Cultural stereotypes mapped out

London-based visual artist Yanko Tsvetkov has designed an intriguing, partly amusing series on international stereotypes. Shown here, for your pleasure. You´re welcome.

Anyone care for a trip to the state of "retired popstars"?

Europe according to Italian view is quite uncomplicated, as shown above.

But so is the Russian idea. Darned it, that land of wackos.

It is quite sad to think of our beautiful world in terms of threats.
Thank heavens they managed to kill that bearded terrorist (!) One fear less to worry about in the mind of a small-city republican. (And yes, I know I´m falling to the exact same abyss of stereotypes, of which I´m writing about. They are hard to shake out of. Truly.)


 Partial views on other cultures are pervasive. No matter how we try to think of ourselves as open-minded and culturally blind, the stereotypes still creep up from the under the stones. Some scientists (see semiotics) even claim that we are all, as human beings, inclined to see things through a particular mindset: the ideological glasses are difficult to notice or completely remove. There is always an incentive to prefer "us" as opposed to "them".  Still, it is sometimes refreshing to have a look at the mirror, and see if some thoughts are truly real or worth upgrading.

Europe according to the American view, as shown above. No visits to the Commie-zone.

Cultural stereotypes mapped out

The Good Old Days of Advertising: Or, is it always illegal to kill a woman?

Shockingly, these disturbing images were once considered acceptable mainstream advertising. Oh, the nostalgia.

 I can´t wait to see what happens 50 years from now; will I look at those pesky Axe/Lynx men´s deodorant ads with a fresh eye? At first one might be appalled at looking at these old pictures, but then again... I´m amused. The reality, in which we live today in the Western countries, is quite far from the "Happy Days" -era pictured below. Woman´s space within the society has greatly expanded from the pigeonhole of wife-mother-whore -dimension, and as a female myself, I am truly glad over that development. Then again, let´s not forget that it is 2011, and yet in Saudi-Arabia women still have to fight over the right to vote. Or to be even recognized for being born  in the first place.

The Good Old Days of Advertising: Or, is it always illegal to kill a woman?

"Sexting" now an official word

Yes people, it is not no longer an obscure word used by cooler than hip teens, gangsta-rappers and the occasional redhead blogger. "Sexting" is among the new words accepted by the Oxford Dictionaries online. The other soon-to-be classics are: "onliner", "scareware", "cyberbullying", "clickjacking", "Tbh"(to be honest), and "fnarr fnarr" (which I had no idea of. Marsian influence? No, apparently it means sniggering. )

Technology and short acronyms are creeping their way into our dialectic, whether we like it or not. If this shortening of announced words gets any more trendier, I wonder if in 50 years we all talking legitimately with cut down words. A new language?

"Sexting" now an official word

Winners of Sundance 2011 movie festival announced

Winners have been announced, and here is a short list of some of the lucky filmmakers:

The Grand Jury Dramatic Prize went to "Like Crazy" by Drake Doremus. The film tackles a long-distance young love story between an American and a Brit. Actors include Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence.

The Grand Jury Prize for US documentary film was given to "How to Die in Oregon", by Peter D. Richardson. Documentary deals with euthanasia in Oregon, where it has been legal since 1994.


US dramatic directing award was given to "Martha Marcy May Marlene" by Sean Durkin. Traumatized woman flees a religious cult and tried to rebuild her life.

Directing award for US documentary was awarded to Jon Foy for " Resurrect Dead: The Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles". Foy´s documentary describes an urban mystery when a man pieces together the meaning of hundreds of cryptic messages that have appeared on city streets across America. Foy was particularly happy about his win, since according to his own words he was working as a cleaner a few weeks back. Talk about a lottery ticket!

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic went to "Happy, Happy" by Anne Sewitsky. Norwegian film tells the story of a sex-starved housewife, who tries to control herself when a new neighbour moves in.

The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was given to "Hell and back again", directed by Danfung Dennis. Story of modern warfare in Afghanistan told through the eyes of a Marine soldier.


Special Jury Award for acting went to Felicity Jones from "Like Crazy". 


The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award was awarded to Sam Levinson, from "Another Happy Day".
 A pair of wild siblings go to a chaotic family wedding.

Hmm, this makes me think "Like Crazy" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" may be the ones to watch out for.

Winners of Sundance 2011 movie festival announced

Next year´s Oscar-movies?

Oscar-nominations for this year have been announced. The list was pretty much what was to be expected, on the basis of the Golden Globes. But I´m not interested in that now. Personally I am already looking at next year, and eying future possible hits. Here is a list of movies that catched the industry´s attention so far at this year at Sundance movie festival. More to come as the festival progresses!

"The Future" by Miranda July tells the tale of awkward people in love and an adopted cat. Music by the legendary Jon Brion. The plot outline does not promise much, but festival-goers seem to love this quirky and strange movie.

"Salvation Boulevard" by George Ratliff. The cast is full of star names: Jennifer Connolly, Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Tomei, Ed Harris, Greg Kinear. This is a comedy/thriller about a born-again Christian escaping from the fundamentalist members of his mega-church. The storyline seems very promising and current, considering the state of religion in North America these days.

"Martha Marcy May Marlene" , film directed by T. Sean Durkin has gained a lot of buzz mainly because of the lead performance by Elizabeth Olsen (yes, the sister of those cape-dressing twins). Olsen plays a young girl trying to rebuild her life after fleeing from a religious cult. Another great topic of the times.

Another appealing movie about religion. If Sarah Palin and the tea-party have done anything, is putting this topic of God back into our radar. "The Ledge" by Mathew Chapman deals with an atheist arguing and then fighting with a conservative Christian. Homophobia is also present. Liv Tyler and Patrick Wilson star in this film.




And the stream of religious topics wont´t end! What on earth is going on over here! (I blame it on Fox News, the source of reliable and unbiased public information) This time it is "The Red State" by Kevin Smith, and it is horror. A group of teens come in contact with mid-western religious fanatics, and all hell gets loose. The movie has not gained as much buzz as Smith´s crafty idea to self-promote and self-distribute the movie with a 12-city roadshow tour. He plans to utilize his 1.7 million Twitter followers, rent theaters and charge premium ticket prizes in order to pay back his financiers before the official October release date. Hmm.

Think this theme is done and used for this year´s Sundance? Think again. Vera Farmiga stars in and directs "Higher Ground", where a woman struggles with her faith after spending 20 years with a cult. Farmiga has gotten praise for her directorial debut and she is sure to be watched in the future.

"Margin Call" by J.C. Chandor was the most anticipated movie on this year´s Sundance. This piece has an impressive cast  with names such as Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Mary McDonnell and Jeremy Irons, along others. "Margin Call" retells the story of the early stages of the 2008 financial meltdown over a 24-hour period in an investment bank. So far the reviews for this movie have been mixed. The first scene is supposedly brilliant, but the rest of the movie lacks the promise. It is safe to say that between now and October 2011 (which is the official release date) anything could happen. Films are known to be even re-edited after the initial pre-screenings at the festival circuit. People might also have high expectations for this touchy topic and how to handle it. Director Chandor has decided to approach this theme with a heavily dialogue-filled angle, which might not please the audiences or turn out to be commercially lucrative.

Even Al Pacino cannot make it a success every time. "The Son of No One" starring Pacino, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta and Juliette Binoche was reportedly so weak, that the screening on Monday resulted in "an exodus" of people all though the screening. Hardly anyone (who was left) applauded afterwards.

Next year´s Oscar-movies?

Killer-Barbie on the Loose

I´m not quite sure what boys do with those toy soldiers, when playing with them as a kid, but I do remember vividly those elaborate stories and backgrounds we girls built for Barbies. Bold and the Beautiful has nothing to offer in comparison to little girls when it comes to soap opera plot lines. The set ups, the dresses, the shoes, the hair... In fact, I think I do have some female friends who still own their Barbie-dolls and display them like antique on their book shelfs. (Mine were given away behind my back- I know, I´m full of bitterness.
So traumatic.)

While the tales were always full of females, there was only one or two males in the game. Barbie-dolls were much more desired to get from the shop than the boring Ken-dolls. So inevitably, the plays turned into strange depictions of a "Land of Amazons" where the few guys ended up assisting the female queens. Poor fellows.
Here are some interesting images by Mariel Clayton, showing Barbie as a sort of "female Dexter", giving her very best in serial killing to the wobbly Ken. Scenes are disturbing, hope you don´t lose your sleep over it!

Killer-Barbie on the Loose

Real Life Superheroes part II :Phoenix Jones

The costumed vigilantes are on a roll. Since mentioning their good deeds the last time, the masked protectors have garnered steadily growing media attention for their visionary pursuits. After all, somebody has to do something, right?

This time the man in action is no other than Mr. Phoenix Jones, whom I mentioned earlier. Jones dresses in a golden outfit, wears a bullet-proof vest and carries a taser gun and pepper spray. He has been stabbed a few times, so he knows to protect himself. No showy form of transportation though- he has a female assistant driving him to the scene of action. Naturally, the man has to concentrate. This is no Sunday strolling in the park by the ice cream stand. Currently Jones protects the streets of Lynnwood, Washington -if you are interested in trying to catch him at work. He can also be contacted via Rain City Superhero Movement. 

Here he explains how he prevented a recent car theft. Fellows, anytime you want to give an interview, just let me know.

Real Life Superheroes part II :Phoenix Jones

Traveling Hotel in Norway

Breathtaking or what? Norway is beautiful and the fjords are full of poetry. But how to market this nature´s grand design for the ignorant masses? The small town of Andalsness has come up with a novel idea -a hotel on wheels. These pictures depict the whole plan. "Hotel" rolls on train tracks across the scenery, showing the absolute best of what nature can be. Portable box rooms are minimalistic and tiny, and the whole idea is to move people in an environmentally-safe fashion from place to place.
If this were April fool´s day, I would list this as one attempt at passing wild imagination for the gullible.
But no, it is very real. I´m not sure how this would succeed in the middle of cold, snowy winters.
Stranded in a cold box in the middle of nowhere? Paging Bear Grylls, please.

Traveling Hotel in Norway

Dream Christmas wish list

When thinking about my past paramours and their gifts, I never quite got used to receiving any fancy, overpriced stuff. As in, ever. For me, other things regardless of wealth have always meant more. Silly thinking in the long run? However, I am aware of women, and men, for whom the expensiveness of the presents equal love.
And that is what all those holiday-time commercials try to convince us of. Do you really love her? Really, really, reaaallly? Do you appreciate her? Why don´t you get her the newest Chanel makeup?

This is supposedly a real wishlist, found by a blogger´s brother in the NYC metro. Of course. Where else.
Nothing says love in New York city like "gold or silver or sparkly Christian Louboutins". For those of you who are staring with an empty look right now, Louboutins are shoes. Like the ones they wear in Sex and the City- show. (How clever, the lady of the list can single and mingle her heart out after the break up in those sparklies!)
I also like how she points out that the list of books can be found cheaper from Amazon or Ebay. Would a woman who misspells Kerastase hair products read Dickens? Or even understand the message of Dante´s Divine Comedy? Maybe she just likes to dazzle her guests with fancy reading material by the bathroom sink.
Oh well, what ever. Secretly I am just jealous that she found her own personal santa to shell out what ever the  little heart desires. Or not. Nothing is free, you see. Universe has its rules.

Dream Christmas wish list

Have a Christmas cookie: Julian Assange and the Art of Rap-music

Mr. Assange makes his detour to the world of rap around the 5 minute mark. On the basis of this, I think he should stay on his chosen path of international information archeology. What do you think?

Have a Christmas cookie: Julian Assange and the Art of Rap-music

The Antisocial Network

Funny how trends go about. First it´s the few innovators that proudly show off their new toys and habits for the rest of the vulgar herd. If it works, the masses catch on. The cycle dies, when the conservative everyman has heard or adapted the trend. Early adapters and coolness hunters are valuable in showing the way forward. This reminds me of Iceland, and how it is commonly used by companies as a closed testing ground for new fashion. If it passes there, it will most definitely work elsewhere. Don´t believe me? Go and visit. What the people wear now, is all the rage a few years from now. If anything, the current economy might even push out the creativity and craftiness in full blossom.

In the light of this cycle of chic, should we be alarmed of the recent death of the oldest known Facebook user? Ivy Bean was 104-years-old, had 4949 friends (!) and proud to be part of the network since 2007. She also used Skype, which I suspect is not the usual tool of communication for seniors in her golden age. Yes, the mature surfers are catching on the social media wagon. I blame it all on William Shatner. The old prankster with a phase gun has been tweeting since the early days of the service and currently is the proud owner of 417 394 followers. He turns 80 next year.




Jesse Eisenberg, the actor mostly known for portraying the founder of Facebook, was recently interviewed by Time Magazine. The young hipster proudly claims to not reading his mail, not having a television set for the last 10 years, and no, he does not have a Facebook account. (So I suppose the nine fellows or so presenting themselves under his name on Twitter are not really him, either) In essence, Jesse has decided to opt out of the all-encompassing influence of real-time networks, being in touch 24 h and knowing the news instantly. Or, that is at least the image he likes to give us. Why? Because it is cool. I can almost  picture Jesse carrying a vintage retro Nokia log, which works occasionally, carries a ton -but brings instant street cred for the lone cowboy who just doesn´t want to be like the rest of us. (Oh please, he so has a Blackberry or iPhone with him at all times. Trust.)

Another low-tech trendster and the original lady of hip is our very own Winona Ryder. She also has declared her open dislike for our digital age. While she treasures her old mix-tapes (remember those?), the girl has no computer. Apparently Winona has heard  that "one can find anything on there; troubles, salaries and such". Ms Ryder lives in San Francisco, of all places, so the idea of her being isolated amids the hot spot of global information technology development seems absurd. But plausible, yes.When you think of all the necessary information and services being available today online ONLY, it becomes  hard to imagine someone being able to live separate from the web (in United States). This leads me to assume that this kind of living is a right for the rare and privileged. In other words, one has resources  and people working for them in minding their affairs. Can you imagine living without a computer and modern communication technology?

The Antisocial Network

Amazing Images of 2010

Here is some of the imaginative, mind-boggling shots of the year. Wow, can´t believe it is almost 2011 soon.


Dancing girl robot, manufactured by Japan´s Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

 YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images

Ping-pong playing terminator. Made by Vietnam´s first robotic firm, TOSY.

Kim Kyung-Hoon



Comet Hartley II. NASA managed to get never-before-seen pictures up close of the comet. Big rock.

Nasa

 The European Space Agency has got some nice pics as well, this time we have the Mars. And more precisely, Orcus Patera, a long crater near Mons Olympos on Mars. The rim rises to about 6000 feet.

Esa



An Avatar wedding. Need I say more? Apparently this is a big thing in parts of China. What ever makes one tingle, that´s what I always say. 

Uniquedaily.com

300-feet sink hole in the middle of Guatemala City (June 2010). Looks like special effects, but is very real. The tropical storm Agatha is believed to be the culprit.

Paulo Raquec



Mars shines bright red over a "moonbow" in fog in a picture taken in Hawaii´s Haleakala volcano. At the time,  in January, Mars was its closest to Earth.

Wally Pacholka

Her majesty the queen wearing 3D-glasses on a visit to movie studio (July 2010). But alas, no ordinary glasses will do: hers were primped with real Swarovski crystals. And the letter Q on both sides. Show that attitude, Lizzie!

John Stilwell

Amazing Images of 2010

Shout out:Real Life Superheroes.org

My recent story on "The real-life Superheroes in Seattle" just got a nice mention on their site. Check it out here. Thank you very much, fellows, and keep up the good work!

 (pictured: Citizen Prime via org)

Shout out:Real Life Superheroes.org

Real-Life Superheroes in Seattle

Here is an interesting article on the recent emergence of a superhero-movement in Seattle. They call themselves "Rain City Superheros  movement", and claim to be part of a US-wide network of similar alliances. With names like Thorn, Buster Doe, Green Reaper, Gemini, No Name, Catastrophe, Thunder 88, Penelope and Phoenix, the group patrols the city by night looking for crime and danger. 


The national website of the costumed heroes works as a sort of manual of the trade, as well:

    The term Real Life Superhero is variously applied to real-world people who dress and/or act like comic book superheroes. Sometimes, this label is bestowed upon them by those whom they have helped or the media, while at other times, the aspiring superheroes apply the label to themselves.

    Some media reports have focused on an Internet-based community that's developed around creating superheroic identities and helping others. These people wear masks or otherwise disguise themselves in order to perform "heroic deeds" like community services or fighting crime when they come across it

Yes, these people are real. Apparently MySpace works by augmenting the movement through a communication network amongst the caped crusaders around the world. ( if in need of a local vigilante, happy Hunting in MySpace.) According to Rain City Superhero Movement"- website, they do this, because "somebody has to do something". And also, "they get a kick out of this"- which is understandable. Every time my Monday looks rainy and grey, I just slip on the Silk Spectre- outfit, perform a few kicks in front of the mirror while the soundtrack plays on the background and feel all powerful -a warrior woman. But these people go a bit further in they pursuit of action and justice.

The police in Seattle are worried that the heroes might hurt themselves, or someone else in the process.

In one instance a man dressed in black costume was nearly shot when running from a dark park. In another case, an innocent bystander mistook the heroes as robbers (sitting in a car with ski masks by the gas station does that to you, don´t think otherwise) and called the cops. The owner of the parked heroe-mobile claimed her  godson just drives around doing "good deeds". Nice godmother, lending her Kia Fate for such heroic activities. Not many would understand, such a cruel world we live in. 

Seattle police discovered the true identity of "Phoenix", a mysterious character who is driven around the city by a civilian young woman (read: not into costumes). Phoenix was interviewed by the detectives and arrived to the station in most of his costume (parts were being repaired after an intervention to a drugtrade). In his usual attire, the character wears body armor, ballistic vest, arm and leg trauma plates and a ballistic cup. All this safety helped in stopping a bullet during a previous action incident last year. Note: all our heroes in the alliance do not carry firearms, just plain old pepper spray, tasers and nightsticks. 

Seattle police state that there is nothing wrong in ordinary citizens getting involved in the criminal justice process - as long as they exercise caution, call 911 and remain as witnesses. 

Call it what you might, I still find it incredibly impressive that these people are trying to do their part in stopping crime. Somewhat crazy, maybe, but incredibly sexy. In the utmost theoretical sense.

Real-Life Superheroes in Seattle

Kitchen Dreams in the 1950s

Back in the 50s, people had high hopes for the future. It was commonplace to believe in a colony in Moon, talking robot helpers and glowing democracy that would save us all with a wink of capitalism.
So no wonder the scientists dreamed up all kinds of fancy aids to help in the kitchen.

This beautiful dream was cooked up by the engineers at General Motors in 1954. Electric mixers and food blenders would rise out of the counters and motorized cabinets move up and down.

In this idea, everything would work out like magic with the touch of a button.

And this image shows us a quite advanced scifi-kitchen. As in, it is still not possible. Frigidaire´s and General Motors´Kitchen of Tomorrow in 1956. The IBM manufactured card containing a recipe file not only shows the picture of a dish on the screen, but it would dispense the ingredients and start preparing the dish itself. Automatic laundry machine would start washing clothes on its own when the load reached 8 lbs.Now that would be a  housewives/or househusbands savior!

This era is quite charming. Capitalism and peer pressure pushed the middle class into buying all the new shiny toys for their new suburbian houses, and commercials emphasized how having all the latest gadgets, floors, furnitures etc. for your home was absolutely necessary. Otherwise you were an unacceptable house(wife). Everything was pushed with appeals to technology, modern times and normality. It was "abnormal" not to have a modern kitchen and a house. Nowadays advertising is much subtler, which can be noticed while watching this video.

Kitchen Dreams in the 1950s