs and across continents, it is obvious that masculinity just as feminity are constructed by social discourse, social choices and media representations. Make it a choice – nowadays – yes we can !
Read on with a critic published in “The Guardian” or “The Sunday Times“.

masculinity

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E-Car Market and Sharing

2020 is supposed to bring many new E-Cars to the market. Car-Sharing with the retreat of DriveNow and ShareNow from several cities with only moderate prospects. The Brussels Motor Show, also called Auto-Salon including the #WeAreMobility hall is still going strong right at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020. Some of the established car-sharing companies like Cambio.de or Cambio.be are not even present at such events. Poppy.be has few visitors as relatively unknown sharing-company yet. Not many more visitors I spotted at europcar.be with the attached scooter-sharing in Brussels and Antwerp.
The Auto-Salon gives a preview on E-Cars from most major companies. The E-go alternative has no presence there and competition of the big established companies from Europe and Japan take most of the space.
Most Consumers seem to want a practical solution to their mobility at a reasonable price, few seem to search for cars to show-off with. There is more “rational choice” around than in previous years. I should have done a survey to measure this, last time and this time round. This could be a worry to the industry as they are more used to sell “dream cars” than practical day-to-day mobility solutions.

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Geben und Nehmen

Gedanken aus Anlass des Weihnachtsfestes.

Zum Schenken gehören immer 2 Parteien. Gerade Weihnachten ist ein Geben und Nehmen. Dazu gab es in der letzten Adventswoche eine interessante Sendung von 5 x 10 Minuten im Deutschlandfunk von Mechthild Klein. Hier erstmal die Links.

Judentum Kleine Geschenke vollenden die Schöpfung

Buddhismus Reich ist, wer teilen kann

Atheismus Schenken mit Hintergedanken

Christentum Früher war weniger Lametta

Islam Großzügigkeit – die Tugend des Propheten

Selbst mit dem Wissen über die kulturellen Bräuche beginnt erst die multikulturelle oder interkulturelle Herausforderung. Als College Master im Krupp college hatten wir für solche Feierlichkeiten ein festliches Essen mit kleinen Geschenken und Livemusik abgehalten. Das fand ungeteilte Zustimmung. Interkulturelle Kompetenz lehren und dabei lernen war uns immer ein Vergnügen.

Frohes Geben und Nehmen wünschen wir in der Post-Covid19-Zeit wieder!

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Speculation bubbles

Learning about bubbles is exciting. As kids we jump in the air to burst bubbles, as adults we are delighted to taste sparkling wine. It is easy to know that a bubble has burst (ex post).  Many examples can be quoted in economic and social history on this. When bubbles burst hitting many persons this becomes an issue of political economy. Are we just behaving like “apes” with basic “animal instincts” as suggested by “Jan Bruegel d.J.”? Tulip mania is a part of European history and Bitcoin mania the most recent example of a bubble-like development of a specific market. How about creating your own currency. Here is how to do it. How to get drawn into a bubble can be physically experienced at Floralia-Brussels until 5.5.2019. You won’t look at tulips the same way afterwards.

more images here

Continue reading “Speculation bubbles”

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Splendid Public Libraries to replace Cathedrals

Renovated public libraries are modern showcases of architecture and access to knowledge. Recently the best places add the platform function of people meeting people there not only taking out and bringing back books. The Stockholm city library is an impressive example of all functions.
The library figures also in the list of the 25 best public libraries in the world shown by flavorwire:  http://flavorwire.com/280318/the-25-most-beautiful-public-libraries-in-the-world  You can actually walk up the stairs and access books directly. In the annex building is the international collection with its multilingual treasure as well as the press and journal sections. Impressive is the wide spread audience rather than intellectuals only.
The place is a top place for adult education and lifelong and lifewide learning.