Out of time

Yes, I know this is not going to be evaluated, but I needed to post this amazing video. I just love how he reads his poem, is magnificent.

Awesome. And if you got time, please watch this.

Bollywood: The magic of India.

Bollywood is the film industry of India. This name is the mixing between Bombay (the city where it's located)
and Hollywood (film industry in the USA)

Bollywood is a place where magic happens. It's not just a way of entertaiment it's also a way of expression for the Indian people and the Indian culture.

In 1913 the first movie Raja Harishchandra was released in India. In the 30's the Industry made 200 movies per year. It was a total success and it made emerge the movie business. 


The best time for Bollywood was between 40's and 60's and two of the best directors were  Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor 

On 70's the action movies became popular, with the influence from America, but always keeping their traditions. 

Between 80's and 90's, the romantic movies became the most important on cinemas, with unforgettable productions. The most important was the musical romantic comedy, The most important couple of actor of this time were  Sha Rukh and Kajol and the movies Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham y Dilwale Dulhania, are the most memorable.

I like how their movies are traditionals. They have the influence of all the technology, kind of movies, and art of America and the British culture, but the always will but always prevail they life styles, dances, stories, clothing, and their point of view of life.

Their common topics will be, their way to see love, marriage, religion, and family, because this is part of their daily life, and they feel identified with the characters and the situations in a movie.

Unlike our culture, where we took everything that came from outside, in India they were able to maintain their culture and bring it to modern times.

     They are not Human :

"I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days." -Nelson Mandela-

A brilliant science fiction movie, adapted from a adapted from Alive in Joburg, a 2005 short film directed by Blomkamp and produced by Sharlto Copley and Simon Hansen; produced by the renowned director Peter Jackson, comes one of the most astonishing aliens' film.

"The year is 1982, a giant spaceship from the outter space overshadows a sunny day in Jahannesburg.  During months people from earth became afraid and paranoid, and after months of setup, humans decide to make the first move and make their way into this "mothership".   What they find it's fairly stunning, an ill and starved bunch of shrimp-shaped aliens who claimed to be lost and disoriented; they also confesed not to have any warlike intention but just want to leave..."
Everything seems alright up to this point, after months of international agreements the nations of the world let a Multi-National United enterprise to take care of the aliens in a "humanitarian" way. Then aliens are "forced" to settle down in the district 9 close to the district inhabited by Nigerians refuegees.  But conflicts don't take long to come on the scene, and the african population complains about having to share their country and resources to these "outter space strangers", under this pressure the government decided to move in the aliens further away, where they'd live in better conditions"..  

What does human truly mean?:

The magnificence of this fantastic film it's found in the concept of "intergalactic racism";  although aliens mean no harm to humans (like other films have suggested), humans exert an extreme supremacy over them.  Local population quickly name these creatures derogatorily "prawns", because of their crustacean features and  their need to look for food in trash cans.  It's very absorbing, how a social segregation was born upon another, as quickly as "white people" from Johannesburg determined places restricted for "white people" only, also assigned the places forbidden for "Non-humans".   Based on the constant argument they're not human "prawns" are treated roughly in despite of their show of emotions, conscience and pacific behavior.     The movie shows an excellent instant to reflect about questions like:
*Is it human nature to exert power and feel superior by simply emphasizing external differences?
*If someone or something doesn't show human standard features does it make it Non-human?
*Is humanity a physical condition or is it related to moral and conscience behavior?
*Does a creature need only of conscience and feelings to be accepted and consider as human?
*What makes us human and what does not?

The widening gyre of events starts when one of the unconcerned humans who works for MNU it's turned into one of these "scabby" aliens, and starts being chased by the people he loved most, just like in the "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.   Now thanks to things have turned out against him, he'll understand the real pain and suffering the humanity has caused to this extraterretrial civilization.

It's ironic how the word "human" or "humanitarian" changes by the progress of the movie, because beyond the Apartheid metaphorical effect, there's an undertone about how easy humans loose their values and remorse when they're told someone/something it's unlike them and therefore doesn't deserve to be treated justly.

*If it's hard for humans to adapt and accept to their skin color and cultural diversity, my question for you is.
How would they deal with an alien visitor?



 

A place that I love

India... How to describe it?

Even though I haven't travelled to India, I can imagine how India is by News, or pictures. I don't want to fall into stereotypes, but this is what I know.

There's a big Income gap, I've talk with many people that says that they wouldn't go to India because there is too much differences between those who have a lot and those who don't have. That already makes India a country difficult to comprehend. How is that is such a big difference? It's a pitty. 

Kochi, India

But I'm amazed. India is still very colorful, they have big weddings celebrations. If you search on the internet you can see a lot of people wearing cheerful clothes. 

 Another issue that caught my eye, was the religion. Most of Indian are hindu. Hinduism is the third biggest religion in the world. I love how hindu are devoted to their religion. They're respectful, and they have a lot of rituals. I think Oriental religions, are more peaceful than western. A word that I love is Namaste... 

I found this on the internet. 

To me it means that we have to respect each other not because we like each other, it's because we all have some of divinity within us, and we have to bow to all people, because we have the same essence. And because of that we have to forgive, to love and to try to make the world a beautiful place.

Hope someday I could travel there. 

Hope someday things get better for India.

All good vibes to them!

And here you have a short video of India

TRADITIONS IN INDIA

I was searching information about the Indian culture and there are two topics that I found very interesting about the culture, one is the point that women use between her eyes and the other topic is the tattoos that women use in her hands.

There are a lot of point that the indian people make between the eyebrows:

The first one is made in women and men, it is called "tilaka" this can be done in many forms and in many occasions, as a for of blessing, for example: after attend to an offering to a temple, the priest usually mark the forehead of the devote. 

The second one it's called "bindi", there was a custom that the groom draw a mark on the bride's foreheads with his blood, as a symbol marriage commitment. Nowadays the blood has been replaced for an ink or a kind of sticker, this mark is red in married women, widow women use yellow dye.

This mark apart to "label women relationships", is appreciated as a sign of beauty and decoration, so this point is also used for girls and young ladies, who use it in different color and materials, even matching with her clothes.  

The other topic that called my attention was the tattos that the women use.

The tattoos are called "Mehandi", this type of body decoration is usually used as a ritual before marriage. This ritual is for promote luck, hapiness and fertility, is also used as a protection from evil spirits and the "evil eye", because a new bride or future mother is more vulnerable to be attack. Apart from weddings, when the women paint her hands and feets with this tattoos made with henna, the women also use the mehandi for celebrations or festivals, in the 8th month of pregnancy, births and naming ceremonies. 

Without a doubt this culture is very different to ours and I think that Indian customs deserve more respect maybe than ours, because their traditions are very sacrificed and very old too. They don't steal customs according to what is on fashion. 

A MULTICULTURAL PLACE

In relation to British Indians, it doesn’t stop to impress me how two very different cultures can live healthily in the same place.

United Kingdom has been a very attractive place for immigrants, but certainly -London is the city with more non-British population of the state.

London is a multicultural city that has received for many years, hundreds of immigrants from various countries, mainly from those that were colony of the British Empire. India was one of them, and that is why some Indians migrated to United Kingdom, due to ancient colonial links.

The Indians correspond to the majority of foreign people that are living in the British capital, reaching the 3% of the population (of a total 8 million 174 thousand according to the last census). Then follow the citizens from Poland, whose percentage correspond to the 2% approximately.

The British of asian race suppose the 18.4% of London's population and British of black race, the 13.3%.

Today is possible to see that Indian culture is respected and appreciated for its colorful clothes and beautiful traditions, and also is possible to see that Indians respect London life, this as a kind of balance.

It is also possible to see a fusion of cultures, for example, in meals- and in this case, the fusion of two cultures in the marriage.

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Here we can see two weddings: on the one hand an indian wedding and on the other a common wedding by the same couple.

This shows that respecting the cultures and traditions we can live in an atmosphere of peace and love.

Why don't do the same with other cultures?

It's time to change and learn to respect 

Mad World

After reading about Martin Luther King, I began to associate all that I saw with his thought.
The things that happened in the 60's and before it in all the world, are incredible, the cruelty and violence that was between the people just for have a different skin color. Those actions,apart of being stupid, tell us how limited and closed mind we are.

In our times, the problems are not that much extremes, but there is still violence and discrimination, being fat, thin, gay, even our skin color are a pretext to discriminate, if we are not equal to the girl next to us, we "deserve" being bully.
I found a song with a video that show in a perfect way the vision of the society to the people who has different style, likes or features and the vision  of these people to the society.

What we don't understand as a society is the fact that all of us are people, all of us feel, and we should accept each other, that will make us grow as a society and as an individual person. 

We are not alone in this mad world and we can make of this world a better one. Just change your mind, don't change you. 

The Gunpowder Plot

 Remember Remember the Fifth of November:

During the late 16th and 17th century, Catholics made several assassination attempts against Protestant rulers in Europe and in England. 
The Gunpowder plot, also called Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason.   It's a better example of this model.  Considered one of the most audicious "terrorist" act ever done against the crown of england, which  principal aim was to kill King James I,monarch's nearest relatives and members of the Privy Council.  

Protestant Opression: Henry's daughter,Elizabeth I, responded to the growing religious divide by introducing the Elizabethan Religious Settlement(everyone appointed to a public church had to swear allegiance to the monarch as head of the Church and state)  The penalties for refusing the settlement were harsh and cruel, insubordinates risked imprisonment or execution.  Catolicism became marginalised and persecuted.  King James I, the scottish succesor of Queen Elizabeth was more moderate and even tolerant in comparison with his predecessors,he believed that exile was a better solution than capital punishment.

Gunpowder, Treason and Plot: Robert Catesby, a man of distinguished lineage led the plot.   In May 20, year 1604, he organized the first meeting at the "Duck and Drake"inn, Thomas Wintour, and John Wright were in attendance, joined by Guy Fawkes, and Thomas Percy. In privacy the five conspirators received the Eucharist, and swore of secrecy on a prayer book.  Originally the plotters had planned to tunnell under the foundation of the westminster palace to do that they purchased the lease of an undercroft,owned by John Whynniard.  Since the old palace was easily accesible, taking the 20 gunpowder barrels to the ground floor( which  was directly beneath the first-floor House of Lords) was made with ease. Guy Fawkes was in charge of the gunpowder ignition, he would light the fuse and then run away across the Thames, while simultaneously a revolt in the Midlands would help to ensure the kidnapping of Princess Elizabeth. Fawkes would leave the continent, to explain events in England to the European Catholic powers. 

Monteangle Letter and Discovery: On October 26th the plot was given away by an anonymous letter sent to a Catholic nobleman Lord Monteagle.  Uncertain of the letter's meaning he immediatly took it to the court.  In November 1st the letter was shown to King James,who felt that it hinted at some "strategem of gunpowder and fire",perhaps an explossion (like the one that killed his father).   According to king's version the fisrt searching on parliament was made in November 4th's evening, they found a large pile of firerwood in the undercroft beneath the House of Lords accompained by Fawkes who they pressumed was a serving man,he assured his name was "John Johnson" and the firewoods were property of his master Thomas Percy. They left to report their findings, at same time Fawkes also left the building.  The King insisted that a more thorough search should be performed.  Late that night, the search party, headed by Thomas Knyvet, returned to the undercroft and then they came across Fawkes once more,but this time they arrested him and took him to the tower of London, where he was interrogated and tortured.  After two days of torture,in November 7th, he started to name some of the ones who where involved along with him,and in November 9th he implicated Francis Tresham as the last conspirator of the plot.  Finally he was judged and executed in January 31st 1606, his corpse was dismembered and distributed to "the four corners of the kingdom" to be displayed as a warning to other would-be traitors.

Nowadays english men celebrate the Guy Fawkes' Night where they burned a symbolical Guy Fawkes.   The 'guys' are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Tradition allows British children to display their 'guys' to passers-by and asking for " A penny for the guy".   The Nursery poem,"Remember, remember the fifth of November" was made to ensure that this crime would never be forgotten.

Queen Elizabeth I : "The Virgin Queen"

Queen Elizabeth I , daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, was born on Semptember 7th, 1533 on Palace of Placentia, Greenwich, England. She was called:  "The Virgin Queen", because she never married. There is the idea that Elizabeth vowed herself to a life perpetual virginity, she entered into a symbolic marriage with england as her husband. in this way she could receive the adulation of her subjects as the universal ballads, pageants, and dramatic entertainment. 

 She was a living legend. Novelists, poets, playwrights and filmmakers have immortalized Elizabeth. In recent years there has been a flood of books and exhibitions about her. Her figure was theatrical: small eyes, the blond curly hair and deathly pale complexion. Queen Elizabeth I, was immortalized in several movies based on myths about her life and loves. 

There is no absolute truth about life and virginity of Queen Elizabeth I, but I believe in the theory that she had lovers who were not known and that these loves were not important enough to make the Queen  fall in love and lose all the image that already had formed for his people.

The truth is that however interesting the subject is, there is no way to find the truth. So we must make do with the truth of how powerful and strong that Queen Elizabeth I was. 

Elizabeth: The golden age (2007)

Despite its obvious historical errors, it is certainly an excellent film production.

The film tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I (played by Cate Blanchett), a lonely but strong woman who must face the recurrent attempts of take her throne. On the other hand, Catholicism is gaining ground wanting to get it over with Protestant England and restore the glory of the Roman Catholic Church.

In this context, Elizabeth “the virgin” is being pressured to marry soon and leave offspring, in this way, her cousin Mary Stuart, defender of Catholicism, wouldn't take the throne. 

Many men are presented to her, and as usual she refuses to marry, but she takes note about Walter Raleigh, a man that returned from “the new world” and then fascinates to her with his adventures stories at sea. 

Unwilling to give vent to his passion, Elizabeth encourages Bess (played by Abbie Cornish), her favorite lady, to relate to Raleigh to have him around. But they fall in love; Bess gets pregnant and then get married in secret and without permission from the queen. The queen discovered it and she threw into a jealous rage and Raleigh and his wife were imprisoned in the Tower. Later, the Queen forgives them and gives

blessing to his son.

Mary Stuart was beheaded for treason and in the context of war, England faces to Spain and comes out triumphant.

The great production makes us dive into the story and believe what the film shows. But the truth is that much of what is presented is fiction- distant from the real story.

How much true is there in the movie?

There are several details that were added and / or omitted:

• William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and one of the most trusted advisors of the Queen, was omitted in this film.
• England didn't win the war because they had a great navy, but a storm happened in his favor.

Philip II: "I sent my ships to fight men, not against the storms."

• Raleigh never went out to meet the Spanish Armada
• Bess Throckmorton's pregnancy actually occurred the summer of 1591, three years after the Armada, not immediately before

Was Walter Raleigh for the queen as important as the film shows?

The truth is that as well as Raleight, there were many men favorites: Robert Dudley, Sir Robert Cecil, or Robert Devereux, all of which were much more significant than Raleigh.

Was really Elizabeth a virgin?

It was said that she gave her "intimate affection" to a big number of favorites, including Robert Dudley (first Earl of Leicester), Sir Walter Raleigh and Robert Devereux, (second Earl of Essex). It was even rumored that she had a son with Dudley named Arthur, and when he was born he was delivered promptly to other hands for his care and already big he went out in search of his real parents.

“For my secret sins, clean me. For the sins of the others, you put your servant. Many sins have been excused to her because she loved too much… “

“Here lies Elizabeth, who reigned virgin and died virgin"

Buried as a virgin and glorified by his personal sacrifice on behalf of the happiness of his country, the truth about the intimate life of Elizabeth I and her possible motherhood, will continue being a fascinating mystery.

Elizabeth I, Armada Portrait, c.1588 - Woburn Abbey

Queen Elizabeth I : Art Legacy

                 Many years ago a strong Queen ruled England, making it more powerful and creating a huge Empire; The British Empire. Besides of being a mother to her country she was a great lover of the finest arts.  She was very well-educated, she knew six different languages, she enjoyed the theatre, the dance, history, politics, and the art in general, and furthermore she was very clever. She surrounded herself with the best.

She knew that the basis for a stable government and economy was to create culture, hence, there’s an opening of the mind to knowledge. They needed to create a good education. This is the best moment of the public schools in the story of England. In her times emerges The Humanism, and here is where the Universities became a sort of sanctuary. 

In her reign London becomes a multicultural city for the first time. It’s the beginning of the Powerful England.

The art is very important to the Queen; she gives to her people a new way to see the life, to perceive the world inside of them, now there’s not just to survive, there’s a conception of what needs to be near or what needs to stay away from their thoughts. That is what makes a real Empire (in addition to conquer new places); when the kingdom is not only worried about the primary needs of the people, but beyond; they are worried about the people’s mind. She introduces the art as an entertainment but indeed she introduces it as a way of making the people more thoughtful. And intelligence is power. 

As future teachers we have to consider this, education is power, we can change lives through teaching. The education is the base for a powerful and cultured country, who respect each other no matter what we look like, what beliefs we have or what we want to do with our life. 

She was visionary because nowadays, intelligence makes people powerful. Her legacy to me was a kind of advice: Conquer all that you have to, all that you need to, but be clever so you can achieve your goals. Be always concerned about your learning process, develop your spiritual side and your mind. Use all your capabilities to be the best you that you can.

Queen Elizabeth I portrait 

                       Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I in the movie "Elizabeth : The Golden Age"

If we talk about theatre I wonder: Did Queen Elizabeth I, meet Shakespeare ? 

I didn't find any specific information, there aren't any proofs if this happened or not. But I think that this is just a myth. Anyway, If that happened sometime, it would be the most awesome fact on Elizabeth's life and in the history of England.