FEAST OR FAMINE

From my apartment at Freedom Square, I can see the Mother of Georgia. The monument by Georgian sculptor Elguja Amashukeli was erected in 1958 to mark the 1,500 year anniversary of Tbilisi. She is situated on top of Sololaki Hill in Tbilisi and looks across at the whole city. She is aluminium, 20 meters tall and dressed in the national costume of Georgia. In her left hand she holds a bowl of wine to greet friends. In her right hand she holds a sword to defend the city against enemies. At night, she glows silver in the floodlights and moonlight.

At the beginning of June, the European Council Culture Programme held a 3-day "Identity and Spirit of Old Tbilisi" conference. It brought together architects, art historians, restoration experts, and interested international heritage enthusiasts to increase awareness of the cultural value of Tbilisi's urban heritage. Over the next 12 months, the programme aims to preserve the cultural value of the city's architectural heritage and adapt it to contemporary building design. This is to ensure that Tbilisi does not lose its authenticity, uniqueness and historical character due to rapid urbanization and development. In 1999, Georgia nominated the Tbilisi Historic District - the Old Town - to the World Heritage List. The WHL Committee deferred the nomination with recommendations to establish a management structure and guidelines for the rehabilitation and renovation of the Old Town. Hence the June conference hopes to gain international support to preserve the ...

A funicular traverses a single track for 501 metres up the mountainside of Mount Mtatsminda in the capital of Tbilisi, Georgia. Designed by Blanche and Shimkevich, it commenced construction in July 1900 under the mangement of French engineer Blansche, and was completed in 1905. With a gradient of 65% and an angle of incline between 28-33 degrees, it was one of the largest and steepest railcars in the world. In 1971 the lower station was reconstructed by architects G. Batiashvili and T. Kutateladze. It closed on June 21, 2000, after a crash. Now, a well-constructed road leads to the park. The funicular had three stops. The middle stop is at the Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures and St. David's Church. At the peak of the funicular is Mtatsminda Park. Mtatsminda (meaning Holy Mount) Park was constructed on the axis of the upper station of the funicular station in 1930. It is situated on a territory of more than 100 hectares making...

Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, is more than 1,500 years old. The population of Georgia is 4.5 million, with 1.5 million residents in the capital. The city's name means warm sea  - due to its warm thermal healing waters. Currently the weather is warm and humid with temperatures between 29-31 Celsius with still days and sultry nights. Mtkvari, the longest river in Georgia (starting in Turkey and ending in the Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan, divides Tbilisi in half - with the Left Bank showcasing churches, cathedrals and the President's Palace; and the Right Bank being the hub of the city. The opera house, the art gallery, the national museum, the city hall, and the sulfur baths lie on the Right Bank beneath the mountain range. From the 4th century, travellers on the Silk Road have enjoyed the baths, and traded in jewellery, leather, silk and weaponry. Tbilisi can also be divided in two architecturally - with Asian and European structures. The Old...

Canberra is the capital of Australia and lies within the land-locked Australian Capital Territory (ACT), much like America’s capital Washington in the District of Columbia (DC). Women in ACT consume the most alcohol in the nation. ACT men come second only to Northern Territorians. Maybe it’s because we can afford to, as we have the highest disposable annual household income in the country. However, we do have the lowest smoking rates in the country. We also have the lowest rate of cancer, in particular lung cancer. Over the past thirty years, Australian women (across the whole nation) are working more, earning more and delaying having children, says the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Almost 76% of women aged 20-34 in 2009 are working compared with 72% of women in 1999 and 57.1% in 1979. Male employment rates have fallen due to the decline in full time jobs over the same period. Women are also marrying later – at an average age of 27.2 in 2009 compared with 26.4 yea...

Simone de Beauvoir: A Biography  (1991), a large tome, is the definitive biography of French author, philosopher, novelist and feminist, Simone de Beauvoir. Bair had access to Beauvoir’s time and co-operation during the last six years before her death in 1986 at the age of 78. Hence, there is nothing left unanswered; all is revealed in a frank expose of her life, politics, work ethic, and relationships. Beauvoir, the author of the landmark 1949 feminist work, The Second Sex, provides Bair with extraordinary insights into the embryonic beginnings of all her literary works, their developments, the public’s response and her response to public opinion. It also details her relationship with fellow novelist and existentialist, Jean-Paul Sartre, whom she met at the Sorbonne in 1929 and remained with for life. It tells of their brief relationships with other writers such as Albert Camus and Arthur Koestler, both whom she weaved into her novel The Mandarins in 1954. Othe...