Zatrathustra The Enlightened One - Part 2, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“Thus spoke the Devil to me once: ‘Even God has his Hell: it is his love for men.’
And I lately heard him say these words: God is dead; God has died of his pity for man.”
Zarathustra is changing, he considers himself as an enlightened now. He criticises contemporary culture. He speaks of organised religion and priesthood, priests are to him hypocrites, “they called God that which contradicted and harmed them: and truly, there was much that was heroic in their worship! And they knew no other way of loving their God than by nailing men to the Cross” (Jesus Christ Crucifixion).

Wisdom is crucial and Zarathustra is fond of it because “she” reminds him of life. The author is quite likely to be describing the woman he loved, the love of his life. She must have been very wise and precious to him as he speaks of feeling alive when being with her.

He says, “I am fond of Wisdom, and often too fond, is because she very much reminds me of life! She has her eyes, her laughter (…): how can I help it that they both look so alike?”

He says that poets are liars, and their answer for Zarathustra’s accusation is, “we know too little and are bad learners: so we have to lie.”

Further on, Zarathustra says that life should overcome virtues like “Good and evil, and rich and poor, and noble men and all the names of the virtues (…) “.

Free will is essential in his beliefs and takes him beyond the death, “yes, you are still my destroyer of all graves: Hail, my Will: And only where there are graves are there resurrections.” (Elements of Buddhism)

Self overcoming is self-mastering, putting a self discipline and believing that it is good to challenge human’s logic. The will to existence is “not true”; “there is only will to power”. Having will to power, starts a change, change brings progress and progress leads to evolution. Zarathustra speaks of enlightened men whose “will to power” walks the feet of their “will to truth”. Will to existence is not enough. For it to be life there has to be will to power, man has to want to have power over himself and that is what keeps his existence.

Good and evil are not definite; they change as they too have to “overcome themselves”. And “he who has to be a creator in good and evil, truly, has first to be a destroyer (…)”, revolutionary human, brave enough to stop believing in what is set to be believed in.

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 2

Nietzsche about men and women - Part 1, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

“She knows only love, but tell me, you men, which of you is capable of friendship?’

Zarathustra, the main character in Nietzsche’s book believes that women are incapable of friendship. He doubts in human’s purity of intentions and ability to create a pure and truthful relationship with other people.

Speaking of women, Zarathustra does not value them in high purpose for humanity, he simply says that “everything about woman is riddle, and everything about woman has one solution: it is called pregnancy.”

Picturing a woman in man’s eyes he says that “the true man wants too things: danger and play. For that reason he wants woman, as the most dangerous playing.” Negative experiences from Nietzsche’s life, as he had not much luck with love of his life and his intentions of marriage were unsuccessful.

Broken heart of the author dictated a lot of cold and shallow views on women. Zarathustra says that “man should be trained for war and woman for the recreation of the warrior: all else is folly.”

Zarathustra is representing stereotypical views on family structure and relations between men and women. “Woman understands children better than a man; but man is more childlike than woman.”

He also speaks of man’s ego: “The man’s happiness is: I will. The woman’s happiness is: He will.” Even though author tries to compare men and women equally and accurately, he admits that he knows not enough about women. Author reveals it by bringing another character to the conversation, an old woman, who is listening to Zarathustra and making him realise that he does not know all about women.

When speaking of men and women, the main character seeks new values and creation of good and evil. He says that “ truly, men have given themselves all their good and evil (…), they did not take it (…), it did not descend to them as a voice from heaven. Man first implanted values into things to maintain himself- he created the meaning of things, a human meaning!”

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra , Part 1

Who was “The Dead Dog” for Zarathustra- Part 1

After Zarathustra spoke to the Dying Man (Jesus), he had to leave the town as people started to hate him, he was carrying a “dead dog”. I believe the dead dog is in the book a memory after the Dying Man, the memory of Jesus that is in Nietzsche's mind. Nietzsche kept the message and lessons that he got from Christ’s life; he was still full of faith that Jesus' message was truth, even though he was only a human.

Zarathustra’s companion (Jesus) is dead but he kept a memory, of him. Zarathustra realized that it was not about the “dead body” he was carrying, he says that he needs life companions not dead ones now, meaning, that after Jesus died his message should be applied to other people.

“Zarathustra shall not speak to the people but to companions”, equality in humans and mutual love and trust, then he says: “Zarathustra shall not be hands-man and dog to the hand!”, it is not about the power over other people or manipulation but equality.

Zarathustra is against hierarchies in churches, he says, “Behold the faithful of all faiths! Whom do they hate the most? Him who smashes their tables of values, the breaker, the law-breaker- but he is the creator.” In Nietzsche’s new belief the hierarchy of Christian Church does not matter, hierocratic structure of the church is not necessary. It was undermining the power and prestige of the Church, as an institution. As you can imagine the Church could not approve of this theory.

Zarathustra calls himself a creator of a new philosophy that seriously threats the power and position of the Church. He also decided to find people who would join him and spread the truth.

He says that “man is something that must be overcome: and for that reason you must love your virtues-for you will perish by them.” He speaks of himself as an enlightened. In the scene with a tree, he discovers that there is no point in being an inventor of a new truth if there is no one to share it with. And so he decided to do.


TBC in ‘Nietzsche about men and women in Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ post

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1

The Tight-Rope Walker & Jesus from Nazareth - Part 1, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The book describes scene with the Tight-Rope Walker, which metaphorically looks like the scene from Jesus Christ' life when he was captured and tangled and then had to carry his own cross to the hill called Golgotha where he was crucified. The Market Square could symbolise Golgotha, the final place of Jesus’ and Tight-Rope Walker's destination.

In the middle of tight-rope walker (possibly Jesus) way, “the little door opened again and brightly-dressed fellow (…) followed the former (…)”, this could symbolise the appearance of Devil in Christ’s way onto the Golgotha’s hill. Devil as a hesitation going through Jesus’ mind, the question whether he is the One and if he is doing the right thing as well as simply fearing cruel death that was just half way ahead of him. The hesitation that was growing more with every step he was taking closer towards his hill of destiny (Market Square).

Then, Jesus fell few times on his way, because of the heavy weight of his cross and weakening gradually, in Nietzsche’s book this moment is described, “When he saw his rival thus triumph, lost his head and the rope; he threw away his pale and fell.”

In Bible, St Simon helps Jesus to pick his cross up and carry it. With a second fell, St Veronica wipes Christ face from sweat and blood. The conversation between Zarathustra and Dying Man, happened next, "All you have spoken of does not exist: there is no Devil and no Hell. Your soul will be dead even before your body: therefore fear nothing anymore!”. Zarathustra could be a voice of hesitation in Jesus’ mind before his death. The voice that says that Jesus dies for nothing and that metaphysical God does not exist, and therefore Jesus is not a Son of God but simply a human.

My other understanding of this scene is that perhaps Nietzsche has put Zarathustra next to Jesus, as if he walked the way to crucifixion with him, and told Jesus that he is going to die and he is a normal human being. Dying Man then said “If you are speaking the truth, (…) I leave nothing when I leave life. I am not much more than an animal which has been thought to dance by blows and starvation!”. The author shows again his leading idea that God died and humans not only killed him but also helped to burry him.

Then, Zarathustra says that “uncanny is human’s existence and still without meaning: a buffoon can be fatal to it.” Although Nietzsche denies existence of God he admits a deep impact from his life and memory hard to forget, the “Dead Dog”.

TBC in the "Who was the Dead Dog for Zarathustra" post

he University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1

Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, PART I

“Behold I teach you the Superman”- hidden metaphors

Part 1 is written in a style of a speech of a preacher-philosopher. Zarathustra begins of speaking of overcoming the superman, becoming like apes (Darwin’s influences).

“Once blasphemy against God was the greatest blasphemy, but God died, and there upon these blasphemies died too.”

The metaphorical Christian content of his messages comes out of his once deep Lutheran belief which he is now rejecting and trying to find the truth and answers, a new ultimate, not only spiritual but also down to earth sense and rules of life.

He tries to find a new set of values and virtues that would be closest to truth and creation of their truthful definitions (“What good is my virtue”, “What good is my justice?”), through which he is aiming to find inner peace and happiness as a human being (“What good is my happiness?”) and also a scientific satisfaction close to finding proofs and clear explanations to human’s behaviour and reasons for human’s existence and the right religion (“What good is my reason?”).


Jesus Christ 'Super'-human

The book is written in multiple metaphors, Zarathustra (Greek thinker) talks about pity referencing to Jesus Christ’s prophecy (Lutheran/Christian religion in author’s life), Zarathustra, the awakened one, says “What good is my pity? Is not pity the cross upon which he who loves man is nailed?”

Nietzsche shows the core of his wonders as well as emotional and spiritual connection to Jesus Christ. Then Zaharustra says “But my pity is no crucifixion!” representing author's views against belief in Christ’s prophecy as a Son of God. He says “I love those who do not first seek beyond the stars for reasons to go down and be sacrifices: but who sacrifice themselves to the earth”. It is implication that the author thinks that Christ was a human being who with his charismatic approach and strength could be called a Superhuman. If everyone tried to follow passionately the values they believe that are truth and serve a good purpose to themselves and others and become happy through that, then such people could be called a Super-people, meaning “that the earth may one day belong to the Superman”.

If it is Jesus that author has in mind in this piece of text, to be a Superhuman, then the theory above would make Jesus a very strong and powerful man by obeying his own truthful beliefs and that mede him so happy that he wanted to share it with others so that they could follow his footsteps to be happy too. All that would make Jesus an amazing and virtues human being that tried to help others and show how important it is to believe, love, have hope and desire to keep becoming a better person and challenging yourself, systems and rules that look deceitful and unfair to humanity (self-overcoming of morality through truthfulness).

Zarathustra speaks of love for knowledge and science (as science can proof existence of Jesus as a human being), at the same time he loves one “who wants knowledge that one day the Superman may live. And thus he wills his own downfall.” He wants to base his belief on knowledge. This quote could be also an indirect hidden belief of the author that if Jesus was a Son of God this sentence would symbolise the Apocalypse, when Jesus will come down among the humans again and choose those who he will make (And thus he wills his own downfall) to happy and they all will become super-humans.


“I love him who loves his virtue: for virtue is will to downfall and arrow longing.” - Sacrifice

In further part Zaharustra says, “I love him who loves his virtue: for virtue is will to downfall and arrow longing.” Just like Jesus, “love him” could mean taking an example of the one who loves his virtuous beliefs, and who believed in what was his aim of life even though it was the “downfall”-Jesus was hated and crucified for his beliefs. The rest of the prophecy says about rising from the dead and rejoining with his father in heaven, till he will step down to earth again in the Judgment Day. The time of waiting for that day could be in the book an “arrow of longing” to rejoin with Jesus. It could be also Christ’s hope and faith that people understood his message and “longing” for the next time he will come back to earth.

At the end of this speech Zarathustra says “Behold, I am a prophet of the lightning and a heavy drop from the cloud: but this lightning is called Superman.” He calls himself a Superman a successor of Jesus Christ’s message and admirer of his strength and impact on humanity. Zarathustra also introduces an Ultimate Men, who do not understand his message, the “most contemptible men”.


Zarathustra the Roman judge Pontius Pilate

“You can have the Superman! And all the people laughed and shouted. But Zarathustra grew sad and said to his heart: They do not understand me: I am not the mouth for these ears.”

This scene could be another reference to Bible, to the scene when Pontius Pilate who was the ” Equesrianprocurator of the Roman province of Judea(...) best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized his crucifixion.” (2) In Mark’s Gospel for example, Mark “portrays Pilate as extremely reluctant to execute Jesus, blaming the Jewish priestly hierarchy for his death.” (2)

Pilate gave choice to the crowd to free either Jesus from Nazareth (Superman) or Barabas the criminal (ultimate man). The crowd was paid to choose Barabas and Jesus was sent for crucifixion. Zarathustra is playing Pilate in this symbolic scene, he wanted the crowd to choose the Superman, but after hearing people shouting to free Barabas, he had to follow their choice. When Zarathustra says, “I am not mouth for these ears” it could symbolise situation that Pilate was in, he was not the one that people would listen to and so, even though he was the judge, it was not in his power to free Jesus.

Another biblical reference is hidden in the scene with tight-rope walker.

TBC in 'The Tight-Rope Walker from Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Jesus from Nazareth'


The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
1. Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate

Friedrich Nietzsche Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Essence

“The self-overcoming of morality through truthfulness, the self-overcoming of the moralist into his opposite into -we - that is what the name Zarathustra means in my mouth.” Nietzsche

The essence of the Thus Spoke Zarathustra is finding the mining’s of the central concepts of life, to find the truth. Zarathustra, the main character speculates that “Jesus would have said: I am the truth.” He, on the other hand, introduces his theory that the truth is what you “yourself are”, and the truth becomes one when “you yourself give it”. Zaharustra concludes that the “truth is not something that can be proved or disproved: it is something which you determine upon, which in the language of the old psychology, you will.”

The main character Zarathustra was originally, a Greek thinker, a founder of the ancient Persian religion. The essence of this religion was a conflict between Ahara Mazda, the god of light and Angra Mainyu, the god of darkness and evil. Nietzshe uses Zarathustra’s name to metaphorically reference to roots of one of the eldest religions which Christianity is thought to have anthropologically to be connected with, ancient Apollonian representing light and logic against Dionysian with the cult of intoxication and ecstasy.

Nietzsche explained that Zarathustra the thinker, was “the first to see in the struggle between good and evil(…) the translation of morality into the realm of metaphysics, as force, cause, end-in-itself, is his work. (…)”, and added that Zarathustra was “more truthful than any other thinker”.

Main concepts that Nietzsche touches in his book are Amor Fati, Eternal recurrence, will to power, living dangerously, Great noontide and the Superman theory.

Nietasche introduces in his book theory that The God is dead for him and His successor in a Superhuman, who people eventually, fail to understand. Superhuman’s antithesis is an Ultimate Man, who sacrifices the future to his own present. He repeats numerously that human’s existence is ‘uncanny’. Zarathustra’s band of disciples display Nietzsche’s views on various subjects of questions, e.g. ‘education of the spirit’, ‘negative virtue’, ‘metaphysical world’, ‘religion between mind and body’, ’the nature of virtues’ and many others.

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV,
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Part 1

XIX century Music and Religion influences, ‘What would Greeks do?’

“The Unity of Science and Art”, Lecture 1

In Music, 1872 the birth of tragedy from ancient Greece influenced the spirit of XIX century music. We can see that ancient Greeks created incredibly strong influences that have had an impact on many spheres of life of numerous cultures.

Dionysus, god of music was a Homophrodite God of intoxication and ecstasy. The Dionysian Religion that consisted of festivals would very often end up with mass suicide.

Music was significant; it was explicable, purely subjective and highly numeral.

Pythagoras of Samos, an Ionian Greek philosopher was a founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism.(2) “Pythagoreanism is a term used for the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs held by Pythagoras and his followers, the Pythagoreans, who were considerably influenced by mathematics. Pythagoreanism greatly influenced Platonism.” (1) They had a theory that the music of the Spheres was reflecting mathematical harmony (metaphysics of music).“Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teaching in the late 6th century BC. He is often revered as a great mathematician, mystic and scientist, and he is best known for the Pythagorean theory which bears his name. However, because legend and obfuscation cloud his work even more than with the other pre-Socratic philosophers, (...)

We do know that his disciples believed that everything was related to mathematics and that numbers were the ultimate reality. It was said that he was the first man to call himself a philosopher, or lover of wisdom, and Pythagorean ideas exercised a marked influence on Plato, and through him, all of western philosophy.”(2)

Schopenhauer, one of the most fascinating musicians of the centuries showed the same we harmony of spheres, formless music, life force. The force is bad though, it symbolizes evil as it causes existence, struggle against force.

Western European Art comes together in Wagner’s Opera. In Tristan and Iseult, sexual experiences are strongly expressed, sexual euphoria is so powerful that it killsApollonian religion is a philosophy of logic, light and knowing.

Apollo and Dionysus represent opposite ideas (Greek Tragedy), we could even say that Apollonian belief suppresses Dionysian, the same action can be observed in Christianity.

The best proof for Christianity to be anthropological, it takes a lots of influences from other beliefs and philosophies, it is build on other ones and uses other theories to explain its own theories. Puzzled picture built from many separate pieces that it inhabited from the past.

Setting Nietzsche with Christianity is a significant philosophical clash, it is easy to imagine that Christians do not approve of Nietzsche as he undermines their hierarchy and shows it in light of meaningless set of values and points out on how church became an insignificant and hypocrite institution demanding power and wealth instead of staying in spiritual spheres of humans life.


The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV, Lecture1
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoreanism
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagoras
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionysus
4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_and_Isolde

Friedrich Nietzsche and Immanuel Kant

THE UNITY OF SCIENCE AND ART

“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, the murderers of all murderers, console ourselves?”(1a) Nietzsche

Year 1883 was flooded with new influences, it was a time of “eruption of words” (1a) and metaphors; its word-play suggests an “eruption of feelings.” (1a)

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), was born in Lutheran Religion which, after years of study and belief, he decided to abandon and replace with freelance philosophizing. He became the sceptic of the XIX century (“Cogito Ergo Sum”1a). He was very much of a “pioneer in the demolition of ancient habits of mind and moral prejudices“(1a). One of the biggest misteries that he was trying to solve was finding out what is truth. He believed that the truth is something to which you submit and you create yourself, “it is the expression of a particular kind of life and being which has, in you, ventured to assert itself.” (1a) He believed that the truth is a “concept of human’s mind” (1a), he questions, if the personal truth equals “the sole origin of the truth of the earth”(1a).

Nietzsche was a professor of Philosophy (Basel University), who wrote critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, using a distinctive style using metaphors, irony and aphorism. (1) He discovered writings from Samos proving that Samos knew about Solar parallax way before Copernicus. The key of his studies were pre-Socratic, early Greek societies. He believes that humanity should be overcome, he is anti-racist but also anti-democratic (Social Darwinis, Social-Biological concerns, anti-Liberal views) “Nietzsche's influence remains substantial within and beyond philosophy, notably in existentialism and postmodernism.” (1)

XIX century was also dominated by Immanuel Kant who was a Prussian philosopher.Kant was the last influential philosopher of modern Europe in the classic sequence of the theory of knowledge during the Enlightenment beginning with thinkers like John Locke. Kant created a new perspective in philosophy which has continued to influence philosophy through to the 21st century. One of his most prominent works evolved around an investigation into the limitations and structure of reason itself. “He suggested that by understanding the sources and limits of human knowledge we can ask fruitful metaphysical questions. (...) He concluded that all objects about which the mind can think must conform to its manner of thought. Therefore if the mind can think only in terms of causality – which he concluded that it does – then we can know prior to experiencing them that all objects we experience must either be a cause or an effect. "(2)

However, it follows from this that "it is possible that there are objects of such nature which the mind cannot think, and so the principle of causality, for instance, cannot be applied outside of experience: hence we cannot know, for example, whether the world always existed or if it had a cause. “ (2) He also believed that everyone has a moral compass for recognizing Good and Evil. Everyone is equal and is able to see when they are good or bad regardless what rules society dictates.

Friedrich Nietzsche rejects Kant’s theory and says that there are people who have other moral values than others, superior people, he also doesn’t believe in Democracy and rejects Christian morality. He quite likes Napoleon (India and Egypt XVIII century conquer). After the defeat of Napoleon, European Culture was widely open on influences from beyond Europe (Buddhism, Hinduism).

In a book, From Bauhaus to our House, the author describes the theories and times when a new spiritual and philosophical movement Bauhaus began influencing different spheres of life. Bauhaus founder, Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was deeply influenced by Nietzsche.

Going back to Kant’s philosophy, he “believed himself to be creating a compromise between the empiricists and the rationalists. The empiricists believed that knowledge is acquired through experience alone, but the rationalists maintained that such knowledge is open to Cartesian doubt and that reason alone provides us with knowledge. Kant argues, however, that using reason without applying it to experience will only lead to illusions, while experience will be purely subjective without first being subsumed under pure reason.” (2)

He also followed his theory of Knowledge (NUMERAL, PHENUMERAL), he believed in existence of other universes, numeral worlds. He had an esthetic response to arts and faith in romantic love.


The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV, Lecture1
1a) Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra
1) http://www.blogger.com/6)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nietzche
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kant

History and Context of Journalism XVII - XIX Century influences

“The Unity of Science and Art”, Lecture 1

One of the greatest persona’s of XVII century Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel a German philosopher, revolutionized European philosophy with his historicist and idealist account of the total reality as a whole (2) believed that there are no fixed values. On the other hand, Schopenhauer (1818, Buddhist, Hindu) believed that world is suffering caused by a constant desire. In Buddhism reaching nirvana is to desire nothing, as when you desire something it causes pain.

After French Revolution (1820s) there were wide reactions on defeat of Napoleon and that is when all theories and set values went back to basics (1830-Greek type of churches, repressed society).

In 1848 Europe was flooded with another numerous revolutions. And soon after in 1859 in science another magnificent mind in human’s history, Charles Darwin (1809–1882), a “British naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection” (1), led on to revolutionary discoveries that changed the world for ever. From his Origin of Species we now know that 3mln years ago world was ruled by Homo Erectus, "an extinct species that originated in Africa and spread as far as China and Java about 1.8 to 1.3 million years ago" (3), and Homo sapiens (Latin: "wise man" or "knowing man") come from the great ape family and are the beginning of humans. Evidence indicates that modern humans originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago. (4)

“The closest living relatives of humans are gorillas and chimpanzees, but humans did not evolve from these apes: instead these apes share a common ancestor with modern humans (...) ‘after 6.5 [million] years of separate evolution, the differences between chimpanzee and human are ten times greater than those between two unrelated people and ten times less than those between rats and mice’, suggested concurrence between human and chimpanzee DNA sequences range between 95% and 99%.“ (4)

In 14 March 1879 Albert Einstein the father of modern physics, “theoretical physicist, philosopher and author who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists and intellectuals of all time”, brought further developments in the world of science. “Einstein is best known for his theories of special relativity and general relativity. (...) He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” (1)

Along with all greatest minds of human’s history, Nietzsche was an important figure from Copernicus vision, introducing new theories. Friedrich Nietzsche was not very well known in England until the post war period. He influenced all aspects of life.

1880s was taken over by a Contemporary Modernism, in time of world Revolutions and birth of tragedy people started to contemplate beyond Good and Evil and revolutionise of all values began.

It these times, one of the greatest scientists, a polish pride, Nicolaus Copernicus, who was “the first astronomer to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology, which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe”(1), leads a chain of significant changes to the world’s history.

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism, Part IV, Lecture1
1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einstein
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegel
3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_erectus
4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_sapiens

Winchester News Online, First Edition in Sem II

With a new role came bigger responsibility
Week 1, WINOL 10/02/10, EDITION 1




Being in a Production team demands a lots of preparation of the studio and proofreading of written stories to make them ready for publish on the website (Joomla). On Tuesday all the necessary equipment has to be booked, like radio microphones for the studio and Auto-Queue as well as OB Kit. I also had to remember to purchase DV tapes for the recording. Wednesday consisted of preparation of the studio, lights, Green Screen and also making sure of all the equipment working properly and setting the table for news and sports presenters.

Our reporters seemed to be fairly relaxed and I could hardly sense that they are under pressure, which was a slight worry. Having experienced News Reporter’s role in a previous semester I knew how crucial deadlines are and how important it is to plan in advance and be organised and focused on the role. Having had a little bit experience in News reporting before, it will be important to be ready to help those who are trying themselves out as reporters for the first time. In between preparation of the studio and proofreading we were happy to go out and help reporters with their filming or editing just like we could rely on year three students in the same matter in the previous semester.

Unfortunately, it was easy to notice that some people were not taking their roles seriously and the commitment and awareness of importance of deadlines varied. We certainly have to be focusing on our own roles more. Our approach has to be a lot more professional and we need to learn to adjust to our new roles. As a team we ought to trust each other and learn not to interfere in each others’ responsibilities.

One of the biggest mistakes of this week’s edition was lack of communication between WINOL team members and interfering in other people’s roles which had a very negative effect on output of our bulletin. Our Script had no in- or out- words of the packages, which made my and Producers role extremely difficult. Being a Vision-mixing person working closely with the producer, I pretty much had to be guessing when to mix vision with VTs and when to switch it into presenters in the studio. Also, due to sound issues in the packages it was very difficult to make out when the VTs were finishing, all that and lack of the same sign- offs (Winchester news Online, Name, Surname) in the packages made it impossible to guess when to switch from a VT onto presenter in the studio.

It did not help having our Producers’ authority undermined by other members of the team. The frustration and disorganisation in gallery made a tense and confusing atmosphere, which certainly did not help to focus and stay calm. It all affected everyone’s performance, mine effected in many black-holes in vision mixing which I am very disappointed about.

My role within production varies depending on the needs. It is equally difficult to what I was doing last semester but the intensity of it is spread in a completely different way. It is very much dependent on everyone else’s performance while recording the bulletin. Remaining calm and focused as well as being good observer is essential, as well as being flexible and open for suggestions for the best interest to our bulletin.

Being a reporter was stressful because of the pressure put on us from our editor and competition to win time on air. However, it did not always affect the final output of the whole bulletin and therefore it carried less responsibility. In the worst case scenario, my story would be cut out from the bulletin and replaced by a better one. Being a Sub Editor in Production team, and working close with the Producer always affects the whole bulletin and therefore the whole WINOL website. The amount of responsibility makes up for unequal spread of stress throughout the week. There is hardly room for mistakes; in fact, there should be none, whereas being a reporter, there is more tolerance for individual mistakes.

As we heard in our feedback there was luck of strong leadership and the commitment levels varied extremely. We took around 7 attempts to record bulletin which is, in a real life unacceptable, it should have been one shot, one chance to record it. We have to trust each other and stick to individual roles better, as well as be well organised. We had many chances to get it right and we still managed to fail to deliver a good bulletin. Reasons for it are described above as well as that we all are facing new roles that we all need to learn, and it is natural we will be making mistakes before we get it right.

Additionally, I feel that we may need around four weeks before we get more confident with our roles and gain better understanding before we change for the new roles again. From now on, we can only see our bulletin getting better and make progressive improvements within our roles effecting in producing not only a better technically but also content wise news.


The University of Winchester Journalism Course
Multimedia Production: WINCHESTER NEWS ONLINE
Semester 2 WINOL 10/02/10, EDITION 1

Sub-Editing in Production Team (sem II)

Winchester News Online Production Team, week 1, day 1 , Sub-Editor in Production team

The key to the Production desk is Joomla, the WINOL content web system, this time we are administrators instead of authors, it enables the Sub-editors and all above to access the articles and decide about their content.

Our team will make get the strip-lines ready to make it available for the VTs and prepare for the Headlines. It is important to follow the strict Schedule for the Production team.

Mondays will be the production planning day, we will be focusing strictly on appointing the roles and make sure we have our papers read and attend the De-brief, chase how is the progress of the News desk. Main Editorial Conference will be at 3.30pm and by 4.30pm all the main editors, managers and tutors will have decided the final planning for the Wednesday bulletin.

Tuesdays will be writing and early Production day. After 3pm we will be proofreading the articles submitted from the Newsdesk using the Article Manager checking for fast accurate and fair delivery of the News articles content. The word Limit is 200-250 words and when not met, articles will be returned to the Reporters to correct it as well as when other errors found. The articles will be ready for us for check in the stage of ‘READY FOR EDITING’ and we will pas it over to publishers when they are ‘READY FOR PUBLISHING’.

Wednesday is our most significant day, the day of Production for WINOL.
09.00 there will be an Editorial Conference – Editor, News Editor, Production Editor, (Chief Reporter) (sort out the running order for the daily bulletin)
10.00 Subbing news pages/creating pages
01.00 Deadline for finished news pages to chief sub
01.00- 2.00 GETTING THE TAPES AND STUDIO READY
02.00 Write/Edit News Index (deadline 4pm) NE/CS
02.00 Write/Edit Listings Index (dline 4pm) AEE/CS
02.00- 03.00 Headlines
03.00 Write/Edit Front Page (deadline 5pm) Ed/CS
03.00 Live broadcast

1. We need to make sure of clean desktop on the computer, the output from the desk has to be captured onto the tape. Export it onto FCP first and then onto QTP.
2. Now we have it on the TAPE
3. Make sure we watch it while capturing
4. Minor editing if needed- make sure it’s under 10min (Youtube limit),
5. Compressing it down (high band with, 40-50min)
6. Youtube uploading, make sure that once it is on You Tube- it’s public.
7. Programming into Live-Stream http://www.livestream.com/winol2009
- Log In
- skip to account
- Winchester News Online (winol2009)
- STUDIO
- Broadcast Live (which enables us to mix the output with the loop- we never stream it live!)
- MANAGE LIBRARY
- Create a new STORY BAND, New Folder- name it
- go to Control AUTO-PILOT
- News Story board
- Winol news search results and then
- drag the movie into desired folder
- AUTO-PILOT and drag the movie into THE PLAYLIST
- BROADCAST LIVE
- Pick the story board (tick the right one!)
- ‘PLEASE QUE A CLIP’
- cross the previous bulleting off- drag and drop the new one in- START AUTO PILOT

The University of Winchester Journalism Course
Multimedia Production: WINCHESTER NEWS ONLINE, Semester 2

Tom Wolfe, From Bauhaus to our house- fight against Bourgeois style

The new age of art compound, the story of European influences in modern and post-modern movements in art and architecture.

“Every Building must have its own soul”,Louis Kahn

The story begins in Germany after WWI, when “young American architects, along with artists and odd –lot intellectuals, are roaming through Europe”, they are called “The lost generation”. Their motto (Malcolm Cowley’s) was, “They do things better in Europe”.

Ambitious artists had to join a movement, a school or any type of “ism- a compound”.
The most influential of them all was Walter Gropius, THE SILVER PRINCE, founder of a new movement and School, Bauhaus. He wanted an art and technology to be in a “New Unity”. The Bauhaus School opened in German capital in 1919, it was a “commune, a spiritual movement,” with a “radical approach to art in all its forms, a philosophical centre comparable to Garden of Epicurus.”

“Ideas have consequences; the Bauhaus style proceeded from certain firm assumptions. First, the new architecture was being created for the workers. (...) Second, the new architecture was to reject all things bourgeois.” Dostoyevsky

The theory of the century was to build a non-bourgeois buildings, concrete, steel, wood, glass and stucco, “honest materials (...). Inside and out, they were white or beige with the occasional contrasting detail in black and grey. "

Le Corbuisier’s Villa Savoye










In the meantime, in art, Cubist technique of painting showed two theories, on one of the pictures with a cartoon face profile, with both eyes on the same side of the nose. “(1) the theory of flatness, derived from Braque’s notion that painting was nothing more than a certain arrangements of colours and forms on a flat surface; and (2) theory of simultaneity, derived from discoveries (...) indicating that a person sees an object from two angles simultaneously. “

In music, Arnold Schoenberg, experimented with mathematically coded music that proved, in a new age of “art compound”, the spirit of avant-garde.

As USA emerged from the WWI on top of the world, she was the only one not to be demolished unlike most of the European countries. She didn’t even have a bourgeois, and only little interest in socialism. The Empire State Building, sky scrapers with top ornaments were popular icons of US modern architecture. She had ”The International Style” with its main function, to please the client. It was “the first great universal style since Medieval and Classical revivals, and first truly modern style since the Renaissance.”

In 1929 the Museum of Modern Art opened and European Modernism in painting and sculpture was established in America. Gropius was made a head of school of Architecture at Harvard, and Breuer joined him there.

1940-50s Buckminster Fuller spread his innovative and inspirational ideas lecturing at Yale. He introduced a new style, “The Architects Collaborative”.

In 1950 Yale got his own Bauhaus-en, Joseph Albers, who became a head of fine arts instruction. With the moment it was noticed that every student was following the same pattern in designing buildings, box of glass and steel and concrete, with tiny beige bricks, the style became to be known as The Yale Box.

Further years brought “buildings like factories” in modern style by Mies, and all the style was bound to be repetitive since it aimed to be non-bourgeoisie. Banshaft, another architect, said about glassy boxes that, “he will keep doing them until he does one he likes.” Philip Johnson worked along with his assistant Mies, creating buildings in minimalistic style.

In 1954 after Edward Durell Stone being under the influence of his “very explosive” wife, he created an ornamental design of the American Embassy in New Delhi. His second International style achievement was house in Mount Kisco, the Kowalski house.

Earlier mentioned, Philip Johnson took over Stone’s job of building an addition on West Fifty Street. Stone was instead asked to design Gallery of Modern Art.
1960s were filled with “Morris Lapidus”, architecture of Joy.



1980s brought a new solution to architectural disasters, it was decided that unwanted buildings would be blown up.

In XX century photography, John Szarkowski was popular of his virtues like blurring, grotesque foreshorterings, untrue colours, images chopped off the edge of the film frame etc. , “they managed to make photography utterly baffling to those unwilling to come inside the compound and learn the theories and codes.”

God, Freedom, Immortality, man’s fate were seen “helplessly naive and bourgeois. The proper concern of philosophy was the nature of meaning.”

The struggle to be original outside of the compound was excluding architects like Stone, Saarine and kept the ongoing pattern until a new character, Robert Venturi demonstrated a new way in 1966. He said, “less is a bore” , he wanted to bring architecture from level of university elite to “ordinary people”. He spoke of “a complex and contradictory architecture based on the richness and ambiguity of modern experience”, he brought modernism to scholastic age. Venturi, in his diplomatic genius, was testing the subtlety of other architects, creating Post-Modernism architecture and continued the fight with monothematic glassy boxes.

The University of Winchester Journalism course,
Year II, Semester 2
History and Context of Journalism part IV

Tom Wolfe, From Bauhaus to our house

Orwellian Newspeak in today’s world- Manipulation of words

Manipulation of words and their meanings was used in various aspects of life through centuries. Old-speak, in other words, standard English gave a beginning to a new-speak “with all words which represent unpopular (or politically incorrect) ideas removed.” An Old- thinking became “holding on to old ideas and patterns of thought not consistent with current government policy (…) maintaining a belief that is no longer acceptable, but was normal just a few years prior." These definitions seem harmless and, quite contemporary we could even say, yet they were used in Orwellian Newspeak Dictionary, 1984. Every action introducing a new ideology by people in power, should be considered with the highest suspicion, as people in power will never have anything against having even more power.

Turning words into tools of manipulation of people’s thought is a very common act used throughout the history e.g. in society, politics, religion or economy. Let’s take for example marketing systems that have boosted up economy in 1920 in America when discoveries of Sigmund Freud (Crowd Psychology & Manipulation) have been used by his nephew Edward Bernays in advertising and creating an era of mass democracy. Freud influenced masses by manipulation of their unconscious desires and learnt how to control them. The language and symbols in many advertisements could be easily compared to an Orwellian Newspeak. Bernays used his uncles’ studies over humans’ desires to create new products that were not needed but thanks to the manipulation of images and language that would relate to people’s desires or needs, they would turn into necessity, just like The Party in 1984,which created a new ideal world that forced its society to believe in its new rules and language to be true.

Many of these techniques are used in today’s world and they can be an incredibly effective tool in creating new desires based on needs. In today’s world we are most likely manipulated through media and new behaviours that are believed to be up to dated in standards that lead to a successful life. Leaders of the countries give speeches to assure of their right choices but everyone makes mistakes; politicians lead their campaigns in superlatives about themselves to gain our trust but no one is perfect; church leaders talk to us about different ways and truths that will lead us to “God” and choose their religion as the right one but there is no right or wrong religion, and owners of big businesses led by the desire to gain more money create more attractive advertisements for their products using “fashionable” technologies to attract masses even though most likely their products aren’t attractive or necessary .

ACAI BERRY

Let’s have a look on, one of the biggest problems of today’s societies in countries like America or England is obesity and unhealthy life styles and just after being persuaded into buying cheap chocolate bars and economic value burgers with only 2% meat we are persuaded into buying dietary products e.g. product that has been quite a hit in USA and is now available in England.

Looking into basic knowledge, we all know that fruits are good for us, they are full of vitamins and nutrients that our body needs to function well. If we started to eat fruits instead of sweets or fatty foods twice a day it is natural that we would loose weight. One of the American companies decided to use this basic idea creating a new product : tablets and juices made of Acai berries that help people to loose weight and benefit the body.

To start of, how were the berries discovered? Acai Berries were found in the jungles of the Amazon, they are full of nutrients, antioxidants and essential fatty acids that are beneficial for human’s body but there is no evidence that it is specifically for loosing weight. But in 2009 it the product was called an obesity killer: positive comments on the product, as obviously that is what everyone should expect after eating berries twice a day everyday for months anyway, but obviously the glory came to tablets not the fruit itself. Acai Berry Diet Effects Videos

NEWSPEAK IN THE PRODUCT'S MARKETING, SERVICE AND THE CREATION OF NEED FOR TABLETS

There were also complaints, 99 people posted negative comments on their “Free Trial” which is in fact charged for, Cancelling the trial is extremely difficult people who have joined the “Free” trial have had to pay for the trials until they cancelled their whole accounts. The “help desk” does not answer the phone for at least half an hour or not answers at all, and emails are hardly responded to from their “customer assistance”. The product’s “Side Effects” is under this Video, and when clicking on “Acai Berry Warning” you would probably expect some sort of side effects symptoms or catches uncovered through the internet and in the meantime it is a full story about discovering Acai Berries, benefits of the fruits and advertisements of a Free Trial with the company!

Acai berry scam is widely investigated on you tube.

There is a woman who claimed to have lost lots of weight and so she created a blog about it. She was a model hired for advertising purposes, her name wasn’t real and pictures were fabricated.

In some of the reviews on the product, an American girl who decided to test it, expressed her frustration over the product that decided to manipulate people into buying an unnecessary instead of encouraging to eat fruit itself.

Winchester University Journalism Course
History and Context of Journalism Part III

The Island - Idea from1984 in a contemporary cinema

The Island is a fantastic action/ sci-fi movie from the director of Armageddon and The Rock, Michael Bay, who uses the idea of world run by the Big Brother from George Orwell’s 1984.
Ewan McGregor (Lincoln Six-Echo) and Scarlett Hohansson (Jordan Two-Delta), residents of the hi-tech isolated compound impersonate Winston and Julia from 1984.

In the middle of 21century, Lincoln Six-Echo (Winston) lives in a controlled, and run in strict orders society. He is told what to dress, eat and is forbidden closer contacts with other members of the society; no touching or free thinking, having conversations is limited by time and content. Questioning is not allowed and traced by the “Doctor” (O’Brien, Big Brother).

The life of all members of the society is monitored for “their own good” as they have survived the ecological catastrophe, which presumably killed everyone else.
The only place that survived outside was “The Island”- the last piece of land that was not polluted. Only chosen members of the society are allowed onto the Island. The Big Lottery that is made periodically, picking people from the society, becomes a symbol of desires, an award that gives aim to their lives and something to look forward to. The winner goes onto the beautiful Island and has to help in rebuilding the worlds’ population.

Lincoln keeps having dreams which make him question all the restrictions put onto members of his society. It is immediately noticed and Lincoln is called to the room (Room 101) and questioned about his dreams.

His suspicions begin when he discovers that not everything is as it seems and that everything to do with his life is a lie. He finds out that people who win the lottery don’t go to The Island and that they are worth more dead than alive. He discovers The Merrick Institute's Foundation room in which the agnates are implanted with memories of lives never lived.

When Jordan (Julia) is chosen to go to The Island, Lincoln decides to stop her. This is when their big escape to the unknown world outside begins. After they discover they are clones they begin their chase after their sponsors and reasons for their creation.

However, runs the project of keeping the clones in state of officially called “vegetation”. The Institute claims that their project of creating organ donors is done within the law about cloning people set in 2015, and it is nowhere near stopping their multimillion business.

Having two not “vegetating” but living clones outside is a disastrous threat for The Merrick Institute. The Institute sends special forces to retrieve the two clones. Lincoln and Jordan run away to lead a dream life they always wanted and to save the lives of those they left behind. Soon they reveal the truth about The Island.


The Island by Michael Bay- Contemporary version of George Orwell's 1984
Winchester University Journalism Course History and Context of Journalism Part III