Thursday, May 20
I got a Creative Zen x-fi 2 on Mother’s Day from my son and he transferred some films to it. I have just seen one of them “The Wave”. I was deeply impressed by how easily people can be manipulated, above all teenagers.
Dennis Gansel’s film “The Wave” poses the question, what led to the rise of the Nazis, and could it happen again?
The setting is in a prosperous town in present-day Germany, it is based in a high school populated by affluent, intelligent students and staff. A class of teenagers sits bored at the prospect of a lesson about fascist autocracy. Their history teacher, Herr Wenger, seems equally unenthusiastic.
He invites his students to participate in an experiment. For the next week the students will stand up to speak in class, address him as Sir and answer all the questions succinctly. He teaches them to sit up straight at their desks, to help each other out and to breathe correctly. Instead of rebelling, the students accepted gladly these new rules.
Dennis Gansel’s film “The Wave” poses the question, what led to the rise of the Nazis, and could it happen again?
The setting is in a prosperous town in present-day Germany, it is based in a high school populated by affluent, intelligent students and staff. A class of teenagers sits bored at the prospect of a lesson about fascist autocracy. Their history teacher, Herr Wenger, seems equally unenthusiastic.
He invites his students to participate in an experiment. For the next week the students will stand up to speak in class, address him as Sir and answer all the questions succinctly. He teaches them to sit up straight at their desks, to help each other out and to breathe correctly. Instead of rebelling, the students accepted gladly these new rules.
What begins as a playful study in psychological manipulation soon runs out of hands.
The group quickly begins to grow. They name themselves “The Wave”, invent a especial salute, devise a logo (a stylised wave), adopt a uniform (white shirt and jeans), create a My Space page, and exclude and persecute dissidents and non-conformists.
New students soon join “The Wave”. By midweek the students have been transformed into an ersatz Hitler Youth and they don’t realise how quickly they are mimicking mistakes of the past. Mistakes they all thought could never happen again.
A climax is unavoidable, resulting in a hard lesson for both Wenger and his students.
A great film. It is a must see for everyone, but especially for the young.
Sunday, May 16
O Día das Letras Galegas (17 de maio) exalta as letras e a lingua Galega. Comezou a celebrarse en 1963.
Este ano adícase a Uxío Novoneyra. Naceu en 1930 na aldea de Parada de Moreda, no Courel e finou en Santiago de Compostela o 30 de outubro de 1999. O Courel foi o principal referente físico para os seus versos, considerados dos mellores no tocante á paisaxística, dentro da literatura galega. 
Rematou o Bacharelato no 1948 en Lugo, e fixo algún curso de Filosofía e Letras en Madrid, onde comezou a escribir poemas en castelán. En 1952 comezou a escribir en galego, lingua que xa non deixaría nunca. Do 1953 ao 1962 estivo na montaña nativa, recobrándose dunha doenza pulmonar. En 1962 foi para Madrid de novo, e traballou na radio e na televisión. No 1966 regresou ao Courel, onde casou e tivo fillos. En 1983 afincouse definitivamente en Santiago. Foi, ata a súa morte, presidente da Asociación de Escritores en Lingua Galega.
Rematou o Bacharelato no 1948 en Lugo, e fixo algún curso de Filosofía e Letras en Madrid, onde comezou a escribir poemas en castelán. En 1952 comezou a escribir en galego, lingua que xa non deixaría nunca. Do 1953 ao 1962 estivo na montaña nativa, recobrándose dunha doenza pulmonar. En 1962 foi para Madrid de novo, e traballou na radio e na televisión. No 1966 regresou ao Courel, onde casou e tivo fillos. En 1983 afincouse definitivamente en Santiago. Foi, ata a súa morte, presidente da Asociación de Escritores en Lingua Galega.
Facsimile de "Abrojos"
En 1955 publicou "Os eidos", poemario con que comeza un ciclo poético que retomará con "Os eidos 2". "Letanía de Galicia e outros poemas" (1974). En 1979 publicou "Poemas caligráficos", prologado e ilustrado por Reimundo Patiño. Os textos están vinculados á vangarda pictórica organizada arredor do grupo Brais Pinto. A comezos da década de 1980 recompilou e depurou o seu ciclo courelán, publicando "Os eidos. Libro do Courel" (1981), que reeditou en varias ocasións. En 1983, afincado xa en Compostela, comezou unha recompilación temática da súa produción poética completa: "Muller pra lonxe" (1987), poemas paixonais e amorosos e "Do Courel a Compostela" 1956-1986, poemas políticos acompañados dunha antoloxía crítica. En 1994, logo de varios anos de silencio editorial, editou "Poemas de doada certeza i este brillo premido entre as pálpebras", e en 1998 Betanzos: "Poema dos Caneiros e Estampas".
Nos seus textos, Novoneyra preocúpase sobretodo, pola forma poética e pola linguaxe. Formalmente, procuraba o mellor resultado visual e —sobre todo— sonoro para os textos (botando man para tal efecto de diversos recursos como o fonosimbolismo, a utilización de dialectalismos e vulgarismos, os silencios, o simbolismo gráfico, etc). As poucas palabras que emprega pretenden evocar dun modo máxico o mundo no que o home esta inmerso, designando as cousas para que estas aparezan perante nós.
En 1955 publicou "Os eidos", poemario con que comeza un ciclo poético que retomará con "Os eidos 2". "Letanía de Galicia e outros poemas" (1974). En 1979 publicou "Poemas caligráficos", prologado e ilustrado por Reimundo Patiño. Os textos están vinculados á vangarda pictórica organizada arredor do grupo Brais Pinto. A comezos da década de 1980 recompilou e depurou o seu ciclo courelán, publicando "Os eidos. Libro do Courel" (1981), que reeditou en varias ocasións. En 1983, afincado xa en Compostela, comezou unha recompilación temática da súa produción poética completa: "Muller pra lonxe" (1987), poemas paixonais e amorosos e "Do Courel a Compostela" 1956-1986, poemas políticos acompañados dunha antoloxía crítica. En 1994, logo de varios anos de silencio editorial, editou "Poemas de doada certeza i este brillo premido entre as pálpebras", e en 1998 Betanzos: "Poema dos Caneiros e Estampas".
Nos seus textos, Novoneyra preocúpase sobretodo, pola forma poética e pola linguaxe. Formalmente, procuraba o mellor resultado visual e —sobre todo— sonoro para os textos (botando man para tal efecto de diversos recursos como o fonosimbolismo, a utilización de dialectalismos e vulgarismos, os silencios, o simbolismo gráfico, etc). As poucas palabras que emprega pretenden evocar dun modo máxico o mundo no que o home esta inmerso, designando as cousas para que estas aparezan perante nós.
Sunday, May 9
Today's the 150th anniversary of Sir James Matthew, Baronet Barrie, a Scottish journalist, playwright and children's book writer. He was born in the village of kirriemuir in Angus. From the beginning his life was marked by tragedy. He was the ninth child of a weaver who grew up in the shadow of an older brother, David, his mother adored golden boy, who was killed on the eve of his 14th birthday in a skating accident.
In 1894 he married the actress Mary Ansell. The marriage was childless and ended in divorce. However, he was friends with Arthur and Sylvia LLewellyn Davies, and when they died, he became the legal guardian to their five sons.
He became world famous with his play about Peter Pan (1904). It's the story of a boy who lived in Never Land, he had a war with Captain Hook, refused to grow up and created his own world of Indians, pirates and fairies.
Michael dressed as Peter Pan wrestling with J.M. Barrie as Hook, August 1906
The first name of Peter Pan was almost certainly taken from Peter Llewellyn Davies (1897-1960), one of the several Davies brothers that Barrie knew. He brought to life the myth of the perfect boy who never grows up, who can fly out of danger and yet for whom death would be "an awfully big adventure".
Barrie retold the play in narrative form as "Peter and Wendy" (1911) because he wanted his creation to benefit youngsters as much as possible. Barrie donated his rights to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London.
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