Optical Illusions...

These can all be found on Yahoo.

There are obviously way more than the select few that I have here, but these are the ones that amused me today.

Perfectly parallel lines. 

Can you see the man? 

Coming or Going? 

This place actually exists, apparently, at 39 Avenue George V in Paris.

And, this is my personal favourite. It is an optical illusion that shows a president where one does not really exist (it really is a photo of an empty chair and a microphone).

The Jackson Three?

The Jackson Three to follow the Jackson Five?

Joe Jackson who had a really poor relationship with his own son, the recently departed King of Pop (aka Michael), has been on television suggesting that Michael Jackson's three children: Prince Michael, Paris, and Prince Michael II (aka Blanket) are already showbiz material with the potential to carry on their father's legacy.

This is troubling to me. These kids were never going to have normal childhoods anyway, but these kind of ramblings by Joe Jackson on Good Morning America are exactly the reason these kids need to be looked after by someone else. This someone has to be someone that has the childrens' best interests at heart rather than some grand plan of their own to exploit these youngsters for all they are worth.

It seems that Paris, at least according to Joe, is already ready to do something in showbiz. It is said that Blanket can dance. And, that Prince Michael is already lining up a virtual duet with his dad in the Natalie Cole / Nat King Cole way.

This is not the only rumour doing the rounds. It is thought that the children are going to do a special birthday concert to honour their dad on what would have been his 51st birthday.

I just hope that someone sees the light. These kids need to be given every opportunity to have a life that is as normal as can be. I hope that they are not robbed of their childhoods like their father was.

Favourite Movies

One of my all time favourite movies is Chariots of Fire. I have a few favourites, in terms of movies, if one can have more than one favourite? I love the Vangelis soundtrack, I have always found the soundtrack to be inspirational and load it onto all things that play music and it is therefore on my iPod. The movies is a favourite because it is a feel good film but one with a message. Despite the liberties that have been taken with some of the facts, which I could list but won't (no need to bore you with the detail).

Many might argue that there is a Christian message to be had in the film, but I think the message is a much broader one; it is one of principles and commitment to an outcome and perhaps even a criticism of the anti-semitic behaviours of the time.

I admire people who know what their principles are and are able to stick to them no matter what the personal cost. I truly believe in karma and that sticking to your principles will ultimately be rewarded. I know that sticking to my guns (or principles) has cost me in the past and will undoubtedly cost me again in the future. Yet, there are some things that just have to be done.

Life is undoubtedly what we make it, so it rings true that the power comes from within, whether you attribute this to a God or some other power then so be it. However, if it makes you a better person then what can possibly be wrong with that.

The above portrait is of Eric Liddell, the Flying Scotsman.

Vangelis' soundtrack can be found below:



And of Eric Liddell's 400m race:



Enjoy!

Monopoly World Version -- Sydney Rules!

Monopoly was one of the board games that I really enjoyed playing as a kid. It is probably because I was born into a family of competitive siblings in which no quarter was ever given. Perhaps I just enjoyed grinding my younger brother and sister into the make believe financial abyss.

The world version of the game is set to be released on 26 August. However, most everyone knows what cities made the cut and it is now time for the 22 cities that did to enjoy some bragging rights. Sydney is the only Australian city to make the grade. This is a point that the increasingly unpopular Premier of NSW has been making over the last 24 hours or so. It is sad that the Premier has to resort to a board game to try and revive his flagging popularity.

It is interesting that Sydney has ranked alongside New York and London. Interesting, not because it does not deserve to be there, but rather it could have been in so many other possible combinations. The 22 successful cities were chosen after a vote conducted in 58 countries throughout the world and more than five million votes were cast.

The cities that made the cut are Montreal, Riga, Capetown, Belgrade, Paris, Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, New York, Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome, Toronto, Kyiv (Kiev), Istanbul, Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo, Taipei, Gdynia (Gdansk), and Sydney.

The World Edition includes some changes to the monopoly of old that we used to play as kids. The main changes are that the homes and hotels reflect architectural themes and icons from the cities included. There is also a new currency but hopefully it is not the Euro.

The 22 cities:

Dark blue - Montreal, Riga

Green - Capetown, Belgrade, Paris

Yellow - Jerusalem, Hong Kong, Beijing

Red - London, New York, Sydney

Orange - Vancouver, Shanghai, Rome

Magenta - Toronto, Kyiv (Kiev), Istanbul

Light blue - Athens, Barcelona, Tokyo

Brown - Taipei, Gdynia (Gdansk)

Louis Vuitton and Darfur

It would seem that Louis Vuitton has its knickers in a knot, or perhaps a better analogy would be its handbags turned inside out, with a t-shirt that is destined to do big business in Internet sales. Nadia Plesner, a Danish activist with an interest in the ongoing conflict and unfolding tragedy that is Darfur, has produced a t-shirt that has the image of a starving little black boy holding a Louis Vuitton bag and interestingly cradling a little dog that very much resembles the mutt that Paris Hilton has.

The Louis Vuitton bag is obviously a trademarked design and legally cannot be used without permission of the owners of the trademark. Well, this is the claim of Louis Vuitton anyway. I wonder if Paris Hilton has thought about trademarking her dog in some way. I wonder if it is even possible? Because when I first looked at the image I recognized the dog and thought how Paris Hilton is that. I guess I am not a fashionista because although I saw the bag I did not immediately recognize it as a Louis Vuitton. besides I don't have the money to be buying Louis Vuitton bags, except for some much cheaper imitation version, anyway.

Louis Vuitton has won an injunction in a Parisian Court to stop Plesner from selling the t-shirts, but in true activist style Plesner has refused to comply with the order. This has compelled Louis Vuitton to up the ante and take further legal action to force compliance. Apparently, there is a meeting scheduled for 30 May between Plesner and the Louis Vuitton executives to thrash out a compromise.

One would think that this is a no brainer for Louis Vuitton, you simply would not want your product to be associated with the violence and suffering in Darfur in this way. If Louis Vuitton was to compromise and allow the image then it would seem that this is another case where dollars trumps common sense. Simply, the picture says to me that Western Nations and big businesses are complicit in the violence and suffering in Darfur and Sudan, and are making money off of the suffering of our fellow human beings. does Louis Vuitton really want to make its money this way.

Interestingly, Plesner says that she already has 4000 orders for the t-shirt and posters with the image. T-shirts are selling at USD 53 and posters at USD 20 so it is a nice little revenue raiser with the profits going to the Divest for Darfur campaign.

Clearly something needs to be done in Darfur and Sudan with more than 200,000 people already killed and more than 2.5 million made homeless. As human beings we cannot sit idly by as our brothers and sisters are suffering in such terrible circumstances. So, in that sense a USD 50 t-shirt or a USD 20 poster seems like a pretty good contribution. If I was the lawyer that was representing Louis Vuitton then my advice would be to make a donation to the Divest for Darfur campaign and buy the rights to the design from Plesner. This might be a public relations winner rather than a nightmare.

I am awaiting Plesner's next project which supposedly involves a take -off of the Little Miss series and involves Little Miss becoming Little Miss Child Prostitute. Plesner is an activist on a mission!

Sexual Violence and Films

A story out of France appears to provide some vindication to those people that advocate there is a connection between the violence and sex that children watch and their behaviour. The argument that we should enact laws that protect our children from sex and violence has been raging for some time. Those advocating restrictions and bans are not just looking at TV and film but also violent video games that seem to glorify gratuitous violence and mayhem.

Back to France. It seems that an 11 year old boy had watched a porno flick with his 12 year old mate and his sister! After having watched this skin flick it was decided that they would try and reproduce some of the scenes. The news reports do not indicate how old the sister was. Presumably, the re-enactments were perpetrated on the sister!

In an era of modern technology, it seems that every kid has a mobile phone. What's more these pieces of equipment are sophisticated and generally include camera and video features. The two boys decided that this was worth filming and decided to film the re-enactment.

It then turns out that having filmed the events as they unfolded it would be silly not to show it at school to all 100 or so of their closest friends. This is one of those "dumb and dumber" moments as the more people you tell the more likely your story is to be uncovered. I guess you do not think about these things when you are 11 or 12.

The boys are getting psychological counselling and apparently under French law they cannot be jailed for their "re-enactment" . However, they can be sentenced apparently to some kind of community service or control order.