segunda-feira, 11 de maio de 2009
A 50 word Saga that I like- By Ana Sofia
Milly sat in her car and drove to the fish pond. She had lost her friends and family, and decided to drown.A guy was already in the water, struggling. She ripped her shirt, dived, and saved him.Now they have a home, three kids, and a dog called Steve.
My favourite short story- By Ana Sofia
The Dead Boy at Your Window
By Bruce Holland Rogers
In a distant country where the towns had improbable names, a woman looked upon the unmoving form of her newborn baby and refused to see what the midwife saw. This was her son. She had brought him forth in agony, and now he must suck. She pressed his lips to her breast.“But he is dead!” said the midwife.“No,” his mother lied. “I felt him suck just now.” Her lie was as milk to the baby, who really was dead but who now opened his dead eyes and began to kick his dead legs. “There, do you see?” And she made the midwife call the father in to know his son.The dead boy never did suck at his mother's breast. He sipped no water, never took food of any kind, so of course he never grew. But his father, who was handy with all things mechanical, built a rack for stretching him so that, year by year, he could be as tall as the other children.When he had seen six winters, his parents sent him to school. Though he was as tall as the other students, the dead boy was strange to look upon. His bald head was almost the right size, but the rest of him was thin as a piece of leather and dry as a stick. He tried to make up for his ugliness with diligence, and every night he was up late practicing his letters and numbers.His voice was like the rasping of dry leaves. Because it was so hard to hear him, the teacher made all the other students hold their breaths when he gave an answer. She called on him often, and he was always right.Naturally, the other children despised him. The bullies sometimes waited for him after school, but beating him, even with sticks, did him no harm. He wouldn't even cry out.One windy day, the bullies stole a ball of twine from their teacher's desk, and after school, they held the dead boy on the ground with his arms out so that he took the shape of a cross. They ran a stick in through his left shirt sleeve and out through the right. They stretched his shirt tails down to his ankles, tied everything in place, fastened the ball of twine to a buttonhole, and launched him. To their delight, the dead boy made an excellent kite. It only added to their pleasure to see that owing to the weight of his head, he flew upside down.When they were bored with watching the dead boy fly, they let go of the string. The dead boy did not drift back to earth, as any ordinary kite would do. He glided. He could steer a little, though he was mostly at the mercy of the winds. And he could not come down. Indeed, the wind blew him higher and higher.The sun set, and still the dead boy rode the wind. The moon rose and by its glow he saw the fields and forests drifting by. He saw mountain ranges pass beneath him, and oceans and continents. At last the winds gentled, then ceased, and he glided down to the ground in a strange country. The ground was bare. The moon and stars had vanished from the sky. The air seemed gray and shrouded. The dead boy leaned to one side and shook himself until the stick fell from his shirt. He wound up the twine that had trailed behind him and waited for the sun to rise. Hour after long hour, there was only the same grayness. So he began to wander.He encountered a man who looked much like himself, a bald head atop leathery limbs. “Where am I?” the dead boy asked.The man looked at the grayness all around. “Where?” the man said. His voice, like the dead boy's, sounded like the whisper of dead leaves stirring.A woman emerged from the grayness. Her head was bald, too, and her body dried out. “This!” she rasped, touching the dead boy's shirt. “I remember this!” She tugged on the dead boy's sleeve. “I had a thing like this!”“Clothes?” said the dead boy.“Clothes!” the woman cried. “That's what it is called!”More shriveled people came out of the grayness. They crowded close to see the strange dead boy who wore clothes. Now the dead boy knew where he was. “This is the land of the dead.”“Why do you have clothes?” asked the dead woman. “We came here with nothing! Why do you have clothes?”“I have always been dead,” said the dead boy, “but I spent six years among the living.”“Six years!” said one of the dead. “And you have only just now come to us?”“Did you know my wife?” asked a dead man. “Is she still among the living?”“Give me news of my son!”“What about my sister?”The dead people crowded closer.The dead boy said, “What is your sister's name?” But the dead could not remember the names of their loved ones. They did not even remember their own names. Likewise, the names of the places where they had lived, the numbers given to their years, the manners or fashions of their times, all of these they had forgotten. “Well,” said the dead boy, “in the town where I was born, there was a widow. Maybe she was your wife. I knew a boy whose mother had died, and an old woman who might have been your sister.”“Are you going back?”“Of course not,” said another dead person. “No one ever goes back.”“I think I might,” the dead boy said. He explained about his flying. “When next the wind blows....”“The wind never blows here,” said a man so newly dead that he remembered wind.“Then you could run with my string.”“Would that work?”“Take a message to my husband!” said a dead woman.“Tell my wife that I miss her!” said a dead man.“Let my sister know I haven't forgotten her!”“Say to my lover that I love him still!”They gave him their messages, not knowing whether or not their loved ones were themselves long dead. Indeed, dead lovers might well be standing next to one another in the land of the dead, giving messages for each other to the dead boy. Still, he memorized them all. Then the dead put the stick back inside his shirt sleeves, tied everything in place, and unwound his string. Running as fast as their leathery legs could manage, they pulled the dead boy back into the sky, let go of the string, and watched with their dead eyes as he glided away.He glided a long time over the gray stillness of death until at last a puff of wind blew him higher, until a breath of wind took him higher still, until a gust of wind carried him up above the grayness to where he could see the moon and the stars. Below he saw moonlight reflected in the ocean. In the distance rose mountain peaks. The dead boy came to earth in a little village. He knew no one here, but he went to the first house he came to and rapped on the bedroom shutters. To the woman who answered, he said, “A message from the land of the dead,” and gave her one of the messages. The woman wept, and gave him a message in return.House by house, he delivered the messages. House by house, he collected messages for the dead. In the morning, he found some boys to fly him, to give him back to the wind's mercy so he could carry these new messages back to the land of the dead.So it has been ever since. On any night, head full of messages, he may rap upon any window to remind someone -- to remind you, perhaps -- of love that outlives memory, of love that needs no names.
By Bruce Holland Rogers
In a distant country where the towns had improbable names, a woman looked upon the unmoving form of her newborn baby and refused to see what the midwife saw. This was her son. She had brought him forth in agony, and now he must suck. She pressed his lips to her breast.“But he is dead!” said the midwife.“No,” his mother lied. “I felt him suck just now.” Her lie was as milk to the baby, who really was dead but who now opened his dead eyes and began to kick his dead legs. “There, do you see?” And she made the midwife call the father in to know his son.The dead boy never did suck at his mother's breast. He sipped no water, never took food of any kind, so of course he never grew. But his father, who was handy with all things mechanical, built a rack for stretching him so that, year by year, he could be as tall as the other children.When he had seen six winters, his parents sent him to school. Though he was as tall as the other students, the dead boy was strange to look upon. His bald head was almost the right size, but the rest of him was thin as a piece of leather and dry as a stick. He tried to make up for his ugliness with diligence, and every night he was up late practicing his letters and numbers.His voice was like the rasping of dry leaves. Because it was so hard to hear him, the teacher made all the other students hold their breaths when he gave an answer. She called on him often, and he was always right.Naturally, the other children despised him. The bullies sometimes waited for him after school, but beating him, even with sticks, did him no harm. He wouldn't even cry out.One windy day, the bullies stole a ball of twine from their teacher's desk, and after school, they held the dead boy on the ground with his arms out so that he took the shape of a cross. They ran a stick in through his left shirt sleeve and out through the right. They stretched his shirt tails down to his ankles, tied everything in place, fastened the ball of twine to a buttonhole, and launched him. To their delight, the dead boy made an excellent kite. It only added to their pleasure to see that owing to the weight of his head, he flew upside down.When they were bored with watching the dead boy fly, they let go of the string. The dead boy did not drift back to earth, as any ordinary kite would do. He glided. He could steer a little, though he was mostly at the mercy of the winds. And he could not come down. Indeed, the wind blew him higher and higher.The sun set, and still the dead boy rode the wind. The moon rose and by its glow he saw the fields and forests drifting by. He saw mountain ranges pass beneath him, and oceans and continents. At last the winds gentled, then ceased, and he glided down to the ground in a strange country. The ground was bare. The moon and stars had vanished from the sky. The air seemed gray and shrouded. The dead boy leaned to one side and shook himself until the stick fell from his shirt. He wound up the twine that had trailed behind him and waited for the sun to rise. Hour after long hour, there was only the same grayness. So he began to wander.He encountered a man who looked much like himself, a bald head atop leathery limbs. “Where am I?” the dead boy asked.The man looked at the grayness all around. “Where?” the man said. His voice, like the dead boy's, sounded like the whisper of dead leaves stirring.A woman emerged from the grayness. Her head was bald, too, and her body dried out. “This!” she rasped, touching the dead boy's shirt. “I remember this!” She tugged on the dead boy's sleeve. “I had a thing like this!”“Clothes?” said the dead boy.“Clothes!” the woman cried. “That's what it is called!”More shriveled people came out of the grayness. They crowded close to see the strange dead boy who wore clothes. Now the dead boy knew where he was. “This is the land of the dead.”“Why do you have clothes?” asked the dead woman. “We came here with nothing! Why do you have clothes?”“I have always been dead,” said the dead boy, “but I spent six years among the living.”“Six years!” said one of the dead. “And you have only just now come to us?”“Did you know my wife?” asked a dead man. “Is she still among the living?”“Give me news of my son!”“What about my sister?”The dead people crowded closer.The dead boy said, “What is your sister's name?” But the dead could not remember the names of their loved ones. They did not even remember their own names. Likewise, the names of the places where they had lived, the numbers given to their years, the manners or fashions of their times, all of these they had forgotten. “Well,” said the dead boy, “in the town where I was born, there was a widow. Maybe she was your wife. I knew a boy whose mother had died, and an old woman who might have been your sister.”“Are you going back?”“Of course not,” said another dead person. “No one ever goes back.”“I think I might,” the dead boy said. He explained about his flying. “When next the wind blows....”“The wind never blows here,” said a man so newly dead that he remembered wind.“Then you could run with my string.”“Would that work?”“Take a message to my husband!” said a dead woman.“Tell my wife that I miss her!” said a dead man.“Let my sister know I haven't forgotten her!”“Say to my lover that I love him still!”They gave him their messages, not knowing whether or not their loved ones were themselves long dead. Indeed, dead lovers might well be standing next to one another in the land of the dead, giving messages for each other to the dead boy. Still, he memorized them all. Then the dead put the stick back inside his shirt sleeves, tied everything in place, and unwound his string. Running as fast as their leathery legs could manage, they pulled the dead boy back into the sky, let go of the string, and watched with their dead eyes as he glided away.He glided a long time over the gray stillness of death until at last a puff of wind blew him higher, until a breath of wind took him higher still, until a gust of wind carried him up above the grayness to where he could see the moon and the stars. Below he saw moonlight reflected in the ocean. In the distance rose mountain peaks. The dead boy came to earth in a little village. He knew no one here, but he went to the first house he came to and rapped on the bedroom shutters. To the woman who answered, he said, “A message from the land of the dead,” and gave her one of the messages. The woman wept, and gave him a message in return.House by house, he delivered the messages. House by house, he collected messages for the dead. In the morning, he found some boys to fly him, to give him back to the wind's mercy so he could carry these new messages back to the land of the dead.So it has been ever since. On any night, head full of messages, he may rap upon any window to remind someone -- to remind you, perhaps -- of love that outlives memory, of love that needs no names.
Report a visit- By Ana Sofia
Since 25 June of 2007 the city of Lisbon counts with a new and very important museum. I´m talking about “Museu Colecção Berardo de Arte Moderna Contemporânea”- installed in the Centre of Expositions of Cultural Centre of Belém.
In this space all the public, Portuguese or not, can enjoy the big names of the international art from centuries XX to XXI.
The initial draft of the Berardo Collection was to install in the Exhibition Center of the Centre Cultural of Belém, a permanent museum collection based on that collection.
The main objectives of this collection, I find the second, were to constitute an international contemporary museum, contributing to the affirmation of Lisbon as a destination for cultural tourism, to inform the general public in the development of art, based on an exhibition didactics and dynamic, enable the development of a broad program of cultural and educational animation, done by an Educational Services in conjunction with the creators, critics and teachers of various levels of education
Deepening the dialogue with other collections and spoils, expanding the scope of the collection, are also targets presented in the "construction" of this museum, as well as enabling the exchange of exhibitions and other works with other institutions and thus to discover different styles of art modern and also the circulation of works of the Collection.
The Berardo Collection is recognized internationally as a collection of art of great significance that can follow the main artistic movements of sec. XX. Representing more than 70 artistic currents and showing a strong and educational museum. This presents itself as a source of creativity and opportunities for innovation, not only by the richness of content, but also by constant acquisition of new works, allowing different readings of contemporary art.
After the visit to the Berardo Collection Museum, I could understand what really moves a collector. This is not just a curiosity, but what is collected, the passion for the subject itself. In a way, the collector demand and meets the work that others would also like to find and gather. The collector becomes reality, in fact, the dreams of others. The relationship between the individual's dream and the dream of the other traces the fate of the collection and to ensure its place in the community. In my view this collection expressed an exercise in open-minded, why is so peculiar and captivated me so much.
In this space all the public, Portuguese or not, can enjoy the big names of the international art from centuries XX to XXI.
The initial draft of the Berardo Collection was to install in the Exhibition Center of the Centre Cultural of Belém, a permanent museum collection based on that collection.
The main objectives of this collection, I find the second, were to constitute an international contemporary museum, contributing to the affirmation of Lisbon as a destination for cultural tourism, to inform the general public in the development of art, based on an exhibition didactics and dynamic, enable the development of a broad program of cultural and educational animation, done by an Educational Services in conjunction with the creators, critics and teachers of various levels of education
Deepening the dialogue with other collections and spoils, expanding the scope of the collection, are also targets presented in the "construction" of this museum, as well as enabling the exchange of exhibitions and other works with other institutions and thus to discover different styles of art modern and also the circulation of works of the Collection.
The Berardo Collection is recognized internationally as a collection of art of great significance that can follow the main artistic movements of sec. XX. Representing more than 70 artistic currents and showing a strong and educational museum. This presents itself as a source of creativity and opportunities for innovation, not only by the richness of content, but also by constant acquisition of new works, allowing different readings of contemporary art.
After the visit to the Berardo Collection Museum, I could understand what really moves a collector. This is not just a curiosity, but what is collected, the passion for the subject itself. In a way, the collector demand and meets the work that others would also like to find and gather. The collector becomes reality, in fact, the dreams of others. The relationship between the individual's dream and the dream of the other traces the fate of the collection and to ensure its place in the community. In my view this collection expressed an exercise in open-minded, why is so peculiar and captivated me so much.
Bikes Text - By Ana Sofia
How does the bike enhance the lives of people on the CD? What do they use the bikes for?
The bikes have a huge impact in people´s lives. According to the people in the Cd they provide jobs as a Newspaper Deliver and supply transport. With a bike people can ride quickly and transport newspapers across the streets.
The job that people can get as a newspaper deliver is related with the fact of having a bike and this job help them helping their families and feeling more independent.
To sum up, bikes are a very important instrument in New Deli because they are a strong source of employment for the young people mostly, and they are a huge help for the industry of Distribution.
The bikes have a huge impact in people´s lives. According to the people in the Cd they provide jobs as a Newspaper Deliver and supply transport. With a bike people can ride quickly and transport newspapers across the streets.
The job that people can get as a newspaper deliver is related with the fact of having a bike and this job help them helping their families and feeling more independent.
To sum up, bikes are a very important instrument in New Deli because they are a strong source of employment for the young people mostly, and they are a huge help for the industry of Distribution.
Katharine´s biography- By Ana Sofia
Today she´s teaching University Nova de Lisboa but in the past Katharine Hurlstone travelled by several countries throughout the world, studied Biology but teaches English… A life full of adventure, stories to tell and most important: the journey isn´t finish yet.
Katharine was born on the 21st of October in 1964 in England, Darlington. Her parents are John and Margot. According to her she had a very happy childhood.
She attended Denten primary school between six and eleven years old, Stainddrop comprehensive school- secondary school between eleven and sixteen and Darlington 6th Form College and Southampton University.
With a passion for animals, she used to have a gold fish and adopted a cat that had five kittens so she kept six cats for sixteen years and with the help of her grandmother she got a pony- when she was about 12 years old.
While she was young, Katharine wanted to be a vet before she wanted to become a teacher. But later she thought she would like to become a teacher because she had two brothers and likes interacting with people.
Katharine studied Biology for three years, from 1983 to 1986. From 86 to 87 she went to Loughbrough to get her teacher´s license- Post graduate certificate in education- and in 87 she started by teaching math’s.
After a bad experience with the first year teaching math’s she decided to travel around the world. So she lived in Surrey ( in England) where she taught two years, lived one year in Australia, fourteen years in Japan, six months in Greece and Brazil and one year in Chile. She wanted to travel to see the world. She went to Iceland, America, and New Zealand and when she was in Australia she was a English teacher.
In 1991 Katharine went back to England to get her teacher´s license.
Speaking about the countries she says she likes the sense of humor and the wide spaces of Australia, the food in Thailand, the Philippines beaches, and the British sense of humor. She liked living Japan because it was a very clean space.
Her favorite books are the life of the Pie, The time traveller´s wife, The catcher in the Rye.
Katharine describes herself as being a quiet person who likes movies, her friends, living by the sea and likes going out to restaurants.
Her happiest moment in life was when she got a degree at University and managed to get a job and go home for her family.
Katharine speaks Spanish (in a medium level), French, Japanese and Portuguese (in an elementary level).
At the moment she´s living in Portugal after have spent fourteen years in Japan.
Katharine was born on the 21st of October in 1964 in England, Darlington. Her parents are John and Margot. According to her she had a very happy childhood.
She attended Denten primary school between six and eleven years old, Stainddrop comprehensive school- secondary school between eleven and sixteen and Darlington 6th Form College and Southampton University.
With a passion for animals, she used to have a gold fish and adopted a cat that had five kittens so she kept six cats for sixteen years and with the help of her grandmother she got a pony- when she was about 12 years old.
While she was young, Katharine wanted to be a vet before she wanted to become a teacher. But later she thought she would like to become a teacher because she had two brothers and likes interacting with people.
Katharine studied Biology for three years, from 1983 to 1986. From 86 to 87 she went to Loughbrough to get her teacher´s license- Post graduate certificate in education- and in 87 she started by teaching math’s.
After a bad experience with the first year teaching math’s she decided to travel around the world. So she lived in Surrey ( in England) where she taught two years, lived one year in Australia, fourteen years in Japan, six months in Greece and Brazil and one year in Chile. She wanted to travel to see the world. She went to Iceland, America, and New Zealand and when she was in Australia she was a English teacher.
In 1991 Katharine went back to England to get her teacher´s license.
Speaking about the countries she says she likes the sense of humor and the wide spaces of Australia, the food in Thailand, the Philippines beaches, and the British sense of humor. She liked living Japan because it was a very clean space.
Her favorite books are the life of the Pie, The time traveller´s wife, The catcher in the Rye.
Katharine describes herself as being a quiet person who likes movies, her friends, living by the sea and likes going out to restaurants.
Her happiest moment in life was when she got a degree at University and managed to get a job and go home for her family.
Katharine speaks Spanish (in a medium level), French, Japanese and Portuguese (in an elementary level).
At the moment she´s living in Portugal after have spent fourteen years in Japan.
Al Gore: biography - By Ana Sofia
U.S. Vice President. Born Albert Arnold Gore Jr., on March 31, 1948, in Washington, D.C. His father, Albert Gore Sr., a congressman from Tennessee, served in the House of Representatives. His mother, Pauline (La Fon) Gore, was one of the first women to graduate from Vanderbilt Law School. At once a Washington thoroughbred and a hometown Tennessean, Gore grew up accustomed to both environments. In the nation’s capital, Gore attended the exclusive St. Alban’s Episcopal School for Boys. In Tennessee, he worked on his family’s farm. Gore then attended Harvard, where he roomed with future actor Tommy Lee Jones. He earned a degree with high honors in government in 1969 after writing a senior thesis titled "The Impact of Television on the Conduct of the Presidency, 1947-1969." After struggling with his conscience about his opposition to the Vietnam War, Gore, who was drafted for service that year, decided to enter the military. Though his father lost his next bid for the Senate, Al Gore Jr.’s decision to join the military helped allay the concerns of his father’s constituency about Al Gore Sr.’s opposition to the war. Gore served his time in Vietnam as an army reporter. When he returned to the States in 1971, he worked as a reporter at the Tennessean. When he was later moved to the city politics beat, Gore uncovered political and bribery cases that led to convictions. While at the Tennessean, Gore, a Baptist, also studied philosophy and phenomenology at Vanderbilt University. In 1974, he enrolled in Vanderbilt’s law school. Just two years later, he began to campaign for the Democratic nomination for Tennessee’s Fourth District congressional seat. When he won the nomination over Stanley Rogers, it was a big enough success to predict his win in the 1976 general election. After serving four terms, Gore jumped at the chance to fill the open Tennessee senatorial seat. He won the election in 1984. Among other things, Gore was particularly active in environmental issues. He played an integral role in the creation and passage of the 1980 Superfund bill to clean up chemical spills and dangerous land dumps. He has also worked for nuclear disarmament. In 1988, Gore made a bid for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. He won five southern states on Super Tuesday, but eventually lost to Michael Dukakis. Gore remained in the Senate until presidential candidate Bill Clinton chose him as his running mate in 1992. They were elected into office that year and re-elected in 1996. While in office, Gore continued to display concern for the environment. In 1992, he wrote Earth in the Balance: Healing the Global Environment (1992). He also worked to cut back on government bureaucracy. Though it was Clinton who came under fire so often during their terms, Gore’s political image suffered when he was investigated by the Justice Department in 1997 and 1998 for his fund-raising activities during the 1996 re-election campaign. Gore came under fire for, among other things, making a number of fund-raising telephone calls from his office in the White House—a possible violation of a civil service law that bars elected officials from using federal property to solicit campaign contributions. In both 1997 and 1998, Attorney General Janet Reno refused to assign an independent counsel to investigate Gore’s truthfulness when questioned under oath about his fund-raising practices. A renewed inquiry into Gore’s fund-raising activities began in the spring and summer of 2000, and the head of the Justice Department’s campaign finance unit again recommended that Reno appoint an special prosecutor. In August, after publicly defending her previous decisions in a June Senate hearing, Reno rejected his recommendation. In his 2000 presidential campaign, Gore faced down an early challenge from former Senator Bill Bradley, emerging victorious in every primary election. Bradley withdrew from the race in early March 2000, stating that he supports Gore and calling for unity within the Democratic Party. Gore emerged from the primaries unscathed, but is facing a tough race with the Republican presidential nominee, George W. Bush, and his running mate, former Secretary of Defense Richard B. Cheney. On August 8, 2000, Gore made his long-awaited announcement of a running mate, choosing Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. Lieberman is the first Orthodox Jew ever to be named on the ticket for a major national party. His strong support of campaign finance reform is expected to help Gore deflect Republican criticism of his past fund-raising activities. Lieberman was also the first prominent Democrat to publicly chastise President Clinton for his admitted affair with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and his presence on the ticket will give Gore some much-needed distance from the less savory aspects of the Clinton legacy. Gore and Lieberman received their party's formal nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in mid-August. Gore has been married to Mary Elizabeth Aitcheson, who he met at a school dance during his senior year of high school, since 1969. Known as “Tipper,” Mrs. Gore has been involved in the campaign for labeling of music that contains sexually explicit content. In 1999, Mrs. Gore also made news when she publicly spoke about suffering from depression. The Gores have four children: Karenna Gore Schiff (who has assumed an increasingly important role as an advisor to her father), Kristin, Sarah, and Albert III
quinta-feira, 22 de janeiro de 2009
terça-feira, 20 de janeiro de 2009
Graffiti Art- By Ana Sofia
Graffiti art is an art form. The reasons, including aesthetic criteria, as to why it is an art form far outweigh the criticism of illegality, incoherence, and nonstandard presentation. The objective of this paper is to explain how graffiti art overcomes these concerns and thereby can be considered as an art form.
Graffiti art originated in the late 1960's, and it has been developing ever since. However, it is not readily accepted as being art like those works that are found in a gallery or a museum. It is not strictly denied the status of genuine art because of a lack of form or other base aesthetic elements. Most of the opposition to graffiti art is due to its location and bold, unexpected, and unconventional presentation, but its presentation and often illegal location does not necessarily disqualify it as art. This type of graffiti is known as graffiti art, subway art, or spraycan art. The arguments of vandalism and unconventional presentation as negating the ability of some graffiti to be art is usurped by an explanation of those properties apparent in some forms of graffiti that do qualify it, aesthetically, as art. To show this, I provide a historical context of graffiti, and then I provide persuasive evidence that graffiti art is art.
The origins of graffiti go back to the beginnings of human, societal living. Graffiti has been found on uncovered, ancient, Egyptian monuments, and graffiti even was preserved on walls in Pompeii. Graffiti is the plural form of the Italian word grafficar. In plural, grafficar signifies drawings, markings, patterns, scribbles, or messages that are painted, written, or carved on a wall or surface. Grafficar also signifies "to scratch" in reference to different wall writings ranging from "cave paintings", bathroom scribbles, or any message that is scratched on walls. In reference to present day graffiti, the definition is qualified by adding that graffiti is also any unsolicited marking on a private or public property that is usually considered to be vandalism.
There are various forms of graffiti. One of the simplest forms is that of individual markings such as slogans, slurs, or political statements. Examples of this type of graffiti commonly are found in bathrooms or on exterior surfaces, and this graffiti is usually handwritten. Another simple form is that of the tag which is a fancy, scribble-like writing of one's name or nick-name. That is, tag signifies one's name or nick-name.
There are various forms of graffiti. One of the simplest forms is that of individual markings such as slogans, slurs, or political statements. Examples of this type of graffiti commonly are found in bathrooms or on exterior surfaces, and this graffiti is usually handwritten. Another simple form is that of the tag which is a fancy, scribble-like writing of one's name or nick-name. That is, tag signifies one's name or nick-name.
Graffiti in the form of spraycan art is art. It has form, color, and other base properties as well as an arrangement of these elements into structures that qualify it aesthetically as being art. Just doing something with spraypaint might make it graffiti, but it does not necessarily qualify it as art or graffiti art. In addition, when the spraycan art is analyzed according to the artist's intention and value to audience, there is even more evidence to suggest that it is genuine art. The only obstacle that has hindered the general acceptance of graffiti art is its location and presentation. However, the instances of acceptance of graffiti art by the art world shows that conventional methods of presentation are not all that matters in determining if something is art. And graffiti art is not to be disqualified as art simply because it might appear unsolicited. In short, graffiti in the form of spray can art is art like any other work that might be found in a gallery or a museum.
Raul´s life
Hi my name is Raul,i'm twenty-one years old and i'm from Angola. I've been living in Portugal since i was four, and since then i've been living with my mother and my older sisters. My brother,who's also older than me is now married and living in England. My father doesn't live with us,he lives in Angola, but we've always kept in touch with each other. I'm on my second year of college,im studying on Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas in Lisbon and i hope to graduate within the next three years. On my free time i like to be with my friends,be with my girlfriend,go to the movies,and listen to music because i love music. Other thing that i love is fashion,so one of my main goals in life is to have my own international clothing brand, and i hope to reach that goal until i'm thirty years old. My other goals is to get married, and to have a very healthy,wealthy and happy family (including myself) and i don't have an age limit to reach this goal.So,that's me basically.
segunda-feira, 19 de janeiro de 2009
Abstract Art ( introduction) - By Ana Sofia
"Of all the arts, abstract painting is the most difficult. It demands that you know how to draw well, that you have a heightened sensitivity for composition and for colours, and that you be a true poet. This last is essential." -- Wassily Kandinsky.
In its purest form in Western art, an abstract art is one without a recognisable subject, one which doesn't relate to anything external or try to "look like" something. Instead the colour and form (and often the materials and support) are the subject of the abstract painting. It's completely non-objective or non-representational.
A further distinction tends to be made between abstract art which is geometric, such as the work of Mondrian, and abstract art that is more fluid (and where the apparent spontaneity often belies careful planning and execution), such as the abstract art of Kandinsky or Pollock.
Also generally classified with abstract art are figurative abstractions and paintings which represent things that aren't visual, such an emotion, sound, or spiritual experience. Figurative abstractions are abstractions or simplifications of reality, where detail is eliminated from recognisable objects leaving only the essence or some degree of recognisable form.
In Western art history, the break from the notion that a painting had to represent something happened in the early 20th century. Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and other art movements of the time all contributed by breaking the "rules" of art followed since The Renaissance. Impressionism saw painters not "finishing" their paintings. The Fauvists used colour in a non-realistic way. Cubism introduced the idea of painting an object from more than one view point. From all of these the idea developed that colour, line, form, and texture could be the "subject" of the painting.
Abstract Expressionism, which emerged in the 1940s, applied the principles of Expressionism to abstract painting. The action painting of Jackson Pollock, in which paint was dripped, dropped, smeared, spattered, or thrown on the canvas, is a good example.
A further distinction tends to be made between abstract art which is geometric, such as the work of Mondrian, and abstract art that is more fluid (and where the apparent spontaneity often belies careful planning and execution), such as the abstract art of Kandinsky or Pollock.
Also generally classified with abstract art are figurative abstractions and paintings which represent things that aren't visual, such an emotion, sound, or spiritual experience. Figurative abstractions are abstractions or simplifications of reality, where detail is eliminated from recognisable objects leaving only the essence or some degree of recognisable form.
In Western art history, the break from the notion that a painting had to represent something happened in the early 20th century. Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism and other art movements of the time all contributed by breaking the "rules" of art followed since The Renaissance. Impressionism saw painters not "finishing" their paintings. The Fauvists used colour in a non-realistic way. Cubism introduced the idea of painting an object from more than one view point. From all of these the idea developed that colour, line, form, and texture could be the "subject" of the painting.
Abstract Expressionism, which emerged in the 1940s, applied the principles of Expressionism to abstract painting. The action painting of Jackson Pollock, in which paint was dripped, dropped, smeared, spattered, or thrown on the canvas, is a good example.
Purposes of Art- by Ana Sofia
Art is created and enjoyed by many people for many reasons. However, one of the things that art does is extend and expand our shared common visual language. When new visual ideas are first introduced by the artist, they are often seen as shocking, and perhaps even as incomprehensible. However, with time the best and most effective of these ideas are accepted. There is nothing harder than trying to grasp what was shocking or illuminating about certain images, or ways of making images, once the shock is gone, and we have all absorbed this bit of visual data into our own vocabularies. Artists show us new ways to see familiar things, and how to interpret new situations and events through various kinds of visual shorthand. This creation of visual language may be the artist's intention, or it may be a side effect of other purposes. So what are some of the purposes that art fulfills?
Probably the oldest purpose of art is as a vehicle for religious ritual. From the prehistoric cave paintings of France, to the Sistine Chapel, art has served religion.
Probably the oldest purpose of art is as a vehicle for religious ritual. From the prehistoric cave paintings of France, to the Sistine Chapel, art has served religion.
Art may also serve as a commemoration of an important event. .
Art has often served as propaganda or social commentary. Propaganda images are attempts to persuade us toward particular viewpoints or actions promoted by public or private institutions such as political parties, lobbyists, governments, or religious groups.
Art has often served as propaganda or social commentary. Propaganda images are attempts to persuade us toward particular viewpoints or actions promoted by public or private institutions such as political parties, lobbyists, governments, or religious groups.
Art can also be seen as pleasing the eye- creating beauty. Yet the idea of beauty, like that of truth, has been challenged in the modern era. At one time, the artist was expected to portray perfection-- lofty and noble ideals of beauty.
Art is also a powerful means of storytelling. This was a common device of religious art of the Middle ages, for example in the frescoes by Giotto from the Church of San Francesco de Assisi , where sequences of panels were used to tell stories from the Scriptures or lives of saints.
In any case, one of the primary functions of art is to interpret the subject matter at hand. Subject matter does not change all that much over time. Although new subject matter has evolved, the human condition, nature, and events still continue to capture the attention of artists. The media used have changed relatively little; though new materials have appeared in this century, the conventional media continue to be used. Nor can we say that the quality or artistic merit of art works has increased or lessened with time. However, throughout the course of history as society has changed, so also has the interpretation of specific subject matter.
domingo, 18 de janeiro de 2009
Workaholism by Ana Sofia And Marta
Do you spend 12 to 16 hours a day at work? do you frequently neglect your family and friends in order to work? Do you lose sleep hours working or planning what you’re going to do at work next day? Do you waste your weekend going over reports or numbers related to your work? Do you carry your pc everywhere in order to spend every spare moment working? Do you skip meals with the excuse that you have to work? Do you relinquish your holidays in order to work?
If you answer is yes you´re certainly a workaholic. A workaholic is someone who is dependent on work, a person whose obsession with work renders him/her incapable of thinking or doing anything else.
Workaholism can lead to stress and anxiety related with health problems such as high blood pressure. It can also lead to stress related addictions, such as excessive smoking, drug abuse, anorexic or bulimic eating disorders.
High social standards, rising individualism and the compulsive need to do more and be better than anyone else are at the root of workaholism.
To overcome this addiction people who are workaholic must change some habits. Instead of being hours and hours working, try to relax and be with your family, because family is more important than work in any circumstance. Don´t forget that a day has only 24hours so you spend eight hours a day working you have to have time for yourself ,your family and friends. You´ll be more fun and healthy if you think a little bit more in you and in those who are around you than if you´re just thinking in work.
Life isn´t just work so...take it easy.
If you answer is yes you´re certainly a workaholic. A workaholic is someone who is dependent on work, a person whose obsession with work renders him/her incapable of thinking or doing anything else.
Workaholism can lead to stress and anxiety related with health problems such as high blood pressure. It can also lead to stress related addictions, such as excessive smoking, drug abuse, anorexic or bulimic eating disorders.
High social standards, rising individualism and the compulsive need to do more and be better than anyone else are at the root of workaholism.
To overcome this addiction people who are workaholic must change some habits. Instead of being hours and hours working, try to relax and be with your family, because family is more important than work in any circumstance. Don´t forget that a day has only 24hours so you spend eight hours a day working you have to have time for yourself ,your family and friends. You´ll be more fun and healthy if you think a little bit more in you and in those who are around you than if you´re just thinking in work.
Life isn´t just work so...take it easy.
Ana Sofia´s Life
My name is Ana Sofia Piteira and I was born on August 21st 1989 in São Sebastião da Pedreira in Lisbon.
I went to elementary school when I was six years old in 1995. I remember elementary school as a good place, a place that gave me lots of friends. In 1999 I changed school and it was a major turning point for me. I remember having fantastic school days with my friends and having amazing experiences. It was a time in which I met people that are very important to my life.
At the age of fifteen I went to high school and I was there for three years. Looking back, I can say that those years were the best days of my life so far because they were full of experiences that marked me. At the age of seventeen I was still in high school and one thing very important happened in my life: I met a boy that made my life even better: Pedro, my boy friend, my best friend…
Still at seventeen years old I finished high school and a few months after at eighteen years old, I went to Humanities University in the University of Lisbon to study Communication and Culture, but I made a bad choice because the course didn´t correspond to all my expectations and I didn´t like it at all. So, I decided to leave University and start working to earn some money. I was lucky because I didn´t have any difficulties in finding a job.
On 1st April 2008 I finally started working in my first job in a post office in Lisbon.
A couple of months ago, I did a few exams to go again to University and I passed all the exams with good marks.
At the moment I´m at New University of Lisbon studying translation and I´m really enjoying the course because I´m learning some interesting things.
I don´t have any project in particularly for the future. I think that in future, as any person of my age, I just want to finish my course and start working to get my own car and earn some money.
Here you have my life in a few words…
Mp3 Addict by Luis Bento
Do you like music? Imagine a world without music...were you able to live in such world? Do you always have your Mp3 player with you? Can you do a trip without your Mp3 player? Can you go into the subway without mp3? Do you listen to mp3 even when you are talking with someone? Are you constantly updating you mp3 player? Do you always want the most modern mp3 player?
Answer the questions on the top and I think you soon will realize that you are a MP3 ADDICT!!!
A mp3 addict can be defined as someone who needs a mp3 player all day and in any situation. Is someone who can’t leave home without a mp3 player and turn it on whenever it’s possible. These people use their mp3 player at home, at work, at school, at classes. This can lead them to an abstraction of the real world, to serious ears injuries in the future, and sometimes the music is so loud that they cannot listen to the warnings of danger.
To overcome this addiction these people need to change their life and have the will to change. Instead of turning on the mp3 player start reading a book and take it with you anywhere you go, also to school or work. Try to talk and meet new people and talk more with your family and friends, do new things with your friends, talk about different subjects and try to leave home without your mp3 player that is a big step.
Answer the questions on the top and I think you soon will realize that you are a MP3 ADDICT!!!
A mp3 addict can be defined as someone who needs a mp3 player all day and in any situation. Is someone who can’t leave home without a mp3 player and turn it on whenever it’s possible. These people use their mp3 player at home, at work, at school, at classes. This can lead them to an abstraction of the real world, to serious ears injuries in the future, and sometimes the music is so loud that they cannot listen to the warnings of danger.
To overcome this addiction these people need to change their life and have the will to change. Instead of turning on the mp3 player start reading a book and take it with you anywhere you go, also to school or work. Try to talk and meet new people and talk more with your family and friends, do new things with your friends, talk about different subjects and try to leave home without your mp3 player that is a big step.
The best Club of the World - according to Luis
Sporting Club of Portugal is the name of the most perfect club in the world. Is a Portuguese Club founded in 1906 by José Holterman Roquette also known as José de Alvalade.SCP is multisport club but the football is the main sport.
We have a new stadium since 2004, the Alvalade XXI, which was built for the 2004 European Football Championship.
SCP is the club in Portugal with more titles in every sport, this record is very important to the club making it one of the most important symbols of Portugal in what concerns to sports.
Sporting has one of the best youth academy in Europe and many of the most important athletes of Portugal have started at Sporting Club of Portugal, and the most famous players are Nani, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The last Portuguese league that Sporting won was in the season of 2001-2002 and also won the last two Portuguese Cups.
There is a lot to talk about the history and the trophies of this great club.
I’m proud of being an associate of this major club.
SCP FOR LIFE
Luis´s Presentation
Hello my name is Luís Bento, I’m 19 years old and I was born and raised in Lisbon. I’m a simple teenager.
I’m taking a degree of Political Science and International Relationships in FCSH, I like it and I’m learning a lot, my class is great and I hope to become a Diplomat one day that’s my main goal but I don’t mind to be a mayor or to be at the Portuguese Parliament.
My favourite hobbies are: being with my friends, go party with them; go to the cinema, play videogames watch TV or just rest and sleep. I like to cook, and to prepare new plates, make some experiences of course most of them don’t result but sometimes I feel proud of myself.
Besides my academic life and my social life I have other important hobby, Rugby. I started playing rugby at 6 years ago and this a big part of my life because I train 3 or 4 times a week. It was good for me because I have fun and at the same time I work out.
There is nothing more to say about me.
I wish you all a great year and enjoy our blog.
I’m taking a degree of Political Science and International Relationships in FCSH, I like it and I’m learning a lot, my class is great and I hope to become a Diplomat one day that’s my main goal but I don’t mind to be a mayor or to be at the Portuguese Parliament.
My favourite hobbies are: being with my friends, go party with them; go to the cinema, play videogames watch TV or just rest and sleep. I like to cook, and to prepare new plates, make some experiences of course most of them don’t result but sometimes I feel proud of myself.
Besides my academic life and my social life I have other important hobby, Rugby. I started playing rugby at 6 years ago and this a big part of my life because I train 3 or 4 times a week. It was good for me because I have fun and at the same time I work out.
There is nothing more to say about me.
I wish you all a great year and enjoy our blog.
About Marta
Hi! My name is Marta, I’m 34 years old, and I live with my husband and daughter in a village called Pinhal Novo, on the south side of the river Tagus. I studied Psychology at the University of Lisbon, I graduated in 1998, and I have been working as a community psychologist, a trainer and a translator ever since. Meanwhile, I got a place to study Languages, Literatures and Cultures at this university and, so far, I’m enjoying it very much. I like to hang out with my family and friends, to read, to go to the movies, to travel and to meet people. I don’t like rush hour, smoky environments or cable TV.
Somethings About Tiago
My name is Tiago Bessa and I was born on the 18th of September 1987 in Lisbon, Portugal. I studied at the German School of Lisbon for 14 years, where I also did my Abitur which are the 12th grade final exams in Germany. I’m currently studying at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FSCH), where I’m taking the Linguas Literaturas e Culturas course. When I’m not at school I always have as an objective the practice of football or tennis. I played in a football team for 5 years, in which I won 2 championships. That can be considered as my main hobby, because I absolutely love the game of football. Another big hobby that I have is hanging out with my friends, going out at night (only on the weekends of course), and reading. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, what career I intend to pursue, but it surely is going to have something to do with contact with people and speaking other languages. That is also why I chose this course, to better understand foreign idioms and how to better understand the history and development of language itself. I’m a very positive person who enjoys each day to the fullest, and I tend not to plan my life very much, so one could say I live by the Carpe Diem mottoJ. I just want to lead a normal and healthy life, always hoping that the ones I care about are all fine and doing well.
sábado, 17 de janeiro de 2009
Is art important?- By Ana Sofia
First of all it´s not easy to talk about art´s value.
Art has its own value according to the people, the culture and society in which it’s involved.
Speaking clearly art is relative to the cultures and the contexts of people… this is way art is so
Different according to different places for example.
Through times the importance of art has been discussed by several people, and we have had answers extremely different but one thing we can´t disagree: art is connected with the evolution of men… and maybe art recreates this evolution…
In my opinion art is important…very important. Not only to become us more cultivated but also to become us more attentive and up-to-date to the world that is around us.
Art isn´t just the manifestation of the beauty art is the manifestations about all the feelings that the human being feels…art must shock us…art must wake us up to the reality that we are living in…
Art is important because is in art that many people find a way for their lives.
First of all it´s not easy to talk about art´s value.
Art has its own value according to the people, the culture and society in which it’s involved.
Speaking clearly art is relative to the cultures and the contexts of people… this is way art is so
Different according to different places for example.
Through times the importance of art has been discussed by several people, and we have had answers extremely different but one thing we can´t disagree: art is connected with the evolution of men… and maybe art recreates this evolution…
In my opinion art is important…very important. Not only to become us more cultivated but also to become us more attentive and up-to-date to the world that is around us.
Art isn´t just the manifestation of the beauty art is the manifestations about all the feelings that the human being feels…art must shock us…art must wake us up to the reality that we are living in…
Art is important because is in art that many people find a way for their lives.
sexta-feira, 16 de janeiro de 2009
J. R.R. Tolkien & The Lord of the Rings:
The man behind the book
Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?
Ø John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein (South Africa), on January 3, 1892. He was a Professor of the Anglo-Saxon language in Oxford University, a philologist and the author of various books. He died on September 2, 1973 and was buried alongside his wife in the Catholic cemetery at Wolvercote, a few miles outside Oxford.
The events of Tolkien’s life that prompted him to write The Lord of the Rings:
Ø Tolkien’s Catholic religion (in the book symbolised by the forces of light and the forces of darkness);
Ø His experience of the 1914-18 World War (with Samwise Gamgee representing the English soldier);
Ø The nature of Oxford academic life and society (with the Fellowship of the Ring representing the Inklings, for example);
Ø His romance with Edith Bratt (represented in the book by the story of Aragorn and Arwen);
Ø His experience as a father of four children (which explains the origin of the hobbits and their mythology);
Ø His childhood country side living in Sarehole (which explains the origin of the Shire).
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
(Tolkien, 2008: IV)
Curiosities:
Ø Tolkien considered himself to be a hobbit (in all but size): he loved gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; he smoked the pipe and liked to wear ornamental waistcoats; he liked to eat good plain food and was fond of mushrooms (out of a field); he had a very simple sense of humour; he liked going to bed late and getting up late; and he didn’t travel much (Pearce, 1999).
Ø The Fellowship of the Ring was published in August 1954;
Ø The Two Towers was published in November 1954;
Ø The Return of the King was published in October 1955;
Ø In 1997, The Lord of the Rings was voted ‘greatest book of the century’ in a poll of more than 25.000 people throughout Britain (Pearce, 1999).
The man behind the book
Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?
Ø John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein (South Africa), on January 3, 1892. He was a Professor of the Anglo-Saxon language in Oxford University, a philologist and the author of various books. He died on September 2, 1973 and was buried alongside his wife in the Catholic cemetery at Wolvercote, a few miles outside Oxford.
The events of Tolkien’s life that prompted him to write The Lord of the Rings:
Ø Tolkien’s Catholic religion (in the book symbolised by the forces of light and the forces of darkness);
Ø His experience of the 1914-18 World War (with Samwise Gamgee representing the English soldier);
Ø The nature of Oxford academic life and society (with the Fellowship of the Ring representing the Inklings, for example);
Ø His romance with Edith Bratt (represented in the book by the story of Aragorn and Arwen);
Ø His experience as a father of four children (which explains the origin of the hobbits and their mythology);
Ø His childhood country side living in Sarehole (which explains the origin of the Shire).
Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,
In the land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
(Tolkien, 2008: IV)
Curiosities:
Ø Tolkien considered himself to be a hobbit (in all but size): he loved gardens, trees and unmechanized farmlands; he smoked the pipe and liked to wear ornamental waistcoats; he liked to eat good plain food and was fond of mushrooms (out of a field); he had a very simple sense of humour; he liked going to bed late and getting up late; and he didn’t travel much (Pearce, 1999).
Ø The Fellowship of the Ring was published in August 1954;
Ø The Two Towers was published in November 1954;
Ø The Return of the King was published in October 1955;
Ø In 1997, The Lord of the Rings was voted ‘greatest book of the century’ in a poll of more than 25.000 people throughout Britain (Pearce, 1999).
Some works by J.R.R. Tolkien:
Ø The Hobbit
Ø The Lord of the Rings
Ø Leaf by Niggle
Ø On Fairy Stories
Ø Smith of Wootton Major
Works cited:
Pearce, J. (1999): Tolkien: Man and Myth. Glasgow: Harper Collins Publishers [1st ed: 1998].
TOLKIEN, J.R.R. (2008): The Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring. London: Harper Collins Publishers [1st ed. 2004].
by: Ana Sofia Piteira
Marta Teixeira Pinto
Paulo Valeiro Pereira
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