En mi fascinación por África, los exploradores y las exploraciones son una de mis predilecciones. Siempre me han atraido sus perfiles y sus historias, desde los míticos Livingstone o Stanley, los aventureros y cazadores como Speke o Thomson, los románticos como Burton o incluso los actuales como Michael Fay.

Pero desde luego, he tenido la suerte de conocer en mis viajes y safaris a otros personajes mucho más anónimos que desde luego siguen portando el espíritu y el ánimo de los exploradores de la época más dorada y añorada de África. De todos estos, de los famosos y de los desconocidos, de los de ayer y de los de hoy, me gustaría escribir en esta sección, Exploradores.

Mauri en apogeo. Catarata en Loita Forest, tras dos días andando. Kenya, enero de 2006

Y de quién mejor para comenzar esta galería de héroes que mi amigo, maestro y segundo padre: el doctor Mauricio Llodio, un doctor Livingstone actual con muchísimos kilómetros a sus espaldas; en viajes, excursiones, exploratorias y safaris de muy diversa índole.

Cuando conocí a Mauri, en esas casualidades y momentos dificiles que nos depara el destino, no paraba de hablar de sus viajes, de sus expediciones y sus rutas por el Mundo, muchas de ellas en viajes de cooperación. No en vano es el Presidente de la Fundación Coopera, entidad de Ayuda al Desarrollo. Recuerdo hablarle de mi fascinación y mis, aún entonces, sueños africanos, y recuerdo que nada más conocerme prometió llevarme a África... y lo cumplió, vaya si lo cumplió!

Un par de años después hicimos la Exploratoria Loita - Coopera 2002. Un safari inolvidable de unas cuantas semanas de duración en el que visitamos numerosos proyectos de cooperación, identificamos nuevos proyectos y del que salió un pozo para los masais en Loita. Ese fue mi primer contacto con África y no pudo ser más auténtico y fascinante.

Caminando con guerreros masais. Loita Hills, Kenya. Marzo de 2002

Y es que viajar con Mauri es una gozada. No hay ruta trazada, no hay plan de viaje, tan solo dejarse llevar a dónde lleve el destino. En un solo día con Mauri en Loita Hills, llegamos a despertar rodeados de guerreros moranis masai, pasear al amanecer y verles cazar una gacela Thomson, preparar un opíparo desayuno, montar una oficina de campaña, recibir a improvisados visitantes tanzanos, preparar propuestas de proyectos de cooperación, operar de urgencia a un niño y salvarle la vida (Mauri es el mejor médico que he conocido nunca), firmar un acuerdo para firmar un pozo, jugar con los guerreros masai, ir a ver una colina desde la cual divisar el Lago Natron y cenar una fabada Litoral en plena sabana, en un campamento rodeado de hienas y chacales.

A ese viaje, además, le debo conocer por primera vez Masai Mara, Serengeti, Loliondo, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Nairobi y Arusha... y sobre todo a Topo, a Milton, a Dixon, a Daniel, a Shukri, a Kirotie, a Mogue... y tantos otros a los que hoy tengo la suerte de llamar amigos.

Así es Mauri, eléctrico, con mil cosas en la cabeza, hablando su spanglish atropellamente y en tres minutos pasar de hablar de medicina a cómo funciona un paraguas con cualquier paisano que se cruza por su camino. Viajero atípico, le da igual pasar de dormir al raso junto al fuego (se queda frito en 3 segundos) o en cualquier tugurio de Shangai, que disfrutar de los lujos del mejor Lodge que pueda haber en África. Siempre es el primero en levantarse, y en menos que canta un gallo te despierta con su última ocurrencia o con cualquiera de sus cientos de proyectos que lleva en esa cabeza que nunca para.

Preparando el desayuno con Topo y Milton. Loita Hills, Kenya. Marzo de 2002

Oficina de campo en Loita Hills, Kenya. Marzo de 2002

Mauri es un gran viajero que se adapta a las circustancias y te hace el viaje ameno, te lleva de su mano cuando hace falta y te la suelta cuando es necesario dejarte espacio. Disfruta de cada detalle y te contagia su entusiasmo. Su generosidad y empatía hacia los demás está siempre patente en sus viajes. Cada vez que conoce a alguien siempre está maquinando cómo ayudarle o beneficiarle y por despistado que parezca (y que en el fondo, es), tarde o temprano acaba ideando la solución a su problema o la combinación de factores, personas o negocios que puedan ayudar a dicho personaje.

A Mauri le he visto, como he mencionado antes, salvar la vida a un niño masai, negociar con habilidad y regatear hasta la saciedad en los mercados africanos (para sacar adelante sus proyectos de comercio solidario), tratar con jeques, principes, sultanes y mendigos, o en cinco minutos convencer a un artista local, llamado Preto,  que le hiciera un busto en madera (veridico, en Bonito. Brasil).

En el Pantanal de Mato Grosso do Sul. Brasil, diciembre de 2005

Mauri ha recorrido el Mundo casi de cabo a rabo, por tierra, mar y aire. Desde su primera gran exploratoria en los años 70 desde Madrid a la India, en plan hippie, haciendo autoestop y colándose en trenes y cruzando el Afganistan pre-talibán; ha recorrido gran parte de Sudamérica, África, Europa, Norteamérica y más recientemente Asia (aunque hace unos años Japón fue su segunda casa), enamorándose en los últimos años de Birmania. Es además un experimentado buceador, pescador, y como buen vasco que es, un buen marinero.

Además a Mauri le debo el haberme descubierto su otro hogar, que es Brasil, y haberlo hecho con la gran familia que tiene allí, pues su abuelo emigró del País Vasco al Mato Grosso en una aventura que bien merece un libro. Allí, junto a su primo Marco Antonio, hicimos una exploratoria del Pantanal Matogrosense que ha sido uno de los viajes más espectaculares que he hecho nunca.

"Medición de campo" de una piel de pitón. Loita Hills, Kenya. Marzo de 2002

Una vez Mauri me enseñó una lista de títulos de futuros libros que tiene en su mente, pues su cabeza es siempre mucho más rápida que su cuerpo, y de corazón espero que un día los escriba, pues tiene mucho que contar, que decir, y que transmitir.

Yo por mi parte creo que nunca seré capaz de expresar lo agradecido y orgulloso que me siento por este Hombre, digno de mi más profunda Admiración, con mayusculas. En mis recuerdos de viaje más preciados tengo muchos momentos con Mauri, y no hay ni uno solo que no me haga sonreir.

El Doctor Livingstone y el Doctor Livingstone. Londres, marzo de 2002

Tras una operación de campo. Loita Hills, Kenya. Marzo de 2002

Con Mauri, ante el Río Negro. Brasil, diciembre de 2002

A Clockwork Orange

What can I say about this masterpiece that hasn't already been said? The theme is the most interesting there could be, that whether it's right to be bad by choice or to be forced to be good.... tackled beautifully by Anthony Burgess, the author of the novel it's based upon. And Kubrick has done justice to the book, like I assume he always does with every movie of his.

The story is set in the future, well, atleast the future as perceived by the people in the 1970s. The setting is the work of a genius, and slowly consumes you into it, like you are a part of it. Beethovan's music is used wonderfully here, and gives Alex's universe a distinct feel. The language is not exactly the english we speak, infact some words are the author's invention, but you slowly become accustomed to them, as if you knew them all along. The story is about Alex, a 16 year old boy and his gang of "droogs". We see in the start how Alex and his friends enjoy a bit of the old "ultra violence" and the old "in-out" a la they are naturally evil. But, the best thing is that it isn't shoved into our faces and is developed as we see their acts and their reactions. Anyway, Alex becomes the undeclared leader of his group which his friends can't digest, and betray him thus leading to his capture by police. The scientist's have come up with a new way to drive "wrong doings" out of prisoners and Alex is picked as the prime candidate and he undergoes the treatment. Now, Alex feels sick whenever violence or sex occur to or around him. But can he really survive in the real world like that.. what happens when his past crimes come face to face with him? You can't help but be confused, as to how you can feel sorry for such a man! Watch it to find out the whole deal.. I'd spoil it but it's too good to be spoiled.

The best aspect of the movie is Malcolm McDowell who plays Alex. The man who's performance is the biggest inspiration of Heath Ledger's portrayal of Joker in the Dark Knight. A great actor of the likes of Al Pacino I'd say, or even better than him at least in this movie. Others have played their part well too, except a few who seem to be a little misfit in Alex's universe like his mom. Even though she didn't have much to work with, my face cringed every time she came on screen.

My judgement, watch it to feel it. Believe me, it will be worth your time. It's a film that gets you thinking, um.. and humming(seriously I can't get that song "I am singing in the rain" out of my mid). In Satish's words, it was to the seventies what fight club is to our generation.

Rating: 8/10

Singh is Kinng

I know, its seems like a crime to me to mention this movie(if it could even justify to be called that) on the same page as the clockwork orange. But, I have to do this crime cuz if I didn't, most of you would have assumed the post was over and would have left, without noticing the "more" sign at the end of the post...

Anyway, moving on with the review, the film has no story, seriously. It's just a bunch of crap put up together with a few "bollywood thinks are funny" lines and sidetracks and a pinch of sikhism.

Lucky(Sonu Sood) is the kinng of Australia and rules it with some men very close to him, which also involves Mika(Jaaved Jaafri), his deaf and short sighted brother. Happy(Akshay) is happy go lucky guy who has a habit of playing the hero and helping everyone, even if he destroys half the village doing it. The villagers device a plan to drive him out of the village by convincing him that Lucky's father's end is near and he would like to him before dying. He vows to get him back, and is sent to Australia, along with Rangeela, his "langotia yaar", who knows a little english. They land up on Egypt when their boarding passes get exchanged with some people at the airport. In Egypt, Happy meets Sonia(Kat) while trying to help her catch a thief, and they sing a song. Happy falls in love with her, and decides to come back for her after completing his vow. In Australia, Happy meets Lucky, where he denies to go back. But in a strange accident in which Lucky gets hurt, it is declared that Happy will be the kinng until Lucky is OK. Happy wants to help the lady who fed him when he was lost and hungry in Australia. She had lied to her daughter about them losing their wealth and so, Happy goes onto pose as her manager along with his closest men playing the servants while the lady's daughter(Sonia), comes back with her fiance Puneet(Ranvir Shorey). Happy and Sonia's friendship grows, a little of this a little of that..boom! they are married in the end. Everyone's happy, and Happy and Sonia return to their village along with Lucky, Mika (who turned against him and had a change of heart at the end), and all the other goons.

Seriously now, the characters are very underdeveloped, their motives and actions are unexplained. But, I am ready to overlook that if the film has some bloody comedy. I was seriously counting man, and there was a gap of 30 minutes before I laughted at anything at a point(what could I do except count minutes?). The first half was nice, went by like a breeze, but the second half seemed like Welcome part 2 with the director bent on changing the heart of all the gangsters in every movie of his. Akshay Kumar is the man here, he carries the movie on his shoulders, it would have been worse without him. Katrina is there just to look pretty, which pretty much covers up for her acting(seriously man, she is hot.. or according to one of my friends "kudi tabahi aa"). Sonu Sood is seriously a good actor and carried his role responsibly. Jaaved Jaafri is a talent which does not need to be spoken about, everyone recognises it. Anyway, every one else does their role ok, but bad script and no story don't help them. And I seriously want to raise a question.. why sikhism? because there is whatsoever no reason for it being there, except maybe for the title.

Man, I had hopes from this movie. Aneez was bad enough with his Welcome but I expected something of Vipul Shah after Waqt and Namastey London.. well seems like I was wrong, but still I'm waiting eagerly for London dreams. Only watch if nothing better is on...

Rating: 3/10 - 1 for Akshay, 1/2 for Katrina, 1/2 for Jaaved Jaafri, 1/2 for Sonu Sood, and 1/2 for the goons

Ok.. now click on more ------------>

Bachna Ae Haseeno

Bachna Ae Haseeno can be described in just one way I can think of - the chick flick of the season. Sure we've seen many stories of naturals(who can woo women naturally, refer the game by neil strauss) before, but I can't remember the last time I saw a movie of a natural going back to apologize to all those girls, sure they'd give him a lesson, but they haven't taken it further before(I think), at least in Bollywood.

The story revolves around Raj(Ranbir Kapoor), and love which he finds thrice in his life(lucky bastard). The first time at 18, with a sweet little girl named Mahi(Minnisha Lamba), who is looking for her Raj(from DDLJ) on the eurorail and our Raj becomes her Raj, who is also on that trip hunting for european chicks along with his friends. They get seperated from the group on the way and travel all the way to Zurich, was it? Anyway, she falls for him on the way and confesses that her marriage is being fixed. He assures her that he'll come get her, when he doesn't plan to. On reaching wherever they were going to Raj brags in front of his friends about going to third base, while he had been only to base one, she overhears it and he leaves her crying.

The next time it comes when he comes to Bombay for his job, where his next door neighbour(Bips), an upcoming model, becomes his live in girlfriend. Raj is being transferred to Australia, and plans to move on with a new life, while Radhika(Bips) announces that she will leave her career for him and wants to marry him. While he tries many unsuccessful tricks to drive her away, she plans their court marriage. Not being able to come up with anything, he ditches Radhika and leaves her crying at the steps of the court.

In Australia, he meets Gayatri(Deepika). He befriends her and slowly falls in love with her. But, when he proposes, she denies leaing him hurt. He remembers what he had done with Mahi and Radhika and decides to go back to India and apologize. But, as his friend says, it isn't going to be easy, and he goes through much to gain the apologies of the sweet Mahi, who is now married, and Radhika who is now Shreya Rathod, and a big supermodel. When he comes back, we see that Gayatri has had a change of heart and they are united in the end.

The story was ok, infact it was good, but they had to ruin it by adding the happy ending, now didn't they?

Anyway, Ranbir carries this movie. He is turning out to be a good actor and performs effortlessly. The girls don't have much to work with, but there is a notable improvement in Minnisha's acting potential. The story suffers from some cliches but these can be overlooked.

It's fun, it's new, it's for the young. Worth a watch with friends.

Rating: 6/10

The Dark Knight (Not another review)

I know you must have read many reviews, many plot synopsis, so I won't bore you with more... I will just express my love for it.

Batman has always been my favourite superhero, and the reason behind it is that there is nothing super about him. He is like any one of us, just richer and knows martial arts, but what the heck we can learn martial arts. When I was a kid, I always dreamed of becoming Batman when I grew up, I used to pretend to throw batarangs from my "utility belt". I used to draw and write about how I would go about making different gadgets used by batman. Even the back pages of my notebooks were filled with the sign of batman. And my acquaintance with him had come from the cartoon network show. Ever since, that had become my favourite portrayal of batman and his enemies. Many other cartoons came, many films were there, but I couldn't recognize those batmans with the one I had gotten to know. So I sufficed myself with the reruns of my favourite one, which also stopped soon. But then came along batman begins.

I heard about it on the internet, and watched it after a year or two of its release, but when I watched it, I fell in love with it. It was batman as I had perceived it. I loved that movie so much that I watched it for like a month every night before going to sleep. And obviously when The dark knight was announced I was eagerly waiting for it, especially because it had the joker, which was my favourite villain from the cartoon series. But, as fate would have it, I came to Kota, where the stupid inox people didn't release the movie.

I didn't want to watch a pirated version on my small laptop screen with its shitty sound quality. So I went to one of those game parlors, and watched the pirated version on a 24" screen tv. Well, not as good as a theatre, but beggars can't be choosers. I loved this one much more than the first one. It's the story of the White Knight more than the story of the dark knight. It marks the beginning of the dark knight and his fight with the joker.

As I said, I won't review it, cause I can't put its cinematic brilliance into words better than people who have already reviewed it. But, I will surely applaud Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker, which the best portrayal of a character I have ever seen onscreen. He played the part with such dedication that you can't help but think, is that really Heath Ledger or the Joker himself. Ofcourse, others were also as good as you have read. I really hope director Christopher Nolan makes a third installment.

Rating: 100/10 (don't miss it)

Cheers!

And Manjas!

The wordpress server (which I call "Stanley") has failed me and almost changed my mind about creating this blog, yet I am strong (ish) and here I am. I do keep an optimistic mood around me and after quite some time waiting and getting my mind blown by Stanley's behavior I managed to start up the blog at around 1:16am on August 26th, 2008. Yay! After that I decided to leave the posting for the next day and went to bed.

Putting aside Stanley's incompetence and yesterday's late night cursing I'd like to start again with an introduction. My name is Ilya and I've been inspired in many ways to create this blog. For more about me, check out the "About Me" page, for more about the blog, keep reading.

The reason I created this blog was to get things off my mind in ways that other people would talk it over with their friends. Another reason is to rant about things I seem to want to rant about, like the above incident with Stanley & Friends. I plan to be spending time on this blog as I have already spent at least 20 minutes thinking of and writing this entry, which so far isn't bad for a first time blogger (in my humble opinion). I'm looking for regular comment-ers, and just visitors to the blog.

I leave you now to go on and check the About Me page if you really want to and then await further posts, which are coming up. Enjoy.

Edit: For this blog post to get where it is right now, I've spent a good 2 hours typing, editing, spell checking, saving, revising, and publishing. With a small break playing Guitar Hero. I hope at least some of this made sense...

Currently Listening To: Seventeen Years // Ratatat

Será que o Zidane ainda nos persegue??? Se sim ou não, o Brasil "zidanou" denovo!

Foi uma pena ver o Brasil perder de forma tão suada para os EUA. De qualquer forma parabéns à seleção que não ganharam o ouro mas ganharam a prata.

Sigo servindo certo da Salvação em Cristo!

João Guilherme dos Anjos

Part of that time was spent trying to figure out the best way to describe/tag/upload using the fewest keystrokes, and therefore as efficiently as possible. My previous method involved opening the image in the default Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, right-clicking on the image, going to Properties then Summary and adding the info. Then I would upload the image to my Flickr Miles Francis Stanley I set in the Stanley Surname collection and again add a description and tags. The image would upload to Flickr just fine, but the metadata wouldn't go with it. Double-duty!

A couple of months ago, I downloaded Picasa2, but haven't really done much with it. But when I started seriously examining the program in conjunction with the Games, I discovered a plugin for Picasa that allows you upload the image directly to Flickr, description & tags intact!

Picasa2/Flickr has made the task of organizing/backing up my data simple and painless!

Now I have no excuse! :)

Pelle nera

mare nero

mondo nero

luce nella meta'

Went to Stanley (Hong Kong). Took a few pics .. here's one:

and here's another ...

Sorry, too busy enjoying the summer back then to be productive if at all.

Although, all the while, I was aware of the fluttering of time's wings as it sped past us.

Opportunity cost, opportunity cost.... I have to wonder what way I would value more in spending that afternoon ...

Holed up in my room reading novels and sipping Earl Grey? Or killing aliens (in computer game of course!) or pounding out code?

Or a leisurely stroll to a touristy place where I get sun, sea, and nice meal with a loved one?

Henry Stanley

Cuenta Javier Reverte en El Sueño de África que fue Tolomeo quien dio este nombre a la cadena montañosa conocida por las tribus locales como Ruwenzori, que quiere decir 'el lugar donde se hace la lluvia' o, según otra versión más poética, 'la gran hoja donde hierven las nubes'.

NEW CUMBERLAND - The Hancock County Sheriff's Office has launched a trading card program of its K-9 unit to foster a closer relationship with the county's children.

Sheriff Mike White said he has seen the program implemented in other places and thought it would be a good idea to bring in to Hancock County. When money was left over from increasing the size of the K-9 force, money that was raised by local schools, business, and organizations, the project moved forward.

The K-9s are taken to many local schools to give demonstrations, and "the kids get a big kick out of the dogs," said White.

White said it was important for children to have a good association with the dogs and the officers because it would make them more likely to approach an officer if they ever needed help. "The kids need to have more contact with officers on a positive note," White said.

The cards can be obtained at the sheriff's office in the Hancock County Courthouse, or children can approach the K-9 officers when they see them out in the community and ask for them. "That way they can see the dog and talk to the officer themselves," said White.

The cards feature a color photograph of the county's four K-9 officers and their dogs on the front and a biography of both officer and dog on the back, which includes the dogs' age, breed, and place of birth.

Hancock County's K-9 unit consists of Deputy Scott Gittings and K-9 Rudie, who have been partners since September 2001, Sergeant Chuck Stanley and K-9 Jesy, who has been with the department since January 2008, Deputy Scott Little and K-9 Christina, who joined the K-9 unit in March 2008, and Deputy Pat Hoder and K-9 Freddy, who also joined the county's unit in March 2008.

Link ]]> http://clasicosdecine.wordpress.com/?p=209 Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:00:12 +0000 clasicosdecine http://clasicosdecine.wordpress.com/?p=209  
2001: A Space Odyssey (2001: Odisea del espacio o 2001: Una odisea del espacio) es una de las películas más importantes y famosas del género de ciencia ficción y del cine en general. Se proyectó en 1968 en Estados Unidos. Fue producida y dirigida por Stanley Kubrick. El argumento tiene su germen en un relato corto de Arthur C. Clarke, "The Sentinel", El Centinela, que está en el origen del monolito-vigía en la Luna, idea que se extendería a los otros dos monolitos, el de la Tierra y el que también hace las veces de testigo en el espacio, en las cercanías de Júpiter. En cuanto a la novela homónima de Clarke, se escribió a la vez que se desarrollaba el guión, según cuenta el propio autor en su libro "The Lost Worlds of 2001" (Los mundos perdidos de 2001), en el que describe también diversas anécdotas referentes al desarrollo del guión y de la película. La novela que surgió de la película fue a su vez fue el origen de la saga de novelas de las Odiseas Espaciales.

A partir del nuevo tratamiento de la historia de El centinela en el que Kubrick y Clarke trabajaron codo con codo, se alumbró por un lado la novela de Clarke 2001 una odisea del espacio donde se explicaban y aclaraban muchas de las claves de la película, y por otro la película de Kubrick del mismo nombre que es objeto de este artículo y que resulta mucho más críptica y abierta a interpretaciones que la novela.
Con respecto a su tiempo, sus efectos especiales fueron muy avanzados, y la película ganó un Oscar en dicho rubro. Ninguno de sus jóvenes protagonistas logró alcanzar la fama como actor. La banda sonora es muy interesante, con música de Richard Strauss (la introducción de Así habló Zaratustra), Johann Strauss hijo y György Ligeti que acompaña las imágenes del espacio.
Alex North compuso una gran obra musical para la película, pero Stanley Kubrick no la incluyó en ésta y, coincidiendo con el 25° aniversario de la película, salió a la luz de la mano de Jerry Goldsmith, convirtiéndose en una banda sonora de leyenda.
     
 
SINOPSIS:
La historia de la humanidad, en diversos estadios del pasado y del futuro, es narrada en la película de ciencia-ficción de culto por excelencia de la historia del cine. Hace millones de años, en los albores del nacimiento del homo sapiens, unos simios descubren un monolito que les lleva a un estadio de inteligencia superior. Otro monolito vuelve a aparecer, millones de años después, enterrados en una luna, lo que provoca el interés de los científicos humanos. Por último, HAL 9000, una máquina de inteligencia artificial, es la encargada de todos los sistemas de una nave espacial tripulada durante una misión de la NASA.
  

  

Yet, not many know that, before the original Queen's Pier was built, the reception point for visiting digni-taries and colonial governors was the Blake Pier, built in 1900, at the end of Pedder Street - which shows just how reclamation has changed the harbour front.

At first, the Blake Pier had no cover. But, in 1909, an Edwardian-style, structural steel pavilion was built on top, providing grateful travellers with shelter from the elements.

However, nothing in this world is permanent, and the pier was demolished in 1965 - but the pavilion was preserved: it was dismantled and rebuilt in Morse Park, in Wong Tai Sin, where for the next forty years it served as a rather grand park shelter.

Then, in 2006, as part of the plan to beautify and revitalise the water-front at Stanley, the Blake Pavilion (as it's now called) was again dis-mantled and relocated. Now fully restored to its original condition, and standing proudly next to Murray House (another example of Hong Kong's heritage), it once again shelters a ferry pier.

The Hong Kong government is not famous for preserving the heritage of Hong Kong (in fact, it has often shown great insensitivity on the subject) but - praise where praise is due - it's done a good job of work in Stanley.

When you have a day to spare, I recommend you visit Stanley ... it's well worth the trip.

HOW TO GET THERE:

Take the No.6 bus from the Central Bus Station, which is under Exchange Square, next to the IFC building.

For the best views going to Stanley, sit on the upper deck on the right-hand side. Left-hand side on the way back.

[caption id="attachment_260" align="alignleft" width="203" caption="La locandina del film di Schepisi"][/caption]

Un recente studio della Microsoft ha confermato, dandone una dimostrazione scientifica, la teoria del "il mondo è piccolo", formulata nel 1967 dal famoso sociologo americano Stanley Milgram. Secondo questa teoria sono sufficienti sei passaggi per raggiungere una persona in qualsiasi punto della terra. Questa scoperta, che fino ad oggi non aveva nessuna consistenza scientifica, venne pubblicata in Psychology Today e da qui nacque la frase dei "sei gradi di separazione".

Microsoft afferma di essere arrivata alla conferma della validità dei sei gradi di separazione analizzando i dati relativi a 30 miliardi di conversazioni fra 180 milioni di utenti del proprio social network Microsoft Messenger. In questo modo l'azienda di Redmond ha scoperto che bastano sei passaggi (o gradi) per raggiungere un qualsiasi abitante della Terra.

L'aspetto più sbalorditivo è che la teoria de "il mondo è piccolo" fu esposta per la prima volta dallo scrittore ungherese Frigyes Karinthy nel suo racconto intitolato "Catene", pubblicato addirittura nel 1929. Ma come poteva essere considerato piccolo il mondo con i mezzi di comunicazione a disposizione in quel periodo?

Nel 1967 Milgram diede una parziale conferma al ciò che scrisse Karinthy, conducendo personalmente un esperimento. Lo studioso chiese ad alcuni abitanti del Midwest di far recapitare uno plico ad una persona abitante nel Massachussets di cui si conosceva il nome e il lavoro, ma non l'indirizzo preciso. Il plico passò di mano sei volte prima di raggiungere il destinatario!!

Successivamente, tale teoria fu ripresa nel film "Sei gradi di separazione" di Schepisi del 1994.

]]> http://multibanques.wordpress.com/?p=39 Thu, 31 Jul 2008 04:50:20 +0000 Martin http://multibanques.wordpress.com/?p=39

UBS, une des trois banques du monde les plus durement touchées par la crise des "subprimes" après Citigroup et Merrill Lynch.+Plus

I played the full Ace solo but I added some shred too.

Hope You enjoy

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="298" caption="The mysterious okapi."][/caption]

The okapi is largely diurnal, coming out only at night, and then coming together in pairs only to mate.  This was one of the difficulties in actually finding and officially identifying it as a real, new species. 

For a long time, the okapi was a species known to cryptozoology -- the study of animals not wildly recognized by science -- as the African unicorn, rather than real zoology (Somebody is going to be angry at me for saying that, but too bad.  Get undoctored photographs and some DNA evidence of bigfoot and I will believe you.  Until then, you are little more than ghostbusters to me.).  First clues as to its existence were announced to Europe by Henry Morton Stanley ("Dr. Livingston, I presume), who found some cloven-hoof tracks and heard tales of a jungle donkey from the Africans themselves.  Later, a skull and some skin were given to Sir Harry Johnston at the beginning of the 20th century.  Later, the species was formally recognized in 1912. 

Although not endangered, the okapi are threatened due to poaching and deforestation.  The war in the Congo is not doing any favors for the wildlife (okapi, gorillas, all living things suffer).  Hopefully, they will survive to see peace.

I’m haunted by that scene in 2001. What makes it so poignant, and so weird, is the computer’s emotional response to the disassembly of its mind: its despair as one circuit after another goes dark, its childlike pleading with the astronaut—“I can feel it. I can feel it. I’m afraid”—and its final reversion to what can only be called a state of innocence. HAL’s outpouring of feeling contrasts with the emotionlessness that characterizes the human figures in the film, who go about their business with an almost robotic efficiency. Their thoughts and actions feel scripted, as if they’re following the steps of an algorithm. In the world of 2001, people have become so machinelike that the most human character turns out to be a machine. That’s the essence of Kubrick’s dark prophecy: as we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence.
Nicholas Carr. Is Google Making us Stupid. Wired: Magazine. <http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google>

I'm trying to write a short essay explaining why everyone should study abroad. As I'm focusing on this task, I'm interested in how travel is a positive influence on people (my thesis is far less ambiguous but I'd prefer to leave it out at this point). I've moved several times in my life, but within America (technically once to South America, but I have only one 5 second memory from that). They certainly mediated my understanding of myself and others. I would say whole heartedly that moving affected my perspective on friends, family, culture, religion, America, and myself just to name a few important self-variables. College should be included, because I believe that going to college totally counts as moving in a majority of the cases. Changing one's environment is probably the most important thing to self development. I say this because I like myself, and the way I think, and I obviously think it was an important influence on me. Just like using one media source can't give you all of the information you need, I feel the same way about traveling and living in new environments. The Internet, and global warming, both seem to be goading this sort of vast environmental outlook, but thats a topic for another article. In the end, unfortunately, a majority of the world neither changes their environment drastically and deliberately, nor do they alter their media sources dramatically--mostly because they probably don't have the resources (or the environment) at their fingertips, in a matter of speaking.

I recently noticed that faith, morals, and idealisms, are important mediums of communication. They are illogical(i.e. generally the premises cannot be pr oven). Mainly, in my opinion, these human words define a category of questions that are posed. It appears that each of them are answers, but in fact they are all questions that are designed to suggest possible outcomes for considering the answers to those questions. Given the fact that most people don't have access to the same environment that I have (I have more stuff than 95% of the world at my leisure), it's important not to forget the purpose of these words. They are an ancient and effective medium, as long as the remain questions and not answers, because the questions encourage dialogue. So faith, morals, and idealisms are kind of like gateway medium's (like gateway drugs) in that they have the potential to convince people to movie into a vast environment of different people, communications, and cultures.

Unlike in 2001: A Space Odyssey, if computers ever reach a level of A.I. that is practically indistinguishable from human thought they would have to make an illogical decision, a faithful decision. In other words, humans create environments through faith already. We can continue to operate by alogrithyms, but the nature of humanity is that our questions will always define us and not our answers. In my opinion that is the original position of the environment. The environment is full of questions not answers (hence Karl Popper). In other words, it is logical to be illogical in the case of environmental rationality--in order to provoke productive dialogue with other individuals. So, in this perspective, I'm going to rejoin the vegetarian ranks, and fight for something that hopefully we won't need eventually.

There are plenty of real questions that aren't yet answered by this philosophical glance. Like, how much meat and what kind of meat should people really eat? Why not Vegan? How often? Why? What if people don't care about their life expectancy, or their ability to exercise for extended periods of time? What if people don't care about other people? Should their be government regulations for these sorts of things? If the overall goal is just education and dialogue, then what is a better way to educate people and expediate the process? What, food, I'm confused? I think, thanks to dialogue generated by the awareness that is caused by Vegetarians and their kind, fantastic books like "The Omnivores Dilemma" have been written that will end up defining the questions at the heart of the matter.

(Marcie and Peppermint Patty sit lazy like under the shade of a tree in "How Romantic, CHARLIE BROWN")
PP: You know what some people say?
PP: They say you should live each day as if it were your last.
M: How about living each day as if the day after tomorrow were your last?
PP: You're Weird, Marcie.

Canyon County Fair - http://www.canyoncountyfair.org/  Go to the website for all the details including ticket info, musical acts (including Three Dog Night and Sawyer Brown).  The fair continues through July 27.

Rock the mountain - Head to the mountains for some ROCK music in Centerville near Grimes Creek.  Check out all the details at http://rockthemountain.com/

Go to Emmett for their version of "Art in the Park."  Event is all day Saturday from 9-5 at the Emmett City Park.

Interested in dancing?  Try this one... Poi Dancing -- the ancient art of Polynesian fire dancing - in Camel's Back Park.  Hallie Rainbow is teaching the class.  5 pm on Saturday.  (Please just don't set the hills on fire!!!  Wouldn't that be a nice headline in Sunday's paper???  LOL!) http://hallierainbow.blogspot.com/

 Have a little princess in the house?  Then go up to Garden Valley and catch Starlight Mountain Theater's production of Cinderella.  These productions are family friendly and a blast for all ages.  http://www.starlightmt.org/

Head to the Idaho Botanical Gardens on SUNDAY for Family Day.  Gardens are open from 10-6 but at 2pm there is a special Japanese Drumming performance.  http://www.idahobotanicalgarden.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=feature.display&feature_id=149

Need to cool off?  KTSY is hosting a "Christmas in July" family day at Idaho Ice World.  Christmas music, presents, Santa...the works!  SUNDAY from 12:30 - 4.  http://www.895ktsy.org/pages/events/ice-skating.shtml

Jazz at the Winery - 1 - 4:30 Ste. Chappelle Winery

Free music concert at the Redfish Lodge near Stanley from 4-8pm. http://www.musicfromstanley.blogspot.com/

I decided it was really time for me to do some actual research. So, after blow-drying my laptop, I got to examining my Appling ancestors from Tuscaloosa Co, Alabama. The Applings married into my Stanley family (my Mom was a Stanley). I have so many surnames in Tuscaloosa County that the county just needs to be renamed, I think.  Would the Post Office approve of Stanley-Appling-Chappell-Davis County, Alabama? Probably not, too many letters.

Anyway, I may have discovered another surgeon in the family. Francis B Appling has been listed in some records as Dr Franics B Appling. The father-in-law of my second great grandaunt Brazora Stanley, Frank Appling is listed in the Southern Claims Commission Records, so I am trying to find documentation of Civil War service as a Union surgeon. He would have been about 30 when the War started. Interestingly, in 2 later census enumerations, he is listed as disabled...

Homem-macaco: a aurora do homem

Não lembro exatamente da primeira vez em que escutei o nome do filme 2001: Uma Odisséia no Espaço, mas, certamente eu ainda usava calças curtas (usava?) e estava mais preocupado em assistir Jaspion e A Caverna do Dragão do que fazer qualquer outra coisa. Eventualmente, também nesta época, dividia o tempo entre um ou outro passeio junto com minha avó paterna que me criou até os 7 ou 8 anos, já que meus pais trabalhavam quatrocentas horas por dia. Na TV, lembro da primeira Guerra do Golfo, das novelas da Globo e, inevitavelmente, do programa da Xuxa. Essa polaca-cor-de-camarão que saiu de um filme proibido de Walter Hugo Khouri para me abusar sexualmente a cabeça com suas coxas desnudas e sua nave estelar tosca de papel crepom. Se era difícil conhecer o filme, imagine o diretor: nem pelo sagrado Daileon eu saberia quem era esse judeu.

Mas, como a gente cresce e os interesses mudam, a primeira vez em que 2001 sorriu para mim eu tinha 18 anos e estava na casa da avó da minha primeira namorada. Esse sorriso vale também para o ano, já que essa era a exibição do filme na virada do milênio, no dia 31 de dezembro de 2000. Tudo o que eu sabia até então se resumia aos macacos: "o filme dos macacos". Já tinha topado com ele outras vezes, em apresentações semelhantes, mas nesta idade eu nutria um forte sentimento por experiências não muito longas e que rendessem um prazer acachapante inigualável a qualquer outra coisa, se é que me entendem. Algum tempo depois, pouco antes da faculdade e definitivamente seqüestrado pelo cinema resolvi dar as caras para o filme e o assisti, finalmente. Não entendi quase nada do que tinha assistido, mas sabia que era grandioso demais para minha cabeça adolescente. A única coisa que eu disse foi: "Que porra é essa?". E foi isso. Durante os últimos anos assisti ao filme incansavelmente na esperança de entender uma pequena porcentagem a mais de cada vez. Com a ajuda de alguns livros é possível, além de entendê-lo, tecer algumas ramificações que extrapolam a obra e revelam inspirações de Kubrick, bem como servem para atestar que ficção científica não é feita só de monstros e efeitos especiais. O mais importante desses livros é de Amir Labaki, com o mesmo nome do filme e editado pela Publifolha em 2000, do qual tiro grande parte das informações deste texto.

No então remoto ano de 1948, Stanley Kubrick já tinha uma certa carreira de fotógrafo na revista Look e casava com sua primeira esposa. Enquanto isso, Arthur C. Clarke, um especialista em radares da Segunda Guerra, criador do conceito de satélite geoestacionário e ávido fã de ficção científica inscrevia uma de suas histórias curtas, A Sentinela, em um concurso literário realizado pela BBC de Londres. Quase vinte anos depois, Clarke já era um escritor consagrado da ficção científica, celebrado principalmente pelo conto O Fim da Infância, de 1953. Nesta época Kubrick já havia lançado Spartacus, Lolita e acabara de finalizar Dr. Fantástico. Embora se saiba que o diretor nutria curiosidade pelos filmes ambientados no espaço desde 1957, foi só em 1964 que Kubrick e seu agente Roger Caras discutiram alguém para colaborar com o roteiro de um projeto propriamente dito. Caras logo aconselhou procurar o melhor e em 20 de maio do mesmo ano Arthur C. Clarke assinou contrato com Stanley Kubrick a cerca dos direitos de sete contos e histórias curtas, incluindo A Sentinela.

Convencido por Clarke de que A Sentinela fornecia um material narrativo mais rico, Kubrick concordou em utilizá-la como a fonte primordial para o que seria o inicio do projeto de 2001. A estória de nove páginas relatava a primeira vez em que o homem encontrava com uma prova de vida inteligente no universo, antes da existência de vida na Terra. Esse seria o ponto central de 2001: Uma Odisséia no Espaço, título sugerido por Kubrick um ano depois do inicio do projeto. Há ainda a adição de uma outra novela de Clarke, Encounters in the Dawn, que corresponde ao primeiro ato de 2001, A Aurora do Homem. Os dois concordaram também em uma parceria para desenvolver ao mesmo tempo um romance e depois um roteiro que daria vida ao filme. Depois de várias reuniões, o roteiro ficou pronto em dezembro de 1965 e pouco depois começaram as filmagens nos estúdios da MGM em Shepperton, perto de Londres. Um mês depois Clarke terminou o romance e Kubrick tomaria 1966 e 1967 com filmagens e pós-produção. O filme ficaria pronto para as telas somente um mês antes do lançamento em 1968. No entanto, filme e livro revelariam experiências bem diferentes uma da outra.

De cara, a maior diferença relatada até mesmo por Kubrick e Clarke entre o romance e o filme é a explicação. Enquanto o livro de Clarke explica demasiadamente todos os acontecimentos, como convém à literatura, Kubrick optou por imbuir 2001 de uma aura de arte, grandiosidade e uma notória "falta" de texto. Das mais de duas horas e meia de filme, existem pouco mais de 40 minutos de diálogos. É como se tivéssemos, exemplarmente distintos a história do livro, a do roteiro e a que está na tela. E é claro que, conhecendo o estilo e a obsessão de Kubrick pela experiência cinematográfica, o filme teve pelo menos uma mão cheia de versões antes de seu diretor o declarar pronto para projeção. Até mesmo após a apresentação especial para executivos do estúdio Kubrick cortou várias cenas ao longo do filme que "o explicavam demais". Depois das primeiras sessões de lançamento cortou mais 17 minutos, e mesmo assim, ele não perdeu significado. Em contrapartida, talvez tenha ganhado em quesito obra-prima. Devo louvar essa decisão, pois filmes "explicados" acabam com a experiência sensorial da obra cinematográfica e o torna um produto barato da teoria hipodérmica (nossa! De onde veio isso?).

A recepção não foi das melhores e a crítica especializada dividiu opiniões à cerca do que tinha visto na tela. Ocorreram as mais diversas reações como gente deixando as salas e até mesmo algumas risadas dependendo das atitudes dos macacos na tela, no inicio do filme. Logo, Kubrick viu seu filme taxado de vazio, pretensioso, grotesco e amador. Sobretudo a crítica defendia que o diretor deveria ter usado "mais palavras". Dias depois, no New York Times, em entrevista a William Kloman, Kubrick não fez referência a nenhuma crítica específica, apenas disse, com muita elegância: "Isso, claro, é parte da psicologia de resenhadores presos à palavra. Há certas áreas da realidade, ou da irrealidade, ânsia interior, chame isso como quiser, que são inacessíveis a palavras". É claro que, paralelamente, o filme também despertava ótimas críticas positivas. Mas, a verdadeira intenção do cineasta tinha sido alcançada. Ele queria fazer "uma experiência intensamente subjetiva que alcançasse o espectador em níveis muito íntimos de consciência, como a música faz".

Para isso Kubrick se armou de uma gama de influências que foram providenciais para o sucesso de 2001. Uma delas está em a Odisséia, referida já no título e ao longo da jornada homérica do herói Bowman à "Júpiter e Além do Infinito". Outra está na idéia mitológica de que todo o herói constitui a elipse da volta para casa, enraizada na obra do antropólogo Joseph Campbell em O Heróis das Mil Faces. Mas, a volta de Bowman, no entanto, é acompanhada de uma transformação radical. É nesta transformação que está a mais forte referência de Kubrick, que começa exatamente na música, quando ele evoca a filosofia de Nietzsche a partir da sinfonia Assim Falou Zaratustra, leitura de Richard Strauss para a obra literária homônima. A transformação do homem ao longo do filme acompanha a teoria evolutiva humana de Nietzsche. Essa tal obra, fundamental para compreender a filosofia nietzscheana do super-homem é, assim como 2001, dividida em três atos: o do homem-macaco, a do homem como conhecemos hoje e a do super-homem. Vemos no filme respectivamente A Aurora do Homem, a epopéia de naves especiais dançando ao som de Danúbio Azul, e o aparecimento da estrela embrionária. Dessa forma, Nietzsche explica: " E o grande meio-dia será quando o homem se achar na metade de sua trajetória entre o animal e o super-homem e festejar o seu caminho para a noite como a sua mais alta esperança. [...] o que há de grande, no homem, é ser ponte, e não meta: o que pode amar-se, no homem, é ser uma transição e um ocaso.".

Kubrick deixa mistérios no ar como se soubesse de algo que todos os outros não sabiam sobre a jornada da vida humana. Inteligência artificial, a evolução do homem, a relação do homem com a máquina, o domínio da máquina, a soberania do homem sobre a máquina, a existência de vida extraterrestre, o encontro do homem com o extraterrestre, a interferência de entidades extraterrestres dotados de inteligência artificial (máquinas) na evolução do homem. Essa última parece se adequar mais ao filme. Mas, pode-se dizer que, para o diretor, a consciência humana jamais será subjugada pela máquina. Essa idéia está impressa tanto no momento em que HAL é desligado quanto na viagem de volta para casa/celebração da estrela embrionária como forma circular de vida orgânica: de uma vez só a forma do óvulo, do planeta e do ciclo evolutivo se materializam. 2001 é um filme de elipses e elas se fecham sempre no aparecimento do monólito, existindo também uma grande elipse entre a aurora do homem e o aparecimento da estrela embrionária. Mas não é só dentro do filme que aparecem as elipses, elas estão também, na vida real. Exatamente em 2001 veio às telas pelas mãos do Spielberg A. I. - Inteligência Artificial, antigo projeto de Kubrick sobre um robô-criança que lida com a rejeição do homem à máquina. Tirando a presepada de Spielberg na maior parte do filme, seria a evolução do homem um caminho à mistura entre orgânico e mecânico? Ou seria a nossa morte uma passagem para um estado consciência superior chamado por Nietzsche de "super-homem"? Respostas para tantas perguntas só quem sabe é Kubrick, afinal ele já passou para "além do infinito" e infelizmente não teve tempo de nos presentear com sua própria visão de Inteligência Artificial, que seria seu próximo projeto depois de De Olhos Bem Fechados.

Existem muitas outras influências e outros assuntos na obra de Kubrick e também em 2001, mas fico por aqui. Por fim, em uma ridícula, previsível e estapafúrdia elipse, 40 anos depois de o mundo ter visto a mais extraordinária obra cinematográfica de todos os tempos, escrevo essas palavras exasperadas, meio copiadas, meio concebidas, para dizer que me sinto grato por ter tido a chance de participar do que Kubrick chamou de "uma experiência intensamente subjetiva que alcançasse o espectador em níveis muito íntimos de consciência, como a música faz". Desta forma me sinto muito mais próximo do diretor do que poderia estar. Mas, afinal, não é essa a importância da arte? Como dizia o cartaz para atrair os hippies regados à LSD: "a viagem máxima". Agora, toda a vez que pego minha cópia de 2001 me preparo para uma ultimate trip. Mais do que todos os outros diretores, Kubrick fez de cada um de seus filmes uma dose cavalar de ultraviolência, nosso próprio tratamento ludovico. A questão é: você já tomou seu moloko com vellocet hoje? Eu já.

2001: Uma Odisséia no Espaço (2001: A Space Odyssey. Reino Unido, EUA, 1968)

Direção: Stanley Kubrick

Roteiro: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke

Elenco: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Douglas Rain

Duração: 141 min.

www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622