This is not Violence, is "Culture" ...

Currently in many countries people still fighting against male chauvinism; that women can do the same job as a man, that they have the same capabilities, but in Middle Eastern countries have a worse struggle, where women are cruelly battered and they have no right to give him away. A clear example is Pakistan; which is the third most dangerous country in which a woman could live.
Even if we don`t want to believe it, in Pakistan there are laws that favor men and put women in a position of guilt when they are the real victims.

If a man throws acid or hot oil in the face of his wife, he can go to the police and say that she had a domestic accident. Even the Constitution of the country stated that if a man found his wife having sex with another man, he could kill them both and still would not go to jail; this is called Honor Killing or Karo Kari. Even for men to remain cleared of any charges, a lot of women are not valued as citizens, so before the law she doesn`t exist because she doesn`t appear in the records.

 

 

Even Pakistani culture has been badly influenced by some religions, like the Mullahs and Taliban tribes, where they marry their daughters at an early age to men considerably older and they also are use as currency to pay off a debt.

At what level of superiority can get men of these cultures, how can women be seen as an object, like garbage and not as a human being, these poor women have no voice or vote, they have no right to anything, many of them die when the real criminals are free, and although many people stand to fight these "laws", their thinking will continue in the same way.
I feel very sorry and anger at being unable to do anything for women living in a society like this, where male chauvinism exceeds limits.
Always some government spokesmen in different countries tell us that the world is changing, that societies are better, but if a part of the world is showing us otherwise, then, what kind of progress are we talking about?

 

We need more respect

In Islamic culture governed by conservative customs where the man is in charge and the rich have the most power, the rights of women for decades have gone on to lead. While the Qur'an itself says that everyone (men and women) are equal in the eyes of God, also mentions that the man has the right to caution or hit the woman because her disobedience.
It is no secret that there are social differences between women and men within Islam, but I think it is still shocking to learn certain customs, such women can not go shopping without a man and and they must walk behind him and completely covered wearing her burka, to accuse a man of adultery should be testified by four man and witnesses who have seen it should be honest man.

Today we can realize in the  news  about mistreatment of women being accused  of unfaithfulness or read news that surprised me was about 3 women who were murdered by their own relative with the motive of "they were disgracing the family" but in the  video that  they filmed in that  moment, the women were playing and laughing out of the house during the rain.
As a woman in a country that, although there are still differences between men and women labor, to read news about this violence I feel blessed to live in Chile and the situation is not the same here, but it is sad to see how women in other cultures are not treated with respect or they don't give them the opportunity to emerge as they wanted, to be inserted either in male cultures or obliged to marry without their consent with the excuse is for the welfare of the family, which has brought other Problem ... that problem is the child marriage, where young girls aren't unaware about what the marriage is and the girls  generally marry with  men older than them, and the women are obliged to follow what a wife should do and what  the man decides for them.
While Muslim women gradually been given a place in society there still remains that their rights are passed to carry.

My Life, My Right, End Child Marriage 

South Africa: The Rainbow Nation

Nowadays South Africa is known in many places of the world as the rainbow nation. This term was coined by Archbishop Desmon Tutu (a social rights activist of South Africa and a retired Anglican bishop) to describe post-apartheid, after South africa's first fully democratic election in 1994. After that Nelson Mandela elaborated this phrase: "Each of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld - a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world". 

Desmond Mpilo Tutu

Basicaly the meaning of the rainbow symbolize the unity of multi-cultulralism and the coming-together of people of many different nations and races, in a country once identified with the strict division of white and black people. But, in this way, what is the importance and the meaning of this metaphor for the South African people?

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For many South Africans this term means a positive way to express their own country, specially if we consider that South Africa is a place where certain races were treated poorly and unfairly. 

About the South African indigenous cultures, the rainbow is associated with a bright future and hope (as in Xhosa culture). And the colours simply symbolise the diversity of South Africa's usually unspecified racial, ethnic or cultural groups.

In general we can say that the rainbow's term is a symbol of the cultural diversity in South Africa, as for example, the amount of languages in the country. And to finish I want to show us a short speech of Nelson Mandela about the rainbow nation's expectation.

Nelson Mandela on exceeding expectations to build a rainbow nation

King Philip II of Spain

  Something that really called my attention about the movie is the perspective of Spain respect to the conflict between both empires. For that reason I speak about the King Philip II of Spain and his role in this conflict.

  The King Philip II of Spain was born at Valladolid in Spain on 13 September of 1598. He was son of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Isabella of Portugal.  His mother died when he was young, and his father was often gone because of his extensive political duties. Charles did, however, he write many letters to Philip, which had a great influence on him. It was from these letters that Philip learned to be cautious and skeptical, but also long-suffering and to be persistent. From childhood, Philip was taught his duty to the Roman Catholic faith, which remained an important influence on him for the rest of his life.

  For that reason, Philip II believed he had two duties in life: the first, to extend the Spanish Empoire and to promote the Romn Catholic faith . Instead, Philip crippled Spain with an overwhelmingky inefficient bureauccrcy and turned the Spanish church into an oppressive regime that was feared and distrsuted. Philip learned his policy from his father, Emperor Charles V. He also inherited a poweful leviathan of an empire, complete with an efficient army and a number of colonies and territories. However, Philip loved paperwork nd dispatches. By the end of his rule, Spain was drained and weakened, ignorance was prevalent and the corrupted Church controlled even the king himself. Also Philip was known like "the prudent king" to some, or "the demon of the middle day" for others.

  In the 1560s, Philip II of Spain, a champion of the Catholic cause, sought to frustrate English crown policy for both religious and commercial reasons. The Protestant Elizabeth I of England, whom the Catholic Church did not recognise as the rightful English monarch, had antagonised Catholic states by restoring royal supremacy over the Church of England. These situation renewed the impression among Catholics in Europe that England was a Catholic country oppressed by Protestant rulers. The English historically had also supported the Protestant cause in the Netherlands partly to maintain the power balance in Europe and prevent the Spanish from using the Netherlands as a staging point for invasion.

The activities of English privateers (considered pirates by the Spanish) on the Spanish Main and in the Atlantic seriously affected Spain's royal revenues. The English trans-Atlantic slave trade – started by Sir John Hawkins in 1562 – gained the support of Elizabeth, even though the Spanish government complained that Hawkins's trade with their colonies in the West Indies constituted smuggling.

  For her part Elizabeth provided assistance to the Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion and in the Dutch Revolt against Spain. Philip, meanwhile, was fiercely opposed to the spread of Protestantism, and in addition to financing the Catholic League in the French wars, supported the Second Desmond Rebellion in Ireland, in which Irish Catholics revolted against Elizabeth, from 1579 to 1583.

In 1584 the Spanish king signed the Treaty of Joinville with the Catholic League in France presenting Elizabeth with the choice of intervention or allowing an alliance between Spain and France against Protestant forces, the most notable of which was England. In 1585 Elizabeth signed the Treaty of Nonsuch with the Dutch, agreeing to provide them with men, horses, and a subsidy. Philip II took this to be a declaration of war against his government.

  For these reason the Spanish Empire started the war and not precisely or totally like the movie presented.

Elizabeth I: A queen like no one else

Most known as The Virgin Queen or The Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth, although she had a hard life, she had one of the most properous kingdoms of England and be one the most remarkable woman around the world.

Her childhood wasn´t easy at all. Daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn who was executed for alleged adultery against him when Elizabeth was only three years old and her father didn´t feel any affection for her, because he wanted a boy to be the new king after his dead.

She was separated from his father and she was raised by governesses that guide her on the path of education and culture.

In her youth, she passed hard times because her half sister Mary Tudor put her in prison for being a protestant and not become to catholicism.

When her half brother Edward VI died, she inherited the crown, becoming the new Queen  of England.

During her reign she lived hard times that she knew how to deal; like the trap created by Mary Tudor against her for  for being a devotee of protestantism and the war with Spain which it was at seas, even when Spain had more than one hundred ships and England just had sixty-six, anyway they defeated them because Spain couldn´t control the english seas.

In my opinion Queen Elizabeth was very fair and benevolent, because she listened the voice of the citizens, she considered them as people that had rights just like her. Her thinking was that her people had right to be attended just like her because she was part of that people.

She was a very intelligent woman because she knew how to maintain her power without  fall in desperation for a long time.

I think that the fact that she never got married didn´t meant egoism, it was that she wanted that her country wouldn´t fall into wrong hands and maybe that would end in disaster.

I consider that she is a remarkable woman because the hard moments that she passed showed her that nothing was easy, and those things made her strong and intelligent and not just in the rol of queen. Her passion and love for her beloved England made her make good decisions.

British Empire and its descolonization

The British Empire was the most extended of all, started to form in the eighteenth century but its maximum extent occurred between 1890 and 1910.

Their expansion occurred in the five continents:

There were the settler colonies (were designed to accommodate the excess population of the Empire and had some political autonomy.) and the exploitation colonies (which supplied raw materials to the metropolis and lacked political autonomy). For example:

-In Asia one of the most important colony for the British Empire was India, It was a farm colony administered since 1777 by the East India Company. India "The jewel of the British Crown" was the highest exporter of raw materials ( cotton, silk, sugar, tea).

-In Oceania Australia and New Zealand were discovered in the late eighteenth century by Captain James Cook, were used to reduce the overpopulation they had. Australia was practically uninhabited so it was occupied as a prison, but when the British realized the benefit that the land could give them inmigrants was integradated as a labor for the production.

However, the difficulty of maintaining these territories, the decrease economic and the nationalist sentiments of the colonies took their toll on Britain, so began the decolonization of territories like India or other colonies from America and Africa, but not until after the Second world War when Britain ceded his position as world power (the U.S.) and granted independence to multiple colonies worldwide.

Many of the independent  countries of the British Empire, today form the  Commonwealth wich is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries.

Architecture in the Elizabethan England.

   Something that really called my attention is the way castles, churches,houses and all buildings were designed and built.

   For many people today, houses are not only places to live; they are status symbols. This is the same way homes and buildings in general in the Elizabethan period were looked upon and judged: as signs of social class and personal status. 



   There were several types of homes in this period: royal works, great houses, smaller country homes, and farmhouses. As in modern day times, much of a person's choice of a home depended on his income and the social class with which he was associated. The kings and queens had the royal works, which were usually spread for miles, as far as the human eye could see. The upper-class, usually doctors or business men, had what was known as great homes. These were not as outlandish and extraordinary as the royal works but were definitely very large and quite nice. 



   The smaller country homes were usually owned by the merchants and craftsmen (tradesmen). Lastly, there were the farmhouses, which most of the time were occupied by farmers and their families.  



   The most distinctive feature in the great houses was the use of classical symmetry. This was the Elizabethan visual expression of order and harmony. An example of this use of symmetry is found in Hardwick Hall, located in Derbyshire. 

 






This two-storey building,
designed by Robert Smythson, was mirrored in a shape of an 'H', which gave the hall a perfect sense of balance.

   The smaller country homes were most commonly under the ownership of crafts men and tradesmen. These homes were not only nice and cozy, but were also very inexpensive to build because they often were built from materials that the owners already had. These homes were usually two stories with a kitchen, family room, and several bedrooms. Some people feel that the small country homes are just as beautiful as the large royal works of the century. These houses were by far much more commonplace than the huge and extravagant homes of the royalty and the others who were solely concerned with the social status shown by their houses.

   In my personal opinion, the Elizabethan Architecture is very neat and beautiful. All buildings, even the small ones, are surrounded by some sort of reserved ambiance, full of details. This shows how careful were architects and builders.
On the other hand, I don't really think buildings should be a feature for classifying people.

 

Common Elizabethan House.

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

BLACK HOLE SUN

Soundgarden is a grunge band formed in Seatle (Washington) in 1984's. It was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge. Its debut album was "Ultramega Ok" in 1988, but it achieved its biggest success with the album "Superunknown" in 1994 with very popular singles like "Spoonman" or "Black Hole Sun", the song that I have choosen for this blog.

The videoclip for this song was directed by Howard Greenhalgh. In this video, the first images that we can notice are people in their american-stereotiypical way of life, doing this through a vision of a pleasing, colorful and plenary environment. However, this vision is quickly distortioned until turning and showing the real face of the corrupted society, through deformed and exagerated smiles and gesticulations. Justifying this way the apocaliptic vision of a black hole absorbing everything and everyone starting from the middle of the video. Like cleaning trash so to speak.

Regarding the song composed by vocalist and guitarist Chriss Cornell. He recognizes that in regard to this point does not seek a clear message, however intended to reflect the sense of desolation.

To complete the personal reason why I chose this song, basically is that Soundgarden is my favorite band and this song is why I started to listen.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I !!

Who´s driving your life, fear or YOU?

Fear is a feeling caused by the perception of danger.
When we feel danger getting close, we let the fear control us and make decisions for us, decisions that actually are not always correct.

Why do I let the fear takes the wheel of my life, if I should be the one who´s taking the wheel?
This is the message of the song "Drive" composed by the band´s vocalist, Brandon Boyd.
The idea is that the people understand the song just as the chorus says: "Whatever tomorrow brings I´ll be there, with open arms and open eyes".







The video it´s very simple and easy to understand; the band is recording a musical session while the vocalist appears drawing himself, this is interpreted as was previously mentioned: I decide to drive my life and not let fear interfere.

You are the one who decides what are you gonna do every day, you decides what you want for your future, not fear.
We must confront with our head up each problem or conflict that may appear and not run and hide.
So, don´t let the fear control your life, start taking your own decisions... believe it, it´s not that hard :).

Enjoy the video!

Sometimes, dreams can bite.

   This is a short film released last year called "The Boy Who wanted to be a Lion". It was produced by the Brazilian-British production group, SINLOGO, and directed by Alois Di Leo.   
   The animated film is about Max, a seven-year-old deaf boy growing up in the 1960s. One day he goes on a school trip to the zoo, where he sees a lion for the first time. Since that moment, a big wish started to grow inside him, leaving aside everything else.   
   As you can see, the animation style is very special, and creates a unique environment that catches the audience attention. 




   The story leaves a message that can be understood in many ways. There's a struggle between what someone wants to do and what someone must do. In addition, there is another issue: "Should i follow my dreams, no matter what?" The end of the film can make this question even harder to answer, since it can be a little bit shocking.

   This film shows a really good way to propose that question, from a different angle.

If today was your last day

Nickeback is a canadian band, its first release was in 1995 and today it has seven albums and in the sixth album  “Dark house” there's a song called “IF TODAY WAS YOUR LAST DAY”.

What would you do if today was your last day?, Is what raises this motivational song. The song tells us to enjoy every day as if it was the last one, to say goodbye to the past and move on by forgiving our enemies and sharing life with our loved ones as our family and friends despite we haven't seen them in a while.

The music video shows two boys wearing dark clothes with mysterious garbage bags were full of colorful papers  with sentences of the song, it also shows two other people distributing red jackets with phrases on the back  and a man giving his money to many people.

I like this song because it makes me believe that every day I have to enjoy, thinking about the positive things in my life, learning from the past, enjoy the present and preparing myself for the future.
We don't know when will be our last day, it's never too late to fix our mistakes and we must strive to get the best out of us every day.

I hope  you enjoy the video!