MVRDV . architecture Clouding

MVRDV . architecture Clouding in an era of could computing 

(who said media & computation cultures are mere conceptions)

http://www.architizer.com/en_us/blog/dyn/35714/mvrdvs-cloud-will-be-built-as-is/?utm_source=Architizer+Newsletter&utm_campaign=e902f03ec0-Newsletter&utm_medium=email

www.archdaily.com

Fix it!

Fix it! The Energetic Society as a New Perspective on Governance for a Clean Economy: Maarten Hajer

The ambitious goal of a clean economy and a high-quality society can be achieved.

It is "the existing powers of creativity and innovation within society that offer opportunities for green growth,” says Maarten Hajer in The Energetic Society, the PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency Trends Report. Yet in order to exploit the potential of this energetic society, Hajer says, governments need to adjust and act in a timely way, otherwise they will be exposed to the powers of the energetic society that may effectively obstruct government initiatives. We need a new partnership and a new division of responsibilities.

Innovation means planning for action and initiative, accepting the fact that mistakes will be made, and making certain that improvements are identified and implemented rapidly. Such innovation calls for a different type of government based on the notion of “radical incrementalism.” Putting the sustainable achievements of institutions and businesses in digital, shareable form is important for providing valuable examples and feedback.

The challenge is to do more with less – something for which there is no instant solution. New ideas will constantly be required and may be stimulated by a government that commits itself to clear objectives and engages in new forms of social engagement.

http://www.picnicnetwork.org/maarten-hajer-1

City 2.0

At TED everything could happen. It's been a very enjoyable & inspiring platform ever since i learned about it in 2008.. it never fails one searching for an original, genuine words or some Courageous voice.

Thank You #TED platform & people behind it for make it happen. 

For the first time in history, the TED Prize winner is not an individual, but an idea that greatly impacts the future of planet Earth… and the winner is The City 2.0. The City 2.0 is the city of the future, a future in which more than ten billion people are dependent on. The idea is not a “sterile utopian dream” but rather a “real-world upgrade tapping into humanity’s collective wisdom.” More urban living space will be constructed over the next 90 years than all prior centuries combined, so it is time to get it right.

Continue reading for more information on The City 2.0 and details on how you can participate.
Provided by the TED Prize press release:

The City 2.0 promotes innovation, education, culture, and economic opportunity.
The City 2.0 reduces the carbon footprint of its occupants, facilitates smaller families, and eases the environmental pressure on the world’s rural areas.

The City 2.0 is a place of beauty, wonder, excitement, inclusion, diversity, life.
The City 2.0 is the city that works.

Each year, TED Prize is awarded to an “exceptional individual” who receives $100,000 and “One Wish to Change the World.” Visionaries from around the globe will be given the collective opportunity to craft one wish for The City 2.0.
Back in 2006, TIME’s person of the year was Y O U. It became evident that we are in charge of shaping our own destiny and we are one collective whole. If you wish to contribute an idea for The City 2.0, write to tedprize@ted.com and join the conversation here.

The wish will be announced on February 29th, 2012 at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California.

“On a Leap Year date, we have the chance, collectively, to take a giant leap forward.”

Reference: TED Prize, TIME Magazine

TED Conversations

This conversation will close in 5 days, 15 hours and 43 minutes, on December 13, 2011 at 4:43:19 PM.

Today, TED announces the winner of the 2012 TED Prize: the City 2.0.
......

A range of visionaries around the world will be advocates on behalf of the City 2.0. We are listening to them -- and to you.

What is your wish for The City 2.0? A wish capable of igniting a massive collaborative project among the members of the global TED community, and indeed all who care about our planet's future.
http://www.ted.com/conversations/7683/if_you_could_make_a_wish_on_be.html

Links...
http://www.tedprize.org/
http://blog.ted.com/2011/12/06/ted-prize-2012-goes-to-the-city-2-0/
http://www.tedprize.org/announcing-the-2012-ted-prize-winner/
http://www.archdaily.com/tag/the-city-2-0/
https://twitter.com/#!/ArchDaily


The last function of making a City That works bring back The words of Le Corbo to my mind...  Ones he discussed =that cities exists as long as they function as ones, and they have to be replaced if they failed to... sure he was extreme.
But ever since his time; Making A City That works is what everyone's craving for...   

Narrating The ArabSpring

Call For Papers:   Narrating The Arab Spring > AWID

Source: Translation Studies Portal

16/11/2011

The aim of this international conference is to consider and shed light on the new narratives emerging from and about the Arab Spring. It will bring together participants from the Arab world, the UK, and beyond to reflect on the momentous events of 2011 and exchange views and experiences. The conference organizers invite papers from different disciplines. Deadline for abstracts: December 15, 2011.

International conference organized by The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) at the University of Manchester in cooperation with The Department of English at Cairo University and The Women and Memory Forum.


The Arab Spring continues to inspire and energize movements and peoples both inside and outside the region, despite the many setbacks, the challenges, and the loud trumpets of the prophets of doom and gloom.  The success of the Tunisian people in forcing Ben Ali to flee the country in January 2011 sent powerful tremors of hope and empowerment to millions of Arabs.  The rapid success of unarmed, peaceful Egyptian protesters in ousting a formidable dictator, Mubarak, in 18 days created an unprecedented sense of euphoria in the region and beyond. Uprisings erupted across the region, sending strong messages to old authoritarian rulers. The specificities of each country have chartered different trajectories and consequences for protesters and the regimes in power: what is shared is the regained belief in power of the Arab people, in the agency of Arabs and their ability to forge their futures.




Narratives of the Arab Spring are not uniform: they range from idealistic celebration to dark pessimism.  This is understandable considering the vastness and magnitude of the events, the dominant paradigms that have traditionally been used to understand and predict events in the Arab world, as well as the mounting pressures and difficulties that continue to arise. Notwithstanding, the Arab Spring has also resulted in raising new questions and elaborating new narratives about the power and authority of modern states, initiating novel forms of resistance and new modes of activism; in connecting with global movements;  in raising issues of gender and citizenship;  in promoting the culture of revolutions; and in asserting people’s power.




The aim of this international conference is to consider and shed light on the new narratives emerging from and about the Arab Spring. It will bring together participants from the Arab world, the UK, and beyond to reflect on the momentous events of 2011 and exchange views and experiences. The conference is organized by The Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World (CASAW) at the University of Manchester in cooperation with The Department of English at Cairo University and The Women and Memory Forum. It will be held in Cairo on 18 -20 February 2012, marking the first anniversary of the ousting of Mubarak on the 11th of February 2011.  It will run for three days, and will consist of panels, roundtable discussions, as well as invited testimonials by activists and artists.
We invite papers from different disciplines to address issues related to the following themes:

•  The Arab Spring as global inspiration.
• Decentralizing Tahrir: Narratives of Egyptian “squares”.
• Forms of resistance and modes of activism.
• Cultures of revolution.
• Arab revolutions: diverse narratives and contexts.
• Challenges and prospects for state and society relations.
• Discovering the power of the people.
• Reclaiming public space.
• Gender and citizenship in the aftermath of revolutions.
• Visual and material representations of empowerment
• Technologies of revolutions.
• The role of media in social protests.

Please send an abstract (250 words) no later than 15 December 2011.




Organizing Committee:
Sahar Abdel Hakim, Omaima Abou Bakr, Marilyn Booth, Hoda Elsadda, Mostafa Kamel El-Sayed, Michelle Obeid, and Loubna Youssef
For enquiries contact:
Hoda Elsadda: hoda.elsadda@gmail.com
Michelle Obeid: Michelle.Obeid@manchester.ac.uk

Article License: Copyright - Article License Holder: Translation Studies Portal

http://www.awid.org/Get-Involved/Calls-for-Participation2/Call-for-papers-Narrating-the-Arab-Spring

salam mn ard salam

a version of Antique Damascene peace...


Image of Mr. Nizar Alkak collection on #Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=312282035463124&set=o.2385708118&type=1&ref=nf

VR - #AkramKhan

I must say Akram khan is simply Great!

مسابقة الشعر والقصة القصيرة للكتاب العرب الشباب

مسابقة الشعر والقصة القصيرة للكتاب العرب الشباب    

 لقد شهد العالم العربي خلال السنة الماضية تغيرات هائلة - اخبرنا عنها باسلوبك الخاص-

يدعو المعهد الدانماركي بدمشق جميع الشبان العرب ذوي المواهب الادبية تحت سن الثلاثين للمشاركة في مسابقة ادبية .

الهدف منها إعطاء جيل الشباب فرصة و امكانية التجاوب بطريقة فنية 

مع الوضع الراهن في العالم العربي.

تحميل تقديم طلب

Application

الجوائز

افضل 12 الى 20 عمل سيتم نشرهم في  مجموعة نثرية باللغتين العربية والدانماركية .

اضافة الى ذلك سيتم دعوة ثلاثة رابحين في المسابقه للمشاركة في المهرجان الادبي الدولي ( CPH:LITT ) الذي سيتم عقده في كوبنهاغن الدانمارك  في آيار, 2012.

لجنة التحكيم

ستضم لجنة التحكيم مجموعة من الكتاب والباحثين من العالم العربي .

الأعمال الادبية

يجب ان تتوافر في العمل الأدبي الشروط التالية:

- أن لا يزيد عن 20صفحة.

- أن يكتب باللغة العربية الفصحى.

- يجب أن يتجاوب بشكل ما مع الوضع الراهن ببلدك

لديك حرية الاختيار بين الاجناس الادبية التالية:

 القصة القصيرة ,الشعر .

شروط المشاركين

- عليك كمشارك في المسابقة ان تتوافر بك الشروط التالية.

- ان تكون من مواليد 1982  فما فوق.

- ان تكون مواطنا عربيا .

كيف يمكنك المشاركة في المسابقة

 عليك إرسال عملك الادبي بشكل ملف word  أو PDF على بريدنا الالكتروني

Shortstory@damaskus.dk

http://www.damaskus.dk/index.php?id=2