Go forth and fill your libraries with media.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.
This is a re-post of an earlier article I made which I try to update occasionally. As the festivity/holiday approaches (which ever part of the cultural plethora you are) as my original intention was to present a different view and cultural significance on the very much commercialized holiday Halloween known by many other names in different cultures but more or less hold a similar celebration in honor of those who have long gone past the borders of the living through facts, fiction, various cultural interpretations, literature, and film. Enjoy the holidays and celebrate the true essence of Halloween whichever part of the world you are in.
Happy Halloween, All Saint's Day, All Soul's Day, & Dia de los Muertos to everyone!!! Its the time of year again in the western part of the world where children and adults alike celebrate a tradition called Halloween. On evening of October 31 children of all ages celebrate Halloween donning costumes, having parties and going house to house within the neighborhood trick or treating for candy and other goodies. Normally we Filipinos do not celebrate Halloween since it is not our culture but through the years, the commercialization of Halloween in terms of movies, novelty items, and sweets eventually reached our shores. As early as July you will find many Halloween Items in malls, department stores, and bookstores. Though due to social and cultural differences, trick or treating is not practiced but guising
or wearing a costume is very much a requirement during Halloween Parties and Balls be it for the children or for the grown-ups.
The celebration of Halloween not traditionally our own, but it may have been brought into our culture when the Americans came during the occupation in World War II. However, having been under Spanish rule for 300 years the Filipino Culture is very much ingrained with the Spanish. Instead, we celebrate the Spanish and Catholic Tradition of All Saint' s Day and All Soul' s Day locally referred to as Araw ng mg Patay(Tagalog/Filipino) and Adlaw sa Minatay(Cebuano/Visayan), Day of the Dead(English) with some of its customs and traditions are also intertwined with its Mexican counterpart Dia De Los Muertos(Day of the Dead).
Many other cultures and religions have traditional celebrations of Life and Death. Here is Asia we have several festivals or celebrations similar yet quite different to our own to our own which lasts from several days to a month. In Japan we have the Bon Festival, in Korea we have Chuseok, and in China we have Qingming/Ghost Festival.
Surprisingly, all of the three celebrations quite similar in terms of customs and traditions although somewhat different all at the same time. There is information available regrading the origins of Halloween and the other similar festivals. The subject of Halloween has always been a debate in Religious Organizations. For the curios and for those who want to know, the articles "The Real Origins of Halloween" and "Halloween Errors and Lies" provide information with both religious, cultural, and historical significance making for an interesting read separating fact from fiction.
A break form the usual Horror Fest available to cable or on TV, I recommend the following videos for you to watch. Not only are they entertaining, they also provide education information regarding the subject exploring culture, myth, and adventure. Two of which are Halloween Specials and one is a multi-awarded movie. The first video is a well loved animated feature entitled "The Halloween Tree" under Hannah-Barbera Productions based on the book with the same title "The Halloween Tree" by Ray Bradbury. The story is about a four friends who set out to go trick-or-treating on Halloween, only to discover that their fourth friend, Pipkin, has been whisked away on a journey that could determine whether he lives or dies. Through the help of a mysterious character named Moundshroud, they pursue their friend across time and space through ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures, Celtic Druidism, Notre Dame Cathedral in Medieval Paris, and The Day of the Dead in Mexico. Along the way, they learn the origins of the holiday that they celebrate, and the role that the fear of death has played in shaping civilization.
The second video is an episode from The Wild Thornberrys on Nicklelodeon. In this particular episode(Episode Number: 67 Season Number: 3 ) entitled "Spirited Away" we find Eliza and her family in the border of Oaxala and Zaachula, Mexico with a mysterious adventure during the celebration of the Dia De Los Muertos.
The third video is a multi-awarded full length animated film entitled "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi" which literally translates in English as "Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away" its actual working title is "Spirited Away". At the film's beginning, a ten-year-old girl Chihiro and her family is on their to a new home in
Tochinoki, Japan, despite the her objections. When her father gets
lost taking a short cut, they discover a mysterious entryway through a
tunnel; on the other side is a strange, beautiful, grassy
landscape, which they assume to be an abandoned theme park. The parents investigate and find a deserted stall piled with food. They start eating and soon lose control of their hunger and turn into pigs. Thus begins Chichiro's wild and amazing adventure in the realm of the spirits.
The fourth video is a classic multi-awarded motion picture entitled "A Chinese Ghost Story" which showcases the ghost folklore and fantasy aspects of the Chinese culture. Ning Tsai-Shen, a humble tax collector, arrives in a small town to
carry out his work. Unsurprisingly, no-one is willing to give him
shelter for the night, so he ends up spending the night in the haunted
Lan Ro temple. There, he meets Taoist Swordsman Yen Che-Hsia, who warns
him to stay out of trouble, and the beautiful Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, with
whom he falls in love. Unfortunately, Hsiao-Tsing is a ghost, bound for
all eternity by a hideous tree spirit with an incredibly long tongue
that wraps itself round its victims and sucks out their life essence.
I certainly hope these films I have recommended bring the spirit of art, culture and understanding into your Halloween Celebrations where ever you are.
All in all, the three celebrations and the other similar celebrations all have one message: Death is a natural part of living, a continuation of life which should be accepted not be feared but instead celebrated.
Acknowledgments:
Some descriptions, pictures, and links courtesy of Wikipedia.
Some links courtesy of Neopagan.net
Episode summaries and related information courtesy of TV.com.
VHS front cover courtesy of Amazon.com
I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.
I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.
Cheers,
I recently burned a copy of really fantastic documentary for a friend. But the problem with burning DVD’s is that they’re generally cold and impersonal. So, I decided to invest 15 minutes in making simple Disc Box Slider case for the the DVD.
I created a black and white sleeve as well as a manila colored sleeve.
If you don’t get to these in time feel free to email me at bernardrz [at] gmail. [dot] com.
More info here.
Bad news. As many of you have probably noticed, the Amazon Conduit was not fixed in the last week's release. Unfortunately, there was an undetected bug that is preventing the conduit from working.
We are working on this bug fix and hope to have the Conduit back up and running this week.
I will keep you posted.
Thank you for being so patient.
Blog Action Day is every October 15th, when blogger are asked to post something about a single issue to show our strength and conviction as an online community. It's a great way to feel connected to the greater good, and the participation of so many bloggers to support the world's leading non-profit organizations is something you can do to help, right now. By blogging today, you're supporting some of the world's leading non-profits and sharing your voice for change.
This year's topic is climate change, and we'd love to read your thoughts on the topic. If you participate, leave us a link to your post in the comments, so we know to check out your post!
Go to www.blogactionday.org to learn more, get a badge for your blog showing your participation, and see some ideas for your post on climate change.
Can't wait to read your posts!
~ daisy
Brandon Boyer of the always informative and mind-shattering video game blog Offworld has posted yet another amazing post featuring a dissection and discussion of the opening sequence of The Beatles Rock Band video game.
Great. Great. Great stuff.
Check it out here.
(via Offworld)
I've written about how wonderful Cory's new book is elsewhere, and this brief interview is a great for those of you who've not read begun reading it as well as Cory superfans.
Enjoy!
Got a hundred bucks that you aren't using? Well, me either.. But If I did, I might spend them on this wonderful and fantastically gorgeous hand knit specimen made by mad genius CraftyHedgehog.
Be sure to also check out the other dissections, including a bunny!
(etsy link)
There
are many things that we can learn from other cultures in retrospect
with our own. I invite students, educators, enthusiasts, and
professionals in the field of arts and culture as well as everyone
interested to see and experience something different and out of the
ordinary. Jump at the chance to watch selections of critical acclaim and much awarded art films. For the newbies most of the films dialogues are spoken in their own native language depending on the country. For the non-English speaking films, English translated subtitles are provided for bridging the language barrier and better understanding of the general public.
Starting October 9th until the 11th, 2009 Cine Europa 12 will be screened at the Onstage Theater, Ayala Center Cebu. Admission is free as always thanks to the efforts of the Arts Council of Cebu in their commitment to spread arts and culture to as many people as possible especially todayś youth so you don't have any excuse not to watch it. I will be bringing the ACT Arts and Culture and the Creative Pitstop gang to the screening. Students bring your IDs and for everyone, bring an open mind. Please bear in mind that seats are first come first served basis and after every film screening every one will be asked to vacate the theater and fall in line again to facilitate fair seating arrangements.
Screening Schedule
Cine Europa 12
(12th European Film Festival)
October 9 - 11 2009
Ayala Onstage Theater, Ayala Center Cebu
(Schedule is subject to change without prior notice)
Film Synopsis
Cine Europa 12
(12th European Film Festival)
October 9 - 11 2009
Ayala Onstage Theater, Ayala Center Cebu
(Schedule is subject to change without prior notice.)
FREE TO LEAVE
R-18
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 10:00am - 11:37 am
Everything seems to be running on track. For Anna and Ferdinand, for Thomas and Hanni. Thomas (Frank Giering) and Hanni ( Corinna Harfouch) are a married couple who live in a steady, well-oiled harmony. Anna (Lavinia Wilson) and Ferdinand (Robert Stadlober) are young lovers in the process of planning a future together. It is just one short moment that changes their whole lives. One kiss – short but impermissible, and nothing is as it was. Thomas Hudetz, train controller for the last twelve years (and without having put one wrong foot in that time), lets himself be distracted by Anna, the innkeepers daughter exactly at that point in time where there is traffic chaos due to a lorry blockade on the roads, the whole train timetable has come apart and the situation demands particular attention. By the time Thomas has reacted to the stop signal it is too late. 22 people have been killed, 21 passengers on the Paris to Budapest express and Joseph, Thomas’ best friend (Alfred Dorfer), who unexpectedly drove on to the railway crossing with his delivery van.
GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE
PG-13
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 11:45am - 1:40pm
Peter, a brave but poor young man, is forced to leave home by his strep mother after his loving father’s death. While he is crossing the countryside, he saves two princesses when their horses get wild during a walk.
He falls in love with one of them, beautiful Angelina, but the other one, timid and kind Adela, will fall I n love with Peter. On his journey, Peter meets the nice devil Jan, who was sent to bring his stepmother to hell. But their journey only starts and the friendship will bring them to various unexpected situations
ORIENT EXPRESS
R-13
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 2:00pm - 3:31pm
At an old age. Prince Andrei Morudzi retreats to his castle in Romania during the two world wars, after having lead an eventful youth. There he is seen upon as a rare bird by the local folk, due to his strange attitude towards life and his exquisite manners, which don’t fit in the way of life of the villagers. But, in the end, despite trying to distance himself from the local people, he can’t but influence their humble existences.
JUST ANOTHER LOVE STORY
R-18
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 3:45pm - 5:30pm
Jonas is a nice, but worn-down husband and father, with wife, two kids and a house in the suburbs. One day, his life takes a dramatic, unexpected turn when he is the likely cause of a young woman, Julia, crashing her car. The next day, Julia wakes up in the hospital with amnesia and Jonas comes to visit. In a grotesque mix-up, Julia and her family mistake Jonas for her new exotic boyfriend Sebastian, whose return from abroad they had all been expecting. Jonas assumes the other’s identity, playing the part of the man Julia considers the love of her life. A whole new identity, a whole new life, a wide open, boundless world opens up to Jonas. But life is not lived on fantasies and exotic dreams – and one day truth comes knocking at the door.
CHRISTMAS STORY
GP
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 5:45 pm - 7:20 pm
A Finnish Christmas film for the entire family tells the touching story of how Santa Claus came to be Santa.
Hundreds of years ago in Lapland, a little boy named Nikolas loses his family in an accident. The villagers decided to look after the orphaned boy together. Once a year, at Christmas – Nikolas moves to a new home. To show his gratitude, Nikolas decodes to make toys for the children of the families as good-bye presents. Over the years, Nikolas’ former adoptive families become many, and soon almost every house has presents on its doorstep on Christmas morning. At thirteen, Nikolas is sent to live and work with Iisakki, a grumpy old carpenter, who forbids Nikolas to continue making presents for Christmas. Gradually, however, Nikolas wins Iisakki’s trust. Together, they began to look after the Christmas tradition that Nikolas has begun. When the aged Iisakki has to leave Nikolas and move away, the traditions of Christmas presents is once again at risk. Thankfully, Nikolas comes up with a solution that brings children joy every Christmas, even continuing today.
REC
R-18
Friday, October 9, 2009 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
The film follows a Spanish late-night television reporter, Angela Vidal, through the lens of her cameraman, Pablo. During one report of the happenings in a local fire station in Barcelona, the duo follow a team of firefighters who got a call from an apartment building nearby about a trapped woman. When they arrive, they find the apartment’s residents huddled in the lobby. They go upstairs to find a woman who is obviously distressed. What follows is a night that none of them will ever forget.
YOU AND ME
R-13
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Editor of the magazine, “Toi et Mio”. Ariane tends to write her love life and that of her sister Lena, embellishing them. Meanwhile, their real life is far from Romanesque: Ariane clings to Farid who hardly cares about her, while Lena is bored with her companion, Francois. What if Ariane abandons her love for Pablo, the handsome Hispanic worker in her building, and if Lena allows herself to fall for Mark, the talented violinist? Between their real life and the glossy magazine stories, will the two sisters find their true love?
THE BLIND FLYERS
GP
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 11:45 am - 1:13 pm
The Blind Flyers follows the adventures of best friends Maria and Inga as they audition for a school band in the hope of appearing on a TV show. The two are just like typical music-loving teenagers, except for one thing; they are blind. The Blind Flyers is a refreshingly unsentimental film that promotes neither stereotypes nor puty, it is simply a film that shows that the handicapped are truly just like “normal” people. This inspiring film has won awards such as the 2004 German Film Awards for Best Children’s Film, a special mention in the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival, and a Euro Kids Film Award in 2004.
THE DEMONS OF ST. PETERSBURG
R-13
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 1:30 pm - 3:28 pm
St. Petersburg, 1860. A member of the Imperial family is assassinated. A few days later the writer Fyodor Maikhailovich Dostoevsky meets Gusiev, a young man being treated in a psychiatric hospital. Gusiev confesses that he is part of the terrorist group involved in the assassination and reveals that his comrades are planning to kill another of the Tsar’s relatives. The young man also gives Dostoevsky the address of Aleksandra, their leader. Dostoevsky must find her body and try and convince her to stop this new attack. The writer is at his wits end, hounded by his creditors, under pressure to deliver his next book and plagued by frequent attacks of epilepsy. By day, with the help of Anna Grigoryevna, a young stenographer, he dictates “The Gambler”. At night, he continues his desperate search for the terrorist group….
LOVE IS ALL
PG-13
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 3:45 pm - 5:45 pm
Love is like Santa Claus: you have to believe in it, otherwise it will not work.
Following her husband’s infidelity with their son’s teacher, Klaasje falls for a teenage Don Juan. Her best friend Simone seems happy with her own husband but her tenacious striving for perfection is beginning to take its toll on the marriage. Kiki is in love too, and enjoying her fling with Prince Valentijn, the most eligible prince within the Dutch royal family. Kees, an undertaker, and lifeguard Victor are in love. They intend to get married soon, but now Kees seems to be holding back.
All the story lines within this romantic comedy are linked to a greater or lesser degree. But sooner or later, every character ends up meeting Jan, the hero of this film, who, in his role of deus ex machina, sees to it that, in the end, love conquers all.
ZOO RANGERS IS SOUTH AMERICA
PG-13
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 6:00 pm - 7:40 pm
While on the trail of an extremely rare butterfly, the ZOO Rangers save the South American rain forest from total destruction. When the ZOO Rangers are asked to find an extremely rare species of butterfly in South America, they initially split up into two groups. A number of rangers pay a visit to the members of the expedition that originally found the butterflies. The others go into the tropical rain forest to seek out the butterflies themselves.
DARK BLUE WORLD
R-13
Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 8:00 pm - 9:45 pm
March 15, 1939: Germany invades Czechoslovakia. Czech pilots flee to England, joining the RAF. After the war, back home, they are put in labor camps, suspected of anti-Comminist ideas. This film cuts between a post-war camp where Franta is a prisoner in England during the war. Franta is like a big brother to Karel, a very young pilot. On maneuvers, Karel crash lands by the rural home of Susan, an English woman whose husband is MIA. She spends one night with Karel, and he thinks he’s found the love of his life. It complicated Susan’s attraction to Franta. How will the three handle innocence, love, friendship and the heat of war? When war ends, what then?
SUNDAYS ON LEAVE
R-13
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 2:30 pm - 4:15 pm
It is late in the Ceausescu era in Romania, and Cristina is having a difficult time with her boyfriend. He wants her to have sex with him before he goes off to do his obligatory stint in the army. She wants him to marry her first. She also gets involved with her slightly rebellious actor, a would-be ladies’ man. He has some vague plans to defect – could those be the reasons he is receiving mysterious phone calls? Or are they the work of his anonymous admirer?
THE GUY IN THE GRAVE NEXT DOOR
PG-13
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Desiree, a modern librarian with urban friends and interests is visiting her late husband’s grave when she meets Benny, a simple farmer. After his mother’s death Benny lives alone on the run-down farm, desperately seeking a woman to take care of him. In spite of their differences the two have that special dream of finding that special someone in common, and fall passionately in love. Benny wants Desiree to move in with him and start a family as soon as possible. But being a framer’s wife is not something she is very enthusiastic about. Just presenting Benny as her boyfriend proves to be an embarrassing experience. And when she gets a tempting job offer in Stockholm she has to consider her priorities carefully.
RASCALS ON THE ROAD
PG-13
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 6:15 pm - 8:00 pm
Eugen, Wrigley, Baschteli and Eduard are four young rascals who spend their time playing pranks upon the citizens of 1960’s Berne.
Incidents involving an antique helmet and a leaky boat get them into hot water with their parents, and Eugen and Wrigley face cruel and unusual punishment: no scouts’ camp, and banishment to boarding school.
Our two heroes hightail it in order to look for Fritzli Buhler, the erstwhile King of Rascals, whose legendary pranks are still the talk of Berne’s cobbled streets. Their odyssey takes them to the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, where they are joined by Baschteli and Eduard, and by bicycle across the Alps to Zurich.
Pursued by worried parents, wrathful peasants and any number of policemen they travel all over Switzerland. While their parents and the authorities launch a nationwide search, the four boys strengthen their friendship and enter into a bond to rival that of the Swiss Confederation: “ We shall stand united as a people of brats..”
By the end of their adventures the four rascals will be famous – and much more.
THE DUCHESS
R-13
Sunday, October 11, 2009 | 8:15 pm - 10:05 pm
Academy award nominees Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes star in the Duchesss: the compelling true story of a lavish world filled with smoldering passion, heartbreaking deception and stifling demands. Beloved by a nation but betrayed by her husband, Georgiana Spencer – the Duchess of Devonshire and “Empress of Fashion” – graced an agonizing choice between responsibility and love. This gripping portrayal of England’s “It Girl” has won acclaim from audiences and critics alike. She was vivacious. She was heroic. She was the Duchess.
