Classic Cars: Tatra T87 Nazi Killer

The distinctive fin and aerodynamic body of the T87.

Today, Czech design is renowned for its retro cool. Cubism, Bauhaus and Art Deco have all left indelible marks on the country from its architecture to its interior design. These artistic movements did not simply die out in the early 20th century, but have left a lasting impression on Czech culture. Similarly, a little-known car brand named Tatra, developed a luxury car that was far ahead of its time in Czechoslovakia in 1938: the Tatra T87.

So what's special about the T87? Well, today it is a collectors item for car enthusiasts the world over. Owners include British architect Norman Foster and veteran US comedian Jay Leno. The latter has an extensive collection of classic cars. He recently presented his dark green T87 in a 30 minute video on his YouTube channel Jay Leno's Garage.

Jay Leno presenting his T87.

For those interested in either cars, history, design, engineering or even US automobile culture it is well worth watching. Leno, somewhat of a relic himself, provides an entertaining yet highly informative and detailed look at the T87 and its history.

After the Nazis took over Czechoslovakia in WWII, top SS officers requisitioned the luxury car for their own personal use. However, it was unusually fast for the time with a top speed of 100mph. Moreover, the car needed some practice to drive well as the rear-mounted engine made the car back heavy. Several high ranking officers came to their demise as they spun out of control when leaving the autobahn. The car became a hero and legend has it that it killed more Germans than the whole Czechoslovak army.

During Leno's presentation we learn that the chief engineer behind the car was Hans Ledwinka (erroneously referred to as 'Winkler' by Leno). This brilliant engineer, we are told, provided many of the ideas that were taken up by a certain Ferdinand Porsche. Tatra went on to win damages from Volkswagen after the war for stealing design secrets. However, Ledwinka himself died virtually penniless in 1967.

The most distinctive feature of the car is it's aerodynamic shape and the large wind fin on the back. Aerodynamics was taking off as a new science at the time and pioneering aerodynamicist Paul Jaray who helped develop the Zeppelin airship worked directly on the T87. Remarkably, as we see in Leno's video, the underside of the car is completely streamlined too, with barely a nook or a cranny for any extra air friction to cause drag. This car flies like the wind. 

Watch the video above to learn more and see the car in action.

Coronavirus Easter Lockdown Viewing: Jesus Christ Superstar

Cast members (L-R): Tim Minchin, Ben Forster, Chris Moyles and Mel C.

On Good Friday 2020 Europe was in lockdown. People had effectively been confined to their houses for the last couple of weeks, as authorities struggled to slow the spread of COVID-19. 'Social distancing' was the new norm as meeting anyone outside your actual household was proscribed. Needless to say, all places of worship were closed.

The rock opera 'Jesus Christ Superstar' was streaming for free on YouTube. Here is SZ's review.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour (2012)
Filmed live at Birmingham Arena

Ben Forster as Jesus Christ (6/10): a rather unconvincing JC. Certainly a good voice as with all the cast, but lacking in charisma and stage presence to be the son of God. Also a rather disconcerting resemblance to failed actor Stephen Toast from the comedy Toast of London.

Tim Minchin as Judas (8/10): rips out the songs with gusto. Adequately dreadlocked and mascara-ed up to look like the edgy critic of JC that he was.

Mel C as Mary Magdalene (9/10): a stand-out performance from the former Spice Girl. Great, impassioned rendition of the song 'I don't know how to love him'. Does he require earthly pleasure or rather spiritual partnership - or maybe both? Could have been a 10/10 had her counterpart been more into it.

Chris Moyles as King Herod (7/10): quite a decent effort from the radio presenter, but still lacking some of the sinister humour of Rik Mayall in the stunning production of the year 2000. A production, by the way, that still has the overall edge on this one.

Alexander Hanson as Pontius Pilate (10/10): he plays the tormented Roman governor of Judea with aplomb. His reluctance to have Jesus crucified is palpable, as he vainly interrogates him in an attempt to force him into confessing his revolutionary ambitions.

Pete Gallagher as Caiaphas (8/10): booming bass from the high priest of the Jews, who sees Jesus as a threat to their security within the Roman Empire. Are the Jews depicted as too evil in Lloyd Webber's opera by default? Perhaps so, but every piece needs its villains.

High point: the live musicians on stage are fantastic. Electrifying rock grooves.

Low point: staging of the last supper scene falls flat, as Forster as Jesus flatly delivers his lines. The cast look like a bunch of hobos drinking wine from paper bags here.

Karel Gott: Thousands view coffin, Minister skips the queue

It's time to lay the Karel Gott story to rest now with a few final reflections.

Why did 49,000 people (see gallery) line up to pass by the late singer's coffin?

Was it that they simply loved his music? His mere artistic output brought joy to their hearts?

Perhaps. But why was this musician given a funeral with near state honours? What did he achieve for the Czech state?

An alternative view is that this was an outpouring of nostalgia for the past. Looking back with rose-tinted spectacles at those cheery days in Communist Czechoslovakia. The songs on the state-sponsored radio and TV. Who is this blogger to say? Readers comments welcome below.

One last macabre snippet: the Transport Minister was in such a rush that he skipped the queue to say goodbye to the dead singer. Scandalous and inexplicable in equal measure. Skipping a queue for lunch, if you can get away with it ok. But skipping the queue to see a stone cold dead guy? What's the point?

A video mix of Gott's hits from the 60s including a Beatles cover.

Farewell to the godfather of Czech pop: Karel Gott

Czechs are currently mourning one of their greatest and most beloved popstars: Karel Gott.

His big voice and big smile made him a hit sensation from the 1960s onwards and he sold millions of records throughout his long career.

His biggest markets were Czechoslovakia, Germany and Russia. His folk-style Schlager went down well in those parts.

I first became acquainted with him whilst watching the film Kdyby tisíc klarinetu (1965). He plays himself - already a pop star back then. The film is full of music. With a little help from a statue of Bach, all the weapons on a military camp turn into musical instruments to the delight of one pacifist soldier. Well worth watching.

Back to Gott (which is German for God, if you weren't so sure). He had four daughters with three different women and now he will have a semi-state funeral with a service by the archbishop of Prague.

Some Czechs (not many), are not only questioning his Catholic credentials, but also whether such an honour should be bestowed upon someone who was simply a popular singer. He largely rode above political issues during his long career and remained content with communism as long as he could cut his records and continue to travel (something most of his countrymen were unable to do).

Give him his service, I say. He was a happy-go-lucky guy who enjoyed singing and entertaining. To reach 80 in the music industry is quite an achievement. After all, drugs and alcohol don't seem to have been big issues for him and with a name like his who could deny him a holy send off?

A clip of Karel Gott singing in the film Kdyby tisíc klarinetu - If a Thousand Clarinets (1965).

Josef Koudelka Invasion Prague 68 photo exhibition

August, 2018 - Nowadays it is difficult to comprehend the events in Prague that happened 50 years ago this month. Why and how on earth did tanks and soldiers end up storming around the cobbled streets of this beautiful European city? To the people of Prague back then, it was not only bewildering, but terrifying.

Invasion Prague 68 is a touring exhibition that showcases the photos of Czech photographer Josef Koudelka who was on the streets with his camera in August 1968. This reviewer saw the exhibition whilst on display at Botanique in Brussels from 14 June to 12 August 2018.

The giant black and white photos are stark and life-like. Anxious faces leap out at you as smoke from angry fires, tank guns and armed soldiers straddle the urban setting with disdain.

This is high calibre press photography - the viewer is literally thrown onto the streets of Prague, the confusion and the utter disbelief that so-called allies are invading the country.

For a brief time leading up to the invasion of Czechoslovakia by Warsaw Pact troops led by the Soviet Union, the Prague Spring had heralded the dawn of a more humane system: 'Socialism with a Human Face'. But Moscow was not amused - the lifting of censorship and burgeoning freedom of expression in Czechoslovakia could not be allowed to spread (uncovering uncomfortable truths about the past and openly criticising communism and its leaders).

Koudelka's photos were smuggled out of the country and published in the international press one year later with the anonymous credit of P.P. (Prague Photographer). It was only long after he had emigrated/escaped to the West during the 80s that Kodelka was able to take the credit for the photos. In the meantime his photos had won numerous prestigious photography awards and become emblematic of the tyranny of the Soviet Union.

Remarkably, the history of this invasion is neither deeply nor widely understood. It is more sexy to focus on the student protests and countercultural revolution that gripped many countries around the world in that very same year.

Koudelka's photos reveal the grotesque dichotomy of a tank accosting peaceful citizens trying to go about their everyday business. Many important questions are raised that need investigating.

WWII memoir with a twist

US troops march through a wood as they move to liberate Germany in 1945.

The Past is Myself by Christabel Bielenberg is a fascinating account of life in Germany from about 1930 to 1945. 'Oh no, not another turgid Nazi-era memoir!' you're thinking. The 'twist' here is that the author is English.

Christabel is married to a German from Hamburg called Peter. Both husband and wife watch the rise of the Nazis with utter surprise, horror and dismay.

What shines throughout the whole story is Christabel's incredibly strong character and humour. She endures long periods of the war separated from her husband and is more or less left to raise three young sons by herself.

As allied bombing draws closer and closer to their little house in Berlin, the family is eventually forced to evacuate to a little village in the Black Forest. Here, they experience the incredible warmth and hospitality of the locals who more or less ignore all Nazi rules and decrees as far as possible. The experience of liberation by French troops turns out to be a rather terrifying experience as much raping and pillaging ensues.

What stands out in the book are the many German friends that Christabel has who totally despise the Nazis yet are unable to openly express their opposition for fear of being dragged away to Gestapo HQ.

Christabel and her husband are in fact friends with many of the July 1944 plotters who attempted and failed to blow Hitler up with a bomb hidden in a suitcase. Although, this was a popular selling point for the book when it was first published in 1968, it is most valuable for its detailed and insightful observations of everyday life under the Nazis.

The author does employ a rather old-fashioned style which is sometimes a little heavy to get through, but persevere and you will be rewarded. Highly recommended for anyone interested in history as well as fans of memoir and women's history and literature.

The Road Ahead is the follow-up novel by Christabel which recounts her family's emigration to Ireland after the war. There are interesting reflections on Irish life and society at the time, but the book lacks the bite and drama of her first one.

Johnny Cash - The Life by Roger Hilburn

There was much more to the man in black than his stage persona revealed. This well-written and thoroughly-researched biography by LA Times journalist Robert Hilburn traces Cash's development from youth to old age and ill health with remarkable sensitivity and warmth.

The central focus is the evolution of Cash as a musician. From a boy who loved to sing gospel songs with his mum - to a man strumming his guitar with air force pals - on to starting a garage band and eventually after thousands of miles touring across America, a spell of super-stardom before the inevitable fall.

Hilburn goes into detail about most of the songs ever written by Cash and quotes many of the lyrics at length. This really brings his subject to life and it's a joy to read song texts penned by Cash. If you know the songs you will certainly hear his voice and music in your head as you read. Seeing the lyrics on paper it's clear that Cash is a storyteller and poet of great style and wit.

Here are the top 5 new things I learnt about Cash reading this book:

1. His Christian faith played a huge part in his life. He regularly read the Bible and even wrote a book about St John. Despite this he almost never went to church.

2. He wrote Walk the Line for his first wife Vivian. He tried to remain faithful to her and was terrified of separating from her. In the end, it was she who filed for divorce.

3. His return to the music charts with the album American Recordings in 1994 owed a great deal to the inspirational work of music producer Rick Rubin who reinvented Cash at the height of the grunge movement.

4. He was in an incredible amount of pain and on a cocktail of about 40 pills a day as he recorded his last albums with Rubin. Sometimes he was so out of breath that his voice was reduced to a whisper. Engineers had to piece his last songs together from hundreds of takes.

5. Cash was a terrible driver and was in many car accidents. Once he crashed a camper van in the middle of a national park. He ended up by causing a wildfire in which scores of endangered eagles were killed. He got off with a hefty fine.

Of course the book also covers the drug addiction and the famous prison concerts with panache, but there is so much more to Cash and therefore the book than that. An added richness is the cultural context which Hilburn lucidly paints from the 1950s to the beginning of the 21st century.  This book sits not only within biography but within the historiography of 20th century music - doing Cash justice as one of America's biggest musical icons of the last century.

Drive On from the album 'American Recordings' (1994) is one of the lesser known songs by Cash that I discovered whilst reading the book. He was a prolific artist.

Film review: Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers of Democracy

This film follows 12 political caricaturists in 12 different countries. In broad brush strokes the documentary illustrates the convergence of power, greed and corruption through the sharp mocking eyes of the cartoonists.

Despite very different political contexts, the cartoonists have the ability to upset those in power, whether in France, Venezuela, Tunisia or Denmark.

There are some elegant sweeping panoramas of the different global locales and of course a lot of smart talk from the cartoonists themselves.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to fully take in the cartoons that are intermittently displayed full-screen. You simply don't have time to appreciate the jokes when having to read translations and take in the subtleties of the artwork on offer at the same time.

The cartoonists featured are brought together by the Frenchman, Plantu, who set up a group at the UN called 'cartoonists for peace.' They advocate for press freedom and defend the right to tackle sensitive subjects, even if they seriously offend people.

The film gains great relevance in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. It is well worth watching and may help you to more clearly see where your boundaries are when it comes to freedom of expression versus any form of censorship.

War in Syria - Who's Watching?

'Return to Homs' was screened in Brussels on Tuesday night as part of the One World film festival. It was a gripping and heartbreaking portrayal of the war in Syria from the rebels-eye-view.

About 200 people attended the screening at the Czech Representation to the EU. Only about half of those stayed for the panel debate afterwards.

Šimon Pánek, director of People in Need, the NGO behind the event, looked grim-faced and weary as he listened to Syrian opposition figures express their frustration with the international community for not helping them.

After 20 years in the humanitarian relief business, one sensed that he'd seen it all before. He referred to the siege of Sarajevo. Eventually something was done there.

Who knows how long it will take for 'something' to be done in Syria.

Overall, the event was an admirable and well-organized effort to raise public awareness of the war in Syria. One just wishes that it could have reached more people. There was no evidence of media coverage.

With so many conflicts in the world, where do you start?

At least another 200 people have a greater insight onto the war and will hopefully pass on their experience to family and friends.

Europeans have the luxury of choosing which conflicts to follow. How long before that choice disappears?

One World Brussels 2014 film festival runs until 02 April, tickets are free and the programme can be found here

People in Need

Review of the film

John Mayall - 80 Years Young

Veteran British bluesman John Mayall is on his 80th birthday tour. Some of these guys never stop! In some cases this is a good thing. Old Johnny rocked the house in Brussels on Friday night.

His voice was as clean as a whistle as he ripped through bluesy odes to young love like Wild About You and the cheeky Help Me with the refrain: "You got to help me, baby I can't do it all by myself!"

The band sure did help their frontman to pack a punch. The rhythm section really were as tight as a camel's ass in a sandstorm and there's no denying it. Greg Rzab on bass and Jay Davenport on drums really kept the crowd shaking. Rzab even unleashed some slap-bass wizardry. Davenport kept low-profile and a real drum solo wouldn't have gone amiss.

Mayall is known for bringing up countless guitar greats like Clapton and Green, and Rocky Athas didn't disappoint. On his sunburst Les Paul his tone and attack would have done the late great Gary Moore proud. A fairly implacable showman, but he let his guitar do the talking.

Mayall was a scion of good health, prancing from keyboards to guitar to harmonica and back again. Maybe we should all give up alcohol 25 years ago like him. Whilst his fret work was a little shaky, his keys and mouth organ were a real delight.

The overall sound balance was perfect and Ancienne Belgique everything a modern concert hall should be - sleek, refined and convivial. After the concert the whole band began dishing out autographs like sweets in the bar. Somebody's Acting Like a Child indeed!

2014 War of the Worlds

The 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War deserves to be marked in many ways. Centeneries don't come around very often and when they do they're usually worth a second thought.

But what should commemorations of the first conflict that took on global proportions and slaughtered millions of men look like? Do we need big official ceremonies or small localized initiatives? Should we look at the winners or the losers?

Arguably it was the Great War which crystallized the modern concept of the nation. The idea that your only loyalty should be to your nation, and that other nations may be well and good, but they are no match for yours.

So it is no surprise then that the commemorations this year will have a distinctly national touch. Britain, France and Germany will all go their own way about doing it.

Meanwhile, the European Union has avoided organizing anything at all.

A spokesman for the Commission told news source Euractiv that this is because "... 2014 means very different things to different countries but... the President and Commissioners may attend specific events, if invited.”

It is sad that 100 years after the first major modern conflagration in Europe there can be no common drive to understand this history and learn from it.

Further reading:
Historian Richard J Evans looks at compelling parallels between 1914 and today
Journalist Simon Jenkins laments the glorification of the war in Britain

Czech Christmas Mass in Brussels

The land of Dvorak and Kafka is a magical place. Bohemia is a fairytale land full of mystery. So it is not surprising that Czechs love Christmas.

To outsiders, Czech Christmas traditions and rituals may seem absurd at first. But dare to joke about them with Czechs and you will be shot down with complete earnestness. Czechs take their Christmas very seriously indeed.

Prague Zoo has recently unveiled a cage containing three Santa Clauses. They are billed as a very invasive species, but visitors need not worry, as they will be shipped back to New York Zoo on 23 December. There is no need to fear that these bearded red monsters will scare away the beloved little baby Jesus who magically brings presents to Czechs on Christmas Eve.

So whilst the Czech Republic is reputedly the most secular country in Europe, it is startling that the Czech Christmas appears so authentically Christian in its practice and values.

Take the Czech Christmas Mass for example. It is their most beloved Christmas carol and Czechs flood to see it performed live every year.

This reporter was privileged enough to witness a performance last weekend in a church in Brussels. Before you atheists and agnostics out there dismiss it out of hand, no priest nor mass is actually involved. It is a beautiful melodic carol for a full choir with soloists and musical accompaniment.

While the nine parts begin with first Kyrie and then Gloria, they do not proceed with Snoria and Boria as one may suspect of some dusty 18th century musical piece. The piece begins with the bass tenor booming 'Hey, Master!' as the birth of Jesus is reported to shepherds on the Bohemian hills. It progresses with general excitement and rejoicing over the birth of the saviour.

Details aside, it is a very rewarding experience for any music-lover and/or Christmas-enthusiast. A general warmth and good cheer spread throughout the rapt audience as the 45-minute piece was performed with grace and fervour.

It was a very open event and there were representatives from all generations, with many families and small children. The little sprogs raced around the aisles playing tag and letting out squeals of delight or cries of displeasure on a whim. But nobody minded. The spirit of Czech Christmas was all around us.

Links:

Organisers of the event: Inspiration Tcheque

Pictures from the concert

Czech Christmas Mass entry on Wikipedia

Video of caged Santas

Margaret Thatcher the Great

An old woman of 87 died today following a stroke. Millions of other old women also died today. Let's put the death of Margaret Thatcher into context.

Yes, she was the Prime Minister of Britain from 1979 to 1990. Yes, she was Britain's first, and to date, only female leader. Yes, she was the 'Iron Lady' and all that.

But did she really change Britain for the better? Was she really Britain's 'greatest peacetime leader' as current Prime Minister David Cameron said today?

Whilst the global media machine sucks all intelligent analysis out of this story and honorable members of the Establishment eulogize Thatcher to death, let's take off the rose-tinted spectacles.

The roots of today's financial crisis can be traced by to her deregulation of banking in the City of London.

Her draconian crack-down on the miners' strike of 1984 undermined the political power of ordinary people.

Privatisation is no great success story. Just travel by train in the UK and find out for yourself.

Would Britain today be so precariously perched on the edge of Europe without Thatcher?

Her record on human rights is tainted: she opposed sanctions against apartheid South Africa and was an admirer of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Finally, just like her successors Major, Blair, Brown and Cameron, she was certainly not a peacetime leader as the British military has been kept busy since Ireland and the Falklands, in the Gulf, Afghanistan and most recently Libya.

It is arguable that Prime Ministers David Lloyd George (1916-22) and Clement Attlee (1945-51) with their welfare policies, notably the National Health Service created under the latter, did far more for the basic needs of the British people than Thatcher. (Whilst Churchill was clearly in a class of his own!)

So when you watch the BBC tonight and witness the blind celebration of a 'national icon', with mere lip-service to what a charmingly controversial figure she was, spare a thought for what Thatcher really was about and what she really did for the people of Britain.

Paint It Black

Dark Romanticism - From Goya to Max Ernst

The Städel Museum, Frankfurt Main:  until 20 January 2013
Musée d’Orsay, Paris:  04 March until 09 June 2013

The exhibition 'Dark Romanticism' is a treasure trove of ghoulish art which is sure to leave even the most well-heeled gallery goer slightly unhinged.

If you are familiar with Gothic literature, such as Mary Shelley's ‘Frankenstein’ or the tales of Edgar Allen Poe, then you will be in a good position to appreciate the major themes of the exhibition: the supernatural, death and horror.

As scientific and social progress faltered with the descent of the French Revolution into unadulterated violence, artists began exploring irrational elements of human nature. Therefore the major part of the exhibition is rooted in 19th century European art.

It begins with Johann Heinrich Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’ (1802). A woman is hounded by a demon and a vacant-eyed horse in her sleep. This evolves into Franz Stuck’s ‘The Sin’ (1893). A dark-haired nude stares from the picture, as an evil green viper hisses at us from her shoulder.

Spanish artist Goya features strongly. Despite sketches of dismemberment and rape, there remains a dreamlike quality in all his work which renders it immediately accessible and intriguing. Another highlight is the set of little black pen-and-ink wash pieces by none other than French writer Victor Hugo. His impressionistic doodles are a delight to behold and it is amazing that he considered his artwork to be a mere hobby.

Clips from early black and white horror films embellish the overall gothic mood. Nosferatu, Frankenstein and Dracula are all there along with some more esoteric footage. Not to be missed.

Arguably the curators have tried too hard to extrapolate dark romanticism into the later 20th century. Instead of showing Dali and Hitchcock, a room exploring the massive influence of gothic literature would have added an important dimension to the otherwise comprehensive show.

'The Nightmare' (1802)

'Sweet Charity'

English Theatre, Frankfurt am Main

Running until 17 February 2013

Tickets from 29 Euros, various concessions

'Sweet Charity' is a real feel-good musical with laugh-out-loud scenes aplenty. This slick production recreates the swinging dance halls of sixties New York. We follow the fortunes of happy-go-lucky dance hostess Charity Hope Valentine.

Kate Millest dazzles in the role, like a little whirling fireball she sings, quips and flips through the piece. Cast amongst an ensemble of long-legged and somewhat jaded dance hall vixens, she stands out as a plucky little fighter who never gives up hope of finding a better life.

Mostly, this involves finding the man of her dreams to whisk her away into happily married life. Unfortunately, she often ends up with the wrong type of guy.

Ian Virgo plays each of Charity's consecutive boyfriends: hipster Charlie, pony-tailed movie star Vittorio Vidal and geeky Oscar Lindquist. As the stars of the show Virgo and Millest dominate the stage with their dynamic characters and delight with their numerous one-on-one scenes.

The highlight for this reviewer was when Charity and Vittorio banter and flirt in his penthouse bedroom as Vittorio's outrageous Italian accent only heightens the pathos when he repeats his famous movie line 'Without love, life has no meaning.' For her part, Charity has her own motto when people ask her why she is a dance hall hostess: 'fickle finger of fate' and the two of them fool around with this seductive little refrain. Her verbal armoury also includes 'Up Yours!' for any wiseguy punter who crosses her path. The scene reaches farcical proportions when Vittorio's angry mistress, Ursula, barges into the room and Charity is bundled into the closet.

The supporting cast are excellent and dance, rock and sing their way through numbers such as 'Hey, Big Spender' with aplomb.

Indeed, the musical lives up to the reputation of the theatre which has also put on hit productions of 'The Full Monty', 'Hair' and 'The Who's Tommy' (all by the same director as 'Sweet Charity' - Ryan McBryde). In some ways, such professional Broadway-like shows would be deserving of a bigger theatre. A packed house night after night, may suggest the need to expand above the 300-seat capacity. If the theatre's current success continues, this will become a necessity. Then the live band would not have to be hidden out of sight as is the norm.

But then again, who would want to miss an intimate evening of fun and games with Sweet Charity?

Marxist Historian: Eric Hobsbawm (1917-2012)

It was interesting to read the different reactions to the death of Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm last week.

Reaching the grand old age of 95, he was quite a piece of history himself.

Although he reached world-renown for his Age Of... trilogy which chronicled 20th century Europe, he drew vehement criticism from many for remaining a supporter of communism long after the atrocities of the Soviet system had been exposed.

Unlike many of the obits, economic historian Roderick Floud's piece takes an objective historical view, using evidence from Hobsbawm's autobiography 'Interesting Times' published in 2003.

Floud argues that Hobsbawm's commitment to communism was forged in the very age of extremes that he would later historicize. Born in Egypt to Jewish parents he later moved to Vienna and then Berlin with his family, before fleeing to London. He joined the Communists in Berlin in 1932.

Floud quotes Hobsbawm's autobiography: "We were not liberals. Liberalism was what had failed. In the total war we were engaged in, one did not ask oneself whether there should be a limit to the sacrifices imposed on others any more than on ourselves. Since we were not in power, or likely to be, what we expected was to be prisoners rather than jailers."

This die-hard commitment to a utopian ideal, brought with it comradeship and meaning to a world descending into Nazism and war. It was not an ideal Hobsbawm was ever willing to turn his back on. Although the quote seems to resonate with the oppositional activism of today's occupy activists and anti-austerity protesters, a unifying ideology of sacrifice is strikingly absent from this social movement. The 'age of ideology' may well and truly be over.

Most activists today just want a piece of the pie, and they want it now! In this climate of selfish griping, we would do well to re-read Hobsbawm's work on the hardworking lives of ordinary men and women who somehow rode the tide of industrialisation with their principles and pride intact.

'Breaking the Code' at The English Theatre in Frankfurt

You probably haven't heard of Alan Turing. His name has not made it into the bastion of scientific household names such as Newton or Einstein. Never mind the fact that his genius was of equal stature to these great men. Never mind the fact that he conceived modern computers and artificial intelligence in the 1930s. Never mind the fact that without him the Allies may very well have lost the Second World War. All these great feats were buried by the British Establishment for the fact that he was a homosexual.

The play 'Breaking the Code' (1986) by Hugh Whitemore is a stunningly poignant portrayal of the personal and professional life of Alan Turing. Based on the critically acclaimed biography (1983) by Andrew Hodges, the play seamlessly manages to combine historical accuracy with drama, humour and even lofty mathematical thinking.

In the centenary year of Turing's birth, the English Theatre in Frankfurt am Main is staging a magnificent production of the piece running until 27 October.

The panache and charisma with which Stephen Fewell plays Turing infuses the whole play with bittersweet emotion. Whether portraying the schoolboy who is embarrassed by his mollycoddling mother, the professor giving a talk at his old school, or the man pursuing relations with other men, Fewell performs the character with charm and loveability. Given that he never leaves the sparse stage-set, his acting energy and stamina are crucial to the overall success of the two-hour play.

The plot jumps back and forth in time and gives the pulsating drama only more interest and intensity. In the beginning we see Turing reporting a minor burglary to police inspector Ross. With no apparent irony, Turing says that he believes the burglar is a man called 'George'. During his account, his terrible nervous tic-like stammer startles the dependable policemen who smells something fishy and starts to dig a little deeper into the case.

Later we see Turing being interviewed by the head of Bletchley Park's codebreaking unit. Dillwyn Knox is unable to follow all of Turing's avant garde thinking - he is obsessed by the question of whether a mind can exist without a body - but Knox recognizes his brilliance and hires him to help break the Nazi's impenetrable Enigma Code.

However, most of the play's action takes place around 1952 long after Turing's monumental wartime achievement. He is working at Manchester University and picking up men in the local pub on the side. When he reports the burglary to the police, he unleashes a tragic chain of events which expose the immense cruelty and hypocrisy of a society which punishes homosexuality as a crime.

As a man of great principle, Turing could no more live a lie than accept a mathematical theory he had proved to be false. When necessary, he would stammeringly admit to being a homosexual - first to a brilliant female scientist at Bletchley who declares her love for him and later, before the trial, even to his mother. Unlike other homosexuals at the time who married and had children to keep up appearances, Turing was true to himself and defied social convention.

Whilst some will see Turing as naive, this performance renders him courageous in his pursuit of truth at all costs. One thing is sure: after seeing 'Breaking the Code' the name of Alan Turing will stay with you for a very long time indeed.

(More links to be added later)

World Population Day 2012

Like many of the United Nation's annual special 'days' with names such as Earth, Water, Youth and Cancer, on World Population Day what is the average Joe supposed to do?

Certain environmental doomsday extremists probably advocate mass suicides or at the very least mass castrations, in order to ease the burden of 7 billion humans on our exhausted planet.

But if you don't feel like taking part in that, what should you do? Well, the UN wants us to reflect on 'Population' and raise our awareness of it. OK, we know there are a lot of other human beings around us, all consuming to a greater or lesser extent than ourselves, and most of them we find down right annoying, but can we really limit their right to exist?

Why is it that UN initiatives, say environmental goals, always sound so good, but inevitably run into trouble when one pauses to consider their implications for universal human rights?

Well, this year's population theme, does seem to make a lot of sense: Universal Access to Reproductive Health Services.

According to the UN: "Some 222 million women who would like to avoid or delay pregnancy lack access to effective family planning. Nearly 800 women die every day in the process of giving life."

So providing the education and equipment necessary for effective family planning aims to support women's rights and reduce the burden of unwanted pregnancies.

So whilst a one-child policy may appear to have the world's best interests at heart, there are other ways to limit population growth, which support human rights at the same time.

Little Mole's Legacy

In November last year, Zdeněk Miler the creator of Czech cartoon character Krtek (Little Mole) passed away at the age of 90. His little red-nosed creation with the easy smile charmed television audiences across much of Europe and Asia. Now Miler's 21-year-old granddaughter plans to market the mole for tablets and smartphones. Why bother?

Little Mole is hardly in the same vein as the crazily popular Angry Birds game. In fact in over 40 episodes Little Mole never loses his temper or has a bad word for anyone. (True, he doesn't speak, but instead makes do with shrill bursts of laughter and friendly mutterings.)

Little Mole on an Ipad may introduce him to a new generation, but won't some of his original innocence be lost? After all, he never caught on in the USA where the show's unashamed celebration of nature was totally lost on an audience more used to Disney's cheap gags and slapstick set ups like in Donald Duck and Tom and Jerry (merely a milder version of Itchy and Scratchy).

Any traveller who has passed through Vaclav Havel Airport will know that there is already an amazing amount of Krtek merchandise from stuffed toys of various sizes, bags, stationary and even books (do people still read on paper?!). So launching various mole apps and ebooks merely continues the trend. But very soon the original artistic idea is totally buried under a pile of digital detritus.

From the very first episode 'How the Mole Got His Trousers' (1957) creativity and flights of fancy offered viewers relief from a life governed by perpetual bureaucracy. Little Mole gets help from his friends: a frog soaks the material, spiders spin the yarn, ants weave the cloth and a crayfish cuts the fabric to measure.

Miler said he got the idea for the character when he stumbled over a mole hill whilst walking in the woods. The most likely thing a young man of today will stumble into, as he is reading his Ipad, is a lamp post. Sadly, the Little Lamp Post is an unlikely candidate for a world famous cartoon character. But considering the state of pop culture these days, you never know...

Links:

The Wall Street Journal, 'Czech Cartoon Goes Digital Through iPad Apps, E-Books'

The New York Times, 'Zdenek Miler, Creator of Krtek the Mole, Dies at 90'

Krtek ve Městě (The Mole in the City) 1982 on youtube - a heartrending tale of deforestation

Welcome to Vaclav Havel Airport

According to a recent poll 49 per cent of Czechs are against naming Prague Airport after Vaclav Havel. From an international point of view, you have to ask what is wrong with naming your capital's airport after a dissident and intellectual who spearheaded the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia and the break-up of the Soviet Bloc?

Just look at the guest list of Havel's funeral in Prague last year to see how influential he was: the Clintons, Lech Walesa, Nicolas Sarkozy, David Cameron, John Major and most European foreign ministers. Looking at that list it's not hard to guess which side of the political spectrum Havel's detractors come from. Unfortunately, there is still a sizable number of hard-line leftists in the Czech Republic, who stayed away and tried to forget Havel.

But even some Havel admirers object to renaming the airport after him. They say that he never liked flying and would not have wanted to be remembered in this way. This all sounds rather petty. It's as though they're in some kind of competition to tell everybody what Havel would and would not have liked best. 'Oh, I knew him better than you', 'Oh no you did not, I knew him better than anybody else' and so on and so forth.

I don't think Havel would have minded. It would probably suit his sense of humour, to see all the foreign tourists struggling to pronounce his name correctly as they arrive in the Bohemian lands.

Overall, it's a good way to remember the man who gave birth to the idea of 'the power of the powerless' which is still used by people fighting oppression the world over today. Although he is a major political figure, he still lacks the fame of JFK and John Lennon, who probably did not need airports named after them to be known and remembered. And how come there's no Winston Churchill airport in London. Imagine that!