Judi Lynn
Judi Lynn's Journal12 Peruvian Artworks That Define My Nation
12 Peruvian Artworks That Define My Nation
Published by Pedro Moreno Vasquez March 1, 2016 1:22 pm
Step into any Peruvian restaurant in the United States, and you may glimpse some artistic motifs hanging on the walls. Such artworks are supposed to capture the Peruvian spirit. The purpose behind it is to admire them while you munch your delicious Peruvian dish. Admire, reflect and reminisce about Peru.
These artworks are very old, remounting to ages before the Inca civilization. Some of them can be found in embassies, exhibitions, Peruvian parades and artisan markets.
The US has the eagle, the Statue of Liberty and “the flag raising as Iwo Jima” as symbolic icons. But Peru, with the glorious heritage of the Incas, has a lot more. Here are some of them:
1. The Cuzqueño Paintings
When the Incas were conquered by the Spaniards, there was a big problem. The natives worshipped the Sun and refused to convert to Catholicism. Due to language barriers, visual propaganda became an option. The Spanish Crown sent a team of artists to Cuzco. These Spanish painters recruited indigenous people and taught them drawing and oil painting. This is how the Escuela Cuzqueña (Cuzco School) originated, around the year 1535.
Indigenous artists were instructed to only portray Spanish lords, kings and European themes. The paintings served as tools of indoctrination: figures of saints, Holy Mary, Jesus Christ and warrior angels were made in a massive scale. But this technique of acculturation did not quite work. Eventually, indigenous artists abandoned the Cuzco School and began portraying Inca princes and other Peruvian deities.
More:
http://xpatnation.com/peruvian-artworks-that-define-my-nation/#.t09Y02H8D
Stifling Academic Freedom, the NRA Way
March 1, 2016
Stifling Academic Freedom, the NRA Way
by Laura Finley
That conservative forces have long sought to squash dissent and curtail rigorous academic debate on campuses is far from a secret. From the militarization of many campuses, academic repression of faculty, excessive and difficult-to-navigate bureaucracies, limitations on free speech and more, college students, staff and faculty members today face many challenges as they seek to explore, debate, and take action on critical and difficult issues. The gun lobby has seized on this environment of academic stifling, promoting firearms as the answer to an array of problems on campuses and beyond. Don’t want to get raped? Carry a gun, or it’s your own fault. The best way to prevent an active shooter situation? Everyone pack heat. The chilling effect of the campus carry laws that have been enacted has been immediately visible.
The state of Texas passed a campus carry law that is set to take effect on August 1, 2016. Already, professors at the University of Houston were told that once the new law is effective, they might want to “be careful discussing sensitive topics,” “drop certain topics from your curriculum,” “’Not go there’ if you sense anger,” “limit students access off hours,” “go to appointment-only office hours,” and “only meet ‘that student’ in controlled circumstances.” Evidently, if I taught at that university my sociology classes could no longer cover well…anything. The NRA supports campus carry bills being considered in Florida, and in a memo to NRA members and friends dated November 2, 2015, NRA Past President Marion Hammer denounced educators who oppose the bill, amping up the rhetoric about how gun-free campuses are unsafe, there “murderers, rapists, terrorists, and robbers may commit crimes without fear of being harmed by their victims.” Hammer’s memo even uses quotations around the words “educators,” clearly implying that the many college administrators, professors and faculty members who do not support campus carry laws have dubious credentials.
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) has noted that case law is clear: faculty have primary responsibility for determining curriculum, and academic freedom is critical for teaching their courses such that they include the most essential and evolving topics in their fields. The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has issued similar calls to vigorously resist efforts to undermine academic freedom by people with “ideological or commercial agendas.” It is hard to see the NRA and its cronies as anything but having both an ideological and commercial agenda.
The courts have long noted that the primary purpose of higher education is to afford a marketplace for the full exchange of ideas. It is through this exchange that students come to see the very real problems in the world and how they might be part of the solution. That is next to impossible when faculty are told to abort discussion of anything that might stimulate or even upset a student, who then might start firing indiscriminately.
More:
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/03/01/stifling-academic-freedom-the-nra-way/
Greg Palast:Rubio's Billionaire wins ransom
Rubio's Billionaire wins ransom
from Argentina
Monday, February 29, 2016
(Greg Palast has investigated Paul "The Vulture" Singer for BBC TV and The Guardian for the last 9 years.)
Paul Singer, known as The Vulture, won a $4.65 billion payment from Argentina* — nearly ONE HUNDRED TIMES his "investment" of $50 million in old Argentina bonds. It was, in finance speak, the most successful "vulture attack" ever.
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Singer’s actions are outlawed in most of the civilized world. Hillary Clinton, as Secretary of State, attempted to stop Singer’s predatory act, but Singer did a brilliant end-run: he used his cash to help elect a new President in Argentina that would jump to his tune and pay him billions.
Now, he’s attempting to do the same to the USA: pick a president for us who will feather his vulture's nest. He’s the number one donor sugar daddy for Marco Rubio’s candidacy (See, "Who Hatched Rubio"
. Singer is also the big bankroller of Karl Rove, to make sure that, even if he can’t sell Rubio to the GOP base, at least The Vulture can use "Turdblossom" Rove to ensure that Hillary won’t become President and put him out the of vulture business.
Rubio, in fact, skirted some ethical lines in his attempts to pressure the State Department to side with his corpse-chewing donor against Argentina.
As I’ve said, Singer directs his fellow billionaires’ investments in candidates. So, it is not surprising to see The Kochs lend their top political operative, Marc Short, to Singer's man, Rubio.
More:
http://www.gregpalast.com/rubios-billionaire-wins-ransom-from-argentina/
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