CHOMSKY Y ZINN: DOS TIPOS AUDACES (POR LA PAZ)

NEIL ARMSTRONG, MI PRIMER HEROE

Cuando uno tiene cuatro años de edad no sabe mucho. Yo tenía mi casa, mi familia, algún amiguito, mis juguetes y la televisión. No sabía leer ni escribir, no tenía heroes, ni podía salir fuera de la casa sin alguien que me cuidara...

Hasta que una noche que nunca olvido nos sentamos a ver la tele mis padres, mi abuelo y yo, porque "El hombre iba a llegar a la Luna".

El nombre de Neil Armstrong, la trinidad de "Armstrong, Collins y Aldrin" se grabaron entonces en mi mente.

Armstrong se convirtió inmediatamente en mi héroe. Con admiración, emoción y las lágrimas unánimes de mi familia frente a la pantalla de la TV acaso intuí en ese instante que "el primer hombre en la luna" ha sido el único ser humano que en un mágico instante hizo que toda la humanidad fuese una sola. Por un momento (acaso irrepetible en la historia) todas las razas, religiones, políticas, riquezas y pobrezas del mundo fueron dejadas de lado para celebrar el paso que este americano del mundo daba. Por un buen tiempo no hubo nada imposible en el futuro de la humanidad y ya nada nos detendría. Podríamos conseguir la paz, podríamos acabar con el hambre, las guerras y los odios. Niños y viejos nos sentimos jovenes y aventureros. El cielo... ya no era el límite.

A partir de entonces, y por un periodo de tiempo (de esos que para los niños no parecen acabar nunca) respondía sin duda a la consabida pregunta "Qué quieres ser de grande?" con un certero: "Astronauta!"

La ciencia ficción se había hecho realidad. Lo hasta entonces quimérico, historico. El hombre lo podía todo si le ponía empeño. La Odisea del Espacio había dado su primer paso indiscutiblemente triunfante, el Viaje a las Estrellas se veía a la vuelta de la esquina, en 1980 ya estariamos en Marte y el 2000 quién sabe donde. Se nos subieron los humos porque los recuerdos del futuro ya tenían sentido y la humanidad esperanza. Ahi estaba él, Neil Armstrong, en fantasmales imágenes televisadas para probarlo.

De ahi, a dibujar cohetes y astronautas que se adentraban en la negrura salpicada de infinitas y pacientes estrellas esperándonos. De ahi, a saber lo que significaba atmósfera, módulo lunar, via satélite, Via Lactea, los nombres de astros y planetas.

Una Nueva Era, New Age, de Aquario, Era Lunar o como quisiera llamársela nos podría invitar con una sonrisa al día siguiente en pleno desayuno a aventurarnos, estar Perdidos en el Espacio y cruzarnos, porque ya no, con un O.V.N.I. y tener, finalmente, los imaginados Encuentros Cercanos del Tercer Tipo. Se podía cambiar de nombre a la reciente y poco confiable Era Atómica por el más optimista de Era Espacial.

Los años, las décadas, pasaron. La Era Espacial perdió el filo de su época de dorada. Los ideales de los sesentas envejecen y mueren como sus mortales voceros. La ciencia ficción dura se vuelve a anquilosar en ciencia ficción (ya no despega, se queda en la tierra) y Neil Armstrong, el wasp de pocas palabras y nervios templados acaba de morir.

Sólo nos queda el Futuro (lo que puede ser no poco). Ya veremos.

El video siguiente presenta a los padres de Armstrong en el concurso de  televisión "Cuál es mi secreto?" el mismo día  en que se enteraron su hijo sería astronauta, varios años antes de la hazaña. No tenían  idea que el sería el primer  hombre en la Luna. Nadie la tenía. Sin embargo  le preguntan a la mamá: Qué haría si su hijo  fuese el...  Exacto!

THE LOST PYRAMIDS OF CARAL

Egypt, mesopotamia, India, China, Perú and Central America are the six craddles of civilization in the world. Almost 5,000 years old this peruvian city answer us one of the greatest mysteries in archeology: the origins of cities and civilization. But there is a hidden message from the past that only humble science can reveal. And it seems we got it.

Caral, in Perú

THE OWNERS OF THE BALL (THE MANY BALLS)

Dear Guelylander, take your sit and grab the POP!corn because in the next few minutes you gonna witness a match between the "kids" that own "the toys". Nuclear capability, is the name of the game and the match started in 1945 goes until 1998. The only inconvenient with this"game" is that smells horrible and is real. Click the arrow in the middle of the map and let the game begins! But Hey! Hey! As the fair players advice us everyday "Keep recycling cos is good for the enviroment!"

I wish the counter of visits on this blog could blink like this!

KENNEDY AND LINCOLN AMAZING COINCIDENCES? I DON'T THINK SO

This one goes as an answer to my friend Alberto "El Cuy". And of course to all of you that were amazed by these coincidences and really not so coincidences.

First the "evidence" en español:

and here in english:

In Guelyland we love Marilyn Monroe and even if we got really many books about her we don't need to check them to find out that she died in 1962 (august, 5th) and Kennedy was shot in november of 1963. My ex was a Kennedy expert and thanks to her I remember that Oswald went from a book depository to a movie theater, for movies you know? Lincoln secretaries? John G. Nicolay and John Hay not Kennedy, no sir! Another lie/"mistake"John Wilkes Booth the Lincoln murderer was born in 1838 not in 1839.

So if you ever were mystified by this mistery this is your chance to turn on the light and see it clearly. I live you this link here and this other one here that spare me the whole explanation.

LA CULTURA DE LA BASURA SEGÚN VARGAS LLOSA

La definición de cúltura a través de los tiempos, según el polémico, casi siempre inteligente y genial novelista "Varguitas". Según él, ahora a cualquier cosa se le pega la etiqueta de "cultura" por miedo a pecar de incorrección política.

Yo pienso que algo no debe ser cultura y algo si. O será como cuando Los Prisioneros hablan de "La cultura de la basura" ó sólo cuestión semántica? A ver que opinan.

LA CULTURA DE LA BASURA

Escuchando radio Vamos al estadio

 Nos gusta el Julio Iglesias y el rockabilly 

Tenemos la cultura de la basura 

Tenemos la cabeza dura 

Comemos pan con pan

Leemos historietas 

La tele nos da sueño

pero de noche conservo un afiche de Raphael

y me peino como él 

Tengo un casete de Luis Miguel y colecciono servilletas de papel

De la cultura de la basura

Vamos al estadio Escuchando radio 

Nos carga Julio Iglesias y el jabón Lux 

Odiamos a los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Copiamos a los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Cenamos con los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

Marchamos por los jefes de nuestra fábrica 

De la cultura de la basura 

Somos la cultura de la basura tenemos la cabeza dura 

Somos la cultura de la basura tenemos toda el alma dura.

SNOW? THE ESKIMOUS HAVE... TWO WORDS FOR IT!!

Qanik, snow in the air and aput, snow on the ground. And that's it!

The idea that their language has (at least) seven words for the white flakes of frozen water can be traced back to a 1940's article in Technology Review by one Benjamin Lee Worf. He said that there were seven but "forgot" to mention them. Actually the other words were derivated as we can say in english snowball, snowfall, snowman (yellow snow is something else. Just don't eat it).

By the way there is not only one eskimo language but around twenty. Ok? (We were talking about the Greenland language in this case).

And if you are in Greenland or Canada please avoid the "E" word and say Inuit instead. In Siberia and Alaska is ok anyway. The inuit in Greenland prefer to be called Greenlanders.

And since we are here let's say once for all that they don't kiss rubbing each other noses either. They do something different called kunik that is not exactly the same thing and it is for you to find out. But is not done instead of kissing.

PERÚ Y CHILE EN 1937: REPORTAJES DE LA METRO A COLORES!

James A. FitzPatrick (1894-1980) fue un documentalista norteamericano muy famoso por sus reportajes alrededor del mundo. Fue muy criticado por sólo mostrar lo bonito de cada rincón del planeta que visitaba (sólo planeta Tierra, ojo!). A lo que el replicó diciendo:

"Cómo me iban a dejar entrar a esos paises si me ponía a hacer comentarios sobre sus problemas sociales? Aparte de rudo hubiera sido contraproducente. hice mis películas en una época en que viajar era una aventura imposible para la gente común y corriente. Pienso que enseñé a la gente lo que hubiera querido ver si hubiera podido viajar. Por años tuve una agencia de viajes, también y no recuerdo a nadie jamás pidiéndome un recorrido por los lugares feos o las cárceles."

Bueno, la cosa es que entre muchísimos lugares exóticos y ciudades en 1937 pasó por Perú y Chile. Sus "Traveltalks" nos muestran en technicolor la belleza de nuestros paises como muy pocos recordamos haberlos visto (salvo que tengan mas de 73 años y muy buena memoria). Solían ser presentados como cortos antes de algunas películas de Metro Goldwin Meyer. Y si se fijan bien en ambos reportajes aparecen cines Metro que anuncian sus cortos en las marquesinas (un poquito de propaganda no hace daño no?). Aquí les dejo los videos, un par de viajecitos en el tiempo y en Technicolor! "Glimpses of Perú" y "Chile, Land of Charm":

TRAVELTALK: GLIMPSES OF PERÚ (1937)

TRAVELTALKS: CHILE, LAND OF CHARM (1937)

Gracias a mi amigo Alberto Vizcarra, por el dato.

BEFORE COLUMBUS, KING ABUBAKARI II ?

Maybe, Mansa (King) Abubakari II of Mali, a black muslim, sailed from West Africa to northeastern South America almost two hundred years before Columbus. King Abubakari, after learning from arab scholars that there were lands on the west side of the Atlantic, became obsessed with the idea of extending his kingdom into these Terra Incognita. Abdicated his throne and went to his adventure never coming back. Mobilizing resources of his empire to hire arab shipbuilders from Lake Chad to build a fleet, the king and his crew sailed down the Senegal river and across the Atlantic in 1311. Aparently he sighted the north coast of South America but landed first in Panama. Supposedly, king Abubakari II and his entourage travelled south from Panama and settled in the Inca Empire.

Musa Mansa

The great Musa Mansa, the succesor or Abubakari II is the original source of this history, while describing to the governor of Cairo in 1324 (back from his fabulous pilgrimage to Mecca) as recorded by historian Chihab al-Umari (Damascus, 1300-1384) who was there few years after the visit of the wealthy king. He wrote:

The ruler who preceded me did not believe that it was impossible to reach the extremity of the ocean that encircles the earth (meaning the Atlantic): he wanted to reach that (end) and was determined to pursue his plan. So he equipped two hundred boats full of men, and many others full of gold, water and provisions sufficient for several years. He ordered the captain not to return until they had reached the other end of the ocean, or until he had exhausted the provisions and water. So they set out on their journey. They were absent for a long period, and, at last just one boat returned. When questioned the captain replied: 'O Prince, we navigated for a long period, until we saw in the midst of the ocean a great river which flowing massively. My boat was the last one; others were ahead of me, and they were drowned in the great whirlpool and never came out again. I sailed back to escape this current.' But the Sultan would not believe him. He ordered two thousand boats to be equipped for him and his men, and one thousand more for water and provisions. Then he conferred the regency on me for the term of his absence, and departed with his men, never to return nor to give a sign of life.

The historian, Ivan van Sertima (Guyana, 1935-2009) in his book They Came Before Columbus (Random House,1976) was one of the suporters of this interesting theory.

TAUMATAWHAKATANGIHANGAKOAUAUOTAMATEATURIPUKAPAPIKIMAUNGAHORONUKUPOKAIWHENUAKITANATAHU

This picture is from the album "El más y el menos"(from 1977 and soon I'll write about the whole thing) has always been for me an odd example of romanticism. Yes, is just the name of a little place "away from everywhere". But, is the longest name of in the world!. Since this album has so many errors I decided it to check it out and yes, it was true.

After a brief search i found a more modern picture of the same sign and even a photo from a different one from 2006.

This 85 letters name belongs to a hill somewhere in the south of Hawke Bay in New Zeland. I'm thinking about how you call people that eventually could be born in that place.

By the way the translation of the sign is:

"The place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swalloed mountains, known as landeater, played his flute to his loved one".

That's love , man!

THE ROMANS AND EMPIRE

Of the three movie magazines i use to collect Empire is the only one i still can buy. The other two: Neon and Cinefantastique are gone (the first one went the way of the dodo many years ago and the second can only be read nowadays online).

Empire is celebrating his 20th Aniversary and from the last issue (#245) i wanna take something I find very interesting that actually has more to do with universal history then with movies but since it's a part from the article for next year film Centurion, directed by Nick Marshall (I liked his 2002 wolfmen movie Dog Soldiers) and starring Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds) and Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace) i guess has a very good reason to appear in the twenty year old british magazine.

It's about a hundred trivia facts related to the Roman Empire. I'll give you some, the rest you can read by yourself, my fellow guelylanders.

#12 As well as hosting gladiatorial fights, the Colosseum put on live sex shows.

#15 Romans considered small penises beautiful. Large ones were mocked.

#30 Roman law forms the basis of most land law in Europe.

#33 Forty per cent of the population were slaves.

#36 A runaway slave was a criminal -Technicaly they'd stolen property: themselves.

#44 Romans invented the ice pop.

#45 They also invented toothpaste, which contained vinegar, honey, rock salt and spikenard (a type of pink flower).

#46 Girls got married at 14. their fathers chose the groom.

#81 By the middle of the first century BC, no-one could remember what the deity Furrina was goddess of. But the romans carried on worshipping her, just in case.

#82 Rome's sacred flame was tended by six vestal virgins.

#83 If a condemmed criminal saw one, he'd be pardoned.

#88 During the festival of Ceres, foxes were released in the Circus Maximus with torches tied to their tails, running around in panic until eventually burned to death.

#89 During the Lupercalia, a festival of fertility, women who wanted to get pregnant would line up to be whipped by young boys smeared in goat- and dog- blood.

#92 Hadrian (117-138 AD) was the first bearded Emperor.

#93 Romans were typically shaved by slaves, but Julius Caesar had his facial hairs plucked out with tweezers.

ALBUM DE ORO EL PERU MILENARIO

I remember thinking that the finest part of peruvian history was the pre-hispanic. For me, an almost mythical period that started some twenty thousand years ago (I use to think at that age that the rest of our peruvian history was a sad path of lost wars).

I was good and among the best at school went it came to the study and talking about las culturas (as we use to call the different precolumbian nations in peruvian territory) not because i was good student or intelligent but because I was fascinated with the subject . Remember going to the museum of archeology by myself (just a few blocks from grandma's house), to take an almost free ride (the ticket was so cheap or maybe free since i was a kid) enjoying the beauty of the pottery, the gold, and the textil remains of those lost kingdoms. In those days it was not at all crazy find myself daydreaming about digging for pottery with the long gone Julio C. Tello (the father of peruvian archeology).

My favorite was the Chavin culture. One if not the oldest. The one with the bloody jaguar god. At it's prime some three thousand years ago.

Tiahuanaco, Paracas, Nazca, Mochica , Chimú and Inca (the latest and most famous of them all). At school level these were the ones you learn about.

The album that we are checking today is from 1972. So i must have catch some late seventies edition because I didn't studied that part of history until later and i remember using this one a lot at school when it came to drawing. In fact it was a whole new edition. Now i remember the mayan jade mask of the cover of the one i had and not the gold chimu one . Another difference was that the nine stamps forming a big picture were reduce to a double ones only. The one i collected was not only about Peru but about the american continent in general and it was called Nuestra América (Our America) It was not an Editorial Navarrete album as many and the most popular used to be.