I LOVE these italics. Stipula Ventidue and Aurora Talentum. It is peculiar that so few pen makers make factory stubs/italics withing their regular production. The vast majority among the few who does make italics for almost all their regular pens are Italian – Aurora, Visconti, Stipula… It is strange that neither Pelikan or Montblanc have italics/stubs in their production. Lamy has it for their low brow pens as Safari, Studio etc, but not for the 2000, which is a pity. Sailor and Pilot has it (music or zoom, at least) for some of their pens, which is a good thing. I’d be happy if all pen producers could offer italics in their regular production – I think they could recruit an awful lot of new customers if they did – scrapbookers for instance.

Seriously I can’t understand the craze for feather quills. Why do people insist on using such highly contrived devices to sign their marriage certificates when the roller-ball has already been invented? *bewildered*

Perfectly sensible men & women turn into fantasy Robin Hood & Maid Marian the second they need to sign the freakin’ marriage certificate & out comes the dramatically bushy feather quill. Is it the romance in the sweep of the dead chicken’s tail? Is it the “unique” element it supposedly creates in the portrait session? (HARDLY unique anymore!)

If people are aiming for the vintage look, they overshot the mark there. “Vintage” is a beautifully crafted art deco fountain pen with an exquisitely carved golden or silver nib dipped into a vintage crystal pot of ink. It is NOT plucking the backside of unassuming fowl in order to recreate a medieval writing instrument from the Dark Ages.

How many chickens have to run around naked just so that people can have a fancy feathered signing pen for that ONE time?! And make no mistake about it, it’ll be just that ONE time because I don’t see anyone using that in the hallowed corridors of Corporatia. Granted, (as one of the groomsmen, Errol pointed out) most of the original owners of said feathers aren’t running anymore, given the number of chicken rice stalls in Singapore. Naked, but definitely not running. That is not the point! Where’s the thrill in pretending to be from another era only during the signing process, unless your entire theme is medieval/renaissance/Robin Hood/Robinson Crusoe? 

And you grooms! Shame on you! If you wouldn’t normally wear a skort with pom-poms dangling from the hem, why would you even consider using a writing instrument with a bushy pink feather attached to the end of it??

Now, no offence to those of you who prefer to sign the most important contract of your life (apart from a prenup) with a feather quill. Hey, it’s a free world out there. But just consider how you’d feel about your wedding pictures when you’re sixty; feather quill and Precious Moments bears & Hello Kitties everywhere (the subject of another rant to come; what is WITH soft toys & weddings??!! Like the coming together of two teens at a county fair or something!)…if you think “Oh, adorable!” then by all means proceed because you belong to that segment of the population whose minds will never age beyond 16. But if you’re like me, you’d be wishing you invested more on the flowers and perhaps better gifts for your attendants and parents.

So in response to this peculiar trend of signing one’s marriage certificate with a quill, I’ve compiled a list of other instruments &/or methods you might use to get that “unique” factor without disturbing anybody’s backside feathers:

1. Gnaw on your thumb till you see some blood & then print it on the signing line. Stunningly simple, definitely heartfelt, and goes back further in time than the feather quill.

2. Sign your name with a piece of charcoal taken out of the embers of burnt love letters from past admirers. Meaningful, check. Romance, check. Unique, for sure, check.

3. Slick on blood-red lipstick on your lips (BOTH of you) and seal the cert with a kiss. A bit sick, but definitely original. Recommended only for people with decent-shape lips.

4. Sign your names with invisible ink…the signature will be visible only after you hold the paper over a lit candle for a while. Yup. I imagine many would want to do that with their marriage certificate. Especially after the 5th year of marriage.

5. Here’s a novel idea. How about an elegant Montblanc fountain pen which you can engrave with a special message and use long after the wedding? Too rich for your taste (or pocket), then how about a Waterman, a Parker, a Sheaffer or even a Campo Marzio? (Italian brand with really cute funky designs. I like!)

No prizes for guessing which option I’d be choosing.

So which are you going for?

This:

Or this:

Click on photo to view it in a bigger size.

The nib is the main reason to use a fountain pen. No other writing tool is as personal and has such a character as a fountain pen nib and they are beautiful too. Here are some of my faves.

I was looking for travel luggages the other day, suprisingly i didnt found a large choice when you want to hustle through the airport in style.Between the monogramed Louis Vuitton collection sounding too much “cliché ” and the Bottega Venetta Marco Polo collection more partial to Safari circus, i have decided to head for something more “exquisite”.. Montblanc has exactly what I needed except for the type of luggage, apparently these are made for those whom travel “light” but anyway its gorgeous.

montblanc.com 

One of the great treats of the late summer and fall is Monte Bianco. I read about it first in Lampedusa’s “The Leopard”, which is one of the great unknown novels of world literature. I never thought I’d make it myself, but then I found it in Hazan’s “Essentials of Classical Italian Cooking” and tried it. Now it’s easy enough to me that I think it’s an easy dessert, but I’m sure originally I thought it was hard. It’s easy though. And one of the best desserts that can be made. It’s good to plan it out in advance, though. It can be made in about 1.5 hours (most of that is cooling the dessert in the freezer) but it’s a lot better if you begin before the meal and have it thoroughly cooled by dessert time, about 3-4 hours to do it in at an easy pace.

Monte Bianco

Soak 2 pounds of chestnuts in warm water for 30 minutes. Slit them deeply across their “bellies” carefully, using your sharpest knife, and steam them for 20 minutes. Set 1 pound of 87% chocolate to melt in a double boiler (put the chocolate in a pot and float the pot in a larger pot of water and bring the water to a low simmer; chocolate burns easily). Then sit down, open each chestnut, and scoop out the meat into a low, wide saucepan. Try to get rid of as much of the inside skin as you can. When that’s done, pour enough milk so it almost covers the chestnuts, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes . You need to be careful here, I’ve burnt the bottom of the chestnuts several times. When the chestnuts absorb the milk, mix in the chocolate, add sugar to taste, and 1/4 cup of liquor (gin is incredible, as is rum). Put in the freezer or fridge until cool (the cooler the better, but don’t freeze it). When it’s cool, put heavy cream in a bowl and run an electric mixer until it becomes whipped cream. Put the chocolate in the bottom of a serving bowl, top with whipped cream, and read the Leopard in amazement.

From left to right: Letts baroque, Rhodia web notebook, Letts noteletts, Moleskine.

It took longer time than I thought, but now I have testdrived Letts of London (LOL) noteletts, LOL Baroque, Rhodia webnotebook 80g (sorry – haven’t got hold of any of the newer yet) and Moleskine blank journal. Their size vary slightly, but it is basically the same concept; rubber band and pocket inside. Note that I have bought and paid these by myself – this comparison is independent and done as a part of the quest for a real good notebook (yet to find). I used a variety of pens and nib sizes  and inks to get a good view of the paper in the notebook The most prominent feature among all are that none are real fountain pen friendly, but both Letts are better than the Moleskine and Rhodia – not much, but enough to be significant. You can’t write on both pages – even with a fine nib – in any of them.  In order to view the writing samples properly: click on the photos.

Letts’ noteletts is clothed instead of the faux leather that the other sports. Good thing: variation and five colours available. Bad thing (for me who spills and carry it with me all the time) is that it stains more easily than faux leather. You can choose between lined, blank or squared (good for me who like blank pages). Paper is cream coloured . Upper right corner has a discrete date box that one can fill out or ignore. The paper quality is best out of the four, but it still features too much bleed through and feathering. It is almost worth the price.

Letts baroque seems to be a LE edition with flower textured faux leather (flower alligator?). It is the prettiest and most original of the four. Very nice. It comes in three colours; deep carmine red, black and brown (see earlier post).  The paper is not the same as in the noteletts and has a rather odd feature: every odd page is lined and every other blank – the left page is blank and the right is lined when you open it. Interesting, but I can’t help wondering why. The design makes it almost worth the price (about 20% cheaper than Moleskine here), but they should put their regular paper (best would be an even better paper than the regular) in this one and make it a part of their regular range.

Rhodia web note book 80 g/m paper The smallest of the four. This paper was a real bad surprise. I had expected – even though I knew that they have upgraded it to a 90g web note book – the paper to be something that felt like it came from a well reputed paper manufacturer, but unfortunately it didn’t. The paper has a nice colour and a nice feel to it, but it feathers even worse than Moleskine. Another drawback is that it only (even the new web note book) comes with lined pages. I prefer blank pages and can’t understand why they don’t bother to make both blanks, lined and squared. The least fountain pen friendly of the four. Not worth the hype or price. I can only hope that the 90 g paper does this brand justice.

Moleskine The brand everyone loves to hate. Costs almost  equivalent to $30 here. The paper is better than the paper in Rhodia’s web notebook, but it doesn’t justify the hilarious price. It loves to feather and let the ink seep through the page.

An annual benefit event for Urban Arts Partnership, THE 24 HOUR PLAYS ON BROADWAY attracted some of entertainment’s biggest names as they joined forces to write, direct, and perform six original short plays in 24 hours.  This year produced the most star-studded cast that the project has ever seen and celebrated the Broadway debuts of Eva Mendes, Ashton Kutcher, John Krasinski, and many others.  The sold out show drew a celebrity packed audience that moved to the after party at the Opera Ballroom at Crest.

Guests included: Montblanc CEO North America, Jan-Patrick Schmitz, Adam Duritz, Amber Tamblyn, Anthony Mackie, Ashton Kutcher, Billy Crudup, Brooke Shields, Cassie, Chris Henchy, Claudie Blakley, David Cross, Demi Moore, Diane Neal, Emily Blunt, Emmy Rossum, Eva Mendes, Fisher Stevens, Glenda Bailey, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Esposito, Jeremy Sisto, John Krasinski, Julia Stiles, Leslie Bibb, Liev Schreiber, Michael Ealy, Michael Urie, Montego Glover, Naomi Watts, Nina Persson, Rachel Dratch, Rosario Dawson, Rosie Perez, Sam Rockwell, Sean Combs, Tracie Thoms, Woody Harrelson and many others

Jetzt weiß ich was die Politik mit Sparen meint! Abzocken, betrügen und lügen  ist nicht strafbar sondern Politik.

Heute in der Westen: Abgeordnete bestellen Füller für 68.800 Euro

115 Bundestagsabgeordnete haben offenbar gegen Ende der letzten Wahlperiode noch für insgesamt 68.800 Euro 396 Füller und Stifte der Nobelmarke Montblanc gekauft. Auf Kosten der Steuerzahler. Einem Bericht zufolge haben mehrere Abgeordnete trotz Ausscheidens aus dem Parlament nachgeordert.

A group photo of the pens I use most frequently right now – for everyday writing.

The Lamy Vista is loaded with Diamine Sunshine Yellow for highlighting and suns,

The MB 146 is loaded with Diamine Majestic – a lovely deep blue ink of which you find a review here.

The Pilot M90 is loaded with Diamine Steel Blue (more like a dark, somewhat muted greenish turquoise) – review here.

The Pilot VP is loaded with Pilot Blue-Black.

A very pleasant quadruple that about covers all needs (and more…) during a workday. The pen that would join them if I had a case for five pens instead of four would be one of my Delta Profilis – preferably with red ink to break the blue dominance.

Speaking of colours; something I find interesting, confusing and amusing is  that Europe and the US  interprets blue and red differently when it comes to politics.  In the US blue is associated with the Democrats (left-centerfield) whereas it in Europe is associated with the center-right part of the political spectrum and vice versa for red. When I followed the latest presidential election I forgot about that for a few secs and was initially utterly surprised and puzzled when the first red/blue map appeared on the screen.

by Marc Hasenfuss, for Fin24, November 13, 2009.

Cape Town – Richemont chairperson Johann Rupert’s decision to assume the role of CEO at the Swiss-based luxury brands group as well has elicited contrasting responses from a shareholder activist and local asset managers.

Richemont announced on Friday that Rupert – who is also chairperson of investment companies Reinet and Remgro – would assume the role of CEO from April 1 2010.

While Rupert retains his chair of Richemont, the group did nominate Lord Renwick of Clifton (who sits on the SABMiller board) as lead independent director.

The appointment of Rupert follows the resignation of Norbert Platt as CEO for health reasons at the end of 2009. The development suggests Richemont could not find a suitable replacement for the well-regarded Platt, who was appointed in 2004…(continue reading)

Y es que a esta euforia solo la puedo llamar adicción. Tiene todos los elementos necesarios para llamar mi atención al punto de abstraerme del mundo real (y de las personas reales). Utilizar una pluma fuente involucra:

1. Rituales y acciones repetitivas y previsibles llevadas a cabo con mucha atención al detalle y precisión. Escoger una tinta, entintar una o varias plumas, vigilar el nivel de la tinta a medida que se usa la pluma, limpiar y secar los “mecanismos” internos si se va a cambiar el tipo/marca/color de la tinta o si se va a guardar la pluma por más de unos días y registrar todas estas cosas para saber que pluma tiene cual tinta y desde cuándo.

2. Escribir. También se puede utilizar una pluma fuente para dibujar pero hasta ahora siempre he preferido dibujar con palabras. Me gustan las palabras, las combinaciones de palabras y los sonidos que las expresan.

3. Riqueza sensorial percibida mediante el tacto. Cada tipo de papel es percibido con una rugosidad distinta, que incluso puede variar en el tiempo por cambios en la humedad atmosférica. De hecho, algunos papeles se sienten distintos cuando se usan por el anverso o el reverso. Distintos plumines, incluso de la misma marca y modelo, se sentirán distintos sobre el mismo papel. Un plumín individual se sentirá distinto a medida que se use de manera continua por una misma persona, debido al desgaste producido por el particular ángulo de escritura utilizado por ella. Mientras más sea usado un plumín – de manera exclusiva – por la misma persona, más suave se le hará la escritura.

4. Riqueza sensorial percibida por la vista. Luces, sombras y colores. Hay más colores de tinta disponibles para plumas fuente que para cualquier otro tipo de instrumentos de escritura. Algunos de esos colores producen un hermoso sombreado en los distintos trazos necesarios para escribir una palabra, variando de tonalidad e incluso de color en una misma letra. Tengo una tinta Waterman llamada Azul-Negro cuyo color puede variar de azul claro a gris a azul marino en una misma palabra.

5. Suavidad al escribir. No se necesita ejercer absolutamente ninguna presión sobre el papel para escribir con una pluma fuente. Se coloca la punta del plumín sobre el papel y se hala suavemente mientras se “patina” sobre un colchón lubricante de tinta líquida. En consecuencia, se puede escribir por horas sin sentir fatiga ni molestias en las manos.

6. Utilizar un instrumento de precisión hecho con mucha tecnología. Me gusta la tecnología aún cuando haya estado en uso por 80 o 100 años. En una pluma fuente hay piezas pequeñas muy complejas, hechas con materiales tan diversos como los plásticos y los metales (algunos preciosos), que deben ensamblarse y trabajar juntas con tolerancias precisas en cambiantes condiciones de temperatura, presión y humedad mientras controlan el flujo de un fluido dentro de rangos muy precisos… utilizando como única fuente de energía a la gravedad terrestre.

7. Poseer una obra de arte. Escribo estas líneas con una pluma fuente Montblanc Meisterstück 114 (Homenage (sic) a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) color negro con detalles metálicos chapados en platino. Tiene un plumín de oro de 14 quilates chapado en platino ornamentado con una hermosa filigrana que incluye dibujos e información acerca del fabricante, la calidad del metal con que está hecho y la máxima altura de la montaña más alta de Europa… en una superficie menor a la uña de mi dedo meñique.

Tengo plumas muy sencillas que cuestan muy poco dinero y que no contienen ni metales preciosos ni filigrana en el plumín. Aun esas plumas fuente sencillas me parecen diseños hermosos y minimalistas.

8. Ser diferente, sin que nadie lo note. Si hay una constante en mi vida, es el sentirme fuera de lugar. Siempre escuché música extraña, leí libros inusuales en lenguas que no me eran propias, aborrecí los gustos de mis contemporáneos, adoré a un D-os absoluto con mis costumbres relativas, viví en lugares donde no nací y que nunca terminé de conocer. En un mundo donde todos usan un bolígrafo muy práctico y versátil y en donde solo un idiota escogería mancharse manos y ropa con tinta china mientras rellena un cartucho desechable con una jeringa, esa pequeña pluma fuente en mi bolsillo me hace sentir en casa.

En Maracaibo, 03 de octubre de 2009.
01:03 a.m.
Montblanc Meisterstück 114 con tinta Pelikan 4001 Negra (cartucho).

As recently reported in the Financial Times, the Swiss have stuck their foot in it once again,

The Swiss penmaker Montblanc, in a jarring attempt to raise its profile in India, has unveiled a gold-and-silver fountain pen to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi, the independence leader whose austere asceticism was at the heart of his liberation campaign.

The limited-edition Mahatma Gandhi pen, priced at Rs1.1m ($23,000, €15,800, £14,400), has an 18-carat solid gold, rhodium-plated nib, engraved with Gandhi’s image, and “a saffron-coloured mandarin garnet” on the clip. The pens were unveiled this week, before the national holiday on Gandhi’s birthday.

And here is the rhodium-plated nib of the pen, where Gandhi, with his bamboo stave in hand, is engraved. Classy, eh?

Looks like a bit of a marketing oxymoron, given that Gandhi was famously Non-Elitist as described in Wikipedia,

As a practitioner of ahimsa, he swore to speak the truth and advocated that others do the same. Gandhi lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community and wore the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he had hand spun on a charkha. He ate simple vegetarian food, and also undertook long fasts as a means of both self-purification and social protest.

So it looks like the Swiss are going down 0 for 2, what with their miserable showing in the Polanski affair.

We note that the Swiss are conspicuous by their absence from the recent poll on National Self-Interest.

Perhaps they’ve covered the mirrors in their house, or at least should consider it.

Note: At first I thought FT had made a mistake, because Montblanc is headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. But with some further research I discovered that in fact the company was founded in 1906, and is a subsidiary of Swiss holding company Compagnie Financière Richemont.

Another of my absolute favourite writers is my Montblanc 146 (Le Grand) with an absolutely wonderful customized nib. Mine is a vintage from the 80s with a beautiful single tone gold nib and a lot of character. I prefer it to the newer more blingy two tone nibs. It is a pity that contemporary Montblanc pens are sold and marketed more as accessoires than pens. This is a pen that I use almost every day and – just like the Visconti Opera – it fits my hand very well. A classic icon.

Jeudi 7 septembre, au 7 rue de la Paix, l’emblématique marque d’instruments d’écritu Jeudi 7 septembre, au 7 rue de la Paix, l’emblématique marque d’instruments d’écriture au nom très français ouvre sa plus grande boutique en Europe. Dans un cadre très noir et très blanc reprenant les codes de la marque, de nombreux invités et des people ont découvert un espace aussi somptueux que vertigineux, une enfilade de pièces qui donnent sur un patio agrémenté d’un petit jardin. Quand on connaît le prix au m² dans le quartier on ne peut qu’être impressionné. Montblanc, qui a su s’extraire avec succès d’un monoproduit, le stylo, en lançant les montres, le cuir, la papeterie et plus récemment les bijoux et même de la joaillerie, impressionne par sa rigueur et sa détermination. La maison mère de Hambourg a fait depuis un quart de siècle un sans faute et est devenue la société la plus performante du groupe Richemont. Mais revenons à la soirée : on a vu défiler Thierry Lhermitte, François Berléand, Jitrois et sa muse et attendu longtemps l’ex amie de James Bond, Eva Green… Dans les vitrines, j’ai pu remarquer de plus en plus de bijoux reprenant à chaque fois l’étoile à six branches qui symbolise le fameux sommet enneigé. Bien en évidence, un somptueux collier tout pavé de diamants avec en majesté une pierre d’au moins 5 carats taille Montblanc dont je n’ai pas osé demander le prix. J’aurais bien vu ce collier porté par une belle jeune femme en petite robe noire, bien entendu. Montblanc : drôle de nom pour des stylos qui sont tout noirs. Coup de chapeau à la décoration de la façade d’où descendait du toit une cascade de lumière du plus bel effet. On se serait cru à Noël. re au nom très français ouvre sa plus grande boutique en Europe. Dans un cadre très noir et très blanc reprenant les codes de la marque, de nombreux invités et des people ont découvert un espace aussi somptueux que vertigineux, une enfilade de pièces qui donnent sur un patio agrémenté d’un petit jardin. Quand on connaît le prix au m² dans le quartier on ne peut qu’être impressionné. Montblanc, qui a su s’extraire avec succès d’un monoproduit, le stylo, en lançant les montres, le cuir, la papeterie et plus récemment les bijoux et même de la joaillerie, impressionne par sa rigueur et sa détermination. La maison mère de Hambourg a fait depuis un quart de siècle un sans faute et est devenue la société la plus performante du groupe Richemont. Mais revenons à la soirée : on a vu défiler Thierry Lhermitte, François Berléand, Jitrois et sa muse et attendu longtemps l’ex amie de James Bond, Eva Green… Dans les vitrines, j’ai pu remarquer de plus en plus de bijoux reprenant à chaque fois l’étoile à six branches qui symbolise le fameux sommet enneigé. Bien en évidence, un somptueux collier tout pavé de diamants avec en majesté une pierre d’au moins 5 carats taille Montblanc dont je n’ai pas osé demander le prix. J’aurais bien vu ce collier porté par une belle jeune femme en petite robe noire, bien entendu. Montblanc : drôle de nom pour des stylos qui sont tout noirs. Coup de chapeau à la décoration de la façade d’où descendait du toit une cascade de lumière du plus bel effet. On se serait cru à Noël.

Didier BRODBECK

When I got smitten by the fountain pen fever, via FPN over a year ago – before that I was just someone who preferred fountain pens – I got an urge to try as many pens and inks I could (afford) and had almost a year of wild buying, trying, selling, buying, trying, selling – which I am happy for – it was wonderful trying boatloads of different fountain pens from different brands – Aurora, Cleo Skribent, Conway Stewart, Delta, Lamy, Montblanc, Montegrappa, Pelikan, Pilot, Reform, Rotring, Sailor, Sheaffer, Visconti, Waterman – and different ink brands and colours. One real good thing about it is to learn what you really really like and want and let go of the things that don’t click with you to 100%. If I had kept all pens I buyed and tried I had become completely broke . The second hand market for fountain pens – both at FPN and eBay – is large which is a good thing both for buying-for-trying and for selling off the pens that one doesn’t like. And – the depreciation of most quality fountain pens is much less compared to any other electronic device.

I actually bought a computer (used) and a Montblanc fountain pen for about the same amount of money at about the same time – just when I moved from home to begin at the University. My mum thought I was out of my mind – which I guess I was…at least a bit. I had worked quite hard for the money during the summer, so it was my money to spend and I badly wanted that Montblanc fountain pen. I guess the computer is fragmented into atoms now – but when I sold the pen a year ago I almost got the same amount of money as I paid for it. That being years later for a pen in used condition. The inflation hasn’t been so bad, so I guess I got about 75% of its original worth. After 10< years of use! That is not bad. So, even if it seemed weird at the time – the pen was the better buy in the long run. OK – I used the computer for writing papers and essays, so it got pretty much use, but anyway. I think it is a rather good story – a true one.

It is more to things than what meets the eye and sometimes the things that seem most irrational are the most rational – in the long end. I am very happy for that, actually. The Swedish poet Gunnar Ekelöf has written a great poem about the irrational being the most rational in the long run.I find that very hopeful.

Companies across the world often try to do some good for the community in which they operate – it’s called Corporate Social Responsibility in business jargon, but sometimes the action of the company jars so much with the intentions of the community or charity that it leaves me open-mouthed in astonishment.

Take the 140th anniversary of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi as an example. German pen maker Montblanc has produced a special limited-edition anniversary pen in his honour. The pen retails at $25,000 and a proportion of that money will go to the Gandhi Foundation. In a clumsy reference to the famous Salt Tax protest march, just 241 pens will be sold – referring to the 241 miles of the march.

Gandhi led a simple life, focusing himself on creating work and prosperity for India as well as peace and understanding between the various religious groups in his country. He promoted Indian products, but even then he focused on craft and the retention of the traditional skills that were being lost through urban modernisation.

What would he think of a pen, made in Europe, and priced so high that an Indian worker on an average salary would take around 26 years of labour to buy it?

Personally, I think he would be horrified. I’m a European and I think it’s in poor taste. It looks like a beautiful pen, but it remains just-a-pen. Some might argue that it raises money for charity and therefore it must be ‘a good thing’ – probably the same people who argue that rock concerts full of has-beens and nobodies are ‘a good thing’ so long as they are staged for the benefit of charideeee.

2nd October. The day all Indians enjoy a mandatory holiday. The day politicians pay lip service to M K Gandhi. The day Shashi Tharoor twittered “Gandhiji said”Work is Workship” & we enjoy holiday on his birthday. He wld hv wanted us to work harder today”. It hurt our sentiments. What a spoil sport, why prick the conscience, when life is all jingalala (!!). Anyway, Congress immediately clarified that it was Mr. Tharoor’s personal opinion, that the party respected our desire to spent the entire day in silent, non violent contemplation of Gandhian ideals.

 The malls were full in the evening, a discount sale was on, movie tickets were soldout, tourist resorts were overbooked, bars were closed but homes were well stocked, Montblanc launched a golden pen in commemoration and restaurants offered special Gandhi Jayanti meals.

As the sun set, The Father of the Nation, bent over his staff, walked along the road to oblivion, in vain search of the truth to set us free.

SUSCRIBE

Which Side Are You On by Pete Seeger

Pretty (Ugly Before) by Elliott Smith

Across the Universe by Rufus Wainwright (Beatles cover)

SUSCRIBE

Crédito: Montblanc

Esta é a célebre caneta da Montblanc que tanta polémica está a causar na Índia. Chama-se “Ghandi”, e custa a módica de quantia de 17.000 euros. É no luxo da caneta e no seu preço que está a polémica, dada a personalidade de Mahatma Ghandi e a sua postura face aos bens materiais.
Para ser franco, esta caneta choca-me um pouco, mas não me surpreende. É um retrato perfeito da sociedade em que vivemos, caracterizada pela inversão de valores que se admiram na retórica dos discursos, mas que facilmente se abandonam quando se colocam questões de imagem em causa.
Contudo, também é de salientar a falta de visão da Montblanc, que querendo homenagear a personagem marcante de um país, e sendo esse país rico em artigos como madeiras ou mesmo metais, lança um item que apenas celebra não apenas a já referida inversão de valores, como ignora uma das mensagens mais importantes de Ghandi, para além da não-violência, que era o orgulho que os indianos deviam ter na sua cultura e no seu país, confiando no seu valor intrínseco e no seu trabalho. Esta caneta, neste aspecto, poderia ser bem mais simples, bem mais simbólica, e bem mais inserida no contexto da essência do pensamento de Ghandi. Assim, é mais uma das futilidades desnecessárias que tanto caracteriza a sociedade moderna, desnecessariamente associada a um homem que tanto lutou contra os valores que actualmente são os alicerces dessa caracterização.

So, finally we had at least 3 media friendly reasons to remember Gandhiji’s anniversary this year. In past, we mostly had a Gandhiji movie and some news gossips about Bapu. So what made me write this post ‘TODAY’? It’s simply because this is the first time when I heard about Gandhiji’s anniversary 4-5 times a day through different media-

Google Doodle:

This was BIG. The first thing we usually do every morning is open a browser and hit Google. I was amazed by the Google’s  Doodle this time, featuring Gandiji over the prominent G-Letter and it looked perfect. In fact, I think this was one of the very bests of Google’s doodle! I saw this news spreading like wildfire over Facebook and other blog sites and was one of the best reason for so many internet savvy people to know about him on this day.

Montblanc’s 11 lakh Pen:

There was this other news 2 days back where Montblanc announced the launch of a luxury pen on Gandhiji’s jayanti. The pen costs whopping 11 lac Rupees and they just have 241 pens (Inspired by his 241 Mile Dandi March). This was a bit controversial as people also said that Gandhiji always led a simple life and such high profile fashion pen doesn’t suit his kind of style. Whatever the reason, we remembered him one way or other .

Shashi Tharur’s comment:

Later in the day India’s Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor sparked off a debate on whether Gandhiji’s birthday should be a public holiday.  He said “Gandhiji always said that work is worship and hence we should also fulfill our responsibilities on this day!” Controversial enough, this also raged a roar over Facebook, Twitter and Blogs.

Overall a media friendly day for Gandhiji, he remains India’s most famous icon even on his 140th birthday.

First Talenthouse Winner on a fast track to Success

Harrison Rivers from New York City was named winner of the Montblanc Emerging Writer Contest for the 24 Hour Plays on Broadway.  A few days later, on November 9 the writer was watching his 10-minute play premiere during the 2009 production of THE 24 HOUR PLAYS ON BROADWAY presented by Montblanc benefitting Urban Arts Partnership. It was the first year an emerging writer was showcased after being chosen by members of Talenthouse, a platform providing opportunities for creative talent. The Talenthouse global community viewed the writing samples and watched short video clips of six emerging writers’ submitted work and based their votes on these submissions. Harrison joined five established writers who created a short play in a period of 24-hours performed by a star-studded cast on Broadway.

“I am truly humbled by my selection and exceedingly grateful to Montblanc, the 24 Hour Play Company and the Talenthouse community for this amazing opportunity to share my artistic vision with a broader audience”, said Harrison Rivers shortly after his big win.

The writer was introduced as the Talenthouse contest winner to the star-studded cast on the evening of November 8 at the American Airlines Theater in New York. Actors present included Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Anniston, Eva Mendes, Live Schreiber, Brooke Shields and Naomi Watts. He was then invited to choose his cast from the impressive list of actors before spending the night writing a play to be performed a few hours later in front of a live audience.

The result was a play titled “And It Seems To Me A Very Good Sign” which starred Amber Tamblyn, John Krasinski, Naomi Watts and Sam Rockwell and was received to rapturous applause.

“Talenthouse’s partnership with the Montblanc’s writing initiative is consistent with our goal of helping seasoned as well as up-and-coming artists secure recognition from a global audience”, said Roman Scharf, CEO, Talenthouse. “Talenthouse encourages collaboration between luminaries across an array of disciplines and offers mentoring from acclaimed international artists.”

THE 24-HOUR PLAYS ON BROADWAY began the night before the show with a group of six writers (including Harrison Rivers), six directors, 24 actors, two musical guests, and a production crew.  After casts and crews had been briefed, each writer was tasked with composing a ten minute play by 7 AM the following morning, when the directors returned to read and select their piece. The cast met for the first time at 8 AM, rehearsed over the next 12 hours and at 8:00 PM, the six new plays and musical acts were performed for a live audience. Proceeds from the event benefit Urban Arts Partnership to support programs, which provide in-depth integrated arts education to over 60 schools, and 12,000 young people citywide, and foster long lasting partnerships that enhance the educational, artistic and cultural practices of each school community.

Oricine iubeste muntele a visat sa ajunga o data in Alpi. Maiestatea lor, ghetarii uriasi, virfurile indraznete si traseele celebre au suscitat de-a lungul timpului dorinta de aventura a oamenilor. De aceasi virsta cu Carpatii si cu lantul Himalayan, se intind pe o distanta de 1100 km de-a lungul Europei, din Slovenia pina in Franta. Pe masura ce ne indreptam catre Vest inaltimile cresc treptat, iar Alpii Julieni, aflati in Slovenia, sunt anticamera Alpilor. Sunt multe virfuri celebre in Alpi: Mont Blanc (4808m) aflat in Franta, nu departe de granita italiana, este punctul de inaltime maxima, Materhorn (4478m), Eiger (3970m), Monte Rosa cu virful Dufourspitze (4634m)  – a doua inaltime a Alpilor – sau turnurile de calcar ale Dolomtilor.

Alpii sunt sinonimi cu muntele. Ei au dat nume alpinismului, practicat prima data in 1490 pe Mont Aiguille, in Franta. Aici s-au inventat o multime de sporturi extreme de munte, iar cele care au fost inventate au fost imediat adoptate. Un sejur in zona nu poate fi decit un concediu activ, intr-un peisaj de vis.

Alpii Julieni

Se afla in mare parte pe teritoriul Sloveniei. Aici se afla parcul national Triglav, cu vf.Triglav (2864m), iar versantul nordic al muntelui coboara in valea Soca, considerata cea mai frumoasa din Europa. Tot aici se afla cascada Savica, unde se poate face canioning, si lacurile glaciare Bled – cu o insula pe care se afla un castel – si Bohij. Bled este un statiune frumoasa, unde se poate practica alpinism, rafting, zborul cu parapanta, calarie vara, si kitesurf, ski sau snowbord iarna.

Dolomiti

Dolomitii sunt cei mai frumosi munti ai planetei, asa ii numea marele alpinist italian Reinhold Messner – primul om care a urcat toti optmiarii lumii. Este un paradis de calcar pentru iubitorii alpinismului si nu numai. Aici se afla renumitele turnuri Tre Cime di Lavaredo, dar mai ales fata sudica a vf. Marmolada (3342m) cu cele 90 de trasee de peste 1500 m diferenta de nivel. Marmolada este virful cel mai inalt al Dolomitilor si unicul ghetar din regiune unde se poate schia tot timpul anului.

Cine nu catara poate sa se bucure de marii pereti. Aici a fost inventat conceptul de Via Ferrata de catre trupele austriece in primul razboi mondial. {i astazi se mai vad urme, garduri de sirma ghimpata intre turnurile Tre Cime sau tuneluri de sute de metrii. Via Ferrata este un traseu amenajat cu trepte sau scoabe metalice, asigurat în totalitate cu cabluri de otel, ce strabate pereti expusi si dificili daca s-ar catara clasic. Pentru a merge pe Via Ferrata este necesar un ham cu selb, casca si un dispozitiv special pentru absorbirea socului in ham in cazul unei caderi cu factor mare.

Cele mai frumoase trasee sunt: Cassiopea, Laurenzzi sau Ivano Dibona. Acest ultim traseu de linga Cortina se parcurge in 8 ore, a fost construit in 1915 si este faimos pentru filmarile de la Cliffhanger.  Fiume Noce este unul dintre cele mai tari trasee de rafting din Europa, iar in Val di Sole este un paradis pentru hidrospeed si canioning. Alte sporturi practicabile in zona: Parapanta, Enduro, Mountainbike, Bungee. Iarna, Dolomiti Superski devine un spatiu imens, de 1440 km, pentru ski.

Ennstaler Alpen

Este un grup de munti calcarosi, aflati in Estul Austriei, mai josi, inaltime maxima 2369 m, dar foarte frumosi. Gesause este perla coroanei, cu cele 3 creste paralele si cu peretele Domului de 700 m diferenta de nivel. Este un paradis pentru cataratori, in weekend toti alpinistii vienezi venind aici.

Dachstein

Un alt masiv calcaros aflat in Austria, cu inaltime maxima de 3007m, cu ghetar pe care se poate schia vara (recomand mai mult pentru schi fond insa). Sud wand-ul, fata sudica, este renumit pentru trasele de alpinism, Via ferrata si…chiar freeride pina prin mai. Traseul de sub cabina vara se face pe Via Ferrata iar iarna este super extrem ski.

Hoche Tauern

Aici se afla cel mai inalt virf al Austriei, Grossglockner (3797m). In forma de clopot dupa cum sugereaza si numele, este un virf de trecking inconjurat de ghetari (Pasterze Gletscher lung de 8 km este cel mai mare). In apropiere, austriecii au construit o sosea, Alpinstrasse, ce urca pina la 2505 m, si care reprezinta o tura senzationala cu bicicleta. Se urca din Fusch (800 m), primii 16 km pina in Fuscher Torl avind o panta de incalzire de 12%. Urmeaza o coborire de 300 m diferenta de nivel, apoi incepe partea dificila, urcarea in Hochtor (2505m).

Bernese Oberland

Sunt muntii situati in centrul Elvetiei, cuprinsi intre Valea Ronului si Mittel Land. Aici se afla cele trei virfuri renumite Eiger (Fiara), Monch (Calugarul) si Jungfrau (Fecioara), care formeaza o trilogie in poveste si un magnet pentru turisti, alpinisti sau simpli iubitori de natura. Accesul se face prin statiunile Grindenwald sau Wengen (la Wengen nu se poate ajunge decit cu trenul).

Fata nordica a Eigerului, Eiger Nord Wand, considerat unul dintre cei mai fiorosi pereti europeni, reprezinta un vis pentru oricine se apuca de alpinism. A fost escaladat in premiera de o echipa mixta austiaco-germana in 1938, dupa ce multi nu s–au mai intors de pe munte. La intrarea in ruta clasica, pe o poteca cu acces facil, se afla un cimitir simbolic din momii de piatra. Pericolul principal il reprezinta avalansele de pietre. Cind am fost acolo, sub ochii nostri a fost coborit cu elicopterul un italian cu capul dislocat de o piatra.

Este un perete vertical de calcar de 1700 m, cu 3 ghetari suspendati. Prima portiune este mai facila: presupune urcarea unor trepte suspendate pina deasupra tunelurilor facute de constructorii caii ferate spre Jungfraujoch. Pina aici o echipa normala face 5 ore. Ruta clasica continua de aici cu traverseul Hinterstossier –un traverseu de 40 m spre stinga unde daca nu gasim corzi fixe e bine sa lasam pentru ca este un fel de No Return Point – multi gasindu-si sfirsitul deasupra, retragerea de aici incolo fiind foarte dificila. In apropiere este Cuibul Rindunicii, un loc de bivuac destul de bun. Urmeaza cei trei ghetari pe care ii traversam mereu spre stinga. Primul ghetar – 2 lungimi, apoi un pas de 10 m gr.VI la trecerea spre al doilea ghetar, 4 lungimi pe ghetarul 2, si inca 3 lungimi pina in Bivuacul Mortii. Acesta este un foarte bun loc de bivuac, in pofida numelui dat in memoria expeditiei tragice din 1935. Urmeaza ghetarul 3, apoi Rampa care se parcurge in 5 lungimi si se termina intr-o cascada de gheata. Iesirea din acest punct a constituit mult timp o mare problema. Dupa ce parcurgem cascada, traseul continua stinga –dreapta pina sub traversarea zeilor (loc bun de bivuac la intrare). Traversarea se face in 4 lungimi spre dreapta, pe zapada si placi alunecoase, pina la intrarea in Paianjen. Paianjenul este un alt ghetar mai mic, suspendat deasupra rutei, de unde pleaca majoritatea avalanselor ucigase. Iesirea se face prin 2 fisuri consecutive, apoi de linga bivuacul Corti, se face un rapel de 8 – 10 m. Urmeaza 3 lungimi intr-un culoar si inca 3 spre dreapta pe firn. Este o ruta frumoasa, care nu depaseste gradul VI+ de mixt, care necesita in mod normal 20 – 30 de ore. Recordul este de 4 1/2 ore!

In afara acestei rute s-au mai deschis multe alte trasee mai dificile, direttisime, trasee de iarna sau parcurse solo.

In afara de alpinism, in zona se poate face rafting pe riurile Aare, Simme, Saane si Kander, canioning chiar la poalele Eigerului, schi de vara la Jungfraujoch, parapanta sau zbor liber cu aripa, windsurf, kitebord, waterski, standup skijet, wakebord toate pe lacul Thun, iar iarna freeride si heliski.

Valais

Cantonul de pe valea superioara a Ronului abunda in patrumiari, dintre care cei mai renumiti sunt Matterhorn si Monte Rosa. La fel ca si Eigerul, piramida Matterhornului a atras ca un magnet alpinistii. Desi nu are aceeasi dificultate, Matterhornul este mai inalt si are o zveltete aparte, motiv pentru care a ajuns unul dintre simbolurile Alpilor.

Pentru ruta clasica, pe creasta Hornli, se urca din Zermatt (free car resort, ca si Wengen) cu cabina la Swarzsee, apoi la cabana Hornli (3260m). De aici incepe ascensiunea propriu-zisa, cu un prim pasaj care ne ia tare de la inceput. Gradul nu este foarte mare, in jur de III, dar roca este foarte friabila. Ruta nu prezinta probleme de orientare, dar descrierea traseului (cea mai buna, in Ghidul SAC in limba germana) este foarte laborioasa. In principiu se urmeaza creasta, evitind fata nordica. Pina la refugiul Solvey (4003m) facem cam 5 ore. Refugiul care are 3 paturi suprapuse, poarta numele unui belgian si este litaralmente suspendat intre Fata Nordica si Fata Sud – Estica. WC-ul (exista si asa ceva) are deversarea chiar deasupra Fetei Nordice! Cind am urcat, un ghid polonez care iesise neatent din refugiu s-a impiedicat si a cazut 700 m.

De aici gradul creste si se merge cu asigurare numai pe zapada. Este bine sa nu mergeti in paralel, pentru regrupari existind niste inele groase de otel. Traseul urmareste in continuare creasta ascendent spre dreapta, apoi dupa o lungime pe o creasta expusa ajungem la corzile fixe de pe umarul Matterhornului. Aici gradul creste la V+ – VI-, dar cu ajutorul corzilor – care sunt mai degraba niste funii groase de cinepa pe care nu incape blocatorul -  o scoatem la capat. Finalul este harcore! Dupa ce treci de umar si ajungi pe o panta de 50 ⁰, zaresti pe virf o mogildeata  care sta pe vine si pare moarta si inghetata. Cum elicopterele salvamontului roiesc in jur, scenariul pare cit se poate de real. Este de fapt statuia Sf.Bernard, de care ne folosim si noi pentru a ne asigura cit stam pe virf.

In afara de ruta clasica exista alte trasee mai dificile, culminind cu Schmidroute pe Fata Nordica.

Zona este un paradis si pentru schiul de tura, iar pe ghetarul Breithorn – Kleine Materhorn, la peste 3800 m, este un platou unde se poate sta cu cortul si de unde se poate schia spre vârfurile Breithorn, Castor, Polux sau chiar Monte Rosa. Skipasul pe ghetar este 60 CHF pentru jumatate de zi, vara, iar iarna 50 CHF o zi intreaga!

Mont Blanc

Cel mai inalt munte al Alpilor este si unul dintre cei mai frumosi. Spre deosebire de celelalte virfuri descrise, aici este vorba de o roca mult mai dura – granit. Virfurile in zona sunt mult mai zimtate si ascutite dupa cum sugereaza si numele: Aiguille du Requin (acul rechinului), Aiguille Vert (acul verde), iar traseele din Grand Jorasses rivalizeaza cu cele din Elvetia ca dificultate.

Pe Mont Blanc exista mai multe rute de urcare. Cea mai usoara tehnic este cea pe la Dôme du Goûter, care pleaca de la St Gervais (650m), urca pe la Nid d’Aigle (2372m), apoi pe la refugiile Tete Rousse (3167m) si Goûter (3817m), apoi pe ghetarul Tete Rousse pina la refugiul Vallot (4362m) si ascensiunea finala pe virf. Intre St Gervais si Nid d’Aigle (2372m) se poate lua trenuletul cu cremaliera Tramway du Mont Blanc, scutind ceva efort. Drumul pina la Refuge du Goûter este destul de insipid, pe roca friabila, iar intre refugiile Tete Rousse si Goûter mergi tot timpul cu capul dupa pietrele azvirlite de cei din fata. La intrare este un pasaj unde in fiecare an sunt victime din cauza caderilor de pietre. De la Refuge du Goûter se intra pe ghetar si totul capata alta valoare, chiar daca este mai degraba un mare platou. In general pentru asaltul final se pleaca dimineata devreme, ceea ce nu este intotdeauna foarte necesar. Refugiul Vallot are o intrare ca o ecluza (atentie la capcana, daca sunteti obositi s-ar putea sa gasiti cu greu drumul afara) si o statie pentru anuntarea Salvamontului. Portiunea finala este o creasta larga.

O alta varianta mai scurta, mai confortabila, dar mai tehnica este cu cabina din Chamonix (1030m) la Aiguille du Midi (3842m), apoi peste Mont Blanc du Tacul (4187m) si Mont Maudit (4465m). Pentru a avea timp este bine sa luati ultima cabina si sa dormiti in coridorul de acces la terasa ce da in puntea de la refugiul Cosmique. Daca va da mina puteti dormi la refugiu. Echipamentul de bivuac poate fi lasat aici, in cazul in care nu vreti sa va intoarceti prin alta parte (Atentie: ultima cabina este la 17.30!). Escaladarea debuteaza cu … o coborire de 300 m in Col du Midi. Urmeaza urcarea printre seracuri pe Mont Blanc du Tacul, apoi portiunea cea mai dificila:  o traversare pe sub seracurile de deasupra Col Maudit – unde anual se inregistreaza victime, apoi urcarea unui perete de 150 m inaltime si 60 ⁰ spre Mont Maudit.

Variantele italiene sunt mai lungi, mai frumoase si mai dificile: Creasta Freney, Punta Innominata, etc.

In ce priveste marii pereti, alternativele sunt nemasurate – traseele din Grand Jorasses (4208m) sau Petit Dru (3733m) sunt doar citeva exemple.

Pentru amatorii de escalada, chiar la iesirea din Chamonix spre St Gervais, pe dreapta, este o faleza de granit cu trasee de diverse grade.

Mont Blanc este un virf de pe care se poate schia, in pofida avertismentelor ghizilor. In afara de deja clasica Valle Blanche, lunga si usoara, de la Aiguille du Midi se poate cobori direct in Chamonix pe la statia intermediara. Portiunea superioara, mai ales culoarele de sus,  sunt abominabil cum spun francezii. Mie mi s-a parut foarte dificil. Eu am coborat pe Glacier Ronde, pe Couloire des Cosmiques si Couloire de la Poubelle (foto) si dar mai sunt multe alte variante (voi posta un articol cat de curand).
Iarna, daca e zapada, se coboara pina in Chamonix. Finalul prin padure, pe o poteca ingusta, este super! Atentie mare la crevase. Tineti cont si de vreme.

Alte sporturi practicabile in zona: echitatie de altitudine pe Route de la Glacier d’Argentier, Huskidalen – curse de ciini, parapanta, rafting sau hidrospeed pe l’Arve sau Dora Balte in Italia.

(*) Articol cu data de postare ulterioara. Pentru acuratete am pastrat data initiala.