The Mortals of the Megapolis - FREE EBOOK

This is the first EBook of a series that we are going to gradually publish under the name “Mortals of the Megapolis”

The idea came in one of those surreal conversations we have too often with Catherine. Talking through internet, the gap of distance doesn’t help to cover the gap of age and sometimes one of us (usually it is me) is left behind talking about something past. And this conversation had a taste from the past. We were talking about a “game”.

You must know the “game”; we have all played it. You see somebody and you start imagining from conversations to personal details. “He is definitely a banker” or “She is a teacher in a kindergarten.” And then it was an internet page I liked, this is where the ‘I was left behind in another conversation’ came. There is an internet site I had seen and I really liked it. Photos of random people in the streets of a metropolis and a few words from them under the photo. I thought it was fantastic.

Then the only thing left was to combine the two …conversations and create the “Mortals of the Megapolis”.

This is the first book of a hopefully series of books with the mortals who live around us and talk to our imagination. In the meantime new travellers have joined Catherine and me with their imagination in our Megapolis and in the near future you will have the chance to meet them.

For now, please do download the EBook HERE and enjoy our first …mortals!

Life In The Age Of Extinctions

When we started the Ovi bookshop we aimed to reach people in variety of themes and interests. Six years after and forty-five books we have had thousands of downloads and thousands copies of our books are part of EBooks collections all around the world. I know it sounds weird but I was so proud when browsing in the internet one day I found six of our books in one of those torrent/sharing files sites. I know, I know it is illegal and all that but the same time in a very strange way, it proves that we are doing something right and that there are people out there who haven’t realize that all our publications – just like everything else – is for free but they feel that they are worth to have even if that means crossing certain lines. Strange how controversial things can make you proud.

You all know David; you have read his poems, his ideas. And he has managed to communicate with his words, his heart and his spirit with all of you. Now David Sparenberg is publishing a book with Ovi magazine reaching out and communicating with more hearts and souls.

Prolonging David’s book I wrote: “David says that there is hope. As long we connect our spirits and open our minds, remembering the forgotten calling. Remembering that we are all fundamentally connected with Mother Earth. And it doesn’t matter how much you agree or disagree, David starts the dialogue and with your participation you are already culturally connected. The rest …we can do it together.”

And David Sparenberg’s “Life In The Age Of Extinctions” is such a calling. Read his book, take a slow breathe and start the dialogue with David and yourself just like he’s calling you to do.
Thanos Kalamidas
You can download David’s book, HERE! You just click on the name and the download starts automatically.
I thought since it is David Sparenberg’s …special day to add in this introduction his latest thoughts.

STANDING
A person does not stand on their opinions, unless this person is a fool. What are opinions? The nearest thing to nothing. Opinions are often obese and generally feed on junk food. They are but dust in the wind, and blown apart more frequently than changing weather.
But there comes a time in life, a point Archimedean, when, I believe, a person stands upon convictions. By this, not principles out of cold abstractions; no, not carvings of dead stuff; but a kind of feeling-philosophy, a light threaded into the DNA of identity, gathered in hindsight from the experience of being alive over duration of a certain measure of space and time.
And when convictions are fueled through truth-force, infusing a poetic of solar energy, one stands in strength, alert, and sustained by courage.
Truly, I will say, the two legs, the spine, and with the face facing into this condition of existence—these physical realities are at the root of human dignity. Within this context, to stand up—to show one’s face, to open one’s voice—this is the first expression of an intention.
And within this intention, or the intention of being human which I envision, emerge, in writhing out of dreamtime, the lightning tongued serpents of Aesclepius, and in the sharing of a healing dream, the extension that is movement is a movement unto freedom.
Toward our transformations, when they are such—oh have you not dreamed and felt this also?—creation turns in the mutuality of longing, awaiting liberation. Standing, as power, when we do, in the valley of fate, in the narrow defiance of the mountain of promise.
David Sparenberg
28 November 2012

Vote Real Finns NOT True Finns

The Finnish women were the first in the world with the right to elect and be elected and that over a century ago at 1906. Just think that the rest of the western world followed as late as 1950s and 1960s. Finland prides to hold the top position in the list of the less corrupted countries globally, to have one of the best education systems, one of the best welfare states and one of the most secure countries all around the world. But the last decade Finland also has a very dark cloud that overshadows the country the last decade and unfortunately has veiled with a very dark shadow today’s national elections.

I have said it a lot of times in the past and unfortunately Finland makes it for one more time timely, tolerance is the weakest part of democracy. Tolerance to everybody even to the ones who fight democracy and bring out the worst part of the human nature; thirst for power under any cost. Covered under the so fashionable lately identity of the Euro-sceptics a party that only by its names betrays its real identity has come the last decade to test the Finnish democracy and her tolerance. The True Finns.

A party that never explains what their name stands for, who the “true Finns” are and what identifies them but the same time vomitingly preaches xenophobia, prejudice and racism. A party that in a manifest a month ago stated that even art and education should be Finnish-centred in a world were Finns have immigrate to every single country; a political party that with populisms drifts a nation into a political abyss. A party than in the parliamentary elections of 2007 got 4.7% threatens today in the year 2011 to get more than 18% in a country where parties get less than 25% maximum and governments are a result of coalitions. A party that chillingly reminds another national-socialist party that combined in the same way left-wing economic policies with extreme conservative social values

Whatever is the percent the True Finns will take by the end of this evening if it is more than 5% it will be a victory for the darkest side of the Finnish democracy and the higher the percent the darkest the future of the country. The worst is that one way or another True Finns have already won from the minute their fear veiled the actions of the whole country. They won the minute the rest of the parties including the so called Finnish Green party had to prove how Finns they are and they won the moment all the parties changed their policies turning and focusing their campaigns to immigration and non-Finns in general. And fear.

You can see the fear when you deal with any kind of state services. You can feel it that …you are not so welcome anymore. The True Finns have spread fear in all the society and this unfortunately is a victory for a party that stands on fear, a party that pumps power from fear. Even the Christian-Democrats in Finland lost their merciful characters and they have become a homophobic and xenophobic cult that declared that only Christian immigrants should be welcome in Finland.

For the next few hours thousands of Finns will stand in front the poll and vote for the next parliament and in extent for their next government. Let’s hope that all these people will feel the responsibility not only for all these things they are proud off but for all these things they want to be proud for and xenophobia and racism I’m sure are not included.

Last not least remember what I wrote a few days ago quoting the German Pastor Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

China moves to curb swine virus spread

China says it will quarantine all those who travelled on a flight from Mexico with a man suffering from swine flu, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus. The 25-year-old man flew to Hong Kong via Shanghai on Thursday, and was admitted to hospital.

Beijing said it would put his fellow passengers under week-long observation. It also suspended flights from Mexico. The move came as South Korea confirmed a case of the virus, the second country in North-East Asia to do so.

And I always thought that the …red book can cure everything!

St. Petersburg days in Helsinki

EU-MAN’s Permanent Gallery - St. Petersburg days in Helsinki

The European Union Migrant Artists Network (EU-MAN) cordially invites you to attend the grand opening of the permanent EU-MAN Gallery in Helsinki’s Cable Factory on Tuesday April 14th. Since the launch of EU-MAN in January 1997 there have been countless exhibitions in many countries displaying a huge variety of artworks created by the Network’s many active members, but this is the first time that a permanent exhibition has been established and it is an exciting prospect for everybody involved.

As a special part of this first exhibition, there will be a celebration of 200 years of relations between Finland and Russia. EU-MAN is participating in the “St. Petersburg days in Helsinki” event with a painting exhibition that includes works from 13 Russian artists and five artists that are members of EU-MAN in Finland. The certain exhibit will be open between the 14th and 24th of April.

The gallery’s opening and the exhibition is going to be attanted by Mr. Goubankov Anton Nikolaevich, Chairman of Culture committee of SPB and Mrs. Larisa Skobkina Curator, Chief of the Department of the newest currents of the Central exhibition hall of St. Petersburg “Manege”, so you have the opportunity to meet and talk with them.

So please join us as the 12 year-old EU-MAN organisation celebrates another first and is finally able to display an impressive selection of its members’ work.

The Russian artists:
Oleg Frontinsky
Larisa Golubeva
Rashid Dominov
Boris Zabirohin
Alla Geguerey
Lada Panyukova
Stas Kasimov
Nikolay Vasilyev
Andrei Chezhin
Lyudmila Chezhina
Dmitry Konradt
Dmitry Shaguin
Andrey Kouznetsov

The EU-MAN artists:
Andrea Bauer
Tigneh Negash
Nastaran Nasirzadeh
Amir Khatib
Thanos Kalamidas

EU-MAN Gallery Grand Opening
Tuesday April 14th
Cable Factory
Block B, Floor 3
Tallberginkatu 1
00180 Helsinki