The Truth about America

So what the truth about America anyway?

Jean Baudrillard, a French postmodern theorist and one of the most influential thinkers of the past two decades, would say:

“It is a world completely rotten with wealth, power, senility, indifference, puritanism and mental hygiene, poverty and waste, technological futility and aimless violence, and yet cannot help but feel it has about it something of the dawning of the universe. Perhaps because the entire world continues to dream of New York, even as New York dominates and exploits it.”

America is utopia made real. America is the giant simulacrum that has started to live its own life leading an existence independent of others, of the rest of the world. America is a self-fulfilling prophecy. This is why it is so powerful, because it managed to persuade itself and others it just is. America is an advertisement – an advertisement for a happy life and a boundless liberty. America is a myth – that’s why its existence is in and of itself illogical and fails to be explained by any rational endeavors or a simple common sense. Its basis is mythological, that’s why it still manages to survive even though all the rational evidence speaks against it as its current state would in case of any other country be unsustainable. America is not real, it is hyperreal. It doesn’t exist in the real world, it only exists as the simulation of the real. Consequentially, its own existence has gotten more real than the reality itself.

If this sounds interesting to you, here’s the link, where you can find out more about the book: http://www.amazon.com/America-Jean-Baudrillard/dp/0860919781

The Results of “American Flag By Your Eyes” Photography contest!

Hello all,

so I now finally know the results of the photography contest that I have been longing to know for the last three months! Two out of five photos that I sent in the photography contest “Americká vlajka Tvýma očima” of the American Center of US Embassy in Prague as my portfolio for the American Flag photography contest won a prize!

Actually, out of nearly 300 photos submitted in the contest, a total of 10 prizes were given to 10 best photos, which are currently being exhibited at the American Center as a part of the contest, and I won 2 of them! 2 out of 10! I am so happy!!!

The 4th place for my photo of reflection of American flag on the Vietnam War memorial:

(Vietnam War Memorial, Washington, DC – July 4, 2008)

…and the 9th place for the photo of the Wall Street:

(Wall Street, New York City – July 30, 2008)

I am especially happy about the results as this is the first photography contest ever, where I sent my pictures, I just started taking photography seriously only very recently, and 2 of my photos were already selected in the TOP 10 winners of the whole competition!

For those living in Prague, the exhibit is taking place at the American Center of US Embassy on Trziste. All 10 winning photos will also be published in the next issue of travel magazine 100+1!

Now that I got an impulse like this, I promise I will continue with photography and will be taking much more pictures and posting them here!

Just need to get over the exam season at the University of Glamorgan, where I am currently getting my Erasmus exchange experience, and do all the assessments for the lectures first…

After then, I’m all yours again!

Martina

Update of “Americká vlajka Tvýma očima” photography contest

My photos of the US flag were shortlisted in the photography contest “American Flag By Your Eyes” and will be published in 100+1 travel magazine!!!! I am so happy!

The results of the whole contest will be announced in American Center of the US Embassy in Prague on December 10, 2008. Wish me luck!!!

Best,

Martina

“American Flag By Your Eyes” Contest of US Embassy in Prague

And here it is - the moment that I and all people supportive of me taking pictures of the US flag all the time have been looking for the whole summer – my photos were published at the US Embassy website! Actually, all the photos that I submitted were selected for placement in the contest gallery!!!

The best selects of my work I am presenting here. To see the selected pictures in the photo gallery on US Embassy website, please visit the following links.

http://photos.state.gov/galleries/czechrepublic/31467/photo_usflag/31.html

Ground Zero, New York City, USA, July 30, 2008.

http://photos.state.gov/galleries/czechrepublic/31467/photo_usflag/155.html

Wall Street, New York City, USA, July 30, 2008.

http://photos.state.gov/galleries/czechrepublic/31467/photo_usflag/203.html

Boat cruise on Potomac River, Mount Vernon, Virginia, USA, June 22, 2008.

http://photos.state.gov/galleries/czechrepublic/31467/photo_usflag/3.html

World War II Memorial, Washington, DC, USA, July 12, 2008.

http://photos.state.gov/galleries/czechrepublic/31467/photo_usflag/116.html

Vietnam War Memorial, Washington, DC, USA, July 4, 2008.

However, as it was possible to submit the photo essay of 5 pictures only, I decided to publish also the remaining pictures and run the whole story on my blog… Here it goes!

The Pope Visits Catholic University exhibit is opening at CUA this week

Earlier this summer the Catholic University of America hosted its greatest visit of the year, when the Pope Benedict XVI visited the campus of the university. In honor of this exceptional occasion, the CUA organized the exhibit Together in Faith: The Pope Visits Catholic University, which has just opened its doors to the visitors this week…

As the CUA is the only bishop-founded university in the United States and with the immense acreage of its campus is often called the second Rome (or second Vatican), the opportunity to see the Pope was a very precious experience for the staff and the university students. To spread the inspiration that the religion has to offer, the CUA decided to make this exhibit traveling around the whole campus so that it i easily accessible to whole range of students from the various parts of the university.

During the next three months both students and visitors will have a unique chance to learn more about the Pope’s visit to the CUA, as well as about things that had been made specifically for his visit. The exposition includes such pieces as the Pope’s chair lined with the white leather, one of the oldest of the 49 copies of the Pope’s original papyrus facsimile, the papal zucchetto (or skullcap), which Pope Benedict XVI himself wore during his visit of the CUA (just for those interested, his later visit at the UN was served in the skullcap given to him by the CUA), the exhibition also shows the prayer beads that Pope Benedict XVI gave to CUA or three different T-shirts with Benedict motif that were made especially for the occasion of the Pope’s visit.

If you are interested in learning more about the Pope’s visit to the Catholic University of America, visit this traveling exhibit held at their campus, it will be opened until October 19. If from some reason you can not come and are still interested in the exposition, please look at the pictures that I managed to take there just today and share the inspiring atmosphere with me at least through my blog…

Spending my time at the Washington Harbor…

I LOVE the Washington Harbor! If anything, I will miss this place in particular when I leave DC next week… There’s something energizing about the harbor as every time I feel exhausted and in need to relax or simply just need some time off for myself, I know that coming here will give me energy and improve my mood in a big way! With an offer of so many little cafes, restaurants and even an original Italian gellato store, it’s one of those rare places in DC with the European vibe and that’s one of the reasons why I keep coming back there almost every weekend!

Another reason why I love this place so much is that I usually don’t feel complete unless I find water in every new location that I come to. The water generally calms me down and gives me a feel of balance that is so needed for my life… It is always the river where my first steps in a new city lead to…

So if you’re in DC right now, give it a try and visit the Washington Harbor! I promise you won’t regret it! The pics are only proving how incredible atmosphere this place really has!

The Washington Harbor is located at the very end of the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, DC and is overlooking the skyscrapers in Rosslyn, Virginia standing right off the Key Bridge that connects the two of the states together. The harbor itself is situated at the Potomac river and is providing its visitors a great view of the notorious Watergate Complex and also of the Kennedy Center, which with the various live performances played every night is the only venue in the world hosting 365 different LIVE performances a year!

The Watergate Complex

The Watergate Complex was one of the first sites that I wanted to see right after I came to Washington, DC. I was so curious about this place not only because of the Watergate Scandal itself, but mainly because I sacrificed almost a month of my life to a heavy research of the media coverage of the Watergate scandal and the subsequent resignation of Richard Nixon on the post of the US president in the three titles of the Czech newspapers published during the summer 1974. In the end, my efforts devoted to writing of that essay really paid off nicely on the grade I got for it, but there was still something missing… and that was seeing the actual Watergate Complex for real!

Well-equipped with my knowledge of details about the Watergate scandal, as well as with the character of its media coverage in the Czech contemporary press during the normalization, which was sometimes bordering with a strong propaganda and demonizing the US imperialism by the Czechoslovak communist regime at that time, I found myself staring at the complex in amazement.

First, I couldn’t believe I was actually there right in front of the building that was writing the history of the US journalism and secondly I couldn’t believe the I was physically standing at the place that I have had only seen on the pictures in the books and in the newspapers until that very moment. Also, I couldn’t believe that there was Safeway right at the Watergate complex, but that’s a whole different story…

Here are some of the pictures that I selected to support my feeling about the Watergate…

Washington National Cathedral

Today, I made a little trip to the Washington National Cathedral…

I have been planning on visiting it for a long time, especially after I found out that it was the second largest cathedral in the US and the sixth largest cathedral in the whole world! The cathedral itself is located close to Georgetown, on the North West of DC and besides its dimension is famous as a place where where presidents are eulogized and sometimes also interred and where many members of the high society are wed.

This masterpiece of the nation’s English-Gothic architecture incorporates many interesting motifs in its style. It is very rich on the stone carvings and other patterns highly used during the Gothic time, especially in Europe, and is composed from stones coming from many different sources. The stones for its construction collected all around the universe include even a piece of lunar rock acquired during the Apollo XI mission, which was embedded in the stained-glass Space Window inside the cathedral.

From the perspective of religious practice, the Washington National Cathedral doesn’t have any local congregation, it has rather functioned as a national house of prayer for various denominations, including Jewish or Serbian Orthodox citizens.

To share a part of my day at the cathedral with you, I chose the selects of the photos that I took there today. The cathedral has an amazing atmosphere and from its top floor it offers an amazing view on all of DC!

Hope you’ll like it because I loved it!

Martina  

The Sky in DC

There’s something so powerful and yet refreshing about observing the sky in Washington, D.C. The sky here is absolutely breathtaking, especially when the snow-white puffy clouds are sometimes creating funny patterns on the very bright background of the light blue colored DC sky.

Even when it rains here, it is fascinating to watch as the heavy sunlight is slowly penetrating the clouds from above and thus makes very dramatic visuals.

It’s such a shame that I haven’t seen such sky in Prague for so long…

“We Can Change The Climate Crisis” – Al Gore’s speech at DAR (July 17)

This Thursday, July 17 at Daughters of American Revolution in Washington, DC the former US Vice President Al Gore gave a powerful speech on environmental crisis and envisioned the solution based on utilizing the alternative energy resources.

“We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change, ” summarized Gore.

Both of the 2008 US presidential candidates reacted to his speech very shortly . The Republican candidate John McCain expressed his trust in Al Gore’s view on the future of US consumption of energy from the alternative sources when saying:  “if the Vice President says it’s doable, I believe it’s doable.”

The Democratic candidate Barack Obama also gave voice to Gore’s belief when he said: “I strongly agree with Vice President Gore that we cannot drill our way to energy independence, but must fast-track investments in renewable sources of energy like solar power, wind power and advanced biofuels.”

The rally was closed with the triumphal tones of the U2′s Beautiful Day. Wil.i.am from Black Eyed Peas was also at the rally as a support of Al Gore’s views on the future directions of the US environmental politics.

To see whole Al Gore’s speech, follow this link: http://www.wecansolveit.org/

Some of the pictures that I managed to take despite the fact it was prohibited to bring cameras inside are posted here…