Half-Human/Half-Dogs?

Looks real doesn't it?

"The Young Family" by Patricia Piccinini


"The Young Family" by Patricia Piccinini


"The Young Family" by Patricia Piccinini

"The Young Family" by Patricia Piccinini   
      
          Is anyone as creaped out by these images as I am? It's actually not what you might be thinking. “The Young Family” is part of a series devoted to genetic engineering, tradition and our potential metamorphoses as result of rapid scientific and social change.These creatures were designed by Patricia Piccinini  and created by teams of sculptors, painters and upholsterers.  Beyond the mind-boggling technical aspects of her mixed media installations, Piccinini focuses on questioning science, humanity’s fading sense of acceptable reality and the discrepancies between physical and emotional beauty.

         The sculpture puts on public display all the physical attributes denied in the days of plastic surgery, airbrushes and full-body waxes – fat, wrinkles, moles hairs and bumps. Their owner has her hands and feet curled up on themselves and lies in a semi-fetal position of defense and vulnerability, suggesting a kind of withdrawal from this display. At the same time, her humane demeanor and maternal generosity make these fleshly imperfections [for that is how we are socialized to see them] seem less important than acceptance and inclusiveness. Piccinni calls her “beautiful”, saying “she is not threatening, but a face you could love, and a face inloved with her family.


References:
http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/wearefamily/index.php?sec=yf&pg=01&sub=
http://coilhouse.net/2008/11/

CHOCOLATE SLAVERY IN THE IVORY COAST

                     Enslavement of children In the Ivory Coast

    

        The truth behind chocolate is not-so-sweet. The Ivory Coast is the world's largest cocoa producer, providing 43% of the world's cocoa. And yet, in 2001 the U.S. State Department reported child slavery on many cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast. A 2002 report from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture about cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast and other African countries estimated there were 284,000 children working on cocoa farms in hazardous conditions. U.S. chocolate manufacturers have claimed they are not responsible for the conditions on cocoa plantations since they don't own them.

        
        Chocolate comes from cocoa, and the cocoa supply is controlled by a small number of companies worldwide that are allowed to function with limited accountability. Hershey's and M&M/Mars alone control two-thirds of the $13 billion U.S. chocolate candy market. The result? An industry marred with child slavery, unsafe working conditions and a cycle of poverty with no end in sight for cocoa farmers. Chocolate companies are not held accountable for sourcing practices, and despite their knowledge about the travesties that occur on cocoa farms, they lack the will to change. due to the latter sobering fact, more children are being abducted as slaves in the production of Chocolate for the Western world. Ivory Coast, being the biggest cocoa producer in the world, also has one of the highest rates of child labour in the world (as shown in the above YouTube video).

References:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49bRA_0Z6o4&feature=player_embedded#at=13

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/the_bitter_trut.php 

Turmoil in Japan- Earthquake,Tsunami, Nuclear Crisis

March – 11 – 2011 was a scary day especially for the Japanese Nation when an 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan with massive aftershocks. This was the fifth highest magnitude earthquake in history. The earthquake has not caused much destruction but the destruction was done by the resulting tsunami flood  caused by the earthquake. This flood has cost Japan Billions of Dollars and has taken the lives of many of its inhabitants. More than that, the situation gets worse as the massive earthquake and following tsunami crippled a nuclear power station, raising the risk of uncontrolled radiation. Radioactivity levels are soaring in seawater near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan's nuclear safety agency said on Saturday, two weeks after the nuclear power plant was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami. The nuclear crisis has added to the misery and uncertainty facing Japan in the wake of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami.

Below are photos showing the devastating results of Japan's earthquakes and tsunami.

"It's astonishing how powerful nature's vagaries are compared to even  the most advanced of mankind's civilizations."

References:

http://www.tiptoptens.com/2011/03/14/10-japan-earthquake-pictures-tsunami-flood-photos/

http://af.reuters.com/article/energyOilNews/idAFL3E7EF28320110326

Lady Gaga- Fashionista or Fraud?



Lady Gaga- "The Fame Monster"

Lina Morgana

 Lady Gaga stands to be the iconic symbol of a freakshow this generation has ever seen and is admired as such. With catchy song titles such as "The anthem of little monsters",  "Runaway", and "Money Honey", Lady Gaga has invaded the minds of all teens in the world. Whether you are a fan of hers or not, you are continuously bombarded by the lyrics of her songs which somehow seems to never leave one's mind. The most influential aspect of Lady Gaga's character, however, is not her catchy lyrics, it is her apparent sense of fashion which intrigues the minds of her "little monsters". Basically, Gaga excuses her horrible fashion sense with art. She says she doesn't want to be just another pop singer like Brittney Spears who seduces her male audience with sexy outfits and hormone-raging poses; her fashion sense is meant to make guys think: "I don’t know if this is sexy or just weird." This generation of teens is partly to blame for Gaga's fame as anyone with a strange new form of art is now considered to be an icon of this generation and is greatly admired by the teens as they now have someone with whom they can relate. Gaga has preyed on the naivety of today's teens by giving them a new and daring form of art by means of her fashion and plans to exploit them to the best of her ability as these teens are also the ones buying her albums, landing her to the top of the charts in the music industry. Lady Gaga has not only exploited the naivety of the teen mind, she has also exploited the talent of many musicians like Madonna, David Bowie and Grace Jones (having visible traces of their music and persona in her albums);The most recent of her exploits is Lina Morgana, a late indie singer. The mother of this singer  has released a very telling video to YouTube, comparing photographs of her late daughter, with rip-offs her old friend, Lady Gaga went on to release. The video shows Lady Gaga and her producer, Rob Fusari, who was Morgana's writing partner, to be complete frauds. Morgana killed herself a few years ago, by jumping off the roof of a New York hotel. A year later, Lady Gaga, released her debut and ripped-off the deceased singer's image and persona. It's very sad and pathetic, what some do to be famous.

With her exploits of today's teens as well as that of other musicians, Lady Gaga has proven to be one of the greatest frauds the music industry has ever seen; and with the support of this generation's teens, she continues to profit off her stolen music as well as her ridiculously creepy sense of fashion. No matter how the rest of the world sees her, I see her as nothing more than a fraud.

References:

http://aishamusic.blogspot.com/2010/09/lady-gaga-exposed-as-fraud.html 

http://backseatcuddler.com/2009/01/31/lady-gaga-explains-her-ridiculous-fashion-sense/