SERENADE

Movie Quotes of All-Time

2011-04-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

Screenwriters have provided generations of movie-goers with memorable movie quotes and lines of dialogue, from film speeches, one-liners, quips, punchlines, statements, insults, and even mis-quotes. Their words are remembered through popular use, critical acclaim, shock value and quotability, and for many other reasons.

Some lines become more visible or recognizable than was the original intention. Scores of memorable lines have captured our attention by the way the line was delivered, by the tone in the actor's voice, the electricity on the screen, or many have become catch phrases. Many memorable movie lines are not from the greatest films, but they have remained as part of the film's legacy (and etched a place in movie history) anyway!

"My Mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get.'"
(Forrest Gump (1994))

"What we do in life echoes in eternity."
Gladiator (2000)

"Face it, girls, I'm older and I have more insurance."
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."
Who framed Roger Rabbit? (1988)

"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."
The Godfather (1972)

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"Someone has to die in order that the rest of us should value life more."
The Hours (2003)

CLINT EASTWOOD

2011-04-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

Clint Eastwood tribute
2003-2008 movies
1.- Mystic River
2.- Million Dollar Baby
3.- Flags of our Fathers
4.- Letters from Iwo Jima
5.- The Changeling
6.- Gran Torino

http://web.adminsites.com/4482U7T2/web/clint/director.asp

Clint Eastwood is the consummate filmmaker. His career spans four decades and has touched generations of moviegoers. He is one of the most prolific, versatile artists in the history of the medium, involving himself first as an actor, then as a director and producer. Eastwood's remarkable achievements have been fueled by his enormous box-office appeal and likewise reflected in the recognition he has received. His respect within the film industry is matched only by his appreciation from the public at large. His ongoing body of work is without peer. Clint Eastwood is a film icon.

Consider the following data, applied as it is to a man whose debut in film was as a contract actor for Universal Pictures in 1955. From this inauspicious beginning, Clint Eastwood's credits have carried him beyond the new millennium. He has starred in 46 films (appearing in 57), directed 25, and produced 20. Eastwood is unique in that he will often combine responsibilities, simultaneously producing, directing and starring. This he has done 13 times, while he has directed and starred in an additional nine films and served as producer, in a variety of directing and acting combinations, on 18 films.

In March of 2003, he accepted a Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, and in August of the same year the Henry Mancini Institute presented Eastwood with the Hank Award, which recognizes distinguished service to American music. In January of 2000, Eastwood was presented with a Lifetime Career Achievement Award from New York's National Board of Review. That May he received an Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from Wesleyan University, and in December accepted a Kennedy Center Honors Award. He was also nominated for Favorite All-Time Movie Star in 1999 from the People's Choice Awards (which he won for the Favorite Motion Picture Actor in 1981, 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1998).

In addition, Eastwood received a Cesar Honorary Award (Honneur) from the French Film Society for Career Achievement in 1998 and a Golden Laurel Lifetime Achievement Award from the Producers Guild of America that same year. He was also the recipient of the Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute and the Film Society at Lincoln Center in 1996, and he was given the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1995 from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

In 2004, Eastwood's critically acclaimed drama Million Dollar Baby earned seven Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay and Best Editor) and won four Oscars. Along with Eastwood's Oscar wins for Best Director and Best Motion Picture, Hilary Swank's performance earned her a Best Actress Award and Morgan Freeman won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Million Dollar Baby also won the Director's Guild Award, Golden Globe Awards for Best Director and Best Actress and the New York Film Critics Award for Best Director. The National Board of Review presented Eastwood with an award for Special Filmmaking Achievement for Producing, Directing, Acting and Scoring.

In 2003, Mystic River debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, earning Eastwood a Golden Palm nomination and the Golden Coach Award. Mystic River went on to win six Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay) and two Oscars (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor). The National Board of Review named Mystic River the Best Film of 2003.

Eastwood's 1993 foreboding, revisionist western, Unforgiven, won nine Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editor and Best Sound) and four Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editor). That same year, Unforgiven also won the Director's Guild Award, a Golden Globe for Best Director, the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Screenplay, and the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor. The film also received nominations for Best Direction and Best Film from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the ShoWest Award for Director of the Year from the National Association of Theater Owners (which also gave Eastwood the Male Star of the Decade Award in 1982).

No less impressive are Eastwood's Cesar nomination for Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film etranger) for The Bridges of Madison Country in 1996, a Douglas Sirk award for Career Achievement, Awards from both the American Cinema Editors and the Publicists Guild in 1992, the California Governor's Award for the Arts in 1992, and the Man of the Year Award from Harvard's Hasty Pudding Theatrical Society in 1991.

No stranger to Cannes, Eastwood served as president of the jury in 1994 and has been given Best Picture Golden Palm nominations for White Hunter, Black Heart in 1990, Bird in 1988 (which won for Best Actor and Best Sound), and Pale Rider in 1985. He has also won a Best Director Golden Globe for Bird in 1989, a Hollywood Foreign Press Cecil B. DeMille Career Achievement award in 1988, and a Golden Globe for Male World Film Favorite in 1971.

A long standing relationship has also existed between Eastwood and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, whose film archivists presented the first Honorary Retrospective of his work in 1980 and then expanded the program in 1993 for a second tribute. This was followed by similar events on behalf of the French Cinematheque in 1985, the Walker Art Center of Minneapolis in 1990, and the British Film Institute, which made Eastwood a fellow in 1992.

All of the recognition is grounded in the fact that Clint Eastwood is a film star of the first magnitude. When considering his career, it is impossible to ignore his diversity and the ease with which he is able to move from actor to director to producer. Eastwood is alone in this regard, if not for the process, then simply for his incredible productivity and box-office results.

Throughout his career, Eastwood has played the triple role of actor, director and producer in the films Million Dollar Baby (2004), Blood Work (2002), Space Cowboys (2000), True Crime (1998), Absolute Power (1996), The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Unforgiven (1992), White Hunter, Black Heart (1989), Heartbreak Ridge (1987), Pale Rider (1985), Sudden Impact (1983), Honkytonk Man (1982), and Firefox (1982).

The films in which Eastwood has starred while directing include A Perfect World (1983), The Rookie (1990), Bronco Billy (1980), The Gauntlet (1977), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The Eiger Sanction (1975), High Plains Drifter (1973), and Play Misty For Me (1971).

There are twenty-four films in which Eastwood starred as an actor and did not direct. These films include In the Line of Fire (1993), Pink Cadillac (1989), The Dead Pool (1988), City Heat (1984), Tightrope (1984), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Escape from Alcatraz (1979), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), The Enforcer (1976), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), Magnum Force (1973), Joe Kidd (1972), Dirty Harry (1971), The Beguiled (1971), Two Mules for Sister Sarah (1970), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Paint Your Wagon (1969), Where Eagles Dare (1969), Coogan's Bluff (1968), Hang 'Em High (1968), The Witches (1967), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), For a Few Dollars More (1965) and A Fistful of Dollars (1964).

At the outset of his career, Eastwood appeared in eleven films as a contract player for Universal Pictures, including Lafayette Escadrille (1957), Ambush at Cimarron Pass (1957), Escapade in Japan (1957), Star in the Dust (1956), The First Traveling Saleslady (1956), Away All Boats (1956), Never Say Goodbye (1956), Tarantula (1955), Lady Godiva (1955), Francis in the Navy (1955) and Revenge of the Creature (1955).

Eastwood got his first break on the TV series Rawhide (1958), in which he played cowpuncher Rowdy Yates for six years. During this time he made four television guest appearances on TV shows such as West Point (1957), Highway Patrol (1958), Maverick (1959) and Mister Ed (1962). Interestingly, Eastwood did not return to television until 1985, when he directed a segment for Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories series, titled Vanessa in the Garden.

As a director and producer, without participation as an actor, Eastwood made Mystic River (2003), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1996) and Bird (1988). Working only as a director, he made Breezy (1973) and then, working as a producer while starring, he made Tightrope (1984). Eastwood produced three films in which he neither acted nor directed: The Last of the Blue Devils (1987), Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1989) and The Stars Fell on Henrietta (1995).

Eastwood's association with jazz is well documented, as is his assertion that had his acting, directing or producing careers not been successful, he would have chosen to be a musician. As a young man growing up in Oakland, California, Eastwood performed in small clubs as a pianist. Some of his most inspiring moments of that era came watching jazz greats like Charlie Parker perform live. Thus Bird included original remixed Parker cuts, orchestrated by composer Lennie Niehaus, as well as original copies of Eastwood's own treasured issues of Downbeat magazine.

Play Misty for Me marked Eastwood's directing debut and was characterized by the romantic theme of First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, selected by Eastwood and sung by the then-unknown Roberta Flack. Likewise, Misty, the film's theme song, was arranged by jazz legend Erroll Garner.

Notably, all of the five classic Dirty Harry films featured big-city jazz soundtracks. Lalo Schifrin composed Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, Sudden Impact and The Gauntlet, as well as Escape from Alcatraz.

Successful soundtrack albums have been a consistent Eastwood signature to his films, be they jazz-oriented (Bird, The Bridges of Madison County, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and the multi-film reference for Clint Eastwood Live At Carnegie Hall) or country (Every Which Way But Loose, Bronco Billy, Any Which Way You Can, and Honkytonk Man). Moreover, in two particular instances, again working with composer Lennie Niehaus, Eastwood wrote the key melody for both Unforgiven (Claudia's Theme) and The Bridges of Madison County (Doe Eyes). Eastwood also composed the score for Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, which was recorded with Niehaus conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Eastwood's documentary Piano Blues, produced by Bruce Ricker, concluded Martin Scorsese's 2003 series The Blues for PBS. In the film, Eastwood explores his life-long passion for Piano Blues, using rare footage of Art Tatum and Professor Longhair with new interviews and performances by Ray Charles, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Marcia Ball, Jay McShann, Dr. John and Pete Jolly.

An avid golfer, Eastwood lives in Carmel, California, where he served as Mayor from 1986 through 1988, and where he owns the picturesque Mission Ranch Inn and Tehama Golf Club. He is also a partner in the famed Pebble Beach Golf Course and was appointed to the California State Park and Recreation Commission, where he currently serves as Vice Chair, in November 2001. Eastwood serves as a Commissioner on the California Film Commission, appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and has been named, for the second time, to serve as the national spokesperson for Take Pride in America.

Born Clinton Eastwood Jr. on May 31, 1930, in San Francisco, California, he was raised in Oakland, California, after moving from town to town as his father sought work during the Great Depression. This experience left an indelible mark on him, as he freely admits, helping to formulate his value system and his work ethic.

Clint Eastwood is, perhaps, the most conscientious filmmaker who ever got behind a camera. He has no patience for waste, be it time or money. He makes movies, loves the process, and start to finish, each day and each dollar belongs to him. When not in production, he lives quietly with his wife Dina Ruiz Eastwood (married March 31, 1996) and their daughter Morgan (born December 12, 1996) in Carmel.

The Car

2011-03-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

0.- rear window/backlight (AE)
1.- number plate / license plate (AE)
2.- boot /trunk (AE)
3.- bumper
4.- stop light /brake light (AE)
5.- reversing /back-up light (AE)
6.- front wheel; front tyre /front tire (AE)
7.- (out) side mirror, side-view mirror, outside rear-view mirror
8.- door
9.- door handle
10.- side window
11.- exhaust (pipe)

12.- fog-light
13.- headlight
14.- windscreen /windshield (AE)
15.- rear-view mirror
16.- bonnet (BE) /hood (AE)
17.- indicator /turn signal (AE)

(Source:englisch-hilfen.de)
Photos with permission of Audi AG

Pierre Loti

2011-03-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

The French novelist Pierre Loti (1850-1923) is noted for his picturesque romances, abounding in descriptions of the exotic spots he visited in a lifetime of travel.

Pierre Loti was born Julien Viaud at Rochefort on Jan. 14, 1850, to Protestant parents. Deeply religious as a child, he lost his faith during adolescence, and in his later writings he frequently expressed a longing to regain it. In 1867, after graduating from navy school, he went to sea as a midshipman, was promoted to lieutenant in 1881, and received his first command in 1898. Loti's naval career necessarily entailed long absences from France. He spent much time in Levantine ports and in the Far East. In the course of his travels Loti had various love affairs that, often with slight alterations, provided the plots of his exotic novels. His first book, published anonymously in 1879 under the title Aziyadé, told of his amours with a Circassian slave girl he had met during a stay in Salonika and Constantinople 3 years previously. Le Mariage de Loti (1880) related the less poignant, more sensual relations he had enjoyed with several native girls at Tahiti, where he had spent some time in 1872. It was followed by Le Roman d'un Spahi (1881), the action of which occurred in Senegal, and by Madame Chrysanthème (1887), in which Loti evoked the temporary marriage he had contracted with a Japanese girl at Nagasaki.

Loti's fin-de-siècle readers were captivated by the blend of gentlemanly eroticism and fashionable melancholia that his books exuded. The novels for which Loti is chiefly remembered, however, were set in France. Mon Frère Yves (1883) told the story of Loti's Breton friend Pierre Le Cor and the single vice - drinking - of which Loti succeeded in curing him. Its sequel proved to be Loti's masterpiece: Pêcheur d'Islande (1886) dealt with the heroic lives of the Bretons who sailed every year to dangerous fishing grounds in Icelandic waters, and with the lives of their wives and sweethearts, who often never saw them again. Ramuntcho (1897) has also retained its charm. Set in the Basque country, this story centers on the conflict between human love and the claims of religion.

In addition to his novels, Loti wrote a great number of travel books. The best include Au Maroc (1890) - he visited Fez before Morocco became a French protectorate - and Vers Ispahan (1904), which narrated a journey he undertook through Persia in 1900. These books present an interesting picture of certain Islamic countries immediately before they became subject to Western commercial exploitation and were overrun by tourists - developments that Loti deplored.

The French Academy elected Loti a member in 1891. He died, after a long illness, at Hendaye on the Basque coast on June 10, 1923.
(Source:answers.com)

HANS ZIMMER

2011-03-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

A tribute to Hans Zimmer and his great music
Songs (in chronological order)

1.- Nyah from Mission Impossible II
2.- Run Free from Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimerron
3.- Wheel of Fortune from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
4.- Red Warrior from The Last Samurai
5.- The Journey - Kopano III from Tears of the Sun
6.- Now We Are Free (with Lisa Gerrard) from The Gladiator
7.- Score from Crimson Tide
8.- You're So Cool from True Romance
9.- Score from The Rock
10.- Score from Rain Man
11.- Chevaliers de Sangreal from The Da Vinci Code
12.- God Yu Tekkem Laef Blong Mi from The Thin Red Line

Composer Hans Zimmer was born September 12, 1957 in Frankfurt, Germany; after relocating to London as a teen, he later wrote advertising jingles for Air-Edel Associates, and in 1980 collaborated with the Buggles on their LP The Age of Plastic and its accompanying hit "Video Killed the Radio Star." A stint with Ultravox followed before Zimmer next surfaced with the Italian avant-garde group Krisma; he then formed a partnership with film composer Stanley Myers, and together they founded the London-based Lillie Yard recording studio. Zimmer and Myers' movie work of the period, which included material for pictures including Moonlighting, Success Is the Best Revenge, Insignificance, and the acclaimed My Beautiful Launderette, made significant strides in fusing the traditional orchestral aesthetic of film composition with state-of-the-art electronics, and proved highly influential on countless soundtracks to follow.

In 1986 Zimmer joined David Byrne and Ryuichi Sakamoto on their Oscar-winning score to The Last Emperor; his work on the apartheid drama A World Apart was his first major solo credit, and led to his Academy Award-nominated score for 1988's Best Picture-winning smash Rain Man. The following year Zimmer again composed the soundtrack for a Best Picture winner, this time Bruce Beresford's Driving Miss Daisy; a remarkably prolific writer, by the time the '90s dawned his music was a Hollywood staple, with a list of hits including Black Rain, Backdraft, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own, and Days of Thunder. Zimmer scored his biggest commercial hit in 1994 with his work on Disney's The Lion King; the film's soundtrack garnered countless awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and two Grammys. Later adapted for the Broadway stage, The Lion King took home the 1998 Tony for Best Musical as well.

In 1995, Zimmer also earned a Grammy for his work on Crimson Tide, which was honored as Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture. Another Academy Award nomination followed for 1996's The Preacher's Wife; that same year, he earned BMI's prestigious Richard Kirk Award for lifetime achievement. 1997 saw Zimmer earn another Oscar nom for his work on the James L. Brooks comedy As Good as It Gets, repeating the feat for the third consecutive year in 1998 with his score for the Terence Malick masterpiece The Thin Red Line. His contributions to The Prince of Egypt also earned a Golden Globe bid earlier that same year.

The 2000s marked an auspicious time in the composer's career, as he continued scoring the biggest A-list films of the season, averaging two or three blockbusters a year, including Hannibal, Gladiator, The Last Samurai, Batman Begins, and The Da Vinci Code. In 2007, Silva Screen Records released Film Music of Hans Zimmer, a double-disc set highlighting his achievements as a movie-music maker. Later in 2007, he reworked Alf Clausen's zany Simpsons theme into a traditional symphonic film score on The Simpsons Movie.

(Source:Jason Ankeny, Rovi)

English Idioms And Proverbs

2011-02-21T09:09:00.000-08:00

English Idioms And Proverbs Jesler

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Idioms And Proverbs

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BOSTON

2011-02-16T08:01:00.000-08:00

BOSTON is the most English of American cities. It looks a little like England with its predominantly brick architecture, but mostly it is just a feeling you get. Flying into Boston, for instance, it seems as if the plane is going to land in Boston Harbor. Believe it or not, one of Boston´s nicknames is "Hub of the Universe." Another is "Beantown,"so it kind of evens out. Due to its size, Boston is a very accessible city, but it may be that its reputation as a walking city relies on the creation of one of America's first historic walking tours, The Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail Foundation continues to work to preserve this perfect introduction to Colonial Revolutionary Boston. The Trail takes the visitor to 16 historical sites in the course of two or three hours and covers two and a half centuries of America's most significant past. A red brick or painted line connects the sites on the Trail and serves as a guide. Since the past and the present live alongside the Trail, its visitors have the opportunity to see the City as it truly is. Many visitors prefer to linger and study the many exhibits, thus a full day or more can be devoted to browsing along the Trail. One can take a self-guided tour or one of the many tours available through the Boston Common Visitors Center at 148 Tremont Street or the Bostix Booth located at Faneuil Hall. If you prefer to ride, you can pay for one of the trolley tours, which are unofficial guided tours, but do take the rider to many of the sites along the Trail and allow one to disembark at selected stops.

NEW UPCOMING MOVIES

2011-02-06T13:05:00.000-08:00

Title: Jane Eyre
Genre: Drama/Romance
Directed by: Cary Fukunaga
Written by: Charlotte Bronte (Book), Moira Buffini (Screenplay)
Starring:
Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, Judi Dench, Holliday Grainger, Sally Hawkins, Tamzin Merchant, Imogen Poots
Movie 2011: March 11, 2011

Plot:
"In the story, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) flees Thornfield House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester (Michael fassbender). The isolated and imposing residence – and Mr. Rochester's coldness – have sorely tested the young woman's resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. As Jane reflects upon her past and recovers her natural curiosity, she will return to Mr. Rochester – and the terrible secret that he is hiding…"

Title: Hanna

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller
Directed by: Joe Wright
Starring:
Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Niels Arestrup
Release date:
Fri 08, Apr 2011

Plot:
"Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a solider; these come from being raised by her father (Eric Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Cate Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity."

SKIING

2011-01-26T11:40:00.000-08:00

Skiing is the action of travelling over snow or ice with one's feet placed on skis (long narrow pieces of wood or other material). There are many different forms of skiing. Some skiing events take place on icy mountain slopes and peaks and others take place on level or bumpy runs and trails. Skiing events in the Winter Olympics are categorized as Alpine, Nordic or Freestyle. Alpine skiing events take place on steep terrain. Many people call this "downhill" skiing. The boots are attached to the skis with bindings. The toe and heel of each boot are firmly fixed to the skis. Top downhill skiers can go 100 kilometres per hour or faster. Their average speed is similar to a car on a highway. Nordic skiing is generally for terrain that is less steep. In this type of skiing, the toe is fixed firmly to the ski, but the heel is free. The most popular type of Nordic skiing is "cross country". Freestyle skiing is a form of acrobatics. Skiers show off their skills by doing tricks.

History
Nordic skiing has been around for about 5,000 years. It likely developed as a method for hunting. Skis were carved out of wood. In Scandinavia, skiing was a major mode of transportation before it became a sport. Alpine skiing required more sophisticated bindings to hold the toes and heels to the skis. These were developed in the late 1800's. Downhill skiing originated in the European Alps. This is where it got its name. Nordic skiing became an official Olympic event at the 1928 Winter Games in Switzerland. This was the first year the Winter Olympics were recognized by the IOC. Alpine skiing was added in 1936. Since then many more skiing events have been added to the Olympic program, including the popular sport with one large ski better known as "snowboarding".

Equipment
Different types of skiing require different equipment. The length of the skis worn depends on the type of skiing. Some skiers hold ski poles for balance and wear helmets to protect their heads. Many professional skiers wear goggles to protect their eyes as well. Ski lifts, chair lifts or gondolas are often used to transport skiers up to the top of a mountain to ski down a run. Snow-grooming machines are sometimes used when there is not enough real snow. Skiers call real fresh snow "powder".

In the Olympics there are various types of Nordic events, including individual races, relays, sprints, combined events, and races of different distances.

Cross Country
There are two main types of cross-country skiing. Classical cross-country skiing involves straight skiing on designated trails. Freestyle cross-country is a faster type of skiing. In this sport skiers push off on each ski every time they take a stride. Some events combine cross-country and freestyle skiing. Skiers do not go down steep inclines on cross-country skis.

Ski Jumping
This event is held at the top of a hill. The hill can be "normal", "large" (higher), or "ski-flying" (highest). Skiers start at the top of the hill called an "inrun". They then jump from a ramp. The score for a ski jump is based on the distance and the style of the jump. Skiers make a V with their skis to clear the most distance. Ski jumping in the Olympics is a male-only event. Women ski jumpers hoped the sport would be added in 2010, but the IOC chose not to include it.

Nordic Combined
In this event, skiers must complete a cross-country race and at least one scored ski jump from the top of a ski hill. The distance, order and number of jumps in the Olympic Nordic combined event changes often.

Biathlon
This event involves cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. Skiers race around a track and make several stops to shoot at targets. When skiers miss a target they receive a penalty, such as having to ski an extra loop or having time added to their total. Racers are free to use either classic or freestyle forms of skiing.

Alpine Skiing
In the Olympics there are five types of Alpine events, including the main four below, plus an event that combines downhill and slalom racing. Downhill and Super G are "speed events" while slalom and giant slalom are "technical events". Men and women compete in the following races against other skiers of their own gender.

Downhill
This is the longest type of downhill race. Skiers compete to have the fastest time. They have one run down a very steep hill that is usually covered in ice. Downhill courses (seen right) feature a variety of terrain including turns, jumps and straightaways.

Slalom
This is a short course with sharp turns. Skiers must go through sets of gates (poles) that are very close together. In the Winter Olympics, skiers go down the run twice. The gates are moved for the second run. The two race times are added together for a total. Short skis are worn to maximize movement.

Giant Slalom
This is similar to slalom except that the gates are farther apart and the course is longer. The turns are not as sharp and the speeds are faster in the giant slalom.

Supergiant (Super G)
This is an event that combines downhill and giant slalom events. It is a longer run than the giant slalom and skiers use the "tuck" position as they do in the downhill events. The gates are placed farther apart, allowing skiers to pick up a lot of speed. As in all of the slalom events, skiers are not allowed to take a practice run. They are permitted to view the course ahead of time.

Freestyle Skiing
Acrobatic skiing was previously known as "hot-dogging". It was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Olympics and has been an official discipline ever since. The two main forms of freestyle skiing are aerials and moguls. Outside of the Olympics, skiers compete in many other freestyle forms.

Aerials
Aerials became an Olympic sport in 1994. Skiers jump off an elevated area and do flips, summersaults and other twists in the air. Their formation in the air is worth 50% of their score. Skiers are also judged on how high they "fly" and how well they "land".

Moguls
"Mogul" is another word for "bump". Skiers race down a run that is full of moguls. Their score is based on how fast they ski and how well they turn corners and perform tricks.

SLANG

2011-01-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

British slang and language related sites:
London Slang - current usage, including rhyming slang. With an introduction, slang survey, bibliography and films, it's well worth a butchers.
Completely Lanky - a wonderful insight into the Lancashire dialect. Based on Dave Dutton's reyt funny book of the same name.
United Kingdom English for the American Novice - a listing of British words and phrases, from an American's perspective, including some slang, with definitions in American. (Last updated Jan 1996)
Everyday English and Slang in Ireland - a starting point for those interested in the rich language of the Irish, and although not strictly

US slang and language related sites:
Amerispeak - contains a selection of expressions associated with the US.
A Seattle Lexicon - for 'Lingo from the Far Corner' offering sections on geography, events, sports and coffee amongst others.
American Dialect Society - founded over a century ago and the only scholarly association dedicated to the study of the English language in North America.
Bay Area Hip Hop Dictionary - a good collection of slang from San Francisco, including Bay Area links.
Slang City - guide to American slang, including explanations of popular songs and movies, bad words, body parts and more.
A Historical Dictionary of American Slang - presents a unique way for studying slang. It contains over 2200 slang words with the centuries in which they were first printed.

2011-01-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Anjali Patak gives us lessons in Indian cooking

We all know that Indian food is a lot of nations´ favourite , yet so many people are afraid to try it at home. Thankfully, Patak has made us cook authentic Indian meals with little time and effort - and without a cupboard of overflowing spices.

http://www.pataks.co.uk/

Christmas Holidays

2010-12-28T06:45:00.000-08:00

I am spending my Christmas holidays in Rome. Thanks to my dearest friends Tyron and Marzia I have been able to taste Paneforte or ‘strong bread’. It is a delicious, candied confection, more than a cake. It is a traditional Christmas cake from Siena in Tuscany. It dates back to the Crusades and it is a predecessor of modern day fruitcake. Also, I tried another typical Christmas Italian sweet, Panettone, made with raisins and dry fruit.

With my friends, I have wandered about the Eternal City centre revisiting such antique monuments as the Colosseum, Capitol Hill and its Roman Museum, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona with its stands selling handicraft Cribs, The Monument to the Fallen at Piazza Venezia, and the lift that exists there which takes you to the very top of the monument and its breath taking sights of the city, etc. All under the new light shed by being in the company of my friends which showed me their city as only a local can. Again I thank them for this wonderful experience which has given me new knowledge of Rome.

Vocabulary related to social siences

2010-12-10T08:59:00.000-08:00

This is a list of vocabulary items related to social sciences

Society
A society is a population of humans characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture and/or institutions. More broadly, a society is an economic, social and industrial infrastructure, in which a varied multitude of people are a part of. Members of a society may be from different ethnic groups.

Antisocial
Antisocial (against society) is often used in colloquial speech to mean unfriendly or not sociable (asocial). In scientific use, antisocial refers more specifically to a person who is harmful or hostile to others, or to society in general.

Social exclusion
Social exclusion relates to the alienation or disenfranchisement of certain people within a society. It is often connected to a person's social class, educational status, relationships in childhood and living standards and how these might affect access to various opportunities. It also applies to some degree to people with a disability, to minority men and women of all races, to the elderly, and to youth (Youth Exclusion). Anyone who deviates in any perceived way from the norm of a population may become subject to coarse or subtle forms of social exclusion.

Here are some definitions of Social exclusion :

“Social exclusion is about the inability of our society to keep all groups and individuals within reach of what we expect as a society...[or] to realise their full potential."
"Whatever the content and criteria of social membership, socially excluded groups and individuals lack capacity or access to social opportunity.
Social class
Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in societies or cultures.

People may be part of lower, middle or higher classes.

Minority
A minority or subordinate group is a sociological group that does not constitute a politically dominant voting majority of the total population of a given society.

A minority group can be defined as:

"a group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination."
Examples of minority groups include emigrants, blacks, ...

Social solidarity
Social solidarity refers to the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group.

Association
A voluntary association or union (also sometimes called a voluntary organization, unincorporated association, or just an association) is a group of individuals who voluntarily enter into an agreement to form a body (or organization) to accomplish a purpose for the good of society.

Examples of association include associations for the defence of human rights, minorities, the disabled ...

Multicultural Society
A society in which there is a cultural diversity.

Health care
Health care, or healthcare, is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of health through services offered by the medical, dental, nursing, and allied health professions. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”.

Voluntary work
Voluntary work is done by volunteers for the benifit of a community or society.

A volunteer is someone who works for a community or for the benefit of environment primarily because they choose to do so. Volunteers do not normally get paid.

Homelessness
Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing, because they cannot afford, or are otherwise unable to maintain, regular, safe, and adequate shelter.

People who are part of this social category are called homeless people.

Poverty
Poverty is the deprivation of common necessities such as food, clothing, shelter and safe drinking water, all of which determine our quality of life. It may also include the lack of access to opportunities such as education and employment which aid the escape from poverty and/or allow one to enjoy the respect of fellow citizens.

Citizenship
Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city or town but now usually a country) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen.

Gender Roles
A gender role is defined as a set of perceived behavioral norms associated particularly with males or females, in a given social group or system. It can be a form of division of labour by gender.

Domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or spousal abuse) occurs when a family member, partner or ex-partner attempts to physically or psychologically dominate another. Domestic violence often refers to violence between spouses, or spousal abuse but can also include cohabitants and non-married intimate partners.

FILMS AND LITERATURE

2010-12-03T08:03:00.000-08:00

Novel: THE PAINTED VEIL by William Somerset Maugham

Summary: Kitty Fane is a beautiful young woman whose mother has raised her to make a suitable match. But Kitty refuses a number of suitors; several years pass and eventually she is reduced to marrying Walter, the colonial bacteriologist in Hong Kong. Walter is a shy and awkward man who loves Kitty passionately, but has no idea how to express it; Kitty is charming and socially adept, but vacuous. In Hong Kong Kitty engages in a yearlong affair with Charles Townsend, the assistant colonial secretary, and a married man whose celebrity potential far eclipses Walter's stolid scientific work. The novel opens when Walter discovers his wife's infidelity.

Kitty believes that Townsend is madly in love with her and prepared to divorce his wife and sacrifice his career to marry her. Walter, who suffers from a broken heart, gives Kitty an ultimatum--either Townsend must promise to divorce his wife and marry her, or Kitty must accompany Walter to a city in the interior where he has volunteered to go to fight the cholera epidemic. Townsend demurs; Kitty is crushed; and the desperately unhappy pair travels to the cholera-ridden city, where they move into the house of the newly-dead missionary.

There, Walter (who is also a medical doctor) sets to work, day and night, to institute public health measures and care for dying patients. Meanwhile, Kitty meets Worthington, the British consul, a cynical alcoholic, who is at heart a good and honest person; and the French nuns, who labor tirelessly to care for orphans and the ill. Impressed by the nuns' selflessness, Kitty begins to devote herself to assisting them and trying to understand their spirituality.

When he learns that Kitty is pregnant, Walter asks if it is his child; Kitty responds, "I don't know." This completes the destruction of Walter's heart, and he soon dies of cholera--presumably as a result of experimenting on himself to find a cure. Kitty learns that the nuns, the soldiers, and all the people of the city consider Walter a saint, who has sacrificed himself for their welfare. However, while Kitty has learned to respect her husband, she could never love him.

Kitty stays only briefly in Hong Kong before returning home to London. Shortly before her arrival, she learns that her mother, whom she believes is responsible for her (Kitty's) shallowness, has died. The novel ends with Kitty vowing to bring up her daughter as a strong and independent woman, and preparing to move with her father to the Bahamas, where he has recently been appointed Chief Justice.

Film: THE PAINTED VEIL by John Curran

INCEPTION

2010-11-23T13:35:00.000-08:00

Yasmina Khadra

2010-11-06T12:20:00.000-07:00

Mohammed Moulessehoul known as Yasmina Khadra (b.January 10,1955) is an Algerian author.

Yasmina Khadra is the nom de plume of the former Algerian army officer Mohammed Moulessehoul. He is the author of six other books published in English, among them The Attack and The Swallows of Kabul, In the Name of God, and Wolf Dreams. He took the feminine pseudonym to avoid submitting his manuscripts for approval by military censors while he was still in the army.

Yamina Khadra is a very productive Algerian writer. He always felt like a writer, even though he was an officer in the Algerian army for 36 years. He was born in the Sahara Desert. His father was a male nurse and his mother was a nomad. In 1964 his father sent him to a military school in Algeria, where he discovered literature and his love for writing. He chose to write in French because his French teacher encouraged him and also because of the censorship of the Algerian authorities. He started with short stories in 1973 in a book called "Houria". In 1975 he joined the Military Academy of Cherchell, where he became on officer. He resigned from the army in 2000 because his writing activity was not compatible with his military duties. After producing a couple of books of short stories, he decided to write some thrillers, to take place during the dreadful years of terrorism in Algeria. He also created at the same time his alter ego, Commissaire Mohammed Llob, his personal spokesman for a present-day Algeria. He revealed his true name and story in his autobiography, "L'Ecrivain", in 2001. He explained that his nickname comes from his wife's surnames, because he admires the courage of women in general and of his wife in particular. The rights of his book "L'Attentat" ("The Attack") were bought by the producers of Brokeback Mountain (2005). His book, "Les Sirenes de Bagdad", (2006) is about the conflict in Iraq. his latest book "Ce que le jour doit à la nuit",(2008). Yasmina Khadra is now living in Aix en Provence in the south of France.

http://www.yasmina-khadra.com/index.php

The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra

Set in Kabul under the rule of the Taliban, this extraordinary novel takes readers into the lives of two couples: Mohsen, who comes from a family of wealthy shopkeepers whom the Taliban has destroyed; Zunaira, his wife, exceedingly beautiful, who was once a brilliant teacher and is now no longer allowed to leave her home without an escort or covering her face. Intersect... more »ing their world is Atiq, a prison keeper, a man who has sincerely adopted the Taliban ideology and struggles to keep his faith, and his wife, Musarrat, who once rescued Atiq and is now dying of sickness and despair.

Desperate, exhausted Mohsen wanders through Kabul when he is surrounded by a crowd about to stone an adulterous woman. Numbed by the hysterical atmosphere and drawn into their rage, he too throws stones at the face of the condemned woman buried up to her waist. With this gesture the lives of all four protagonists move toward their destinies.

The Swallows of Kabul is a dazzling novel written with compassion and exquisite detail by one of the most lucid writers about the mentality of Islamic fundamentalists and the complexities of the Muslim world. Yasmina Khadra brings readers into the hot, dusty streets of Kabul and offers them an unflinching but compassionate insight into a society that violence and hypocrisy have brought to the edge of despair.

(Source:paperbackswap.com)

MACBETH

2010-11-01T01:53:00.000-07:00

FILM BUFFERY

2010-10-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

Film Genres

See more presentations by jamarch | Upload your own PowerPoint presentations

2010-09-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

The film begins with a CIA internal memo being typed across the screen. It states that a man named Arlington Steward has recovered from severe burn wounds and is delivering units related to the Mars project.

The film then opens up in 1976 with Norma and Arthur Lewis cuddling in bed and awaking at 5:45 am as the doorbell rings. Norma goes downstairs and looks through the peephole, seeing a black car drive off. Upon opening the door, she sees a package on her doorstep. Inside, she and her husband find a wooden box with a button protected by a glass dome, locked with a key, and a note, reading Mr. Steward will come at 5:00 pm. Norma and Arthur then enjoy a nice breakfast with their son, Walter.

Arthur goes to work at NASA, where he works in optics, and helped in designing the camera on the Viking Mars probe. He finds he has been rejected from the astronaut program due to the fact that he failed the psychological exam. Norma goes to her job as a teacher at an elite private school teaching literature, where they are discussing Sartre's vision of Hell. One of her students remarks on her limp, after which she shows her class her disfigured right foot, missing four toes. After class Norma is informed by her boss that she will no longer be getting a discount for tuition and wont be able to pay for school for her son. Later that day Norma returns home and Arlington Steward appears at their door. Half of his face is missing. Norma looks at the clock and realizes it is 5:00 pm.

Arlington says that if she or her husband pushes the button, someone in the world that they do not know will die, and they will receive one million dollars. Arlington hands Norma a $100 bill from the brief case of money, and says she gets to keep it if the button is pushed or not. Arlington leaves and tells her she has 24 hours. Arthur returns and Norma tells him what has happened.

After much discussion about whether or not they should press the button, and some tinkering with the box (Arthur finds nothing inside it), Norma suddenly jerks forward and hits it. The button rises slightly.

Arlington returns and presents Norma and Arthur with the million, without asking whether they pressed the button or not. He informs that they will not know who will receive the offer next, and implies that Arthur, Norma, or their son will be the ones to die. Arthur storms after Arlington and attempts to return the million, but Arlington drives off. Arthur gets his license plate number.

A 911 call is shown, where someone has been shot. The police enter the house and find a woman shot through the heart, and a little girl locked in the bathroom upstairs.

Arthur and Norma then attend a wedding rehearsal dinner, where Arthur is instructed to select a present from a table (secret Santa). A waiter (who happens to be the student of Norma's who prompted her to reveal her disfigurement), holds up two fingers to Arthur. Arthur then sees a box much like the one left on their doorstep, with the button in it, and chooses that one. He and Norma find a poor quality picture of Arlington inside.

Norma's sister tells Arthur that the student Arthur saw was the one who made fun of his wife's foot. Arthur meets and asks Norma's dad (who is a police officer) to run the license plate number of Arlington's car. Norma receives a phone call (she is informed by a waiter whose nose begins to bleed as he's leading her to the phone). It is Arlington, who scolds her for allowing her husband to make contact with the police (Arlington somehow knows Arthur has spoken to Norma's father). Arthur angrily approaches the student from Norma's class and yells at him for making fun of Norma. He then storms out of the party, with Norma following him. As they start their car, they see "No Exit" (the title of the Sartre play they went to see earlier) written into the frost on their windshield.

When they get home, Arthur takes their babysitter, Dana, home. Dana had earlier gone down into the basement with their son Walter, to see Arthur's Mars collection. She notices the picture of everyone who worked on the development of the camera. As they are driving, Dana acts strangely, asking Arthur strange questions such as "Whats pushing your buttons?" and comments like "Look into the light." Her nose begins to bleed and she passes out. Arthur attempts to wake her up and finds her driver's license, which shows her name is not Dana, but Sara, and she is from Boston. He reaches the motel, where "Dana" has been staying and she wakes up with a start. She tells Arthur it's not safe for him there, and to look in the mirror because that's the only place with the answer. She then hurries away. In the motel, every door she passes opens and a startled looking person stares her down. She reaches her room, where she has a large map and pictures of Arthur, Norma, and Walter.

At home Arthur looks at the large picture in the basement, and sees that Arlington (prior to his injury) is in the photo.

At a supermarket, Norma is approached by a panicked woman who tells her to look up a certain call number in the library, and not to trust her husband, before passing out with a bloody nose. Arthur finds out that Arlington's license plate is registered to the NSA. He asks Norma's father if he can go with him to see the house where the shooting mentioned earlier took place. Once there, he finds pictures of Arlington and a picture of a Human Resources book, and a library call number. Arthur learns that the woman was shot at 4:45 PM, the same time Norma pushed the button.

Norma and Arthur both visit the library, separately. Norma avoids Arthur, as instructed by the woman in the supermarket. Norma find a film reel, which shows Arlington prior to his disfigurement. Arthur is followed by a crowd of startled looking people. He finds himself in a large hall filled with more scared looking people. He approaches a woman he learns is Arlington's wife, and she tells him to follow her. He is presented with three "gateways," made of hovering water. Two lead to eternal damnation, one to salvation. Remembering the student who held up two fingers, Arthur picks gate two. He enters the water and finds himself whirling through whiteness.

Norma is also led by two hollow looking women to Arlington. He asks her how she felt when she saw his disfigurement, and she says she felt love, because of her foot. She says that she felt bad for herself because of her foot, and seeing someone with a face disfigurement made her realize she would never feel sorry for herself ever again. Many years ago, her brother had dropped a barbell on her foot and when she went to the doctor he put it in an X-ray machine and forgot about her, destroying the tissue in four of her toes. Arlington informs Norma that he was struck by lightning, and can now communicate with "those who control the lightning." Norma begins to cry and Arlington takes her hand.

Norma is suddenly lying on her bed, with Arthur suspended above her in the same hovering water he stepped into earlier. Norma moves away just before Arthur falls out of the water. The water falls too, going all the way down their stairs. When cleaning up, Walter demands to know what is going on. Norma and Arthur do not answer him.

More drama occurs and eventually, at the wedding of Norma's sister, their son Walter is kidnapped. Arthur is taken away by a gun-toting former employee of NASA. He is the same man who shot his wife, as earlier seen in the 911 call. He reveals to Arthur that he had to choose between his wife or his daughter. He asks if it was him or Norma that pushed the button and he replies that his wife also pushed the button. He shows Arthur the book seen earlier in the picture, and the water portals or "triptychs." The book is some sort of manual. They are then stopped by a man in a Santa Claus uniform, ringing a bell. As the two men are trying to figure out what is going on, they are hit by a large truck.

We then see Arthur emerge from a NASA warehouse, which has been surrounded by military. He is taken away and told by his NASA friend that everything that happens next will have great ramifications. Arthur and Norma return home and see Arlington in their kitchen. He informs them they face two final options. Their son, Walter, is now deaf and blind. They can either live on with their million dollars, and their disabled son, or Arthur can shoot Norma through the heart, at which point Walter's sight and hearing will be restored and the million will be placed in a high interest bank account for Walter to be held in trust until his eighteenth birthday.

We learned earlier in a warehouse full of startled people, when Arlington's minion questioned him, that Arlington's employers are testing the human race to see if they are worth keeping.

Arlington leaves, telling Norma and Arthur on his way out that their son is in the bathroom, locked upstairs. The two of them run upstairs and try to get him out, but cannot because he cant hear them pounding on the door.

They decide that they must make a choice, and Norma leads Arthur downstairs.

Another couple is sitting at a table with a box unit, starring at it with content, wondering whether they should push it. Walter and Norma are crying and hugging each other, and say goodbye.

Walter shoots Norma, and the police arrive. He runs upstairs and sees his son is back to normal. It is implied that this process will go on and on.

Arlington arrives at the other couples house and hands them the million.

Arthur's NASA friend informs him he and his son will be taken care of, as Arthur is escorted away by men in uniforms, who put him into a black car before driving off. Arthur's son looks down at Arthur leaving in that black car. Arlington then comes out of the house of other couple to whom he had given the $1 million, and the film ends.
(Source: imdb.com)

European White Nights

2010-09-11T00:51:00.000-07:00

(Source: lavozlibre.com)

The White Nights were started in Paris in 2002 as a project to bring the city and contemporary creation closer to its inhabitants. In view of its popularity and success with the public, several other European cities joined the initiative, and thus the European White Nights project was born. The network currently includes the following cities: Paris, Brussels, Riga, Bucharest, La Valetta (Malta) and Madrid, which have now been joined by Amsterdam in this year’s edition.

The shared goals of all the cities organizing White Nights are: gratitude, avant-garde, citizenship and sustainability. Plus, the exchange of experiences is fostered with the development of joint projects and the internationalization of local artists through the exchange of propositions. Madrid began to celebrate its version of the White Nights, La noche en blanco, in 2006, and by now it is a beacon of success within the network because of its ability to get the public onboard from the first edition and its consolidation and growth in the ensuing years.
(Source: lanocheenblanco2010.esmadrid.com)

HAMLET

2010-05-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

PLOT STRUCTURE ANALYSIS

The basic structure of the plot of Hamlet is remarkably simple; a wrong occurs and the hero seeks revenge to make it right. In the process, everyone is destroyed. Shakespeare develops the plot of his "revenge" tragedy in classical form. Act I is largely expository in nature, introducing the main characters and the conflict. Acts II, III, and IV contain the rising action of the plot as the conflict develops, largely in Hamlet's mind. Act V contains the climax, a short period of falling action, and the denouement, or conclusion, in which Fortinbras takes control of Denmark to bring order to the country once again.

The genre of "revenge tragedy" or "tragedy of blood" was immensely popular among English Elizabethan dramatists. In typical revenge tragedies, such as Hamlet, the plot arises largely out of a situation for which the hero is not responsible. Additionally, even though the hero may have a tragic flaw that contributes to his downfall, he is usually undone by circumstances over which he has no control. Accordingly in Hamlet, the crime that calls for vengeance has already been committed before the play begins. The real cause of the tragedy is the evil and intolerable situation surrounding Claudius' murder of Hamlet's father, the King. As Hamlet tries to find a way to avenge his father's death, murder, madness, and ghosts are all brought to the front of the stage, creating interest and tension in the audience.

The plot of the play is not complex. It progresses in a linear fashion, with all events happening in chronological order. There are a few flashbacks, as when Hamlet recounts the events that happened on the ship some time after they occurred, but they are easily followed and understood. The play-within-a-play even functions as a flashback as it reveals how Claudius has murdered the late King Hamlet. There are also many foreshadowings to indicate what will happen later in the play; for example, the stabbing of Polonius foreshadows the stabbing of Claudius and the victorious return of Fortinbras foreshadows his ascension to the Danish throne.

The climax of the plot is a masterfully written conclusion to a tense drama dominated by internal and external conflict. All of Act V is filled with dramatic irony, as many of the characters, as well as the audience, know that Laertes' sword is unscathed and bears a poison tip; also they are aware that the wine for Hamlet to drink has been poisoned by Claudius. Only Hamlet and his naïve mother seem to be unawa re of the tragedy that is to unfold. The entire scene is made more tense by the fact that Hamlet at first seems to winning the conflict -- making the first two strikes, remaining untouched by Laertes' foil, and refusing to drink the poisoned wine. In presenting a recovered Hamlet, now acting with determination and control, Shakespeare hints that tragedy may be avoided. Unfortunately, the tragic hero has procrastinated too long, and the rotten state of Denmark seems to have affected everyone. As a result all must die; Hamlet is stabbed by the poisoned sword, Laertes is killed by Hamlet, Gertrude drinks the poisoned wine and dies, and Claudius finally gets his just rewards when Hamlet drives the poisoned sword into his flesh and forces him to drink from the poisoned wine. Fortunately, Horatio is left behind to explain the villainy of Claudius and the innocence of Hamlet; additionally, a savior, in the person of Fortinbras, is left to restore order to the corrupt state of Denmark.

THEMES - THEME ANALYSIS

The Theme of Vengeance

The main theme in Hamlet is one of vengeance and family honor. Initially Fortinbras is the representation of vengeance. Hamlet's father, the late King, has defeated Fortinbras' father in battle. As a result, young Fortinbras aspires to recover the lands and power lost by his father as a way of honoring and avenging him. Though he eventually finds another means of vengeance, his example is duly felt. Hamlet does not act as quickly as Fortinbras; his own indecision and fear paralyze him. Eventually his revenge occurs, but at great cost to all. The irony is that Hamlet, by fulfilling his revenge, has destroyed the family whose honor he sought to avenge. His mother and he both perish, as well as the woman who would have willingly borne his children. Laertes is the third son to avenge a father, but he, too, causes great destruction. He allows his base emotions to rule him, and he becomes a cohort of the evil Claudius. Rather than approach vengeance as a task to be carried out in the most acceptable fashion, Hamlet and Laertes fix themselves on murder as the only means of revenge. Unfortunately, this decision ultimately destroys them both.

Appearance vs. Reality

Shakespeare also examines his favorite theme of the discrepancy between appearance and reality. The dilemma of what is "real" is established at the very beginning of the play. The dead King appears to have been bitten by a snake. In reality, he has been poisoned. The Ghost appears as an apparition from the depths of hell; in truth, he is the medium of reality, revealing the facts to Hamlet. Since Hamlet doubts the veracity of the Ghost's revelation, he decides to put on the appearance of being mad; in the process he really drives Ophelia mad, causing her death. At times it also seems that Hamlet's appearance of madness has become a reality. The duel scene also presents an appearance vs. reality. The duel appears to be an innocent competition between two rivals; in reality, it is a deadly match that causes the death of the four main characters. The most obvious, and perhaps the most clever, symbol of "Appearance vs. Reality" is the play-within-a-play. The actors, representing mythical figures, appear onstage and act out the events that have happened in reality. Hamlet carefully orchestrates this appearance so that he can gauge the degree of reality by Claudius' reaction. In summary, the theme of appearance vs. reality is so well developed that everything in the play must be questioned, for nothing appears certain.

LAWS AND COURTS

2010-05-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/20_law.htm

http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/business/law%20courts.htm

Video Vocab 04 - Law 1: Basic Legal Terms

View more presentations from bizpod.

Vocabulary

2010-05-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.splendid-speaking.com/products/wotd/index.html

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/english_lessons/colloquial-expressions

http:/endrino.pntic.mec.es/hotp0059/web_josemrincon/index.htm /

A quid – Una libra
A wet blanket – Un aguafiestas
A hangover – Una resaca
Better late than never – Más vale tarde que nunca
Bless you! – ¡Jesús! (cuando alguien estornuda)
Bon apetit. – Qué aproveche o Buen provecho
By the way – A propósito
By all means – No faltaría mas/Por supuesto
Chat someone up – Ligar con alguien – Tirar los tejos
Cheer up! – ¡Anímate!
Cheers! – ¡Salud!
Cross your fingers. – Cruzar los dedos
Get the sack – Ser despedido
Help yourself – Sírvete
How come ? - ¿Cómo es eso? ¿Por qué?
Hurry up – ¡Date prisa!
I must be off – Tengo que irme
I haven’t got a clue – No tengo ni idea
If only – Ojalá
It serves you right – Lo mereces
It rings a bell – Me suena
It’s up to you – Tú eliges
Keep the change – Quédate con el cambio
Keep your hair on! – ¡Cálmate!
I misjudged you: you let me down on the first try – Salir rana
Leave me alone – Déjame en paz
Let the cat out of the bag – Revelar un secreto
Let’s have one for the road – Tomamos la penúltima
Make yourself at home – Siéntete como en tu casa o como Pedro por su casa
No wonder – No me extraña
Pissed as a newt- Borracho como una cuba
Pull the other one – ¡Anda ya!
Really! – ¡De verdad!
Same here – Yo también
Say when – Dime cuánto (para comida o bebidas)
Talk of the devil – Hablando del rey de Roma
Ten bob – 50 peniques
To pay cash – Pagar en efectivo
To my mind – En mi opinión
Touch wood. – Tocando madera
Watch out! – ¡Ten cuidado!
Were you born in a field/barn? – Cierra la puerta
What a rip off – ¡Qué timo!
What a mess! – ¡Qué lío!
What a cheek! – ¡Qué cara!
You’re pulling my leg. – Me estás tomando el pelo
You’re welcome – De nada (después de decir gracias)
You’re kidding – Estás de broma

THE LANGUAGE OF THE STREET

2010-03-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

(Source:peakenglish.com)

Learn the language of the street - what people say and the topics they like to talk about.

GOING OUT FOR A DRINK

Let's go for a drink! / Let's go down the pub! / Let's go out for a few bevvies. / a few jars. - Let's go to my local public house - the pub - for some drinks.

We're going to paint the town red. / We're going to go on a bar crawl. - We're going to several pubs or bars.

I'll get the booze!- I'll buy the beer!

A glass of bubbly - A glass of champagne or sparkling wine.

That wine is corked! It tastes like vinegar. - The wine is bad.

A chaser - A measure of a spirit such as whisky or rum which you drink with beer.

A double - 2 measures of spirits. A single measure is usually 1/5 of a gill - 25 ml.

A drop of the hard stuff - Some spirits rather than beer or wine.

A soft drink - A non alcoholic drink.

At the bar

It´s my round. What will it be? - I'm buying the drinks - what would you like?

Mine's a pint! - Atraditional measure of beer, equal to 0.57 litre.

A spritzer - wine mixed with soda water.

A Red Bull and vodka / A gin and tonic / Rum and cola - Some spirits and their mixers.

Happy hour - A time at the beginning of the evening when some bars sell drinks for half price.

Too much!

I'm over the limit, so let's get a cab. - I'm over the legal limit for being allowed to drive so we should get a taxi.

I've been partying all weekend! - I've been out socialising the whole weekend!

I've got a really bad hangover - I'm feeling bad this morning [after drinking too much the night before].

He got really smashed last night! He was well under the influence! These are ways of describing that you had a great time, drank too much and maybe don't feel your best right now.

Going out

Fancy going for something to eat?

What about going to that new Russell Crowe film?

Let's go and do some theatre. Medea has had some great reviews.

I fancy seeing that new Italian exhibition.

Bring a bottle - If you're asked to dinner it's polite to take with you a bottle of wine.

Staying in

I'm going to stay in and veg - I'm going to stay at home and do nothing [vegetate]

Jack's such a couch potato - Jack loves to spend his life sitting on the sofa.

I'm going to go back to mine and chill - I'm going home to seriously relax.

Let's get a takeaway - Food you order from a restaurant to eat at home, usually a curry or Chinese food.

(source:bbc.co.uk)

GOYA AWARDS 2010

2010-02-19T09:27:00.000-08:00

Best film (Mejor película) : Celda 211 de Javier Fesser
Best Director (Mejor director) : Daniel Monzón por Celda 211
Best Leading Actor (Mejor interpretación masculina protagonista) : Luis Tosar por Celda 211
Best Leading Actress (Mejor interpretación femenina protagonista) : Lola Dueñas por Yo, también
Best Original Screenplay (Mejor guión original) : Mateo Gil, Alejandro Amenábar por Agora
Best Adapted Screenplay (Mejor guión adaptado) : Daniel Monzón, Jorge Gerricaechevarría Celda 211

Best New Director (Mejor director novel) : Mar Coll por Tres días con la familia
Best Supporting Actor (Mejor interpretación masculina de reparto) : Raúl Arévalo por Gordos
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor interpretación femenina de reparto) : Marta Etura por Celda 211
Best New Actor (Mejor actor revelación) : Alberto Ammann por Celda 211
Best New Actress (Mejor actriz revelación) : Soledad Villamil por El secreto de sus ojos
Best Production Supervision (Mejor dirección de producción) : José Luis Escolar por Agora
Best Cinematography (Mejor fotografía) : Xavi Giménez por Agora
Best Editing (Mejor montaje) : Mapa Pastor por Celda 211
Best Original Score (Mejor música original) : Alberto Iglesias por Los abrazos rotos
Best Original Song (Mejor canción original) : Yo también por Yo, también
Best Art Direction (Mejor dirección artística) : Guy Hendrix Dyas por Agora
Costume Design (Mejor diseño de vestuario) : Gabriella Pescucci por Agora
Best Makeup and Hairstyles (Mejor maquillaje y peluquería) : Jan Sewell, Suzanne Stokes-Munton por Agora
Best Sound (Mejor sonido) : Sergio Burmann, Jaime Fernández, Carlos Faruolo por Celda 211
Best Special Effects (Mejores effectos especiales) : Chris Reynolds, Félix Bergés por Agora
Best Animated Film (Mejor película de animación) : Planet 51 de Antena 3 Films, S.L., Chuck & Lem, S.L., HandMade Films Limited, Ilion Studios, S.L.
Best Animated Short Film (Mejor cortometraje de animación) : La Dama y la Muerte de Javier Recio Gracia
Best Documentary Short Film (Mejor cortometraje documental) : Flores de Ruanda de David Muñoz López
Best Fictional Short Film (Mejor cortometraje de ficción) : Dime que yo de Mateo Gil
Best European Film (Mejor película europea) : Slumdog Millonaire de Danny Boyle (Reino Unido)
Best Documentary (Mejor película documental) : Bucarest, la memoria perdida de Albert Solé
Best Foreign Film in the Spanish Language (Mejor película extranjera de habla hispana) : El secreto de sus ojos de Juan José Campanella (Argentina)
Honorary Goya Award (Goya de Honor) : Antonio Mercero

ROMEO AND JULIET by Shakespeare

2010-02-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

Romeo & Juliet Plot Summary

On a hot morning fighting by young servants of the Capulet and Montague families is stopped by the Prince who tells them that the next person who breaks the peace will be punished with death.

Capulet plans a feast to introduce his daughter, Juliet, who is almost fourteen, to the Count Paris who would like to marry her. By a mistake of the illiterate servant Peter, Montague's son, Romeo, and his friends Benvolio and the Prince's cousin Mercutio, hear of the party and decide to go in disguise. Romeo hopes he will see his adored Rosaline but instead he meets and falls in love with Juliet.

Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognises the Montagues and they are forced to leave the party just as Romeo and Juliet have each discovered the other's identity. Romeo lingers near the Capulet's house and talks to Juliet when she appears on her balcony. With the help of Juliet's Nurse the lovers arrange to meet next day at the cell of Friar Lawrence when Juliet goes for confession, and they are married by him.

Tybalt picks a quarrel with Mercutio and his friends and Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to try to break up the fight. Romeo pursues Tybalt in anger, kills him and is banished by the Prince for the deed. Juliet is anxious that Romeo is late meeting her and learns of the fighting from her Nurse. With Friar Lawrence's help it is arranged that Romeo will spend the night with Juliet before taking refuge at Mantua.

To calm the family's sorrow at Tybalt's death the day for the marriage of Juliet to Paris is brought forward. Capulet and his wife are angry that Juliet does not wish to marry Paris, not knowing of her secret contract with Romeo.

Friar Lawrence helps Juliet by providing a sleeping draught that will make everyone think she's dead. Romeo will then come to her tomb and take her away. When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet next day they think she is dead. The Friar sends a colleague to warn Romeo to come to the Capulet's family monument to rescue his sleeping wife but the message doesn't get through and Romeo, hearing instead that Juliet is dead, buys poison in Mantua.

He returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where he surprises and kills the mourning Paris. Romeo takes the poison and dies just as Juliet awakes from her drugged sleep. She learns what has happened from Friar Lawrence but she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs herself as the Friar returns with the Prince, the Capulets and Romeo's father. The deaths of their children lead the families to make peace, promising to erect a monument in their memory.

(Source: www.nosweatshakespeare.com)

2010-01-15T01:55:00.000-08:00

AVATAR
Sypnosis:
In 2154, the RDA corporation is mining Pandora, a lush, Earth-like moon of the planet Polyphemus. Parker Selfridge (Giovanni Ribisi) heads the mining operation, and it employs former marines for security. The corporation intends to exploit Pandora's reserves of a valuable mineral called unobtanium. Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, a blue-skinned species of sapient humanoids with feline characteristics. Physically stronger and taller than humans, the Na'vi live in harmony with Nature, worshiping a mother goddess called Eywa.

Humans cannot survive exposure to Pandora’s atmosphere for very long and use oxygen masks. In an attempt to improve relations with the natives, scientists create human-Na’vi hybrids called avatars, controlled by genetically-matched human operators. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a paraplegic former marine, becomes a last-minute replacement for his murdered identical twin brother, a scientist trained to be an avatar operator. Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), the head of the Avatar Program, considers Sully an inadequate replacement for his brother, and relegates him to a bodyguard role.

Jake escorts Augustine and biologist Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) on an exploratory mission in their avatar forms to make contact with the Na'vi, in order to help establish diplomatic relations, solve the problem of resources and end the threat of violence. The group is attacked by a predator, and Jake becomes separated and lost. Forced to survive the night in Pandora’s dangerous jungles, he is rescued by Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), a female Na'vi. Neytiri brings Jake to Hometree, which is inhabited by Neytiri’s clan, the Omaticaya. Mo'at (C. C. H. Pounder), the Na'vi shaman and Neytiri's mother, shows interest in the warrior "Dream-walker" (their term for the Avatars), and instructs her daughter to teach Jake their ways. Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), leader of the security forces for RDA, promises Jake his "real legs" in exchange for intelligence about the natives and what it will take for them to abandon Hometree, which rests above a large deposit of unobtanium.

Over three months, Jake grows close to Neytiri and the Omaticaya and begins preferring their lifestyle, eroding his loyalty toward RDA's agenda. He is initiated into the Omaticaya, and he and Neytiri choose each other as mates. Jake's change of loyalty is revealed when he disables a bulldozer's cameras as it destroys the tribe's "Tree of Voices". Col. Quaritch disconnects Jake from his avatar and presents Selfridge and Augustine with a vlog in which Jake admits that his mission is fruitless; the Omaticaya will never abandon Hometree. Selfridge is convinced that negotiations will fail and orders Hometree's destruction.

Augustine argues that the destruction of Hometree could affect the vast bio-botanical neural network that all Pandoran organisms are connected to, and Selfridge gives Jake and Augustine one hour to convince the Na’vi to leave Hometree. When he reveals his mission to the Omaticaya, Neytiri accuses him of betraying them, resulting in Jake and Augustine's imprisonment. Quaritch’s forces destroy Hometree, killing Eytucan (Wes Studi), Neytiri's father and clan chief, and many others. Jake and Augustine are disconnected from their avatars and detained for treason along with Norm. Trudy Chacón (Michelle Rodriguez), a security force pilot who is disgusted by the violence, breaks them out. During their escape Quaritch shoots Augustine. With Augustine dying, Jake turns to the Omaticaya for help. To regain their trust he tames the Toruk, a powerful flying beast that only five Na'vi have ever tamed. Jake flies to the Omaticaya, who have gathered at the sacred Tree of Souls, and pleads with Mo'at to heal Augustine. They attempt to transplant her "soul" into her avatar, but her injuries are too severe and she dies before the ritual can be completed.

With the assistance of Neytiri and Tsu'Tey (Laz Alonso), the new leader of the Omaticaya, Jake assembles thousands of Na'vi from other clans. Jake prays to Eywa to intercede on behalf of the Na'vi in the coming battle. Quaritch, noting the mobilization of Na'vi clans, convinces Selfridge to authorize a preemptive strike on the Tree of Souls. Because it is a center of Na'vi religion and culture, its destruction would leave the Na'vi too demoralized to resist further human encroachment.

As the corporation's army attacks, the Na'vi retaliate but suffer heavy casualties, among them Tsu'Tey and Trudy. When the Na'vi are on the verge of defeat, the Pandoran wildlife suddenly attacks the corporation's forces, overwhelming them. Neytiri interprets this as Eywa answering Jake's prayer. Jake destroys the main bomber before it can reach the Tree of Souls. Col. Quaritch escapes and finds the avatar interface pod where Jake's human body is located and attacks it, exposing Jake to Pandora's atmosphere. Neytiri kills Quaritch and saves Jake. With the attack repelled, Neytiri and Jake reaffirm their love as she sees his human body for the first time.

Selfridge and the military personnel are expelled from Pandora, while Jake, Norm, and the scientists studying Pandora are allowed to remain. Jake is seen wearing the insignia of the Omaticaya leader. The film ends with Jake's consciousness being transplanted into his Na'vi avatar permanently by the Tree of Souls.

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen LangDirector: James CameronRated: PG-13
Genre: science fiction epic film
Producer: James Cameron, Jon LandauDistributor: 20th Century Fox

CHRISTMAS VOCABULARY

2009-12-10T04:35:00.000-08:00

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Christmas
It is the annual celebration, by Christians, of the birth on 25 December of Jesus Christ, hence the name Christmas.
It is an occasion for most people to spend time with their family and friends, send greeting cards and exchanges presents.
Traditionally the giving of a gift is symbolic of the three wise men giving gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus.

Advent
The arrival of a person or an important event. Here it refers to the month before Christmas and the arrival of Jesus.

Bethlehem
The town thought to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Boxing Day
In the UK, December 26 is called Boxing Day. It was traditionally a day to give presents to the poor.

Candle
A round stick of wax with a central wick which is lit to give light as it burns.

Chimney
A vertical structure which extends through the roof of a house and allows smoke to escape from the fireplace.

Santa Claus (Father Christmas)
He traditionally enters a house through the chimney.

Christmas
The annual celebration by Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ on 25 December.

Christmas cake
A rich fruit cake covered with marzipan and icing, eaten at Christmas.

Christmas card
A greetings card sent to friends and family at Christmas.

Christmas carol
A joyful traditional song or hymn sung at Christmas.

Christmas Day
25 December, the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Christmas Eve
24 December, the evening or day before Christmas Day.

Christmas tree
An evergreen tree which people decorate with lights, tinsel, etc. at Christmas

Cracker
A decorated cardboard tube wrapped in paper, that makes a sharp explosive noise ("crack!") and releases a small gift when two people pull it apart.

Egg-nog
A traditional Christmas drink in the US made of beaten eggs, milk or cream, sugar and alcohol.

Frankincense
Sweet-smelling gum from a tree, burnt as incense : one of the gifts that the three wise men gave to Jesus.

Holly
Evergreen shrub with red berries used for decoration at Christmas.

Mistletoe
A parasitic plant with evergreen leaves and white berries, traditionally used as a
Christmas decoration. When 2 people walk under the plant, they are supposed to kiss.

Myrrh
Gum from a tree, used for perfume or incense : one of the gifts given to Jesus by the three wise men.

Ornament
A decoration which, at Christmas, is hung on a Christmas tree.

Reindeer
A large deer with branching antlers found in some cold climates, and thought to pull Santa's sleigh.

Santa Claus
An imaginary bearded old man, wearing a red suit, who lives at the North Pole and brings presents for children at Christmas. Traditionally Santa Claus travels in a sleigh pulled by reindeers and enters the house through the chimney on Christmas Eve.

Sleigh
A sledge or light cart pulled by horses or reindeer over snow and ice.

Tinsel
A glittering material produced in strips and used for decoration at Christmas.

Turkey
Large bird very often eaten at Christmas.

Wreath
Circular band of flowers or leaves used to decorate the front door of homes at Christmas.

Xmas
Abbreviation for 'Christmas'.

Happy birthday to my wonderful friends, Abdu and Rajan

2009-11-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS AND WISHES COME TRUE!!!

SING ALONG!

2009-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

I was a quick ___________ boy
___________too deep for coins
All of your straight blind ___________
Wide on my plastic toys
And when the cops___________ the fair
I cut my long baby ________________
Stole me a dog-eared map
And ____________ for you everywhere

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, _______________
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill _____________

Now I'm a fat ____________ cat
Cursing my sore blunt ______________
Watching the _____________ poison rats
Curl through the wide/white fence cracks
_____________ on magazine photos
Those fishing lures thrown in the cold and clean
Blood of Christ mountain _____________

Have I found you?
Flightless bird, brown hair bleeding
Or lost you?
American mouth
Big bill, stuck going down

ANSWERS: WET - DIVING - EYES - CLOSED - HAIR - CALLED - WEEPING - LOOMING- HOUSE - TONGUE - WARM - KISSING - STREAM

From my Shelf Books

2009-10-12T11:56:00.001-07:00

ESTHER´S INHERITANCE by Sándor Márai

What is it to be in love with a pathological liar and fantasist? Esther is, and has been for more than twenty years. Lajos, the liar, married her sister, and when she died, Lajos disappeared. Or did he? And Esther? She was left with her elderly cousin, the all-knowing Nunu, and a worn old house, living a life of the most modest comforts. All is well, but all is tired.

Until a telegram arrives announcing that, after all these years, Lajos is returning with his children. The news brings both panic and excitement. While no longer young and thoroughly skeptical about Lajos and his lies, Esther still remembers how incredibly alive she felt when he was around. Lajos's presence bewitches everyone, and the greatest part of his charm—and his danger—lies in the deftness with which he wields that delicate power. Nothing good can come of this: friends rally round, but Lajos's arrival, complete with entourage, begins a day of high theater.

Esther's Inheritance has the taut economy of Márai's Embers and presents a remarkable narrator in Esther, who delivers the story as both tragedy and comedy on an intimate scale that nevertheless has archetypal power.
Source: (fantasticfiction.co.uk)

UNDER THE SKIN by Michel Faber

"Isserley always drove straight past a hitchhiker when she first saw him, to give herself time to size him up."

In Michel Faber's suspenseful first novel, Isserley, an unusual-looking woman with strangely scarred skin, drives through the Scottish Highlands both day and night, looking for just the right male hitchhikers. She picks them up, makes enough small talk to determine she's made a safe choice, then hits a toggle switch on her car, releasing a drug that knocks her victims out. She then takes them to the "farm" where she lives-and where the "processing" takes place-a terrifying procedure involving the removal of various body parts.

In this upside-down world that Faber has so strikingly created, animals are human, and humans are known as "vodsels." Isserley, at one time a beautiful "human" covered in fur with a long tail, is now a foreigner in the "vodsel" world, sent there to collect as many victims as possible. And what becomes of the men she collects is just the beginning of an even more sinister secret. In this world, looks are extremely deceiving; it's what's Under the Skin that truly counts. A disturbing, yet thought-provoking metaphor for a society run amok, this ferociously creative fiction debut will linger in readers' imaginations long after they've passed the last hitchhiker on the highway.
Source: (fantasticfiction.co.uk)

GREY SOULS by Philippe Claudel

This is ostensibly a detective story, about a crime that is committed in 1917, and solved 20 years later. The location is a small town in Northern France, near V., in the dead of the freezing winter. The war is still being fought in the trenches, within sight and sound of the town, but the men of the town have been spared the slaughter because they are needed in the local factory. One morning a beautiful ten year old girl, one of the three daughters of the innkeeper, is found strangled and dumped in the canal. Suspicion falls on two deserters who are picked up near the town. Their interrogation and sentencing is brutal and swift. Twenty years later, the narrator, a local policeman, puts together what actually happened. On the night the deserters were arrested and interrogated, he was sitting by the beside of his dying wife. He believes that justice was not done and wants to set the record straight. But the death of the child was not the only crime committed in the town during those weeks. More than one record has to be set straight. Beautiful, like a fairy story almost, frozen in time, this novel has an hypnotic quality.

Source: (fantasticfiction.co.uk)

FILMS BASED ON NOVELS

2009-10-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Novel: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Film: Memoirs of a Geisha by Rob Marshall

Sayuri's story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house. Through her eyes, we see the decadent heart of Gion--the geisha district of Kyoto--with its marvelous teahouses and theaters, narrow back alleys, ornate temples, and artists' streets. And we witness her transformation as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: dance and music; wearing kimono, elaborate makeup and hair; pouring sake to reveal just a touch of inner wrist; competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close, Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms.

Memoirs of a Geisha is a book of nuances and vivid metaphor, of memorable characters rendered with humor and pathos. And though the story is rich with detail and a vast knowledge of history, it is the transparent, seductive voice of Sayuri that the reader remembers.

Source: (bookbrowse.com)

Novel: Smilla´s sense of snow by Peter Hoeg
Film: Smilla´s sense of snow by Bille August

A stunning literary thriller in the tradition of Gorky Park and the novels of John Le Carré.

Smilla Qaaviqaaq Jaspersen is the daughter of a Danish doctor and an Inuit woman from Greenland. Raised in Greenland, she lives in Copenhagen and, as befits her ancestry, is an expert on snow. When one of her few friends, an Inuit boy, dies under mysterious circumstances, she refuses to believe it was an accident.

She decides to investigate and discovers that even the police don''t want her involved. But Smilla persists, and as snow-covered Copenhagen settles down for a quiet Christmas, Smilla''s investigation leads her from a fanatically religious accountant, to a tough-talking pathologist, to the secret files of the Danish company responsible for extracting most of Greenland''s mineral wealth. Finally, she boards a ship with an international cast of villains - and a large stash of cocaine - bound for a mysterious mission on an inhospitable island off Greenland.

Source: (chapters.indigo.ca. Doubleday Canada)

Novel: The Green Mile by Stephen King

Film: The Green Mile by Frank Darabont

The book is a first-person narrative told by Paul Edgecombe, who worked as a Cold Mountain Penitentiary block supervisor on death row, nicknamed "The Green Mile", in 1932. It switches between the events that occurred there, and Paul in the "present" as an old man in a nursing home writing the story, and his "special friend" Elaine Connelly reading it.

The story centers on John Coffey, a 6'8" black man who is convicted of raping and murdering two small white girls. He is notable because of his size and strange behavior. Besides Coffey, there are two other prisoners on the cellblock during the main period the book focuses on: Eduard "Del" Delacroix, a Cajun arsonist and murderer who is cowardly and weak-minded, and William "Wild Bill" Wharton, a wild and dangerous multiple murderer who is determined to make as much trouble as he can before he is executed. Looking back, Paul also describes his experiences with a Washita Cherokee murderer named Arlen Bitterbuck, nicknamed "The Chief", and Arthur Flanders, nicknamed "The President", an insurance executive who killed his father to perpetrate insurance fraud. The story also features Mr. Jingles, an unnaturally intelligent mouse who appears early in the novel and befriends Del. The mouse learns various tricks and appears to follow commands. Del insists that the mouse whispers things in his ear.

Paul and the other guards are antagonized throughout the book by Percy Wetmore, a sadistic guard who enjoys aggravating the prisoners and tries to kill Mr. Jingles on more than one occasion. The other guards have to be civil to him despite their dislike of him because he is the governor's nephew. However, when he is offered a place at the nearby Briar Ridge psychiatric hospital as a secretary, Paul thinks they are finally rid of him. However, Percy informs Paul and his colleagues that he will not leave until he is "put up front" (allowed to supervise an execution), so Paul hesitantly allows him to run Delacroix's. Percy is supposed to soak a sponge in brine and tuck it inside the electrode cap to be strapped onto Del's head (to draw the electricity to the brain to kill faster and with less pain), but his resentment of the man leads him to deliberately omit this step. As a result, when the switch is thrown, the electric current causes Del to suffer an agonizing death and literally fry in the chair.

Over time, Paul realizes that there is something special about John Coffey: he possesses mystical healing abilities. These powers heal Paul's urinary tract infection and brings Mr. Jingles from the brink of death after Percy attempts to kill him by stepping on him. Paul also realizes that Coffey is very empathic and sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others around him and all over the world. The guards drug William Wharton, put a straitjacket on Percy, and lock him in the padded restraint room. They then smuggle John out of the prison and take him to Warden Hal Moores' residence, where he cures his wife's deadly brain tumor with his magical abilities. When they return to the Mile, Percy is released from the restraint room and agrees to move to the Briar Ridge secretarial job straightaway. However, as he is leaving, John passes the "disease" which he took out of the warden's wife onto Percy. Percy goes mad and shoots Wharton to death, then falls into a catatonic state from which he never recovers. He is later transferred to Briar Ridge, but as a patient rather than a secretary.

Although Paul eventually discovers that John was innocent of the murders (which were actually the work of William Wharton), John elects to die anyway to escape the cruelty of the world. Near the end of the book, it is revealed that those healed by John gain an unnatural lifespan. In the end, Mr. Jingles lives to be at least 64 and dies of old age at Paul's nursing home and Paul reveals to the reader how his wife died. Paul also states that he is 104 years old and wondering just how much longer he will live. The book ends with this quote:

"We each owe a death, there are no exceptions, I know that, but sometimes, oh God, the Green Mile is so long."

Source: (wapedia.mobi)

SING ALONG!

2009-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

AGORA by Alejandro Amenabar

2009-09-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

To some, the name Alejandro Amenábar sparks instant interest. But if it does not, let me refresh your memory. In 1997, he wrote (with Mateo Gil) and directed the Spanish film Open Your Eyes -- which North American audiences know better by its ultra-strange U.S. remake Vanilla Sky. 2001 marked his English film premiere, the eerie Nicole Kidman thriller The Others (the only feature Gil hasn't co-written). And then in 2004, he went back to Spanish filmmaking with the Javier Bardem-starring Oscar winner The Sea Inside. Now he's grabbed the likes of Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, and Oscar Isaac for a film that doesn't journey through facial reconstruction, ghosts, or euthanasia. It's a gorgeous, thought-provoking Roman epic called Agora.

The film focuses on one of the most impressive female figures in history – Hypatia, a leading thinker in the Rome-governed Alexandria, considered to be the first notable woman of mathematics. She studied philosophy and astronomy, and both pagan and Christian students from far and wide came together to study under her. "For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more."

The film opens in 391 A.D. Alexandria. The streets are boiling with strife and clashes of faith as Christianity gains power, and men like Ammonius (Ashraf Barhom) make grand speeches and perform "miracles" to sway the disenfranchised commoners. Meanwhile, inside the walls of the Library of Alexandria, Hypatia struggles to extinguish the religious turmoil of her students whilst also staying free of romantic interest. Her slave Davus (Max Minghella) loves her, but cannot tell her, while her student Orestes takes every chance to make his love for her known – even after being rebuffed by her menstrual rags.

When a Roman is killed during one of Ammonius' speeches, "proving" his God's power on hot coals, everything changes, setting off a never-ending stream of desperate violence mixed with overwrought feelings of entitlement. Back and forth, the two sides fight -- each is desperate for something, whether that be the Christians' desire to gain power or the pagans' desire to keep theirs -- and both feel too entitled to make any concessions. The death of the Roman leads to bloody retaliation in the streets, and ultimately, the destruction of the Library and the knowledge it contains, as well as the life Hypatia has always known. Even Davus leaves her to join Ammonius.

Fast forward to many years later, and the same battles continue. However, now almost everyone, including prefect Orestes, is Christian. Now the religious turmoil is focused on the Jews, as well as women and children. Hypatia's rights and political influence are no longer secure, and this leads to her horrific and heart-breaking end. On paper, it stretches the bounds of horrific violent acts, but even watered down for the big screen, it packs a gut-wrenching punch you can't avoid.

It would be easy to say that this is an anti-Christian film, but to do so is utterly oversimplified and inaccurate. Beyond Hypatia's desire for all faiths to exist peacefully, no one side is all good or bad. Both the pagans and the Christians have their moments of honor – the quests for knowledge from the former, and the feeding and care of the masses for the latter – while also partaking in heinous violence; it is this balance that drives the film.

The production design, score, look, and momentum of the film are all grand to the extreme, but the path of Hypatia's story and the fall of Roman Alexandria are perfectly balanced. The gorgeousness and epic feel doesn't seep into the story and drive a path of twists for the sake of cinema.

(Source: cinematical.com, by Monica Bartyzel)

Alejandro Amenábar Interview - Agora from FirstShowing.net on Vimeo.

A few of my favourite violin virtuosi

2009-08-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

I have loved the sound of the violin since I was a little girl. I will always have a great admiration for those that can play it.
Violin music touches my heart, clears my mind...

2009-05-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

A present for you, AMALIA

I know you had some of the best times in your teens listening to The Smiths

Shyness is nice, and

Shyness can stop you

From doing all the things in life

You'd like to

Shyness is nice, and

Shyness can stop you

From doing all the things in life

You'd like to

So, if there's something you'd like to try

If there's something you'd like to try

ASK ME - I WON'T SAY "NO" - HOW COULD I ?

Coyness is nice, and

Coyness can stop you

From saying all the things in

Life you'd like to

So, if there's something you'd like to try

If there's something you'd like to try

ASK ME - I WON'T SAY "NO" - HOW COULD I ?

Spending warm Summer days indoors

Writing frightening verse

To a buck-toothed girl in Luxembourg

ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME

Because if it's not Love

Then it's the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb

That will bring us together

Nature is a language - can't you read ?

SO ... ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME

ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME

Because if it's not Love

Then it's the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb, the Bomb

That will bring us together

If it's not Love

Then it's the Bomb

That will bring us together

SO ... ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME

ASK ME, ASK ME, ASK ME Oh, la ...

BRAZIL

2009-05-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

TERRY GILLIAM'S ''Brazil,'' a jaunty, wittily observed vision of an extremely bleak future, is a superb example of the power of comedy to underscore serious ideas, even solemn ones. ''Brazil,'' which was not scheduled for 1985 release until the Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted it best film of the year, was slated, as of yesterday, to open on Dec. 25 for one week in order to qualify for Academy Awards consideration. However, the opening was suddenly advanced, and it began its weeklong engagement today at Loew's New York Twin. It is scheduled to reopen on Feb. 14.
''Brazil'' may not be the best film of the year, but it's a remarkable accomplishment for Mr. Gilliam, whose satirical and cautionary impulses work beautifully together. His film's ambitious visual style bears this out, combining grim, overpowering architecture with clever throwaway touches. The look of the film harkens back to the 1930's, as does the title; ''Brazil'' is named not for the country but for the 1930's popular song, which floats through the film as a tantalizing refrain. The gaiety of the music stands in ironic contrast to the oppressive, totalitarian society in which the story is set.
The plot itself, from a screenplay by Mr. Gilliam, Tom Stoppard and Charles McKeown, is rather thin; it exists mainly as an excuse to lead the viewer into various corners of an unexpectedly humorous Orwellian world. Mr. Gilliam's answer to Mr. Orwell's Winston Smith is one Sam Lowry, a gray-suited bureaucrat who has a forbidden love, a lively fantasy life and a socialite mother. Ida Lowry (played hilariously by Katherine Helmond), who is constantly in the company of her in-house plastic surgeon, spends most of her time lunching with lady-friends and a bit of it worrying about her son's limited career. So Ida - whose fashion sense dictates that she wear hats that look very much like upside-down shoes - arranges a promotion for Sam. He winds up in an office so small that he has only half a desk and half a poster sharing both with the bureaucrat next door. This change somehow propels Sam into a romance with a woman who may be a terrorist and into a series of hellish nightmares.
Much of the cleverness of ''Brazil'' has to do with its tiny details, the sense of how things work in this new society. Signs glimpsed in the background say things like ''Loose Talk is Noose Talk'' and ''Suspicion Breeds Confidence,'' while television advertisements are for things like fashionable heating ducts ''in designer colors to suit your demanding taste'' (the production design makes sure that heating ducts are everywhere). Politeness counts for everything, as in an early scene where one hapless Mr. Buttle is arrested in his own living room, stuffed into what looks like a large canvas bag, and led away, never to be seen again. At least Mrs. Buttle is given a written receipt for her confiscated husband.
Harry Tuttle, the man the police were actually after until a large bug dropped into a computer and caused a typographical error, is played by Robert De Niro as a combination repairman and commando. Mr. De Niro has only the briefest of roles here, but he makes it count for a lot, as does Bob Hoskins as a sinister fellow passing himself off as a rival repairman. The friends of Sam's mother are also nicely played, particularly Shirley (Kathryn Pogson), who tells Sam shyly that she doesn't like him at all. Michael Palin is both ominous and funny as Sam's friend Jack Lint, and Jonathan Pryce is especially good as Sam. Giving his regards to Jack's twins and learning that they are triplets, Sam responds by saying ''Triplets! How time flies.''
Also in ''Brazil'' is Kim Greist as the pretty young woman who fascinates Sam in reality and in his dreams; in the latter, she has angelic blond hair and he appears as a magnificent winged silver creature swooping through the skies. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gilliam might have staged such a scene more facetiously, but here it has a real poignance. For all its fancifulness, ''Brazil'' and its characters seem substantial and real.

(Source: Review by JANET MASLIN in an article of the NY Times)

“This film is a surrealistic wonder that causes incredulity and marvel in spite of its long footage. It is a futuristic fable of basic human traits such as romance, imagination, man’s dreams, need for freedom, etc. It is a reality where the oniric world is constantly present and intertwined in a fantastic whirl of emotions that leads to a non conclusion. By many critics judged as a master piece and by none something less than an excellent showing of the seventh art.
I truly recommended Brazil to the blog author who, in spite of being a film lover, was not aware of the existence of this film and, as a matter of fact this is a not well-known movie. But it is impossible to remain untouched by it as it is dense and deep in content and meaning. For all these reasons my friend decided to add in her blog a space dedicated to this marvelous movie.
I hope you remain baffled by these few words and decide to watch one of my favourite films and, maybe, feel the urge to comment on it."

Written by L. F.

Literature and Cinema

2009-04-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

FILMS BASED ON NOVELS

Novel: The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

Film: The wings of the dove by Iain Softley

Set amid the splendor of London drawing rooms and gilded Venetian palazzos, The Wings of the Dove is the story of Milly Theale, a naïve, doomed American heiress, and a pair of lovers, Kate Croy and Merton Densher, who conspire to obtain her fortune. In this witty tragedy of treachery, self-deception, and betrayal, Henry James weaves together three ill-fated and wholly human destinies unexpectedly linked by desire, greed, and salvation. As Amy Bloom writes in her Introduction, “The Wings of the Dove is a novel of intimacy. . . . [James] gives us passion, he gives us love in its terrible and enchanting forms.”

(Source: LibraryThing.com)

Novel: A Passage to India by E. M. Forster
Film: A Passage to India by David Lean

The main incident of the novel is the accusation by an English woman that an Indian doctor followed her into a cave and attempted to rape her. Doctor Aziz (the accused man) is a respected member of the Muslim community in India. Like many people of his social class, his relationship with the British administration is somewhat ambivalent. He sees most of the British as enormously rude, so he is pleased and flattered when an English woman, Mrs. Moore, attempts to befriend him.Fielding also becomes a friend, and he is the only English person who attempts to help him--after the accusation is made. Despite Fielding's help, Aziz is constantly worried that Fielding will somehow betray him). The two part ways and then meet many years later. Forster suggests that the two can never really be friends until the English withdraw from India.

(Source:classiclit.com)

Novel: The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Film: The Remains of the Day by James Ivory

The novel The Remains of the Day tells the story of Stevens, an English butler who dedicates his life to the loyal service of Lord Darlington (mentioned in increasing detail in flashbacks). The novel begins with Stevens receiving a letter from an ex colleague called Miss Kenton, describing her married life, which he believes hints at her unhappy marriage. The receipt of the letter allows Stevens the opportunity to revisit this once-cherished relationship, if only under the guise of possible re-employment. Stevens' new employer, a wealthy American, Mr Farraday, encourages Stevens to borrow a car to take a well-earned break, a "motoring trip." As he sets out, Stevens has the opportunity to reflect on his unmoving loyalty to Lord Darlington, the meaning of the term "dignity", and even his relationship with his father. Ultimately Stevens is forced to ponder the true nature of his relationship with Miss Kenton. As the book progresses, increasing evidence of Miss Kenton's one-time love for Stevens, and his for her, is revealed.
Working together during the years leading up to the Second World War, Stevens and Miss Kenton fail to admit their true feelings. All of their recollected conversations show a professional friendship, which came close, but never dared, to cross the line to romance.
Miss Kenton, it later emerges, has been married for over 20 years and therefore is no longer Miss Kenton but has become Mrs Benn. She admits to occasionally wondering what her life with Stevens might have been like, has come to love her husband, and is looking forward to the birth of their first grandchild. Stevens muses over lost opportunities, both with Miss Kenton and with his long-time employer, Lord Darlington. At the end of the novel, Stevens instead focuses on the "remains of [his] day", referring to his future service with Mr Farraday.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Novel: The Four Feathers by A. E. W. Mason
Film: The Four Feathers by Shekar Kapur
The novel tells the story of British officer, Harry Feversham, who resigns his commission from his regiment just prior to Sir Garnet Wolseley's 1882 expedition to Egypt to suppress the rising of Urabi Pasha. He does this for his own personal reasons, rather than cowardice. However, he is faced with censure from three of his comrades for cowardice, signified by the delivery of three white feathers to him, from Captain Trench and Lieutenants Castleton and Willoughby, and the loss of the support of his fiancée, Ethne Eustace, who presents him with the fourth feather. His best friend in the regiment, Captain Durrance, becomes his rival for Ethne.
Talking with Lieutenant Sutch, a friend of his father, an imposing retired general, Feversham questions his own true motives, and resolves to redeem himself by whatever means necessary, travelling on his own to Egypt and Sudan, where in 1882 Muhammad Ahmed proclaimed himself the Mahdi (Guided One) and raised a Holy War. On January 26, 1885, his forces, at the time called Dervishes, captured Khartoum and killed its British governor, General Charles George Gordon. It is mainly in the eastern Sudan, where the British and Egyptians held Suakin, that the action takes place over the next six years. Durrance is blinded by sunstroke and invalided home. Castleton is reported killed at Tamai where a British square is briefly broken. Feversham's first success is with Willoughby, by recovering lost letters of Gordon. He is aided by a Sudanese Arab, Abou Fatma. Later, disguised as a mad Greek musician, Feversham gets imprisoned in Omdurman, where he rescues the now Colonel Trench, who had been captured on a reconnaissance mission, and they escape.
Returned to England, Feversham has his honour restored and the feathers returned. Trench admits he instigated the feathers. Durrance yields Ethne, and travels to Germany to seek a cure for his blindness. Ethne and Feversham wed. The story is rich in characters and sub-plots, which the filmed versions perforce trim, along with making major changes in the story line, with the best known 1939 version centered on the 1898 campaign and battle of Omdurman, only hinted as a future event in the novel.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Painting and music

2009-04-16T06:07:00.000-07:00

Painter of classical, historical, and literary subjects. John William Waterhouse was born in 1849 in Rome, where his father worked as a painter. He was referred to as "Nino" throughout his life.
In the 1850s the family returned to England. Before entering the Royal Academy schools in 1870, Waterhouse assisted his father in his studio. His early works were of classical themes in the spirit of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and Frederic Leighton, and were exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Society of British Artists and the Dudley Gallery. In the late 1870s and the 1880s, Waterhouse made several trips to Italy, where he painted genre scenes.
After his marriage in 1883 to Esther Kenworthy, Waterhouse took up residence at the Primrose Hill Studios (number 3, and later, number 6).
Nino married Esther Kenworthy at St Mary's Church, Ealing, LondonPhotograph by Rob Cartwright
Future occupants of the same Primrose Hill studios would include the artists Arthur Rackham and Patrick Caulfield. Waterhouse painted primarily in oils, yet he was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour in 1883, resigning in 1889. In 1884, his Royal Academy submission Consulting the Oracle brought him favourable reviews; it was purchased by Sir Henry Tate, who also purchased The Lady of Shalott from the 1888 Academy exhibition. The latter painting reveals Waterhouse's growing interest in themes associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, particularly tragic or powerful femmes fatales, as well as plein-air painting. Other examples of paintings depicting a femme fatale are Circe Invidiosa, Cleopatra, La Belle Dame Sans Merci and several versions of Lamia. In 1885 Waterhouse was elected an associate of the Royal Academy and a full member in 1895. His RA diploma work was A Mermaid. However, as this painting was not completed until 1900, Waterhouse offered his Ophelia of 1888 as his temporary submission (this painting was 'lost' for most of the 20th century--it is now in the collection of Lord Lloyd Webber).
In the mid-1880s Waterhouse began exhibiting with the Grosvenor Gallery and its successor, the New Gallery, as well as at provincial exhibitions in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester. Paintings of this period, such as Mariamne, were exhibited widely in England and abroad as part of the international symbolist movement. In the 1890s Waterhouse began to exhibit portraits. In 1900 he was the primary instigator of the Artists' War Fund, creating Destiny, and contributing to a theatrical performance. The pictures offered to the War Fund were auctioned at Christie's. In 1901 he moved to St John's Wood and joined the St John's Wood Arts Club, a social organization that included Alma-Tadema and George Clausen. He also served on the advisory council of the St. John's Wood Art School where young and upcoming "neo Pre-Raphaelite" artists such as Byam Shaw numbered amongst his pupils.
Despite suffering from increasing frailty during the final decade of his life, Waterhouse continued painting until his death from cancer in 1917. From 1908-1914 he painted a series of paintings based upon the Persephone legend. They were followed by pictures based upon literature and mythology in 1916 (Miranda, Tristram and Isolde). One of his final works was The Enchanted Garden, left unfinished on his easel at his death, and now in the collection of the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Liverpool.
Very little is known of Waterhouse's private life - only a few letters have survived and thus, for many years, the identity of his models has been a mystery. One letter that has survived indicates that Mary Lloyd, the model for Lord Leighton's masterpiece Flaming June, posed for Waterhouse. The well-known Italian male model, Angelo Colorossi, who sat for Leighton, Millais, Sargent, Watts, Burne-Jones and many other Victorian artists, also sat for Waterhouse.
Waterhouse and his wife Esther did not have any children. Esther Waterhouse outlived her husband by 27 years, passing away in 1944 at a nursing home. Today, she is buried alongside her husband at Kensal Green Cemetery in north London.

(Source: johnwilliamswaterhouse.com)

Music: "Tu chiami una vita" by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Lyrics by Salvatore Quasimodo ("Tu chiami una vita")

"Fatica d'amore, tristezza, tu chiami una vita che dentro, profonda, ha nomi di cieli e giardini. E fosse mia carne che il dono di male trasforma."

Fatiga de amor, tristeza, tú llamas una vida, que dentro, profunda, tiene nombres de cielo y jardines.Y fuese mi carne lo que el don del mal transforma.

Jan A. P. Kaczmarek

Jan A. P. Kaczmarek is a composer with a tremendous international reputation that continues to grow. As a successful recording artist and touring musician, Jan turned to composing film scores as his primary occupation.
Jan's first success in the United States came in theater. After composing striking scores for productions at Chicago's Goodman Theatre and Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum, Jan won an Obie and a Drama Desk Award for his music for the New York Shakespeare Festival's 1992 production of John Ford's "Tis Pity She's A Whore," directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, starring Val Kilmer and Jeanne Tripplehorn. Newsday wrote that Jan's score "undulates with hypnotic force that gets under your skin," while Frank Rich of the New York Times found it worthy of the films of Bernardo Bertolucci and Luchino Visconti. Educated as a lawyer, he abandoned his planned career as a diplomat, for political reasons, to write music in order to finally gain freedom of expression. First he composed for the highly politicized underground theater, and then for a mini-orchestra of his own creation, "The Orchestra of the Eighth Day". The major turning point in his life, he says, was a period of intense study with avant-garde theater director, Jerzy Grotowski.
"Playing and composing was like a religion for me," Kaczmarek explains, "and then it became a profession."
"The Orchestra of the Eighth Day" began touring Europe in the late 1970's and to date, has completed eighteen major tours. They appeared at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, the VPRO Radio International Contemporary Music Festival in Amsterdam,the Venice Biennale, and the International Music Festival in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia, where Jan won the Golden Spring Prize for the Best Composition. He is a five-time winner in Jazz Forum's Jazz Top Poll. At the end of the Orchestra's first American tour in 1982, Kaczmarek recorded his debut album, Music for the End, for the Chicago-based major independent Flying Fish Records.
Jan returned to America in 1989 to find a label for his latest composition for the Orchestra. Jan stayed in the United States where he expanded his horizons by composing for theater as he had already done in Poland with great success, capped by two prestigious New York theater awards in 1992. Having also composed music for films in Poland, he focused his attention to that medium, achieving recognition as a film composer with scores to such films as "Total Eclipse", "Bliss", "Washington Square", "Aimée & Jaguar", "The Third Miracle", "Lost Souls", "Edges of the Lord", "Quo Vadis" and Adrian Lyne's "Unfaithful."February 2005, Jan won his first Oscar for Best Original Score on Marc Forster's highly acclaimed film, "Finding Neverland."J.A.P.K. also won The National Review Board's award for Best Score of the Year, and was nominated for both a Golden Globe and BAFTA's Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music. In addition to his work in films, Jan was commissioned to write two symphonic and choral pieces for two important national occasions in Poland. “Cantata for Freedom” (2005) to celebrate 25th anniversary of Solidarity movement, and oratorio “1956” (2006) to commemorate 50th anniversary of bloody uprising against totalitarian government in Poznan, Poland. Both premiers were broadcast live on national television.Jan is also setting up an Institute inspired by the Sundance Institute, in his home country of Poland, as a European center for development of new work in the areas of film, theatre, music and new media. The Institute website (currently under construction) is: http://rozbitek.org/. It is anticipated that Rozbitek will begin accepting students in 2007.

(Source: created by WIERZBICKI.ORG /jan-ap-kaczmarek.com)

SERRA do CARAMULO

2009-04-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Serra do Caramulo is a place where nature reigns supreme and man has learned to live with it and for it, never against it. It is a place full of surprises and magnificent views.You will notice the green fields and woods, the grey of the granite, the bright colours of the heathers, ganisters, oleanders or brooms and ancient small and picturesque villages.

A good way to visit the Serra do Caramulo is exploring the mountains on foot. Just outside the town Caramulo starts a very beautiful hiking trail along an old Roman Road.It goes all the way up to the lonely top, Caramulinho. The last part is very steep, but there are granite steps to help you up, and you will have a spectacular panoramic view.The Black Clay Pottery of MolelosThe craftsmanship of Molelos has been kept alive in the Serra do Caramulo for several generations. All sorts of decorative and useful items are for sale, for use in the house, or to decorate a corner — and to take away as the perfect souvenir of our mountains. Molelos is the first village you come trough after you turn off the IP3 to go to the Serra do Caramulo.

(Source: quintadoriodao.com )

THE CARAMULO MUSEUM

The history of the Caramulo Museum explains why it is really two different museums: it was founded in the 1950´s by the brothers Abel and João de Lacerda, the first an art lover, the second a lover of antique cars.The art collection is extremely varied. It contains for instance paintings by artists such as Picasso, Dali, Dufy and Legér, but also a fine selection of ceramics from many different periods, and four monumental 16th century tapestries.The car museum has 70 cars and 30 motorcycles in permanent exhibition, all with the original motor, and in running condition. They are taken out on the road during the antique car festival that takes place every year in September.Among the cars that can be seen in the museum are: the oldest car in Portugal that still works (a 1899 Peugot), the Bugatti that broke the speed record at more than 200 km/h in 1931, and two cars owned by the Portugese dictator Salazar (an armoured Mercedes-benz and a Cadillac).

(Source: quintade bispos.com)

Art Collection

Started in 1953, by Abel Lacerda, based on the principle of the generosity of benefactors, the art collection at the Museu do Caramulo was made up of gifts from both collectors and contemporary well-known artists, such as Vieira da Silva, Jean Lurçat, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso.
The art collection is very diversified given the different categories of the objects on show. covering a long period of history, from the age of Antiquity up to the Contemporary period.
The rooms of the museum have paintings, sculptures, furniture, objects in gold, glass, enamel, textiles and ceramics. In this last section, the objects reveal the taste and technology of ceramics from different periods, from the Han and Tang dynasties in China, to a jug by Picasso, Delft and Ming porcelain, and most particularly, the famous bottle by Jorge Álvares of 1552.
In the textile sector, there are four monumental tapestries, ordered by the King of the Discoveries – D. Manuel I – and made in Tournai in the first quarter of the XVI century. Given their extraordinary cultural value, these pieces are an exceptional means of understanding the XVI century, and the relationship between Portugal and Flanders and show the influence of the Portuguese Discoveries in Western art.
In paintings, the Museu do Caramulo exhibits a selection of works by consecrated Portuguese artists, such as Grão Vasco, Silva Porto, Columbano and Amadeo de Sousa Cardoso. There are also works by the Flemish artists such as Frei Carlos, Quinten Metsijs, Isembrant, Jaco Jordaens and of French artists such as Hyacinthe Rigaud, Frans Pourbus, Raoul Dufy and Fernand Leger.
The collection of sculptures is made up of works made by Portuguese artists such as Salvador Barata Feyo, Canto da Maya, Leopoldo de Almeida or António Duarte, and also works by foreigners such as José Cañas and José Clará.
The Museum of Caramulo is rightfully considered one of the principle museums in Portugal, reflecting the careful and rigorous selection of the works on show, made up by an extraordinary collection that covers all areas of Art.

(Source: museu-caramulo.net )

Automobile collection

The Automobile, Motorcycle and Bicycle Collection in the Museu do Caramulo started with João Lacerda, in 1955, when he bought a 1925 Ford Model T. The collection has grown ever since and is on show in the museum.Given the success of the museum and its prestige, several pieces have been added to the collections due to the donations from private and public entities.However, to be put on show each car must be completely restored and in full running condition, just like when it was manufactured. To achieve it the vehicles have to run at least once a year for maintenance purposes. The participation in various events, such as races, rallies, competitions orpublic demonstrations are crucial, not only to guarantee its correct roadworthy condition, but to reach out to the enthusiasts and general public with live and running pieces of history.This was idea was taken in account, when the second building was constructed, to house the growing automobile collection. Its design allows each vehicle to exit easily, without restrictions.The Museu do Caramulo has a permanent collection of 30 motorcycles, and 70 cars (of which 14 are vintage cars), representing 36 different makes and 7 countries. The oldest is an 1886 Benz and the most recent a Ferrari 456, of 1998. There are also collections of antique bicycles and tricycles.Many of the cars on show are connected to the History of Portugal. In the permanent collection at the museum one can see:
The oldest car in Portugal, still in running condition, an 1899 Peugeot;
The Bugatti 35B that in 1931 established the speed record in Lehrfeld at more than 200 km/h;
The bullet proof armoured Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac that were in the service of Oliveira Salazar;
The Pegaso, given by General Francisco Franco to President Craveiro Lopes;
The Chrysler Imperial belonging to the Portuguese Secret Service (PIDE) that was used in the escape from the Caxias Prison;
The Renault that belonged to "conselheiro" João Franco;
The Rolls-Royce that was used by Queen Elizabeth II, President Eisenhower, Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II during their state visits to Portugal;
The Fiat offered to João de Lacerda, by the President of the Fiat Group.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE wins Oscar 2009 for Best Picture

2009-02-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who is about to experience the biggest day of his life. With the whole nation watching, he is just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?But when the show breaks for the night, police arrest him on suspicion of cheating; how could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika (Freida Pinto), the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show s questions.Each chapter of Jamal s increasingly layered story reveals where he learned the answers to the show s seemingly impossible quizzes. But one question remains a mystery: what is this young man with no apparent desire for riches really doing on the game show?When the new day dawns and Jamal returns to answer the final question, the Inspector and sixty million viewers are about to find out.

(Source: Imdb.com)

OSCAR ACCEPTANCE SPEECH TRANSCRIPT

"Thank you so much to the Academy. As you can see, our film was a collaboration between hundreds of people, and I am so happy that so many of them could be with us here tonight to share this moment. Together we've been on an extraordinary, extraordinary journey. When we started out, we had no stars, we had no power or muscle. We didn't have enough money really to do what we wanted to do. But what we had was a script that has inspired mad love in everyone who read it. We had a genius, for a director. We had a cast and crew who were unwavering in their commitment and whose talents are up on the screen for all of you to see. We had partners in Film4 and Celador. In Pathe and FOX Searchlight, who had the courage to support us. We had a shared love for the extraordinary city of Mumbai, where we made the movie. Most of all we had passion and we had belief and out film showed that if you have those two things, truly anything is possible. I want to thank on a personal note, my mum and my dad for their support over the years... And I want to thank all of you very much indeed. Thank you."

(Source: mahalo.com)

Etiquette

2009-02-21T08:04:00.000-08:00

How to Greet someone in Britain
The Handshake

A handshake is the most common form of greeting among the English and British people and is customary when you are introduced to somebody new.

The Kiss

It is only when you meet friends, whom you haven't seen for a long time, that you would kiss the cheek of the opposite sex. In Britain one kiss is generally enough.

Formal greetings

The usual formal greeting is a 'How do you do?' and a firm handshake, but with a lighter touch between men and women.

‘How do you do?’ is a greeting not a question and the correct response is to repeat ‘How do you do?' You say this when shaking hands with someone.

First person "How do you do?"
Second person " How do you do?"

'How are you?' is a question and the most common and polite response is "I am fine thank you and you?"

First person "How are you?"
Second person "I am fine thank you and you?"

Nice to meet you – Nice to meet you too. (Often said whilst shaking hands)

Delighted to meet you– Delighted to meet you too.

Pleased to meet you – Pleased to meet you too.

Glad to meet you - Glad to meet you too

Good Morning / Good Afternoon / Good Evening

Informal greetings

Hi - Hi or hello

Morning / Afternoon / Evening ( We drop the word 'Good' in informal situations).

How's you? - Fine thanks. You?

Thank you / thanks / cheers

English people sometimes say 'cheers' instead of thank you. You may hear 'cheers' said instead of 'good bye', what they are really saying is 'thanks and bye'.

Acceptable Behaviour in England

Terms of Endearment - Names British people may call you

You may be called by many different 'affectionate' names, according to which part of the Britain you are visiting. Do not be offended, this is quite normal. For example, you may be called dear, dearie, flower, love, chick, chuck, me duck, me duckie, mate, guv, son, ma'am, madam, miss, sir, or treacle, according to your sex, age and location.

Visiting people in their houses

When being entertained at someone's home it is nice to take a gift for the host and hostess. A bottle of wine, bunch of flowers or chocolates are all acceptable.

Time

British people place considerable value on punctuality. If you agree to meet friends at three o'clock, you can bet that they'll be there just after three. Since Britons are so time conscious, the pace of life may seem very rushed. In Britain, people make great effort to arrive on time. It is often considered impolite to arrive even a few minutes late. If you are unable to keep an appointment, it is expected that you call the person you are meeting. Some general tips follow.

You should arrive:

* At the exact time specified – for dinner, lunch, or appointments with professors, doctors, and other professionals.
* Any time during the hours specified for teas, receptions, and cocktail parties.
* A few minutes early: for public meetings, plays, concerts, movies, sporting events, classes, church services, and weddings.
If you are invited to someone's house for dinner at half past seven, they will expect you to be there on the dot. An invitation might state "7.30 for 8", in which case you should arrive no later than 7.50. However, if an invitation says "sharp", you must arrive in plenty of time.

Manners are Important. DOs and DON'TS (Taboos)

Do stand in line:

In England people like to form orderly queues (standing in line) and wait patiently for their turn e.g. boarding a bus. It is usual to queue when required, and expected that you will take your correct turn and not push in front. 'Queue jumping' is frowned upon.

Do take your hat off when you go indoors (men only)

It is impolite for men to wear hats indoors especially in churches.
Nowadays, it is becoming more common to see men wearing hats indoors. However, this is still seen as being impolite, especially to the older generations.

Do say "Excuse Me":

If someone is blocking your way and you would like them to move, say excuse me and they will move out of your way.

Do Pay as you Go:

Pay for drinks as you order them in pubs and other types of bars.

Do say "Please" and "Thank you":

It is very good manners to say "please" and "thank you". It is considered rude if you don't. You will notice in England that we say 'thank you' a lot.

Do cover your Mouth:

When yawning or coughing always cover your mouth with your hand.

Do Shake Hands:

When you are first introduced to someone, shake their right hand with your own right hand.

Do say sorry:

If you accidentally bump into someone, say 'sorry'. They probably will too, even if it was your fault! This is a habit and can be seen as very amusing by an 'outsider'.

Do Smile:

A smiling face is a welcoming face.

Do open doors for other people:

Men and women both hold open the door for each other. It depends on who goes through the door first.

Do not greet people with a kiss:

British people only kiss people who are close friends and relatives.

Avoid talking loudly in public:

It is impolite to stare at anyone in public. Privacy is highly regarded.

Do not pick your nose in public:

People are disgusted by this. If your nostrils need de-bugging, use a handkerchief.

Avoid doing gestures such as backslapping and hugging:

This is only done among close friends.

Do not spit:

Spitting in the street is considered to be very bad mannered.

Do not burp in public:

You may feel better by burping loudly after eating or drinking, but other people will not! If you cannot stop a burp from bursting out, then cover your mouth with your hand and say 'excuse me' afterwards.

Do not ask personal or intimate questions:

People like their privacy. Please do not ask questions such as "How much money do you earn?" "How much do you weigh?" or "Why aren't you married?".

(Texts taken from and copyright of projectbritain.com)

SOME OF MY ZHANG YIMOU´S MOVIES

2009-02-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

ZHANG YIMOU: Painting on Film

For many film directors today, it is difficult to create a masterpiece that contains both aesthetically pleasing elements and an intriguing plot. For most directors, it becomes a choice of one over the other, and sadly, the priority usually goes to the plot. Fortunately, one director seems to have perfected the recipe for a balance between the two and his name is Zhang Yimou. Zhang Yimou is a Chinese film director who has produced and directed numerous action films that incorporate beauty, love and Chinese tradition into unique masterpieces. In addition to being a talented director, Zhang Yimou has even written some of his own scripts and worked with international stars, such as Zhang Zi Yi and Jet Li. As Chinese action film director, Zhang Yimou has created countless cinematic productions that capture both the beauty and the culture of China using plots laced with elements of action and stories of love.
While each of Zhang Yimou’s films have completely unique plots, they all have similarities in style. One aspect that is intuitively obvious is Zhang Yimou’s stunning use of vivid color in his films. One of the many instances of this can be seen in his movie “Hero”. In one of the scenes, the viewer can see two women dressed in vibrant red from head to foot standing in the middle of a grove of bright yellow trees with leaves falling all around them. The contrast between the costumes and the background provides for quite a dramatic effect. In addition to using color to enhance his films, Zhang Yimou also uses traditional Chinese elements such as elegant costumes and scenic views of China’s many landscapes. His films allow the viewers to experience the winds of a desert, the solitude of a bamboo grove, and the romance of an open field all within the same film. The beauty of the scenery and costumes in all of Zhang Yimou’s movies serve to enrich each script. All of his movies are written in Chinese and are beautifully scripted. Even after being translated to English, the dialogue still retains its eloquence. In combination with the film’s score, the overall effect of the soundtrack is exquisite and adds to the beauty of the film.
In addition to the set-up of Zhang Yimou’s films, the acting and choreography is also stunning. From battle scenes to love scenes, it appears that every move has been carefully calculated. For example, in “The House of Flying daggers” there is a particular fight scene in which the battle looks more like a dance. The soldiers in this scene move in sync with very calculated and graceful gestures. It is also apparent that Zhang Yimou has a very baroque style, seeing as commonly the actors or other subjects are very carefully posed in the center of a shot. This creates a very dramatic and moving atmosphere in many of Zhang Yimou’s works.
Other than the obvious visual beauty of Zhang Yimou’s films, there are also symbolic elements that add to the splendor of his productions. Many of his films contain themes concerning love and destiny. For instance, in his film “The House of Flying Daggers” the central theme surrounds the problem of choosing between one’s love and one’s duty. Most of Zhang Yimou’s themes use twists on traditional Chinese views about ideas such as honor or fate. In addition to adding an aesthetic component to each film, color also plays a symbolic role. A perfect illustration of the symbolism of color in Zhang Yimou’s films is in “Hero”. In this movie, a story is told through many different perspectives and each time the story is told, the colors in the scenery and costumes change color. Each color symbolizes something different and tells the viewer more about the veracity of the various versions of the tale and the ideas of the person telling it. As well as using color to give the viewer a better sense of what is going on in the film, Zhang Yimou also uses music. For example, in “The House of Flying Daggers”, one specific song is played every time the story is dealing with indecision and a different song is played during every romantic scene. Zhang Yimou uses elements like these to evoke the right emotions in his viewers so the story can be experienced in the way that it was intended.
Beneath the visual and symbolic elements of the film, the cinematics of Zhang Yimou’s films are really what tie all of the components together. The various shots and angles he uses in his movies add to the ambience of the scene and create the perfect montage of images to emphasize the mood. Commonly, during Zhang Yimou’s action scenes, the camera angle switches quite often whereas in a romantic scene, the shots are generally longer in duration. This gives the action scenes a faster pace and the romantic scenes a slower one. While these common elements of the filming style create structure, some of the more unique shots provide flavor for the film. One of the unique shots that Zhang Yimou uses is a high angle crane shot rotating around a subject. While this can be seen in many of his movies, one example is in “The House of Flying Daggers” when the two main characters are kissing in a clearing. This special shot allows the viewer to see the passion of the scene and also the beauty of the forest that serves as the background. Another interesting shot that Zhang Yimou uses is a point of view shot that looks through something else, like hanging beads, trees, or a window. This gives the viewer the opportunity to experience what the character is experiencing. A further shot that can be seen in Zhang Yimou’s movies is a point of view shot that follows a moving object. This can be seen in many of his movies, but one particularly memorable instance of this shot is in “Hero” when the city of Zhao is under siege and the camera seems to follow the arrows as they bombard the city. This sort of shot really adds drama to the movement.
Ranging from the obvious to the most subtle of elements, Zhang Yimou’s films truly capture the wonders of China through stories of love and destiny. While not everything is realistic, the mythical elements of his movies are part of what give them their appeal. Zhang Yimou has definitely perfected the recipe for capturing beauty and portraying it in the most unexpected ways in his films. His films are unique in the aspects of the story, the scenery and the cinematography. Through the creation of his many masterpieces, Zhang Yimou has shown the world that he has mastered the art of paint on film.

( Article by Rachael Jander)

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006)

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004)

HERO (2002)

NOT ONE LESS (1999)

ROAD HOME (1999)

2009-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

Goya Awards

Best Film (Mejor película) : Camino de Javier Fesser
Best Director (Mejor director) : Javier Fesser por Camino
Best Leading Actor (Mejor interpretación masculina protagonista) : Benicio del Toro por Che, el Argentino
Best Leading Actress (Mejor interpretación femenina protagonista) : Carme Elías por Camino
Best Original Screenplay (Mejor guión original) : Javier Fesser por Camino
Best Adapted Screenplay (Mejor guión adaptado) : Rafael Azcona y José Luis Cuerda por Los girasoles ciegos
Best New Director (Mejor director novel) : Santiago Zannou por El Truco del Manco
Best Supporting Actor (Mejor interpretación masculina de reparto) : Jordi Dauder por Camino
Best Supporting Actress (Mejor interpretación femenina de reparto) : Penélope Cruz por Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best New Actor (Mejor actor revelación) : Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" por El truco del mango Best New Actress (Mejor actriz revelación) : Nerea Camacho por Camino
Best Production Supervision (Mejor dirección de producción) : Rosa Romero por Los crímenes de Oxford
Best Cinematography (Mejor fotografía) : Paco Femenia por Solo quiero caminar
Best Editing (Mejor montaje) : Alejandro Lázaro por Los Crímenes de Oxford
Best Original Score (Mejor música original) : Roque Baños por Los crímenes de Oxford
Best Original Song (Mejor canción original) : A tientas de Woulfrank Zannou y Juan Manuel Montilla "Langui" por El truco del manco
Best Art Direction (Mejor dirección artística) : Antxón Gómez por Che,El Argentino
Costume Design (Mejor diseño de vestuario) : Lala Huete por El Greco
Best Makeup and Hairstyles (Mejor maquillaje y peluquería) : J. Quetglas, N. Sánchez por Mortadelo y Filemón. Misión Salvar La Tierra
Best Sound (Mejor sonido) : Daniel de Zayas, Jorge Marín y Maite Rivera por 3 días
Best Special Effects (Mejores effectos especiales) : Romanillos, Costa, Quetglas, Diaz, A. Grau y Ch. Remacha por Mortadelo y Filemón
Best Animated Film (Mejor película de animación) : El lince perdido de Raúl García y Manuel Sicilia
Best Animated Short Film (Mejor cortometraje de animación) : La Increíble Historia del Hombre sin Sombra de José Esteban Alenda

Best Documentary Short Film (Mejor cortometraje documental) : Héroes. No Hacen Falta Alas para Volar de Ángel Loza
Best Fictional Short Film (Mejor cortometraje de ficción) : Miente de Isabel de Ocampo
Best European Film (Mejor película europea) : 4 meses, 3 semanas, 2 días de Cristian Mungiu
Best Documentary (Mejor película documental) : Bucarest, la memoria perdida de Albert Solé
Best Foreign Film in the Spanish Language (Mejor película extranjera de habla hispana) : La buena vida de Andrés Wood (Chile- España)
Honorary Goya Award (Goya de Honor) : Jesús Franco

CAMINO by Javier Fesser

Based on a true story, Camino is an emotional adventure set around a dazzling 11-year-old girl simultaneously faced with two completely new events in her life: falling in love and dying. Above all, Camino is a bright light capable of shining through every one of the dark doors that try to stifle her desire to live, love and find happiness once and for all.

Blind Sunflowers by José Luis Cuerda

Blind Sunflowers investigates the darkness of the post-Civil War era, the effects of repression and the terrible consequences of the abuse of power.
Set in 1940, a year after the Civil War's end and a time of particularly violent oppression, Blind Sunflowers tells the tale of a family forced to lie to the outside world and live in constant terror of discovery.
Every time that Elena (Maribel Verdú) walks into her flat and locks the door behind her, a different life begins. To the outside world, she appears to live alone with her son, Lorenzo (Roger Príncep), and daughter, Elenita (Irene Escolar).
In reality, however, her husband Ricardo (Javier Cámara), a Republican schoolteacher, has been living in hiding with his family.

The Oxford Murders by Alex de la Iglesia

On a balmy summer's day in Oxford an old lady who once helped decipher the Enigma Code is killed. After receiving a cryptic anonymous note containing only the address and the symbol of a circle, Arthur Seldom, a leading mathematician, arrives to find the body. Then follow more murders - an elderly man on a life-support machine is found dead with needle marks in this throat; the percussionist of an orchestra at a concert at Blenheim Palace dies before the audience's very eyes - seemingly unconnected except for notes appearing in the maths department, for the attention of Seldom. Why is he being targeted as the recipient of these coded messages? All he can conjecture is that it might relate to his latest book, an unexpected bestseller about serial killers and the parallels between investigations into their crimes and certain mathematical theorems. It is left to Seldom and a postgraduate mathematics student to work out the key to the series of symbols before the killer strikes again.

WONDERS OF THE WORLD

2009-01-27T13:23:00.000-08:00

TAJ MAHAL (Agra, INDIA)

The Taj Mahal- The Monument of Love
By: Sarah Riley

In the 1600’s a wonderful romance took place. Shah Jahan, and his queen, the "chosen one of the palace," Mumtaz Mahal, both barely teenagers, Mumtaz Mahal, and Shah Jahan waited half a decade until they were nineteen and then got married. Mumtaz Mahal died in 1631 while giving birth to one of their fourteen children. Shah Jahan left heartbroken and determined to build history’s finest monument for the love that a man has for a woman . Shah was so devastated that he built The Taj to be a tomb for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
Shah Jahan started building the Taj after his wife’s death in 1629. It is hard to pin down when construction began and ended, but after about twenty years of labor, and the work of more than twenty thousand workers and craftsmen, the Taj was finished in 1648. The Taj was built on the bank of the Yamuna River in Agra, India. Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor of India from 1628 until 1658. Mumtaz Mahal was a Muslim Persian Princess. Shah’s wife stood behind him in whatever he did. Mumtaz also inspired Shah to give to charity and to look out for the needy.
The designer of this grand eighth wonder of the world was believed to have been Ustad Ahmad Lahori, a master architect of the age. Ustad Ahmad used an "interlocking arabesque" method in the architectural designs. Sir Edwin Arnold described the architecture of the Taj as, "not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passions of an emperor’s love wrought in living stone". "The Taj marks the most developed stage of Mughal architecture, it is a dream in marble". The Taj Mahal is said to be the best display of the old Indian Islamic Architecture in the entire world. Building materials were retrieved from all of India, central Asia, China, Tibet, and even the Indian Ocean. Red sandstone was brought from local quarries and marble was dug from the ground in Makran. Jade and crystal was brought from China; turquoise from Tibet, rare shells and coral was brought from the Indian Ocean. Even through all these other materials were brought in from outside places the majority of the Taj is made of white marble.
The magnificent gateway that is about 100ft high and 150 ft wide has a famous archway at the threshold. The heavy door below is made of almost 10 different metals. The gateway is constructed of red stone and has inlaid gems in white marble, in a floral design. Also in the archway there are inscribed passages from the Holy Koran. From the gateway, when entering, the first sight is the beautiful gardens. The gardens spread from the gateway all the way to the foot of the Taj. The gardens are enclosed by a huge wall, and are divided into four squares. The gardens at the Taj are a type of Persian garden, which are so geometric and organized that they almost look unnatural.
In the center of the garden, in the middle of the tomb and the gateway there is a raised tank. This tank has been perfectly placed to reflect the Taj in it crystal clear wate. There are also four channels in the gardens that represent the four rivers in Islamic paradise that all meet at the tank.
On both sides of the Taj there are buildings made of red sandstone. The mosque is the one on the west, and it is used for prayer. It faces towards Mecca because all mosques must face Mecca. Inside the Mosque is decorated with inscriptions from the Koran. To the East of the Taj is another building that looks just like the Mosque, but this building is used as a Rest House. It is also made of red sandstone. Because the Rest House is faced away from Mecca it couldn't be a Mosque. Inside, the Rest House has a beautiful floral design in the white marble.
Towering over and sitting between the Rest House and the Mosque is the Dome. The Dome is an Islamic decoration that stands two hundred and twenty feet high and fifty-eight feet wide. Over time legends say that the dome came from the Turks. Others say that it came from the pear- shaped tents of the Tatars who live in the Himalayas. The Dome goes up and tapers into a spire, topped by a crescent.
The Crown Palac continues the tradition of Mughal garden tombs, the Humayun’s tomb was the first. Even though the marble walls of the best known monument in the world have been tarnished by smoke and air pollution, this sixteen century building is still the best kept up and most beautiful tomb in all the world. This eighth wonder of the worl is the symbol of eternal love (Peswani 2) and is the most romantic monument in the entire world showing a man’s love for a woman.
On one end of the garden decorated with fountains and marble pavement is the Mausoleum. The Mausoleum has inlaid designs of flowers and calligraphy using precious gems like agate and jaspe. Shah wanted to build a second Taj Mahal in black Marble on the other side of the Yamuna River to be his own tomb. Shah had planned to connect the two Tajs with a silver bridge, but for unknown reasons changed his mind. Since Shah Jahan didn't make a second Taj, it makes the one and only all the more meaningful. Shah Jahan died and was placed next to his queen Mumtaz Mahal in the mausoleum, instead of the second Taj that had been planned to build. Today under the dome, below the ground, Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal lay next to each other as a symbol of their eternal love.

THE HERMITAGE (St. Petersburg, RUSSIA)

The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia is one of the largest and most important art galleries in the world. The vast collections at the Hermitage are displayed in four buildings, the main one being the Winter Palace which was once the residence of the Russian Tsars.
Catherine the Great started things off in 1764, when she purchased a collection of more than 250 paintings. Over the past few hundred years, the museum has expanded to hundreds of thousands of exhibits displaying a variety of art from around the world. The museum is home to works by many of the world’s greatest artists. However, under the old communist government, for many years little was known in the West of the full extent of the works in the Hermitage Museum.
During World War II, the Nazis seized numerous valuable works of art from wealthy Jewish families and governments from all over conquered Europe which Hitler used to set up a museum in Germany. In addition, Hermann Göring gathered for himself an enormous personal collection of stolen art. As Russian soldiers were the first to enter Berlin, Germany at the end of the war, a great many of these paintings, plus paintings legitimately belonging to the German Government, were looted by Russian soldiers for themselves while many other priceless works of art were taken by the Soviet government.
After the fall of communism and Russia’s more open policies, in 1995 the Hermitage Museum unveiled a collection of near priceless Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. The existence of a number of these paintings astonished members of the art world who for fifty years had thought they had been destroyed during World War II. After this revelation, a massive number of claims were made for many pieces in the Hermitage collection. The Russian government has retuned some of these, as have some of the families of soldiers who looted art, but negotiations continue on many, many more.
Interior view
The museum has a collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin and a few of the great painters whose works are in the Hermitage are:
Paul Cezanne
Willem Drost
Paul Gauguin
Edouard Manet
Henri Matisse
Michelangelo
Claude Monet
Camille Pissarro
Raphael
Rembrandt
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Peter Paul Rubens
Titian
Vincent Van Gogh
Leonardo da Vinci
Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun

ANGKOR WAT (Angkor, Cambodia)

Angkor Wat, in its beauty and state of preservation, is unrivaled. Its mightiness and magnificence bespeak a pomp and a luxury surpassing that of a Pharaoh or a Shah Jahan, an impressiveness greater than that of the Pyramids, an artistic distinctiveness as fine as that of the Taj Mahal.
Angkor Wat is located about six kilometers (four miles) north of Siem Reap, south of Angkor Thom. Entry and exit to Angkor Wat can only be access from its west gate. Angkor Wat was built in the first half of the 12th century (113-5BC). Estimated construction time of the temple is 30 years by King Suryavarman II, dedicated to Vishnu (Hindu), replica of Angkor Thom style of art.
BACKGROUND Angkor Wat, the largest monument of the Angkor group and the best preserved, is an architectural masterpiece. Its perfection in composition, balance, proportions, relief's and sculpture make it one of the finest monuments in the world.
Wat is the Thai name for temple (the French spelling is "vat "), which was probably added to "Angkor "when it became a Theravada Buddhist monument, most likely in the sixteenth century (for the etymology of the name 'Angkor' see page 17) After 1432 when the capital moved to Phnom Penh, Angkor Wat was cared for by Buddhist monks.
It is generally accepted that Angkor Wat was a funerary temple for King Suryavarman II and oriented to the west to conform to the symbolism between the setting sun and death. The bas-reliefs, designed for viewing from left to right in the order of Hindu funereal ritual, support this function.

ARCHITECTURAL PLAN The plan of Angkor Wat is difficult to grasp when walking through the monument because of the vastness. Its complexity and beauty both attract and distract one's attention. From a distance Angkor Wat appears to be a colossal mass of stone on one level with a long causeway leading to the center but close up it is a series of elevated towers, covered galleries, chambers, porches and courtyards on different levels linked by stairways.
The height of Angkor Wat from the ground to the top of the central tower is greater than it might appear: 213 meters (699 feet), achieved with three rectangular or square levels. Each one is progressively smaller and higher than the one below starting from the outer limits of the temple. Covered galleries with columns define the boundaries of the first and second levels.
The third level supports five towers –four in the corners and one in the middle and these is the most prominent architectural feature of Angkor Wat. This arrangement is sometimes called a quincunx. Graduated tiers, one rising above the other, give the towers a conical shape and, near the top, rows of lotuses taper to a point. The overall profile imitates a lotus bud,
Several architectural lines stand out in the profile of the monument. The eye is drawn left and right to the horizontal aspect of the levels and upward to the soaring height of the towers. The ingenious plan of Angkor Wat only allows a view of all five towers from certain angles. They are not visible, for example, from the entrance. Many of the structures and courtyards are in the shape of a cross. The. Visitor should study the plan on page 86 and become familiar with this dominant layout. A curved sloping roof on galleries, chambers and aisles is a hallmark of Angkor Wat. From a distance it looks like a series of long narrow ridges but close up from identifies itself. It is a roof made of gracefully arched stone rectangles placed end to end. Each row of tiles is capped with an end tile at right angles the ridge of the roof. The scheme culminates in decorated tympanums with elaborate frames.
Steps provide access to the various levels. Helen Churchill Candee, who visited Angkor in the 1920s, thought their usefulness surpassed their architectural purpose. The steps to Angkor Wat are made to force a halt at beauteous obstruction that the mind may be prepared for the atmosphere of sanctity, she wrote
In order to become familiar with the composition of Angkor Wat the visitor should learn to recognize the repetitive elements in the architecture. Galleries with columns, towers, curved roofs, tympanums, steps and the cross-shaped plan occur again and again. It was by combining two or more of these aspects that a sense of height was achieved. This arrangement was used to link one part of the monument to another. Roofs were frequently layered to add height, length or dimension. A smaller replica of the central towers was repeated at the limits of two prominent areas-the galleries and the entry pavilions. The long causeway at the entrance reappears on the other side of the entry pavilion.

SYMBOLISM Angkor Wat is a miniature replica of the universe in stone and represents an earthly model of the cosmic world. The central tower rises from the center of the monument symbolizing the mythical mountain, Meru, situated at the center of the universe. Its five towers correspond to the peaks of Meru. The outer wall corresponds to the mountains at the edge of the world, and the surrounding moat the oceans beyond.

LAYOUT Even though Angkor Wat is the most photographed Khmer monument, nothing approaches the actual experience of seeing this temple. Frank Vincent grasped this sensation over 100 years ago.
The general appearance of the wonder of the temple is beautiful and romantic as well as impressive and grand it must be seen to be understood and appreciated.
One can never look upon the ensemble of the vat without a thrill, a pause, a feeling of being caught up onto the heavens. Perhaps it is the most impressive sight in the world of edifices.
Angkor Wat occupies a rectangular area of about 208 hectares (500 acres) defined by a laetrile wall. The first evidence of the site is a moat with a long sandstone causeway (length 250 meters, 820 feet; width 12 meters, 39 feet) crossing it and serving as the main access to the monument. The moat is 200 meters (656 feel) wide with a perimeter of 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles).
The west entrance begins with steps leading to a raised sandstone terrace in the shape of a cross at the foot of the long causeway. Giant stone lions on each side of the terrace guard the monument.
Looking straight ahead, one can see at the end of the causeway the entry gate with three towers of varying heights and with collapsed upper portion. This entry tower hides the full view of the five towers of the central group. A long covered failure with square columns and a curved roof extends along the moat to the left and right of the entry tower. This is the majestic facade of Angkor Wat and a fine example of classical Khmer architecture. Helen Churchill candee must have been standing on this terrace almost 70 years ago when she wrote
Any architect would thrill at the harmony of the fasade, an unbroken stretch of repeated pillars leading from the far angles of the structure to the central opening, which is dominated, by three imposing towers with broken summits.
This facade originally had another row of pillars with a roof. Evidence of this remains in a series of round holes set in square based in front of the standing pillars. Tip Before proceeding along the causeway turns right, go down the steps of the terrace and walk along the path a few meters for a view of all five towers of Angkor Wat. Return to the center of the terrace and walk down the causeway towards the main part of the temple. The left-hand side of the causeway has more original sand stone than the right-hand side, which was restored by the French. In the 1920 when RJ Casey walked on this causeway he noted it was an oddity of engineering The slabs were cut in irregular shapes, which meant that each had to be chiseled to fit the one adjoining. The effect as seen under the noonday sun...is like that of a long strip of watered silk'10
On the left side just before the midway point in the causeway two large feet are carved in a block of sandstone. They belong to one of the figures at the entrances to Angkor Thom and were brought to Angkor Wat in this century the causeway was repaired with reused stones.
The causeway leads to the cross-shaped entry tower mentioned earlier. The upper portions of the three sections on this tower-one each at the center and the two ends – have collapsed. The porches on each end of the gallery may have served as passages for elephants, horses and carts as they are on ground level. When Helen Churchill Candee saw these entrances in the 1920 she remarked that architecture made to fit the passage of elephants is an idea most inspiriting. A figure of a standing Visnu (eight arms) is in the right inside the entry tower. Traces of original color can be seen on the ceiling of the entry tower at the left.
Continue westward along a second raised walkway (length 350 meters, 1,148 feet; width 9 meters, 30 feet). A low balustrade resembling the body of a serpent borders each side. Short columns support the balustrade. Looking west one sees the celebrate view of Angkor Wat that appears on the Cambodian flag. Standing at this point one teels compelled to get to the wondrous group of the five domes, companions of the sky, sisters of the clouds, and determine whether or not one lives in a world of reality or in a fantastic dream.
Six pairs of ceremonial stairs with platforms on each side of the walkway lead to the courtyard. A continuation of the serpent balustrade along the walkway frames the stairs. This arrangement is sometimes called a landing platform. The balustrade terminates with the body of the serpent making a turn at right angles towards the sky and gracefully spreading its nine heads to from the shape of a fan.
Two buildings, so-called libraries stand in the courtyard on the left and right, just past the middle of the causeway. These 'jewel-boxes Khmer art 'are perfectly formed. A large central area, four porches, columns and steps present a symmetrical plan in the shape of a cross. Some of the columns have been replaced with cement copies for support. An original pillar lies on the ground before the library on the left.
In front of the libraries are two basins (length 65 meters, 213 feet, width 50 meters, 164 feet the one on the left is filled with water whereas the other lone is usually dry. Tip Turn left at the first steps after the library and before the basin and follow the path for about 40 meters (131 feet) to a large tree for a superb view of the five towers of Angkor Wat, particularly at sunrise.
The walkway leads to a terrace kin the shape of a cross, known as the Terrace of Honor, just in front of the principal entry tower of Angkor Wat , supporting columns and horizontal carved molding around the base accentuate the form of the terrace. Steps flanked by lions on pedestals are on three sides of the terrace. Ritual dances were performed here and it may have been where the king viewed processions and received foreign dignitaries. R Casey sensed such activity in the 1920s.
One cannot but feel that only a few hours ago it was palpitating with life. The torches were burning about the altars. Companies of priests were in the galleries chanting the rituals. Dancing girls were flitting up and down the steps... that was only an hour or two ago, monsieur....it cannot have been more..
From the top of the terrace there is a fine view of the gallery on the first level, known as the Gallery of Bas-reliefs (215 by 187 meters, 705 by 614 feet). The outer side, closest to the visitor, comprises a row of 60 columns whereas the inner side is a solid wall decorated with bas-reliefs.
Tip: At this point the visitor has the choice of continuing straight to the central towers or turning right to see the Gallery of Bas-reliefs (see pages 96-108 for a description of the bas-reliefs).
The unit providing a link between the first and second levels is the Cross-shaped Galleries. This unique architectural design consists of two covered galleries with square columns in the shape of a cross and a courtyard divided into four equal parts with paved basins and steps. The method used by the Khmers to form corbel arches is visible in the vaults. Several decorative features in these galleries stand out windows with balusters turned as if they were made of wood, rosettes on the vaults, a frieze of Apsaras under the cornices, and ascetics at the base of the columns.
Tip: Some of the pillars in the galleries of this courtyard have inscriptions written in Sanskrit and Khmer. On either side of the courtyard there are two libraries of similar form but smaller than the ones along the entrance causeway.
The Gallery of 1,000 Buddha's, on the right, once contained many images dating from the period when Angkor Wat was Backlist. Only a few of these figures remain today.
The gallery on the left is the Hall of Echoes, so named because of its unusual acoustics.
Tip: to hear the resonance in the Hall of Echoes walk to the end of the gallery, stand in the left-hand corner with your back to the wall, thump your chest and listen carefully.
Those who want to visit the library should leave the door at the end of this gallery. There is a good view of the upper level of Angkor Wat from this library. Return to the center of the cross-shaped galleries and continue walking toward the central towers. Another set of stairs alerts one to the continuing ascent. The outer wall of the gallery of the second level, closest to the visitor, (100 by 115 meters, 328 by 377 feet), is solid and undecorated, probably to create an environment for meditation by the priests and the king.
The starkness of the exterior of the second level gallery is offset by the decoration of the interior. Over 1,500 Apsaras (celestial dancers) line the walls of the gallery offering endless visual and spiritual enchantment. These graceful and beautiful females delight all visitors. They were crated by the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. When one first walks into the courtyard the multitude of female figures on the walls and in the niches may seem repetitive but as one moves closer and looks carefully one sees that every one of these celestial nymphs is different, the elaborate coiffures, headdresses and jewellery befit, yet never overpower, these 'ethereal inhabitants of the heavens'
Apsaras appear at Angkor Wat for the first time in twos and threes. These groups break with the traditional of decoration kin other part of the temple by standing with arms linked in coquettish postures and always in frontal view except for the feet, which appear in profile.
Pang, a Cambodian poet, in a tribute to the Khmer ideal of female beauty wrote of the Apsaras in the seventeenth century.
These millions of gracious figures, filling you with such emotion that the eye is never wearied, the soul is renewed, and the heart sated! They were never carved by the hands of men! They were created by the gods living, lovely, breathing women!
Only the king and the high priest were allowed on the upper or third level of Angkor Wat it lacks the stately covered galleries of the other two but is the base of the five central towers, one of which contains the most sacred image of the temple.
The square base (60 meters, 197 feet long) of the upper level is 13 meters (43 feet) high and raises over 40 meters (131 feet) above the second level. Twelve sets of stairs with 40 steps each one in the center of each side and two at the corners-ascend at a 70-degree angle giving access to this level.
Tip: The stairway to the third level is less steep on the west (center) but those who suffer from vertigo should use the south stairway (center, which has concrete steps and a handrail. the steps on all sides are exceptionally narrow. the visitor should ascend and descend sideways.
All the repetitive elements of the architectural composition of Angkor Wat appear on the upper level. The space is divided into a cross-shaped area defined with covered galleries and four paved courts. An entry tower with a porch and columns is at the top of each stairway. Passages supported on both sides with double rows of columns link the entry tower to the central structure. The corners of the upper level are dominated by the four towers. Steps both separate and link the different parts. A narrow covered gallery with a double row of pillars and windows and balusters on the outer side surrounds the third level.
The Central sanctuary (17) rises on a tiered base 42 meters (137 feet) above the upper level. The highest of the five towers, it is equal in height to the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris This central sanctuary sheltered the sacred image of the temple. It originally had four porches opening to the cardinal directions.
The central core was walled up some time after the sacking of Angkor in the middle if the fifteenth century. Nearly 500 years later French archaeologists discovered a vertical shaft 27 meters (89 feet) below the surface in the center of the upper level with a hoard of gold objects at the base.
At the summit the layout of Angkor Wat reveals itself at last. The view is a spectacle of beauty befitting the Khmer's architectural genius for creating harmonious proportions. Tip: Walk all the way around the outer gallery of the upper level to enjoy the view of the surrounding countryside, the causeway in the west and the central group of towers.
You have not quite an aerial view the Phnom [summit] is not high enough for that ...But you can see enough to realize something of the superb audacity of the architects who dared to embark upon a single plan measuring nearly a mile square. Your point of view is diagonal, across the north-west corner of the moat to the soaring lotus-tip of the central sanctuary, you can trace the perfect balance of every faultless line, Worshipful for its beauty bewildering in its stupendous size, there is no other point from which the Wat appears so inconceivable an undertaking to have been attempted-much less achieved by human brains and hands.
GALLERY OF BAS- RELIEFS
The Gallery of Bas-reliefs, surrounding the first level of Angkor Wat, contains 1,200 square meters (12,917 square feet) of sandstone carvings. The relief covers most of the inner wall of all four sides of the gallery and extend for two meters (seven feet) from top to bottom. The detail, quality composition and execution give them an unequalled status in world art. Columns along the outer wall of the gallery create an intriguing interplay of light and shadow on the relief. The effect is one of textured wallpaper that looks like the work of painters rather than sculptors' The bas-reliefs are of dazzling rich decoration-always kept in check, never allowed to run unbridled over wall and ceiling possess strength and repose, imagination and power of fantasy, wherever one looks [the] main effect is one of "supreme dignity "wrote a visitor 50 years ago.
The bas-reliefs are divided into eight sections, two on each wall of the square gallery each section depicts a specific theme. In addition the two pavilions at the corners of the west Gallery have a variety of scenes. The book does not include description of badly damaged relief. Some others are unidentifiable .The composition of the relief can be divided into two types scenes without any attempt to contain or separate the contents and scenes contain or separate the contents; and scenes contained in panels which are some-times superimposed on one another-this type is probably later. The panels run horizontally along the wall and generally consist of two or three parts. Sometimes the borders at the top bottom are also decorated.
Themes for the bas-reliefs derive from two main sources-Indian epics and sacred books and warfare of the Angkor Period. Some scholars suggest that the placement of a relief has a relevance to its theme. The relief on the east and west walls, for example, depict themes related to the rising and setting sun.
The word bas means low or shallow and refers to the degree of projection of the relief. The method of creating relief at Angkor Wat was generally to carve away the background leaving the design in relief. Sometime, though the method was reversed giving a sunken appearance.
Parts of some of the relief have a polished appearance on the surface. There are two theories as to why this occurred. The position of the sheen and its occurrence in important parts of the relief suggest it may have resulted from visitors rubbing their hands over them. Some art historians, though think it was the result of lacquer applied over the relief. Traces of gilt and paint, particularly black and red, can also be found on some of the relief's. They are probably the remains of an undercoat or a fixative.
Several primitive artistic conventions are seen in the bas-reliefs. A river is represented by two parallel vertical lines with fish swimming between them. As in Egyptian art, a person's rank is indicated by size. The higher the rank the larger the size. In battle scenes, broken shafts on the ceremonial umbrellas of a chief signify defeat. Perspective is shown by planes placed one above the other. The higher up the wall, the further away is the scene. Figures with legs far apart and knees flexed are in a flying posture.

2009-01-27T12:08:00.000-08:00

PROVERBS

Hope springs eternal (Mientras hay vida hay esperanza)

Every cloud has a silver lining / There´s always sunshine after rain (Después de la tempestad viene la calma)

It´s/ It was the last straw that break/ broke the camel´s back (Fue la gota que colmó el vaso)

Least said soonest mended! (Cuanto menos se hable, antes se olvida)

That´s water under the bridge now (Agua pasada no mueve molino)

Love is blind (El amor es ciego)

Out of sight, out of mind (Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente)

Love makes the world go round (El amor hace girar el mundo)

All´s fair in love and war ( En el amor y en la guerra, todo vale)

Once bitten twice shy (Gato escaldado del agua fría huye)

Still waters run deep (Del agua mansa me libre Dios, que de la brava me libro yo)

People who live in glass houses shouldn´t throw stones (Quien tiene tejado de vidrio, no tire piedras al de tu vecino)

Waste not, want not (Quien guarda, halla)

A penny saved is a penny earned (El ahorro es la mejor renta)

A fool and his money are soon parted (A los tontos poco les dura el dinero)

It never rains but it pours (Las desgracias nunca vienen solas)

Birds of a feather flock together (Dios los cría y ellos se juntan)

Wassily Kandinsky (1866- 1944)

2009-01-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ranked among the artists whose work changed the history of art in the early years of the 20th century, the Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky is generally regarded as one of the originators of abstract painting, or abstract expressionism. In both his painting and his theoretical writings he influenced modern styles. Spending many years of his life in Germany, Kandinsky became an instrumental force in the development of German expressionism. Kandinsky was born in Moscow on Dec. 4, 1866. He studied law and political economy at the University of Moscow, but after a visit in 1895 to an exhibition of French impressionist paintings in Moscow, Kandinsky decided to become a painter. Moving to Munich, Germany, he worked under Anton Azbé and Franz von Stuck, studying impressionist color and art nouveau (an ornamental style of about 1890 to 1910). From the very beginning Kandinsky's own work showed an interest in fantasy. Between 1900 and 1910 Kandinsky traveled widely, including visits to Paris that put him in contact with the art of Paul Gauguin, the neoimpressionists, and fauvism (a style with aggressive use of brilliant colors). He began developing his ideas concerning the power of pure color and nonrepresentational painting. In 1909 Kandinsky helped found the New Artists' Association in Munich. Kandinsky painted his first abstract watercolor in 1910 and began formulating his important theoretical study, 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art', which was published originally in German in 1912. In this work he examined the psychological effects of color and made comparisons between painting and music. Together with the German painter Franz Marc, Kandinsky became a leader in the influential Blaue Reiter (Blue Rider) movement, an expressionist group. He and Marc edited a Blue Rider almanac in which they reproduced art from all ages. Marc and Kandinsky organized avant-garde international exhibitions in Munich and elsewhere--exhibitions that proved to be major events in the development of German expressionism. With the outbreak of World War I, Kandinsky left Germany to return to Russia, where he taught and organized numerous artistic activities. He went back to Germany in 1921 and became one of the principal teachers at the Bauhaus school in Weimar, remaining with the school until it was closed by the Nazi regime in 1933. Kandinsky then moved to a Parisian suburb, where he stayed until his death on Dec. 13, 1944. A significant change took place in Kandinsky's work during the 1920s. From the romantic superabundance of his earlier abstract expressionism, his style evolved into geometric forms--points, bundles of lines, circles, and triangles. During the last decade of his life, Kandinsky blended the free, intuitive image of his earlier years with the geometric forms of his Bauhaus period.

Andreas H. Bitesnich

2009-01-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

Through his career, Andreas H. Bitesnich (b. Austria 1964) has given the world perfectly crafted images celebrating the human form touched with a fragrance of eroticism.Andreas H. Bitesnich is a perfectionist “the only way to fly higher than the others“, as he expresses it. By his own admission, he lives, breathes, devours photography; he learns, explores, experiments. Self-taught, he dreamed at a young age of becoming a fashion photographer. To pursue his dream, he equipped himself with a camera and a light and persuaded models to pose. In his subjects, he was looking for harmony and balance yet tension was an important ingredient too. As he puts it, “The (images) belong to an organic creative process that has to do with the fascination for the relation between body, time and space in a continual interaction of tension and balance“. Oftentimes he found what he was looking for when the models posed undressed which allowed him to capture the bodies surprisingly well with the play of light and shadow. Andreas H. Bitesnich’s approach has always been to allow for and trust his intuition. He feels it important to interact with his models to gain an appreciation of who they are before turning the camera upon them. His respect of personalities unearths the subjects most beautiful side which becomes central to the power visible within his images. Combined with a mastery of technique, this style gives Andreas H. Bitesnich the tools to achieve the exact image he envisions.Unsurprisingly, Bitesnich’s nude portraits soon caught the attention of top European magazines and consequently images were published in Stern, Playboy, Max and GQ, to name a few commercial projects followed. The quality of his work quickly established Bitesnich as a top photographer.In 1998, Edition Stemmle published his first book‚ “Nudes”. In the same year, it won the Kodak Photography Book Award. In 2001, publisher teNeues released‚ “Woman” and “Travel”, and a fourth title “On Form” in 2003. His fifth book “Polanude”, a collection of his best Polaroid’s, was released in February 2006..

Julia Margaret Cameron

2009-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sadness 1864

Cameron is recognized as a pioneer of photography and one of the great portrait photographers of all time. She photographed many of the major figures of the nineteenth century, including Robert Browning, Thomas Carlyle, Charles Darwin, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Alfred Tennyson.The bulk of her work, however, consists of portraits of women.

Using dramatic lighting and soft focus, Cameron made mesmerizing psychological portraits that exhibit an intensity of emotion not often publicly revealed in Victorian society. Her portraits of women are variously defiant, fortright, melancholy, or languidly sensual, offering, when seen together, an unexpectedly complex view of the photographer and her time.

The Echo

1868

Julia Jackson 1867

The Widow of Saint-Pierre / La veuve de Saint-Pierre (La viuda de Saint-Pierre)

2009-01-13T02:11:00.000-08:00

Synopsis

LA VEUVE DE SAINT-PIERRE is an emotionally-charged romantic epic about an extraordinary woman poised between two extraordinary men at a pivotal moment in time. Set in 1850 on the desolate and intensely beautiful island of Saint-Pierre, a remote French territory off the coast of Newfoundland, the film is a powerful and provocative examination of grand passions and their consequences. A single twist of fate sets the plot in motion, establishing that the twin forces of character and destiny can work together to alter lives in unexpected and even unimaginable ways.One night, a man is senselessly murdered during a drunken altercation. The immediately remorseful killer, Neel Auguste (Emir Kusturica) is condemned to death. But in remote Saint-Pierre, there is neither a guillotine (in old French slang, the guillotine was called "the widow") nor an executioner. The French government promises to remedy the situation but warns that there will be a long wait since a guillotine must be brought from overseas.During the months that follow, Neel is placed in the custody of the island's enlightened French military commandant (Daniel Auteuil). The Captain's wife (Juliette Binoche), a beautiful, wise, and empathetic woman who is worshipped by her husband and who worships him in return, starts to question the justice of the death penalty in this particular situation as she begins to understand that the prisoner is a decent man who has made a terrible mistake. She makes Neel her protégé, convinced that he can live out his remaining time productively and be redeemed by his good deeds. In time, the Captain shares his wife's compassion, insight, and faith in Neel. Little by little, with the help of his benefactress, the condemned man grows indispensable to this tiny community, His noble and heroic acts, including a dramatic rescue, cause him to become the most popular and the most respected man on the island. Only a handful of narrow-minded bureaucrats resent Neel's new status. Determined to uphold the law, even if the law is wrong, they scheme to punish the murderer and his supporters.When the guillotine finally arrives and an executioner is found, the Captain's wife frantically tries to stop Neel from being executed. Her passion for justice causes her to risk everything. Her husband, whose passion for his wife is the most powerful force in his life, embraces her mission, knowing that the righteous course they have chosen will lead only to tragedy.

Moments

2009-01-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Oggi ho visto solo colori
E mi é parso pure bene
Essere solo nelle mille sfumature
Di un onirica unita

Per poi prenderle in mano
E poterle spruzzare nel vento
Cosi da farle acquisire forma
Nella consistenza della sua irrealtà
L. F.

Today I´ve seen only colours
And it felt well
To be immersed in the thousand shades
Of an oniric unit

Then take them in my hand
And throw them in the wind
So as to make it take shape
In the consistency of its unreality
L. F.

Thank you Luis for all the moments we've shared, moments filled with shared dreams and wishes, secrets, laughter and tears, and above all FRIENDSHIP.

Quotations

2009-01-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Perugia, Italy

Never stop dreaming.

Not everyone can see his dreams come true in the same way.

Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.

The world's greatest lie: At a certain point in our lives we lose control of what's happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.

Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life, where the histories of all people are connected, and we are able to know everything because it's all written there.

If you can concentrate on the present, you'll be a happy man…the secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better…Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity.

Everything has been written by the same hand.

All things are one.

Courage is the quality most essential to understanding the language of the world.

Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him.

Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.

You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense.

There is only one way to learn. It's through action.

Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World and it will one day return there.

This natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise.

The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect.

No heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

Most people see the world as a threatening place, and because they do, the world turns out indeed to be a threatening place.

When you possess great treasures within you, and try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.

No one fails to suffer the consequences of everything under the sun.

There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are.

When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

Without love, dreams would have no meaning.

Love is the pure language of the world...A language without words…the one true language of the universe. It requires no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time.

Love is the force that transforms and improves the soul of the world.

The boy reached through to the Soul of the World and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.

No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it.

A philosophy of life: I'm an adventurer, looking for treasure.

Beautiful South Africa

2008-12-10T06:18:00.000-08:00

South Africa, larger than Holland, Belgium, Italy, France and western Germany combined, and a country of immense natural resources, is a regional superpower, the engine room of the subcontinent´s economy. It is also rich in beauty, stunning in its myriad contrasts, though in the broadest terms it has just two physical divisions: the vast interior plateau, and the narrow coastal belt that fringes it. Between them is the conspicuous, and continuous, necklace of mountains known as the Great Escarpment, which reaches its grandest heights in the towering Drakensberg range to the east.

JOHANNESBURG

Johannesburg is South Africa´s largest city and the industrial and financial hub of a country that is emerging, painfully but with bright promise, from the darkness of the apartheid era. This is a nation of some 40 million people and of bewildering human diversity, the contrasts vividly evident in the mix of race and language , creed, colour, culture and economic status. Variety is there, too, in the physical nature of the land: in its widely differing climates, its regions of high mountain peaks and broad grassland plains, its rugged coasts and the semi-arid flatlands of the great interior, its game-rich bushveld and the lovely hills and valleys of the south, each of the many parts displaying its own, highly distinctive characters.

PRETORIA

Pretoria, 60 km to the north of Johannesburg, is a beautiful city, famed for its feathery, lilac-coloured jacaranda trees which put on a resplendent display in spring, and its stately buildings, among them the Union Buildings with the famous statue of Louis Botha, first prime minister of the Union of South Africa. Tradition of a wholly different kind can be seen in Ndebele villages near Middleburg, some distance to the east of Pretoria.

THE KRUGER NATIONAL PARK

The Kruger National Park occupies nearly 20,000 square kilometres of Lowveld bush country to the east of the northern Drakensberg, and is haven to more varieties of wildlife than any other game sanctuary in Africa. Among its 148 mammal species are lion, warthog and the lordly giraffe.

Thanks a lot, Abdu!

2008-12-07T09:58:00.001-08:00

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

(La elegancia del erizo)

The hedgehog of the title is Renée Michel, a 54-year-old widow who is concierge of a swanky Parisian apartment block. To all outward appearances, she conforms to the stereotype of the concierge, dumpy, plain and slow-witted. But secretly, she is a passionate aesthete and autodidact. When she isn't spending time with her beloved Tolstoy or weeping over her favourite Ozu film, she is mastering Kantian idealism.

Coincidentally, another of the block's inhabitants, 12-year-old Paloma Josse, is also a secret intellectual: alienated from her bourgeois family and precociously alert to the futility of life, she has decided to commit suicide on her 13th birthday. In the meantime, she keeps a diary of "profound thoughts" in which she jots down haiku and tanka. Both lives are transformed by a new tenant, a retired Japanese businessman called Mr Ozu. He quickly discerns Renée and Paloma's intelligence and taste; he and Renée begin a sentimental friendship based on a shared love of beauty. The slight plot is punctuated by meditations on the beauty of nature and language, and by Renée's philosophical musings.

Though Barbery adopts the hedgehog as her governing metaphor, the book is a hedgehog turned inside out – superficially warm and cuddly, but with some nasty barbs within. Renée worships Tolstoy, but there is no sign that either she or her creator has learnt complexity or humanity from him. The supporting characters are, by and large, drawn with barely inflected contempt.
Despite the name-checking of philosophers, composers and novelists, the mood is subtly anti-intellectual: people who seem clever are just showing off. The book flatters the reader, offering reassurance that untutored instinct is truer than the opinions of so-called experts.

But what is most impressive about this novel -- and why it will stay with its readers long after they've closed the book -- is that Barbery succeeds in creating an imaginary world whose beauty and message transcends to the real world. Just as the lives of Renee, Paloma, and Kakuro are enhanced by their engagement with art and with each other, this novel is a portal through which a reader can walk and find something better within themselves: hope that the people in our lives can still surprise and delight us.

My delicious

2008-12-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

Stretching eyes west

Over the sea,

Wind foul or fair,

Always stood she

Prospect-impressed;

Solely out there

Did her gaze rest,

Never elsewhere

Seemed charmed to be.

Thomas Hardy, "The Riddle".

Tendidos los ojos al oeste,

por encima del mar,

con mal viento y buen viento,

alli estaba ella siempre

incrustada en el paisaje;

sólo en el infinito descansaba su mirada,

nunca en otro lugar.

Parecía hechizada.

Thomas Hardy, "El enigma".

Welcome

2008-12-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

Hi, I am a Secondary teacher and I would like to blog about English teaching and anything else I feel like sharing with people that visit my web site. All content provided is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES (as well as LEISURE)