quddus
Above:The Baha'i House of Worship of Asia. Below:Life and times of your fellow World Citizen, Kolya
Banksy Goes Silver Screen
giftI WANT TO SEE THIS FILM! Love Banksy's art!
Banksy in "Exit Through the Gift Shop."
Exit Through the Gift Shop
BY ROGER EBERT / April 28, 2010
cast & credits A documentary narrated by Rhys Ifans. Featuring Thierry Guetta, Banksy, Invader, Shepard Fairey, Neckface and Swoon.Producers Distribution Agency presents a documentary directed by Banksy. Running time: 86 minutes. Rated R (for some language). |
The widespread speculation that “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is a hoax only adds to its fascination. An anonymous London graffiti artist named Banksy arrives to paint walls in Los Angeles. He encounters an obscure Frenchman named Thierry Guetta, who has dedicated his life to videotaping graffiti artists.
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100428/REVIEWS/100429978
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Avatar Director discusses Avatar and Indigenous Human Rights
On Democracy Now! 
“Avatar” Director James Cameron Follows Box Office Success with Advocacy for Indigenous Struggles
On the heels of his record-setting Hollywood blockbuster Avatar, the film director James Cameron is taking on a new role as an activist, allying himself with indigenous struggles he says mirror the plot of his film. In Avatar, an indigenous species called the Na’vi resists the private military force of a powerful corporation bent on exploiting their planet’s valuable minerals. Democracy Now!producer Aaron Maté caught up with James Cameron to discuss Avatar, Cameron’s opposition to the Belo Monte in Brazil, last week’s peoples’ climate summit in Bolivia, and his reaction to seeing Avatar embraced by indigenous people worldwide, from the Amazon to the Occupied Territories.
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Empty Stomach; Full Soul
Here's a new (amateur) poetic attempt, dated: 16th ‘Ala’ 166 BE (I wrote it a week ago but only found time to type it up today)
Empty Stomach; Full Soul
Interrupting blaring melody
And flashing light
Turns off a dreary dream
Awakened t’ the last corner o’ night.
Must arise to prepare
And ignore the body’s despair
It wants more sleep—more dreams
But i must ignore it’s “return to bed” schemes!
Having washed sleep from my eyes
I quickly feel less zombie-ized
Now in haste
To make breakfast
Dawn’s light comes creeping quickly
What to eat? Options whirred fickly
At first so dark, but soon…
Sun’s reign has chased away Moon.
A few last bites to go,
Dawn’s almost here
tips of skyscrapers start to glow
Each beautiful day make s me wanna cheer!
A multi-vitamin goes down with a quick gulp
Savoring the water—the last drop
No food or water will daylight see
Pass through my mouth
It’s another day of the glorious blessings-filled fast
Predawn’s grumbling complaints already forgotten—past.
This accumulation of flesh and water must be stilled
To let my Spirit shine bright, pure and fulfilled.
Eating prayers and drinkin’ blessin’s—lunch money unspent
Each day the angels of the Abha Kingdom provide a new present
On my way home from the park, fully exercised
I breath in joyfully—fresh air—despite grey skies.
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Taiji and Qigong in Qingdao
PART II
Within the first few times that i studied Taiji in my neighborhood park as i was leaving the park a friendly voice called out "hello" in English behind me. After asking some of the usual questions like where are you from and ascertaining that i could speak some Chinese we then spoke mostly in Chinese, his English ability being minimal. He said he'd seen me practicing Taiji and asked if I had any feeling of the Qi moving. I told him no (neither did most of the students in that park's Taiji group(s) i at some point discovered through talking to the senior student and fluent English speaker, Edwin).
He proceeded to inform me that he was a teacher of Qi Gong and wanted to show me a form. We went back into the park a little ways and he showed me one of his forms which have been passed down in his family for several generations, father to son. Also of interest is that his grandfather was a Daoist priest/monk up in Laoshan. It looked good, a variation of the Chen style.
He gave me a piece of paper advertising that he charges for his QiGong classes, and not cheaply either! For China-- however about the same as the cost of studying Taiji Quan in the states. (RMB120/hr or RMB3000/month of 25 days (some days are not good for doing Qi Gong on), actually that's (€13/US$18/hr or €322/US$440 for 25days in a row with an hour's class every day, except, for example during new moons).
I told him that i was interested in learning about QiGong but didn't have any money-- i was in fact in debt at the time, needing to borrow money from my employer in order to pay for 9 month's rent in one go.
He seemed willing to just be friends and also to give me a few free QiGong classes. At the time i thought he meant that i could study for free in exchange for helping him with his English but later i discovered that if he were to teach me daily then i would need to pay him. Which is fine. If someone has a skill, like the guitar, then it's normal to charge others for the teaching of their skills.
I spent a few months getting to know him and his family-- he'd invited me to his house a few times which is a very traditional Chinese home (not an apartment but rather a house like in Beijing's HuTongs) with walls surrounding the buildings and a very small inner courtyard with no plumbing and an outhouse squat toilet. He has a 13 or so year old son and a wife. The whole family is very friendly. They're daoist and and have a little shrine to their immediate ancestors. From the time i spent getting to know him and his family and the few free test classes i took with him together with some of his other students i feel that he's not only an honest and very kind hearted man but also a true Qigong master. When i practice his Taiji form i do indeed feel a warmth radiating from the center of my palms which i hadn't previously felt or at least never before noticed...
So after spending time to test his character, by mid January 2010 i had decided to pay him for 15 days class because i'm still not rolling in the doe since i'll need to pay for another 6 months rent in May-- but this time without needing to borrow any money-- and also i'm hoping to visit my parents for 2 weeks at their home in Germany this May (the second half of May).
My interest in studying QiGong, i want to point, out is not to become some kind of Chinese-style wizard but in order to improve my health. It can, according to Master Zhao, cure both my occasional back aches and prevent me from getting any more colds-- ever. I figure it's therefore worthwhile giving it a try.
During the Chinese lunar new year's eve he invited me to spend time with his family again... his wife's a wonderful cook!
Now it's already the month of Loftiness-- of the Fast (March 2nd-20th) and my classes are over. However yesterday Master Zhao and one of his current students came to deliver some Qi strengthening medicine (which tastes terrible, of course) and then he gave me a free class, which was cool, although the medicine was quite expensive... I think the QiGong has improved my immune system already.
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InterCalendary Days Update
So, the Baha'i present-giving holiday known as Ayyam-i-Ha or "Days of Ha" or Intercalendary days just came and went (Feb 26 to March 1st), so i took the opportunity afforded by the Chinese Spriing Festival vacation to start writing a long over due lengthier update on my goings on here in Qingdao, China. My present to you. (A late present now, since i didn't manage to finish this entry until a couple weeks later during the month of the Fast.)
Qingdao is a pretty, medium sized Chinese coastal city naturally beautified by having both lovely beaches and some small mountains (Fu Shan and Lao Shan) the latter being famous historically as a Daoist center, which it still is, to some extent, today. I heard recently that there are more than 5000 non-Asian foreigners living and working here as well as 10,000 or so Japanese and maybe 100,000 Koreans (the total Urban Population according to Wikipedia is just under 3 Million but close to 8 Million including the "sub-provincial" suburbs).
Though a bit harder work with less time for lazing around and watching movies than i enjoyed in Olympia WA, USA in 2008 and 2009, i've been able to make and save a fair bit more money here than i could in Oly, with it's higher cost of living. So that's one of the many reasons i'm very happy with my new home, although i do greatly miss being involved with Harlequin Productions at the State Theater in Oly... However, my income will allow me to go visit my parents in Germany in May, God willing, which will be great... it's been 2 1/2 years since i saw them in person!
Adjusting to life in China can be a bit difficult for some, but i feel like i fit in completely like a pea in a pod, being the Old China Hand that i am... Also Qingdao is fairly westernized and very developed, making it that much easier. (Even for the inexperienced-- so whatchya waitin' for and come on down!)
The most interesting thing i have to write about is my new experience with studying Taiji QiGong (Tai-chi Ch'i-Kung). About a month after i arrived in Qingdao i started going to my next-door park to find a Taiji Quan group to join. After a few days walking around at dawn and observing the different groups i ended up joining the group that i had observed included a German guy, and a senior student who can speak English. It's also perhaps the largest group in that park. They practice different open-hand forms (Yang as well as Chen styles as well as various sword and fan forms). By the time i started joining them the German guy was no longer there, though. I'm very happy with that group, though, because it's master spends time teaching the details of some of the forms. Master Liu looks pretty old (perhaps 60+?) but he's still VERY flexible! After a couple months of studying with them they let me know that they have an annual fee, which i was surprised to discover, having thought that Taiji in China is always totally free, however, the annual fee's only RMB50 which is nothing (US$7/€5) compared to the cost of the Taiji class i was attending in the USA which is US$60 per MONTH for 4 times/hours a month whilst the Taiji in the Qingdao park is DAILY and an hour and a half long!
My fellow students have been very kind in letting me borrow scabbards and/or spare swords so that i could also have a go at the sword forms. By December i was very much wanting to get my own set (of a Taiji Jian --straight double-edged sword, a Dao --single-edged broadsword and a Taiji Shan (fan) including a carrying bag all together for only RMB235! (only €25/US$34!)) though. Eventually i managed to get over my shyness and express my desire on the 2nd or third time/day i managed to make an arrangement with the Master, giving him the money. However, it took about 2 months before i was able to get them, actually i don't have them yet but i'll be getting them tomorrow.
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Children CHange their world in India here's how
Happy 2010!
Here another amazing story from TED! Children CAN change the world, especially when they have good teachers!:
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1st Note From Qingdao
Hey, so if anyone i know is reading this, then please let me know! You can reply right here, or drop me a note in Facebook (i'm the only Kolya Schweppe on FB!).
Today is a wonderful day, it's Baha'u'llah's birthday! I'm loving Qingdao, making new friends, enjoying work, and studying Mandarin Chinese, Taiji Quan 太极拳, and Taiji QiGong, 太极气功.
I recently made friends with a Daoist QiGong (Ch'i-Kung) master. His grandfather was Daoist monk or priest on nearby LaoShan Mountain. He doesn't teach QiGong for free, though, (unlike Taiji Quan (Tai-ch'i Ch'uan) which one can study for free at dawn in any park in China). But that's fair enough, people don't teach voice or guitar etc. lessons for free either! I'm planing to take some classes from him once i've saved some money... at the moment i'm broke after having to pay for 9 months rent in one go! But now that that's taken care of i'll be able to save big time! He lives in a small traditional style house with out-door squat toilet and raised bed/dining area which is coal heated from below. I'm loving Qingdao, the air is very clean with hardly any smog (Amazing for China!). It has both sea and mountains/hills which is perfect! Especially the mountains/hills. Although the sea is beautiful too. Also it has real German bakeries with real German Meister Baecker-- what more could one ask for?!
Today is a wonderful day, it's Baha'u'llah's birthday! I'm loving Qingdao, making new friends, enjoying work, and studying Mandarin Chinese, Taiji Quan 太极拳, and Taiji QiGong, 太极气功.
I recently made friends with a Daoist QiGong (Ch'i-Kung) master. His grandfather was Daoist monk or priest on nearby LaoShan Mountain. He doesn't teach QiGong for free, though, (unlike Taiji Quan (Tai-ch'i Ch'uan) which one can study for free at dawn in any park in China). But that's fair enough, people don't teach voice or guitar etc. lessons for free either! I'm planing to take some classes from him once i've saved some money... at the moment i'm broke after having to pay for 9 months rent in one go! But now that that's taken care of i'll be able to save big time! He lives in a small traditional style house with out-door squat toilet and raised bed/dining area which is coal heated from below. I'm loving Qingdao, the air is very clean with hardly any smog (Amazing for China!). It has both sea and mountains/hills which is perfect! Especially the mountains/hills. Although the sea is beautiful too. Also it has real German bakeries with real German Meister Baecker-- what more could one ask for?!
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Tour The Whole Baha'i World in pictures!
http://www.bahai.org/attaining/
"In urban centers and rural villages, in homes, schools, businesses, and community centers across the globe, Bahá’ís hailing from every walk of life are engaged, as members of growing, vibrant communities, in promoting at the grassroots the well-being of the entire human race." See it at work! click on the link above!
"In urban centers and rural villages, in homes, schools, businesses, and community centers across the globe, Bahá’ís hailing from every walk of life are engaged, as members of growing, vibrant communities, in promoting at the grassroots the well-being of the entire human race." See it at work! click on the link above!
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