World Poetry Day

21 March is Unesco's World Poetry Day. At this site, Unesco says:

Poetry contributes to creative diversity, by questioning anew our use of words and things, our modes of perception and understanding of the world. Through its associations, its metaphors and its own grammar, poetic language is thus conceivably another facet of the dialogue among cultures. Diversity in dialogue, free flow of ideas by word, creativity and innovation. World Poetry Day is an invitation to reflect on the power of language and the full development of each person’s creative abilities.

In order to celebrate the occasion, I am posting a German poem in English translation.

Here is the English version I made of Rose Ausländer's poem "Gemeinsam". If you know of other translations (either by professional translators or by amateurs such as myself), please post them in the comments (biographical note on the author, Rose Ausländer).

Together

Never forget

Friends

we travel together

we climb hills

pick raspberries

let ourselves be borne

by the four winds

Never forget

it is our own

shared world

the undivided one

oh, the divided one

which lets us blossom

which breaks us apart

this torn

undivided earth

on which we

travel together

Avoid those mistakes (please!)

A nicely illustrated list of avoidable mistakes:

15 grammar goofs that make you look silly

Speech by Hillary R. Clinton

Clinton demands "human rights" for women

(for analysis and practice)

KONY 2012

This is a movie about justice, about compassion, and about the power of the media which does not depend on whether you own your own radio or TV station.

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

Science and Technology

If you are interested in a really long timeline of inventions, have a look at the list at the Encyclopedia Britannica website:

Timeline of Groundbreaking Inventions

Garbage Warrior

(Tipp von Jochen Lüders)

Charles Dickens 200 - congratulations!

It's Charles Dickens's 200th birthday today - he was one of the most successful and influential authors of the 19th century. The power of his stories and his characters is still visible today, for example from the sheer fact that so many films have been made of his novels. The most famous are probably these three:

• Oliver Twist
• David Copperfield
• Great Expectations

I can recommend all three of them.

Saving the Planet

Have a look at this little booklet of online links and information. Which of these items do you find most interesting and/or informative? Use the comments to voice your view.

If you want it bigger than in this embedded version below, go to there: Saving the Planet.