Review on thorns and silk

This movie by Paulina Tervo grabs your attention from the very first minute. This short movie is about four different Palestinian women telling their stories. All four of them work in male-dominated jobs: wedding filmmaker, taxi driver, policewoman and mechanic. The camera concentrates on a day-in-the-life of a woman, whose work is unusual in her society. All images lead our audience closely into these four women’s career life, the challenges that the Palestinian women face and their unseen inside parts.

“If you’d ask to choose between thorns or silk, I’d choose thorns.”

This quote probably shows best how these women fight against the traditions.



Each section of the movie consisted of the woman telling her story with accompanying images. These images are often contrasting Showing the heavy boots of police officers, it turns straight afterwards the feminine face of the woman.



The constant ethical background music, as well as fluent montage approaches, offers our audience a big visual and audio feast. The un-traditional uniform for women, the faraway drumbeats take us, the audience into a Palestinian world which the media fail to mention.



I love the part wherethe cabbie Majda takes off her Jewish headscarf in the car and ties it into a Muslim scarf Hijjab. The background music adds the atmosphere to this scene, which says so much without any spoken words.



The unveiled women-only wedding images, which stimulate audience appetite, however, can not be shown on screen due to relational restrictions despite many times of negotiations. The director uses high-heeled shoes and fingers with colourful long nails instead to portrait women. However, it leaves more space for audience imagination about their mysterious beauty under the veils. A thought-provoking documentary is always better than hundreds of educational books. From the movie, you can read certain contents such as human rights, feminism and go into deep thoughts afterwards.



The documentary thorns and silk was financially supported a grant from a research organisation called “Pathways of women’s empowerment”. The properly funded opportunity provides thorns and silk team with better equipment and professional crew throughout. Originally the movie started with images of female police officers directing traffic on the streets and later developed into the current series of four films.



Palestine and Palestinian people are always shown with a negative image in mainstream media in Europe. Paulina Tervo, however, did not stick to this stereotype. She went into a real Palestine life. Weary faced Palestinian women follow many restrictions and norms within their own territory.



When asked her comment on her first funded documentary, Paulina says, “I love this work from a storytelling angle and its visual look.”



Still some aspects are unsatisfying. The first story of the female filmmaker seems relative superficial. Deeper conflicts in Palestine are left untouched. Probably due to the length of the documentary; afterall, Paulina is a European.



The documentary thorns and silk changes our audience presumptuous idea about Palestine. From the director’s view, Palestine is not a place full of conflicts but a place full of stories. “I am determined to keep going back to tell positive, empowering stories that show Palestinians as strong and intelligent people because they deserve it.”



After the successful premier show in London, Paulina’s film is to meet its international audience gradually. We expect more from this feminist film maker more creative ideas on her next film.

How do you feel? 你做何感想？

Although the mirror is such sensational newspaper for me to read, today’s headline catches my attention.

尽管英国的镜报的煽情口味不适合我，但是今天它的标题倒是吸引我读了下去。

250th hero dies in Afghanistan.

第二百五十个英雄牺牲在阿富汗战场。

Basically it is about a new British soldier in Afghanistan battle and the news is plain and pale.

这个新闻基本上就是关于又一名英国士兵战死在阿富汗战场。

Before I came to UK, I never pay attention to any current global war. Probably is because China won’t engage in any of them, and the mainstream media seldom talk about it.

我来英国之前，本人从来不会去关注任何国际战争。可能是因为中国没参战，主流媒体又不大谈这些。

What touches me is that when her mother knew her son died yesterday, she logged in her son’s Facebook and wrote: "To all our friends & family, we would just like to let you know that we lost our Brave Soldier - Peter.

让我颇受触动的是她妈妈得知自己儿子去世的时候，就到他的facebook上面留言：致我们的家人和朋友，我来只是来告诉你，我们失去了Peter——我们勇敢的士兵。(翻译的不好，还是原文有味道，我尤其喜欢just let you know的表达)



I have not yet gone deep into how media influence our behaviour. But I think this behavior is somewhat like a show. Still I can not understand a mother who just lost her 19-year-old son is so logic to write such words.

我没深入研究过媒体是如何影响我们的行为的。但是我总感觉这个妈妈的行为有点作秀。我不太理解一个刚刚失去19岁儿子的妈妈理智地写下这一番话。



My answer is she is definitely a great mother.

我的结论是她真是一位伟大的母亲。



I do not like war. Every war has its reasonable reason but every war has too many innocent deaths.

我不喜欢战争。所有战争都有他们自己冠冕堂皇的借口，只是战争总是有太多无辜生命名的离去。



I hate the media trying to establish an image that every mother is great to sacrifice their son for the sake of their country. Especially I am just re-reading Animal Farm these days; such disgusting feeling becomes strong.

我极其厌恶媒体宣传“每个士兵的妈妈都特伟大，送自己的儿子上战场，为国捐躯”。尤其是近期我还在重读动物农场，这更加让我反感。



If you can, just leave my nonsense alone. Anyway, I am a foreigner without enough knowledge of western culture.

要是你能理解，就当我自言自语好了。不管怎么说，我还是一个不懂西方文化的外国人。

Have you watched the documentary thorns and silk?

I remember the day my classmate recommends this for our inclass review. At that time I was a bit sleepy but still strongly touched by the 13 minutes documentary.

I love documentaries more than any other commercial movies.

With a drink in hand, I always spend a peaceful afternoon watching a thought-provoking documentary that can beat my bottom heart.

The story in a documentary is not always with a happy ending. Even worse, it makes me feel myself so helpless.

But Paulina Tervo's documentary, Thorns and Silk, is everything but an encouraging one. It tells the unusual story of four Palestinian women who work in male dominated jobs in the West Bank.

The most important thing is:

I am going to interview her!

Haha, good luck to me!

If you’d ask to choose between thorns or silk, I’d choose thorns.”

quoted from thorns and silk

For me, the director, she is a rose among Thorns

"three things you should know!" from today's Guardian

first thing

working in BBC is such a "luxury" thing

If my cutting is not too bad for you to figure out the astonishing number of a BBCer’s payment, you must have already been shocked like me.

He earned 834,000 pounds last year! When we are struggling with slow speed of online watching due to our budget, he has put all money in his pocket and handsome left.


second thing
limelight is not always good for you

third thing

being raped in Dubai means up to six years in jail

It is until I read this article that I knew Dubai has some weird regulations on their citizen’s behaviour.

First: never have sex outside marriage, or you will be sentence up to six years in jail.

If this became a law in the West countries, we can imagine how large the prison will be and how many guilty or guilty-to-be persons outweigh the innocent.

Second: even you were raped, no matter how angry and desperate, never go to the police. Or you will suffer the same punishment as the former one because you have sex outside marriage.

Third: if you are not prepared then do not go to Dubai, because:

It is until I read this article that I knew Dubai has some weird regulations on their citizen’s behaviour.

Heavy snow hits Harrow

2010’s first snow comes quietly, whitens all roofs and streets in Harrow so as other areas in South England despite only light snow expected from yesterday’s weather report.

Schools closure
Many schools close today due to the disturbing traffic after the overnight snowfall. For the sake of safety and students are asked to see further information on reopenings on school websites.

University of Westminster, one that is still open this morning despite the freezing conditions, has to close its Harrow Campus at around 1pm and many ongoing classes have to be put off and rescheduled.

“It is really disturbing.” Malvins, one of professors on Harrow campus, says, “we have to make a new schedule on our task. I am sorry to let students go back home without the accomplishment on work, especially for those who spend a long time struggling here”

School then posts a shutting-down note on its website to keep all students informed.

Westminster is only one among a list of closing schools in Harrow. Many have already announced their status early in the morning due to the heavy snow and ask their students to check the updating websites.

Fun with snow
Young people enjoy playing in the snow despite this not being the first snow this winter.

Hien Bach, a 23-year-old Vietnamese girl who currently studies in London, says with an excited voice, “This is the first time I see real snow. I have already taken more than two hundred pictures with snowy scenery. ”

Although this is not the first time that Londoners see snow in winter, it is still rare to experience snow on such a big scale.

When driving past streets, you can easily to find cute snowmen either with a carrot on the face or a broom standing on the pavements.

Shopping chaos
The concern on unstable delivery leads to panic buying in harrow as weather report says a coming snow up to 40cm deep becomes.

The owner of a grocery shop near Harrow-on-the-hill tube station, James Camper, says the sales on vegetables, bread and milk is nearly doubled compared with last month.

In Tesco, the shelves for eggs and bread are nearly empty, with only some broken packages left and three staff are in soup selling area busy adding the storage.

One shopper, a middle aged housewife, Carol says, “You know, I have three children and a working husband. I have to buy more just in case. Who knows whether or not the supply will work as usual.”

1/4 on ticket price, 1/26 on income

The new China express railway price is one forth as much as that of Japan, however Japan’s per person income is 25 times more than China’s, according to the new price released by China’s Ministry of Railways on December 27th

express railway is ready to run       Picture from CFP

too expensive

Chinese Government releases the price of Guangzhou-Wuhan express railway on December 27th, which is 3.5 times as much as the replaced train.

Chinese netizens complain about the high price of the new railway. “Now express railways turn to be the privilege of the rich- namely, expensive railways.”

Qinghua dancao, a labor worker in Guangzhou says, “today when I see the price, my heart is frozen. I have been looking forward to this express railway for a long time because we heard that the speed is fast and really easy to get a ticket. So expensive! How can I afford? ”

According to the Ministry of Railways, large investment on the establishment and the operation are the main reason of the relatively high price.

The vice administer of Ministry of Railways Guo Wenqiang says, “there will be more discount in the future, especially for students, the old and the retired soldors.”

It is just one forth of a similar ticket in Japan. However, Japan’s income is 26 times as much as China’s. And this “one-forth” ticket, according to a netizen, takes up almost as much as his one- month salary.

Unsatisfied part

The purpose of express-railway establishment is to shorten the traffic time between Middle China and Southern China, relieve the burden of the Spring Festival, when around millions of Chinese will return to their hometown.

Despite the benevolent will, most Chinese say that the price is unbelievably high, even more expensive than the plane tickets.

What are worse, original trains between Gunagzhou and Wuhan are cancelled; no option left.

Financial columnist Wu Ruijiu comments in his article, “transparence on express railway price decision is in demand, to guarantee the feasibility, fairness and reason.

The author does a research on the railway price and per income of China and Japan.

Death sentence dilemma? No!

A UK drug smuggler was just executed early this morning for carrying 4kg of heroinin to China Urumqi. He was ended by lethal injection but the debate has never come to an end...

comment on Mr. Shaikh's case

Mr. Brown:

I condemn the execution of Akamal Shaikh in the strongest terms…

 As a journalist with non-professional knowledge on law, I am not clear that if a person commit such crimes as smuggling in a foreign country, which country’s law should be used on him?


Well, my common sense tells me that he should obey the foreign country’s, like the saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans”.

So death sentence to Mr.Shaikh is obvious not against laws for his 4kg heroin smuggling in China.

But why this case has been catching worldwide attentions including British leaders? Even British-Chinese relationship is under threats.

Death penalty

It is understandable that Shaikh family are keeping appealing to Chinese court to spare Shaikh’s life all these days.

However, Mr. Brown’s words are quite surprising. He, as the British Prime Minister, issues that, “ I condemn the execution of Akamal Shaikh in the strongest terms…”

I do not think it is appropriate for an office to express such words.

The possible result would be more hates and arguments.

It is really not appropriate for a president to issue such speech. His unreasonable behaviour just let the argument to a political level.

It is quite interesting that the prime minister also engages in this case rather than the Foreign Minister only.

When it comes to next year’s election, Mr. Brown has a claim that he is the one who cares his people.

Actually, whether to abandon the death penalty is not easy to reach a consensus. People with different cultural background, values have different understandings on the death penalty.

In Chinese value, it is necessary to let people pay back what evil they have done. If they committed severe crime such as murdering, death sentence to them would comfort the victim’s family and educate the public.

In Western culture, it is important to forgive people no matter what he has done. No one has the right to deprive another’s life. They believe that consciousness would punish the criminal in his rest of life.

Obviously ,either one is not superior to the other.

Point fingers at Chinese law system

“Human rights” is a term used a thousand times criticizes China. It can easily irritate common hatred; then people in UK come launch campaigns against China in front of Chinese embassy.

Mostly, in the western’s eyes, China is a place where lacks human rights but full of restrictions of media. It is a country in great need of well-developed western interactions on its human rights..

The media have no patience to explain the differences between UK laws and Chinese laws. In China, if a person claims to have a mental problem, he should hand in relevant evidence.

Thanks to the powerful media stereotype, every peace-loving person becomes concerned about China’s development on human rights more than Chinese people do.

The politicians catch this opportunity to express their great “concern” too, but with some hidden purposes. They try to shift their people’s attention on their badly-performed economy, high rate of unemployment and wrong action of Iraq war.

First they create an excuse to invade Iraq by telling his people that Iraqis are suffering from Saddam’s bad rules.

Then, it is China’s turn. Since China is such a large and powerful-to-be country, they use numerous news which cover Chinese unsatisfied fields.

Also it is a fabulous moment to decline the taxation agreement with China with an excuse that “we do not see eye to eye”.

It seems that the economic turndown and the unsatisfying ends of Copenhagen Climate Conference have not been annoying enough. So point a finger on Chinese law system is really necessary to save them.

Now, what the media fail to tell us is that who gave Mr. Shaikh such a large amount of heroin? Who is the hidden leader of the global smuggling group? China is not a country which enjoys depriving lives. When it comes to criminal punishments, when in Rome, do as the Romans.

about Mr Shaikh's case

The followings are some comments from netizens