So why did Slumdog Millionaire win 8 Oscars?  A. It is so different, not the usual mindless glitz that Hollywood churns out.  B.  There are incredible performances by unknown actors.  C. It is compelling, brutal and heartwarming all at the same time, or D. All of the above?

This is a British movie made by Film 4 and is directed by Danny Boyle of the drug and violence filled Trainspotting.  It was adapted from the epic novel Q&A (Visas Swarup) by the screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty).  This movie runs 120 minutes and originally slated to be released onto DVD by Warner Bros.  Thank goodness it was not, instead it opened at various film festivals to rave reviews and of course the rest is history.

In the first scene we see Jamal Malik (Del Patel), an illiterate 18-year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, India already in police custody.  He is on the verge of winning a fortune but has been accused of cheating during his appearance on the local version of  “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” 

What the ultimately fairly decent (but not averse to using torture) police inspector (Irfan Khan) demands to know is how this lowly uneducated tea boy (or “chai wallah”) from the slums could possibly know enough to advance to the show’s 20-million-rupee ($385,000) final round. 
 In flashbacks we see the events from Jamal’s far-from-ordinary life that, quite literally, contain all the answers. 
The violent death of Jamal’s mother at the hands of anti-Muslim extremists explains his familiarity with one of the Millionaire questions, for instance, while a childhood infatuation with Bollywood (the Indian version of Hollywood derived from movies made in Bombay) movie star Amitabh Bachchan, explains another.

As Jamal’s story unfolds it becomes clear that the relationships he has with his streetwise brother Salim (Madhur Mittal), and the beautiful, yet unattainable Latika (Freida Pinto) are crucial to him getting to this extraordinary stage in his life.   With each answer we are cleverly brought to a time in Jamal’s young life where the answers are relevant.  Jamal’s unwavering devotion to being with Latika throughout the movie is gallant and noble, if not a little far-fetched.

Another highlight in the movie is the brilliant performance by veteran Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor, whose quiz master façade hides a sinister character.  After seeing this movie the word “Millionaire” may never be pronounced the same again.

Whilst some critics may pick apart the finer intricacies of the movies details, for example why does Jamal have a perfect English accent?   Why doesn’t anyone recognize Jamal at the railway station in the final scene, when the whole of India tuned in for the Millionaire finale?  These details are small stuff and should not be sweated, as the movie, taken as a whole is far bigger.

The imagery is sensational and skillfully composed as it switches between the game show and the slums.   The screen becomes gritty when watching the game show whereas the portrayal of the slums is clear and precise visually.  In the first part of the movie where we see Jamal as a young boy the movie is in Hindi and subtitles are injected so subtly that half the audience may not even realize that it was not in English, they blended so perfectly into the story.

Boyle does a phenomenal job of showing Mubai as it really is: a contrast of extreme of poverty and richness, yet he manages to infuse the film with such a positive vibe it would be hard not to walk out the cinema without it.

Thinking about it I realize that the two main reasons I have not been able to focus during this course is firstly, lack of spouse.  I really felt accountable to him; he would always ask, “have you done your homework yet”, so I knew I had to get it done.  Secondly, there are way to many distraction and to many things to be done at home.  Whether it is cleaning the house, dealing with the running of the house and the extra jobs such as gardening, car maintenance etc, I always seem to find something more important to do.

 The only person I really collaborate with in regards to writing is a property manager who works for me in Florida.  I have worked with him for almost five years and we have a great relationship.  When I get new guests in my properties, he e-mails me the contracts and I edit them to suit me and my tenant’s needs. If I need any rules or vouchers changed at the properties I either call him or e-mail him the changes.

One of the main reasons why this relationship has worked so well is that we are on the same page when it comes our standards with regards to the quality of our properties.  We both want my properties to be the best and we strive to be attentive too our guests by giving them the best customer service.

In Why Abundance is Good: A Reply to Nick Carr by Clay Shirky he retorts to Carr’s claim that the internet is making us stupid.  Carr’s main argument it is that the internet offers us so much more information than we were use to all at once and that we can be distracted easily with all the information.  However, he does not believe that the increase in the use of the internet is affecting the way we read.  He states that the internet is actually increasing the amount people read since its decline in the 70’s and 80’s due widespread availability of the television.

I agree Carr in that I am not able to find myself fully immersed in reading lengthy articles on the computer or on the internet.  I do have to print it up in order to read it thoroughly.  There are far too many distractions while reading on the web with pop ups and links.  I also find the unnatural light from the computer causes a glare which can be annoying and distracting.

Whilst  I agree with Carr that our reading habits have changed by the way we skim over things to find the main points when we use the internet.  I don’t believe that my reading habits with regard to sitting down with a good book have changed because of the internet.  I can attest to this as only last it took me one day to read Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.

I have access to a vast array of publications which I never would have prior to the invention of the internet.  I agree with Shirky, I think it is hard to break with tradition and our concept of reading has always been with the written word on paper.  It is just a matter of moving with the times, but by no means stopping doing what you enjoy doing, if that is reading classical books on paper.

In his examination of his theory of why he believes that the wealthier nations should not help the poor due to their rapid population growth, he states:

“Most likely the rate of population increase will decline much faster in the U.S. than it will in the other countries, and there does not seem to be much we can do about it.” 

He is saying that even if food was distributed equally the demand would increase from poorer nations.  He also talks about the common land theory and the failure of the world food bank.  He goes onto to say how even the sharing of new technology and education to these poorer nations is fruitless.

He then moves his argument to immigration and how he believes that the unrestricted immigration of people from poorer nations to live in the wealthier countries where the food is, is “speeding up the destruction of the environment of the rich countries.”  He seems to think that anyone who wants to help the poor   “immigration receives support from selfish interests and humanitarian impulses”, are only doing it for the use of cheap labor.  What Hardin seems to forget, or fails to mention is that of the 600,000 legal immigrants into the US every year many come in on specialized work visas and business visas.  For Hardin to say all immigrants are poor and a drain on the nation is incorrect when they are an asset and bring a lot of money into the US.

In Making the Mosaic Anna Quindlen states that America is a mosaic made up of many different nationalities.  She claims that there is an underlying “xenophobia”, the fear of those different than ourselves and that immigrants are not treated equally and because of this the US cannot be described as a melting pot as it once was.

She supports this claim by describing Mrs. Miller’s third grade class in a school in New York where the children come from many different countries such as South America, Africa and Asia.  She writes from an emotionally stand point in order remind us all where our ancestors came from.  She reminds us of tolerance and understanding and uses the children’s eagerness to learn and the sacrifices of their parents to get them to this great land.

Hardin portrayed his one sided argument well, using lots of example and figures to back up his theories.  He gave some opposing views but in an almost mocking tone, for example when he raised the issue of the World Food Bank he stated: “But it isn’t their fault!” Some kind-hearted liberals argue.”     He has an unrealistic view in terms of closing the door to immigrants as a means of saving ourselves and our food supply.  Quindlen piece is focused on immigrants living in the US now and how we should be more tolerant and welcoming as our ancestors (except Native Americans) were all immigrants once.  Hardin does not think that this is reason enough to allow more immigration into the US.  I think Hardin is incorrect in saying “While Anglo-Saxon Protestants are particularly reluctant to call for a closing of the doors to immigration for fear of being called bigots.”   Please do not speak for me Mr. Hardin; we are not all of the notion of, all for one and one for one!

Hardin, Garrett “Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor”, Psychology Today, September 1974

Quindlen, Anna “Public and Private; Making the Mosaic” New York Times, November 1991

The next time I actually began writing again was when I went to college in the US in 1996 for my paralegal certificate.  Here I wrote a lot of legal papers, with the use of legal citations.  This I found very boring and frustrating, always having to find cases and cite correctly.

I was nervous going back to college and writing after such a long time.  I felt very blocked and didn’t know where to start.  I always feel like I have so much to say and it sounded so good in my head, however, I just didn’t seem to be able to get my ideas across on paper.  Now that I am on my second English class with TCC I have found that  has become easier and I am actually enjoying writing.

I have found that the best way for me write is by reading the assignments at the beginning of the week, then basically mulling it over.  Ideas can come to me at anytime, usually while I am driving or in the middle of the night.  I always think I’ll remember that thought, but of course I found that I didn’t so now I  take my notebook with me.  By the end of the week I usually have enough information to start putting my piece of writing together.  I do find it beneficial to wait a day or before going back to revise my work.

Part I

1. It should be mandatory for school buses to have seatbelts.
2. Public schools within the same district should receive the same funding.
3. Recycling should be made more accessible in the Isle of Wight County.
4. Private school tuition should be made tax deductible for military families.
5. Parents should be held accountable if their child is obese.
6. Facebook.com, friend or foe?
7. Online tuition classes should not cost as much as tuition when attending college.
8.  The cost of higher education in the United States is astronomically high compared to the rest of the world.
9. Healthcare charges in the US are so high because it is paid by insurance.
10. Employees in the United States have little or no rights.

Part II

Facebook.com, friend or foe?

I chose this topic because it was particularly relevant to me this week as two issues came up for me.  It sounded like a great idea when I first signed up and found a lot of my old friends and was able to reconnect with them.   Then I started to receive friend requests from acquaintances from high school that I never had a friendship with and quite honestly would never get in touch with them again.  One of those acquaintances happily informed me that she had recommended me to over thirty different people; facebook.com wouldn’t let her recommend more!   Now I have “friends” waiting to be accepted by me.  To ignore them would be to reject them, which leads me to one incident this week. 

One of the “friends” I have not responded to was a guy from high school, who quite honestly I don’t even remember.  I received this e-mail from him this week:

“can i ask you a serious question if you don’t mind, Are you not allowed male freinds on your facebook? it’s just that i’ve seen this before with another freind.”

I was at a loss as to how to respond to that.  Then it came to me, delete.  It seems that I am spending too much time maintaining relationships with people I do not even care about, or deciding whether to accept certain people and dealing with these types of weird situations when they occur.

 The second issue was with my brother.  We are not very close and live in different countries; however it is not just the literal distance that distances us.  He found me on facebook.com and asked me to accept a friend request from his wife, whom I have never met or spoken to.  I do not feel comfortable allowing a stranger access to my friends, my thoughts and everyday life.  After much thought and consideration I have decided to get the e-mails and phone numbers of the friends I want to be in touch with and cancel my facebook.com account.  Do I really need to know that my neighbor is going for a run or what they are having for dinner.  I think facebook.com blurs the line between friend and acquaintance.

Part III

From the opposing point of view facebook.com can been seen as a great social network.  It is really exciting to find long lost friends or family members from all over the world.  Another reason people really like it, is because it allows networking without soliciting.  Some people may not feel the pain of rejection when a friend request is denied; maybe they are just thicker skinned than I am. 

Everyone is different and enjoy connecting with people by different means.  I am pretty outgoing and gain a lot spiritually and mentally being with friends catching up over a coffee and just laughing and enjoying their company.  I don’t get the same feeling through socializing on the computer.   Whereas some people especially if they are more introverted and do not flourish in social situations find this a better means to connect with people and cultivate friendship with virtual stranger.   Basically it has its pros and cons but for me I don’t need the extra stress in my life.

1. I believe that people come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities.  All people have different beliefs and are from different cultures yet fundamentally we are all the same.
2. I believe that society is a strange entity which many of us believe we must fit into in order for us not to be different or judged.
3. I believe that government is voted in by the people to install the values of our society.  However, the people voted into government, are either narcissistic by nature or have a strong moral fiber in which they really do want to make a difference.
4. I believe that justice is sometimes hard fought for.  The struggle for justice brings out intense emotions in the search for it.
5. I believe that knowledge is essential.  Without knowledge you cannot make a productive and believable argument.
6. I believe that science gives us an amazing understanding of how the world around us works.
7. I believe that reality is what we all live in no matter what our perception of it.
8. I believe that life can be hard yet wonderful.  Full of so many ups and downs.  An amazing gift which we take for granted.
9. I believe that happiness is a brief emotion which we all can experience every day.  In that brief moment it gives us hope for the rest of the day.
10. I believe that goodness is a quality we all have within.  How and whether we choose to reveal it is a choice we all make.
11. I believe that death is scary.  It is an end to our lives.  How and when it will come to us as well as what happens to us after, keeps us in fear of it.
12. I believe that God brings us back to reality.  Having a strong belief in God takes us beyond ourselves and makes us aware of other people’s needs.

Part II

Have you ever had a truly perfectly happy day?  I can still count them on one hand.  So perfect, where everything just falls into place.  A euphoric mood, where everything gives you such pleasure and you really do feel like the world is a wonderful place.  Then in our everyday lives we glimpse moments of happiness, even for just a minute.  Whether it’s the still of a quite house when the kids are settled, to the first taste of your morning coffee, to the perfect weather outside where you just breathe in the day and in that instance you are transported to a place within where you are truly happy.  We are all capable of feeling happy whether for a minute or a day and we are all responsible to an extent for making it happen.  We all have the propensity for happiness some more than other, we just need to identify our happy triggers

Part III

Some people may argue that they cannot be happy because of depression or psychological issues.  Even if the happiness is manufactured through drugs we can all still know happiness.  There are days when we are just in a rut and find it hard to happy.  We should allow ourselves those days and go with the flow.  There are so many things that we can do to feel happy; such as exercise, taking a walk in a beautiful location, eating the right foods, switching off the outside world and taking time to just be still.  Everyone has their own interpretation of happiness and different things make each of us happy.  Whatever makes you happy do more of it and make your spirit soar.

First objective: the mind, keep it young and active.  How do I accomplish this? By enrolling in college to complete my BS BA.   That is how I ended up here on the English course.  I’m looking forward to reading everyone blogs.