Mood:  a-ok

Last year, the German National Committee for UNICEF 

selected this ‘Photo of the
Year’ by US freelancer Stephanie Sinclair showing a man 

with a child
bride in Afghanistan. 

UNICEF strongly condemns child marriage worldwide
as a human rights violation and a form of sexual abuse and exploitation. 

 Ms. Sinclair’s photo shows a wedding couple in Afghanistan. 

The groom, Mohammed, is 40 years old and the bride, Ghulam, is still a child; she has just turned 11. 

The image “raises awareness about a worldwide problem,” UNICEF patroness Eva Luise Köhler said at the award ceremony in Berlin. “Millions of girls are married while they are still under-age. Most of theses child brides are forever denied a self-determined life.”

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/germany_42274.html 

Yesterday, 

the News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) held a gala

to recognize the excellence represented in submissions by 123 of Canada's most
renowned photojournalists. 

NPAC is pleased to announce the winners of the
second annual National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition.
    

More than 2,200 images from across Canada were entered in this year's
competition, representing a spectacular body of work. 

A prestigious panel of
judges, including top North American photojournalists and photo editors, were
tasked with judging the entries.

    WINNER

SPOT NEWS
62 entries
Sponsored by Canwest News Service

1st - Conrad Black gives the finger / David Chidley - Canadian Press

 - -

Top hat in arch / Bernard Brault was Reuters Photo of the Year. 

You can see it on the second slide in the HELLO Magazine

category for Personality/Portrait.

Not this one.

Posted by mach1231 at 11:26 AM PDT

Updated: Sunday, April 20, 2008 11:49 AM PDT

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SRR...

ever heard of this place called Prince George?

B.C.-based Meow Records voted Canada's No. 1 indie record store

-  -

Last year in Vancouver while waiting for service in a local neighborhood Starbucks I had the audaciously daring to start an impromptu conversation with the lad next to me as he and his brother or friend seemed positively both pumped and primed about something exciting to do with music

but as well equally determined not to let their enthusiasms wash over and spread like contagion to the rest of the caffeinated beverage imbibers...

but as it seemed like we had something in common I was curious enough to ask what type of happening or going on  was creating such a stir in the air 

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2008/04/19/acdc-album-vancouver.html

Well, they are recording and not playing but close enough.

Guess in the rumour mill industry sometimes its the thought that counts.

Just dont tell Kurt of the BFC. - lol

Speaking of which heres a guy with a brain and a good question to boot who querys:

What has happened to this forum?

Posted by mach1231 at 1:21 PM PDT

Updated: Saturday, April 19, 2008 7:17 PM PDT

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Mood:  caffeinated

Police are mystified about a small metal object that crashed through the roof of a house in New Zealand. 

 Sounds like a plot for a  M. Night Shyamalan movie in play, he could lift the next plot line off the comments page.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/dominionpost/4486777a6479.html

 - -

This is Sitka, Alaska..

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/archive/x282705

- - -

Meanwhile, back in reality newspaper - land

The First Nations in parts of the Alberta area of Canada are among the wealthiest aboriginal communities in Canada, thanks to extensive royalties from oil that sits under their land.

But it is there that recently a 23-month-old girl remains in stable condition but doctors will never be able to remove a bullet from near her spine because it would probably kill her.

Police have reported 12 gun-related incidents in the last three weeks alone.  Among those, a 20-year-old was shot, two teenage girls were threatened with guns and shots were fired outside a funeral last week.

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/080416/n0416111A.html

Ahem. Here is Wikipedias entry for

Hobbema

Do they mention that it is a place of 12,000 people?

A place where 13 gangs sell cocaine and other drugs on four reserves in the Hobbema area (60 km south of Edmonton) according to police?

Two years ago, gang violence had spiked, meaning reports of 150 drive-by shootings in just one eight-month period, sometimes as many as five a night.

In light of this recent shooting, Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl said he'll wait for suggestions from reserve leaders before getting involved.

I had a thought about the level of involvement he would take if he were responsible for a different portfolio but no, only the Prime Minster of Canada could rise to such a high level of distinct incompetence.

But hey folks, back to Disney, car crashes (20 MPH car crashes mind you) and Alaskan natives being played by retired English teachers.

Where else on public radio programming can you hear polar bears growl, peregrine falcons cry and killer whales splash?

http://www.encountersnorth.org/

Posted by mach1231 at 10:39 AM PDT

Updated: Sunday, April 20, 2008 7:44 PM PDT

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Mood:  caffeinated

Iran demands attention.

Goota get me one of

these sand colored bikes and matching helmet.

They go well so with me blog. 

Posted by mach1231 at 9:08 AM PDT

Updated: Thursday, April 17, 2008 9:15 AM PDT

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Mood:  caffeinated

You won't hear anyone say it but Iran is really a prime reason why the US invaded Iraq in 2003.

But the most underexamined potential co-operative alliance in my mind would be between Israel and Turkey.

"As the only secular democracies in the region, both have market economies,  both are integrated into the European economic order. The major export and import partners indicate an integration with the states of the Western states .."

---

 

See also 

ISRAEL: Discussing Armenian genocide

Posted by mach1231 at 9:08 AM PDT

Updated: Friday, April 18, 2008 11:38 AM PDT

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Prices of rice, wheat, corn, cooking oil, milk and other foodstuffs have all risen sharply in recent months, sparking violent protests in many countries, including Egypt,Muslim Brotherhood: OUT!!!!!!!) Bangladesh, Cameroon(riots over food price increases left 40-100 people dead) Canadians trapped by Cameroon riots rescued

,Ivory Coast,(firing live bullets and tear gas) Mauritania(only since Nov of 07 but laso recently protesting Dansih cartoons), Ethiopia(187 civilians  dead and the city centre deserted..in 2005 due to elections not hunger), Madagascar(recently hit by a cyclone), the Philippines and Indonesia.

 ".. doubling of food prices over the last three years could potentially push 100 million people in low-income countries deeper into poverty,"

 “It is a crime against humanity” says Dominique Strauss-Kahn, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, to focus on fuel without having solved the food problem. (Fuel from ethanol? or oil-derived?)

As a response to  the emergency amount of 500 million needed immediately, President Bush has ordered an estimated $200 million in emergency U.S. food assistance for global relief efforts and to help relieve political instability in some regions.

Agflation  The real costs of rising food prices

 http://www.reuters.com/news/globalcoverage/agflation

 

 - --

A group of young students in a rural mountain village in Afghanistan were given the opportunity to share a glimpse of their lives with strangers worlds away

Disposable Cameras Help Rural Afghani Students Document School Conditions

see also

 

30 Years Documenting the American Ghetto

 

Posted by mach1231 at 12:46 PM PDT

Updated: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 1:57 PM PDT

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Mood:  special

Grammy Award winner Norah Jones makes her film acting debut in 'My Blueberry Nights'

My Blueberry Nights is a romantic road film, with a young woman making a soul-searching trip across America. Wong Kar Wai’s debut English language feature had him travelling across the U.S scouting for locations and he settled on New York City, parts of Nevada and Los Angeles and Mephis, Tenn. for the film.

The song playing during the trailer (YouTube below) is Cat Power whom for performance Variety Magazine has reffered to as 'Celine Dion-esque in its professionalism'

Cat Power was actually recommended by Norah for the film as the director is known for "meticulously selecting the songs on his soundtracks and using popular music as a major underlining motif."

Once I wanted to be the greatest
No wind or waterfall could stall me
And then came the rush of the flood
Stars of night turned deep to dust

For the later parade

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kac_uSP_pJY

Cat also sings a cover of Rolling Stones 'Satisfaction' so well she gets Mick Jagger jealous.. 

Cat Power (aka Chan pronounced "Shan" Marshall)..fills auditoriums from San Francisco to Paris, and she's sold nearly 200,000 copies of her last two albums alone.

Her celebrity fanbase includes Dave Grohl and, reportedly, Sir Elton John.

"Cat Power attracts the type of devotees who feel they know Marshall personally. Fan letters credit her with forestalling suicides, and she has at least one stalker in France, where she's appeared on national television and on the cover of a major music magazine alongside Fiona Apple. ("She kept saying she had a gift from God, and I kept looking at her, thinking, 'You are fucked-up,'" Marshall says.)  " - Spin Magazine, Feb//2001 Year of the Cat

  

In the YouTube video below, a clip from the movie in which she has  small part and get to act, her song is playing in the background as well but was edited in for the clip and is not a part of the show in theatres

 - -

Melt me down
Into big black armour
Leave no trace of grace
Just in your honor
Lower me down
To culprit south
Make 'em wash
The space in town
For the lead and the dregs
Of my bed i've been sleepin'
Lower me down
Pin me in
Secure the grounds
For the later parade

Once I wanted to be the greatest
Two fists of solid rock
With brains that could explain
Any feeling
Lower me down
Pin me in
Secure the grounds
For the lead and the dregs of my bed
I was sleepin'
For the later parade

Once I wanted to be the greatest
No wind or waterfall could stall me
And then came the rush of the flood
Stars of night turned deep to dust

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzKDMRzIOSs 

 Live in New York

Posted by mach1231 at 11:58 PM PDT

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Canadian television consumers have more than twice as many programming choices as the UK, three times as many as France and more than 10 times as many as the U.S., the world's media powerhouse.

--

Less is more. 

Late last night while channel surfing, I noticed  one particular film was played on five different times on five different channels..the same film: one night, five different channels, five different time slots...

I wont mention the name of the film but its title was 'Die Another Day'

Posted by mach1231 at 10:32 AM PDT

Updated: Sunday, April 20, 2008 9:14 PM PDT

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Japan Goes 3-D with New TV and Broadcasts

Tokyo shoppers can now watch 3-D TV content with Hyundai It Japan's E465 3-D TV, debuting in stores for a measly $4,980.

(Didn't take me long but sure enough found one on Craigslist for the same price ) 

But as for the TV, I think they are going to start calling it "ir-reality" TV it ever hops across the shores. 

  - - 

Not far behind the land that gave us Rogan and Godzilla, 'Monsters vs Aliens' is  movie produced in 3-D technology slated for release in March 2009. So says Wired. And with that one among the 10 major studio 3-D releases skedded for 2009, some people are predicting a hard time in transition if certain industry players dont lead the bunch. Steven Spielberg for one.

But I can hardly see 3-d being a main problem with Spielberg, in fact, hes already promising to produce via DreamWorks the Japanese manga "Ghost in the Shell" .....with plans to adapt the futuristic police thriller as a 3-D live-action feature.

Starting next year, Disney plans to make ALL of its animated movie in 3-D.  No more 2-D for you.

But hey betcha didnt know Sylvester Stallone has already been in a big buget 3-D action movie.

---

Here is something truly visionary.... 

ladies and gentleman the uses are only limited by the imagination 

first use that comes to my mind is shopping.

Seeing will be dis-believing.

http://www.tdvision.com

And yet another: immersive video. Scroll left and right 360 in the video

http://www.immersivemedia.com//index.php 

I came up with with this one I created my self (only I know how to do it :)

 Happy viewing...but I my self do not have 3-d viewing glasses. Heh! Its not Hannah Montana heh heh heh

 Up next? Yes, a 3-Dcamera.

Posted by mach1231 at 8:18 PM PDT

Updated: Monday, April 14, 2008 9:28 PM PDT

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