Brilliant ad for The Economist magazine, featuring a tightrope walker that begins his ascent from the sidewalk, and, by walking across interconnecting red ropes, reaches a place high above the city. The tagline is “Let your mind wander.” All I can say is it’s wonderfully done. Does anyone know who the rope walker is?
Tag Archives: amazing
Perpetuum Jazzile
My wife pointed me to a video on YouTube — a performance of Toto’s “Africa”, by a Slovenian jazz choir called Perpetuum Jazzile.
I hadn’t heard of them before, and it’s likely that you didn’t either. You probably also didn’t know they’ve been performing for 25 years. Originally founded in 1983 by Marko Tiran, they are now headed by artistic director Tomaž Kozlevčar (I have no idea how to pronounce that name), and they perform jazz and pop selections, mostly a capella.
Author/Photographer: Irena Herak (Finance). Copyright Perpetuum Jazzile. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Author/Photographer: Irena Herak (Finance). Copyright Perpetuum Jazzile. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Author/Photographer: Irena Herak (Finance). Copyright Perpetuum Jazzile. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Author/Photographer: Irena Herak (Finance). Copyright Perpetuum Jazzile. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
So far, the group has released three CDs: When You Come to Bled (2000), Forget You’re In A Hurry (2003), and Strange Night (2006). This year, they’re working on a new album, due to be released in the autumn. Unfortunately their music isn’t on iTunes or Amazon yet (don’t know why), so you have to use their website to buy a CD.
The video blew me away. It’s so nicely done, and the way they simulate the falling rain with their hands is so cool. It made me want to find out more about them, and to listen to more of their music. I’ll leave you with more videos and photos from their performances.
“Mas Que Nada” by Perpetuum Jazzile
“Strange Night” by Perpetuum Jazzile
There’s more info on their English-version website, and they even have a free MP3 available for download. Their CDs are available through their online shop. According to their posted concert schedule, they’re giving a couple of public performances this September in Slovenia. Definitely worth checking out.
Congratulations, President Obama!
We have seen democracy in action, and we have achieved something amazing, as a country: we have elected the first African-American president. That’s something that goes a long way to wipe the wrongs of the past, and is something that would have probably made some of our country’s founders proud, had they been able to witness it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7811491813839468741
There’s a long road ahead, and it’s paved with incredible challenges. I believe our new president is equipped to deal with them, and that’s why he got my vote and my wife’s vote. I hope he does what he promised to do, and that he brings positive change to this country. We’re in a huge mess, and we need someone to clean house.
Our federal government will now be a Democrat government, from top to bottom, which is something I’ve not seen yet. I hope they use their collective legislative power to do good things, and they don’t get caught up in bureaucracy or infighting. I think the next four or even eight years could be used to build our country up in an historic way, not unlike the period after WWII. The opportunity is there, but the right people need to do the right things, and they need to support our new president as he charts our country’s course.
One thing I also hope is that they’ve beefed up the security around him. I don’t want to see anything tragic happen. It would be disastrous. It is very unfortunate that there are still people in the US who can’t get over someone’s skin color even when that person is rational, intelligent, respectful and kind. But those people are around, and I’m fairly sure that they’re not dealing with this Obama win in any sensible manner. Let us hope the Secret Service does their job and neutralizes any threats before they arise.
I want to end on a positive note and wish Barack Obama and Joe Biden all the best in the years that lie ahead. I hope and pray they will meet every challenge rationally, calmly, and decisively, and that they’ll hold true to the promises they made during their campaign.
Image used courtesy of Barack Obama.
Amazing survivor of parachute malfunction
A parachutist from New Zealand by the name of Michael Holmes somehow survived a major parachute malfunction from several thousand feet with only a broken ankle, a collapsed lung, and a broken nose. And on top of it all, he wanted to keep jumping afterwards… Talk about not learning your lesson. The first part is raw video from his helmet cam, and the second part is a follow-up TV interview.
Raoul Pop 