10 African American Female Firsts

Most of the women on this list lived during times when they were not expected to excel but to know their place in society. These African-American women became the first to accomplish a variety of things. Some of these achievements we may take for granted these days but others are still astonishing. To mark International Women’s Day here are ten African-American women who changed (and continue to do so) lives and perceptions through their deeds, challenging attitudes not only because of their gender but their color too.

Phillis Wheatley: First to Publish a Book

Phillis Wheatley took her first name from the ship that carried her from Africa in bondage at the age of seven.  She was ‘lucky’ enough to be sold to the Wheatleys of Boston who seemed to have been liberal slave owners, if that is not too much of an oxymoron.  They encouraged her, after teaching her literacy skills, to write poetry.  This she took to with fervor and became the first African-American woman to have a book published in 1773.

She underwent a trial to prove that she had in fact written her poems as many refused to believe, because of her race and gender, that she was capable of such work.  Although feted by the rich and famous of the day, Wheatley failed to find a publisher for a second volume and tragically died in childbirth at the age of thirty one.

International Women’s Day 2014: A Homage to the Sportswomen of the Past

At the turn of the last century women in the western world were finding a voice, both collectively and individually as this wonderful picture from a much longer feature in World in Sport shows. As the Victorian era lapsed in to memory and the Edwardian Era commenced many women chose to pursue sports. Some women chose to flaunt convention and compete in sports that, even today, are not thought of as traditional womens’ sports.

Many of the vintage pictures featured on World in Sport are from the Edwardian Era (and just beyond) could surprise you. Yet these few representatives are surely testament to (under represented photograhically) a greater percentage of the women of the past who were unafraid to pursue their sporting ambitions in a still male dominated world.

To The Seas

If you are in a reflective mood today then I suspect you will enjoy this. To The Seas, created by Francesco Paciocco is a meditation on human nature to explore the wild and be free, showing the majesty of the open seas. It features the poem Sea Fever by English poet (and Laureate) John Masefield, which combines with imagery to create a mood of freedom and adventure.

Fathom

It always staggers me when an individual comes up with something like Fathom, especially given the millions often invested in animated movies by large corporations. This amazing labor of love was created by Joe Russ over a period of six year, working in the evenings and weekends. Inspired by both the death of his father and his commute from Brooklyn in to Manhattan, Fathom follows Sam, Evan and Hippo the cat as they struggle to survive in a world changed beyond recognition.

10 Amazing Places to Visit in India that Aren’t the Taj Mahal

If you are visiting India as a tourist then the likelihood is that at some point during your stay you will find yourself at the Taj Mahal.  This glorious white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh remains one of the country’s sites that simply should not be missed.  Yet in this vast subcontinent there are hundreds of other places that could crown a visit for one reason or another.  They may be less well known than the mausoleum built by Shah Jahan but they linger in the minds and hearts of all who visit them. Here are just ten of those amazing places you could visit while in India that aren’t the Taj Mahal.

Meenakshi Amman Temple

Image Credit Flicrk User Natacha Cornaz

A Thousand Words

Sometimes a film can say in three minutes what others struggle to say in two hours. A Thousand Words is one of those: reminiscing over old photographs, a terminally ill husband and his wife struggle with taking what could be their last photograph together. Starring Michael Chwastiak and Alison Myers-Gomez., the touching and poignant A Thousand Words was written, directed and produced by Larica Perera.

The Phantom Inventory

A bailiff visits the apartment of an old man who collects memories that people do not want.  As he takes his inventory of objects to be seized he discovers a giant attic which contains more than he had bargained for. 

If you love a good ghost story then I don’t think you will be disappointed by this  wonderfully done animated short by Franck Dion.

Fallin’ Floyd

If you have ever been dumped, you will get this. Floyd, our hero, has saved up his hard earned cash for an engagement ring only to be rejected.

He soon discovers that although he has lost his girl, he has gained a new companion: his psychological torment manifests itself as a little demon determined to disrupt any future life he may attempt to make for himself. Whether he escapes this fate, you will have to watch this very beautifully made animated short written and directed by Albert 't Hooft and Paco Vink of Ducth animated production company il Luster.

If you live in the Netherlands, you can help kickstart their next project, Trippel Trappel, here.

Soundtracks to My Life: Tell the Story of Your Special Songs

It gives me great pleasure to introduce a new sibling site for Kuriositas. Soundtracks to My Life aims to enable people to tell the story of songs or albums which have had an impact on their lives. Above you can see the official video for the site, clumsily but lovingly put together by me.

I am a great fan of watching old episodes of music shows, not to mention trawling my back catalog of CDs (if you can remember them!) and sometimes a song comes on which makes my heart race. It takes me back to a particular moment or person in my life and all those memories come flooding back.

Yet I only get to share that story with the person next to me – or no one at all if I happen to be on my own at the time.

What I hope that Soundtracks to My Life will do is encourage people to share their stories with the rest of the world and use the site as a repository for them. They could be stories which end ‘happily ever after’ or those which are profoundly sad.

We already have a small but excellent selection of contributions from people all over the world. Ultimately, I would like the site to develop in to a huge archive of memories which people can access and read – while at the same time watching and listening to the songs.

So, do you have a particular song (or album even) which engenders specific and powerful memories and emotions? Can you share that story with the site’s readers?

Click here to visit the site and (I hope!) make a contribution!

Any and all stories are welcome!  Best regards

RJ

The Musketeers: Locations Revealed

The BBC series The Musketeers got off to a shaky start, review wise, but audiences and critics alike have warmed to the show as it has got properly underway. Viewing figures are healthy and a second series has already been commissioned. The Musketeers is quickly garnering a huge fan base. Something which has come in for praise has been the locations chosen to portray the Paris of the seventeenth century. Yet if you want to see them for yourself, don’t go dashing off to the French capital – you won’t find them there. Instead head for Prague - the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic.

Image Credit Flickr User Dana Lipar

Image Credit Flickr User t4cg

 Why the Czech Republic rather than France? It seems that Paris has just become too built up and modern for filming to be done there without anachronisms popping up all over the place. Strangely, Dublin was also considered before the production team settled on Prague which has weathered the centuries (not to mention the Second World War) extremely well. Plus the city’s environs has some of the most beautiful period chateaus in Europe, including Dobris (above). Situated about 40km from Prague this gorgeous chateau was given to the German House of Mansfeld in 1630, who had it rebuilt in a Rococo style from 1745.

Silent

Silent is an animated short film created by Academy Award winning Moonbot Studios. It celebrates how storytellers, inventors, and technology work together to create cinema magic.

The story follows two street performers (one of whom seems to be Mr Lessmore! Gasp!) who dream of bringing their "Picture and Sound Show" to life.

Snowtime

I am not even going to wonder how this is done, just bask in the beauty of it all.  If you are one of our regular readers then you will know that we like timelapses at Kuriositas.  However, this one is different – very different.  Vyacheslav Ivanov has captured the formation of snow crystals. 

Again, I have no clue how it was done but thank you for doing it, Mr Ivanov.

20 Mildly Amusing Door-mats

Door-mats are not particularly valued– we have even adopted the noun as a metaphor to describe people who allow themselves to be used by others.  Yet these vital but unsung heroes of a clean house should be more of an everyday treasure than they are.  A few well-chosen words (or symbols) can make all the difference. Here are twenty good reasons why door-mats shouldn’t be such… door-mats.

Image Credit Flickr User Mars Infomage

The Wolf Eel: The Old Man of the Sea

Possibly not what you might want jumping out at you when you are on an ocean dive! This is the wolf eel – it can grow to eight feet long and has teeth that can easily crush human bone. Something to be avoided at all costs, then?  You might think so but then the truth is often stranger than fiction.  This old man of the sea turns out to be something of a pussycat and will gladly let divers stroke and feed it – and it’s just as curious about us as we are about it.  Find out more about the wolf eel over at the Ark in Space with great pictures and an awesome video to boot.

Image Credit Flickr User Ed Bierman

Wind Up Bots

Imagine a world where all the wind up robots of your childhood suddenly came to supersize life. Well, no need really when you have this fun video from Fernando Livschitz of Black Sheep Films.  This is great fun – and gave me a number of nostalgic moments.  Plus it’s all beautifully wrapped up in a summertime feel and when you add the perfectly chosen soundtrack it is quite enough to chase away those winter blues…

It Doesn’t Get Better

While many teenagers continue to be bullied at high school there will be those who extend their support and sympathy – and ensure that they get the message across that it will get better.  Yet what about those people for whom high school is the apogee of their lives?  This thought provoking short by Jason Headley takes a look at the adult lives of four of those people: it should be shown in every high school classroom in existence.

The Roving Typist

Many writers choose to self-publish these days and although CD Hermelin is no exception he has taken it to a certain extreme.  He sits in public spaces with an old typewriter and waits for people to approach him, writing any stories for them that take their fancy.  It’s an unusual career path but one which gives both Mr Hermelin and his readers great satisfaction.  Mark Cersosimo has created this very tender portrait of a very gentle man.

Palmipedarium

Award winning French animator Jeremy Clapin’s newest project to be released for our viewing disconcertion is Palmipedarium.  Set in the countryside the film focuses on a young boy and his strange new companion.  Discombobulating, atmospheric and drifting in that space between reality and imagination this reminded me of some of David Lynch’s early work, though this – like the creature – is very much its own animal.

Warsaw: 24 Hour Timelapse

The Polish capital, Warsaw, here gets the timelapse treatment, with something of a difference.  Film-maker Maciej Margas gets up high in the city and shoots his film from buildings such as Cosmopolitan, Złota 44, Marriott, Millennium Plaza, Rondo 1, and the tower of the Saint Augustine's Church.  The result is a compelling portrait of one of Europe’s most intriguing and historic capital cities.

Based on True Events

There comes a time in any relationship when something akin to this occurs – and after that you could maintain that metaphorically at least, the honeymoon is over.  Written and directed by Gary Allen this speaks volumes without using any words.  It is almost a contemporary reading of the incredibly verbose The Lady's Dressing Room by Jonathan Swift. Centuries apart and using different media, the horror nevertheless remains the same.

Giant Hedgehog Arrives on Clapham Common

The locals close to London’s Clapham Common are used to some odd happenings on their triangular area of grassland situated in the south of the city.  Yet few were prepared yesterday for the arrival of a gigantic hedgehog.  Could this finally be the proof that GM crops are having a rather strange effect on British wildlife?

Everything You Always Wanted to Know about DNA but were Too Overawed to Ask

DNA is a complex subject.  Yet if you ever wanted to have all the important facts about DNA squished in to three minutes, then look no further.  This animated short by Territory Studio takes a look at the history, biology and concerns around DNA.  Reminiscent of textbook diagrams and old science documentaries, this will enable you to understand not only DNA’s form and function but how our understanding of these discoveries has affected the wider world.

A la Française

Versailles in 1700 and the court is in full swing – yet something is not quite what you might expect.  Yet even in this fowl world, the court recorder doesn’t miss a thing but the balance of courtly life can be upset by nothing more than a gust of wind.  An entertaining Supinfocom graduation short by four of their brightest - Julien Hazebroucq, Emmanuelle Leleu , Morrigane Boyer, William Lorton and Ren Hsien Hsu.

Elefante

Manuel is stuck in a monotonous job, has only one friend that he cannot stand, and his family despises him. Everything will change when the doctor diagnoses him with a rare disease - Manuel is going to turn into an elephant.  Written and directed by Pablo Lurcuen this is a bitter-sweet tale of how sometimes simply being a man is not quite enough yet even in our darkest moments there is still the possibility of redemption,.