Comment du Jour

20 July 1969--Remember??

On 20th of July 1969, Americans landed on the Moon. The celebrated Apollo 11
Lunar Program took Americans to the Moon and Neil Armstrong was the first man to Walk on the Lunar landscape!

We all remember where we were that day. I was in Vermont watching the Lunar Landing on a flickering Black and white TV.

Five additional Apollo missions landed on the Moon between 1969 until 1972.


Fast forward to 2011. The manned U.S. Space Program formally ended with the return of the Shuttle Atlantis. Amazingly the USA will now subcontract its manned flight to Russia. Space is no longer taken very seriously by the current Administration which has cut thousands of scientific jobs, slashed Research and Development, and basically conceded the High Frontier to Russia and waiting in the wings China.

Comment du Jour

So Very Close But....

Despite an amazing match in the Finals in Frankfurt, the USA Women lost to Japan.


In a sea-saw game which ended with a 2-2 draw, was finally decided by penalty kicks, as the American team faded fast against a determined Japanese goal defense. The Japanese team scored 3-1 in an aggressive last minute onslaught.

This was the first time a Japanese Women's Team won the FIFA Football World Cup.
Without question, the football victory was a tremendous psychological boost for Japan, a nation which has endured the horrors of an earthquake, Tsunami, and nuclear accident just four months earlier.

So a few weeks of World Cup football in Germany ends with Japan, the United States, Sweden and France as the top teams.

Comment du Jour

Team USA Going to Football Finals

The USA Women's Soccer/football team defeated France in a 3-1 match and shall be going to the Finals in Frankfurt. Amazing play by the American women in the game with France, put Team USA into the running and with a real chance to win the coveted World Cup. Again kudos to Abby Wambach for her awesome play.

Japan equally kept their winning streak going by trouncing Sweden 3-1. The Japanese Women's team has had an amazing run in Germany with a surprising win over the favored home team. Though the USA was among the favorites, Japan was not, and this adds an aura of suspense to the Finals.

It's going to be the USA vs Japan on Sunday--watch this game!

Comment du Jour

USA Beats Brazil—High Drama in Dresden

The USA Women's Soccer Team beat Brazil (2-2) by winning penalty kicks in a high stress and near-miracle victory in the last seconds of the overtime match. In a high drama face off in Dresden leading to the quarterfinals, the U.S. women faced a determined and dogged Brazilian team who was tipped to win. Despite a win over Colombia, Team USA was jolted coming off a loss to Sweden days earlier.

A long see-saw drama was in the cards on the pitch in Dresden. But despite the score and the clock being against them, Abby Wambach saved the day for Team USA despite some less than genuine “injury” antics on the pitch by the Brazilian women.

The FIFA Women’s World cup has produced a string of upsets in the tournament which has been in progress throughout Germany since late June. The U.S. was thrashed by Sweden (2-0), France defeated England in penalty kicks, and favorite Germany was stunningly defeated (1-0) by Japan. So the USA, France, Sweden and Japan go the semifinals. England, Germany, and Brazil are out of the running.

The World Cup Finals are on 17 July.

Comment du Jour

National Palace Museum, Taipei. The 100 celebrates the hundredth year of the founding of the Republic of China. Below, an ad poster for the Mucha Exhibit.



Taipei, Taiwan and the Arts


Though long known and respected for the amazing National Palace Museum, a splendid repository of Chinese Culture and Civilization, Taipei has in recent years become an increasingly international city--one infused with European arts and trends which stand side by side with the ageless Chinese Civilization.

Revisiting the Republic of China on Taiwan, I'm reminded that besides the socio/economic dynamism and prosperity of this East Asian island, there's a thriving arts scene. Again without question, the National Palace Museum is THE PLACE for viewing China's dynastic history which after all, ended just a century ago in 1911.

Put the spectacular and important Bronzes, jades, scrolls and vases aside though for a fleeting moment, there 's also the chance to view important European art.

The famed Czech artist Alphonse Mucha is presently being celebrated at an exhibit
"Art Nouveau and Utopia." Presented in the Library of the National Palace Museum, the exhibit from Prague's Mucha Museum offers over 200 items ranging from posters, paintings and sculpture from the 19th century and early 20th century artist.

While Art Nouveau has long defined Mucha, largely due to his extraordinarily productive time in Paris in the glittering 1890's. His iconic portrait of Gismonda, the play starring Sarah Bernhardt, made this son of Moravia an European sensation.

Still the fact remains that the artist was a keen Slav nationalist who saw his work as a mythical and symbolic call to Czech nationalism despite the rule of the Austrian monarchy. His Slav Epic epiotimized the struggle for freedom and sovereignty. The exhibit's curator Tomoko Sato told the media, "He became a very keen nationalist who worked for the independence of his country."

An independent Czechoslovakia emerged after the carnage of the First World War; interestingly Mucha provided many of the symbols and currency of the new state.

John Mucha the artist's grandson and president of the Prague Mucha Museum told the media, "We want to dynamite, and I deliberately use the word dynamite, the concept that Alphonse was just an Art Nouveau artist." Without question, Alphonse Mucha was a profoundly important and influential Czech nationalist who died in 1939 and who is being introduced to Taipei.