Tag: Peace

Suez Canal: Encore!

Posted on by Building The World

 

Amneris, in “Aida” by Verdi. Photographer: Marty Sohl, Metropolitan Opera, www.thirteen.org.

“Aida,” the opera by Guiseppi Verdi, was written in honor of the opening of the Suez Canal. Now there may be an encore. Egypt is widening the canal with a second lane. Before, 49 ships transited per day; the improved waterway will accommodate 97. Wider and longer, the new Suez Canal will also be faster, cutting southbound transit from 18 hours to 11. Building the improved canal, at a cost of $8.5bn, is expected to generate revenue of $13.5bn by 2023. Suez commands 7% of all global water-transport business; this expansion caused the Suez Canal Authority to term the achievement a “rebirth.” Built by diplomat-developer Ferdinand de Lesseps in 1869, the Suez Canal was dedicated, by firman Article VI, for “tariffs of dues for passage…always equal for all nations, no particular advantage ever stipulated for exclusive benefit of any one country.” Should projects of connectivity, such as canals and tunnels, be chartered channels of inclusiveness and peace? On August 6, one year after construction began, the new Suez Canal opening is planned. Will there be a new opera? “Aida” had a sister; Elton John wrote a second version. What artists of today might celebrate the current widening of Egypt’s gateway waters? Verdi, and John, might advise such gateways include a budget for the arts.

“Egypt holds trial run on second Suez Canal,” BBC News, 25 July 2015: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33666314

“Egypt opens new Suez Canal,” BBC video, August 6, 2015:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-33698736

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

 

Channels of Migration

Posted on by Building The World
Photo: Makisig, “Malinta Tunnel, Corrigedor, Philippines,” wikimedia commons.

Eurotunnel estimates that 37,000 people may have attempted migration through the Channel Tunnel. Tragically, fatalities have occurred. People seeking a way out, a way forward, another way, are using the tunnel linking France and England. In a world challenged by climate migration, political migration, and employment migration, what kinds of channels can be safely provided to get from a troubled “here” to a better “there?”

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Signing the Future

Posted on by Building The World
Signature that changed history: Magna Carta. Image:; wikimedia commons.

June 15, 1215. A field not far from London. An agreement recognized by a yielding king, revoked by a Pope, revived by a civil war, Magna Carta would continue to shape rights, legal systems. So too, the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple, where enshrined was the rule of law, marked a change in history. Magna Carta’s 39th clause may have been among the first directives of trial by jury. To make certain everyone had access to the law, Magna Carta was proclaimed annually, read aloud in a resounding voice by the sheriff. In modern times, issues raised by Magna Carta continue to evolve, as our world grows more inclusive.

“Why is Magna Carta Important?” BBC, June 15, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33114817

“Complicated Legacy,” Colleen Walsh, Harvard Gazette, June 12, 2015. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/06/magna-carta-overrated/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Strong Cities: Boston

Posted on by Building The World
“B Strong” badge. Courtesy of Boston Red Sox/Major League Baseball. Image: wikimedia commons.

April 15 marks the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, and the power of a city to rise in response. Turning tragedy into actions of peace, Boston inaugurates a new tradition: One Boston Day, honored by acts of what Mayor Walsh termed “resilience and goodness.” Do cities possess inherent power through the good will of citizens? Washington DC was built with open spaces to promote democratic gatherings. Boston may inspire the way to peace: a city strong, through kindness.

http://www.onebostonday.org/

http://runforkrystle.com/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Common Ground

Posted on by Building The World
Landscape in Scotland by Gustave Dore. Courtesy of Walters Art Museum.

Scotland’s decision of September 2014 probes connection. Whether for or against independence, one might find common wealth in Charlemagne‘s interconnected centers of learning that may have led to establishment of universities. Erasmus, a modern European educational exchange network, follows the tradition. Another example of the power of connection might be the Hanseatic League of medieval Europe, now known as Hanse. At the time of the guilds, industries traded specialized goods such as wax, cloth, on a regional basis; Hanse was formed for this purpose. When the 14th century league decided to require annual convention, Tagfahrt delegates from 50 cities met in an intricate, and inclusive, system of governance and agreement. New leagues, for new times, may be emerging: whether united or independent, regions of the world are interconnected through shared benefit and responsibility for water, energy. Hanse’s annual meeting was often convened by Lübeck; might Glasgow, Scotland, host Common Ground 2015?

For more:

On Scotland’s September 2014 decision: http://www.bbc.uk/news/magazine-29276463

On Hanse: http://www.hanse.org/en/international-hanse-days/the-traditional-hanseatic-days/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

 

August that Changed the World

Posted on by Building The World
Image: wikimedia commons.

It was a slow but important correspondence. On August 2, Albert Einstein wrote a letter from his home on Nassau Point, Peconic, Long Island, New York. On October 19, United States’ President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a reply from the White House, Washington, DC, responding: “My dear Professor: I want to thank you.” The year was 1939 and atomic energy was the subject of exchange between professor and president. Consequences of the discovery were soon felt. Another August, 1946, advanced the Promethean quest. The Atomic Energy Act attempted to regulate energy of unprecedented power for purposes including “promoting world peace.” Has that goal succeeded? What can this generation do?

For the Einstein-Roosevelt letters:

http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/psf/box5/a64a01.html

For the Atomic Energy Act:

U.S. Code, Title 42, Ch. 23, “Atomic Energy Act of 1946,” also available in Building the World (2006), Volume 2, pages 491-514.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Baghdad: Madinat-as-Salam

Posted on by Building The World
Peace Symbol. Courtesy: wikimedia commons.

Riding a white horse, Caliph al-Mansur lept from his steed, unsheathed his sword, and drew three concentric circles in the sands of the land shining before him, proclaiming: “Here we will build the City of Peace, Madinat-as-Salam.” Calendar year 145 (or A.D. 762) proved auspicious; the Caliph had indeed found advantageous terrain. On the Tigris River, a trade nexus was born, at one time the wealthiest in the world and one of the most beautiful. Since then, the world has known that city under a different name: Baghdad. It is a place now rebuilding: new infrastructure, new water and energy systems, and perhaps a new vision. New Baghdad has an opportunity to claim its destiny of Madinat-as-Salam, City of Peace.

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

2020 Vision: Seikan and Chunnel

Posted on by Building The World
Seikan Tunnel, Japan. Courtesy of Wikimedia.

Japan will host the Olympics in 2020. What innovations might appear? Shinkansen, fast-trains developed and inaugurated for the Tokyo 1964 Games, proved to be successful — in safety and profitability — from the first day of operation. Japan’s Seikan Tunnel, completed for rail traffic in 1988, confirms the convenience of rapid rail; when the tunnel opened, it largely replaced ferryboats plying the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido. Similarly, the Channel Tunnel, with debut of rail service in March 1995, improved travel time from London to Paris to just over two hours. Environmental benefits are among those recognized and valued. What will Japan offer in 2020? Japanese animation may introduce spokesperson Sakura Heiwa (http://tokyomewmewfanon.wikia.com/wiki/Sakura_Heiwa). Might new transport designed for the Olympics welcoming so many nations include representatives, images, art, music, and poetry promoting Peace?

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.