Saturday 8 August 2015

The Clouds of Isranael




What goes on in two buildings in the Middle East might one day affect us all, and maybe not for the good.

Two days ago the world remembered the Hiroshima mushroom cloud of 1945.

The following is an extract from the Austrian Pavilion Catalogue (pub. Birkhäuser, Basel ISBN 978-3-03821-679-7) which was on sale at La Biennale di Venezia 2014. 

Israel
Unitary Parliamentary Republic
area: 21,640 km2
pop: 7,907,900
gdp: $31,868
Parliament
Jerusalem
built 1966
vol: 209,500 m3
delegates: 120 (1 representative per 65,889 citizens, and comprising 77.5% males and 22.5% females).
architect: Joseph Klarwein (Poland)
remarks: ". . . Israel's Knesset building has emerged as a classical monumental parliament building. A colonnade of full-length columns surrounds a broad cubiform structure and an inner courtyard divided by the plenary hall. Joseph Klarwein's original design was substantially modified following criticism of its alleged fascist-connotated neoclassicism."

Iran
Unitary Presidential Islamic Republic
area: 1,628,550 km2
pop: 76,424,443
gdp: $11,310
Parliament
Tehran
built 2004
vol: 369,400 m3
delegates: 290 (1 representative per 263,532 citizens, and comprising 96.9% males and 3.1% females).
architect: Polmir Consulting Architects, Engineers & Planners (Iran)
remarks: "The Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran or Majlis is housed in a modern building, shaped like a pyramid. The unicameral parliament can draft, debate, and pass legislation, but requires the approval of the Guardian Council for its decisions to be turned into law. Candidacies for parliament are also approved or disqualified by the Guardian Council which is in turn overseen by the Supreme Leader . . . ."


10 comments:

  1. In my view almost every war there has ever been has, one way or another, its roots in religion which has a lot to answer for.

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    1. Pat, I have penned a reply to you below my reply to Yael's comment. I meant to address it to you but clicked the wrong place.

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  2. You are so wrong Weaver, i like you so i dont say how much that comment makes me angry. but i do say that not understanding what is going on here will affect you too as Gwil is saying here.

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    1. Yael, I think Weaver is right in a way because she is looking at the big picture. She is thinking along the lines I have penned below regarding WWII and the 2nd Gulf War for example. Today's problems between Israel and the Arab world also have a religious differences in the equation. A religious fanatic, from either side, could set off a conflagration.

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  3. There's a programme about Hitler's theology on the radio tonight. I think it will bear out the fact that he never renounced his religion and was a never excommunicated from the RC church in spite of all his atrocities. He said he was a servant of God and was carrying out God's wishes. It was his destiny he said. In fact his best selling book Mein Kampf written in prison while serving a short sentence for organizing a failed putsch in which several people were shot dead was never even put on the RC's banned list. Not only that but his opponent Stalin, made a deal with Hitler to carve up Poland, and had studied to be a priest before going into politics. You can always find some religious motive in the background if not in the foreground. Most recent example is Bush's use of the word "crusades" prior to attacking Iraq and his visit to the chapel with his religious friend Blair for pre-war prayers.

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  4. That is true , but when ever i see how people are trying to remove the real problem far away from their area, as if they will never be affected by it, it makes me angry. but it can also be that i am suffering from anxiety.

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  5. And by saying "people" i did not mean you:)

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    1. Yael,
      I think one can channel anxiety into activities like poetry, painting, music and so on and get rid of it that way. It is healthy to dispose of it somehow.
      I know what you mean, that is to say people in general and not me personally.
      This morning they are talking about Serbia on the radio. They are pushing refugees from the Middle East into Hungary and Hungary is building a fence along the border to stop it.Why? The Balkans is an area with a history of wars and conflicts due to religious differences. Another example of why Pat, I mean Weaver, is basically right.

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  6. Exactly one year since the war here,And those were the echoes of other words that i read in blogland at that time, so it is all in my head. Basicaly she is right,

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    1. Hello Yael, thanks for clarifying. Goya and Picasso channeled war thoughts into works of art. We can all do that regardless of our abilities. It clears the mind of much anxiety and by doing so helps us focus more clearly.

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