The following song is from a film's end credits:
It's the ending music, composed by Greek musician Vangelis, from Blade Runner, a futuristic dystopian science fiction film from the 1980s - possibly the most notable one from that era. This afternoon, my mother and I were sorting out some more of hers and Dad's CDs when I came across Dad's copy of the soundtrack to Blade Runner, which was Dad's favourite film. I decided to keep the album for nostalgic purposes.
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greece. Show all posts
Friday, 19 August 2016
Saturday, 10 October 2015
Americans and their passports
The world enjoys mocking the United States regarding how supposedly a low percentage of Americans hold passports (ranging from 10-30% by some estimates). It feeds the stereotype that Americans are uncultured and ignorant of the world beyond their borders while believing that the United States is the center of the planet. It's argued that the American government and media declaring that the United States is the "greatest country in the world" discourages Americans from going abroad. That might be one explanation but how about a good-faith, less hateful reason?
Look at the geography and climates of the United States. It's one of the few countries that has a massive array of landscapes and terrains. Do you want forests? The Pacific Northwest is the place for you. Deserts? The Southwest. Beaches? California and Florida. Mountains and snow? Alaska is the answer. Surfing? The Golden State again and Hawaii. Flat and farmlands? The Great Plains states. Places with an "old" feel to them? New England, parts of the mid-Atlantic and Virginia would be safe bets. With all this tucked into one giant country, is it any wonder why many Americans don't see the need to travel abroad? Why bother with the hassle of international airports when you have everything you need and want within your vicinity?
It could be argued that exploring a foreign country opens you up to a new culture. That is true but honestly, how many other international travelers go to another country "for the culture"? Many people have to travel because it's a part of their job, much as it was for my father; his time in other countries was for work-sponsored tasks, not for pleasure. In addition to him, people such as diplomats, military personnel and aircraft crews are all required to travel by the nature of their jobs. They're not going there specifically to absorb local cultures, although it can sometimes still be possible for them to simultaneously work and experience another country. Immigrants usually choose to move to another country for economic reasons; learning the new culture is a part of immigration rather than the cause of it; take my family - our international moves stemmed from economic motives.
And, of course, let's not forget the thousands of British people who visit Spain, Italy and Greece every year. Are they going there because they harbor deep desires to learn about the Reconquista, Leonardo da Vinci and the Cradle of Western Civilization? No, they go there for the beaches, the hot weather and (sometimes) for intentional intoxication. Who does more harm: somebody who visits Spain, gets drunk and ends up committing a crime or a family who travels from Ohio to Florida on a family vacation?
Not visiting other countries does not mean that you know nothing about them: Thanks to the Internet and easy communication, I know about French politics despite having never set foot in France. I haven't been to Iran yet I have conducted some studying of its cities and while I've never been anywhere near New Zealand, I have learnt that its terrain is similar to that of Oregon. Granted, it would be an amazing opportunity to visit these places and I would benefit from that but, at the same time, I lose nothing by not traveling. I would never criticize Americans who don't engage in international travel and I would be a hypocrite if I ever were to: during my family's fourteen-and-a-third years living there, I never left the country during that time (except when we moved away) and I have yet to travel from the United Kingdom since we came here in 2010. Only Dad travelled - because it was required of him for his work.
It's not shameful to not travel provided that you don't hate other peoples simply because they're different. The problem isn't people who don't travel - it's people who don't take the time to learn, understand and appreciate others, and such close-minded individuals can be of any nationality.
Look at the geography and climates of the United States. It's one of the few countries that has a massive array of landscapes and terrains. Do you want forests? The Pacific Northwest is the place for you. Deserts? The Southwest. Beaches? California and Florida. Mountains and snow? Alaska is the answer. Surfing? The Golden State again and Hawaii. Flat and farmlands? The Great Plains states. Places with an "old" feel to them? New England, parts of the mid-Atlantic and Virginia would be safe bets. With all this tucked into one giant country, is it any wonder why many Americans don't see the need to travel abroad? Why bother with the hassle of international airports when you have everything you need and want within your vicinity?
It could be argued that exploring a foreign country opens you up to a new culture. That is true but honestly, how many other international travelers go to another country "for the culture"? Many people have to travel because it's a part of their job, much as it was for my father; his time in other countries was for work-sponsored tasks, not for pleasure. In addition to him, people such as diplomats, military personnel and aircraft crews are all required to travel by the nature of their jobs. They're not going there specifically to absorb local cultures, although it can sometimes still be possible for them to simultaneously work and experience another country. Immigrants usually choose to move to another country for economic reasons; learning the new culture is a part of immigration rather than the cause of it; take my family - our international moves stemmed from economic motives.
And, of course, let's not forget the thousands of British people who visit Spain, Italy and Greece every year. Are they going there because they harbor deep desires to learn about the Reconquista, Leonardo da Vinci and the Cradle of Western Civilization? No, they go there for the beaches, the hot weather and (sometimes) for intentional intoxication. Who does more harm: somebody who visits Spain, gets drunk and ends up committing a crime or a family who travels from Ohio to Florida on a family vacation?
Not visiting other countries does not mean that you know nothing about them: Thanks to the Internet and easy communication, I know about French politics despite having never set foot in France. I haven't been to Iran yet I have conducted some studying of its cities and while I've never been anywhere near New Zealand, I have learnt that its terrain is similar to that of Oregon. Granted, it would be an amazing opportunity to visit these places and I would benefit from that but, at the same time, I lose nothing by not traveling. I would never criticize Americans who don't engage in international travel and I would be a hypocrite if I ever were to: during my family's fourteen-and-a-third years living there, I never left the country during that time (except when we moved away) and I have yet to travel from the United Kingdom since we came here in 2010. Only Dad travelled - because it was required of him for his work.
It's not shameful to not travel provided that you don't hate other peoples simply because they're different. The problem isn't people who don't travel - it's people who don't take the time to learn, understand and appreciate others, and such close-minded individuals can be of any nationality.
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Results summary of the European Parliament election, 2014
The European Parliament election is over and all of the results have been declared. Across Europe, eurosceptic and anti-establishment parties, made the most gains; these parties can be left or right-wing (or neither). This was the anticipated result.
In the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom Independence Party (one of the strongly eurosceptic parties), Labour, and the Green Party of England and Wales were the winners. UKIP won 24 Members of the European Parliament (+11) and 27.5% of the vote, and Labour won 20 MEPs (+7) on a 25.4% popular vote share. The Greens, while experiencing a minor vote share decline and coming in fourth place behind the Conservatives in MEP count and the popular vote, won an additional MEP, which brought their count up to three. The British National Party, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were all defeated: they lost two, seven and ten seats, respectively.
In the continental European Union, mainstream parties lost ground while several far-right parties performed strongly; the most notable of the latter was the Front National in France, which topped that country's poll. At the same time, several left-wing parties also made gains, such as SYRIZA in Greece and Feminist Initiative in Sweden; on the other hand, the Green parties experienced some moderate losses in the European Parliament. Anti-austerity and eurosceptic parties from every shade of the political spectrum increased their presence in said parliament. The overall turnout was estimated at slightly over 43%.
The rise of the far-left and far-right parties across Europe can be attributed to several governments' use of austerity as a response to economic crises and the perceived failure of politicians from the major political parties to listen to people, as well as increasing opposition to European Union bureaucracy. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about politics outside the US and UK, but to me the best way to halt the progress of these other parties is for the mainstream parties to listen to people and address their concerns.
In the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom Independence Party (one of the strongly eurosceptic parties), Labour, and the Green Party of England and Wales were the winners. UKIP won 24 Members of the European Parliament (+11) and 27.5% of the vote, and Labour won 20 MEPs (+7) on a 25.4% popular vote share. The Greens, while experiencing a minor vote share decline and coming in fourth place behind the Conservatives in MEP count and the popular vote, won an additional MEP, which brought their count up to three. The British National Party, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were all defeated: they lost two, seven and ten seats, respectively.
In the continental European Union, mainstream parties lost ground while several far-right parties performed strongly; the most notable of the latter was the Front National in France, which topped that country's poll. At the same time, several left-wing parties also made gains, such as SYRIZA in Greece and Feminist Initiative in Sweden; on the other hand, the Green parties experienced some moderate losses in the European Parliament. Anti-austerity and eurosceptic parties from every shade of the political spectrum increased their presence in said parliament. The overall turnout was estimated at slightly over 43%.
The rise of the far-left and far-right parties across Europe can be attributed to several governments' use of austerity as a response to economic crises and the perceived failure of politicians from the major political parties to listen to people, as well as increasing opposition to European Union bureaucracy. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about politics outside the US and UK, but to me the best way to halt the progress of these other parties is for the mainstream parties to listen to people and address their concerns.
Sunday, 1 July 2012
Local carnival pictures
Some images from yesterday's carnival:
These were the main carnival grounds; during this picture the place was mostly empty, as it would not open until the parade had travelled through the middle of our town. The entry fee to the carnival was £1 per adult.
The carnival began with a parade through the town: this is the parade's pirate truck; that object hanging from the top of the central pole is a toy monkey. The two kids on the far left were fascinated by the toy sword and shield props they had for their role in the parade!
The Ancient Greece truck, likely a reference to the upcoming Olympics here in the United Kingdom.
This is the "bumblebee" truck; at least that is what I called it anyway, I do not know its actual title!
The royalty even showed up for the parade! Maybe not...in was a guy in a Prince Philip mask
A shot taken from near the middle of the festival grounds: it looks over towards some of the food stands and the bouncy castles.
A shot looking towards the western side of the grounds, where the stage was located. The award ceremony for the parade took place there.
People lining up for the candy and hot/cold food stands; I purchased some candies a little later on, as well as got an ice cream from one of the vans.
This last image was done by my brother; he remained at the carnival when I returned home, but I left him with my camera. According to him, some of the events that took place during the remaining time included some dance troupes performing, an owl display, and a raffle draw; the part he found most amusing, however, was when Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" came onto the music system, as all the young people were singing along to it while the adults looked on!
It was well worth going to the carnival, my only regret was going home as early as I did when clearly should have stayed longer. With any luck the carnival will take place again next year.
It was well worth going to the carnival, my only regret was going home as early as I did when clearly should have stayed longer. With any luck the carnival will take place again next year.
Tuesday, 17 April 2012
Carly Patterson
In 2004, Carly Patterson was among the gymnasts for the US women's gymnastics team competing at the Summer Olympics in Greece. During the games, she won a gold medal and her team won a silver; in addition, she was among my favorite Olympians for the 2004 games (with the women's gymnastics being my most favorite event overall). Unfortunately, after the Olympics she had some medical problems, and they were serious enough for her to decide to retire from gymnastics.
After Patterson left gymnastics she started a singing career. During the late summer of either 2008 or 2009, I heard one of her songs for the first time by chance and I really liked it. However, the radio station it had been played on was one I very rarely listened to (KLDR was the station, and my radio had difficulty in picking it up; KIFS 107.5 Kiss FM was my "home" station), so I did not get to hear her again for the remainder of my time in Oregon.
That changed recently when I started thinking of her again and decided to research her music. What I have listened to so far, including the song I heard a few years ago, has been good; even better, her album Back to the Beginning, appears to be available on Amazon.co.uk, meaning I will be able to buy the album over here. I just think it is a shame her music has not received more attention when it is clear she can sing and make good music; I hope she will release more and gain further recognition for it.
Here is a link to Patterson's song "Here I Am":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1S94A4LeGs
After Patterson left gymnastics she started a singing career. During the late summer of either 2008 or 2009, I heard one of her songs for the first time by chance and I really liked it. However, the radio station it had been played on was one I very rarely listened to (KLDR was the station, and my radio had difficulty in picking it up; KIFS 107.5 Kiss FM was my "home" station), so I did not get to hear her again for the remainder of my time in Oregon.
That changed recently when I started thinking of her again and decided to research her music. What I have listened to so far, including the song I heard a few years ago, has been good; even better, her album Back to the Beginning, appears to be available on Amazon.co.uk, meaning I will be able to buy the album over here. I just think it is a shame her music has not received more attention when it is clear she can sing and make good music; I hope she will release more and gain further recognition for it.
Here is a link to Patterson's song "Here I Am":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1S94A4LeGs
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