On top of the world (2) - Moon landings and other wacky theories

Tornant al video d'ahir - quantes cosetes heu vist? Jo he trobat uns quants, i Google unes altres ...

Per a començar, ajuda saber que una de les teories sobre la no-arribada a la lluna es basa en que va ser el director Stanley Kubick qui va gravar la pel·lícula del fals atteratge - teoria que es va embolicar més amb el documental fals (un mockumentary) sobre aquests "fets". Els creients en la teoria aquesta també pensen que Kubrick va deixar pistes en la pel·licula El Resplandor (The Shining).

Bé, primera imatge, lo xiquet en el tricicle - una copia de l'imatge del El Resplandor. A més, porta un barret d'alumini per protegir-se dels suposats rajos que envien els russos.

minut 0:07 - nom de la botiga, anagram gairebé de  Stanley Kubrick

0:11 Nom al jersei del xiquet (i despres veiem que està als vestits dels astronauts; SNOGARD => dragons (nom del grup) al reves.

0:13 marca de la tele, Monolith - recordant la pel·licula 2001.

0:17 el paper de la pared té el mateix dibuix que la alfombra a The Shining. Aquesta alfombra de The Shining, en teoria tenia el mateix dibuix que el centre de control de NASA. Fins i tot a la Shining, el xiquet porta jersei de Apollo 11 i es fica al mig de la pista.  

0:25 numero de la casa, 2001! 

0:33 VW Beetle, com la pel·li The Shining

0:36 Foto de Paul McCartney

0:40 maquina d'escriure de The Shining, 2 besssons de The Shining, i un simbol masonic a la pared.

0:49 simbol del "all-seeing eye", la teoria que els franco-masons ens controlen.
0:51  237 = nombre de la habitacio de The Shining = distancia, en miles, fins la lluna

0:59 pas de viatnants, del LP Abbey Road dels The Beatles

1:03 la matricula del cotxe canvia, i ara diu "Ben is dead" (Ben s'ha mort); a un dels cotxes de Abbey Road dels Beatles van posar la data de neixement de McCartney, una pista de la teoria que deia que McCartney s'havia mort.

1:06 0009 LAH =>  HAL 9000, de la pel·li 2001

1:44 Mono com en una pel·li de Kubrick 

2:16, al clipboard, posa SK - Stanley Kubrick :)

Segur que hi ha més cosetes, a banda d'una ambientació bonissim - els russos, Nixon, els hippies, Easy Rider etc :) Enjoy it! 

....

So, about yesterday's pop video: to start with, it's worth knowing that some people believe the Americans never landed on the moon, and one of the branches of this "conspiracy theory" claims that film director Stanley Kubrick actually filmed the "landing" in Hollywood. This is complicated even more by the false documentary (mockumentary) Dark Side of the Moon which claims to prove this theory - but is itself one big fake!

Kubrick-moon believers also believe that in the film The Shining he put clues as to his involvement in the "moon con".

Anyway, here's what yours truly and Mr Google have come up with - but there's probably loads more to see ...

First image, the tricycle is like the one in The Shining. And the tin foil hat is great, many Americans believed the Russians were bombarding them with some kind of rays and wore tin foil for protection - apparently.

Minute 0:07 - The name of the shop is a rough anagram of Stanley Kubrick

0:11 Name on kid's jumper (and astronauts' gear) is Snogard, an anagram of the group's name - Dragons.

0:13 TV brand Monolith, remembering the film 2001.

0:17 Wallpaper has same pattern as the carpet in The Shining, which itself is supposed to be based on a plan of NASA launch pad. Kid in The Shining even wore an Apollo 11 jumper!

0:25 House number - 2001

0:33 VW Beetle - like in The Shining

0:36 Photo of Paul McCartney

0:40 Typewriter from The Shining, twins like in The Shining, and masonic symbol on wall

0:49 the "all-seeing" eye symbol which some link to the supposed running-of-the-world being carried out by the masons or other secret groups (Brian's comment: pretty bad job they're making of it!)

0:51 237 = room number in The Shining = distance to moon in miles

0:59 Abbey Road LP sleeve

1:03 Car registration number changes to "Ben is dead". Another wacky 60s' theory was that Paul McCartney had died and the Beatles showed this on the Abbey Road cover - Paul shoeless, and his birthdate was the registration number of a car.

1:06 0009LAH => HAL9000, the computer in Kubrick's 2001 film

1:44 monkey in another of Kubrick's films

2:16 SK on clipboard - Stanley Kubrick.

Apart from that, the music is great, and Nixon too! Pretty sure there's more stuff hidden in there, but I'll leave that to you ....

On top of the world - Imagine Dragons #CoolVideo

Em sembla que els Imagine Dragons han passat una estona molt divertida fent aquest video - ple de referencies a coses que van passar, o no van passar, als 1960s o 70s ... a vore quantes coses veieu? Demà posaré el que he vist jo i els que he trobat amb l'ajud del Google :)

....

Looks like this group had a hell of a good time making this video. Packed to the brim with subtle references to things that happened - or didn't happen - in the 1960s and 70s. See how many you can spot. I'll post what I've noticied (some alone, some with the help of Mr Google) tomorrow :)

Radioactive -Imagine Dragons #Ceuta #Melilla

A monkey in Gibraltar.

Ceuta and Melilla border controls

Gibraltar border controls.

 A map.

Bé, m’han demanat si, després de Gibraltar, puc escriure 4 ratlles sobre Ceuta i Melilla! Bé, poso una mica d’historia – em podeu corregir si cal!

Quan els cristians van reconquistar la peninsula i van fumar fora als moros, van continuar fins el nord d’Africa. Aixi van conquistar Ceuta al 1415 i Melilla al 1497. Originalment Ceuta era de Portugal però per rotllos de reis etc va passar a ser espanyol – un cop s’inventes el concepte del païs d’Espanya (finals del segle XV). Al finals segle 19 i principis del segle 20, es va obrir “barra lliure” pels europeus a Africa i França i Espanya es van repartir el Marroc. Encara que Marroc va assollir l’independencia al 1956, Espanya es va quedar amb Ceuta i Melilla – i Perejil!

Entre les dos ciutats són uns 150.000 persones. Evidentment la majoria de gent que hi viu volen continuar sent espanyols, que vol dir que són ciutadans de la UE, igual que la gent que viu a Gibraltar vol continuar sent britanic. Que importa més, les reclamacions sobre la sobirania d’aquests llocs, o la voluntat de la gent que hi viu?

Mentre a Gibraltar la policia espanyola té un fart per registrar cotxes i bicis plens de tabac, les fronteres de Ceuta i Melilla són noticia mundial per les tanques de 6 metres de filferro i soldats armats que impedeixen que la gent d’Africa hi pugui passar. Els que si que poden passar amb facilitat són els europeus que viuen a Africa i volen  anar-hi per a comprar pernil i altres productes pareguts!
Mentre a Gibraltar la foto tipic és d'un bobby tipic anglès, molt amable i simpatic (normalment), la de Ceuta i Melilla és dificil fer una foto sense que surti un militar o un monument de Franco.
(La cançó no té res a vore en res de tot això!)

................

Following on from the success of my blogpost on Gibraltar, my fan club have insisted I write a few lines on a similar case – the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla in north Africa. I'll try not to get kicked out of Spain in doing so - although that is in fact every Catalan's dream !

These two cities, and other bits and bobs – mainly uninhabited small isles – have been Spanish ever since Spain itself has existed as a concept, that is to say the end of the 15^th century. Before that Spain did not exist - the Iberian peninsula was made up of different kingdoms (Aragon, Catalonia, Castile etc), some forming temporary alliances, others fighting each other.

And how did the cities become Spanish then? Well, as you may or may not know, or can Google, the Moors conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula between the 8^th and 14^th centuries. As the Christians reconquered the lands, especially in the 14^th century, they eventually crossed over into north Africa also, with the Portuguese king conquering Ceuta in 1415 and the Spanish conquering Melilla in 1497. The King of Spain also became King of Portugal in 1580 as used to happen through marriages and alliances etc, but in 1640 for some reason the two countries separated once more. However, Ceuta chose to remain Spanish.

When the Europeans shared out Africa between themselves, in the 19^th and 20^th century, Morocco was basically divided out between France and Spain. Morocco became independent  in 1956 but Spain kept hold of the two cities for strategic reasons.

Between them, Ceuta and Melilla occupy a mere 12 square miles with a total population of around 150,000 inhabitants. They are both in the European Union, being Spanish. And, as is the case with Gibraltar, the vast majority of their citizens do not want to change the present situation. So, however much Morocco may lay claim to them, who’s to say the 150,000 citizens can’t make their own mind up? 

A chief difference with Gibraltar – for obvious reasons – are the frontiers. The Spanish police spend a lot of time and effort trying to hinder people’s access to Gibraltar, and Spanish citizens spend a lot of time and effort trying to get in to smuggle cigarettes out hidden in their bikes, mopeds, car wheels etc. (for fairness, I must add that many Spanish citizens enter Gibraltar to work). However, the Ceuta and Melilla borders have a double 6-metre high fence of barbed wire manned by armed soldiers who have no qualms about shooting folk trying to get in. 
People who do get in easily though, and often, are the Europeans and/or non-muslims who live in Morocco and feel the urge to eat pork or get drunk.
While the typical photo of Gibraltar are monkeys or the smiling happy traditional English Mr Plod, in Ceuta and Melilla it's difficult to take a snap without a Spanish soldier walking past. There are thousands there, as well as lots of monuments and street names relating to Franco and his coup d'etât. Given that Franco was based in, and led his invasion from, north Africa he was (is?) a bit of a hero here.

Another difference is to be found in the fact that England conquered Gibraltar in 1703, but 10 years later Spain officially signed Gibraltar over to England for perpetuity in exchange for England dropping out of the War of Spanish Succession, whereas Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish basically through right of conquest but I don’t think Morocco has ever agreed to it.

The moral of the story; using history you could argue till the cows come home about what “should” happen, but who’s to say we have the right to boss 30 or 150,000 people around telling them which country they belong in? 

Right, couldn't think of a song related to this so I'm going with this one for the cool video!