Info Michel Tabachnik, conductor

In the picture: Sabine and Michel Tabachnik with the Pope Jean-Paul II

You might never have heard about Michel Tabachnik, but if you hear his music, you’ll see instantly why he is considered one of the most talented conductor of the 20th century.

Born in Switzerland, Michel Tabachnik grew up with his uncles and aunts after his parents passed away at an early age. His father was a conductor as well.

Michel Tabachnik studied music in Geneva and was quickly spotted by Pierre Boulez who made him his young apprentice. Followed a great career of excellent orchestra conducting, traveling all over the world to lead operas and meet a crowd that cherished him as a prodigal son.

Today, Michel Tabachnik is still a conductor with the Brussels Philarmonic.

Biking mob rushing down a mountain

More Mountain Biking Videos

Welcome to crasy bikers associated! Watch those guys going down the hill as if bones couldn’t break! I got my adrenalin rush!

Do you know John Sayegh Belchatowski?

John Sayegh Belchatowski is a famous Paris-based art collector and private dealer. You may have encountered him during the Lucio Fontana’s slashed canvas “Concetto Spaziale, Attese” bids, at the New York’s Marianne Boesky Gallery buying an untitled, 104x168 inches Barnaby Furnas painting from 2009, at Chrstie's, or bidding as high as £4 million on a Francis Bacon's "Portrait of Henrietta Moraes,".

If the man is very famous in the international art scene, I feel like he is very little-known by the wider audience of the mass media. Let's hope this post helps get the word out!

Christophe Van de Wegh, John Sayegh Belchatowski, John Dodelande

John Sayegh Belchatowski, Augusta Pokrovskaya, Kristina Pokrovskaya

Lucio Fontana’s slashed canvas “Concetto Spaziale, Attese”

Francis Bacon's "Portrait of Henrietta Moraes,"

Young Panamenos found alive after 28-day ordeal at sea

An 18-year-old has been picked up by the Ecuadorean coast guard, after apparently surviving a 28 day ordeal at sea.

Adrian Vasquez, from Panama, was found drifting alone near the Galapagos Islands, in a fishing boat he had apparently gone out in with two friends.

Mr Vasquez said neither of them survived, but that he had always held onto the hope he would be rescued.

He said he stayed alive by drinking rain water and eating raw fish.

Source: BBC

Picture: Press Association

Coup d'état: Is democracy a failed utopia?

I just landed on this video, a documentary that covers the December 19th 1989 attack of the United States on Panama. This invasion of the country, that happened during nightime, was a terrible incident of the American diplomatic and armed forces: After the US stopped working with Panama's head of state, the infamous Noriega, he refused to leave his position to be replaced by a new US-compliant president. Then-president George Bush decided that it could not afford to have an ennemy ruling Panama, hence the blitzkrieg launched against Panama in December 1989.

The Panama Deception (1992), winner of the 1992 Academy Award for Documentary Feature.

While this sounds like an old story, there are still coup d'état happening nowadays, in many countries. Those coup d'état seriously violate the UN's guidelines for a demoncratic world, but they happen, sometime failing, sometime succeding.

Here are a few examples:

• In 2006, in the Fidji Islands, Frank Bainimarama ousted Laisenia Qarase, the 4th coup d'état in 19 years
• In 2009, in Honduras, the Army expelled then-president Manuel Zelaya out of the country.
• In 2009 again, in Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina, with the help from the army, ousted Marc Ravalomanana
• In 2010, in Niger, General-Lieutenant Salou Djibo kicked former president Mamadou Tandja out
• And more recently (March 2012), the Malian army overthrew President Amadou Toumani Touré.

In other words, some countries do not live with a democratic system: Every new leader gains power with violence because all actual leaders violate the principles of democracy out of a fear of losing their power. While this is sad, it reflects the reality of things: Is democracy a failed utopia?

Less likely to die in a plane in 2011

Good news: The year 2011 hit a record in terms of plane crashes: where 94 accidents happened in 2010, only 92 occured last year! That's a -2% decrease, which is not sensational but worth mentioning.

The more positive numbers are for Western-built aircrafts, whose accidents dropped from 17 in 2010 to 11 in 2011. The African aircrafts also experienced a sharp increase in security: Only 8 accidents in 2011, compared to 18 in 2010.

So if Western- and Africa-built planes are seeing a sharp drop of accidents, which geographical zone has experienced a sharp increase of accidents, since the total number of crashes hasn't really changed since last year?

Source: LA Times

Heart transplantation with Pr Dreyfus

I just landed on this amazing video produced by a French TV channel 10 years ago. It's about cardiac surgery and cardiac transplantation. Though in French, the video follows a fellow who's about to get his heart replaced with a new one. Professor Gilles Dreyfus is in charge of this operation.

It is amazing to watch: At the end, the patient leaves the hospital as if he had just walked in for a cold: He is standing up, jokes and laughs, wants to drive his car... Breath-taking, and a bit scary too!

Source: Nouvel Obs