tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55443331675069500712024-02-02T10:51:20.825+01:00Tea and Sympathy In search of the perfect brewtea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-74922135136641728482017-05-19T09:51:00.000+02:002017-05-23T17:34:43.840+02:00Reclaiming the streets: community walks for better neighbourhoods<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxDFFQ7Vnnt8eGcY58r_CT_2pdnUCKCGy-HtlLgDnupgcjNsyIyF5CSHeo0xWRNqBsWbFTsjczzYxUxVNR60RK7paI2zmrs03z5LPmpVkKWQUIHEV3Pn20j3x04dB8SXpRw1PtjdRq-x_/s1600/jane-jacobs-590-590x346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimxDFFQ7Vnnt8eGcY58r_CT_2pdnUCKCGy-HtlLgDnupgcjNsyIyF5CSHeo0xWRNqBsWbFTsjczzYxUxVNR60RK7paI2zmrs03z5LPmpVkKWQUIHEV3Pn20j3x04dB8SXpRw1PtjdRq-x_/s320/jane-jacobs-590-590x346.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Society of the bespectacled </td></tr>
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Whenever I hear words such as "urban renewal", "redevelopment" or "city planning", I shudder; for experience shows that what they really often mean is a new building plan that will impact negatively upon the lives of people and the surrounding landscape. Time and again, urban planners have promoted the idea of progress linked to architectural and urban atrocities that did not take into account people's needs and views of what their neighbourhoods should be like, let alone the aesthetics of those new buildings and areas. Profit, not people, has all too often been at the centre of this approach.<br />
The all too powerful pairing of politicians and urban developers was (and still is) a well-oiled machine that has the legal means and the financial resources to overcome citizens' resistance and legal challenges ahead.<br />
However, this has not always been the case; fortunately, people have stood up and fought against ill-conceived plans that some fat cat (with the help of a conveniently bought politician) wanted to impose in the name of what they understand as modernity.<br />
One such example was the figure of Jane Jacobs, an American-born urban activist who back in the 60s in New York first and in Toronto later led the way and showed us that cities do not have to be the way capitalist and corrupt developers want.<br />
In a heavily male-dominated environment, Jacobs dared challenge the ruling local financial elite and organised a grassroots movement to protect her neighbourhood-Greenwich Village, Manhattan- from the mighty developer Robert Moses, whose plans included a total overhaul of the area. She had to fight prejudice and the arrogance of the establishment who patronised and ridiculed her for both being a woman and for not having an architecture or urbanism academic training. Despite all the scorn she encountered, she became heavily involved in the urban planning movement and her work <i>The Death and Life of Great American Cities </i>has become a classic book and must-read for anyone interested in the topic from a critical perspective.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfboylYH32VFPotHNpvIHqvanBzNAxbdmAyyFo9fz4MsjoKWwa8rUh77p69LLqyYGZNvaIvGnt6SAMkGqJ7BcbN093k8gUiRu4ZsKBsX0OVyesL8_RU2TkJ_TZmDpIbb3407U9jprCX7-/s1600/janes+walk+cornes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMfboylYH32VFPotHNpvIHqvanBzNAxbdmAyyFo9fz4MsjoKWwa8rUh77p69LLqyYGZNvaIvGnt6SAMkGqJ7BcbN093k8gUiRu4ZsKBsX0OVyesL8_RU2TkJ_TZmDpIbb3407U9jprCX7-/s320/janes+walk+cornes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking in the community: a Jane's walk in Cornes, Compostela (Galiza)</td></tr>
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By the time Jacobs passed away in 2006, she'd become a reference and a model for many people involved in grassroots urban projects; an urbanism that had people rather than cars at its heart.<br />
A group of Jane's friends gathered in May 2007 to honour her memory by organising a walk and to celebrate her legacy and ideas. Very soon, this became an annual event that went global and so every year now thousands of people join neighbourhood walks across the world in a sort of street festival of ideas about what sustainable cities should mean. The initiative known as Jane's Walks was born.<br />
These walks, despite (or maybe thanks to) their simplicity, are a very effective and powerful tool to raise awareness and to create a sense of community and belonging among people who wouldn't otherwise have the chance of meeting other like-minded people to discuss issues they all can relate to. Something as simple as walking around the neighbourhood to exchange experiences and views can become an almost cathartic and intense experience; it is also a political statement that challenges a model that promotes individualism and a passive attitude.<br />
I have no doubt whatsoever that Jane Jacobs would be immensely proud of such an initiative that year after year fills the streets with people who care about their cities and their neighbours and are prepared to reclaim the streets.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-33000971077670347532017-01-11T15:52:00.000+01:002017-01-11T15:52:25.480+01:00A man of his time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MR6Jo_kMq-G9szZ9U-nVqy-83mhqe-zfsFaAWzzxR0YfgHz2h4uQxsx3Xlq5bR6TCQMd2J1pDNZ7Xp4zppb2ezxHf2KfEOdYFl8nqCTsEj8Kh1L6YiV7Y2L6CFyXz6nEoWOPRpZ5aZpC/s1600/john+berger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MR6Jo_kMq-G9szZ9U-nVqy-83mhqe-zfsFaAWzzxR0YfgHz2h4uQxsx3Xlq5bR6TCQMd2J1pDNZ7Xp4zppb2ezxHf2KfEOdYFl8nqCTsEj8Kh1L6YiV7Y2L6CFyXz6nEoWOPRpZ5aZpC/s320/john+berger.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ways of seeing (and thinking)<br />
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The news came as no surprise; at 90, John Berger was still as relevant and lucid as you'd expect but he was equally fragile. "Il est parti", confirmed from Paris his granddaughter. I'd like to think he wanted to join Leonard Cohen up there and perhaps was too tired to face a world with the likes of Trump running the show; a nightmare scenario for someone who spent his life supporting and helping the underdog, the dispossessed, the vulnerable.<br />
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Who and what was Berger? He was a man of his time: art critic, writer, thinker, storyteller, a humanist full of energy and charm. He was someone who taught us how to look at (and see) things; not only art, which he did famously through the groundbreaking TV series <i>Ways of Seeing </i>but also the world.<br />
He became notorious in 1972 when, after winning the Booker Prize, denounced the slavery connections in the Caribbean of the award founder Booker McConnell and gave half of the prize to the British Black Panthers, something that did not go well with some parts of the cultural establishment.<br />
He then went to live in the French Alps for most of his life, where he found inspiration for one of his most successful books, <i>Pig Earth </i>(1979), that would become part of the trilogy <i>Into Their Labours. </i><br />
An outspoken critic of capitalism, Berger's legacy will remain with us for generations to come and his work will be studied and enjoyed because, as artist David Shrigley has said, he was the "best ever writer on art". I for one will not challenge that.<br />
There is where we will meet, John.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-23097586817337302882016-10-26T16:22:00.002+02:002016-10-26T16:22:41.632+02:00Europe's shame:adrift, washed ashore, ignored, scapegoated...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWRTYsE6Xv2niJLqTYNl7_kA8BTQnZa4bQNCgw8MUSR8TBh5zpMy4f0RnsZduDQuVIUxfHplrUAkbv4YBc8SDrCdF6WpK8aUB2LfsycL0d_WmJAuj_Jj0rqhhY0UtGlaY4xToE-xdqz_8/s1600/Refugees+come+from.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiWRTYsE6Xv2niJLqTYNl7_kA8BTQnZa4bQNCgw8MUSR8TBh5zpMy4f0RnsZduDQuVIUxfHplrUAkbv4YBc8SDrCdF6WpK8aUB2LfsycL0d_WmJAuj_Jj0rqhhY0UtGlaY4xToE-xdqz_8/s320/Refugees+come+from.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Millions on the move</td></tr>
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A tragedy of catastrophic dimensions is unfolding under very own eyes and we chose to look away. The mass media have long ago decided to shift their focus; once the headlines and all the resulting scandal pretending we cared over the dead body of a drowned Syrian boy made way for the umpteenth political crisis, we have been left with very little information on what is happening with the scores of people who are forced to pack up and leave their homes.<br />
And yet, a lot is happening on our doorstep. For starters, people in countries like Syria and Afghanistan are still fleeing for fear of their lives; these are, according to the UNHCR statistics, the countries where most refugees come from but by no means the only ones. Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea are other countries that heavily 'export' refugees. But most of them, let's make this absolutely clear, do not come to Europe. The countries hosting most of the worldwide refugees and asylum seekers are Turkey, Pakistan, Lebanon and Iran. Let's dispel this myth because other countries (poorer and less prepared to deal with huge numbers of people) are bearing the brunt, not Europe neither any other Western country.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s0pjyyEYhoV9dLSUG7YMoR-A8ANFZjVpxrb5NtMqPByTvreOTroFxDFIPX817OD85PGDUSkMH1Fne-01XfMz_c_BkxCnMue1s9kvVqqw1VSJNDrh6GM5_BxjBcJRIeJ27WKK33wSQ0mD/s1600/Screen-Shot-2015-07-01-at-12.35.22-PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9s0pjyyEYhoV9dLSUG7YMoR-A8ANFZjVpxrb5NtMqPByTvreOTroFxDFIPX817OD85PGDUSkMH1Fne-01XfMz_c_BkxCnMue1s9kvVqqw1VSJNDrh6GM5_BxjBcJRIeJ27WKK33wSQ0mD/s320/Screen-Shot-2015-07-01-at-12.35.22-PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where most refugees go</td></tr>
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The global numbers of people on the move are mind-boggling, with an estimated 23.1 million people seeking refuge, a number that goes up to 60 million if we consider what is known forcibly displaced people (refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people).<br />
In other words, over 60 million people are roaming the world, far from home and with little or no access to the basic conditions that the Human Rights chart establishes (food, shelter, education, health...).<br />
If that weren't enough to make us think AND act, Europe is now witnessing a situation that takes us back to the dark times of last century's Germany. Like then, we know people are dying, not in concentration camps but in European shores and also at sea. We know it, our politicians know it, our media of course know it. <br />
The deeply shameful and flawed European Union-Turkey agreement of last March is just an example of how the Europeans (I mean the States, not necessarily their people) have privileged their interests over people's safety.<br />
Returning asylum-seekers to Turkey (a country whose human rights records has been consistently criticised by NGOs and other Human Rights organisations) in exchange for an extra financial support of €3 million to Turkey is something future generations will hold us accountable for. Simply put, this is moral bankruptcy of the highest order.<br />
But things can -and indeed do- get worse because the Mediterranean has become a floating graveyard, where thousands of humans have found their deaths on their escape from poverty, war or persecution. According to the Missing Migrants account, more than 3,700 people have died or have gone missing this year so far. These numbers speak for themselves, really. <br />
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In the middle of this we find, however, some good news thanks to all the people who have chosen to do what the governments don't. Many volunteers and aid workers are adding their bit through their unsung commitment, literally rescuing people from a very likely death. MSF, Open Arms, Save the Children and others are there on the ground helping people and bringing some dignity to a continent that is becoming more and more passive.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-18132497177405941912016-10-10T16:29:00.000+02:002016-10-25T11:40:09.806+02:00Skeleton Tree: one more time with sorrow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn21rF6d5eUQRJrb2v8VqPakdC8S7pI4J0KZ571rfc38pmSxi4Og0jB-q32iV_cEeZGK06dOdsnblZoetOxZ0AixyOus-A1np_HqOdlTSUXwE5DNw5fAS-lFEnzkNwWRNxAMTtymVJsml/s1600/skeleton+tree+cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn21rF6d5eUQRJrb2v8VqPakdC8S7pI4J0KZ571rfc38pmSxi4Og0jB-q32iV_cEeZGK06dOdsnblZoetOxZ0AixyOus-A1np_HqOdlTSUXwE5DNw5fAS-lFEnzkNwWRNxAMTtymVJsml/s320/skeleton+tree+cover.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrowing,daunting, intense...immense<br />
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Most listeners will approach Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' latest instalment with a very specific frame of mind; indeed, most, if not all, reviewers will bear <i>that</i> in mind when carefully analysing and stripping bare the ins and outs of an album that is as demanding as emotionally daunting.<br />
The reason for all of this is, of course, the dramatic event that turned Cave's life upside down, the tragic death of his 15-year-old son Arthur last year (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/15/nick-cave-son-arthur-dies-brighton-chalk-cliff-fall">https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/15/nick-cave-son-arthur-dies-brighton-chalk-cliff-fall</a>).<br />
So we are all well aware, <i>Skeleton Tree</i> is not going to be a barrel of laughs; very few songs by Nick Cave songs are, really. Over the years, he and his band have become skillful masters at singing about death (though unlike now, it was about other people's) and the darkness, the raw and the gritty. All of this wrapped up in Cave's twisted poetry that produced haunting images.<br />
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The album opener sets the mood for what is to come next; the brooding intensity of <i>Jesus Alone</i>, which finds Nick Cave prophetically singing "You fell from the sky, crash landed in a field near the river Adur" (the song was written before Arthur's death), over layers of guitars that create a tense, eerie, almost suffocating atmosphere. This is in stark contrast with "Rings of Saturn" with Cave sort of rapping rather than singing, lightening things up a little before moving on to what is one of the most harrowing moments of the album with "Girl in Amber", a lovely yet painful song that deals with the emotional scars that such a terrible event brings to a couple. The girl in amber is, admittedly, Nick Cave's wife Susie Bick ("if you want to bleed, just bleed"); the song ends with Cave almost crying, his voice drowned in fragility ("don't touch me"). The sorrow and the anger show up in "Magneto" as he confesses "the urge to kill someone was overwhelming" and the insurmountable daily chores he has to face, "I had such a hard blues down at the supermarket queue" while the next track "Anthrocene" seems to confirm the artist's interest in drawing parallels and metaphors based on ideas and theories coming from the realm of science (just like "Higgs Boson Blues" from 2013's <i>Push the Sky Away</i> did). "I need you" is perhaps when Cave deals with his son's death more openly and it is also one of the most poignant moments of the whole album; for him,"nothing really matters anymore" since the night in which they "wrecked like a train". Hard not to be moved by such honesty and grief. In "Distant Skies" Cave is joined by Danish soprano Else Torp and together they start to see the light at the end of the tunnel as they set out for distant skies. This catharsis is somehow confirmed by the last track that gives name to the album- <i>Skeleton Tree- </i>that ends with Cave acknowledging that "it's alright now".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zi2LqY0zccxvIFXvFqeBKb4K4srFr3LE27E7pRJ3XDDI98K1LSY-gSDAngQ8qp1HWiY_gKMoZEDTD6T7FQAojUq2vZHMAmf-7HxjJOj3tsMIZFz33PlJQ6z25eHatyxdEBSElxmyHzY0/s1600/Just+bleed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Zi2LqY0zccxvIFXvFqeBKb4K4srFr3LE27E7pRJ3XDDI98K1LSY-gSDAngQ8qp1HWiY_gKMoZEDTD6T7FQAojUq2vZHMAmf-7HxjJOj3tsMIZFz33PlJQ6z25eHatyxdEBSElxmyHzY0/s320/Just+bleed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"If you want to bleed, just bleed" </td></tr>
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Thus, <i>Skeleton Tree </i>sees and artist that is able to deal with and purge his demons, laying bare his feelings about a devastating event whilst producing an album of an intensity and honesty rarely seen in today's popular music. Leaving aside the all-too-hard-to-ignore leitmotif that hovers over it, this is a giant step forward in Nick Cave's output, and that says quite a lot about one of the most consistent artists around. It is also noteworthy the influence that Bad Seeds' violinst Warren Ellis plays on the album.<br />
Time will of course tell, but right now I see <i>Skeleton Tree</i> as one of the best albums this Australian bard has ever released and definitely one that will duly show up in the lists of the best albums of 2016.<br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-82622410657895254732016-09-08T16:54:00.000+02:002016-09-08T18:14:25.384+02:00Digging up:Detectorists<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZ3pVujhoH3xpnN-Dz1Bra3ow9lnYOz-o4pkCyLUbtq8POr5I5pIX_cYuyUdmbOZFZPTzHt933yn8r7iUJ7wAlJysjbjhqqX5cWZ8xLX1lK8TWecFMOsfWO0-7nvISnrmnz2X4LGJRtxL/s1600/detectorists+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZ3pVujhoH3xpnN-Dz1Bra3ow9lnYOz-o4pkCyLUbtq8POr5I5pIX_cYuyUdmbOZFZPTzHt933yn8r7iUJ7wAlJysjbjhqqX5cWZ8xLX1lK8TWecFMOsfWO0-7nvISnrmnz2X4LGJRtxL/s1600/detectorists+2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Climbing through the briar and bramble'</td></tr>
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Most people who have watched this series wonder how is it possible that it was broadcast on BBC 4 only as, clearly, it deserves a much wider audience; this seems unfair because, in a perfect world, <i>Detectorists</i> would be shown in prime time on BBC 1 and would be acclaimed by critics and public alike.<br />
This should be so because this sitcom, written and directed by Mackenzie Crook (better known as the infamous Gareth in <i>The Office</i>), is a gem bound to touch anyone who is after a comedy that is subtle, original, delicate and at times deeply moving, all in an understated way that makes it even nicer to watch; some may call it '<i>slow comedy</i>' simply because it demands some time and effort for its brilliance to come forward. You won't find here canned laughter, neither slapstick nor cliches or crowd-pleasing numbers; this is humour at its best, but not the sort that will have you in tears.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVjPa2Jv7B4_QaIJ0BRKgii3t0oY3A3UEiwmyqKxasgaU2MR8EJasuoannGx1EhKm8buN3VwiV5WilyGTCNOh2LJpwJpZdksamERSEhEVLjnV05iIymOD0t3EyBruSlDAwcI0Azqn9SxD/s1600/detectorists.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFVjPa2Jv7B4_QaIJ0BRKgii3t0oY3A3UEiwmyqKxasgaU2MR8EJasuoannGx1EhKm8buN3VwiV5WilyGTCNOh2LJpwJpZdksamERSEhEVLjnV05iIymOD0t3EyBruSlDAwcI0Azqn9SxD/s320/detectorists.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andy and Lance in the thick of it</td></tr>
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<i>Detectorists</i> tells the story of friends Andy and Lance (the mentioned Mackenzie Crook and the great Toby Jones, star of the marvelous film <i>Marvellous</i>) whose main - and only- interest seemingly lies in metal detecting; almost an obsession.<br />
This is, by all means, a refreshing and quirky starting point, as it puts the series in a league of its own. Episodes kick off with these two peculiar and unlikely characters in search of the Holy Grail of metal detectors (or detectorists,as they like to call themselves) in rural Essex: the Saxon hoard.<br />
Instead, they find discarded and useless objects, though this does not seem to deter them from continuing their search. Metal detecting becomes a way of life, a philosophy, a therapy of sorts.<br />
As with many other great pieces of art, the genius of <i>Detectorists</i> sits in those details that may go unnoticed at first. Crook's writing is subtle, full of awkwardly funny moments, low-key yet impossibly sublime; this is enhanced by superbly crafted characters that you grow to like and love as the series develops and the whole is made irresistible by the stunning beauty of the English countryside.<br />
To top it all, John Flynn has written one of those songs that manage- despite or because of its simplicity- to give you goosebumps, thus confirming, from its very first minute, that<i> Detectorists</i> is a series like no other. Unmissable.<br />
<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-32387286993998006822016-04-03T20:54:00.001+02:002016-04-08T05:46:16.158+02:00This must change everthing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_Not6EbVwfl3gyPUVMjsGzQ8fBQRltInc2Fow1ApNUHSBZ4NTsAn2DRugnbLoGB9VVMu6IhFvIY7NXMgJO5lzm6Qz-wG5_2omIHd-lTR4030cb4421MlP4vfS7mKKNMewCHxoPEFZz4_/s1600/this+changes+everything.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs_Not6EbVwfl3gyPUVMjsGzQ8fBQRltInc2Fow1ApNUHSBZ4NTsAn2DRugnbLoGB9VVMu6IhFvIY7NXMgJO5lzm6Qz-wG5_2omIHd-lTR4030cb4421MlP4vfS7mKKNMewCHxoPEFZz4_/s320/this+changes+everything.jpg" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A call to arms<br />
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</tbody></table>
Naomi Klein has established herself as one of the leading voices against the wrongs of our time.Her first book,<i> No Logo (</i>1999), quickly became influential among anti-globalisation activists worldwide and it was for many an eye-opener about the ruthless methods of global brands that we all know about. Since then, Klein has written hundreds of articles, delivered talks, participated in conferences and actions. She was an activist as much as a thinker. Her other seminal work, written years later- <i>The Shock Doctrine </i>(2007)- tackles the consequences of neo-liberalism; the free-market mantra devised by Milton Friedman and happily applied by Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and company. So it is no surprise that latest publication is focused on another Damocles sword: the environment, or more specifically Climate Change.<br />
In it, Klein argues that action needs to be taken urgently, which by the way is something environmentalists have been saying for decades. But she insists that if we continue to blindly believe in capitalism as the only way out, then we may be shooting ourselves in the foot.<br />
Reading this in the wake of last year's Paris Climate Change Conference does not help, either. The institutional response to what science is evidencing (ie rising temperatures, ice caps melting, sea rise, etc.) is way too slow and insufficient, no matter what the triumphant headlines after the summit told us.<br />
<br />
The book is, as you would expect, rich in details and evidence and its scope is to preach to the non-convert and, hopefully, turn them into committed climate activists.<br />
We're running out of time and action is required, both at an activist and institutional (aka governments) level. Reading this enlightening essay may be the first step towards a 'new deal'. The hope is that this book changes everything. For our own sake.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-46822075526753838772016-01-27T12:27:00.003+01:002016-03-02T16:07:34.445+01:00We Should All Be Feminists<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x8wqdSxY0oY/VjivXYLQafI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/rc1OoTZuXIQ/s1600/images.duckduckgo.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x8wqdSxY0oY/VjivXYLQafI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/rc1OoTZuXIQ/s320/images.duckduckgo.com.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">We should indeed</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8938a61c-37dd-8451-d295-2f92b496ab8b"></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8938a61c-37dd-8451-d295-2f92b496ab8b"><span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As part of the Tea & Sympathy Book Club, last month we read this short yet enlightening book by acclaimed Nigerian author Ngozi Adichie. I must say that this short essay works wonders, or least it did in our group, since both the topic and the length were motivating factors for the group readers; I mention this because in my experience running book clubs, some people tend to be put off by lengthy books as their reading pace is slower than when they read in their native tongues.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-8938a61c-37dd-8451-d295-2f92b496ab8b">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book stems from an equally thrilling talk given by Adichie at TED some years ago. With a title like that, I guess few people would be surprised by its content, as the author's aim is clearly laid out right from the start. The writer's own experience as a girl growing up in her country is used as guide to expose society's inherent sexism and discrimination for the simple fact of being a girl. For her, this must be challenged and in doing so she faces being ridiculed and criticised by those who label feminism as a dirty word and refuse the main principle behind the definition of a feminist: a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
</span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: "verdana"; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This book challenges stereotypes, raises awareness about an issue that is still a long way from being normalised and, ultimately, serves its purpose as an educational tool that should be a compulsory read in schools and colleges everywhere.</span></span></span><br />
<div>
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tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-79816206930914007332015-09-18T10:34:00.000+02:002016-03-02T16:07:08.033+01:00A History of Protest Songs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dNn9o9zhm-8Ij-zTmO67X_4MFTocCG_VsDQ0iUu27OSu8-AsklTi8WvIvjl1rbATHZTi5pdS4aMB-zUgmyTGPP8A0CTT8XVfQIBAAnBHKDN55sREyev-WH4CDaQ5nVm66qiq_iWoZq8E/s1600/33revolutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dNn9o9zhm-8Ij-zTmO67X_4MFTocCG_VsDQ0iUu27OSu8-AsklTi8WvIvjl1rbATHZTi5pdS4aMB-zUgmyTGPP8A0CTT8XVfQIBAAnBHKDN55sREyev-WH4CDaQ5nVm66qiq_iWoZq8E/s320/33revolutions.jpg" width="209" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Say it loud: music with a message</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It should be stressed from the beginning that this book, written by music journalist Dorian Lynskey, is a brilliant history of protest songs....mostly written and performed by US and European (ie British) artists. </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Apart form Part Three, which covers songs from Chile (Victor Jara), Nigeria ( Fela Kuti) and Jamaica (Max Romeo and The Upsetters), the rest of the book is a fascinating trip through those songs of mostly North-American and British artists, which with their powerful message and music, helped shape or were the background of social changes, upheavals, revolutions and key moments in recent history. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I do not think that this book is solely aimed at music lovers; it is, in fact, a book that makes sure that each song chosen is given its historical context, thus enriching the story while also paying attention to other songs and artists of the time that are worth mentioning or have a special relevance in order to fully understand the context in which they were written and performed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Starting with the harrowing piece <i>Strange Fruit,</i> performed by Billie Holliday, Lynskey takes us on a journey that includes expected artists and songs (<i>Bob Dylan's Masters of Wars, Scott-Heron's The Revolution Will not Be Televised and Public Enemy's Fight the Power</i>), but also presents the work of other lesser known (at least in my case) songs, including the electronic dance band <i>The Prodigy</i> or the Welsh group <i>Manic Street Preachers</i>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiOu8OTXqNw1iPZGz3Qqj5G6HUbCQDbXGaKsXR5UUG_fTHS2moidCsuSxsYWi-V_55hDn67fgwoHNn8_gJq64VLovAcpP8O_vaRWV9BNb171LNNThljRx9fS-PXHcSafdLRpbZq8tejhl/s1600/victor+jara.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiOu8OTXqNw1iPZGz3Qqj5G6HUbCQDbXGaKsXR5UUG_fTHS2moidCsuSxsYWi-V_55hDn67fgwoHNn8_gJq64VLovAcpP8O_vaRWV9BNb171LNNThljRx9fS-PXHcSafdLRpbZq8tejhl/s1600/victor+jara.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chile's Victor Jara, the only non-English speaker included in the book</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In any case, the book is extremely well-researched and it traces and presents in a very entertaining and informative way the circumstances in which the songs were born. Despite, or perhaps because of its length, (800-plus pages),</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> 33 Revolutions Per Minute</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> is one of those books that can be read at any time, you can put it down and get back to it as you please, and simply enjoy the prose and style of its author, which together with the wealth of information he provides, will make you want to listen to each of the songs here included. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The only criticism I have is what has been written above regarding the book's scope; more cultural and linguistic diversity would be appreciated, particularly from those under-represented parts of the world (Asia, South-America, Africa...). Other than that, the book is a joy that people interested in music, history and politics should not miss.</span></div>
tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-67974021570205489732015-06-22T12:49:00.000+02:002015-06-22T12:49:13.021+02:00Did you dance, Caroline?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cZZY-nMiDCuIq4OswbN1BqryK7nFwfOwhAP_vp4jdKn1atuWMvv7Y6xz2ipwcN203KmesIIw6cDM8wMKg0KWJHlY4WqpBHolqVcF4EIEEz57PsfsdwBdTZBW7FDG66li_WPB_D88UWHH/s1600/bailaches+carolina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cZZY-nMiDCuIq4OswbN1BqryK7nFwfOwhAP_vp4jdKn1atuWMvv7Y6xz2ipwcN203KmesIIw6cDM8wMKg0KWJHlY4WqpBHolqVcF4EIEEz57PsfsdwBdTZBW7FDG66li_WPB_D88UWHH/s320/bailaches+carolina.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The lizard wags its tail on the skirt of Caroline</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The 'Tea & Sympathy choir' made its stellar debut at the Gentalha's social centre party last week to celebrate the end of course! We translated into English a traditional and well-known song (<i>Bailaches Carolina?</i>), adapting it to the music and the English rhythm, hence some minor differences between the original and the translation. We will not claim that our choir is ready to join the likes of the those gospel choirs & co that can move people to tears with their renditions of other traditional tunes, but at least we had a good laugh. Here our version of the song: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">DID YOU DANCE, CAROLINE? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Trad, arranged and translation by tea&sympathy</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-0d04cc48-1ae0-4786-d09c-542a5cdf7046"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none;"><colgroup><col width="312"></col><col width="416"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 311px;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #555555 0px; border-left: solid #555555 0px; border-right: solid #555555 0px; border-top: solid #555555 0px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> On the skirt of Carolina </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">is painted a lizard, </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when Carolina dances, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the lizard wags its tail.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Did you dance Caroline? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I danced, indeed Sir! </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell me with whom you danced </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I danced with my loved one</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Our Carolina is crazy, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She does everything wrong </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">She dresses from her shoulders </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and undresses through her feet</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you dance, Caroline? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-I danced at the quarters. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Tell me with whom you danced. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I danced with Sergeant Paul X 3</span></span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #555555 0px; border-left: solid #555555 0px; border-right: solid #555555 0px; border-top: solid #555555 0px; padding: 7px 7px 7px 7px; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mister priest doesn’t dance </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">just because he wears a crown. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do Dance, mister priest, go on, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">God forgives everything.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you dance, Caroline? </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I danced, indeed, Sir. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tell me with whom you danced. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I danced with my John (three times)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the farm of Caroline, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">no closed cart is allowed </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Only Caroline can come in </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Grabbing her pig from its tail</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With your loved one, Caroline </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never go dancin’ again, </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He pulls up your skirt </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it’s hard to pull it down</span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-20602899049099633352015-03-04T12:03:00.000+01:002015-03-23T23:30:09.509+01:00Sally Heathcote: sufragette<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mary-talbot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/FrontCovercropped.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.mary-talbot.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/FrontCovercropped.gif" height="320" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Life of a sufragette </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst or Emelyn Davison are some names most people interested in the Sufragettes movement may be familiar with. However, as it is easy to imagine, the strength of this radical group of activists lay in its numbers, those committed women who fought bravely against the odds, who staged hunger strikes, who were imprisoned and risked their lives. An example of all this was the case of Sally Heathcote, whose eventful life this book is based on, which tells, in graphic novel format, the adventures of one of the most fascinating civil disobedience movements of the last centuries.<br />
A wonderful team composed of Mary and Bryan Talbot (who published in 2012 another very interesting and acclaimed graphic novel <i>Dotter of her father's eyes</i>, based on a James Joyce's daughter life), and cartoonist Kate Charlesworth, deliver a true page-turner that becomes a must for readers with an interest in social history and the 'votes for women' campaigns. It is also refreshing that the book, rather than give centre stage to those better known figures, the authors chose to focus on a less known activist, who was also from a very different social background to the Pankhursts sisters and other members.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://nomoreworkhorse.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/sallyheathcote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://nomoreworkhorse.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/sallyheathcote.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No going back</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Despite the fact of being an invented character, the device works extremely well as it brings a new perspective to a historical movement.<br />
The novel is beautifully designed, it is a joy to read that conveys brilliantly the Sufragettes' urgency and mood. Once again, a powerful and informative book that should be read widely, particularly now that we approach 8 March, International Women's Day.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-85624945851328417082014-12-03T15:52:00.003+01:002014-12-03T15:52:32.938+01:00Exhibit B and the anti-racist dilemma <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RusehWBL4UWPtdVXbhQiviLaLoqYo6-vaoQ3wafzRfsLCCvanQwQ9JlxgizUpVRXfUWv-yY-ljy86HcaDlE0zpiawzEwWxdnyq9K-4vcNXPMvJNp7N3sPFl11axNgv2zDZS-Wi_Idh80/s1600/exhibit+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RusehWBL4UWPtdVXbhQiviLaLoqYo6-vaoQ3wafzRfsLCCvanQwQ9JlxgizUpVRXfUWv-yY-ljy86HcaDlE0zpiawzEwWxdnyq9K-4vcNXPMvJNp7N3sPFl11axNgv2zDZS-Wi_Idh80/s1600/exhibit+b.jpg" height="203" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking right through the eyes of the subjugated</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
How far can art go? Where is the fine line that divides creativity and offensiveness? And who draws this line? When should a piece of art be censored? In fact, should any artistic representation be censored at all? These and other questions pile up as I read extensively about all the heated debate created around the installation/performance <i>Exhibit B</i> by the (white) South-African artist Brett Bailey. If I mention his colour of skin, it is simply because it bears relevance to the matter as this is one of the reasons why his artwork has sparked such controversy.<br />
This live art installation represents a colonial human zoo in what attempts, according to Bailey, to 'explode racial and cultural stereotypes rather than reinforce them'; by placing motionless performers in different positions, the piece aims at confronting and denounce colonialism as well as white European supremacy.<br />
Not so, say many people who protested and signed a petition and who managed to shut down the display at the Barbican in London last September. For its critics, this show is a way of reinforcing prejudices and denigrating Black people.<br />
Similar scenes of protest have been seen in France this month.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pEvCcsXwgIErRxZnKDZU_1XYyWYQwSCxMT-kLFQelISP8TBP2GY6981k2sD4mKQFCoU2VO-jiWB258qrbByXlOXzXHRxRxt-rhM-Nzb2xdztEheidCy6CxS6ee1ccnU4EEGNQXo1GvYT/s1600/EXHIbit+B+2+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pEvCcsXwgIErRxZnKDZU_1XYyWYQwSCxMT-kLFQelISP8TBP2GY6981k2sD4mKQFCoU2VO-jiWB258qrbByXlOXzXHRxRxt-rhM-Nzb2xdztEheidCy6CxS6ee1ccnU4EEGNQXo1GvYT/s1600/EXHIbit+B+2+.jpg" height="182" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colonial human zoos, but is it art?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, the burning question is here again. It has happened so many times, whenever a community feels offended by a representation, from the Satanic Verses to the Sikh community (or some members of it) demanding a play to be stopped, or more recently the case of the Tricycle theatre and the Jewish Film Festival.<br />
I personally find it difficult to back any demand for a show to be censored, unless there is an element suggesting racial, ethnic, religious or gender hatred incitement. As this is clearly not case, I can only lament the fact that due to these protests many people will not be able to make their minds up.<br />
The verdict, then, is pretty clear in this occasion; may Exhibit B offend and disgust some people? Certainly; Can it be labelled as provocative and thought-provoking? Indeed; Are there any grounds for it to be banned? Absolutely not.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-22191717755947164582014-05-23T19:46:00.001+02:002014-05-23T19:47:00.858+02:00James Lovelock:A true maverick of our time<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYLRnNOAL1SVqfLTWDFem1dWSLpSboY7inqGsTcPntSkznXintSuDMy1774v9ctqK2t9sEzum01agh2Xu_byFCep4FPuabk1C20pmV-HJjlXR8D1EEpgalBE2bq1Zdv7n3kgpJzcIAmCu/s1600/James-Lovelock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUYLRnNOAL1SVqfLTWDFem1dWSLpSboY7inqGsTcPntSkznXintSuDMy1774v9ctqK2t9sEzum01agh2Xu_byFCep4FPuabk1C20pmV-HJjlXR8D1EEpgalBE2bq1Zdv7n3kgpJzcIAmCu/s1600/James-Lovelock.jpg" height="218" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ways of seeing, ways of thinking</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The recent publication of <i>A Rough Guide to the Future</i> is the perfect excuse to delve into the extraordinary figure that is the English scientist, environmentalist and writer James Lovelock.At 94, he is still going strong, defiant and controversial as usual.<br />
He rose to fame in the 1970s when he published his Gaia theory, in which he argued that the Earth is a self-regulating entity, thus completely changing the way we understand and talk about the Earth.<br />
Fiercely independent, he remains a true maverick who lives and works outside the main academic headquarters; his views are, therefore, rather unconventional and usually manage to enrage fellow scientists. His latest work, which I haven't read yet, seems to continue in the footsteps of previous books. <br />
His staunch support of nuclear power and his scepticism towards renewable energies made him no friends among environmental campaigners; to many, this amounts to an irrational prejudice with no real scientific basis. In a recent interview in <i>The Guardian</i> he claims that the UK government should promote fracking, which again may raise a few eyebrows.<br />
But for all these controversies and his perhaps sometimes misguided stance, Lovelock is by and large one of the most interesting voices in the scientific world whose curiosity and approach make him a true thinker of our time, an inventor and a person able to understand our future challenges like few do.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-874971499824600762014-03-25T12:46:00.001+01:002014-07-06T23:07:16.749+02:00Journalism by Joe Sacco<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYU348GlX52i233HPBYdIS613mpY1_2SmnDH0dSRJgDPyGs3uwrzVtuRMgMDAdwtbuikNyUE4NNyKYz1x1OFItjLjSoFIM63YBu_HF7h3E8ctr4ejtwhqBJOa5n1c7PCUX2rAvPaZMd7vs/s1600/Journalism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYU348GlX52i233HPBYdIS613mpY1_2SmnDH0dSRJgDPyGs3uwrzVtuRMgMDAdwtbuikNyUE4NNyKYz1x1OFItjLjSoFIM63YBu_HF7h3E8ctr4ejtwhqBJOa5n1c7PCUX2rAvPaZMd7vs/s1600/Journalism.jpg" height="320" width="230" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Telling it like it is</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The undeniable rise of the comic as a respected and widely enjoyed art form has been gathering pace over the last decade; comic artists are starting to enjoy accolades and a well-deserved recognition hitherto unknown. This blog has already written about some of the comic books we have come across in the past and we intend to keep doing so in the future. The wealth of talent and creativity remains huge so there is no excuse, really.<br />
Joe Sacco is a Maltese-US citizen cartoonist and journalist; an intriguing combination that, one would imagine, could produce a more than interesting result.And this is exactly what happens with Sacco's work.<br />
A fascinating mix of his acute observation skills, his drawing talent and his desire to try to understand global conflicts (some of them with very little media coverage), make of Sacco a unique comic-reporter whose work, dare I say, becomes compulsory reading for anyone with an interest in the world we live in.<br />
On top of that, he always manages to portray realities that bring us a different perspective and may even challenge our -- as well as his own-- beliefs and assumptions.<br />
<i>Journalism</i> is in reality a collection of short comics Sacco published over the past years in different magazines (eg The New York Times Magazine, Harper's Magazine or the French XXI).<br />
The book opens with a preface that is a masterpiece in journalism and should be read by aspiring journalists; in it, he challenges the much-vaunted term 'objectivity'; or as he calls it, the Holy of Holies of American (should he add British, too?) journalism.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYMzxO7TXu88mF9wD6986U6ZT1qFUSOT-KbgDYGdvPE0rKAMaJYImH-gmnczBLGB4DAj8FnsvMHhUrNcQgez13oBPf69x3lIx7Qz6CpqX97Q4bj_B5iGtqmJFCZryqtizpifsebvYrbfD/s1600/Sacco-Journalism_0006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbYMzxO7TXu88mF9wD6986U6ZT1qFUSOT-KbgDYGdvPE0rKAMaJYImH-gmnczBLGB4DAj8FnsvMHhUrNcQgez13oBPf69x3lIx7Qz6CpqX97Q4bj_B5iGtqmJFCZryqtizpifsebvYrbfD/s1600/Sacco-Journalism_0006.jpg" height="172" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What follows this edifying piece is a whirlwind tour around the hotspots on the map of conflicts; from Bosnia to Palestine; from the Indian dispossessed to the refugees arriving in his native Malta.<br />
In true Sacco's fashion, he is another character in the stories and he depicts himself as the man he is in all circumstances. His presence and questions are often a risk for his witnesses who are very vulnerable, and he does not hide the fact that he is not always welcome.He can also be irritatingly annoying.<br />
However, he manages to portray with astonishing yet compassionate objectivity the plight of the Chechen women; the humiliations suffered by the Iraqi recruits trained by the US army; the desperate no-man's land of the refugees arriving in Malta; and the harrowing conditions of the untouchable in India.<br />
Heartbreaking, powerful and informative, this book reveals many dark stories, touches complex realities and defies stereotypes.It deserves a wider audience. <br />
<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-29750426647342057702014-01-29T13:17:00.001+01:002014-01-29T13:17:31.592+01:00If I had a hammer...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ583prLRRfzt-90HQngMzXmUc4hVN7sJI_v0iyWV_Kpn6t3A-88XF16WqWc1LnL3tvzZVo7Xb9Zoww8AaNi1s8uuPCesr37kkqmfWMDTnAizz_gk2TgKdS1JIDiWSnL4baOP_ICAo2QF3/s1600/peteSeeger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ583prLRRfzt-90HQngMzXmUc4hVN7sJI_v0iyWV_Kpn6t3A-88XF16WqWc1LnL3tvzZVo7Xb9Zoww8AaNi1s8uuPCesr37kkqmfWMDTnAizz_gk2TgKdS1JIDiWSnL4baOP_ICAo2QF3/s1600/peteSeeger.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The flowers have all gone<br />
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</tbody></table>
For as far as I can remember, Peter Seeger has always been there: not in the spotlight but, rather, discreetly in the background encouraging new artists (including some Bob Dylan), promoting and pioneering causes (environmentalism), defending worker's and minorities rights (Civil Rights Movement), and ensuring that music remained connected to people as an authentic form of expression.And yet, as his recent death has proved, his influence amongst fellow musicians and fans was huge. As the cliché goes, with him an era also goes: that of the troubadour popularising and revitalising people's music whose authenticity credentials were unmatched.<br />
<br />
Seeger's music, it seems to me, would be a fitting music background for Steinbeck's novels; it would accompany the Joad's odyssey in their desperate search for a better life in California, and it would be played as Lennie and George sought their (mis)fortunes among the dispossessed.But as most great artists, his music was understood and felt beyond his native America and the country's working clasess; Seeger's voice sang international causes too, from Cuba to the Spanish Civil War and the rise of totalitarianism in the Soviet Union (though he would remained a communist).<br />
Peter Seeger represents, perhaps like no other, the example of a musician whose music became the soundtrack to people's struggles, accompanying endless fights for those who found themselves on the wrong side of History; the voiceless found one grave and clear voice in someone who was, above all, a symbol of integrity and bonhomie.<br />
Let the future generations discover and cherish his legacy; if we make sure that this happens, then we will know that there will always someone with 'a hammer of justice... and a bell of love, all over this land'.<br />
And that will be the best tribute to Peter Seeger.<br />
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tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-75873315812168838902013-10-25T14:40:00.001+02:002013-10-25T14:40:37.074+02:00Guerrilla Girls: The Avengers of Art<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_mpxxtQ7WnpdGftlZF75SSBpD3PaltQa7BYX50ow5qZZO9pUkqiy8NPT7NVQi7zwl-qDjrIObZRH5uk-kFoNnl2DlvhqJ70c0lTznLtJ2nOFoomgPRC7SugYGyO6MFpUJ4TdQmhXOw-w/s1600/P78793_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_mpxxtQ7WnpdGftlZF75SSBpD3PaltQa7BYX50ow5qZZO9pUkqiy8NPT7NVQi7zwl-qDjrIObZRH5uk-kFoNnl2DlvhqJ70c0lTznLtJ2nOFoomgPRC7SugYGyO6MFpUJ4TdQmhXOw-w/s1600/P78793_10.jpg" height="133" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Naming and shaming: the conscience of modern art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before the likes of Pussy Riot, Femen and other gender-orientated activist groups that have recently sprung up and have somehow created a new wave of feminism that has, once again, put this issue high on the agenda (or at least, I would like to think so), there was a group of women who were true pioneers in shaming and reacting against the old and long-lasting male hegemony in the arts.<br />
<em>Guerrilla Girls</em>, always hiding behind the gorilla masks, were born almost thirty years ago after a supposedly 'international survey' of contemporary art at MoMa in New York had featured only 13 female artists out of a total of 169.<br />
Their direct and simple approach brought a new social conscience and awareness hitherto ignored or forgotten which was further enhanced when they incorporated racial inequality as one of their flags. Through banners, t-shirts, artwork, stickers and also protests, they managed to disseminate their powerful and indisputable message: how institutional art (galleries, museums, academia etc...) had failed to incorporate or take into account women and ethnic minorities, beyond sexual and racial stereotypes.<br />
Art books and exhibitions were overwhelmingly populated by white male artists; these activists, with their gorrila masks as a symbol of anonymity but also what they understood as the beauty cannon, set out to challenge and debunk outdated realities in a post-colonial context.<br />
<br />
Of course, things have changed since the mid-80s and we have the Guerrilla Girls to thank them for this. But as the previously mentioned Femen (a Tea & Sympathy old post has already covered this group), Pussy Riot and others have shown, there is still a long way to go; contemporary art, and the wider society, desperately need more combative voices prepared to challenge and raise awareness. There's plenty of issues out there worth the fight.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-18667114364143275622013-09-27T19:40:00.000+02:002013-09-28T10:41:24.310+02:00NW<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWdy-fatbmMY4vlzocShfTuenflcHrhWCHqZkfZ7tx4j6hFottBu20k5B7SA1aJCzHsyXJKxwb2XI40lLtp5ftCNzptj7rWI5r1Ol-o1AjNQnc4LJgCqCo7bISQI1nnGaLrokMxOsplTq/s1600/zadiesmith_big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWdy-fatbmMY4vlzocShfTuenflcHrhWCHqZkfZ7tx4j6hFottBu20k5B7SA1aJCzHsyXJKxwb2XI40lLtp5ftCNzptj7rWI5r1Ol-o1AjNQnc4LJgCqCo7bISQI1nnGaLrokMxOsplTq/s1600/zadiesmith_big.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">London is the place for me</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Zadie Smith rose to fame as a young writer back in 2001 with her debut <i>White Teeth</i>, an ambitious book that won a few awards an introduced to the literary world a new .Despite its success and critical acclaim, I wasn't hugely impressed by a novel that failed to convince me. As an example, I much preferred and enjoyed Monica Ali's <i>Brick Lane</i>, a book that shared with Smith's a certain look at how migrant communities settled in North London.<br />
The fact that both books had been written by two female writers, themselves examples of those very migrants who had arrived in Britain a generation earlier, seemed to herald a new era in multicultural Britain.<br />
A few books on and it is fair to say that Smith's impressive talent hasn't faded away. In fact, quite the opposite, I think. <br />
After the stylish and funny <i>On Beauty</i>, an acid satire of academia across the pond, this talented writer takes us now all the way back to North West London (hence the title); this way, the author stays home turf as this is where she was born.<br />
The book follows the lives of four Londoners who grew up in the same North West council estate; two of them, Leah and Natalie, have been best friends ever since a dramatic event in a swimming pool brought them together. The other two, Felix and Nathan, had led their own lives but through different events, they will eventually encounter their old friends.<br />
It has been said that no other writer has been able to capture London life like this since Dickens. That seems to me rather a statement which I don't feel qualified to agree with or even question. Regardless, Zadie Smith's prose is brilliant, it flows in such a way that one imagines and hears the characters' accents as though they were talking to you. That is where the merits of this novel lay.<br />
<i>NW </i> grabs you from the very first page with splendid and very well defined characters and a vibrant story (or stories) that resonates with anyone, Londoner or otherwise, who has experienced what urban life is like.<br />
A highly recommend read.<br />
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<i><br /></i>tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-31666185739257483312013-09-06T11:22:00.000+02:002013-09-28T10:42:58.281+02:00Those who burn books<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCJUXTp8ZO1L-L0i5XimVy7xPw3x809XVVIgaD8J9KIMmAlYkU6rrPKR1MNjpJAZUxZhUTmzJ_-tIWRxgog2u8OEX5txfNrLlW8afuU_4lWDdD_1e_ywUqXt9xIJyAcErHu7VVPXxO7fj/s1600/fahreinheit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcCJUXTp8ZO1L-L0i5XimVy7xPw3x809XVVIgaD8J9KIMmAlYkU6rrPKR1MNjpJAZUxZhUTmzJ_-tIWRxgog2u8OEX5txfNrLlW8afuU_4lWDdD_1e_ywUqXt9xIJyAcErHu7VVPXxO7fj/s1600/fahreinheit.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Burn them to ashes, then burn the ashes'<br />
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</tbody></table>
Here's a proper classic, one of those books you are meant to read before you die, so I'm I glad I eventually did. Published in 1953, it's worth remembering that the McCarhty era was at its height, so in a way the story makes more sense when seeing against a climate of censorship and fear, in which intellectual activity is regarded as suspicious by the powers that be.<br />
Bradbury clearly struck gold by imagining a dystopian society that bans books and has firemen burning them rather than putting out fires; it's a bleak scenario indeed, one that at the very least engages the reader in a way that few other novels do, and that's where the true genius of Bradbury's creation lies.<br />
I wouldn't be saying anything new if, as most people have, I link it with other equally unsettling and disturbing novels such as, of course, Orwell's <i>1984</i> and Huxley's <i>Brave New World</i>.<br />
All three share a somehow prophetic and critical view of Western society, touching subjects that today, decades later, have become commonplace. Conformity, drugs and how our lives are controlled by the media and technology were advanced by these visionaries.<br />
<i>Fahrenheit 451</i> is the temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns, apparently.Guy Montag, the main character, is one of those firemen in charge of burning books. However, his life changes when he meets Clarisse, a young girl who is 'seventeen and crazy' whose free-thinking attitude will challenge the fireman's approach and outlook.<br />
It is easy to imagine the influence this book has had not only on other science-fiction writers of the time but also on people with some sort of critical attitude and dislike of totalitarian regimes, particularly given the book's powerful insight into what such a society will look like.<br />
In short, this is a must-read that, sixty years from its publication, still dazzles and intrigues the reader.<br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-55454365833573188592013-08-22T10:21:00.000+02:002013-09-28T10:44:02.039+02:00Tweeting misogony <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPl-eqp46WJiWPcqU-_oSOlDWKlWWKaHCb7KR55QFjbCkoejSPtpZBpdqvLs-ZF2e_4oAua3CTf0Df6fH8aOcS1inTIVXG-QxCnXoumGfCB0rRF7BZISeJ0_8lz9KItbQjCe_aiPcikBD/s1600/ku-xlarge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPl-eqp46WJiWPcqU-_oSOlDWKlWWKaHCb7KR55QFjbCkoejSPtpZBpdqvLs-ZF2e_4oAua3CTf0Df6fH8aOcS1inTIVXG-QxCnXoumGfCB0rRF7BZISeJ0_8lz9KItbQjCe_aiPcikBD/s1600/ku-xlarge.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jane Austen will feature on the £10 notes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is worrying to see how certain people make use of the anonymity offered by certain social networks to spread hate and abuse. It is one thing to be a pathetic and sad troll who finds solace and -perhaps- a sort of needed self-esteem by annoying and antagonising other people day in day out: it is a very different one to threaten and insult other users in unacceptable ways.<br />
We have
lately
witnessed a trend whereby users- mostly men- issue death and rape threats to women who have been vocal against different issues affecting women's rights and injustices.<br />
As I mentioned, there have been a few examples of women being subjected to abuse recently, including some well-known campaigners and journalists.<br />
I was particularly interested in the case of activist Caroline Criado-Perez, the woman behind the campaign that asked the Bank of England to reconsider their decision of replacing social reformer Elizabeth Fry by Winston Churchill on the £5 notes. This would mean that no woman, apart from the Queen, would feature on the English bank notes An online petition asking Mervyn King, the Bank of England Governor, to reconsider this eventually succeeded and so Jane Austen will feature on the £10 notes from 2017.<br />
I'd assume that most people would cheer this decision as an example of how a social media campaign has real consequences, even when it comes to powerful institutions such as the Bank of England.<br />
However, this does not seem the case with those who chose to spit their anger and sexist attitude on Twitter, threatening Criado-Perez in such a way that saw the social network being questioned about its policies on how to handle these threats.<br />
At least one man has been arrested by the police and the whole issue has been widely debated, which may or may not deter other people from cowardly hiding behind anonymous accounts to spread hate and get away with it.<br />
Campaigners, regardless of their gender, should feel safe when using the social media to highlight and promote their causes. Let's just hope this is the case from now on.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-31733817136211585462013-07-10T00:25:00.000+02:002016-12-13T09:46:31.795+01:00Rewriting History: the people's viewpoint <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfmETvfJTh74SBl_hKlZxRFQrQUPsWMM8TRCx9W4XZRJjf19ckMniql7GrE-a7CelGzSu1U0ta1nVQbIoIdLz65mhM0n2TLCHUJ-h8yxdhhB9_iAVqCOFZWZSQemJn7MAd535DKPRYd5j/s1600/ZINN-BOOK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfmETvfJTh74SBl_hKlZxRFQrQUPsWMM8TRCx9W4XZRJjf19ckMniql7GrE-a7CelGzSu1U0ta1nVQbIoIdLz65mhM0n2TLCHUJ-h8yxdhhB9_iAVqCOFZWZSQemJn7MAd535DKPRYd5j/s1600/ZINN-BOOK.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A people's perspective on history</td></tr>
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Howard Zinn was a historian (1922-2010) whose book written in 1980 <i>A People's History of the United States </i>became an instant success and one of the more influential accounts of this country's past. The reason for this phenomenal success ( the book has sold more that two million copies!) is Zinn's different approach, which completely demystifies the official version most students were taught at school. Instead, Zinn chooses to write its book from 'the other side', giving voice to those people whose fate was ignored by those mainstream books.<br />
Its relevance and interest was such that a comic version was imagined and adapted a few years ago (2008) by political cartoonist Mike Konopackin and senior lecturer Paul Buhle. This is great news for those who find the lengthy original book a bit too much and prefer the more dynamic and visual- albeit less academic- language of comics.<br />
The comic sets off with that eventful morning in New York on 11 September and the subsequent speecht made by George Bush, full of hatred and vengeance, announcing immediate retaliation. Zinn's answer to that is: they have learned nothing from the twentieth century's events.<br />
After this reflection, the book delves into those events that have shaped the history of the United States but, as mentioned before, not as you know it. Here, you will learn how the white supremacists annihilated the Native Americans; you will learn about the dirty strategies and diplomacy used in Cuba and the Philippines; you will come across familiar names such as Rockefeller, Morgan etc.. early capitalists who amassed vast fortunes on the back of the exploited and humiliated working classes.<br />
Thus, the book goes on to depict the portrait of a nation meddling in any affair that may be beneficial for U.S. interests leaving behind an atrocious trace of massacres and impunity.<br />
Judging by the recent revelations in the form of espionage, WikiLeaks, Guantanamo etc...this nation may be still a long way from learning the lessons Howard Zinn was hoping for: the cycle of stupidity may still continue for a while.<br />
In the meantime, reading this book is a good way of gaining a better understanding of the Empire. <br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-9309861595013372312013-07-03T17:52:00.000+02:002013-07-03T17:52:15.110+02:00Femen: the topless revolution<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYArTjEvMNVMCyGfCvUQJ00GxaepvbyS8fx5DqZNB2lRiOvmXgel9med0xKZVRZsUvOV9EtQzxE_EkdMToybXY6ww7hmLZ8nXnDJeNg3unY-xfp0KT9QX1K9OowVuqj1LQZA4NPCs-XGA/s259/FEMEN.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYArTjEvMNVMCyGfCvUQJ00GxaepvbyS8fx5DqZNB2lRiOvmXgel9med0xKZVRZsUvOV9EtQzxE_EkdMToybXY6ww7hmLZ8nXnDJeNg3unY-xfp0KT9QX1K9OowVuqj1LQZA4NPCs-XGA/s259/FEMEN.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breasts Feed Revolution<br />
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</tbody></table>
The protest movement that started back in 2008 in Kiev, Ukraine, under the name of FEMEN, has become one of the most recognisable <i>brands</i> worldwide.<br />
One thing is clear about this group of young women activists: they pull no punches when it comes to make themselves heard.<br />
Thanks to their trademark approach, which mainly involves organising topless protests against religious institutions, world leaders, international institutions (eg. FIFA), embassies and other targets, FEMEN have also alienated many people, not only from the (predictably) more conservative sectors of society but also from more supposedly liberal and progressive people who dismiss these tactics as counterproductive and even as 'racist colonial feminism'. Feminist groups and Muslim women, among others, have been very critical of FEMEN's strategies.<br />
Nudity, it would appear, still makes people uncomfortable; women's nudity even more so.<br />
Facebook had recently had its moment of glory (again!) when it decided to block FEMEN's account after accusing the activist group of 'promoting pornography and prostitution', something that smacks of double standards.<br />
Either Facebook can't cope with the sight of women shouting and exposing the hypocrisy of a fundamentally corrupted moral system or- perhaps more likely- they find FEMEN's message hard to swallow (perhaps bowing to the pressure coming from high above?).<br />
But they continue-unfazed- their mission, caring very little about what the breast-phobics have to say and if there is something I admire about them is their determination and courage. Their ability to expose the powerful (men) who allow themselves to preach morality is outstanding and remarkable.<br />
You may or may not agree with their ways of protest but if there is something clear about the emergence of FEMEN is that they have brought back to the table feminism and what does being a feminist mean in the 21st century. And just for that, I think, they must be heard and respected.<br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-42381098978842585472013-06-12T11:36:00.000+02:002013-07-02T17:30:19.778+02:00The Mau Mau Uprising <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisVbpuPE31eLaowR_WRqAiAdfn9ojI2hlBq2cmOiFdagLXKf1SsuR8Tl31AjgkZr1k2J7iMCWmORfUVR7Giekd1-QIzxyo4jMidGoqnQA7zyX_wFNewZAweYArld-_NGsOt9Z8E6ZWIHrk/s1600/maumaugang.jpg" height="165" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fighting colonialism<br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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</tbody></table>
The long shadow of colonialism was still very present last week in Nairobi when William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, apologised for the atrocities committed against members of the Kenyan resistance movement known as the Mau Mau in the 1950s on behalf of the British government.<br />
This was a great victory for those 200 elderly members of the Kikuyu people who travelled to the Kenyan capital and, no doubt, the first of many other similar cases in which the UK will have to apologise and compesate financially victims of similar cases of torture and ill-treatment.<br />
<br />
The <i>Mau Mau Rebellion </i>was an anti-colonial movement that fought the British in Kenya; like many other African nationalistic movements of that time, their aim was to send the white colonisers back to Europe and take their own destiny in their hands as they had become politically aware of a situation that was oppressing them in their own native land.<br />
By applying the old 'divide and rule' technique, the British were able to undermine the Mau Mau, so widespread support for their cause was never really achieved.<br />
The rebellion was finally crushed by 1956 but the way for a process that would lead to the eventual Kenyan independence had been somehow paved with this uprising whose cause and brutal treatment received is now acknowledged.<br />
It has taken 60 long years for a senior member of the British government to apologise, but future expressions of regret will be heard again.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-70238878290399973952013-05-29T13:21:00.000+02:002014-10-30T10:07:01.838+01:00Striking where it hurts<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XNEJ7R4uxwbZJAwGcxV2uH26eCzuqtZSWcI-C_zfIq1eIhPQq28Cz9wsFTpZ2IJFri3sW7TGwwwGKmeEtihyb37HvnZVCd7BUQTlalE0aTMQO7El4fROaZI2bFbJR-V3Yo_0Jya40jm_/s1600/hawkings.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-XNEJ7R4uxwbZJAwGcxV2uH26eCzuqtZSWcI-C_zfIq1eIhPQq28Cz9wsFTpZ2IJFri3sW7TGwwwGKmeEtihyb37HvnZVCd7BUQTlalE0aTMQO7El4fROaZI2bFbJR-V3Yo_0Jya40jm_/s1600/hawkings.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a stand</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are few topics that bring so much controversy as the Israel-Palestine endless dispute; whether it be an article, a comment or a gesture, it's bound to create a heated and - in many an occasion- aggressive debate that very rarely becomes a constructive exchange that may somehow bring closer both sides, or at least some understanding.<br />
The boycott of an Israeli conference earlier this month by one of the world's leading scientists as a protest for Israel's treatment of Palestinians was therefore the kind of political stand that would not leave anyone indifferent; and, of course, it didn't.<br />
As predicted, the furore caused by the Cambridge University Professor was extraordinary; arguments on both sides tried to make their point and show how Hawking was right/wrong.<br />
This is not the first time a well-known figure chooses to publicly condemn Israel for its behaviour regarding Palestine; and it won't be the last one.<br />
What perhaps sets this protest apart is the fact that Stephen Hawking was always considered as a brilliant mind who rarely intervened in politics; that someone who is widely respected for his scientific achievements as well as his fight against a degenerative disease decides to pull out of an academic conference in Jerusalem was perhaps an unexpected move.<br />
By doing so, Hawking has brought to the table the old debate on the relevance/appropriateness of a boycott to Isreal,and most particularly in this case, the academic boycott.<br />
While I'm not 100% sure of the effectiveness of an academic boycott of Israeli <i>per se</i>,<i> </i>I can clearly see why Hawking decided not to rub shoulders with Shimon Peres, Israel's President, at a conference.<br />
The debate is out there;unfortunately, there won't be a negotiated solution to the conflict any time soon (in my opinion, anyway) but Hawking's unequivocal gesture should make people think.<br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-12889134183358409682013-04-19T18:04:00.000+02:002013-04-26T12:40:36.946+02:00Angel's share<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_K0qHQTO6Dp7dgVBI_BKXahMHwdMe8q6WFIO0zg0qrlC3fYcDw_m_EefvtZQHDztadrR3lR7IOwa16mazvnihkSJIpLVAO0RggvrEgVsprosRmQJ4CtDonGfszuV2QoDZIfFgii_5Lyf/s1600/angels-share-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI_K0qHQTO6Dp7dgVBI_BKXahMHwdMe8q6WFIO0zg0qrlC3fYcDw_m_EefvtZQHDztadrR3lR7IOwa16mazvnihkSJIpLVAO0RggvrEgVsprosRmQJ4CtDonGfszuV2QoDZIfFgii_5Lyf/s1600/angels-share-008.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distilling dreams of a better future in the Highlands</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
You may not associate Ken Loach with comedy but his latest -and brilliant- film <i>Angel's share</i> made me laugh out loud. After exploring the underworld and dirty businesses that Western companies undertake in post-war Iraq, Loach has turned to a familiar place,Scotland, and more particularly that utterly amazing ( I must confess, I love it) city that is Glasgow.<br />
What does not change though, is Loach's and Paul Laverty's humanistic approach; in a miserable world there is room for poetic justice, those little victories that defeat the routine and brigthen up the lives of those who are always pushed aside and denied that opportunity that may change things for the better.<br />
Focusing on a group of young Glasgewians sentenced to community payback who find their own angel in Harry, their caring and sweet supervisor, the film follows their trail to the Highlands in their pursue of a very rare whisky that is going to be auctioned; whisky auctions, like art auctions, are for the extremely rich, capable of paying outrageous amounts of money for that special sip.<br />
However, things don't quite turn up as expected for the mighty-yet blissfully ignorant- millionaires. <br />
Loach's eye is once again more interested in the fate of the unlikely heroes of a party they weren't invented to.It's their time to get their part of the pie.<br />
The beautiful title of this upbeat film refers to the 2% of whisky that evaporates from the casks each year.<br />
Played by non-professional actors, <i>Angel's share </i>is very well performed and very funny, far from the gloomy films that we saw in the past. There is hope and it must be shared.tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-2144364681690028472013-04-14T20:14:00.000+02:002013-04-14T20:14:40.014+02:00Thatcherites <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thacherites by name, your faults I proclaim (Billy Bragg)</td></tr>
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Margaret Thatcher's death last week has been met with countless debates and exchanges on the net and elsewhere, most of them pretty heated, to say the least.Hardly surprising for such a controversial figure, whose legacy still lingers on and whose ability to irritate and charm- depending on the side of the fence you were on- was peerless. <br />
What most people seem to agree on, though, is the fact that the doctrines she started in the early 80s are very much alive and well and a whole army of Thacherites have assumed the lady's teachings with gusto.<br />
Beyond the way Thacher's approach changed the Conservative Party itself, I think that it's hard to ignore the influence she had on the (New) Labour Party too; when the latter won the elections in 1997, they simply decided to continue the same path, albeit with a softer approach and with more social policies.<br />
In fact, Thacherites became Blairites, and the rest is history...<br />
The world will witness the Iron Lady's funeral this week, on a broadcast beamed to the world and with all the state honours reserved for its leaders; we won't bury, however, the policies she so stubbornly and arrogantly advocated.<br />
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5544333167506950071.post-4438960149013621152013-04-05T18:15:00.001+02:002013-04-05T18:15:18.827+02:00Cartooning for Peace<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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No laughing matter</td></tr>
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Cartoon: such a simple yet wonderful word, vibrant and magic, evocative and innocent. Think of this word and it is quite likely that it will immediately bring images of your favourite cartoons, those that made you laugh out loud, think and even cry. Think of a world without cartoonists and...well, I won't even dare.<br />
Cartoonists, armed with their brilliant minds full of ideas and their pens, produce work that for all their simplicity manage to provoke the most varied reactions; sometimes these reactions are quite extreme and we all have in mind cases in which cartoonists land in trouble due to some 'controversial' cartoon.<br />
To support and ensure that cartoonists work remains independent, a fantastic initiative to support and encourage cartoonists was created a few years ago, under the supervision of French cartoonists Plantu (Le Monde) and former UN Secretary General and Nobel Prize winner Kofi Annan.<br />
As you may imagine, <em>Cartooning for Peace (<a href="http://www.cartooningforpeace.org/">http://www.cartooningforpeace.org/</a></em>) aims to promote a better understanding between people from different cultures as well as fight and defend cartoonists right to freedom of expression.<br />
This is all more interesting when we think about the massive cultural gap when cartoonists tackle issues related to religion, as the editors of French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo know too well, whose headquarters were bombed after publishing a special issue featuring cartoons of Mohammed.<br />
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I was reminded of this whole issue concerning cartoonists' rights and freedoms while reading the graphic novel <em>An Iranian Metamorphosis</em> by Mana Neyestani; a personal account of the hell he went through after publishing a seemingly innocent cartoon and then becoming the scapegoat for a tyranical and farcical regime.<br />
Neyestani's story is a timely reminder of the prospects faced by cartoonists all over the world.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Kafkaesque nightmare</td></tr>
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<br />tea and sympathyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17880780936767847332noreply@blogger.com0