CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Photo: "Elio At Dusk". Nan Goldin via Dazed Digital.

Talking children, movies and Instagram with the godmother of the snapshot. "At 60, Goldin is still incorrigibly herself: direct, a bit difficult, a bit mischievous, dead smart, dead self-possessed and terribly beautiful. She has those thick golden Goldin curls and wears a crisp dark-blue suit. She has a husky New York-tinged drawl, and regularly uses ‘honey’ as a form of address. She’s back in the room, and she wants to know how old I am. I am 32. She is glad! She makes one of her exasperated proclamations: “I am never talking to another person under 30 again as long as I live.” Phew." Read full article in Dazed Digital. E.T.P. 10'

Photo via The Atlantic.

Elizabeth Segran explores in The Atlantic the work perspectives of graduates from humanities Ph.D.s. "There is a widespread belief that humanities Ph.D.s have limited job prospects. The story goes that since tenure-track professorships are increasingly being replaced by contingent faculty, the vast majority of English and history Ph.D.s now roam the earth as poorly-paid adjuncts or, if they leave academia, as baristas and bookstore cashiers. As English professor William Pannapacker put it in Slate a few years back, “a humanities Ph.D. will place you at a disadvantage competing against 22-year-olds for entry-level jobs that barely require a high-school diploma.” His advice to would-be graduate students was simple: Recognize that a humanities Ph.D is now a worthless degree and avoid getting one at all cost." Read full article in The Atlantic. E.T.P. 6'

IN DOG WE TRUST

Photo: the amazingly cute Vegas the Boston via his Instagram.

Hello dog lover! 

Hope you're having a lovely day! Here are some links to explore:

Can animals really help people in hospitals, aged care?

Breeds and stereotypes: Does your dog behaves differently than he's "supposed to"?

Every dog has its daybed

Pet projects: How US retailers are going to the dogs

TV chef teams up with Direct Line to launch K9 Cafe

Video of the week: This dog doesn't like the mail

Enjoy your Sunday! And follow Vegas the Boston on Instagram

-

In Dog We Trust is edited by: Carola Melguizo from La Guía del Perro. 

The Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 25th of May Edition

EDITORIAL

This week's edition features two articles about the victory of of Hindu nationalist Nadendra Modi in India's elections via The Economist and Forbes. Postal services suspended indefinitely and more airlines fleeing Venezuela. In our Science & Technology section Le nouvel Observateur asks if we are living a detox overdose, and Wired shares the story of Oculus Rift. Baratunde Thruston asks if brands will stop trying to 'join the conversation' and actually make products worth talking about in our Design, Business & Innovation section where you can also have a look at some of the Kickstarter projects in NYCxDesign at MoMA. While in Culture & Entertainment, Dazed Digital asks what was really on that famous Pulp Fiction briefcase. La Guía del Perro share with us articles about shelter dogs helping bullied kids and the wonderful Phoenix in In Dog We Trust. And finally Germán is back with a new Sunday (some) Times wishing you all a happy Towel Day!

Happy Sunday, happy reading!


NEWS

Photo via The Independent.

While The Economist appears to be 'economically content' with the election of Narendra Modi as India Prime Minister and dedicate its last cover to him saying that "now, for the first time ever, India has a strong government whose priority is growth. Narendra Modi, who leads the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has won a tremendous victory on the strength of promising to make India’s economy work." They clarify that they do not endorse him, but 'looking at the big picture' wish him success anyway: "because we believe that he has not atoned sufficiently for the massacre of Muslims that took place in Gujarat while he was chief minister, we wish him every success: an Indian growth miracle would be a great thing not just for Indians, but also for the world." Read full article in The Independent. E.T.P. 7'

Forbes assumed a much more critical position and questioned if Narenda will be a Prime Minister of all Indians: "Unfortunatly India’s presumptive prime minister, Narendra Modi, was implicated in one of the country’s worst episodes of sectarian violence.  In 2002 in the state of Gujarat, in which Modi served as chief minister, Hindu rioters killed more than 1200 people, mostly Muslims, and forced 150,000 people from their homes.  Eventually the Indian military and national police restored order.  Critics charged Modi with both encouraging the violence and failing to stop it.  Investigations and court cases went on for years." Read full article in Forbes. E.T.P. 8'

Photo: The Procrastinator (some) Times.

And in Venezuelan news, the postal service (that was extraordinarily bad already) has been suspended international mail deliveries. "Employees at the state-run company Ipostel told local media that the service had fallen victim to an ongoing dispute with international airlines over currency controls.
According to El Universal, postal workers said tonnes of undelivered international mail had accumulated at Ipostel sorting offices after deliveries to at least 29 countries were suspended.
"The company is practically bankrupt, not only with its international deliveries but also its basic services because we have no materials or equipment," said Jose Gallardo, of a labour union in the eastern state of Anzoategui."

The same article in the Guardian explains that basically international deliveries are impossible because of a dispute between Venezuela and international airlines as at least three major carriers have stopped or reduced flights to Venezuela: Air Canada, Lufthansa and Alitalia. t has claimed more than 40 lives in three months. "According to the International Air Transport Association, Venezuela owes around $4bn to international carriers." Read full article in The Guardian. E.T.P. 4'

The Venezuelan government also owes US$4bn to the local pharmaceutical industry, and this is traduced in a major scarcity of medicines and treatments. Here is the article in El Universal (link in Spanish). E.T.P. 2'

No money, no food, no medicines, no airlines, no postal service, no security, no human rights, no freedom of expression. Viva la revolución.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Photo via Wired.

Peter Rubin writes a very interesting piece in Wired sharing the inside story of Oculus Rift and how virtual reality became simply: reality. It is a long read, but it is really worth it. This is how it starts: "As he flew from Orange County to Seattle in September 2013, Brendan Iribe, the CEO of Oculus, couldn’t envision what the next six months would bring. The rhapsodic crowds at the Consumer Electronics Show. The around-the-block lines at South by Southwest. Most of all, the $2 billion purchase by Facebook. That fall Oculus was still just an ambitious startup chasing virtual reality, a dream that had foiled countless entrepreneurs and technologists for two decades. Oculus’ flagship product, the Rift, was widely seen as the most promising VR device in years, enveloping users in an all-encompassing simulacrum that felt like something out of Snow Crash or Star Trek. But it faced the same problem that had bedeviled would-be pioneers like eMagin, Vuzix, even Nintendo: It made people want to throw up." Read full story in Wired. E.T.P. 27'

And in the same subject, Samsung is now building an Oculus Rift competitor. Read about it in Mashable. E.T.P. 7'

Photo via L'Observateur.

Detox Overdose. The word is everywhere. Liquid diets, magic creams that help you expel toxins and take control of your body. But is it just a marketing strategy? Why is the word detox suddenly so popular, and more importantly, does it work? Read full article (in French) in Le nouvel Observateur. E.T.P. 7'

Europe will let its citizens edit Google search results for their names. "Google and other search engines routinely field takedown requests to remove material from results that violates copyright, defamation, and other laws. But a ruling  by the European Union’s highest court will now require them to consider takedown requests for material that is merely embarrassing or inconvenient, rather than illegal. " Read full article in Quartz. E.T.P. 4'

DESIGN, BUSINESS & INNOVATION

(Great) Illustration by Brock Davis via Fast Company.

Baratunde Thruston writes a very provocative piece in Fast Company in which he poses the question: What if brands stop trying to join the conversation and make products worth talking about? I personally think that both things are not mutually exclusive, social media not always is an attempt to compensate for bad, outdated or boring products, but hey, for a lot of brands out there do think that, so he has a very good point: "Brands are so desperate "to join the conversation" on social media that most only get as far as "I gotta do the social media!" and don't have a thoughtful way to determine what to do on the social media. They ask, "What's our Snapchat strategy?" without ever considering if they need one.

Can social media promotion work? Sure. I've employed it for myself and my clients. But we've reached a point in marketing where we seem to have forgotten our best "engagement strategy": the product itself. The actual thing you're trying to promote is itself its own vehicle for promotion. Whoa." Read full article in Fast Company. E.T.P. 6'

As we share a couple of weeks ago, "the MoMA Design Store in New York City collaborated with the crowdfunding site to sell Kickstarter-successful products in stores and online, from May 13 to June 16. It's a part of NYCxDESIGN, a city-wide celebration of all things design." Have a look at some of the projects in Mashable. E.T.P. 9'

Photo: Flickr user Eli Christman via Fast Company.

Himanshu Saxena propose three new job titles that can companies to deal with two of the main issues that seem to be severely afflicting corporations today: how to survive gracefully in this uncongenial business environment and how to sustain leadership amidst growing competition and disenchanted customers. Are you willing to hire a Chief Reimagination Officer, and Chief Paradigm Officer and a Chief Paradox Officer? Read full article in Fast Company. E.T.P. 4'

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Photo via Dazed Magazine.

In the 20th anniversary of Pulp Fiction, Dazed Magazine asks: what was really in the briefcase?

In honour of the cult classic's 20th anniversary, they look at the top theories of what that faint golden glow could be. Read article in Dazed Magazine. E.T.P. 7' 

Photo via Mashable.

Leila Hatami, Iranian actress and mmber of the jury at Cannes Film Festival, is facing increasing blacklash in her country, including a call for public flogging — all for a kiss on the cheek. Hatami sparked outrage amongst conservatives in Iran for giving Gilles Jacob, the president of the Cannes Film Festival, a peck on the cheek on the festival's red carpet last week, where she is a member of the jury.Read full article in Mashable. E.T.P. 5'

Photo via The Independent.

Featured in The Independent a short and fun 30'' clip of Morgan Freeman on helium announcing an upcoming documentary about the mysteries of the universe called Through the Wormhole. Great idea as everyone wants to see Morgan Freeman in helium, right? Watch the clip via The Independent. E.T.P 31''

IN DOG WE TRUST

Photo: the cute Idefix Phoenix via his Instagram.

Hello dog lover! Hope you're having a fabulous Sunday!


Here are some links for you:

The lucrative industry of catering to pets

5 Smart-Ass answers to stupid pet questions. Brilliant!

Device claims to make dogs "smarter"

Could shelter dogs help bullied children?

Interesting: Domesticated animals provide vital link to emergence of new diseases

Video of the week: The sausage thief!

Enjoy your Sunday! And follow Phoenix on Instagram


-

In Dog We Trust is edited by: Carola Melguizo from La Guía del Perro. 

SUNDAY (SOME) TIMES

Click to enlarge.

-

Sunday (some) Times is created by our star illustrator Germán Herrera.
More monos by Germán here.

The Procrastinator (some) Times Sunday 18th of May Edition

EDITORIAL

Morning everyone, I hope the weekend it's been good so far. In today's edition of the Procrastinator (some) Times we have our usual share of Venezuelan news and an interesting article about Boko Haram and the lack of strategy in the Nigerian government. In the Science section, the collapse of the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet and its consequences via The Independent. In Design, Business and Innovation, news about the dead of the homepage (long live the homepage), a nice interview to Tony Gaitatzis, an expert in wearable technology in Dezeen, and sunglasses to see life through an Instagram filter ALWAYS. In Culture & Entertainment, a review about Frank, this curious movie based in a newspaper article and The Guardian To See List of movies from Cannes Festival. And finally reading In Dog We Trust by La Guía del Perro, you will meet the Barkhaus and Finn, Amanda Seyfried's super handsome dog.

Happy Sunday and happy reading!


NEWS

Illustration via The New Yorker.

Alexis Okeowo writes an interesting comment in The New Yorker about the Boko Haram situation in Nigeria. "Yakubu Kabu, a Nigerian civil servant and the father of one of the more than three hundred girls abducted from a school in the village of Chibok, was struck by the fact that the first real news of his daughter came from the Boko Haram terrorists who had taken her, and not from the government. To many, it was emblematic of the general mishandling of the case . . . The government has shown a notable lack of resolve throughout the four years that it has battled Boko Haram, and the fate of the Chibok girls has become a symbol of Nigeria’s weaknesses and divisions." Read full article in The New Yorker. E.T.P. 6'

Photo by Carlos Becerra via Amnesty International.

Photo via AFP.

This past Wednesday, police in Venezuela detained at least 80 demonstrators who were demanding the release of those arrested in recent anti-government protests. According to BBC: "Wednesday's march was called by university students to demand the release of more than 200 people who were detained after security forces broke up protest camps last week. The government said the camps were being used as bases to launch "violent attacks" and to hide "drugs, weapons, explosives and mortars". 'No proof.' But a university student at the march, Alex Gomez, rejected the accusations, saying "there was never a problem due to drugs, weapons, or alcohol". "We are demanding that they show us the reasons why they arrested them," he told the Associated Press news agency". Read full article in the BBC.

Here's what the AFP says about the incident: "The students, who were marching to demand the release of protesters arrested in recent days, massed in the east of the capital but the demonstration quickly became violent when they targeted the Tourism Ministry and riot police intervened. They detained around 80 people, Manuel Quevedo, commander of the National Guard regiment in Caracas, told AFP. Last week more than 200 people were arrested in police raids on encampments of protesters in Caracas. Most have since been freed. "Fewer and fewer people are heeding protest calls. Intimidation has succeeded," one of the young marchers told AFP Wednesday, requesting anonymity after a previous arrest.

This is the report of Amnesty International about what happened the 14th of May in Caracas: On 14 May security forces in Caracas detained at least 100 people involved in ongoing anti-government demonstrations. They are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment and their right to due process is at risk. Read full report (in English, Spanish or French) in Amnesty International, and have a look at the photos in their Facebook profile here.

Finally here you can have a look at the propaganda in official texts books distributed by the Ministery of Education, aimed to be used by high-school students, promoting key figures of the government, among them Hugo Chávez "Supreme Commander" or "Eternal President", cultural icons of chavism and government projects. Have a look at the photos (including the cover with the word "English" with a massive accent in the "i") in El Universal (link in Spanish).