01 February 2002

Be scared The session on science, source of security or vulnerability, offered gloomy but provocative fare. "Extreme pessimism strikes me as the only rational stance," said cosmologist Martin Rees. He foresees a world where the dissemination of genetic technologies means thousands or even millions of individuals can create weapons of mass destruction. Fortunately Nobel prizewinning physicist George Charpak reckons if we can teach our kids science, they will be good citizens and not prone to fanaticism. 4:31:32 PM

Odyssey There were a number of firsts at the cultural evening tonight. Bono, introducing the evening, thanked the sponsor, Vivendi Universal's CEO, Jean-Marie Messier, for being "a corporate motherf***er". He honestly meant it in the nicest way (I guess I'd translate it as: he's a mensch). What followed was a remarkable panoply of world music, choreographed by Quincy Jones. The highlight for me was a tiny singer from Benin (I didn't catch the name, which displays my reporting inadequacies), who was joined by a chorus from South Africa and saxophonist Branford Marsalis. Her song, Af-Africa, was a distillation of energy and joy. Other memorable moments included the 84-year old Henri Sabador from France, singing Mademoiselle, and Ravi Shankar introducing his daughter on the sitar. Unless I'm very mistaken, it was the kind of event that could only happen in a metropolis. There are a lot of things I love about Davos, but an alphorn trio pales in comparison. 4:00:37 AM

© Copyright 2002 Lance Knobel.