Waiting for the Cyclogenesis

Although nobody here knows really what this strange word means, we are on the alert because of it. It is supposed this meteorological phenomena will arrive here this afternoon. What is clear is that this winter is being especially hard. Can it be because of the greenhouse effect? 

Loneliness

Today I want to talk about the person who always walks beside me. The person who dances with me as my shadow does. That person with whom I talk all the time. The only person who knows when I am sad or happy. The only person who really knows my weaknesses and doubts. The person who stands by me during the desperate nights which appear not to have end. When it is cold and pain makes me forget the life. When my mind shows me the truth and I can bear it.

Please, Don't Wear Your Children a School Uniform

You are just another brick in the wall. As the French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre said, the Freedom is the capacity to choose. If you let others take your decisions your life will be easier, sure. But you won't be a human being never again.

What I am reading now

My current reading is Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama.

Have you read this book? What is your opinion? Could you send me a brief review?

If not, what is your opinion on Barack Obama as president of the United States?

I wait for your comments.

Do Local Traditions Really Matter?

In my opinion the world should be an addition of cultures. The planet is a big melting pot of cultures and each region must be taken part in.

At the same time, a global conscience is being built and some traditions cannot be allowed  because they involve animal abuse or else don’t respect human rights. 

For talking on this topic, the first thing that springs to mind is the Spanish bullfight. From now on I am only going to talk about this local tradition.

Firstly, what I want to set is the four components of this tradition.

First, the human beings are fierce animals, voracious predatory animals, with the further fault that thanks to our mind we can do our atrocities more sophisticated.

Second, for some people the bullfights are a kind of art. The bullfighters’ look is as the classical dancer and several writers, musicians and painters loved this supposed art.

Third, it is a fiesta, a big festival, an ancient enjoyment, and a sort of Roman circus.

Fourth, it is a national fest. As a patriotic performance it is a way to set the national identity. Thanks to this ritual Spain says that it is different and people who take part in it feel they are building a country.

However a neutral spectator does not see any of those four points. When he looks at the ring and sees the bull’s blood on the sand, he cannot avert his glaze. When he stares at the bull and listens to its desperate bellows, it is impossible for him to think of art or enjoyment. He only sees a beautiful, young and strong animal being killed among jokes and insults. He only sees an animal bleeding to death. And he is horrified when the animal is killed with a thrust to the neck and dragged out of the bullring. 

Regardless of the fact that killing animals in slaughterhouses is also cruel and the traditional pig slaughter in small villages is even more bloodthirsty, the bullfights are especially cruel because are a public show.

As a Spaniard one appears to be doomed to liking bullfights. But some voices start to ask for the closure of the bullrings. Over the last few years the Catalonian government has been at the centre of a row over a petition for bullfight to be forbidden in Catalonia. People have  been mobilised again this ruthless tradition and they are putting pressure on the Government to make a resolution.

Our leaders must take this issue on board and solve it. We cannot take this ruthlessness for granted. It is time to be better human beings.

Japanese Story: Music is behind them and they dance

The story is set in Australia with the background of the breathtaking Australian landscape. A man is sent from Japan by his company to buy some land. The seller asks a geologist woman to show him the land. This is a kind of road movie in which there are two trips. The obvious one is from the town to the land. However the main trip is from each of them to the other one. At the beginning they are two strangers, at the end they are not.

The main characters are the Australian geologist woman (played by Toni Collette) and the Japanese businessman (interpreted by Gotaro Tsunashima). Their performances are excellent, specially the woman’s. The pace is slow and its crucial point is reached when they make love. This is the most beautiful sex scene I have ever seen.

This film has something really special. I reckon it is a mix of silence, music and pace. You must allow the film to carry you away. You must sit at your screen and feel.

Moreover the end of the film is completely unexpected. One of the best endings I have ever seen.

As you can see I strongly recommend this film.

Man on the moon.

The global crisis has killed our man on the moon. It is time for saving money. We cannot afford to dream. It is time to work hard. It is unuseful to blame the banks and the greedy speculators. Future is not sure. Some countries can go bankrupt. The ordinary people, who work to maintain their family, is worried about their standard of living. This man said "we can". I am still a dreamer. Another way has to be possible.