An Array of Utopian Flowers
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Pauline Oliveros and her Beautiful Canopies of Sound
Posted on April 15, 2019 | No Comments -
Los Angeles Steps Up Transition Toward 100% Renewable Energy
Posted on February 21, 2019 | No Comments -
12 Reasons to Try Elliott Abrams in the International Criminal Court
Posted on February 15, 2019 | No Comments -
Ecological Amnesia: Life Without Wild Things
Posted on February 9, 2019 | No Comments -
Coup Redux in Venezuela: ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised’
Posted on February 3, 2019 | 1 Comment
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WilderUtopia in 102 Languages
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Germany Archive
How Cities Can Build Affordable Housing
Posted on October 3, 2017 | No CommentsAlan Durning lays out how many cities have succeeded in building affordable housing with some lessons from unexpected places. Yet constrained housing markets come about from economics, environment, and geography, and sprawl remains a scourge that affordable cities have allowed. No silver bullet here, but ideas...
Krampus, Wild Nature Spirit, the Christmas Daemon
Posted on December 17, 2016 | 3 CommentsKrampus, a half-goat, half-daemon of centuries-old Bavarian-Alpine lore, appears prior to the celebration of the benevolent giver Saint Nicholas on December 6th, where Central European communities have a Krampuslauf, or Krampus Run, the night before.
Once a Classical Giant, Then Obscure, Felix Draeseke Rediscovered
Posted on November 3, 2016 | No CommentsStephen Vessels continues his series on rare examples of underappreciated classical music composers from around the world. Felix Draeseke of Germany, once dubbed a "giant" by Franz Liszt, fell into obscurity until only recently.
B. Traven: Underground Anarchist in the Mexican Jungle
Posted on March 27, 2016 | 3 CommentsB. Traven, German underground author, anarchist and writer of the Treasure of Sierra Madre, purposely obscured his origins to evade consequences from his revolutionary past in Germany and to stoke his literary mystery that hinged upon his words: "An author should have no other biography than his books."
German Prefab House Generates Twice its Own Energy
Posted on May 9, 2015 | 1 CommentThe prefab Active House B10 prototype in Stuttgart can be built in a day, but its implications will be felt for years. Taking the passive house net zero concept one step further, this fully recyclable tiny house actively generates enough power for multiple properties through its rooftop photovoltaics.
Dada as the Antidote to War and Capitalism
Posted on April 25, 2015 | 2 CommentsIn the sobering aftermath of World War I in Zurich, Dada preached a radical-yet-whimsical philosophy of creativity, a self-styled anti-art. Random and meaningless by definition, calculatedly irrational by design, for a short time the movement spread like revolt to the US and across Europe, voicing the bizarre protest of a brave new community of artists and writers.
German Composer’s Paean to a Healing Work of Renaissance Art
Posted on March 18, 2015 | 1 CommentOne of the 20th Century's most influential composers, Paul Hindemith created the neo-classical-folk-inspired symphony Mathis der Maler, based on the life of the mysterious 16th Century painter Matthias Grunewald, whose masterpiece associated Saint Anthony and the Virgin Mary with the miraculous cure of the epidemic skin disease called St. Anthony's Fire.
Karlheinz Stockhausen: Cosmic Pulses of Sound from the Dog Star
Posted on November 28, 2014 | 5 CommentsOn the inimitable and controversial Karlheinz Stockhausen, German composer who fused science fiction with classical music, whose 20th Century groundbreaking creations expanded the bounds of electronic music and serial compositions from the brightest star Sirius.
Goethe’s “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Power Over Wisdom
Posted on August 13, 2014 | 1 Comment"The Sorcerer's Apprentice," an ages-old fairy tale interpreted as a poem by Goethe, made famous today by Disney's "Fantasia," illustrated the dangers of power over wisdom, and the risk of human creations getting out of control.
Clean Energy Possibilities, Amory Lovins Interviewed By Arnie Gunderson
Posted on September 5, 2013 | No CommentsArnie Gunderson of Fairewinds interviews Amory Lovins, preeminent environmental thinker and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. With forty years of energy policy experience, Amory Lovins has dedicated himself to the idea that our energy future does not have to look like our energy past. Listen in as Arnie and Amory discuss transitioning towards a clean energy economy in the US and around the world.
Urban Farming: Nature, Art, and Society Converge
Posted on June 30, 2013 | 5 CommentsUrban farmers and gardeners around the world transform abandoned lots into edible landscapes, improving human and ecological health as well as creating beautiful places. Richard Ingersoll surveys a myriad of concepts and projects from around Europe and the United States.
E.T.A. Hoffmann: The Soul’s Adventure on New Year’s Eve
Posted on December 31, 2012 | 2 CommentsE.T.A. Hoffmann's Literary Gothic: Every New Year's Eve the Devil keeps a special treat for me. He knows just the right moment to jam his claw into my heart, keeping up a fine mockery while he licks the blood that wells out.
The Nutcracker Prince Battles the King of Mice at Christmas
Posted on December 24, 2012 | 2 CommentsSuddenly, mice fill the room and the Christmas tree grows to dizzying heights. The Nutcracker also grows to life-size. Marie finds herself in the midst of a battle between an army of Gingerbread man soldiers and the mice, led by the fierce Mouse King. The mice begin to eat the gingerbread soldiers.
H. G. Wells on the Futurist Dystopia of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis”
Posted on July 15, 2012 | 5 Comments"Metropolis" hallucinates a futuristic city, a paradise of glass and steel, where underground workers toil endlessly at the giant machines that run the world above. Controlled by the autocratic industrialist, his spoilt son falls for the working class prophet who envisions some mediation between workers and managers. Noted science fiction author H. G. Wells reviews the controversial 1927 masterpiece.
B. Traven: An Anarchists Death Ship
Posted on January 27, 2012 | 2 Comments"Being mixed up with a strike is a different. Laborers attacking the profits of capitalists are out. When a strike is to be quelled, all consuls work in unison, regardless if only a few months ago they would have rather liked to cut one another's throats."
