The Price of Fame

The Price of Fame, tells the story of two marginalized immigrants that decide to steal  Charlie Chaplin’s coffin, after his death, in 1977. One man is an ex-convict , the other man who believes in friendship and have principles, doesn’t like his friend’s idea, but his precarious life, spouse’s situation and his daughter’s dreams pushed him to accept the job and ask for a ransom to the Chaplin’s family.

In my opinion, the film is a mix of tragedy and comedy, the death and laughter. The film shows the poverty of a social class in 1970's society and the ridiculous and desperate plan they think will solve all their problems. Although  the film is based in a true story, the film is a tribute to the life and work of the great filmmaker Charles Chaplin.

When the emperor was divine

When the Emperor Was Divine tells a story of one Japanese American family’s experience in internment camps during World War Two. The story is told through the eyes of each of the four member of the family. One important detail, is the characters are nameless, while there are a lot of characters with Americans names. This represents the differences in the society between Americans and American-Japanese people, where they even can’t use their own names, which means the loss of Japanese’s identities and their loss of rights. The principal characters symbolize any American-Japanese in the U.S in that moment.

I would like to recommend this book because it tells a part of the history of the U.S that is not well known for all. You can learn how they were treated and considered enemies aliens, only based in their origins. Throughout the reading, you can feel the sufferings and humiliations received by that family. The father's agonizing narration in the last pages of the book, touched me so much, because you can feel in your bones the torture suffered by him.  Without alternatives, he declared falsely to be a spy, because that was what the Americans wanted to hear. The father, his family -like other  thousands of families- will never be the same.

Amezaiku Candy Sculpture

Amezaiku is a Japanese Art where the artist makes candy sculptures by hand. The candy is heated to 80 degrees C to make it soft and pliable. Cutting, stretching and twisting the warm soft candy, the artist creates different animals and shapes before the candy gets cold. Speed is the most important skill.

The history of Amezaiku began in the 8 century, but it became popular 400 years ago. It is used in festivals and special occasions. Amezaiku is a living part of Japanese Culture.

"Japan Video Topics." Http://web-japan.org/jvt/. Japan TV. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. <http://web-japan.org/jvt/en/streaming/mp4/jvt_11-12_no8_2_en_56k_mp4.html>.

http://web-japan.org/jvt/en/streaming/mp4/jvt_11-12_no8_2_en_56k_mp4.html

Origami

Origami 折り紙   is a Japanese word and has its roots in Japanese craft. Origami from ori meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper", is a paper-folding art. This art has been around for hundreds of years but in the twentieth century, a Japanese folder named Yoshizawa created thousands of new designs. He brought a new level of life and beauty to the art form, he created a language, a way we can communicate.

Foer, Joshua. "Paper Perfect." Virginia Quarterly Review 90.3 (2014): 12-19. Academic Search Complete. Web. 12 Feb. 2015.

In the dojo of the origami there are only two rules: The folder may use just one sheet of square paper, and the paper cannot be cut or torn in any way.

Origami was easier before, since the most complex was 20 steps. These days patterns require more than 100 steps. Origamists also toy with colors, using papers that have designs or one color on the front and another on the back. This detail adds another layer of complexity to the crease pattern, which must be designed so that the final animal ends up with the right colors in the right places.

Kahn, Jennifer. "The Extreme Sport Of Origami." Discover 27.7 (2006): 60. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7 Mar. 2015.

The first Westerner ever invited to address the Nippon Origami Association’s annual meeting was in 1992. His name is Robert Lang, and he is a physicist and engineer. He has participated in international origami conventions across the world. Dr. Lang’s uses mathematical and engineering principles to produce origami folds and intricate designs once thought impossible. His work has a wide range of practical and technical applications.

TEDTalks: Robert Lang?Idea Square = Origami. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2008.  Web. 12 Feb. 2015.<http://digital.films.com/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=48124>.

http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=12207&xtid=48124.

                            Strange but True!!!, look at this boat made with paper...

"Strange But True." Scholastic News - Edition 3 71.16 (2015): 3. MasterFILE Complete. Web. 7 Mar. 2015

                                  The professor taught us how to made a crane origami.
 

 

My first origami!!!!

 

Book: When the Emperor Was Divine
 

When the Emperor Was Divine tells a story of one Japanese American family’s experience in internment camps during World War Two. The story is told through the eyes of each of the four member of the family. One important detail, is the characters are nameless, while there are a lot of characters with Americans names. This represents the differences in the society between Americans and American-Japanese people, where they even can’t use their own names, which means the loss of Japanese’s identities and their loss of rights. The principal characters symbolize any American-Japanese in the U.S in that moment.

I would like to recommend this book because it tells a part of the history of the U.S that is not well known for all. You can learn how they were treated and considered enemies aliens, only based in their origins. Throughout the reading, you can feel the sufferings and humiliations received by that family. The father's agonizing narration in the last pages of the book, touched me so much, because you can feel in your bones the torture suffered by him.  Without alternatives, he declared falsely to be a spy, because that was what the Americans wanted to hear. The father, his family -like other  thousands of families- will never be the same.