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World Day of Poetry

Here And There

Here is the same as there, my friend, 
All places in this world are like. 
If doomed thy life in grief to spend, 
What change can then thy fate amend, 
What from thy sou! the pain can strike? 

When pain doth wound the tired heart 
And grief doth tire the fevered eye, 
Some joy indeed the world's great art 
May to thy pained soul impart- 
What's this if joy in thee not lie? 

When on my restless couch I lie 
And count the throbbing of my breath, 
I see the joy of earth and sky 
Yet hate it alI; why should not I 
So keep my coward mind from death? 

True joy comes not from outward show 
But in our deepest soul doth rest. 
What matter if the sun can glow 
And stars at night look sweetly so 
When hearts are by their grief opprest? 

For when the darkness weighs thy thought, 
And night doth fall upon thy soul, 
Are not again thy sorrows brought? 
Is not thy mind in shadows caught? 
Do fears not back upon thee roll? 


I cannot do but hope; as mine 
Thy mind I see to hopes doth bend; 
I in my land and thou in thine 
We suffer both - our griefs entwine. 
Here is the same as there, my friend.

A film review - INVICTUS

Film Review

Invictus by Clint Eastwood

The film Invictus, directed by Clint Eastwood, stars Morgan Freeman playing the main role as former South African president Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon playing the role of South Africa’s national rugby team captain as François Pienaar. The genre of the film is widely up for discussion, but it is commonly classified as sport, drama, history and even as biography. Stirring is the word that best defines the movie. Perfect if you want to watch it with your family, once it gives a pretty soft and optimistic overlook on South Africa’s situation at the time.

The film starts back then when Mandela’s first takes office as President of South Africa, after decades of apartheid regime rule and in the year of the preparation for the 1995 World Rugby Cup that would be hosted in that same country. The national rugby team called the Springboks, which had mostly whites on its players list and was still seen by blacks as an apartheid symbol, was almost loathsome and likely to be disbanded. And then comes Mandela with a solution for both Springboks and the country: to keep Springboks team of which Afrikaners felt proud and to gather prestige and international recognition for South Africa by winning the Rugby World Cup, thus reuniting both black and white South Africans.

The film was overall stirring. Here the intention of the director of the film was very clear, making it remarkably inspiring. This intention can be seen not only by the small and somehow subtle episodes that take place in the film – such as that one in which both black and white bodyguards of Mandela are playing rugby with each other and the other one which is divided into smaller ones interlaced with the final match showing a kid edging a police car, between scenes, where two policemen are listening to the match on the radio –, but obviously by the plot itself as well. With the exception of a few Freeman’s exaggerations playing Mandela with extreme happiness, the performance of the cast was very good. Yet, you might find it a little bit disappointing if, like me, you were expecting a keener insight on the social effects of the fall of the apartheid regime. But if not, then great! It might suit you just perfectly!

In conclusion: if you’re more headed to watch a film for the entertainment it provides you and the inspiration it gives you, then it’s an optimum choice; if, on the other hand, you are more headed to watch cleverer, more complex films, then you might get a little disappointed, but it’ll be fun if you just want to spend a good time with your family watching a film and, who knows, perhaps you’ll find yourself dreaming after watching it.

João Martins, nº 14 - 11º B

Socialising in the sky

SOCIAL media is nothing new for the airline industry. Most carriers understand that peer-to-peer social networks like Facebook and Twitter offer a cost-effective and direct means of engaging with passengers—typically for service updates, conflict resolution and marketing. Even longstanding sceptics like Ryanair now pay their staff to interact with customers on social media. The airlines don’t always get it right, of course, but they are no more prone to blunders than anyone else. And yet one thing has been noticeably lacking from the industry’s social media landscape: a means for passengers to converse with one another not before or after their flight, but during it. Virgin America has now changed that by launching what it claims is the world’s first in-flight social networking app.

"Here on Biz" allows business passengers to connect to their accounts on LinkedIn, a popular professional networking website. Geo-location technology then checks whether any acquaintances in their LinkedIn network happen to be at their gate, on their plane, or indeed on another Virgin America flight. Passengers connect to the network via the airline’s Wi-Fi service; use of the app will be free until July.

It is easy to imagine practical benefits from such tools. Instant messaging facilities are commonplace in offices, enabling colleagues to relay questions and comments without leaving their desks. But, on an aircraft, colleagues flying in different rows (or, devastatingly, different cabins) have few opportunities to interact. The concept can further be expanded into more ambitious territory. When travelling by air to conferences, Gulliver has previously sat within earshot of fellow delegates whom he only later realised were attending the same event. These apps could make pre-conference introductions and networking easier. One day, they may even help do away with the dreaded name-badge.

Moreover, in-flight social apps need not be restricted to business functions. Here on Biz also allows passengers to connect to their Facebook and Twitter accounts, making conversations with non-work friends possible. Two old school chums might spontaneously discover that they are en route to the same Caribbean holiday resort. Someone circling over Heathrow might ping passengers on the aircraft ahead, asking how long they have been delayed. Depending on the type of application, hitherto unacquainted people may also decide to chat with one another. One rather ambitious app, Wingman, already allows frisky travellers to flirt with each other. 

David Cush, Virgin America's chief executive, last year admitted that his airline had been “a little bit behind” in mobile technology. He should be praised for experimenting with this novel facility. But there will be plenty of critics too. Although cramped space and boredom will compel some travellers to seek out associates, others would surely prefer to be left alone. Here on Biz has privacy settings that hide your presence. But business travellers are increasingly expected to be on-call all the time. Peace and quiet in the skies could become an ever-more elusive concept.

Nonetheless, on-board socialising is an experiment worth trying. Along with business conferencing, idle chit-chat and dating, peer-to-peer gaming might also become commonplace. That would surely be a hit with young travellers, as well as more mature poker or bridge players. And for the airlines themselves, on-board digital conversations present new opportunities to eavesdrop on and better understand their customers, enabling them to respond with advice or—less appealingly—unsolicited marketing (Qantas already monitors what people say in its lounges via a tool called Local Measure).

There are pros and cons, then, and there will always be blunders. Last year, Virgin America allowed its customers to send drinks to fellow passengers via their seat-back entertainment systems. The airline said it would help male passengers “get lucky” in the skies. Many female travellers found the idea creepy. But with on-board Wi-Fi becoming more commonplace—and, in the case of carriers like Norwegian Air Shuttle and Turkish Airlines, free of charge—socialising in the sky is here to stay. 

THE ECONOMIST

February 21st, 2014