Zoya and Valerie :Зоя и Валера

--> Zoya and Valerie Alexandrovna are a brother and sister from a small village in the area of Brest in Belarus. Valerie is a factory worker and prefers to continue working there instead of being a professional singer. Singing for them is a part of life.

Thank to Internet, we can listen to them thousands kilometers away. I get to know them via a Facebook contact, Agh-Bahman. They have never used Internet and have no idea about YouTube. However their life has been changed since their video became online.  I cannot understand a word of their lyrics but beside the lovely music (which I am biased about it due to my interest in gypsy and Balkan music) I love their attitude. The way that they perform their music is so natural so that they, themselves, enjoy it. There are not may online English sources about them. Most of the information should be translated (using Google translate which is most of the time not very understandable) from Russian.
I think more people should document the unknown talented people in small villages all around the world. Is there any grant for such works? Here is on of my favorite hits that thank to Google I found the English name for it: “Don’t smoke my daughter” which is a cover. Enjoy it!

USA and the 1958 coup d'etat in Iran

After about 60 years, CIA admit his role in the 1953 coupd’etat in Iran that was against the first attempt of the Iranian towards a republic country under the leadership of Mohammad Mossadeq, 26 years before the revolution.   The coup were ordered by UK and supported by BBC Persian of that time.  Still, after half a century, our parents and grand parents, see the footsteps of UK in every political change in Iran.

Mossadeq sleeping during his trial

The conspirative pessimistic attitude of previous generations to BBC, Britain and western world has a root in 1953.  Maziar Bahari just has released an interesting objective documentary from that era and about Mossadeq.  However nobody knows what would have been happened if the coup were failed. Probably Iran became a communist country or maybe the whole middle-east get closer to a democratic zone. It is scary that the decision or fault of few politicians can change the future of millions of people and numbers of countries.  This should bring a high responsibility to the shoulders of politicians. Many times I really doubt it. There are bunch of "springs" and "falls" revolutionary acts around there these days. Just please be more careful about your decisions diplomats. 

Watch the Documentary here: http://vimeo.com/72994328#

Dogtooth (2009)

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Among all these movies that their numbers increase everyday, it is not very easy to find an original story. Mostly, in the best cases-scenarios, good movies have new approaches to old stories.  But at least as of my knowledge, Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos, is an original movie. 

The story is about a family that completely isolated their siblings (2 daughter and a son) from outer world. They even change the language of their kids so to prevent them from understanding the real world. The only contact to the outer life was the guardian of the father’s factory who came to satisfy the son of the family sexually. Inevitably, this only ray to the outside world brings the changes into the family and interferes with their unstable isolated equilibrium.

 

The whole story reminds me the totalitarian, communist or theocratic countries (North-Korea, Iran or USSR). The way that they alter the reality for their own benefits and isolate the people from stream of information and how they decide for the citizens and define the ethics for them. The movie is difficult to watch but it is full of interesting metaphors and will put your thinking cap on. Metaphors like the airplane, the sexual relationships, telephone, video and movie, dancing, eating, grandfather, song, translation, dogtooth, ... . 

I highly suggest to watch this movie and share your idea with me to discuss it in more detail

Dîner en Blanc

A friend of mine truly said that you could sell everything if you market it well and have perseverance.  He even exaggerates by giving the example of selling “male handicap louse”.

I should say that I agree with him. Last week we went to an extra ordinary picnic: Dîner en Blanc. 

The idea starts from a French man, François Pasquier in 1988. Probably one of those ideas that came up while you are a bit tipsy. He decided to have classy picnics with a hand full of friends in famous public places in Paris with a special dress code; white from toes to tip. Now, his events gather more than 15000 people in more than 20 cities in the world. The event’s venue is secret until the last minute that you get to the place with pre-arranged buses.   

This year, 2013, it was in Montreal Olympic stadium and more than 5200 people has dinner together. You should not only wear in white but also should bring your food, chairs, tables covered in white. Although it might sounds strange that you should pay 30$ and bring everything by yourself but I should say that the experience is so special that my spouse and me decided to participate every year.

It is important how you market your idea and how much you insist on it! You can make it world wired. Even if it is only a bubbly idea that come to your mind under the influence of alcohol!