An Education Funding No-Brainer: Fill & Download for Free

Which Indian movies meets hollywood standards?Having in-depth working knowledge of both Indian Film Industry, and Hollywood, I think I am in a vantage position to use my insider experience & knowledge to compare the two from not only experiential stand-point but also as, a writer, Director & Art Educator. As of today only a handful of Indian Popular Cinema come even remotely close to Hollywood in terms of execution of content, scale of production, technical virtuosity & overall scope.Now let me make few thing clear; Indian Media has this BAD HABIT of calling every non-Indian English Movies (especially true of even Independent Movies made in US, Canada or UK) a Hollywood Film. That is simply not true. Independent Films, even the ones made here in the US, cannot be construed as Hollywood Productions.Studio vs. Independent Film - What Are The Differences?Similarly Art House movies aka Parallel Cinema made in India under the aegis of state funded entities like Doordarshan, National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Film Division, Children's Film Society of India (CFSI) or any such organization will be treated outside the purview of this discussion.Parallel CinemaI will only be comparing mainstream Indian Cinema (Popcorn Movies) i.e. Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood with Hollywood.While Hollywood movies are clearly defined as a Motion Picture Financed, Produced & Executed, Marketed & Distributed by one of the 6 Hollywood Majors (Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia Tristar, 20th Century Fox, Disney, & MGM), or any of their affiliates. The Popular Indian Cinema from Mumbai, Madras, Hyderabad can be loosely structured into those made with BIG STARS & those made by BIG BANNERS (Production houses for uninitiated) with new comers.Its a well known fact that Indian Films cannot hold candle to Hollywood films in terms of scale of production, marketing budget & global reach. So we will not get into that discussion as Indian movies are definitely, at an unfair advantage vis-a-vis Hollywood Movies on that parameters. Therefore, I will strictly base my answers not on the content per se, but the execution of it.The biggest frustration I experienced working with Indian Filmmakers is lack of willingness to dive into research. Even the biggest & most renowned filmmakers from India, whom I had the privilege of observing from close quarters displayed total disrespect for research. They solely relied on STAR POWER to see their project through. And the area that suffers the most in making Indian Films convincing is CHARACTERIZATION.Therefore, Sunny Deol whether he portray's Kashee, a Banarasi in Ghatak, or Ajay Devgan who portrays Bajiao Singham, a Goan-Maharashtrian in Singham their mannerism don't change nor do their accents. Similarly the North Indian starlets who pepper south-Indian cinema are unconvincing in their characterization of rural lass from Dravidian hinterlands. From one film to another they play themselves. Luckily for the South Indian Male Actors, since they are dabbling in the comforts of their own language they don't display this lack of continuity in their characters. I feel they are far more efficient in correctly portraying their characters even though some of their star mannerism (Rajnikanth) may seep into every character they play (notable exception Kamal Hassan).Hollywood does not have this problem. Here in Hollywood Screenplay/Script is the REAL STAR . That is why you can have a relatively unknown, Sam Worthington portray the character of Jake Sully in magnum opus Avatar, or a non starter, Gerard Butler, be scripted to play Leonidas in 300. I cannot imagine an Indian movie of this scale made without A SUPER STAR.So even if the script demanded otherwise, a Shahrukh, Rajnikanth or Chiranjeevi would have been inevitable as Jake Sully in India's equivalent of Avatar, and Hrithik Roshan with his six fingers would have been no brainer choice to portray Leonidas in Indian version of 300.Now let us take a critical look at some of the works of, one of India's most acclaimed Film Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali who is been hailed as next best thing to happen to India after Narendra Modi. (On a lighter vein I don't understand what makes these Gujju bhai's who peddle mediocrity for brilliance, raging success amongst Indians. Btw It all started with Mohandas).He copies 1962 Hollywood Classic Miracle Worker plot point to plot point (Black's first half has literally copied frame to frame) and gives us a movie called BLACK (whatever that means). His characters are over the top Debraj Sahai played by over the top Amitabh Bachchan & Michelle McNally (Rani Mukherjee). The era/period in which the story is set is confusing, the character Mcnelly's ethnic origins are confusing but yes, just because characters now have Christian/Foreign sounding names the 'Mcnelly' the Director gets a hail-mary pass to give a film surreal Foreign look. This same thing is carried over in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next film Guzaarish, This time again copy of half-a dozen foreign films. Just to get the Foreign look (read: European) he has his lead character by the name of Mascarenhas. It is another thing that Hrithik who plays that character does not speak either Portuguese or Konkani. Then we have Sanjay Leela's recently released Bajirao Mastani. It is historically so flawed that going into its details will entail writing a 800 page report. But just to give you all a gist, he makes handicapped Kashibai do a Lavni (marathi folk dance). That apart Priyanka is totally incapable in her role as Kashibai and so are the other leads. Now Sanjay Leela Bhansali's supporters will cry all this was done within the realm of 'Taking Artistic Liberty'.Now I understand taking artistic liberty when the film is based on fiction but, when you are treating History, you run the risk of having not done your homework. And I feel the latter is true w.r.t. Bajirao Mastani. I cannot make a Biographical Film on Narendra Modi and show him offering Namaz at Mecca, can I. Or depict Mohandas Gandhi as a dude all under the ruse of 'Artistic Liberty'.If there was one film that came close to being as close to Hollywood Standards as possible, it was Ramgopal Verma's 'Sarkar'. The script was well executed, the characters including that of Amitabh's was very well scripted and the technical execution was superlative. I also found it very daring of RGV to keep Amitabh's dialogues to minimal (after all Amitabh is known for his Dialogue-baazi) and still manage to portray him as the Pivot to the entire premise. I just wish Amitabh Bachchan had taken some Marathi classes and studied some colloquial mannerism to make his character more believable.That said I still feel RGV's Sarkar not only meets the Hollywood Standards but surpasses it given it was made on 1/1000th of the Hollywood's budget for a similar project.My next choice would have been Detective Byomkesh Bakshi followed by Vishal Bhardwaj's Omkaaraa, and Tigmanshu Dhulia's Paan Singh TomarDisclosure:Similar to how Hollywood has come to symbolize all English Cinema (in India), Overseas, BOLLYWOOD by default has become representative of Indian Films. Therefore, I have only taken Hindi (Bollywood) movies into consideration.If you read some of my other answers you will notice I am a big proponent of Indian Regional Cinema, but then thats just me....if Government of India Market's Bollywood as Indian Identity, who am I to denounce it.Does Bollywood reflect Indian society? | Asia | DW.COM | 16.04.2013

I could never be President of Kenya because politics is neither my forte nor my interest. However, as a Kenyan citizen and voter I know my civil rights and would urge Kenyans to vote for leaders who have a track record of good governance and development progress.I would also suggest that we stop voting along tribal lineage, instead let us vote for worthwhile leaders regardless of their tribe, religion, race, sexual orientation or gender.We need to vote for leaders whose manifesto declares the following objectives.InsecurityIncrease the police training and salaries plus hire more police officers. The ratio of police to civilian currently stands at 1:450[1]. That's not enough for a country of more than 48 million[2] people.CorruptionThis is a no brainer. Corruption in Kenya is like a festering cancer. The only way to save the country is by amputating the corruption wound completely. Of course as with any negative cultural trait this would take time, but it would need an intense and thorough overhaul of corrupt public and civil officers to send a message of zero-tolerance on corruption.EducationThe current 8–4–4 system of education needs a complete revision and overhaul. I believe that the system doesn't fully cater for today's development goals. A progressive leader would bring back vocational and craft schools, implement an education system that fosters entrepreneurship rather than employability.I would recommend that their is also a ban on children going to school before 8am, especially lower primary schools. The current public system of education overwhelms children. It puts more focus on passing exams without nurturing creativity. In addition, it takes away much time and fun from the ever fleeting childhood.Teachers salaries and technology within schools also need to be revised and upgraded.Upgrade public libraries too.HealthcareIt saddens me to see Kenyans going to India and other medically advanced countries for medical treatment.Meanwhile, Kenyans pay lots of money in taxes, up to 30 percent[3]. Unfortunately, a lot of these monies not only go into nonstarter projects but also government coffers.This needs to change. There needs to be more money going into upgrading county and district level hospitals. On the same breath, doctors, nurses and hospital staff need to be compensated competitively.Politicians and other public officers ought to be required to seek medical help in Kenya, and abroad (too) but at their own expense.Ambulances. There should be at least 5 operational ambulances in every county hospital and at least 2 in the district level hospitals too. These should also come with sufficiently trained paramedics as well.Air ambulances need to also be available, at least in all Referall hospitals.Water and sanitationAccess to clean water is a basic right, which should be available to all Kenyans.Less money on politicians salaries and their vehicles, would leave more money for the government to fund water drilling and exploration.It's shocking that Kenya’s largest water aquifer was recently discovered in Turkana country, a region that is the country's hottest and poorest, which also has seen its people lose the lives and that of their livestock to decades of devastating droughts.TransportHave you ever been caught up in the nightmare that is Nairobi traffic?[4]The insane number of Matatus[5] on Kenyan roads contribute to the increasing traffic snarl ups.Indeed, Matatus are not just cheap, convenient and sometimes very chaotic, but they are the choice mode of transport for most KenyansWell, given a choice most Kenyan might agree with me that matatus needs to be phased out. This is the only way we can deal with decongestantion in major cities and towns.If not phasing out, then there should be a quota on the number of matatus a particular Sacco[6]can and should be allowed to have on the road.I believe a more centralized and subsidized transport system is what Kenya, especially the urban areas needs. Bring back something akin to the Kenya National Bus Services.DevolutionThis is an ongoing process that needs to go beyond governance, into commercial, health and other civil areas as well.I think it is ironic and very unfortunate that certain areas of Nairobi are witnessing unprecedented economic growth, while there are regions in Kenya which don't even have health or education facilities, electricity and/or tarmac roads.These areas in Nairobi look like modern day developed European cities, while the rest of undeveloped Kenya regions begging for a bit of the wealth development, look like they are caught up in an early 19th century time warp.Nairobi county whose 22.5 people live in poverty, perhaps because of the households in the slums. The poorest county, according to the document, is Turkana where 94 people in every 100 are poor.[7]My list of objectives barely scratches the surface. Kenya has come a long way since it gained Independence from British colonialism in December 1963,However, after breaking away from the paws of colonialism, we gained tribalism, corruption and an ingrained sense of mediocrity.That can only change if this coming August general elections we keep in mind that WE, as Kenyans , deserve better, but we shall only get the best if we know better.United we stand, divided we fall.Footnotes[1] Kenya beats global police-civilian ratio » Capital News[2] Kenya Population[3] http://www.kra.go.ke/notices/pdf2017/PUBLIC%20NOTICE%20-%20REVISION%20OF%20INDIVIDUAL%20INCOME%20TAX%20RATES.pdf[4] http://www.nation.co.ke/news/Nairobi--is-world-s-second-worst-city-/1056-3892294-1208syiz/index.html[5] Public transport in Africa: In praise of matatus | The Economist[6] Kenya USA Diaspora Sacco[7] Named: Kenya’s richest and poorest counties

PLEASE BE SURE TO GET A GLIMPSE OF MY CLASSROOM!PHOTOS APPEAR AFTER THE TEXT!I say this with the kindest of hearts:You don’t have a clue.Do you believe that teachers are fairly compensated for their jobs (much less held in esteem - I mention this because the two are inherently connected)?Please, let me enlighten you.Please. No. I mean,REALLY, REALLY LISTEN.I’ve often read similar things written by teachers or teacher-advocates (similar in scope to what I’m going to try to convey). Often, those writings are angry, and, unfortunately, that anger is the impetus for reader alienation. These writers desperately attempt to communicate the realities of an almost impossible situation. The authors are furious and exasperated that they have to defend and explain themselves after working like a banshee to teach our children.Well, actually, they don’t mind explaining and informing. What they do mind are the subsequent dismissals of the realities they sought to portray and the insinuations or outright accusations that their portrayal is not genuine or is exaggerated.Teachers realize that they are not (nor are their students) considered properly, effectively, or rightfully during the budget-building processes of every single oversight agency or board that ultimately determines such things. They smell the defeat before they even open their mouths.Yet, great people continue to teach! They watch children floundering in society and the resultant educational system produced by that society. They understand the importance and necessity of smart, capable children to our futures. They make do, sacrifice, argue, plead, and beg - all for the sake of our children. It is a thankless cause that feels like the right thing to do.But, unbelievably, teachers stand by in horror as they perceive that the educational system, whose constraints they work within, is deteriorating wordlessly. They are witnesses to the dangers and sound the call, but are met with speculation and derisiveness. They sense the silent infiltration of their ranks by scavengers bent on feeding from the dying beast - sexual predators, power mongers, egomaniacs, work-haters who hide in a system desperate for their warm bodies, unhappy child-haters who long to abuse children’s minds - even if only by denying them the education of the subject matter that they were hired to teach - much less the berating and killing of children’s spirits and souls.If you do not know these things, it is because you choose not to know. It is because you stupidly trust the system to mimic the previous system you remember and expect it to prevail, despite a million and one newer, heavier pressures that are breaking its back. It is because you cherish your money more than you cherish your children and the people who teach your children. And it is because you will never sit up to pay attention until your child suffers in some horrible fashion. Even then, you will mock and blame teachers for your own sins.If these words mean nothing to you, then schools are truly dead. But let me at least leave you with a truthful litany of my personal financial experiences, and otherwise, in the teaching of the most glorious kids I’ve had the pleasure knowing - just so you can’t say that you didn’t know.TRUTHS ABOUT TEACHER SALARIESIt took me YEARS to reach the $40,000 mark in salary. I retired when I was making JUST over that amount. There was one incredibly ridiculous year when we even had to give back some of our salary to the state! No, I’m not kidding.I had approximately $600 deducted from my paycheck each month for a 70/30 health insurance plan that left me with potentially thousands of dollars to pay in deductibles and co-insurance.Another amount of approximately $200 was deducted each month for vision and dental insurance. Again, that left hundreds to pay in deductibles and co-insurance, with many services not covered.I paid a few hundred dollars each year to maintain memberships in vital professional organizations, only partly because they offered liability insurance.I worked for FIVE CONSECUTIVE YEARS with NO RAISE.I spent hundreds of hours over the years providing free tutoring, sometimes even on Saturdays. There were times when I was compensated, but the vast majority was unpaid.I regularly performed non-teaching duties for free just to help keep the school running and safe (Sports Duty, Bathroom Duty, Bus Duty, Hall Duty, Morning Duty, Lunch Duty, Test Proctoring, etc.) These duties took valuable time away from my day - even part of my planning period - every single day! They often also required many hours of my personal time before or after school.TRUTHS ABOUT OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSESAll of the following were paid for out of my own pocket.I purchased my own technology for my classroom because there wasn’t enough to go around (projectors, laptop, ink and toner, printers, iPad, etc.)I purchased my own whiteboard because the chalkboards were cracked and peeling. The only option offered by the school system was to tack white shower boards from the hardware store over the chalkboard.I purchased my own monochrome laser printers dedicated specifically to making student copies because teachers are allocated only a small amount of copies per semester (no where near what is needed for teaching students). That meant that I also purchased my own toner cartridges and paper.I spent hundreds of dollars on class sets of novels, sometimes only to be informed at the end of the year that I would be teaching a different grade level for the next year. That meant that I had to do it all over again.I spent hundreds of dollars myself purchasing both new and used novels to help build a library in my classroom for students. They complained that the school library did not have the titles that they were interested in.If any student ever requested a specific title that wasn’t in our library or on our class shelves, I immediately went out to purchase that book. I mean, if a child asks to read, well, that’s a no-brainer.I spent tons of money for art supplies so that I could provide creative projects and assignments.Each year, I purchased hundreds of dollars in school supplies for students.Sometimes, I paid for certain students to take field trips because they were unable to pay for themselvesEvery time our class had a pizza party to celebrate achievement, I paid for some students so that they could join in the celebration.I twice purchased shoes for students because theirs were barely staying on their feet.I purchased laundry soap, dryer sheets, shampoo, and soap after joining forces with colleagues and staff so that certain students could shower and wash clothes on school property. Their homes had no electricity. We saw that they were getting bullied for their appearance and body odor.I often paid for students to attend prom, sports banquets, and military balls because they were unable to purchase tickets themselves.I paid for certain students’ cap and gown because they were unable to purchase one themselves. So did my principal. I’m sure that many other teachers and staff did, also. It’s something that you don’t advertise, for obvious reasons.I purchased or rented locks for student lockers if certain students were unable to do so themselves.Before book bags were handed out for free, I purchased book bags for certain students who were unable to purchase one themselves.I sometimes paid for students to eat breakfast and lunch because they didn’t receive free lunch. Usually, they didn’t get free lunch because their parents couldn’t be bothered to fill out the required paperwork, or else they needed assistance filling it out and either didn’t ask for or receive help. During my last year, I taught a teenaged girl who never went to lunch. She begged me to stay in the classroom during lunch period, and I let her even though it was frowned upon. Each night, I would make my lunch - enough for two people. I would pretend that my husband always made me more than I could eat and begged her to keep me from throwing it away by eating it. Soon, we had a routine without the false pretenses. She would walk up to collect her lunch, and I would hand it to her as we discussed poetry, the weather, a new novel, etc. Never once did she forget to sneak in a soft Thank you.I often used my gas and time to pick up or take students home because they faced a 1–2 hour walk in the scorching heat or in a thunderstorm or in the snow.Once in a while, I paid for certain students to receive their class photos or yearbook.I often paid for certain students to purchase tickets to school plays and other similar events.I paid for certain students’ college applications, once, when I was struggling to pay for my own child’s.I purchased cards (or else purchased art supplies) for students so that they could give their mothers and other important women in their lives a Mother’s Day card.Each year, I bought a variety of small Christmas gifts, wrapping paper, etc., so that certain students would be able to give their parents and/or brothers and sisters Christmas gifts.I used to listen carefully and purchase Christmas trees for students to carry home to their families. Eventually, I talked to the local Walmart manager. He agreed to donate live Christmas trees to help. However, I argued that they would be in the same boat next year, and I convinced him to donate boxed trees instead! Not once did a single student express dismay at having to carry home an unwieldy Christmas tree box on the bus. In fact, from my experience, they couldn’t stop smiling.I’m sure that there are moments I’ve forgotten.A TINY BIT OF TRUTH ABOUT TEACHER WORKING CONDITIONS AND THE STRUGGLE THAT IS TEACHINGI suffered through years of giving my students textbooks that were missing their covers, missing pages, unreadable due to graffiti, or were so outdated that I had to provide supplemental materials at my own expense.Valuable classroom space was used to house these nasty textbooks because there wasn’t enough for every student to take one home. This fact meant that I could not assign outside class readings, etc. This handicap seriously hindered my ability to be effective and to move along at a reasonable pace.Almost always, there were not enough class sets of novels per grade level. This meant that teachers teaching the same class had to (by necessity) rotate the novels from one class to another. This prevented co-teaching, common curriculum, student book clubs, extra-class discussions, etc. Imagine your students being second in line to receive the books. You soon find that their friend from the first class divulged the book contents, the answers to the test, etc. Chaos.Almost every year, I personally had to hunt down desks for my students. There were times when students had to temporarily sit on the floor. Perfect conditions for discussing the class syllabus, right?It was rare that I was able to have my room to myself during my planning period. Usually, a roaming teacher taught in my classroom during my planning period. A roaming teacher is one who does not have a room assignment due to overcrowding, so they use a cart to carry their teaching accoutrements as they move throughout the day from one free room to another. Even our hallways were One Way because there were too many students. As for me, I couldn’t get any meaningful work completed for the interruption. Some teachers chose to pack up and work in the library during their planning period in a desperate attempt to be productive, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that. Every time I would return, something would be broken, missing, or destroyed. Then, there’s this (true story): Once, there was a beautiful human being named Ellen. Ellen was a well-liked teacher. Sadly, she developed cancer, and the prognosis was grim. Ellen was the single mother of a teenaged daughter and had no family. Her daughter was going to be left all alone. Ellen’s heart was full of worry. She had to work in order to keep her insurance. Otherwise, she would not be able to afford her treatments. Imagine my fury when I found out that Ellen had been assigned, during the last year of her life, to be a Roaming Teacher. This meant that her frail, sick body had to push a cart from room-to-room each day all over the school as she fought the student population in the halls. As I discussed this with her, I told her that I was going to fight for her to get a room. At the very least, she could have mine, and I could roam the halls for a while. Ellen begged me not to because she didn’t want to see me at odds with anyone on her behalf. I will always regret that I listened to her. I couldn’t stomach watching her struggle that year with the physical challenges that haunted her because she was a roaming teacher. I cried about this on many occasions, and once thought I would become sick after seeing her wobble past me, pale and breath labored. THIS IS ONLY ONE INSTANCE OF THE NEVERENDING DIFFICULTIES THAT YOUR SCHOOLS FACE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT PROPERLY FUNDED!THE TRUTH ABOUT THOSE FREE TEACHER SUMMERSI regularly worked each and every summer doing some form of the following:I attended professional development courses to gain expertise and to meet state qualifications for licensure renewal (which often required payment of a fee for the classes as well as payment to renew my license.)I thoughtfully planned the curriculum for the upcoming school year, replacing weak areas and implementing new ideas, ensuring that the plan carefully and smartly followed state standards. Usually, this also entailed physical meetings with colleagues.I read the latest books about methodology, subject matter, the learning process, etc.I spent hours and hours on the Internet, researching and collecting ideas.I spent numerous hours analyzing my students’ data, searching for insight and patterns.I read young adult novels to stay relevant and to be able to make inspiring recommendations.I sometimes partnered with colleagues to attend conferences. Many times, I was a co-presenter with my colleague.I studied the goals and objectives for my subject area and grade level.Then there are many other aspects I’ve not thought to mention.My personal account is not a rarity. And these lists are intensely personal, containing information that never was meant to be discussed. Please do not think me exceptional. I am no more than my dedicated colleagues who do the same, if not more.And please know that I do not wish to argue with anyone. Frankly, the realities speak more loudly than I ever could! If the teachers in your district are not facing these specific problems, let me assure you that their problems are just as voluminous and serious, even if somewhat different.I ask you to take a stand in support: Do this verbally, financially, and institutionally. If you fight for your teachers, they will use that momentum to take back the schools for our students. Fight for your teachers and your children. Only with your unflailing support will the public school system be able to prevail against the vultures and live up to the glorious expectations that you so naively demand.You can see part of our classroom library in this view. Seats remain this way to encourage discussion and participation. I use unconventional grading techniques, such as Reading Conferences, Writing Conferences, and a Reading Log that is designed to prevent “pretending to read.” When I do need to use a traditional exam, the students simply separate their desks temporarily. After one time, they have the hang of it so that the transition is simple and quick.The black and white mini-posters on the wall each display a copy of a popular young adult book cover for a book that is either in our classroom library or in the school library. After reading a book that has its cover on the wall, students must stop at the corresponding poster to hand write a 4-sentence book review for their peers (they follow a rubric for the assignment). Students read the reviews to determine which books they wish to add to their reading list.P.S. Over the years, I’ve learned “tricks” to finding materials. For instance, I asked a textbook publisher to provide me with 35 copies of their preview textbook (not yet published) for my kids’ grade level in exchange for my honest and detailed review. In addition, I provided FREE editing. It was a great deal of work, but it was worth it!