ELEMENTARY ASSIGNMENT

VIDEO CRITIQUES

ROMEO AND JULIET PUPPET SHOW

I rather enjoyed this video. The length was ideal, and the content was accurate. There wasn't much dialogue in the original Shakespearean form, but the story line remained the same. Even though it lost the tint of romanticism due to the modern language, this made it more humorous. The characters had new dimensions to them, and their personalities corresponded to the way they would be if they lived in the modern world, even though supposedly it is still set in the same time period as the original story. 

ROMEO & JUILET- SCOTTISH FALSETTO SOCK PUPPET THEATRE

This video was probably my favorite. There where many limits to it, because of the style they used (sock puppets), and the fact that the set was simply a piece of material that remained the same in all the scenes. Also, only two characters where visible on stage at any one time. They changed the dialogue greatly, including the names of the families. It actually made me laugh. It wasn't the entire story, so I look forward to seeing the rest of it. 

ROMEO AND JULIET ANIMATICS

Terrible. Cute drawings but that's it. Also, there's only about 5 of them. The scene was way too short, not long enough to even try and change it to make it funny. The illustrations where enjoyable, but irrelevant. They did try to somewhat stick to some original language though, which was a positive aspect. Also, the quality of the recording was quite bad, you could here as much static as voice. The concept was fine, but the actual production was quite bad, they could have done a much better job by extending the scene at least.

ROMEO & JULIET STOP MOTION STYLE

This video was definitely the most professional looking and best made one. Though the characters where action figures, it was done so well that you simply forget it, and one is actually able to feel the emotion in this scene. There was an excellent choice of music, and I like how they managed to incorporate text into the film as well, since there was no dialogue. You could tell they used a good quality camera as well, since there was focus that was changing when necessary, and the pictures where clear. The transitions worked splendidly, and I thought it was great how even though it was stop motion, several angles of each scene where included. 

Nicholas Nelson

Nicholas Nelson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nicholas Nelson (6 February, 1927- March 23, 1959), born and lived in New York, was a performing artist cross dresser, known commonly by the name Nikki Nells. When it was revealed that he was in fact male, his career and psychological stability suffered a blow, and he was diagnosed with clinical depression. His whereabouts where unknown for several months, until he committed suicide and his body was recognized.

                               Contents 

1 Early life and family

2 Career

3 Nicholas revealed

4 Death

5 Debate

6 See also

7 References

8 External links

Early life and family

Nicholas is the child of Mary Cleveland, and Josh Nelson. He was raised in a wealthy family, with an aristocratic status. Nicholas was known to have conflict with his father from a very young age, due to religious factors. It is said that Josh demanded that Nicholas leave the household, without helping him economically in any way, but Mary refused to allow this. The reason for this argument still remains unknown, but is rumored to be because of Nicholas’s homosexuality, though it has not been proven that he had carnal relations with any man. Nicholas had a sister, Amy Nelson, who he moved to live with after he turned 18. Nicholas’s education was received by home schooling, by the means of a private tutor.

Career

Nicholas began his career as Nikki, when he auditioned for the job of performing at a bar as a female entertainer, singing and dancing, in 1952. His status remained secret, until several years later. He immediately became a star, and was hired by the director Jim Bresby, to play the leading role in his film Daisy Diamond. The film was a hit, and Nikki’s popularity increased dramatically. Other films he soon starred in where Loved By Lucy, A Millionare Mistress, and Around My Little Finger. Strangely though, due to misleading contracts, Nicholas never received the money he was promised, and was struggling financially. Even though Nicholas ended his life after only 6 years of acting as his  profession, he managed to become one of the most appreciated film stars.

Nicholas revealed

On November 3, 1958, an anonymous letter was sent to Robert Remming, editor of the New York Times newspaper, regarding Nicholas’s true sexual status. Out of drag photos, and his real name and personal information where soon on the first page of the newspaper all over town. The identity of the sender is thought to be Josh Nelson, for he seemed to have grown to believe that what Nicholas was doing was ethically and morally incorrect. The fact that Nicholas’s sister Amy could have sent the letter, in order to receive a hefty amount of money from the newspaper is also considered.

 Death

On November 4, 1958, Nicholas made his way to work as usual, to practice for his performance at night, for in order to earn a living he never stopped performing on stage, even when he was an onscreen actor. When he reached the bar, the manager immediately fired Nicholas, showing him the newspaper article that was the talk of the town.  Nicholas left immediately, was seen entering a taxi, and was considered missing until the night of his death. A neighbor reported to the police that she heard a gunshot at approximately 6 A.M, on March 23, 1959. The police investigated the apartment block that the gunshot was heard in, and found Nicholas dead inside one of the apartments, fallen in front of a large mirror in the bathroom. A single bullet was found lodged deep into his brain, and his head was so severely defaced from the impact that he would have remained unidentified if it wasn’t for the golden locket he never took off, which was considered Nikki’s trademark. A large closed casket funeral was held, where hundreds of fans made an appearance, including the infamous Marilyn Monroe.

Debate

Today, experts debate over the reasons for Nicholas’s behavior and sexual preferences. Many say that he was not in fact a homosexual, and that his choice of adopting cross dressing was clearly a rebellious act against the conservative and suppressing society he was raised in. Under the character of Nikki though, Nicholas was often seen flirting with men, but as Nicholas he seemed to be asexual. Anthropologist Desmond Morris released an article regarding this issue in 2000, stating that Nicholas was in fact heterosexual. This decision was made by an in depth analysis of Nicholas’s body language in his films, especially emphasizing the intimate scenes with males. He states that, “Nicholas seems to have never had homosexual ideologies, but simply an overwhelming love and fascination for the opposite sex, the female, leading him to try and live as one himself”. Until now though, there has not been proof that Nicholas has ever had any kind of relationship with any male, or female.   

See also

• Josh Nelson
• Nikki Nells filmography
• New York Times
• Desmond Morris

References

• Morris, Desmond (2000). An Autobiographical Study of Nikki Nells
• Fertin, George (1990). Nicholas Nelson.
• Deer, Sara (2002). The Man Behind the Woman.
• Richie, Lee (2004). Nicholas Nelson. www.richlee.com/nikki
• Walters, Henry (1994). Nikki Nells.
• Reed, Jane (2007). Nicholas Nelson and Nikki Nells. www.famousdrags.com/nicholas
• Jade, Martin (1996). The Girl, Nicholas. 

External links

• Nikki Nells Official Website
• www.nicholasnelson.com
• New York Times, November 4, 1958

VOODOO IN HAITI

VOODOO IN HAITI

Voodoo can perhaps be considered an almost dead faith, in comparison to the vast percentages of the population believing in the leading religions. When people think of Voodoo they automatically think of dark rituals, and negative habits. Despite all this though, Voodoo has managed to stay alive, especially in one place, where it is their main religion, Haiti.

Voodoo in Haiti originated from Voodoo in Africa. The religion began in Haiti when enslaved Central and Western Africans where brought to the United States. With time Voodoo began to hold a Catholic influence, partly because in order to maintain it, it was necessary for the believers to pretend their deities were Roman Catholic saints, since the practice of Voodoo was forbidden. This cultural diffusion on the Haitians’ behalf helped preserve a certain peace. Still, throughout history many attempts have been made to convert the Haitians to Christianity, but mostly in vain. Through secrecy, Voodoo has managed to stay alive.

Voodoo is quite similar to Christianity.  Vodouisants, or followers of Voodoo, believe that there is one God, named Bondje, whom, in similarity to Christianity, created the universe and all life on Earth.  Bondje is believed to be far away from the universe and to handle affairs on Earth, he turns to his ‘angels’ or ‘saints’ to carry out his demands. Vodouisants serve their spirits and treat them with the greatest care, as one would treat their elderly. It is said that there are twenty-one nations of spirits who come to Earth in families. There are no good or evil spirits but they are said to be ‘hot or cold’. Cool spirits are in the Rada family and hot spirits are in the Petwo family. Rada spirits originate from Africa and Petwo spirits are in Haiti and are more demanding and call for much more attention from that of the Rada. Everyone on Earth is said to have a spirit which “owns their head” and all the spirits live in a gigantic city under the sea.

There is no usual day to day routine that Vodouisants must go through. Voodoo practices involve going to a priest that will help you please your Iwa or call upon them for help. A priest and a sacrifice, usually an animal, is almost always required. To call upon your spirit, a priest will place you upon a chair and give a slight smack on the back of your head which makes the believer think that he has had a severe blow and falls to the ground and writhers manically until there is complete calmness. When there is calmness, it is clear that the spirit has taken control of the believer only for a matter of minutes. The person has not lost full control but is more of a vehicle in which the spirit is driving. The priest will then ask the possessed believer about what the believer was unhappy about. Sometimes, the process may involve violence depending how serious the matter of the problem. Scientists cannot figure out these ceremonies and believe that the shaking uncontrollably part may have something to do with a form of epilepsy.

There are several deities in Voodoo. The main one, the equivalent of Christianity’s God, is called Bondye. This belief that there is only one supreme God, makes Voodoo a monotheistic religion. There are other figures too though, more common, that each correspond to a Roman Catholic saint. These are called Loua. These are divided into families, which do not interact with one another.  The Loua can show their appearance in many ways, mainly through humans, or in dreams. People must try to please the Loua, to avoid misfortunes. Their appearance can be both positive, and negative, depending on the case.

 Many people of the Western World see Voodoo as a form of ‘Black Magic’ or, ways of doing things of the uncanny. Raising dead, curing sicknesses without scientific explanation are all included in the Haitian and African belief of Voodoo. Voodoo has played a specific part in Hollywood movies where Voodoo priests are evil and raise an undead army to defeat their foes. These are all satirical views towards Voodoo. Voodoo, in some aspects, help the Haitians get away from thinking about their poverty and illnesses.

Voodoo is still practiced in most Haitian households today. Unfortunately though, it is less sincere than in the past, with some people now using it to their advantage. Many pretend that they are healers, and deceive families, which pay them to cure a loved one, with no result. These individuals make considerable amounts of money unfairly earned. Also, in Haiti someone who is believed to have the power to heal in Voodoo, gains status and respect, and can often rise in society by cheating in this manner. Since many in Haiti are uneducated, this makes them vulnerable to such incidents, and alas such misleading persons are becoming increasingly common.

Bibliography: 

Haitian Vodou. (February 17, 2009). In Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia Online.                        Retrieved February 19, 2009, from http://www.wikipedia.org/

Library of Congress, U.S. (n.d). Haitian Voodoo. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from            http://www.travelinghaiti.com/haitian_voodoo.asp

 Corbett, Bob. (March 1988). Introduction to Voodoo in Haiti. Retrieved February 19,             2009, from http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/overview.htm

Rock, Mike. (n.d). About Haitian Vodou- Haitian Voodoo History & Beliefs.                        Retrieved February 19, 2009, from             http://www.erzulies.com/site/articles/view/5

 (n.d). Voodoo in Practice. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from              http://altmed.creighton.edu/voodoo/Practice.htm

 (n.d). Voodoo. Retrieved February 19, 2009, from             http://www.evula.com/reports/voodoo.html

 (n.d). Retrieved February 19, 2009, from            http://www.voodoospiritualtemple.org/voodoospiritualtemplewhatisvoodoo.htm

 

A DIFFERENT PICTURE

On Friday, February 6th, our trip to Athens began. I woke up late, and rushed to make it to school in time before the bus left for the airport. Most of the students doing Greek in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade where expected to come.
As the airplane flew off the ground, I gazed into the distance, where the sun had begun to rise, admiring the colors it created, and down below, to the country we were leaving behind for a few days. As the fields and buildings grew smaller, I got increasingly tired, and wearily closed my eyes, falling asleep.

When I opened my eyes again we were heading towards the airport in Athens, and before long we had arrived. Soon after the landing, our tour of Athens begun. We travelled mostly by bus to see the first sites. Our tour guide pointed out significant places, and explained what happened. Around me the students where restless, excited, but I had been to Athens several times before, and wasn’t too exhilarated. I listened anyway, and learned some new things, about the Ancient Agora, Stoa of Attalos, Library of Hadrian, Theseion, and other monuments.

We couldn’t see everything by bus though, and continued the tour on foot. Our first stop was the Panathinaikon stadion. Most of us rushed to take pictures in front of it, but I took a small walk further and looked around.

Afterwards, we visited the Parthenon and Acropolis. It is a grand building, very Hellenistic looking, it’s like the Eiffel Tower of Greece. I’d seen it two or three times previously, and it didn’t seem so great this time, for it was cluttered with apparatus to help restore it and rebuild certain parts, so only half of it was visible.

As we walked a bit higher up the hill it is built on, we could see a beautiful view of Athens from above. It interesting to see truly how many buildings there were, and how different they all were. There was so much contrast between the kinds of buildings and areas. It showed that Athens really was a megalopolis, in contrast to our capital, Nicosia, where everything is small and homely in comparison.

As we proceeded to the hotel to rest, we entered shadier streets. This is where you could really see what Athens had turned into, for it is no longer a proud and golden city. There were burnt and abandoned buildings, homeless people, many immigrants, and lots of policemen too. Graffiti regarding the death of 15 year old Alexandros was everywhere. Even on the columns of a church I could see the remains of a scrubbed off anarchy logo. At night, when I looked carefully, I spotted people exchanging drugs, and others affected by them, suffering, or simply in another world. I didn’t feel so afraid, but simply sad at the state of all this. “I want to live”, is what the orange phrase reads.

At the hotel, we ate breakfast, slept, and rested, and yet our group managed to make the most noise and constantly receive complaints for our behavior and volume. This aggravated me, for the constant chattering of everyone was irritating, but at least the group was enjoying itself.

That night we visited the Attica mall, since being Cypriots we had to remain faithful to the powerful religion uniting millions of women all around the world, more commonly known as shopping. I’m not much of a shopping freak, but it did spread a smile on the others’ faces. We later on went to the Hard Rock Café to enjoy a flavorsome meal.

Not all distances were far enough to take a bus, so we travelled by metro as well. Since it is a cheap and efficient transportation system, most use it, and it was another reminder of all the differing people in Athens. A man entered the metro, and talked to the passengers about how hungry he was, and how he simply wanted a few coins to buy himself some food. I felt miserable, for being a spoiled private school kid, with not only enough money to eat, but enough to go to excursions in other countries such as this one. It made me remember how lucky I am and how thankful I should be as well.

To spoil all these moral issues, we visited another mall, ironically. It was a chance to walk around at our own pace, purchase things needed, or mostly just wanted basically, and buy gifts for the loved ones back at home.

Shopping wasn’t all that we did. We visited the archaeological museum, and looked at Greek history through the ages, mainly via pots and sculptures. It was interesting to see how art progressed through time in a different country.

Museums are always tiring, so afterwards we went on a long walk, up and down Lykabetus hill, in the midst of some lush greenery. The real treat was at the top, where we got another panoramic view of the city from a different angle and position. Sometimes things only look perfect from very far away.

Another relaxing walk was in a beautiful park, with different kinds of birds. It had many small paths, and wonderful shrubbery and trees. It’s the kind of place I wish we had more of back home.

An important building we visited was the Zappeion, where intellectuals or important people used to meet to discuss matters of substance. It was wonderful, classy, but not too elaborate. I loved to just gaze at it, the ceiling, the circle of pillars, the checkered floors, all reminding of a different era.

Lastly, we went to Monastiraki, the flea market. Everyone had a chance to get some last souvenirs to remember this trip, or simply look around and explore. Soon we would be back in Cyprus. I found this trip an interesting experience, and an important one, to leave the security of the bubble of luxury we are used to, and live in a slightly different world for a while.

AGREE/ DISAGREE

All involved with politics should be reserved for adults.

Agree/ disagree. I think that adults do acquire a more well rounded knowledge than teens, but that doesn’t mean that they should be the only ones with a voice. I think that it is everybody’s duty to educate themselves to the point where they merely have an opinion on matters, even if somewhat minimal, with information to back it up, besides what we are bombarded with by the media, or our parents, etc. It doesn’t have to be anyone’s main focus, but as long as youngsters are aware of what is going on around them, outside the protective bubble they live in, that could be just enough. The problem is though that most teenagers do not show interest in such matters, therefore leaving the picture open for mainly adults to modify and control. If everyone had a voice, things may be better off.


The troubles of all young people (besides money and class) re similar everywhere.

Agree/ disagree. It’s certain that all teenagers around the world are dealing with mutual situations up to a certain point, such as growing up, peer pressure, stereotypes, and more. Some issues are faced by almost everybody of this age. Every person is an individual though, leading a different life, with different factors affecting them from all around. It’s the time when people begin to shape the paths they wish to follow, and put themselves in situations that they may choose. Everybody has a different personality, and lives in a slightly different world from everyone surrounding them, so each person must face things that are different from the masses, more personal and less about the common issues surrounding us everywhere.

STOLEN ART

Title – Documentaries
Episode – Doc: Looted Art: Part II
Date – January 17th, 2008
Time – 22:21
Website – Got it from iTunes , but it’s a BBC podcast, so http://www.bbc.co.uk

Description of Episode from the Podcast producers – “Charles Wheeler is on the trail of art seized by the Soviets at the end of World War II” The Pushkin Museum, Russia

I chose this podcast because I am interested in art, and it’s history, and enjoy listening to or viewing pretty much any documentary by the BBC. It gives me an insight of what’s going on in the world today with some way or another, even if the art involved is much older. The truth is though that the interview of Andy Warhol that Tate created, was 18 minutes and 46 seconds long, not reaching the minimum time limit.
A BBC employee and a member of the Commission of Looted Art in Europe have traveled to Russia, where they seek to find out what has happened to some stolen art.
In the Pushkin Museum in Moscow they discuss with the director about these pieces, taken at the end of World War II by the Red Army. There is an estimate of 100,000 pieces of art that may be being hid in Russia, some taken by an organization put together by Stalin to rid Germany of anything precious they could. 11 million books were taken as well, of which 7 million cannot be found and identified today. In 1945 though, 25 million Soviet Citizens were already dead, the art unprotected, so it wasn’t considered “stealing”.
Besides being stolen though, many pieces were destroyed as well. Russia is a victim of the war as well, but this still doesn’t give them the right to the art, much of which was stolen by the Nazis from Jewish families and surrounding European countries. These pieces must have huge sentimental value for the people they were stolen from, anything that resembles their now lost family.
In the late 1990’s though, a law was passed stating that all this art that was taken was now legally Russian property. Some of these family heirlooms have even been put on public display, and now representatives of the families these belong to are trying to sue. The law is controversial, with the Russia supporting that since now it is their property they have the right and ability to return the art legally, but when asked if any returns have been made, they are simply told that this is none of their business, and say the have pretty much returned everything already. When a walk is taken in the museum, certain works of art that belonged to families where identified.
The radical opinion states that nothing should be returned, whereas the liberal opinion is to give or at least consider giving the art back. People who support the liberal point of view are accused of being unpatriotic. The art is somewhat considered rightfully theirs because of the scars they hold from the war. Russia no longer considers Germany an enemy, but is hesitant still. One of the arguments supporting the radicals is that the Germans never returned anything they took from the Soviet Union, so why should they? Perhaps it turns out that the issue isn’t white or black.
I would suggest that anybody who is interested in current affairs or interesting stories connected with what has happened to art over time, should listen to this podcast, and to the BBC channel in general.