Humans Of New York

New York City is one of the biggest cities in whole world. It is along with London the only city categorized as an A++ city. It is a city of migration, a symbol for the American Melting Pot. Barely any other city has such a huge number of inhabitants from different cultural and social backgrounds. So, have you ever wondered what the people living there are like? I can show you a way to figure that out without even having to leave your room. 

Humans of New York is a tumblr photography blog. Its owner tours through New York City every day and takes pictures of people he meets on the streets. He also has short conversations with them. He later posts the photos on the blog along with snippets of their conversations – something he found interesting in them.

The blog was launched in 2010 by Brandon Stanton. He had worked as a bond trader at Gambit Trading LLC in Chicago until he lost his job in July 2010. Subsequently he decided to move to New York, where he started taking pictures. Originally, he wanted to turn his hobby into his profession and become a photographer. After starting to take random pictures of people on the streets, he however realized that dream differently than planned. He began to put the pictures on a map of the city and started to blog about it. He started to have short conversations with them, however, and found out that many of them had something interesting to tell. So, he put quotes from their conversations below the pictures, which received a great response on their Facebook page. That's the way it has been until today.

Today, the HONY facebook page has over 11 million followers and the tumblr blog has over 400,000. In 2013, the first book based on the blog has been released and was highly successful. It reached number 1 position on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers of 2013 list. In 2014, it was followed by Little Humans, which focuses on the children of New York.

The pictures were not only taken in New York, however. Stanton also took various journeys around the world and blogged about the people he met along the way. In 2012, he spent two weeks in Iran. In April 2013, after the Boston Marathon bombings, he traveled in said city and interviewed people there. This year, in 2014, he did a 50 day "World Tour" into 12 different countries. These counties included Iraq, Jordan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Vietnam and Mexico.

As usual, I put together some links. Check them out below!

http://www.humansofnewyork.com

https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

http://instagram.com/humansofny

#BlackLivesMatter

Even though it's christmas time right now and I probably should write about cookies and christmas traditions and hideous sweaters, I'm about to make a post about the #BlackLivesMatter movement. I already talked about some of the many protests going on this year, so this is practically a follow up post. Also, this is super relevant right now as they held a huge protest in the Mall Of America over the weekend. But I'll come back to that later.

Source: blacklivesmatter.com

What is #BlackLivesMatter?

#BlackLivesMatter is an American black civil rights movements. It was created in 2012 after the black teenager Trayvon Martin was shot by the neighbourhood watch coordinator of the gated community the high school student was temporary living in. George Zimmerman, Martin's murderer, was charged for second degree murder and manslaughter but walked free in the end. (more information about the case). The aquittal sparked off lots of rage and a huge controversy. Subsequently, #BlackLivesMatter was formed.

#BlackLivesMatter in 2014

This year the movement was especially active as there have been three highly controversial murders of black men in 2014. All of them led to mass protests all around the world. To clear things up a bit, I'll try to shortly introduce the cases to you. I'm sure you've heard all of their names before: Mike Brown, Tamir Rice and Eric Garner.

Mike Brown's case has to be the most famous and discussed this year. The 18-year-old was shot back in August by a police officer in Ferguson, MO. His indiction sparked off huge protests and riots not only in his hometown but also in the rest of the world (e.g. New York, Peking).

"Hands up! Don't shoot!"

Source: blacklivesmatter.com

Tamir Rice was the second reported victim of a white police officer this year. The 12-year-old got shot for playing with a BB gun in Cleveland, OH about a month ago in November. This case was especially disputed not only because of the victims young age but also because of a later publiziated emergency call. In said call it was stated that the gun was "probably fake".

Source: www.cleveland.com

Lastly, Eric Garner: The 43 year old father of six was strangeld by a policeman in New York back in July. The policemen wanted to arrest him for allegedly selling single cigarettes. One of the policemen used a chokehold on him, which is a violation of the New York City Police Department policy. He died after stating that he couldn't breath for eleven times. 

"I can't breath!"

Source: www.nydailynews.com

None of the above perpetrators were indicted, which enraged the public even more. This does not mean that they were acquitted (set free), but that they were not even charged of a crime. 

Christmas Demonstration in the Mall Of America 

A few days ago, on December 20th, 2014 #BlackLivesMatter protestors filled the Mall Of America. About 10 minutes in the Mall Of America announced that the demonstration was not authorized and requested the protestors to leave. Most of them did so after about half an hour peacefully while others took to the shopping area, occupying several levels and staging a small die-in. The demonstrators shut down parts of the mall. While still being inside the mall, the protestors were chanting various slogans such as  "While you're on shopping spree, black people cannot breath!" and "No justice, no peace".

Check out a video of it below:

If you want to find out more about the movement, there's a link to their website below: http://blacklivesmatter.com

And to finish this off and maybe make you smile, here's Trevor Noah talking about the current situation in America:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

Now that I've finished all of my exams for 2014 and managed to get all of my christmas shopping done, I'm back again. Even though it's a bit late to still put it on your christmas wish list, I'm going to tell you something about a great book today. It's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I've wanted to read that book for years now, but only actually did, after one of the people I live with had told me about how good it is. And it actually is! 

What is the book about?

The book tells the story of 15-year-old Christopher Booth, who suffers from Asperger Syndrom. He finds his neighbour's dog stabbed with a garden fork one night and decides to find the murderer. The only problem is that his father does not like him investigating. But there's got to be a way for Christopher to figure out who committed the murder anyways, hasn't there? I'm not going to tell you more about the plot. If you want to find out who killed the dog and what big family secret Christopher is going to unveil, you'll have to read it yourself!

What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome is a form of an autism spectrum disorder. It is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive of behaviours and interests. Affected people have trouble understanding other people's emotions and feelings. They show limited empathy for their peers and often are clumsy – not only physically but also with their choice of words. In contrast to other autism spectrum disorders, people affected by Asperger's have a relative high level of linguistic and cognitive development. They do not have as much trouble with speaking and their ability to think is basically on the same level as the one of any other person. They cannot comprehend their own or other other people's feelings whatsoever. 

Why did I like the book?

I absolutely enjoyed reading the book. It's been a while since I last finished a book that quickly. The story is told from Christopher's perspective, which makes it really engaging and refreshing to read. Mark Haddon also has a genuinely pleasant writing style and the whole story just flows nicely.

The only thing that put me a bit off in the beginning was the numbering of chapters. The first chapter is named "2" and I only was sure I didn't skip a chapter after I saw that the following chapters were 3, 5, 7 and 11. They're all named after prim numbers and that really confused me at first.

Another benefit of the book is the authors description of Christopher. I just feel like he paints a good picture of a person suffering from Asperger's. His description seemed really fitting, even though honestly, I can't really judge anything about it. My experience with people on the spectrum is next to nil. Nonetheless, there was nothing that made me think: "That's not likely at all!"

All in all, the book is worth reading and every minute and euro you spend on it is well invested. If you're looking for a detective novel with a twist or just a new and refreshing story The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is the right choice for you.

Lastly, for all the people living in Graz: In January 2015 there are going to be several performances of "Supergute Tage oder Die Wunderbare Welt Des Christopher Boone" in the Next Liberty. Just in case you are interested!

This Boy Is On Fire

Today I'm going to introduce one of my favourite Youtubers to you. I'm sure you already know him, but I'm going to do it anyways. So here's some facts about danisnotonfire.

Dan Howell (left) and Phil Lester

Who is the person behind danisnotonfire?

Daniel James Howell, Dan Howell for short, is a popular English Youtuber and BBC Radio 1 presenter. In his videos, which he uploads on his personal channel danisnotonfire, he is basically talking about his life, his experiences and rants about things that upset him.

Dan was born on the 11th of June 1991 in Berkshire, England. Currently he shares a flat in London with his best friend Phil Lester, who is also a Youtuber. Dan joined Youtube in 2006, but only started to make videos actively in 2009, when he was persuaded by some of his friends. Ever since then danisnotonfire reached more than 4 million subscribers and over 270 million views.

Dan also has a second channel called danisnotinteresting, which he rarely uses and collaborates with Phil on their shared Youtube channel "The Super Amazing Project" from time to time. A few months ago they also started another channel called  DanAndPhilGAMES where they talk about video games.

In 2010, Dan started to frequent the University of Manchester to study law, but he dropped out after a year in order to become a professional vlogger.

As of January 2013, Dan and Phil have their own radio request show on BBC Radio 1, which airs every Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

In May 2013 they were voted UK's favourite Radio Presenters and winners of the Sony Golden Headphones Award for The Request Show with Dan and Phil.

Above: Cringe Attack by danisnotonfire

What makes danisnotonfire so popular?

He has no shame.

Well maybe, but seriously: I think there's many reasons why Dan has got this popular. He's funny and blunt and he doesn't look half-bad. 'Cause let's be real here, if he wasn't good-looking in some way, people would have quite a different opinion of him. Aside from that, I think what really makes him so popular is the topics he is talking about. People can relate to him. He rants about things, most people will think are annoying as well. He talks about topics that just make people think, "I know that feeling!". Yet, they wouldn't really talk about it themselves. Hearing him talk about it kind of soothes you as suddenly you know you're not the only one who feels totally awkward and socially inept sometimes. Or he just talks about fandom stuff. It's something that I feel many people – especially guys – would not talk about that openly while still actually being amusing. It makes him seem really down to earth.

...and maybe, he just makes himself look so stupid, that you can't help but feel better about yourself.

Below, you can find probably his most popular video with more than 4 million view. It's called "I Will Go Down With This Ship".

If you want to see more of his stuff, there's some links to his social media below.
Here's a link to his Youtube channel.
Here's a link to his Tumblr.
Here's a link to his Instagram. 

Have a great evening! See you!

Advertising Done Right

I just came across an ad and I thought it was one of the best commercials I have ever seen. It's the Sainsbury's 2014 Christmas Ad and it's really worth watching. Check it out below!

The best thing about it: It's based off of a true incident. You've probably already heart about the Christmas Truce of 1914 and if not, I'm going to tell you what happened.

On Christmas Eve in 1914, the first Christmas Eve of World War I, in France British and German soldiers lay in their trenches. It was freezing cold and it started to snow. Suddenly, the Germans started singing "Stille Nacht" and the Brits joint in. They sang christmas carols together. 

After a while, they even started to slowly approach each other. After one single soldier was brave enough to take the first step, all the other soldiers moved into No Man's Land as well. They exchanged christmas greetings, traded gifts like chocolate, newspapers, postcards and alcohol – not really allowed but nobody would have to know and they were already bonding with the enemy – and even had a soccer match. All of that while most of them barely understood let alone spoke the "enemy's" language.

When the generals heard of that, they had to do something. They made the soldiers resume the fighting. The recruits, however, grew so close that even though did start the shooting again but they aimed at the sky.

The Christmas Truce was never repeated. Future attempts to stop the fire on holidays were thwarted by the official's treats of disciplinary action. 


There is also a song about The Christmas Truce. It's called "Christmas On The Trenches" and it's by John McCutcheon. Here's a link to the lyrics and I put a video of John McDermott singing it below.

Happy early start of advent and have a great weekend!

And the fire obviously caught...

Here's just a little update to my last post. It's a link I just found and I thinks it's perfect for showing how many protests there have been in the States after the announcement of the grand jury's decision. I put it below. Check it out if you want to!

"13 Photos Show Tonight's Protests across America"

"Fire is Catching!

...If we burn, you burn with us!"
-Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

If you opened up one of your social media accounts recently, chances are you saw something about one of the many protest and riots happening. There are so many lately, that you could easily loose track of them. So I decided to try and make a short summary of what gets people on the streets currently.

#Ferguson

Protest flared again at the beginning of this week after it went public that Darren Wilson, the white police officer who shot 18 years old, black and unarmed Michael Brown back in August, will not be indicted.

The fact that the decision was made by a St Louis County grand jury, consisting of 9 Caucasian members and 3 African-American members, fueled the protestors' outrage even more. There have been various protests and clashes with the police for the last few days in Ferguson right after the announcement by St. Louis County prosecutor, Robert P. McCulloch. The protest, however, did not restrict to Ferguson. In many other American cities – including New York and Los Angeles – people took to the street as well.

Source: www.nytimes.com/

#Mexico

After the disappearance of 43 male students on September 26th, 2014 there have already been many protest throughout Mexico. The students are believed to have been kidnapped by corrupt police members and handed over to one of Mexico's many criminal gangs. The drug gang probably killed and burned them in a pyre of wood and tires.

The angry citizens want President Enrique Peña Nieto to resign, since the whole case shows the corruption of the country. Especially since the mayor of Iguala, where the students went missing, is alleged to have had ties to said drug gang since he assumed office.

Last Thursday more protests fell on the same date as celebration day for the 1910-17 Revolution and papers have already called the protests the new Mexican revolution.

Source:america.aljazeera.com

#London

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November...

On November 5th 2014, Guy Fawkes Day, thousands of activists and protestors gathered in London to join the annual Million Mask March in London. The protestors including Russell Brand marched through the city, many of them wearing Guy Fawkes masks. They started at the Parliament Square and made their way towards other locations such as Buckingham Palace and BBC's central studios.

The police presence was enormous. At least five people were arrested during a standoff with the police, but all in all the march went quite peacefully.

Source: www.ibtimes.co.uk

#Hong Kong

Yesterday, on November 26th, 2014, parts of the streets in Hong Kong were cleared by authorities. The streets have been blocked by thousands of protestors for the last two months, when the "Umbrella Movement" started.

It all started back in September when Beijing refused to allow universal suffrage* in 2017 in Hong Kong. The decision was followed by groups of activists camping outside the Hong Kong Government headquarters and masses of demonstrators blocking the main roads. Their demand: reform the democracy.

The protests have been on-going for the past two months. They have, however, been loosing steam. Yesterdays clearance and the arrests of about 100 people including student leader Joshua Wong is believed to reinvigorate.

*universal suffrage: every adult is allowed to vote

Source: www.bloomberg.com

#France

Last month there have been protests against the building of a controversial dam near Toulouse. The dam should be built on the cost of 40ha of forest and will mainly benefit some industrial farmers.

During a protest on the 25th of October one of the activists, Remi Fraisse, was killed. The 21-year-old was hit by a so-callled 'offensive grenade' by the police and died immediately. His death fueled the civil unrest even more. In the following days numerous protests and marches took place and the civil unrest continues on.

I hope this could give you a better overview of what's going on in the world right now. See you soon!

Devon Aoki

A few months ago I came across a drawing and was immediately fascinated by it. It was just so incredibly detailed and colourful that it stuck in my head. Said picture was Devon Aoki by Minjae Lee or Greno89, an South Korean painter and illustrator. So I thought, I'm going to tell you a bit more about him today.

Above: Devon Aoki

paper, mixed media

Source: grenomj.com

Lee Minjae is a Seoul based artist. He was born in 1989 and started to do art at the age of 17. He finished high school, but decided not to attend university in favour of becoming an professional artist. Even though he was unsure at first, now at the age of 25 he is glad about his decision. His work is well received all around the world and private collectors from all continents scramble to get one of his works. In 2013, he even was on the cover of Art Business News summer issue "Top 30 Artists in the World under 30".

Above: Kiss II

paper, mixed media

Source: grenomj.com

25-year-old Lee mainly draws with markers because of their vibrant colours. He is, however, always experimenting with various mediums. On his deviantART profile, you can find pencil drawings as well as acrylic and digital paintings.

Dramatic expressions and colours characterize Lee’s work. He mainly finds inspiration in people –primarily females–, abstract movement and colour. In an interview he mentioned, that women’s faces fascinate him because of how much emotion they show.

Above: Indian

paper, mixed media

Source: greno89.deviantart.com

The South Korean’s art work is also dominated by patterns and texture. One of the first things to catch your eye are the comprehensive designs. Because of the great detail, the drawings take rather long to finish. Greno needs between 3 to 15 days to finish an A3 marker work. Acrylic paintings require more time: between 2 weeks and a month.

The drawings and paintings also differ in size. While most of them are A3 or A4, there are some exceptionally huge ones. Check out the pictures below from a live painting event in Tel Aviv (The Castro Street Art Project). The whole drawing was done with Copic markers.

Source: design-milk.com

Source: greno89.deviantart.com

So, let's hope that we're going to see more of his art!

If this actually got you curious about him, I put a list of links to his social media accounts below.

http://www.grenomj.com
http://instagram.com/grenomj
http://greno89.deviantart.com
https://www.facebook.com/grenomj

Welcome to my blog!

So you found the blog I set up for my English course at the University of Graz. I am currently studying English and French at the department of translation and this blog is one of the projects we're going to do. Maybe you've already seen a blog of one the other students – there's a few of them floating around here!

As for my posts, there's going to be a few posts I will be required to do, but otherwise I'm free to blog about whatever I want. So maybe I'll share a recipe with you or I'll recommend a book or its something completely different. We'll see but I hope you'll enjoy it!

Also, if you wondered where my blog name came from: it was named after a song by Californian Indie artist Jhameel. It was the first song I heart by him and I fell in love with it immediately-I still am. Check it out below if you want to!