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EESTI ELU reedel, 15. novembril 2019 — Friday, November 15, 2019
Symphonic icescapes
At the recent celebration of the Estonian Supplementary Schools anniversaries, high school students gave a two-part stage presentation of what life was like at boarding schools in Estonia some 120 years ago – as depicted in Oskar Luts’ classic novel “Kevade” – and what it is today at the Toronto Estonian school. The tallest person in the photos is Eda Oja, scenarist and director of the apt and well executed production. Photos: Estonian Life
Exporting Canadian energy is also good for Europe Marcus Kolga, Toronto Sun, November 2019 Canada is uniquely positioned to help Europe secure its energy supplies through diversification, while simulta neously addressing Alberta’s serious economic concerns, by investing in infrastructure to get Alberta gas shipped to Europe as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Vladimir Putin has never shied from using Russia’s near monopoly on European gas supplies to coerce dependent countries – shutting off oil and gas supplies or inflating prices, overnight and at whim. In January 2009, millions of Europeans were left in the cold when the Kremlin cut off gas supplies through Ukraine for nearly two weeks to force Ukraine into a better gas transit deal. Europe’s dependence on Russian gas grew in 2012, when the Nord Stream pipeline became fully operational, de livering gas to Germany via an undersea pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Plans for a second pipeline took a major step forward re cently, when Denmark removed final barriers to completing Nord Stream 2, which will double Russia’s gas exports along this route. Energy security analyst Mikhail Korchemkin warns this project will make Europe “more vulnerable to supply outages, whether caused by disaster or by Putin’s whims.” With Nord Stream 2, Russia will consolidate much of its gas exports directly to Germany, making European energy supplies dependent on Russia German relations. Putin could
quickly and significantly cut its natural gas exports on this one route alone. And, by reducing land-based gas exports, Putin will further isolate transit coun tries like Ukraine and Poland from Europe. According to a recent EU gas market report, European gas imports totalled 90 billion euros in 2018, of which nearly half was delivered by Russian sup plier Gazprom. This portion seems destined to grow. With strategic investments in domestic energy infrastructure – among them, an East Coast LNG liquefaction terminal – Canada could become a key player in helping Europe secure energy supplies, while opening the door to a large market for Alberta energy. Canada’s Baltic NATO allies are particularly vulnerable, given Putin’s attitude towards them, his willingness to use gas as leverage, and their extensive reliance on Russian natural gas. In an online interview, Estonia’s former minister of economic affairs and infrastruc ture, Kristen Michal, told me that “diversification of Estonia’s energy supplies is important to both our economy and national security, and I think that LNG supplied by our NATO partner, Canada, would be a very wel come new option in this mar ket.” Questions about how to de liver Alberta’s energy to market remain hotly debated in Canada. A mixture of environmental, political and economic concerns caused TC Energy (Trans Canada) to terminate the Energy East pipeline. Yet TC Energy’s Canadian Mainline continues to operate as a gas pipeline and the com pany is moving forward with
Irish-born Sir Ernest Shackle ton, a heroic explorer, was almost obsessed with tying his name to Antarctica. Failing to be the first to reach the South Pole, he still returned, deter mined to make a sea crossing to the continent and to be the first to reach the South Pole by land. His ship was trapped near Elephant Island in ice and Shackleton set out with some of his crew to South Georgia, a trip of @1,300 km, on foot and by boat to seek help. He succeeded. And saved his crew. This incredibly brave and selfless achievement was brought to the big screen, giant actually. “Shackleton’s Antarctic Adven ture” is an IMAX film, released in 2001 that tells the true story. A highly recommended recon struction of how the frozen continent can enthrall. As an aside, “Sinfonia Antartica” is the Italian name Ralph Vaughan Williams gave to his seventh symphony, written to honour Shackleton’s feat, most worth listening to. Montréal’s Valmar Kurol has been enchanted by Antarctica since his first visit as a tourist in 1993. Since then he has taken four more trips to the Antarctic Peninsula, his fascination with a place that other than scientists and explorers, only until recently tourists have seen. He has expressed this positive emotion through music and photography. His third CD in collaboration with fellow composer and key board wizard Michael Stibor is the mesmerizing “Symphony Antarctica: Telescopes to the stars”. A project that took a year and a half’s worth of dedica tion, hard work and musical
efforts to use existing pipelines to carry Western Canadian gas to Eastern Canada. Pending approvals, the system would be in service within 24 months. While no Eastern Canadian terminals yet exist that can liquefy the gas which is re quired for it to be loaded onto specialized LNG tankers bound for Europe, several LNG termi nal projects are being developed in Quebec and Nova Scotia, with a few slated to become operational as soon as 2023. As Alberta desperately seeks new markets for its energy resources and concerns about Western alienation grow, Europe’s dangerous reliance on Russian gas could offer oppor tunities for Canada. Both federal and provincial governments would be wise to facilitate the export of Canadian energy to Europe. (Marcus Kolga is a senior fel low at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests abroad.)
collaboration, as underlined by Stibor in the liner notes, most certainly achieves the pair’s goals. Kurol writes that much of the music is based on broader themes related to the continent. Stibor adds that the goal was to compose music that “would not only provide the listener with a sense of time and place, but at the same time to tell musical stories that would transport the listener to faraway places not easily, or often reached.” That last sentence captures the breadth and beauty of this album. While electronic, com puter programmed, the melodies are at times haunting, at others most uplifting. Symphony is an apt, appropriate name as Stibor’s arrangements and mix ing make the listener believe that those are actual wood winds, brass, percussion or strings. This happens to be one of those recordings best enjoyed not as background but alone if possible, in a quiet space and listened to in entirety. The blend between the three move ments demands this. A sym phony is a large composition for orchestra normally consist ing of several large sections, or movements; here it is just Stibor but the two musical col la borators have indeed stayed true to the definition. The first movement is “The seasons”, all four. And yes, the temptation to compare with Vivaldi’s composition of almost 300 years ago for violin and or chestra was there, especially the brighter sections. (A paean to Vivaldi might be the third part of the second movement, “Tele scopes to the Stars” Cosmic strings.) The frozen continent does indeed have spring, sum mer, fall and winter, these four sub-movements do suggest, brief as some of them may be the passage of time in the cold est place on earth. “Telescopes to the Stars” has
IMF raises Estonia’s 2019 economic growth forecast to 3.2 percent BNS, ERR The highest ratios of govern ment debt to GDP at the end of the second quarter of 2019 were recorded in Greece, 180.2 percent, Italy, 138 per cent, Portugal, 121.2 percent, Cyprus, 107.2 percent, and Belgium, 104.7 percent. Compared with the first quarter of 2019, 10 member states registered an increase in their debt to GDP ratio at the end of the second quarter of 2019 and sixteen a decrease, while the ratio remained stable in Spain and France. The highest increases in the ratio were observed in Cyprus, 4 percentage points, Lithuania, 2.1 percentage points, and Finland, 1.8 percentage points. The largest decreases were recorded in Portugal, 2.5 per centage points, Greece, 1.9 per
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five parts, starting with Seeking galaxies, suggesting what the nightscape in a clear crisp envi ronment must be. Stunning. The unfolding universe concludes this movement and again, the title adds so much to the music, magical and revealing. The CD concludes, fittingly with “Icescapes and land scapes”, a movement with two parts that for these ears cap tured the essence of the beauty that a mere human must surely experience while taking in the surroundings. As Kurol writes, Lake Vostok presents “the mys terious, unknown aspects of the lake, as well as a humorous consideration of the presence of Antarctic mermaids and other creatures”. Mermaids? This one word captures the whimsical ness of this selection. The last part, Erebus Lava Lake emphasizes the changing dynamics of the lake, not only the continent itself. Alternating restful and rhythmical (mind fully such as wind, waves and eruptions) episodes the achieve ment is such that the desire to listen to it again arises. A fitting climax and pardon the pun climactic experience. To read more, listen to selec tions visit www.symphonyant arctica.com Available at Ama zon and iTunes it can also be heard by utilizing the Spotify app. Best however to purchase this sparkling gem and thus not only support the artists but be able to listen to this mood ele vating symphony anywhere that you choose. TÕNU NAELAPEA
centage points, and Ireland, 1.6 percentage points. At the end of the second quarter of 2019, the government debt to GDP ratio in the euro area stood at 86.4 percent, com pared with 86.5 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2019. In the EU, the ratio decreased from 81.1 percent to 80.5 per cent. Compared with the second quarter of 2018, the government debt to GDP ratio fell in both the euro area, from 87.3 percent to 86.4 percent, and the EU, from 81.5 percent to 80.5 percent.
Quotes School is learning things you don’t want to know, surrounded by people you wish you didn’t know, while working toward a future you don’t know will ever come. Dave Kellett It’s only because of their stu pidity that they’re able to be so sure of themselves. Franz Kafka Do Lipton employees take cof fee breaks? Steven Wright
