Sunsets in Lampedusa



REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
http://news.ca.msn.com/photogallery.aspx?cp-documentid=28150092&page=3

I did not come across this photo while looking for information regarding the events happening in Lampedusa, but in news.ca.msn.com's Photos Of the Week article for the week of March 27, 2011.

I found this a very interesting and beautiful picture.  Without having known the story behind the picture, it seemed very peaceful - just a few people seeming to set up a camping site along a shore at sunset.  I loved how the light from the setting sun appeared through the sheet, and the shadow of (what I think) is a person on the other side of the sheet, helping the others tame the large piece of cloth.

However, after reading the small report given below this picture, I saw this picture in a different way.  I noticed how thin the sheet was, and the background, while not showing an industial landscape, did not seem like the natural environment people would usually go camping in.

There are many new stories like this, and viewing something in a different way than in actuality would most likely happen again to anyone.  The amazing thing about new photography is that the photographer can show the world what is happening around the world what words cannot do justice to.  We read about natural disasters and protests-turned-violent in the newspapers, but sometimes the impact of what actually happened does not faze those in another part of the world without an actual visual of the event.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Can't You See I'm Busy?

With technology becoming more and more advanced, it is becoming harder and harder to stay on track of work with all the distractions that a personal electronic can provide.  This is a bad thing.  Getting caught off track by your boss at work or by a teacher at school can lead to many, sometimes horrible, consequences.

Can't You See I'm Busy! (cantyouseeimbusy.com) offers solutions to those with a habit of goofing off at work.  They created fun, easy-to-play, never-get-old games played on a background similar to screens often seen at work - an open word processor document, and a graph, to name a few.

While from a distance it may look like you are actually on track, these games would not fool the more observative boss / teacher.  For one, the "programs" that the games are based in are the older version (for example, Microsoft Word 1990, rather than the latest version).  For those companies or schools that are up-to-date with the latest versions of everything, it would seem a bit odd that their employees and/or students are using an old version.  Otherwise, the apperance of the game's background is very similar to the other versions.

And while they try their best to make it look like you're still working hard, it's kind of hard to keep from staying quiet when you start to loose the game.

Solid Flow

Theo Altenberg's O.T. Oil on Cardboard 2010, No. 4
http://www.theoaltenberg.com/wp/painting-drawing/

Theo Altenberg is many different kinds of artists, including a painter.  Many of his paintings have a similar look and feel to the one shown above.

To me, many of his more recent paintings (within the past two or three years) seem like he captured the nature of flowing water - delicate and cool at the same time.  It's hard to capture the feel of still-flowing fluid in a still state, but I believe that Altenberg has done it well.  The way the different colours blend into each other remind me of when I would put drops of different food colourings in a glass of water and watching them disperse about the glass.

The above painting in particular reminds me of a flower.  And also of water.  Which makes sense (to me, at least).  Flowers live off the nutrients that water provides.  They are natural and nowadays people are being more and more concerned about the protection of both water and the environment / plants and animals.  Even with all the advancements in technology, nature is something us humans just can't live without.  Literally.

Plants and animals are our energy source.  And even if you're like the many people in the west who like meat and refuse to eat veggies, it is those vegetables that fed the animal you had for dinner.  In school I learned about Bioaccumilation, where toxins build up in animals, and the amount of toxins in the animal is greater the higher up the food chain you go.  With humans being at the top of the food chain, we would have the highest accumulation of toxins than any other animal below us.

Toxins are bad. Period.  Having the most toxins in our bodies than any other is worse.  We have to make a concious effort to take control of our environment to make it a better place to live for not only humans, but for the other animals who share this planet with us.

Musical Flowers

Canada Blooms, Canada's largest flower and garden festival, recently came to an end.  Although I did not go, I saw pictures of some of the showcases in the Toronto Star, and was greatly impressed by what I saw.

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/e3/d7/5dba8abe4fdd823b5a01303eafd3.jpeg



http://www.canadablooms.com/images/gallery_full/070307_276.jpg

I saw the above photo first, and I initially thought that it was just a regular piano, except that it was red.  Imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually a sculpture made of flowers!

Flowers and gardening never really interested me, and I never thought that they could be used to form a model of another thing.  It seems really odd, although not in a bad way, that the delicate petals of many flowers went into forming the likeliness of a piano.  Most pianos are made of natural materials - a wood body and ivory keys.  However, these natural materials are hard, and ment to last for years and still look nice.  Flowers, on the other hand, only last a couple of days before wilting and dying (flowers in my care, atleast).

Music played on a piano is ment to express many different emotions, from anger to happiness, and for the musician to express intense emotions such as anger, the piano is more forcefully played.  Although flowers and not a very precious thing to me, I can't imagine trying to play an intense piece of music on a delicate item such as the flower-made piano in this showcase.

Although the "piano" is obviously not ment to be played, it still looks like the real deal.  Though, I wonder how it will last looking a nice red - aka, not wilted - for the week that the festival is on for.

Exploring the World

Great photography has always been of interest to me, especially nature photography.  It always amazed me how these artists could have so much patience and skill to be able to take the perfect shot of a sometimes very unpredictable animal.

I recently discovered the works of William and Matthew Burrard-Lucas: wildlife photographers from the UK. I found their photos of a Leaf-tailed Gecko and Wildebeests particularly interesting.



Leaf-Tailed Gecko (above) and Wildebeest Crossing.
check out more at http://www.burrard-lucas.com/

 

The great things about these photographs, besides all the technical aspects, is that they showcase new animals and animal behaviour that many have never seen before.

Living in the industrial environment that comes with living in the city, I rarely see any animals besides the random bird, squirrel, or fly.  To see a species that I've never seen before is interesting, like the Leaf-Tailed Gecko, and tells me that this world has so many interesting and different species that what lives in my little bubble of the earth.  The wildebeests crossing the river shows animal behaviour that I know exists, but have never seen before.  With great photography, it's like I'm really there, watching this event take place.  It's amazing to see the enormity of how many single animals take part in one event, such as these wildebeests migrating.

The detail captured in both of these photographs, as well as other works by the brothers, make city-dwellers like many of us experience the real world, and inspire us to be a part of it as well.

Gamers Are Becoming More Feminine

But don't worry - it's not that all the males gamers are loosing their masculinity, but that 40% of gamers in the U.S. and Canada are females, according to a recent article in Toronto newspaper, The Toronto Star.  This just goes to show that society is constantly changing and accepting certain things that were once considered inappropriate or taboo.

The article goes on to say that of these females, most of them play the same games as their male family member(s), and few play "girly" games.  However, this is most likely because of the lack of female game developers.  But the fact that it has become socially acceptable for ladies to play these, at times, (very) violent games says a lot about how our society has changed in the past couple decades.  I am not old enough to remember, but in history classes I got a sense that females were always the ones needing protection and are, in general, very innocent people that should not be exposed to violence, in general.  As far as I know (meaning collective titles of games from the gamers in my life), most of the games out there are about killing your opponents to be the last one standing / the winner.  If these games were out a couple years back, I don't think as many females would be playing the.

But the main point of the article is how two sisters are developing games for the more feminine of females, aka the ones who are not into the whole "kill everyone in your way and then some" games.  The article goes on to explain the concept of their work in progress.  Now, after reading it, I realized that although I'm not a huge fan of some first-person-shooter games, I still play them on occasion, and games such as the one mentioned in the article do not appeal to me.  It may be because I'm not in the targeted age group, but I think if I was in that group, then I still would not be interested.  It is admittedly an interesting concept, and I think it would appeal to many young girls, but growing up with a gamer for both a brother and a father, these "girly" games aren't as interesting to me as the more "manly," violent games they play.  Again, this farther shows that society is changing, because if I'd been born a couple years earlier, I may not be allowed to even watch people play these sorts of games.

The fact that more females are slowly becoming a part of the gaming industry is also a huge show of the equality between females and males becoming accepted and acknowledged.

Going Gaga

Lady Gaga and Maria Aragon perform at the Air Canada Centre, Toronto.
Photo taken from CTV Calgary.

After posting a youtube video of her cover of Lady Gaga's new single "Born This Way," 10 year old Maria Aragon's fame skyrocketed.  Lady Gaga took notice of this talented little girl and invited her to sing a duet with her at her concert in Toronto on March 3, 2011.

After watching and hearing clips of Maria's converstations with Lady Gaga, and Maria's other youtube postings, I couldn't help but notice that this little girl has got a whole lot of potential and talent.  This pairing with her idol was a great was for Maria to get noticed and a chance to live her dreams.  Many people often do not get the oppertunity to follow their dreams, and it's always sad to see someone's happiness disappear.

I think it is important to take every chance to live your dream and hold on to it for dear life - you may not get a second chance.  Unlike Maria, I am still waiting for my chance.  I am envious of her for getting hers so soon, but happy for her at the same time.

But still, when is my chance?

Gleeking Out

The songs performed by the cast of hit TV show Glee have always been remakes of some other known song.  However, for the first time, they are performing their own original song (co-written by Max Martin)

For those who don't know, Glee follows the struggles the students in the glee club at McKinley High School have in trying to fit in and climb the proverbial social ladder.  Many of the members are bullied and alienated by the other students for being in the glee club, and most of them feel like they need to step up and prove themselves to the rest of the school.

This original song is a great anthem not only for the glee club, but for the many, many people who are or were bullied while growing up.  I can see the anti-bulling messages within the song reaching a whole new adolescent audience.  When I was growing up, me and my classmates would always be told things like, "treat others how you would like to be treated" and "the 'nerd' that you bullied will one day be your boss," and other sayings with the same messages.  For some, the messages sunk, but for others, bulling was not a horrible thing to do.

This song has the same messages within it, but sang in a catchier tune than your elementary school teacher probably said it.  This song also takes a different perspective than traditional lectures about bulling - it is told from the victim's point of view.  All the members of the glee club know what it's like to be bullied, so they are able to connect with this song, saying that bullies will not get them down.  This is an important message because it tells bullies that their victims will not take being belittled sitting down, and that they will be the ones to amount to something because studying hard and, in this case, having a passion for singing, will lead to great careers in the future, while bullies will be the real losers in the end.