Jean Shin's art

Jean Shin is "recognized for her monumental installations that transform everyday objects into elegant expressions of identity and community. For each project, she amasses vast collections of a particular object—prescription pill bottles, sports trophies, sweaters—which are often sourced through donations from individuals in a participating community. These intimate objects then become the materials for her conceptually rich sculptures, videos and site-specific installations. Distinguished by her meticulous, labor-intensive process, and her engagement of community, Shin’s arresting installations reflect individuals’ personal lives as well as collective issues that we face as a society." I loved the vinyl work "The sound of Wave", top right, with the vinyl records, recreating Hokusai's famous wave. The TEXTile installation, 2006, is a "fabric" created with 22.526 recycled keycaps with a keyboard at one end and the text at the other. You can see it clearly here.

I'm an alien: ramblings on a rainy Saturday

Just a reminder that this is where I am geographically. Sometimes I cannot help thinking how little Brazil is known by many and how it hurts to hear "now our jobs are going to Brazil." as if it was an explanation. 
I wonder what do Chinese think when they hear it, and I met Chinese people two years ago that hated the same phrase.
Karoshi is a Japanese word for "death from overwork". I never bought at Wall-Mart and will never do.
Mexicans are also to blame for the job crisis. Work for peanuts is understood as a choice people do: "When I grow up I want to work as a slave. Yippee! Yippee!"
One of the many stories I have was an American that once told me: 
"You know, I was amazed that you said you know James Joyce being a Brazilian."
This man is a writer so he is part of a certain elite. The conversation kept going and I told him how I like Lawrence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, that influenced one of our most important nineteen century writers, and he didn't know Lawrence Sterne.
I also mention a couple of writers from Ireland and England that he also didn't know. But what does this man think that Brazilian cities are?
By looking at the map and considering the area of this country the conclusion is obvious: there is a lot of regional differences and just by taking into consideration the city we are born we know that there are different groups of people according to different criteria I don't want to mention now.
I am getting in touch with many Americans lately because what happens in US affect us all and also because it is easier to talk to some Americans about certain topics that I care. 
I don't know why I started writing this post. It started when I looked at my Facebook account I finally noticed that I have only one Brazilian friend that is a virtual friend I met in 2005.
I started blogging in English about the pharmaceutical industry in 2008 because all my research was in English and only Americans and British people are fighting to raise awareness about the medicine bad practice.
I met amazing people doing a great job.
As it is a very hard topic and many times I got angry or sad because it is very difficult to see not a single change and things getting worse instead I decided to start this blog that was only about art and culture and good things people do in institutions or great initiatives... but all of a sudden I got involved with the US foreign politics and it's capability of spreading horror all over the world, and, now with the movement Occupy Wall Street.
Sometimes I feel like an alien at the internet and I blame it on my citizenship: "Ana, that Brazilian?" is how I'm remembered.
Funny because when you are living in another country as I lived in the eighties it is not mention because you are face to face talking with your accent doing the gestures with your hands that are not local so it is not that necessary to remind others that you're an alien. What people knew about Brazil was the horrors of some few headlines.
When I feel an alien in my own country I blame it on my agenda.
Guess it's hard to feel home when one has lots of concerns and cares too much.
The most strange is that I would not feel comfortable having a blog in my own language but I'll spare you the details.

Brazilian vibes to "Occupy Wall Street": Alceu Valença's FM Disobedience

Today Occupy Wall Street will demonstrate in 851 cities around in 81 countries. Manifesters at New York were told by Mayor Bloomberg that they will be arrested if they keep at Liberty Square and since yesterday the occupiers are at the square to keep the movement going.

Today will be an important day for OWS so I decided to share this rhythm of Alceu Valença's song FM Rebeldia.

I did chose this picture because of the flower. OWS is a pacific movement and you have this link at the site: Click here to learn nonviolent tactics for holding ground.

Like the hippies? I think that all what is being said at the mainstream media to put the movement in disbelief should not be taken seriously.

Yes, what the good side of many historical protest movements and why not remember the hippies that believed flowers could stop the war?

This is a great symbol.

Music unites people so I though about giving this little help and chose this song because it talks about the poor people that live in the hill, slungs, coming down to conquer their space. It's rhythm is amazing and I dare you not to want to move any part of your body.

It is influenced by samba. Alceu Valença was influenced by pop, rock, music from the north of Brazil, blues, jazz... it would be easier to name the music that didn't help him creating his amazing and unique style. I did a not very good translation just to share.

FM Rebeldia by Alceu Valença  Um dia eu tive um sonho Que havia começado a grande guerra  Entre o morro e a cidade  E o meu amigo Melodia  Era o Comandante-em-Chefe Da primeira bateria Lá do morro de São Carlos  Ele falava, eu entendia  Você precisa escutar a rebeldia  Pantera Negra, FM Rebeldia  Transmitindo da Rocinha Primeiro comunicado  O pão e circo e o poder da maioria  Um país em harmonia  Com seu povo alimentado E era um sonho ao som  De um samba tão bonito  Que quase não acredito  Eu não queria acordar  Pantera Negra, FM Rebeldia  Transmitindo da Rocinha Primeiro comunicado  Um dia desses...  Alguém falava, eu entendia  Nós precisamos conviver em harmonia Ele falava, eu entendia  Você precisa escutar a rebeldia  Pantera Negra, FM Rebeldia  Transmitindo da Rocinha Primeiro comunicado  O pão e circo e o poder da maioria  O país bem poderia  Ter seu povo alimentado

Disobedience FM by Alceu Valença  One day I had a dream  That the great war Between the hill and the city had started  And my friend Melodia  He was the Commander in Chief Of the first battery There on the hill of San Carlos  He spoke, I understood  You need to listen to disobedience   Black Panther, Disobedience FM  Transmitting from Rocinha, first release  The bread and circuses the power of the majoriy  A country in harmony  With it's people fed  And it was a dream with the sound of  A samba so beautiful  That I could hardly believe  I did not want to wake up  Black Panther, Disobedience FM  Transmitting from Rocinha first release  One of these days...  Someone spoke, I understood  We need to live in harmony  He spoke, I understood  You need to listen to disobedience  Black Panther, Disobedience FM  Transmitting from Rocinha, first release  The bread and circuses, the power of the majority The country could well  Have it's people fed

If you did click at the video, are you standstill?

Funny Cats

This post is dedicated to Susan whose cat is a dearly friend of my dog. We are suspicious that when we are sleeping they both talk to each other over Skype.

Breaking news: Dogs fight for their internet rights

By Ana

Rio de Janeiro, Thu, October 13

(ABCDEFG Press)

Inspired by the Egypt revolution, but with no connection to any US government organization, dogs from all over the world started blogging to fight for their internet rights.

The mastermind of the movement is a a setter whose owner is out of town.

At their agenda is the end of Dogbook for "this is only a way our owners found to gossip about us" said Golden, based in US, in an interview.

Top priority of the agenda are dog's pictures spread all over the internet.

Billy, from Australia, in an exclusive interview, said:

"We are tired of being portrayed in baskets as defenseless beings just to please humans. We don't want to be seen as cute animals to make human beings happy. No more ribbons in our heads or pictures showing us doing human activities. We have our dignity and it is about time to let us be what we really are."

A blogger that doesn't want to reveal his identity said that a protest that will be taken place at The Barking Square is being organized.

(Editing by Sue Wellington)

Veterinary aims profit just like medicine

Last week I said that my dog would have surgery but it was cancelled.

As I know what medicine is doing to human beings so I started searching for veterinary and it is the same: money speaks louder than health.

I am suspicious about the vet and will have to find someone for a second opinion.

I am very frustrated, sad and angry* because it is outrageous to live in a era where you cannot trust health professionals.

When greed is above health I don't know...

Be careful when your pet needs treatment and don't give them vaccines because the side effects are also not informed just the way medicine is doing to humans.

Update:

* I'm very, very angry!!!!!

Update: 10/13, 2011

I went to another vet and I was right. She has one tumor on her head and others at her body but the only one that needs to be removed is the one on the head.

She is already 12 years-old and the other tumors must not be removed because it would cause an imbalance that would make other tumors appear.

The anesthesia will be a light one that last only for the time of the surgery.

Bottom line: trust your instincts and ask for a second opinion whenever you feel that something is not right.

We usually think that we are being judgmental and it is all in our heads.

No! There are good and bad professionals and our instincts work very well in revealing the bad ones once we have the knowledge that medicine and veterinary don't care about health.

Search for the good ones.

Slavoj Zizek at Occupy Wall Street

I'm amazed by the silence of intellectuals that are failing in doing any kind of anti-establishment activism but I just found out that the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek has been at Occupy Wall Street last Sunday.

He is one of the few that are active and I want to thank him for that. What I like the most about him is exactly what some people don't like: his passion and his inquietude.

I hope that his action helps others to see the importance of guiding the new generation in having a better future. Slavoj is very charismatic and I attribute that to his life experiences. It seems he learned from all he has been through not only intellectually and I don't think he would be satisfied with an academical life.

He would not be happy claiming "I support Occupy Wall Street" in a five minutes video sat on a table with a bookshelf behind him. He went to the Liberty Plaza and spoke to the youth.

He wrote articles using a pen-name criticizing his own book and a book that didn't exist. Read here Robert Boynton's article if you want to know more about Slavoj Zizek.

The two videos and the transcription of what he said is at Occupy Wall Street. I will copy this story he told in part one:

"A guy was sent from East Germany to work in Siberia. He knew his mail would be read by censors. So he told his friends: Let’s establish a code. If the letter you get from me is written in blue ink , it is true what I said. If it is written in red ink, it is false. After a month his friends get a first letter. Everything is in blue. It says, this letter: everything is wonderful here. Stores are full of good food. Movie theaters show good films from the West. Apartments are large and luxurious. The only thing you cannot buy is red ink.

This is how we live. We have all the freedoms we want. But what we are missing is red ink. The language to articulate our non-freedom. The way we are taught to speak about freedom war and terrorism and so on falsifies freedom. And this is what you are doing here: You are giving all of us red ink."

Slavoj Zizek

We need red ink!

Fail Romanian police and media headline funny fails

"Action takes place in Bucharest (Romania).Police were on the trail of suspects for financial fraud. They took loans from banks with false documents." Uploaded by lucio8800 in 02/08/2011.

I have this video at my draft collection since August and I still did not published because I was not sure if it was "sharing worthy".It still make's me laugh so... there it goes with some of of the comments people are leaving at YouTube:

"They should have got 2 pretty ladies to knock on the door first."

"Where do i get one of these doors?"

"We need backup, the door is hostile"

"i bet the guy with the camera is like:"this is so going on youtube""

"'knock knock. Whos there.`?'"

"Then the suspect came around the corner, and asked the police what they were doing to his door."

"where to buy ?"

"Haha, imagine if it was the wrong door!"

"police "0" door "1":)"

"best door lock commercial ever!!!"

""Crap we got the wrong door""

"guys forgot their donuts inside^^"

"chuck norris would kick them down in one try."

"Russian burglars open it in under 3 minutes..."

"did they try knocking?"

"If the carpenter who installed this door is watching this - just leave your phone number."

"grab a fucking axe ;) he probably had time to get a drink, delete evidence and escape ;)"

The left Fail is a bonus.

Bernard Henry-Levy: What happened to French philosophy?

Never, never I could think of such an absurd as the way Bernard Henry-Levy - he claims to be a philosopher but he is more a war diplomat that has blood in his hands - did all he could to promote the Libyan invasion.

It is is not the first time that the millionaire philosopher behaves like a war monger.

My biggest concern is not BHL as the French refers to him. I want to know how can it be that the French philosophers keep silent not only in relation to BHL but to what is happening to the world.

Of course there are some intellectuals raising their voices but the French philosophy that had a powerful anti-establishment voice some decades ago is hiding or dead, I don't know.

There would be no room for a man like BHL in France because he would never dare being a war monger feeling the breath of real philosophers on his neck.

Now we have a French philosopher that promotes crimes against humanity and nobody seems to see how serious it is or little effort is done to take the "philosopher status" from someone that should be recognized as a politician or a journalist, of the mainstream media, a lobbyist but never an activist.

Surely, what he does is not related to philosophy. Bernard Henry-Levy a war monger that has blood in his hand. blood of people who are murdered or tortured in crimes against humanity. This is outrageous.

I need encouragement

I'm trying to learn to play acoustic guitar again. This is the third time in my life I try and I don't wanna quit.

I'm just writing this post to commit myself not to stop again. They say the exercise above must be practice everyday for a while.

I need support! Help! It is so boring at the beginning!

Ken Foster great sketches

I just went to Ken Foster's blog to search for a match for the right picture and it is not online. I don't know what happened and as I have some of his works saved I decided to share the left one "Boy".

Remember that Ken's work is a journal so you have to click at the right picture if you want to read.

I hope his blog comes back soon for his work is amazing.

Update: 10/10/2011

Ken's blog is back.

Quietness is blue

Blue is the color I think when I need quietness and is my favorite color.

I found this work "Quiet Night" by Vlad Geresimov, a Russian graphic designer, and it expresses the state of mind I want for today. I hope you can quiet your mind for some time too.

Tribute to Anna Politkovskaya: Fifth anniversary of assassination

Five years ago Anna was shot dead when entering the building of her apartment: " ...the pro-Kremlin premier of Chechnya." Yaroshevsky noted, according to the Times, that "a Makarov 9-millimeter pistol had been dropped at her side, the signature of a contract killing."* .

I want to remember her as the great journalist and woman she was.

The video shows her working always with the passion, commitment in search for justice.

I have publish some posts about Anna Politkovskaya and the first post I published at this blog was this one about her with this quote:

"...I want to be able to live the life of a human being, where every individual is respected, in my lifetime."

Anna Politkovskaya

According to International Freedom Exchange 300 Russians journalists were killed between 1993 to 2010.

* source: "The Chicago Blog"

2011 Nobel Prize in Literature

Tomas Tranströmer, a Swedish poet, is the winner. The explanation: "He was awarded the prize because "through his condensed, translucent images, he gives us fresh access to reality."

______________________________________________________________________

Wordless Thursday

Cat, dogs and clouds

My dog will have surgeries next week to remove two tumors. These pictures

are dedicated to her. The right one seems to be a photoshop but it is a beautiful artificial pareidolia.

The left one... is it also a photoshop? I don't know. I found both without the name of the authors.

Photophop or not I like both. Have a great Tuesday and if you have a cat or dog I hope s/he is in good health and you too.

Rain by Oswaldo Goeldi

The right picture, "Rain", 1957, is a

woodcut by the Brazilian artist Oswaldo Goeldi.
 I love his work and I have

a reproduction of this woodcut.

When I found the photography on the left, I didn't find the author, I felt like doing this post.

When they smile this way 2...

They are so powerful that there is nothing left to say. They remind us who are the rulers

of the world.

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Gustav Klimt beyond The Kiss 2

Gustav Klimt strikes again. There has been some posts about

him but this time I would like you just to look without any words,

not even the title, to guide your eyes. Just feel.

Have a great Sunday.

Anna Politkovskaya in love

As I wrote at this post I'm doing a tribute to Anna Politkovskaya. This is a very beautiful moment of peace in Anna's life. She speaks one minute and her smile is so beautiful!

Woman: "Many thanks to you Anya! You are like the dove of peace for us. Poems are written about you. Chechen women pray for you."

Anna: "I'm deeply grateful." Actually I just got back from Norway where I fell in love. So the whole way back I was dreaming about a possible future for us." 

Woman: "You fell in love?"

Anna: "Absolutely!"

Woman: "No kidding!'

Anna: "Head over heel at first sight! I would never have thought this could happen to me. My entire life, I've never felt as good as I do now. Even going to Chechnya, no matter how dreadful it is, I somehow feel inspired, not burdered, as I always do."