Nice Link - 70 Most Beautiful Cinematic Shots in Movie History

70 of the best.
http://blazepress.com/2016/01/the-70-most-beautiful-cinematic-shots-in-movie-history/

Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler

It's the only notable work of Adolf Hitler and was written in 1924. It gives his ideas on politics, race, people, nation. Not surprisingly, you get a good idea of how the leader of the Nazi party, the Chancellor of Germany, initiator of the World War II and the key figure of the Holocaust or genocide that killed about 6 million Jews in Europe including 1.5 million children, thought, as you read the book. Under his leadership, the Nazi machinery systematically killed Jews in gas chambers and other mass murder mechanisms. For one who had a tough childhood, someone who harbored dreams of being an artist and an architect, Hitler found himself drawn into the army, into politics and forming and hardening his beliefs as he grew older. Hitler's book gives a first-class account of how biased people can be, how one can make all the wrong assumptions and how one can actually twist it all to influence thousands more to believe and to commit acts of unheard of violence and hate.

His hatred for Jews comes across throughout the book. Jews he believes are the worst kind and are constantly conspiring to cheat and usurp others property. They use all sorts of machinery, books, ideas, publications, newspapers to fool the public. The good of society will come only when they are removed from society. Interestingly he has his own version of love jihad - he believes that black haired Jews are constantly looking to make Christian girls fall in love with them and make them impure. Hitler has no time for any impure races - the purest of the race must mate with the purest and no intermingling with weak races o subhuman races must be allowed. Hitler believed firmly that the purpose of a nation is to promote the purest race - that of Aryans. All else are subhuman and must serve the Aryans. He believes that Aryans are single-handedly responsible for all human growth and as such must lead. All talk of universal brotherhood, equality etc is not to be entertained and all who are weak to be put down. To bring the Aryans to power in Germany through the German National Socialist Labour Party, Hitler forms several strategies on how the most able leaders must be found, given absolute power and absolute responsibility - he forgets to mention that once an individual is given absolute power he may not respond to any calls on his responsibilities and may in his desperation go further and further in the hope that his goal is achieved even if the cost if heavy. Such bias is to be rarely seen but we do see signs of some of these behaviors in modern day society even now. That one race or religion is better, that some are stronger, that some are better. His hate for negroids or other 'subhuman' cultures comes across clearly. He also hates Marx, the idea of equality proposed by the masses, who he thinks have no brains anyway and can be easily misled. They cannot take their decisions for themselves so they need to be shown the path. Not that they are worth it anyway.

Hitler constantly tells us what should be done. He has no space for another point of view. They are like this so this must be done. And very clearly he feels that he is the guy to do it and not everyone else has his intellect or mental power or reasoning power. His idea of group decisions is that they are stuff where no one can make a decision and everyone is shirking work - he hates democracies, parliamentarian systems. One man, the absolute image of god (himself), vested with complete power to do anything where none can question him, will lead for our own good. The rest must follow.

He gives a view into how he used propaganda to influence people, how he believes oratory skills are better tools at influencing people. It's absolutely fantastic to see how he goes from one subject to another with the supreme confidence of having understood it as no one else can and proposing solutions to it.

As a read, it boring because he goes on and on about his ideas, his anger at others, his ridicule. Few parts are interesting when he talks of himself and his experiences. But within all that one sees how he formed his beliefs. In the earlier part, he is more exploratory in nature and in the second part, one can see his swagger. I have been meaning to read this for years now and finally - done. If there is one thing to take away from this book - people who believe in absolute power, in the greater merit of the supposedly stronger, who believe that things must be taken by force, by false propaganda, who do not mind giving up the weak for the rich few, have all the characteristics of turning into someone like this.      

The Paradoxes of Our Lives - To Be Authentic to The World, First Be Authentic to Yourself

First ask yourself, why are you doing what you are doing?

If it is what you would do wholeheartedly, do it. If not, refrain.

Do what pleases you. Save your time and energy for things that help you move forward.

When you do things for reasons that are not authentic, you are doing it to please someone. Maybe because you don't want to hurt them. Or lower their expectations.

But you don't need to buy or beg for love. You can give it from a place of giving.

To do that, give it to yourself first until the cup runs full. When you direct the flow of love first to yourself, some people might fall off. So be it. They were there for the wrong reasons too.

Over time you will be in an authentic space. I reckon, a more peaceful space. You will be with authentic people who accept you as you are, with no expectations.

Anjali - Father's Day at Daksha School

Daksha School where Anjali is studying, has this practice of inviting fathers on Father's Day. During the week when Father's Day falls, fathers volunteer to speak to the children about any topic that interests them. Over the years I did a cricket session, a writing session, even a session where we shot a short film on a mobile phone. This year I wondered if I could skip it because I didn't know what to speak. Anjali was however insistent that I go and so I went. I decided to share with them the idea of 'Mindset' by Carol Dweck which has changed my approach to life.

4th class - Anjali's class, she's in the first row

The 4th and 5th class students were my audience. I gave them a brief intro - about the two main mindsets - Fixed and Growth or Learning. I also told them that all of have both. I asked them if they sometimes said 'I know' even if they did not. They honestly agreed. I asked why we did that. They said that parents and teachers will scold us, others may feel we don't know etc. I asked them if they could accept that they did not know and if they could learn by saying - 'I don't know but I will learn'.

They said it was fine to accept that they did not know.

We then did role plays. I had taken a tennis ball and asked them to bounce it on the back of their fist. Two boys came forward.One represented the Fixed Mindset and the other Growth.

5th class

I asked them to bounce it 5 times.

Growth and Learning vs Fixed Mindset
They both managed 1 bounce. The rest of the class found it hilarious.

The Fixed Mindset person was to repeat a dialogue after me -
'I know this. It's easy. I can do this anytime . Right now I just don't feel like it.;

The Fixed Mindset's main idea is to show that he is smart and he could do  stuff easily - only he did not feel like now.

The Growth Mindset guy was to say - ' I don't how how to do it. But I will learn.'

When asked what they preferred - the children said they felt the Growth Mindset was better.

Avoiding challenges
We had another two volunteers come foward. I posed a challenge - where a lot of people are watching. They were to do 10 bounces. This time they did two bounces each. Fixed Mindset was to say -

'I don't want to do this.'

I asked the class for standard excuses. The rest of the class was very enthusiastic in providing excuses. Fever. Hand is paining. Mother not well.

The Growth Mindset fellow said - 'I don't know. I may fail. But let me try.'

The class agreed that the Growth Mindset was a better option.

Giving up easily
When given a challenge the Fixed Mindset guy gave up easily. The Growth Mindset guys were asked to persist. You fail only when you give up was the mantra.

Believing in effort
The Fixed Mindset did not believe in effort. In a competition between Harsh and Yeshwanth we found Yeswanth could do 5 and Harsh 3. We asked Harsh to practice and his team to help Harsh. After five minutes Harsh and Yeshwanth tried three times again - this time Harsh got 9 on the whole and Yehswanth 7! A five minute effort paid off!

Ignoring negative feedback
The Fixed Mindset person (played by Anjali) ignored useful negative feedback. The Growth Mindset person listened to the feedback and thought how he could improve. In an interesting situation, Rishabh who played the Growth Mindset guy asked for advise and actually got really good advise from his friend. 'Don't bounce too high, stay still etc.'

Others success
The Fixed Mindset team felt threatened by the other team's success and spent time cribbing and resenting the winners. The Growth Mindset team were impressed by the other team's performance and congratulated them and more importantly - asked them how they could also improve.

Thanks to the ball and the activity the children heard me out and perhaps even imbibed some of the ideas. This was a session, that I hoped would make a difference. As always, I checked with Anjali about the exercise and she said it was nice because it had some activity!

At the end we got a few pictures on my camera phone - one that I will treasure.

Two things stayed. One that they laugh so easily. Second that they are so impressed. When I bounced the ball some ten times they gasped and looked at me like I was Superman - I realised how easy it is to make people go Wow, if you just learn to do it a little better than them. Expertise is the key.

Sunday Cricket Lessons - Stillness of the Head at Point of Delivery

An important aspect of how the delivery is going to shape up - is to get into a position before delivery.  I have seen practice sessions where bowlers are asked to stop in their stride, full loaded to deliver - left thigh high up (for the right hander), left arm up, body rocked back slightly, head still - and if you can manage that position you can pretty much be sure that the ball is released in the most effective manner possible.

All that happens before, the run up and the loading of the action, must lead into that position when the bowler is ready to deliver. If it is a position that allows stillness in the head, good release and control of the body, the delivery is more likely than not a good one.

Wheelchair Basketball - Exhibition Match for the More-Than-Abled Between India and Thailand

The Wheelchair Basketball Federation of India, led by the more-than-able Madhavi Latha, who is also a swimming champion in the paralympics category (amongst many other champion sides to her), staged a wonderful exhibition match between the Indian and Thailand Wheelchair Basketball teams yesterday afternoon. Wheelchair basketball requires far greater skill because the players have to use the wheelchair with great skill and also control the ball. One could get a glimpse of how far the mind can go, and take the body along in its search for excellence.

The Thailand team won by a huge margin. One knew by the very look of the Thailand team that they knew what they were doing. Lean and strong upper bodies, wheelchairs (very expensive sports wheelchairs as someone said) that moved like lightning and skill that was just too good - with the wheelchair, the ball and the tactical moves. They just steamrolled the Indian team which put up a gallant show in defeat, trying hard with every ounce of their strength. The score was some 30-80 or something in that region.

In the heat of the game

The technical camp initiative was to give coaches, participants and others exposure to the various nuances of the game, its rules, its challenges and was conducted over four days. It was well attended. On the final day they had this breathtaking match between the two sides - as good as any sport or even better. It made one's heart fill to see the manner in which a more-than-abled player from Thailand pulled up an Indian player who had lost his balance and fell off his wheelchair or the way another player joined the impromptu dance program that a small group had put up before the actual game.

Sports, as Madhavi Latha truly believes and lives (is there a connection between believing and living), gives a sense of purpose, celebration and joy, all of which are healthful. A person who may feel otherwise challenged - physically, mentally or in spirit - can pick up a game and find that sense of purpose and joy. It was on show here at The Kotla Vijay Bhaskar Reeddy stadium. Though Madhavi sounded a bit disheartened that they did not get the kind of coverage they could have got, or even support from sports personalities from Hyderabad, I feel they have done enough and more. It's an initiative that has far reaching consequences and opens doors for more-than-abled sportspersons in India to just celebrate life and go and express themselves through games.

The stadium was a poor showcase of what the government does to maintain its sports facilities - with its 1 hour power cut and no generator (a shame really), no air cooling system - this magnificent stadium that could serve so many in so many ways, is let down for the lack of a few amenities that should be standard fare.

Teams relaxing

But one look at the wheelchair bound athletes and you wonder at Madhavi's words on the first day - that there is no infrastructure to handle or support the needs of the more-than-abled even in the national capital, Delhi. One wonders as the athletes moved around with their wheelchairs about the facilities they need - ramps, toilets, transport, stay and all the related issues and one can see how many more-than-abled are staying at home probably because society has not created the spaces to give them. But you create spaces and they will come and give, far more I am sure, than many supposedly able people. You can sense it, you can feel it. The same principle that Dhirubhai Ambani used - creating capacities much larger than estimated demand and thus creating an additional demand (and not the other way round i.e. limiting supply based on demand) - was the principle on which Reliance grew at such phenomenal pace. Similarly, if we create the spaces for all sections of the society, we can create a world that explodes with joy, celebration and happiness.

Madhavi Latha, you are paving the steps for that. You may not realise it now, but this is the kind of work that will one day be seen as pioneering work that puts the focus where it has to be. For starters you got me using this word that I now believe is true - you are all more-than-abled in every way.

The Paradoxes of Life - To Experience Life Deeply, Get Out of Its Way

To experience life deeply, get out of its way. Don't control it, prejudge it, second guess it.

Pic courtesy: Satish Nargundkar

Let it flow. Be open and receive.