Old possum's book of practical cats

Talking about animals, this link is not related to birds, even though I know Emilio loves birdwatching, but you can find TS Elliot's Old possum's book of practical cats really awesome if you're into cats. However, even if you're not a cat lover you can find it quite entertaining and they're really worth reading poems.

The Transkei-Mandela's home

The Transkei-Mandela's home

As all of you, I'm reading the book about Nelson Mandela: Mandela's way. It's really very interesting and I've discovered the true nature of a man that I always liked so much, but  I deeply admire now. I'm learning a lot about him and I'm really impressed about everything he did and, above all, how he did it. In my opinion, the author depicts a really realistic portrait of a man of the 20th century that tries to leave his footprint in the 21st century. And I'm sure he's just done it. The Transkei is mentioned in several chapters and it seems that it has influenced Mandela's character and personality. So I decided to surf the net and find the place that is so important for Mandela.  Here you have the introduction of the page where you can locate the Transkey in a map.

The Boy From the Transkei. The rolling green hills of the rural Transkei (see map) is the place Mandela thinks of as home; it is there he has built his retirement house. Growing up in the royal kraal of the Madiba clan, Mandela was groomed to be advisor to the King of Thembus.

The Long Walk of Nelson Mandela

FRONTLINE profiles the most widely known and revered political leader in the world--Nelson Mandela. Credited with the reversal of apartheid in a South Africa controlled by two generations of stern Afrikaner leaders who enforced the ideology of racial separation, Mandela stands as an all-embracing giant who brought about his nationÌs extraordinary peaceful transformation to democracy.

In the most in-depth film biography of Mandela ever undertaken, the broadcast tells the story of his life through interviews with intimates--from his most trusted associates to his jailers on Robben Island, the prison where he was held for twenty-seven years. The two-hour film offers an insider's account of his extraordinary will to lead and of the great risk and personal sacrifice he endured to achieve democracy and equality for the people of his nation.

You can find a very interesting interview with Richard Stengel. I haven't read it all, though I'm sure I'll do it, because it can help me understand the author's admiration for Mandela.

And in addition, you can find an intimate portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest leaders: Mandela, the revolutionary; Mandela, the prisoner; Mandela, husband and lover. Hope you enjoy it!

songs about globalization

Songs about Globalization

Citizen of the Planet by Alanis Morisette

Quite a powerful song in terms of style, in rock and roll fashion. The visual, for those who know what is editing, is done quite stylistically too, disembodied parts of people as well as the lack of a human figure to empathise with, shows how 'alienating' and 'placeless' globalization can be. Aptly named "Citizen of the planet". No mentioned of countries at all.

Citizen Of The Planet Lyrics
I start up in the North
I grow from special seed
I sprinkle in with sensibility
From French and Hungarian snow
I linger in the sprouting until my engine’s full

Then I move across the sea
To European bliss
To language of poets
As I cut the cord of home
I Kiss my mother’s mother
Look to the horizon

Wide eyed, new ground humbled by my new surroundings

I am a citizen of the planet
My president is Kwan Yin
My frontier is on na airplane
My prisons: homes for rehabilitating

Then I fly back to my nest,
I fly back with my nuclear
But everithing is different

So I wait, My yearn for home is broadened,
Patriotism expanded
by callings from beyond

So I Pack my things nothing precious all things sacred
[Citizen Of The Planet Lyrics on http://elyricsworld.com ]
I am a citizen of the planet
My laws are all of attraction
My punishiments are consequences
Separating from source the original sin

I am a citizen of the planet
Democracy’s kids are sovereign
Where the teachers are the sages
And pedestals fill with every parent

And so, next few years are blurry,
the next decade’s a flurry of
amells and tastes unknown

Threads sewn straight through this fabric
through fields of every color
one culture to another

I come alive and I get giddy I am taken and globally naturalized

I am a citizen of the planet
From simple roots through high vision
I am guarded by the angels
My body guides the direction I go in

I am a citizen of the planet
My favorite pastime edge stretching
Besotten with human condition
These ideals are borne from my deepest within

Using Songs to Build International Understanding and Solidarity

By Bob Peterson
Songs, like poetry, are powerful tools to build consciousness and solidarity on global issues. We begin everyday in my classroom with our "song of the week." Students receive the song lyrics and keep them in their three-ring binders. The songs generally relate to topics of study. I allow students to bring in songs as well, although they must know the lyrics and have a reason for sharing the song with classmates. By the end of the week, students may not have memorized the words to the "song of the week," but they are familiar enough with the lyrics and music so that the song becomes "theirs." Even with some of the songs that I would imagine the children think poorly of - say, some of the slower folk songs - by the end of the week the children demand to hear them a second or third time each morning.
When I introduce a song, I go over the geographical connections using a classroom map. I also explain any vocabulary words that might be difficult. Finally, and most importantly, I give the social context. Depending on whether I use the song at the beginning of a unit of study, or in the middle, the amount of "context setting" varies greatly. For example, I use Nancy Schimmel's "1492" as a way to introduce the Columbus controversy. We ultimately locate the geographical origin and learn something about the Native nations she mentions. The following is a listing of songs that teachers and activists might find useful as they teach for justice in an unjust world. This list is in no way comprehensive, and I would appreciate receiving any additional suggestions. (Visit www.rethinkingschools.org/rg for an updated list.)

Music is an effective tool for raising awareness, expressing emotions and prompting action. Many musicians are very conscious of the environment. Here are 8 top songs about climate change. The songs are new and old, fast and slow, funny and serious, by the famous and the unknown.


I hope you can enjoy all these songs. They're really worth listening.

Kennedy's speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I know I told you I was going to talk about global issues in my next entry. But I have watched Bobby Kennedy's speech on the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and something has grasped my attention. He mentions  Aeschylus and then recites a few lines of a poem:

"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

 Here you have the original poem.

Wisdom comes through suffering.
Trouble, with its memories of pain,
Drips in our hearts as we try to sleep,
So men against their will
Learn to practice moderation.
Favours come to us from gods.

Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek dramatist (Æschylus)
Agamemnon, l. 179

Alt. trans.:
"He who learns must suffer
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget
Falls drop by drop upon the heart,
And in our own despite, against our will,
Comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."

I have found out that the above alternate was misquoted by Robert Kennedy in his speecn on the assassination of Martin Luther King (4 Apr 1968). Kennedy's family used it as an epitaph on his grave Arlington National Cemetery:

"In our sleep, pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart
until, in our own despair, against our will,
comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

climate change

Global warming: climate change

I don't want to discuss cause and effect; it's quite late for that. What is essential is to find a solution and to move on. For instance, what do we make of it "IF the ice caps melt "and all that fresh ice water goes into the ocean currents near the poles? Do you really think the currents will drop temperature? Or will we get more evaporation causing more cloud cover and heavier rain and storms? Will the water levels rise a massive amount in a short space of time? Will the planet self regulate and we are panicking over nothing? Will the planet heat up and destroy our environment? To my mind, it is obvious that global warming is a reality. The key question is wether this is due to natural causes or to human activity.
Watch this video and think about it.

After watching this video, there seems little doubt that this recent, deep rise in temperatures is due to human beings. Moreover, it's very clear that hadn't it  been by our own actions, there would have been found less temperature changes. I completely agree with Richard Attenborough when he explains that the variations in "the climate are enduced by human activity". A group of climate scientists prepared a graph in which they explain the process. Up to the 1970s the variations of the climate can be explained by natural causes. However, from this decade on what causes these variations is the human factor.


Nevertheless, who is really to blame for global warming? That's another key question to which I'll try to give an answer in my next entry.


 

Iñaki Gabilondo

Here you have a short video, it lasts about 36 seconds, in which you can listen to Iñaki Gabilondo. To my mind, he's one of the best journalists in our country. I have always admired him, but one of the things I like best is his voice: a deep kind voice...

Celtic trees pictures

Yesterday afternoon, following Emilio's recommendation, I decided to have a look at Alberto's blog. To my mind, he has posted a very interested article about The Celtic Tree Calendar by Michealín Daugherty. I started reading it and, as I was doing it, I tried to make a mental picture of all these trees. It was impossible! I felt really frustrated. So I decided to look for these pictures on the net. And I discovered a very interesting web page with these Celtic trees pictures. But I got amazed when I found out a lot more revealling and surprising information about the Celts. Therefore, if you're really into Celtic culture this is the webpage for you. You can find different links about all the Celtic Symbols, the Celtic animals, the Celtic Archetypes, the Celtic astrology, the Celtic knots and other miscellaneous data that can help you understand deeply their way of living and, above all, their strong connection to nature. Hope you enjoy it!

Nuria

"If you want something in life reach out and grab it."

The sentence shown above has been said many times, but it can be interpreted in different ways.  This phrase can be more for people that have things that are readily available to obtain, but the person is too shy or too lazy to just get, or at least try to get what they want. Moreover, to grab is a metaphor; in this context means: if you want to have something, then do all necessary to get it. That means that if you really, really wan't something, then you should grab it, you should never miss the appretonitie. That also means that you have maybe only one chance; you have to work hard to get it! You have to stick for it and never let go! To some extent, applied to life in general it means: never give up, never let others decide for you, never be afraid to make mistakes; but learn from them and do it better the next time.  Unfortunately, this phrase is simply not true (in many cases at least). Many times people want things which they can never have, no matter what they’ll do. It’s frustrating but that’s how it is. The ancient Stoic school explained that the problem, in fact, is our desire to possess things we can not have, and if you accept things as they are (the opposite of “grabbing it” !), you’ll be happy. In conclusion, the final point is to never just wait for good things to come to you, if you see any good opportunity, take it. Life is too short. If you let things you want slip away, you may never get a crack and have them again. It means that if you sit back and expect life to come to you, you'll be disappointed... If you want things, you need to grab them for yourself... The phrase means you have to try to get what you want and you can't just sit and wait. Don't let opportunities pass you by...If you feel it's right for you go for it.

 

Here you have the soundtrack of the film  Into the Wild . The message is : find the people in your life that are “magic”.  And then show it to them.  Live it.  Reach out and hold on with your love.

 

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Raining again: when it rains there are people, like me, who prefer to stay at home in their free time. And there are loads of things you can do while being at home. I'm not going to write you here that list; better than that, I'm going to give you a clear example. One of my favourites is listening to good music. Here you have one song that is very approprite for a rainy day like this one. Hope you enjoy it ! You can listen to it even if it isn't raining.