31st May 2011 The 'Incident'

Twelve children died in the bombing of Otan in Afghanistan. The coalition has offered their 'sincere apologies' and has reassured that they will 'try' to prevent in the future 'this type of incidents'. 

In this communication, in the cynicism that confined the 'try to ...' and in the insult that suggests the 'incident', it condenses the arrogant superiority of this world towards that other in which the death of a child, the painful and bitter nightmare, it's discharged and liquidated with a simple apology.

Tags: incident

Prev: 31st May 2011 Competition Of Brilliant Brains

31st May 2011 Competition Of Brilliant Brains

I was talking about invention yesterday. I should have included this event as well, the competition of 'European Inventors 2011' held on 19th of May it's 6th edition, in the Academia of science of Budapest. Created in 2006 by the European Office of Patents and the European commission, recognising creative and innovating ideas of the inventors.

This year 15 projects competed in areas of science, medicine and technological innovation, for instance, a method to identify the deceased cells in Alzheimer sufferers, and a device of ultraviolet rays to disinfect water. Amongst the judges there was the president of the European Paliament, Jerzy Buzek, and the inventor of the Rubik's Cube, Erno Rubik himself.

(The Rubik's Cube is a 3D mechanical puzzle invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik, originally called the 'Magic Cube').

Amongst the innovative inventions, distinguished the design of low-cost eyeglasses that use bags of self-adjusting fluids. Another is the use of porous and biodegradable silicone for therapeutic applications for cancer patients, and for engineering body tissues.

It never stops to utterly amazed me, how somebody can just be sitting there, sauntering in the street or while taking a shower, turning ideas in his head and suddenly comes up with never thought of before ways and projects to make advancement in the mankind and mark history.

Tags: inventions, rubikcube

Prev: 31st May 2011 Celestial Aliens

31st May 2011 Video 'Voca People' The Celestial Aliens

'Voca People' is performing tonight in the Theatre Tivoli in Barcelona, a musical with 8 singers of prodigious voice that is an orchestra without instruments. The 8 members of 'Voca people' are musical virtuosos of church music, but way beyond an ostentatious show. It's a stunning vocal exhibition, after their overwhelming success in Madrid. A musical that's left indelible mark wherever they had passed through. Not only have they performed live in concert halls and theatres in half of the world stages, also on the net (have to date summed up 15 million visits in YouTube).

The staging of the show is spectacular - all white, very white; the background, as well as the singers, dressed from head to toe in pure white except for the painted red lips. Amongst them a couple of magicians of the 'Beat Box', capable of imitating and entertaining all type of sounds just with their vocal cords. The story theme is of science fiction, about some aliens who by error landed on earth from the planet Voca Tiras after a very long space journey.

Tags: vocapeople, aliens

Prev: 30th May 2011 New (to me) Inventions

30th May 2011 New (to me) Inventions

All-in-one remote:

 

a student of engineering of systems of Information, in the University of National Technology of Argentina, has designed a peripheral, wireless and sensitve to movements that can be used as mouse, keyboard, projector of photographic slides, remote control and joystick.

 

It has been baptized 'iTouch 3D'. You can see how it functions here:

http://bit.ly/gkmDWu

 

New toy for the Special Forces:

 

I am left astonished by the Mega Hurtz, a tactic robot according to it's inventor, Chris Rogers. Sort of a  land-rover, type of jeep or all-terrain vehicle. It can move 12 km/hr. It could be directed through a wall by remote control and it can be incorporated with a camera with night vision and a special light musket, capable of shooting 20 projectiles of paint or peppers by second. See it in the web of Inspector Bots: www.inspectorbots.com

 

 

Tags: newinventions

Prev: 30th May 2011 Thief Of Falcon Babies

30th May 2011 Thief Of Falcon Babies

The couple of peregrine falcons that live in the famous Cathedral Sagrada Familia have been robbed of their new born babies this year. Unknown thief or thieves had invaded their nest, situated on the top of the very tall tower steeple. The prosecutor of environment has opened an investigation after the Town Hall of Barcelona denounced the incident and has alerted the police.

 

The spokesman, Durany, of the department responsible for the programmed of reintroduction, said that they were aware of the female recently hatching some eggs, but they had not known how many baby birds there were, normally there should be 3 or 4; but when they went up there to check a couple of days ago the nest was empty.

 

The falcon couple usually nurse their young in a twisted bend or loop difficult to access, with a web-cam to facilitate the following by the naturalists to supervise their well being. Never the less, the new couple (the previous female had died last year) had decided to build their nest in a different spot some 15 metres higher up. (perhaps like human females, afraid that the husband might dwell too much on his previous wife?) for Even so, the thief(S) had defied all challenge and labour to make the difficult climb and stole the babies, probably just for fun, without thought of the pain and tragedy caused to the birds, the babies, the parents, and the people who tried and work hard to preserve these rare species under protection. Well, the protection is certainly lacking efficiency.

 

Note: I used to confuse myself the difference between a falcon and a hawk. Now I know that a falcon has a notch on their beak that is used for breaking the neck of their prey, and the hawk's beak has a simpler, smoother curve and they typically use their talons on their feet to kill their prey. The peregrine falcon is one of the fastest animals in the world, flying up to 200 mph in a dive, while hawks are typically much slower and prefer to glide with much slower stroke. Hawks tend to be larger than most falcons. Falcons have long wings, hawk's wings are generally shorter. Many species of both hawk and falcon are endangered. They need all the protection they can get.

 

 

Tags: hawk, thief, falcon

Prev: 30th May 2011 Capable Of Love 

30th May 2011 Capable Of Love

It was 9pm last Friday night. At the entrance of the spacious bar 'El Carrero' of Barcelona a crowd began to form with expectant party goers. Nothing unusual such a scene on a Friday night, had it not been because it was the first 'Aspanit Party', a special soiree for people with intellectual impairment or disability. It's organised with the objective of potentiating social relations and that of forming couples. The party also helps to release them from infantile treatment by other people around them in their daily life.

 

It's pioneer of the kind, attended by some 5o people, all excited and expectant. Most of them had never been out at night on their own before. So there were a few parents who were at first concerned about their children's 1st night out on their own. At 10pm the lights dimmed, the dance floor filled up and bodies moving with the rhythm of Waka Waka and Macarena, with overflowing laughter and energy, some with enviable perfect rhythm and style.  

 

 Not yet half way on, all the parents have left, quite confident that the party was doing the youngsters a lot of good; happy that their sons and daughters were happy, being well looked after and really enjoying themselves. Gema Deulofeu, one of the psychologists of the entity of organizers smiled and said succinctly: 'They need this!' The success of the party is more than evident.

 

The initiative not just gives these people entertainment, but an adult social activity, quite different from day time classroom learning or doing handiwork or crafts. They also need to be respected as adults, not being talked down to always, by the so called 'normal' people, who automatically speak to them as if they were toddlers. They also have the chance to learn to interact with different people, and with luck, find a boyfriend/girlfriend to chat to and spend time with.

 

This party would be repeated on the last Friday of every month. For 5€, they have the whole evening of fun, catering and the consumption of a refreshment without alcohol. There would be Karaoke next time, and other programmes added from time to time.

 

The highlight of the evening: A couple on the dancing floor were so high-spirited they requested the DJ to play a Wedding March!

 

Tags: capable, incapable

Prev: 29th May 2011 The Human Doesn't Exist

29th May 2011 The Human Doesn't Exist

If I am not mistaken, there has been for some time existed a cinematographic contradiction in the industry. Many cinemas are closed, but the production of films never stops, and there are a lot more film festivals than ever before in every corner of the world. One of the most ancient and the most known is the Festival of Cannes.

 

It was during that recently when a Spanish chronicler - reporter interviewed the American actor with fair prestige, Sean Penn; perhaps more famous for having been one of Madonna's ex-husbands. He was at Cannes presenting his film 'This must be the place'. The reporter quoted some critical opinions re. his interpretation in that film as one of the 'most unfortunate work' of the actor. An most adverse opinion any professional in any field could receive. It seems that Sean Penn would not accept any such opinion with folded hands, retorted with 'The human is miserable and it has no cure.'

 

As an actor, I have always liked his work, so far. As a person I know nothing at all about him, apart from what reports appear in the media, gossip columns and tabloid magazines. His proclamation though is outrageous, unjust and totally false. 'The human is miserable.' Because 'the human' doesn't exist. There are humans, great many of them and absolutely different one from another. There are miserable ones, yes, but there are also admirable ones, generous, kind, dedicated to good causes, cure sicknesses selflessly and help others silently. In real life, as in the theatre or cinema, there are a great repertoire of characters.

 

If Penn believes that there exists only one kind - the miserable -, he has not seen or understand anything at all of life. That indeed, is miserable. 

 

Tags: human, seanpenn

Prev: 29th May 2011 The Habit Of Reading Theatre

29th May 2011 The Habit Of Reading Theatre

Many people go to the theatre than you think. Enjoy, or not, what they see, and return home happy, or not, with the experience. For many it's a habit that the theatre forms a part of their life. Once a week, once a fortnight, or maybe once a year? No, that wouldn't put you in the category of a habitual theatre goer. But it's not bad. So we concur that there's a notable number of people going to the theatre fairly often. But how many people have the healthy habit of READING theatre?

Less, much less. In fact I would guess very few. Even fewer are the books of stage plays written and published. There had been a period, in my early teens, when I was considered a book-worm by all those who knew me. Definitely one of my favourite pastime (equal to being out with boys). I swallow them all up (the books, not the boys)almost as soon as any was published.

I found, still do, that style of writing very interesting. Pages and pages of conversations by the characters in the play, in script form, with the text describing their actions and expressions in brackets. Like:

"So there you are!"

(He turns and looks surprised. She ran out, banging the door behind her).

I remember new ones coming out regularly to feed my hunger with such almost visual stories, which had let me to become a stage actress for a spell of time, until destiny interfered ...  but that's not what I set out to talk about here.

This type of books seem to publish less and less. I suppose the entertainment industries want people to go the cinemas and theatres, not to read all about it first. It's said that people don't know how to read theatre (How can they if there aren't any available for them to read?) Also that the tangle, snarl-up technique to write scrip form theatre books is lost (How can it not if writers stop writing all together?).

So now even though scripts are still being written, they remain circulating only amongst writers, studios and actors, not to the readers in the street. The very few that did get published don't sell they say. And the even fewer that did sell apparently nobody reads. The once fertile field of wonderful theatre plays and cinema scripts for the public is not a field any more. It's a desert. An erial.  

Tags: theatre, script, reading

Prev: 28th May 2011 News Tip-Bits This Week

28th May 2011 News Tip-Bits This Week

A squatter is completing his sentence of 'home arrest' in the house where he had been living illegally. - El Punt

 

~ Exactly where he wants to be!

 

A priest was thrown out of the church, after he repeated what he said recently, calling the Government of ex-president of Spain Nazi . - El Mundo

 

~ Mind you tongue, especially if you are a priest.

 

A new policeman took prostitutes to their work in the official police car. - El Mundopro

 

~ No doubt he belongs to the group that supports legalizing prostitution.

 

Two robbers of a bank were detained after they bragged about it in Facebook. - Europapress.es

 

~ Now Facebook can really boast about being the source of information. 

 

Vila-Real opens a library without books. - La Provincias

 

~ As long as they pay the rent and taxes.

 

A man stole a motor-saw and kept it under his short pants. - Lainformacion.com

 

~ That's what I would call a brave man.

 

Ziggy Marley proposes clothing of marijuana and creates a Superhero 'Marihuanaman'. - Diariocanarias.es

 

~ He can argue that Batman are not really Bats.

 

A young woman prisoner for homicide was crowned 'Miss Penetenciary of Pernambuco'. - Es.noticias.yahoo.com

 

~ Beautiful enough to kill?

 

The Town Hall of Valencia has cut back the sandwiches for blood-doners. - Levante

 

~ Around where I live, they don't even give you a cup of coffee, but ask you to sit still for 15 minutes before you leave. Is that supposed to be the time required to recover the amount of blood lost?

 

Surgeons transplanted on a man a left foot onto his right leg. - Diario de Noticias

 

~ Now he has to remember always start off walking on the opposite direction.

 

In Brazil, a bride was kidnapped at the door of the church, but had returned and succeeded completing the marriage ceremony. - noticias.terra.com

 

~ She might one day wish she had missed the marriage ceremony.

 

The trend of tattooing Parot-Fish has extended to China. - La Voz de Galicia

 

~ Which idiot stated such an absurd trend?

Tags: newstipbitsblood

Prev: 28th May 2011 In Memory Of A Little Plant

28th May 2011 In Memory Of A Little Plant

For over a year, I have changed from my old morning coffee joint in front of the beach to another at the bottom of a hill. At one stretch of the way, between the road and the pavement, I had one day found a very tiny plant, more just a baby shoot, somehow sprung up from a minute little crack all by itself. I couldn't understand it. There's nothing green at all in the whole length of that street. Where did it come from? Doesn't a plant need a seed to start off it's life? A solitary plant sprung out from noting and nowhere!

I began observing it every single day on my way to the cafe, and on my return trip home. Sometimes I even say a little 'Hello'. It grows very slowly but steadily, and I felt so proud of it, struggling to survive against all odds with such determination. There had been a couple of weeks with absolutely not a drop of rain, so I carried a very small bottle of water to sprinkle on it. I could see it enjoying what I told it as a nice little bath. It swayed a little as if saying to me 'thank you'.

We, the lone plant and I, had become friends for the last 2-3 months. I wondered often why it didn't grow much taller, but at the same time I thought it's perhaps better, and safer, that it didn't. Otherwise it might draw attention and it might be trotted on by some careless people. The worst happened. The plant was not there any more today.

I stood on that same spot, couldn't move myself away for I don't know how long. There's no way I would have mistaken the location. I occasionally stopped there, though very briefly, mostly not at all, but I always seek it with my eyes and take note of what state my little plant was in. Yes, I had taken to think of it as mine. But it's gone.

No way it had actually 'gone'. I guess some children, or just one little child, too young and innocent to know the value of life and the pain of struggle for survival, had pulled it out and had just casually thrown it away, to dry up slowly in agonizing death. Perhaps this same child might one day become well aware of the meaning and value of life, and would find his own plant to look after and treasure.

I might be considered simple, naive or even stupid, to actually shed tears. But I am not ashamed to admit that today is a sad day for me. I will remember this little plant though I don't even know what type it is, or it's name. I shall not moan it's death after today, but think of it as my brave little plant which had enjoyed it's brief life, having made someone happy, and was admired and loved.

Tags: friend, plant, me

Prev: 27th May 2011 The Handiwork Of Heimlich

27th May 2011 The Handiwork Of Heimlich

I always find it very gratifying to stumble on something that I have never sought to find out the how or why, but found it by chance unexpectedly. Not until today did I find out the technic that could save someone from choking. Of course I have known the manoeuvre, but not the denomination 'Heimlich' technic or movement.

 

Henry Heimlich created it, honoured with his name, in 1974 (I didn't know about this date either). It's about a series of abdominal pressure to retract an object that's causing a person to choke with serious danger for his life. Such situation generally arises when food gets stuck in the throat, or when young children accidentally swallow an object which is lodged in the throat.

 

The technique, however, had received serious criticism, for causing severe bruises, including provoking fractures when it's done with too much force, which is usually difficult to judge or to be exact. The U.S. Red Cross recommended to first try retrieving the object by finger, and in case this fails, slap a few times on the upper part of the sufferer's back. Only as final resort the technique of 'Heimlich'.

 

Good to know. But worrying for me as I know for sure that I would not be able to do any of that - physically impossible, even emotionally - I would likely faint first!

 

Tags: technique, heimlich

Prev: 27th May 2011 - 19th Century Scenario In 21st Century Barcelona

27th May 2011-19th Century Scenario In 21st Century Barcelona

More than a few local citizens of Barcelona, and many tourists, would find it rather surprising to see some of the show windows of shops, 20 to be exact, of the most prestigious establishments in the commercial centre, presenting decor and displays with orientation of the end of the 19th century.

It's an initiative for which 20 of the most notable shops have got together taking part, (though many not yet completed the transformation), in the competition to celebrate the Fair of Modern Barcelona, between 3rd and 5th of June, the 7th edition. But the new 'old' displays would stay on till the 12th of June.

The shop windows of these 20 shops would all be transformed back to the era of 19th century, featuring life sized models of well known personalities and, naturally, dressed in styles of that period, also furnishings, backgrounds, paintings, tapestries, etc. One of them, with a simulated centenary edition of 'El Periodico', the local newspaper, patron of the innovative competition.

The first 3 best ideas would be given great prizes not yet announced; the rest (depending on more or less gratification)  will win 1 or 2 nights for 2 people in notable local Parador (the most prestigious hotel, above all star-system classification), a subscription of the paper for 3 months, and a luxury dinner for 2 in a notable local restaurant. The prizes are given on the closing dinner Gala party. The 3 day celebration will be repeated in Girona, with demonstrations of antique trade craft, vintage cars, and workshops.

Tags: competition, windowdressing

Prev: 26th May 2011 Finger Licking Fun

26th May 2011 Finger Licking Fun

I had dinner recently with a friend in a rather posh restaurant where everybody seems to order prawns. At least that's what I immediately noticed on all the tables within my view. I have this bad habit of spying on what other people eat, mostly to help me find out what looks good. All right, I am also just a bit nosy! So, we too ordered King prawns with garlic butter as starter.

The prawns arrived, a beautiful sight of artistically 'constructed' pile of prawns dripping with aromatic butter, a lemon 'basket' on the side, and crisp courgette butterflies. Half way through it, I noticed at a nearby table a well dressed woman, well off too I bet (wearing more jewellery than she ought to), struggling hard with her knife and fork, painstakingly trying to pry off the shells of her prawns, while I was eating mine with fingers of both my hands, posh restaurant or not.

When she happened to pause for a momentary rest with so much struggle, I raised my hands with the half striped prawn, grinned and winked at her. With quick and good humour, accompanied with an enormous sigh and smile, she winked back, threw her knife and fork on the table, grabbed
and attacked the prawn with her hands.

I go to a restaurant to enjoy eating food, not to stare at it and fight with it, right? That little episode quite made my night. I have done my good deed of a girl scout for the day, and it compensated somewhat for my date's not very interesting account of his recent financial combat in the stock exchange.

My friend Abbaren just added the following:
A man walked by a restaurant and saw his good friend Mulla inside devouring his food with both his hands instead of a knife and fork. Shocked, the friend went inside and asked, "Mulla why are you eating your food with two hands?"

"Because I haven't got three," responded the hungry Mulla!

Tags: prawns, fingers, restaurant

Prev: 26th May 2011 Recent News Tip-Bits

26th May 2011 Recent News Tip-Bits

Mortal Rumba! Peret decapitated a fan sitting in the first row, when he made a rapid gyration with his guitar. - El jueves

~ Music stirs up lots of different sentiments; never thought it could kill.

In the frontier of Thailand a man was detained and he said the 6 children in his car-boot were for their own 'consumption'! - El jueves

~ Another proof that learning to use the right words is important.

A mummified Playboy-rabbit was discovered in California. - Publico

~ Hope they are not wasting time looking for the 2 missing legs of the rabbit.

Three people detained by police for escaping at 180 km/hr in a Seat 124 of 35 years in Madrid. - El Dia

~ How many years old the car was definitely not their main concern at that moment!

A man entered apartments saying he's paramedic from the Sanitary department, giving free home service to women Mammography, with his hands! - El Mundo

~ When have you heard of anything delivered to your door free?

A judge ordered a young man 'In In (youth who neither studies nor works ) to leave the parental home. He had denounced his parents for refusing to give him spending money, when the parents already maintains his board and lodging plus his car. - Sur

~ Call me a Cynic, I think it's the fault of the parents who had never bothered with the young man's education.

A 10 year old boy was arrested by the police for killing his father whom he accused of  being Neo-Nazi. - Publico

~ I am speechless!

Tags: music, newstip-bits

Prev: 26th May 2011 Memoir Of The Bedroom

26th May 2011 Memoir Of The Bedroom

Chester Brown is a very peculiar character. It shows clearly in his autobiographical comics that has been publishing since the 80's. Amongst them 'The Playboy' (1992) and 'I never liked you' stand out to demonstrate this side of him.

 

The artist has surpassed himself with the publication of 'Paying for it', a comic strip memoir about being a John (client of prostitutes), with the 'it' in the title standing for sex. The book is terribly funny where the author declared himself a fervent visitor of prostitutes. After he was abandoned by his lady-love in the middle of the 90's - in fact she had found someone else and brought him home, Chester came to the conclusion that romantic love is a swindle, a joke and the source of disgrace and distress, so he seeks sex and appearance of affection paying for it ever since. Even today, he maintains a very good monogamic relationship (on both parts) with a prostitute. They get together every now and then and it's satisfactory for both (or so he says).

 

His friends, Seth and Joe Matt, another 2 glorious artists of humorous stories, who appear in his book as characters, confirms that Chester had never been quite right in the head. In the prologue, the great Robert Crumb describes it so: 'Chester Brown is not of this planet. Probably it's result of one of those alien abductions, in which a needle is poked into a woman's stomach to impregnate her. He is a very advanced human. You need only to look at his photo to prove it.'

 

The photo in question is at the end of the book and it frightens you. But you will read the book 'Paying for it' from cover to cover without wanting a break. And spend a lot of time afterwards ruminating on it. The Marxist theory that marriage is just legalized prostitution seems to have found a new and enthusiastic defender.

Tags: writer, book, prostitute

Prev: 25th May 2011 What The Famous Say ...

25th May 2011 What The Famous Say ...

'The only good imperialists are the dead imperialists.' - Robert Mugabe 

 

'I am the most imputed man in the universe and in the history. The judges know well they wouldn't get to condemn me, but they want to cover me in mud and dirt, and smudge my companies. Lies, lies!' - Silvio Berlusconi

 

'If in 6 months in the Government and no one stages 3 general strikes, I am not doing my job well.' - Mariano Pujoy, candidate for presidency in Spain, referring to Zapatero's statement that he wouldn't repeat in the coming election.

 

'Gods don't exist, but sometimes they can punish you.' - Alexei Leonov, 1st man to walk in the space in 1965

 

'When we say we don't forget, we say it seriously.' - Barack Obama

 

'Those were very difficult years. A hard time and bitter period for many Americans. At home we keep ourselves alive with poems, gingerbread and laughs.' - Philosophy of life in 'The Waltons'

 

Tags: quotesoffamous

Prev: 25th May 2011 Smart Future Minds

25th May 2011 Smart Furture Minds

Installed in the Port Vell of Barcelona is a large avant garde marquee, for the exhibition of 'Smart Future Minds', the title of a dozen innovative and creative designs, visionary projects for the future of the city.

 

Visitors to the exhibition will see sustainable super hotels, urban community farming, digital transit along the streets, public furniture with crochet hooks, a new 'door' for the new city. All these are but some of the new ideas now shown in models planned for the future city, based on new technology and mindful of healthy environment. The Smart brand of vehicles has organised a series of exhibitions, under the theme Smart Urban Stage, in various European cities: Spain, Berlin, Rome, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, London, and Zurich. For the principal reason to promote the electric car that will be launched next year.

 

In each city, five prestigious professionals, each with a different category, have the mission of selecting 2 projects that they should complete several requirements for a possible future. The most innovative of each city will earn a prize.

 

In Barcelona these 5 official commissioner are film maker Isabel Coixet, the architects Benedetta Tagliabue and Vicente Guallart, the scientist Lourdes Vega and the expert in new technologies Santiago Ortiz.

 

The building B is one of the projects chosen. It's creator, Jordi Torres, has conceived the idea as a habitable culture, sustainable and auto-efficient as symbol of identity like in it's day the doors permitting access to the cities in the Roman Empire.

 

Tags: smartmind, bcity

Prev: 25th May 2011 Hitler, And The Bad Influences

25th May 2011 Hitler And The Bad Influences

In Munich, near the university, there's an old cafe called Schelling Salon. It first opened it's doors in 1872 and it's one of the few buildings in the district that was not blown up by bombs in the 2nd World War. It served good beers (according to my German friend with whom I stayed a few years ago around Heidelberg, but we travelled all over Germany's to other cities for fun and theatres) and Bavarian food (which I liked).

The air in that place was musty, and the atmosphere cold, smelling of onion, with hardly any clients, on that particular day anyway. Perhaps it's not fair for me to judge, but I discovered that decadent air so accentuated was probably due to the fact that Hitler used to frequent there during his student days, about a century ago. Not only elephants that don't ever forget.

The repulsion Hitler always provokes was strong, & deserved. Throughout the history, no one had represented the 'Badness' in the way so symbolic and at the same time so concrete. There had been other genocide with mass murderers responsible for millions of innocent deaths - Josef Stalin, Mao ZeDong, Pol Pot -, but none with such unforgettable and unforgivable fame as Adolf Hitler and the Nazism.

Evil and malice sometimes resurge in sickly fascination, also a sort of tabu, not apt for humour, although, humour has been often linked to combat the  turpitude, ill will or devilment. Remember Charles Chaplin's 'The great dictator'?

There was no particular reason for me to suddenly talk about Hitler. Maybe because I just received an email from this German friend who took me to that cafe. And, the way the film director Lars von Trier made such a fool of himself for what he said in Cannes in reference to Hitler and Nazis.

Tags: nazis, hitler

Prev: 24th May 2011 Crazy About Tap!

24th May 2011 Crazy About Tap!

Today in Barcelona, there's Fusion of dance and percussion, to celebrate the 8th edition of International Festival of the Tap Dance, organized by the association 'Crazy for Tap', which programmes spectacles, Master classes, Jam sessions and Open sessions of improvisation.

 

The Tap is all to do with dance and rhythm, the movement of body and percussion of the feet. Not in vain it was born of the union of the Irish immigrants and African slaves in America at the beginning of the 19th century. John Bubble gave it category of art, Fred Astaire took it to the cinema, and Gene Kelly made it world famous with 'Singing in the Rain'.

 

Came later all kinds of new dances, but the Tap remains very much alive, as demonstrated in each of the 7 previous editions of the International Tap Festival. This time in Barcelona the celebration programmes starts today till next Sunday, with majestic classes and spectacle. The festival seeks to let more public know this dance and cultivate more dancers both at home and abroad. The present edition counts on the support of the presence of Michelle Dorrance, artist of reference in the United States, professor and dancer of the acclaimed spectacle of 'Stomp' of Broadway.

 

The session today is in the Sala Atrium, dedicated to a revision of the history of Tap, with a documentary about the legendary John Bubbles, Master of the art. Tomorrow is the official celebration of the International Day of Tap Dance, day chosen for the grand Gala, a spectacle with performance of several professional companies: Barcelona Rhythm Tap, Celtic Chaos, Nuala Irish Dancers, Rem, Tap Olé, Trakatap and Walk on Tapon ... that share scenarios with Michelle Dorrance in Theatre Sat.

 

Performances on Friday would be in the Sala Nau Ivanor, and on Saturday the 27th there will be a Swing Party, open to all those who want to move with the rhythm of Swing. On the 28th, a choreographic demonstration where the students and dancers from amateurs dance companies can present their creations. The festival closes on Sunday with Tap Jam, a spectacle based on the improvisation of the dancers and open to participation of the general public.

 

In my modelling and dancing days, I had training of the Tap too apart from just about most form of dancing, but it didn't take too long before I discovered that my left ankle was much weaker than my right, therefore causing much more effort to 'catch up' with the right foot! I had to eventually give up on Tap, but I remain very enthusiastic about it. Luckily that weakness had not affected my capacity to do the other types of dances. I simply wouldn't feel complete without able to dance.

 

Tags: swing, tap

Prev: 24th May 2011 Illustrations Now! Portraits

24th May 2011 Illustrations Now! Portraits

I have always been fascinated by very brief sketches, caricatures, that with just a few seemingly rough strokes, lines, dots and curves, illustrates all sorts of things and objects, especially people which, despite the lacking of minute details, you can recognise them instantly.

 

A newly published book called 'Illustrations now! Portraits.' united 150 portraits of well known faces of present day celebrities in different professions: entertainment, politics, fashion, photography, singers, dancers, models, actors and directors ... All by famous contemporary illustrators and artists of the international panorama, and in a wide variety of techniques and styles, from realism to caricature and cartoon. They depict the personality of them with the minimum detail but all the essentials, also the body language and their physical presence.

 

It's definitely the book for many to enjoy and keep. 

Tags: illustration, portraits

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