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Russian Trolleybus Poem

I was recently looking at the poetic association of trams and have just come across this poem about a trolley bus from  https://sites.google.com/site/poetryandtranslations/various/trolleybus-v-tsoi

My place is on the left and I must go to my seat
I don’t get why they never turn on the heat
Don’t know my neighbor, though it’s now been a year
And we’re sinking, although shallow water is near
And we stare at the ceiling, with a hopeful unease,
On the old trolley-bus that is traveling east
On the old trolley-bus  that is traveling east
On the old trolley-bus…

All people are brothers, we’re all six degrees…
And nobody knows why we’re traveling east
My neighbor can’t take it, he wants to break free
But he cannot escape, he doesn’t know where to flee
So we sit and we wonder if we’ll find our peace
On the old trolley-bus that is traveling east

The bus keeps on driving through the driver has fled
And the engine is rusty but we’re moving ahead
And we’re holding our breath, as we stare at the night
Where, for a moment, a star was lit bright
We stay silent, we know that the reason for this
Is the old trolley-bus that is traveling east…

By Victor Tsoi
Translation by Andrey Kneller

In the original Russian:-

Мое место слева, и я должен там сесть,
Не пойму, почему мне так холодно здесь,
Я не знаком с соседом, хоть мы вместе уж год.
И мы тонем, хотя каждый знает, где брод.
И каждый с надеждой глядит в потолок
Троллейбуса, который идет на восток.
Троллейбуса, который идет на восток.
Троллейбуса, который…

Все люди – братья, мы – седьмая вода,
И мы едем, не знаю, зачем и куда.
Мой сосед не может, он хочет уйти,
Но он не может уйти, он не знает пути,
И вот мы гадаем, какой может быть прок
В троллейбусе, который идет на восток.

В кабине нет шофера, но троллейбус идет,
И мотор заржавел, но мы едем вперед,
Мы сидим не дыша, смотрим туда,
Где на долю секунды показалась звезда,
Мы молчим, но мы знаем, нам в этом помог,
Троллейбус, который идет на восток.

Viktor Robertovich Tsoi was a Soviet-Korean singer and songwriter who co-founded Kino, one of the most popular and musically influential bands in the history of Russian music. Born and raised in Leningrad, Tsoi started writing songs as a teenager.

Image result for Viktor Tsoi

 

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CAMILLE PISSARRO – “LA CUEILETTE DES POIS”

beautybellezzabeaute's avatarBeauty Bellezza Beauté

pissarro

A painting by impressionist master CAMILLE PISSARRO that was seized from its French Jewish owner during World War II is at the center of a court battle beginning Tuesday in Paris after surfacing at an exhibition.

“La Cueillette des Pois” (Picking Peas), a gouache from 1887, emerged earlier this year on display at the French capital’s Marmottan Museum, more than 70 years after being snatched from art collector Simon Bauer in Nazi-occupied France.

A court will on Tuesday begin examining who are the rightful owners — Bauer’s descendants or an American couple who say they had no idea as to its wartime fate when they bought it at auction in 1995.

Bauer, a self-made businessman, was among the thousands of French Jews who were rounded up for deportation in 1944. He narrowly escaped being sent to the Nazi death camps due to a train drivers’ strike.

Read full article HERE

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Revolution in Russia 5: Sealing The Czar’s Fate.

Interesting as this seems to chime in with Niall Ferguson’s new book about the power of secret elites. It also is evidence of British imperialism in the resulting consequences of 1917.

Jim_and_Gerry's avatarFirst World War Hidden History

Alfred Milner, the Secret Elite leader, member of the inner War Cabinet, and leader of the mission to Russia in 1917.

In a sense it was Gallipoli all over again. Hold the Russians fast to the war without allowing them to gain anything from their mammoth contribution. Until the United States entered the war and her troops were on the ground in Europe, Russian troops were valuable, but Russia could not be allowed to share the spoils when the ultimate victory had been secured. It was absolutely essential that the Czar be prevented from mounting a successful offensive in 1917. An Allied conference in St Petersburg was hastily arranged, theoretically to discuss the proposed offensive, reach an agreement to supply vital armaments and boost local morale. Step forward Alfred Milner, undisputed master of the Secret Elite, to lead the British delegation. According to Cabinet papers, Milner was ‘authorised to give assurances on supplies to Russia if in his estimation the Russians could make good use of them’. [1] What power. Armament…

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Art and Photographic History German Matters West Cornwall (and local history)

A Trainee Nurse’s pay at the outset of World War Two

A historian friend has written me about a Jewish woman who left Berlin, and saved her life, coming to England and starting her training in 1939. She had free board and bed and earned just 36/- per month. That is £3 and 6s. By November 1943 she was fully qualified and working in a General Hospital and her new salary became £5 and 5s-nurses were considered professionals before the NHS was formed and  were paid in Guineas (I Guinea= £1 and 1s). In order to fathom what this might have bought I looked up some figures in a couple of hours in a local newspaper archive. The following is what I discovered there.

Image result for Nurses Uniform in 1940

West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser  Feb 8th 1940    Price 2d
(12d= i/- (shilling) and 20/- equals £1 (a pound) )
Cockerels £1 per 100
Rental for a 2 bedroom house, sitting room, kitchen and scullery in Richmond Terrace in Truro £20 per annum
500 stamps 2/6 i.e. 2 shillings and 6d= 1/8 of a Pound
Cure for corns on feet 9d per bottle or 10 and 1/2d by post
Newly soiled Army boots 6/6 approx 1/3 of a Pound
soled and heeled 7/-
Unbleached bed sheets -double bed sized 7/11 and 1/2d (So it doesn’t seem 8 shillings!)
Turkish towels 1/11 and 1/2d
Unused 30 horsepower Electric Motor secondhand cost 50/- (Two and a half pounds) for sale at 30/-
Graham Piano in a walnut case £14 and 14/-
Other modern pianos in part exchange £7 and 10/-
Ginger wine 3/- for a bottle
Port styled wine (i.e. not real Port) a quarter bottle 9d
Full bottle of Sherry 2/6= 30d
Large oval bottle of port styled wine 3/6
West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser  Feb 12th 1940    Price 2d
 
Truro City Band – Grand Dance -admission 1/3 (obviously haf of half a crown!)
Kidney Pills on offer 1/3 and at 3/- and at 5/-
The Cornishman Dec 28th 1939 
 
Weekend Return Fare to Isles of Scilly 12/6 from Penzance!
New Agricutural Wages Act 1924 Update-comes into force on 1st Jan 1940
Minimum Wage for Male over 21 at 37/- (up from 34/-)
                                                14 year old  11/6
                           for Female over 20 6d per hour
                                                14-15 3d per hour
An advert 14 inches by 16 inches (half page) cost £18
80 word advert for 3 weeks cost 7/3
(It announces in this edition that overworked Nazis will be getting 3 weeks extra holiday next year and those cancelled in September will have their holidays restored}
(Also British Contraband seize 7000 tons of goods of contraband of which…
4000 tons are petrol
600 tons of foodstuffs and beverages
200 tons of tin
100 tons of rubber
Image result for Russo-Finnish War in 1940
and in North Finland 5000 Russians captured by Finns
Berlin Wireless announces Hitler to visit Western Front)
Wife’s Maintenance set by Camborne Court after husband’s pretty clear adultery = 15/- per week
Fees for a Girl’s School relocated from Isle of Wight-Westwing- to open in Jan 24th 1940
£30 and 30/- under 8 years boarding and £35 and 35/- boarding
Kindergarten £5 5/- per term.
The other authority on prices at this moment in time was, of course, George Orwell’s account of the reasonable cost of reading compared to smoking and drink. Sadly, it appears that so-called Agency nurses may be reasonably paid but if Jeremy Hunt’s pronouncements are anything to go by, nurses are scarcely likely to have a much better time in the forthcoming period. The long shadow of Brexit has already, as is well known made for a severe shortage of staff. The Conservative Party are great believers in the so=called free market, except of course when it applies to Public Sector Pay!
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Siziliens nördliche Küste von Caronia nach Patti – Zeichnungen von Susanne Haun

Danke sehr Susanne-deine Meldungen finde ich immer sehr interessant und bezauber mich-eine charmante Mischung -Geschichte und Skizzen-Danke Sehr!!

Susanne Haun's avatarSusanne Haun

Sizilien, 1.9.2017:

Ein ruhiger Tag sollte es heute werden. Ein Tag zum Erholen. Es wurde jedoch wieder ein sehr aufregender und vor allem langer Tag. Die Strecke entlang der Küstenstraße von Caronia nach Patti ist abwechslungsreich, 78 km lang und laut Navi in 1 Stunde und 56 Minuten zu befahren. Wir ließen uns treiben, hielten an, wo es uns gefiel und brauchten 7 Stunden und 30 Minuten.

Als erste Station hielten wir am Steinbruch Torrenova, der an einem vollkommen trocknen Flussbett liegt. Es hat etwas trauriges, Boote auf dem Trocknen zu sehen. Es war schon 13 Uhr herum und um die 30 Grad. Die Hitze verstärkt das deprimierende aber doch faszinierende Bild.

Capo d’Orlando ist ein Küstenstädtchen mit einem langen Strand inklusive der gleichnamigen Promenade. Wieder fragten wir uns, warum die Menschen so dichtgedrängt in Cefalú liegen, während es hier einen kilometerlangen Sandstrand, nette Cafés und Bars gibt und…

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“The Music of Erich Zann” by H.P. Lovecraft

Perceptive article- must read Lovecraft ….and get around too to Somerset Maugham!

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Tête-à-Tête

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Sketches from Italy

lindabeachstudio's avatarLinda Beach

SketchMonteriggioni Sketch from Monteriggioni,Tuscany 4″x 6″

What a wonderful adventure in Italy!  I just returned from Tuscany and the Cinque Terre where I traveled with a group of artists and photographers.  We spent most of our time exploring, sketching, and painting the hill towns of the Cinque Terre and Tuscany.

I was able to sketch this scene of the grapevines which acted as an awning across the piazza from my table at a cafe. Monteriggioni is located in Siena province of Tuscany. It is noted for its architecture, piazzas, and was mentioned in Dante’s “Divine Comedy”.

I was drawn to the shadow patterns created by the grapevines on the wall. It is certainly true that when one takes the time to sketch on site, the details of the scene are set in our minds more than a quick snapshot. Enjoying a cup of cappuccino and then a lunch of prosciutto and…

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German Matters Literature Penwith Poetry

Joachim Ringelnatz und Strassenbahnen

Image result for Joachim_Ringelnatz

Strassenbahn 23 und 13

 

Was nur in Frankfurt sich begibt:

Die Trambahn hielt auf offner Strecke.

Sie sah am Wege eine Schnecke

Und sagte gähnend: »Steigen Sie ein, wenn es Ihnen beliebt.«

Die Schnecke wehrte: »Danke, mir pressiert es.«

Da gab die Bahn ein Abfahrtssignal und noch eins und

ein drittes und viertes.

Und wirklich begann sie allmählich weiter zu fahren,

Um noch vor Sonntag die nächste Station zu erreichen.

Dort lagen an dreihundert Leichen,

Lauter Leute, die über dem Warten verhungert waren.

 

Joachim Ringelnatz wurde als jüngstes von drei Geschwistern in einem Wohn- und Geschäftshaus am Crostigall 14 in Wurzen bei Leipzig um „11 ¾ Uhr“ in einem Zimmer über dem Flur geboren, wie der Geburtsschein der Hebamme belegt. Seine Eltern waren beide künstlerisch tätig. Sein Vater Georg Bötticher, der einer thüringischen Gelehrtenfamilie entstammte, war ein Musterzeichner und später hauptberuflicher Verfasser von humoristischen Versen und Kinderbüchern. Er veröffentlichte vierzig Bücher, unter anderem in Reclams Universal-Bibliothek. Die Mutter Rosa Marie, Tochter eines Sägewerksbesitzers, zeichnete ebenfalls, entwarf Muster für Perlstickereien und stellte Puppenbekleidung her. Ringelnatz wuchs in bescheidenem Wohlstand auf: Die Familie beschäftigte zwei Dienstmädchen.

Quelle:-https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Ringelnatz

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camborne_and_Redruth_Tramways

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LAST TRAM TO HAKENFELDE: THE END OF WEST BERLIN´S NETWORK

Berlin Companion's avatarKREUZBERGED - BERLIN COMPANION

Depending on the criteria and personal preferences, the history of the electric street-tram began either in Russia in a small seaside town of Sestroretsk near Sankt Petersburg in 1880 or in Berlin a year later. On May 16 1881 Werner Siemens, the vehicle´s German inventor who had previously contacted Fyodor Pirotsky, the Russian engineer, opened his first electricity-powered tram line near the Prussian Military College in Lichterfelde.

DEBUT OF THE FIRST ELECTRIC TRAM IN THE WORLD: BERLIN-LICHTERFELDE, MAY 1881 (image through siemens.de)

Even though the idea behind the project was brilliant, engineers involved in developing it still had a lot of work to do. The main problem were the rails, initially used as electricity conduits. They provided an invisible but very palpable power which not only propelled carriages along the 250-metre long line at an until then unknown speed but, on the downside, if you accidentally stepped on them, an…

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