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Kazakhstan Cinema? What’s there besides Borat? He single handedly brought this country out of it’s middle of nowhere ness and brought it to the masses in a way that no one from Kazakhstan can be proud of. He doesn’t even look like he’s from there. There is a budding film industry that maybe you want to get to know a little more of, but judging by the still image on the left, they’re a ways to go. Surely there’s some gems in the mix, but it seems like a far away place and a far away chance of success, at least in the west. (Businessweek - Kazakhstan Cinema)
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If you have never heard of Tadanori Yokoo, please allow us to introduce you. He is perhaps the preeminent Japanese graphic designer of the 20th century, even though he officially retired from that business in 1981 to pursue painting. At the link, you’ll be able to feast your eyes on a series of graphic designs Yokoo did for various exhibitions and events in the late 1960s. We find these images striking, and highly original. Yet, they are also a little strange in that they are very Japanese yet also possess that sort of Haight Street/Peter Max aesthetic which was so common in graphic and promotional design during that era. Yokoo has been compared to Max, and also described as the Japanese Andy Warhol. We think these comparisons are unfair, as Yokoo’s graphic design work possesses a density and richness which work by Max and Warhol, in particular, often lack. (50 Watts blog – Yokoo Graphics Gallery)
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We can’t imagine the hassles to which photographer Eric Lafforgue must have been subjected when he traveled to North Korea to shoot photographs. And yet he did so four times between 2008 and 2010. The result is a virtual tour of over 1,100 images which Fotopedia has collected and synthesized into a free application now available for your iPhone or iPad. We’ve seen some of the images in this app, and they’re stunning. They show moments of color and happiness which one might not expect from within a country known to be so secretive, repressive and dangerous. (The Next Web – North Korea iPhone App) We originally read about this story on North Korea Tech, which is a very interesting website if you have any interest at all in knowing more about the so-called “Hermit Kingdom”. And the app itself is available for free on iTunes.
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FOLLOW-UP—It didn’t take long for the three floating officials of Huili County, China to become a very hot and very funny internet meme. At the time we posted the story about this PhotoShop disaster earlier today, it seemed as if the three Chinese men had only visited the moon and gone wading with dinosaurs. But as you’ll see at the link, they have been so much more active than that. Also at the link, you’ll be able to read a translation of the (China) Southern Metropolis Daily story about the original photo and the apology which was issued for it. It sounds like people got in some hot water for this, but we hope the memes we’ve seen and the ones to come have a humorous and non-damaging impact on the lives of the innocent guys in the original picture. (EastSouthWestNorth blog – Huili Officials’ World Tour)
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Here is your dose of cynical criminal behavior for the week. On Wednesday, Mr. Yupeng Deng of Los Angeles pleaded guilty to forming a fake U.S. Army unit in order to recruit Chinese immigrants and swindle them out of cash which he claimed would be used to secure U.S. citizenships for folks lured into the scam. Deng went so far as to create on office which duplicated an army recruiting center, and he provided his victims with uniforms and fake military IDs. To add insult to the injury of this ugly business, Deng’s original defense of his actions was to claim that everything was a misunderstanding and that his true and harmless intent was to recruit new members for a special forces division of a Salvation Army-type charitable organization, not for the actual U.S. Army. Wait, it gets better. It turns out that Deng is also going to serve part of the three-year prison term to which he pleaded for having child pornography on a computer in his fake military headquarters. So, impersonating a government official, defrauding innocent immigrants, and having a stash of kiddie porn. It just does not seem like three years for this miserable fellow is enough, does it? (WIRED Danger Room – Chinese Man’s Conduct Unbecoming)
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