Andrew asked:




Mariko Mori was born in Tokyo in 1967 and became a Japanese outstanding photographic and video artist. When she studied at Bunka Fashion College, Mariko Mori worked as a model and this fact influenced her early works greatly. One of such her works is “Play with me”. Her work operates the most recent technologies and frequently is rather expensive to produce. The main topic of her masterpieces was presented by the combination of the Western influence and Eastern traditions with the widespread exploitation of digital imaging and photography.

Among her most famous and earliest works can be stressed “The Birth of a Star” in which Mori describes herself as a schoolgirl in vinyl costume with big headphones on her head. She looks so carefree and playful, and there are multi-colored balloons floating around her. She stares at everything that surrounds her through blue eye-lenses and smiles in a charming way. However, in this apparently pop-culture motivated work, the artist creates a technology-inspired, contemporary type of cyborg. If a cyborg of traditional type presented by a mixture of a living being and a mechanism, a creature of the real life and creature of fiction at the same moment, Mori’s cyborg version is a hybrid of contemporary conceptions of femininity and fiction and it is inspired by the current pop-culture in Japan. Also this image contradicts the general idea of a common Japanese woman and depicts her as a perfect combination of the Western influence and Eastern beliefs.
During one of the interviews, when Mariko Mori was asked about the constant happiness of women depicted in her works, she underlined that they are cyborgs, not women and that’s why they are happy. Continuing the topic of cyborgs and women, that blended the controversial and traditional approaches, Mariko Mori created “Subway”, “Play with Me” and “Tea Ceremony III”.

Untraditional elements were added to habitual roles of women in the present society in order to evaluate and analyze the position of women in the traditional Japanese society. For instance, in “Tea Ceremony III” Mariko Mori is wearing a white wig and a blue dress offering some tea to the men passing by in the middle of a full of activity street.

The theme of cyborgs is quite evident in other numerous Mori’s works. For instance in her Empty Dream, Mariko Moris describes four figures of herself. the background is digitally composed of biggest indoor man-made beach of Japan. Evidently, in the real life such a situation would be simply impossible, and that bears the idea of cyborg.

In Mori’s creation entitled “Beginning of the End” we can found one more cyborg. There a human-being is placed inside a capsule which is located in the centre of a busy street in Tokyo. The person is floating within a technological device which represents either a secure place to conceal from the around world, or a way of transportation. At any rate, this cyborg is a symbol of hi-tech life of Tokyo.

Right through the whole range of her work, Mariko Mori widely uses self-portraits and the cyborg digital images to concentrate the attention on the way the technology transmits to the identity and its role in the modern hi-tech society. She observes the position of women in the relation to society on the whole and new opportunities and technologies in particular.



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MIKE SELVON asked:




There is quite a bit of talk these days in the media about meditation and spiritual enlightenment. Some might even think it is a rather trendy thing to “be into,” yet it is doubtful that it will be one of those passing fads of the pop culture. The fact is that there are numerous methods of meditation, such as Zen meditation, that have been part of other cultures for generations, so it is not likely to be a passing craze, no matter how little Western culture truly understands it.

There are numerous meditation techniques that people who are interested and want to learn to meditate can choose from. While all forms of mediation have some commonalities, the techniques do differ based on what part of the world and what culture the particular practice is rooted in. Zen meditation has developed out of Zen Buddhism. It is also known as Zazen and incorporates various seated positions, special breathing techniques and chakras.

The discipline of Zen meditation is essentially focused on enabling the practitioner to live their daily lives in complete awareness of themselves and their surroundings. Through the practice of this meditation approach, people can escape from the “auto-pilot” existence that is so prevalent and which robs people of experiencing their lives fully.

When people fall into the trap of operating primarily on automatic pilot, they rarely notice all of the things that are happening around them; even within their own minds and hearts. This certainly can interfere with a person’s ability to be enlivened spiritually or to be on the path to spiritual development. Zen meditation can help to break the cycle of automatic living and help a person to engage more fully in their own life.

Through Zen meditations, people experience each moment of a day directly and with awareness and responsiveness. They consciously practice being aware of everything that they encounter and try to enliven their senses by paying attention to everything that they might hear, see, smell, feel and taste.

Another way of expressing this concept is by attempting to be completely and fully aware, while engaged in any activity, at any particular moment. Some people also call this, “living in the moment” or “living consciously.” The idea is to “become at one” with whatever they are currently engaged in doing.

Some examples of this would be: when eating, the practitioner is totally focused on the meal and their actions involved in eating; when they are engaged in a Zen mediation session, they stay concentrated on the reality of that moment and they do not allow their thoughts, their feelings, or their sensations to preoccupy or distract them; when they are engaged in work, they only work; when doing routine tasks such as brushing their teeth, they focus on that task and do not let their minds wander to think about other things.

While the Zen practitioner does not have to be engaged in meditation all day, every day, regular meditation practice helps to calm, center and focus the mind so that the person is able to focus and retain keen awareness. The Zen practice recognizes that all thoughts are a natural and beneficial function of the human mind and that thought should not be ignored, rejected or stopped. Instead, the practice allows wandering thoughts to be acknowledged then set to the side, keeping the mind from being carried away by anxieties, worries, fears and other discursive notions.

This method of meditation practice allows the person to enjoy a sense of liberation from the “pollution” of negative thoughts that can often cloud the mind and confuse thinking. Zen meditation helps to alleviate unnecessary suffering of the mind and allows the person to focus on truth, clarity and spiritual enlightenment.



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Leon Belenky asked:




When you make the decision to start a website for your company, the first choice you will have to make is what web hosting service you would like to use.  You have many choices since there are many, many web hosting services available. You will also have to decide whether to use a service that offers free hosting or one that charges a fee.

In order to make the best decision for the company you will need to consider both the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The best advantage to free web hosting is, well, it is free. Obviously, not having to pay to include your website online is quite a large plus. Since you do not have to pay for the website, you can save that budget for other expenditures.

Many free web-hosting services are offered through ISP’s, and quite a few of these even offer free email addresses along with the free web site.

Now that you know the advantages of a free web hosting service, it is time to consider the disadvantages.  You will not be allowed to have your own domain address.  Instead, you will be able to include a subdomain after the name of the web hosting service.

This can make it harder for customers to find you, does not look as professional, and means your website name will include a much longer address. In the long run, having your own domain, as offered through paid web hosting, will be the better choice.

Most free web hosting services only include the very basic software or no software at all.  You will not have the ability to truly tailor your website to your business’ needs.  You will be limited to only the set of designs offered by the web host.

This, again, will not present the most professional image.  With paid web hosting, you will have the option of using the service’s many software options or even designing your site through outside software and uploading it, giving you much more control of the site design.

All in all, free web hosting is perfect for personal websites or hobby websites.  Many people choose free hosting for fan sites, gaming sites, pop culture sites, and more.  Paid web hosting is the best choice for a company since it offers more personalization, more options, and more professionalism. Paid web hosting usually also offers much better technical support than the free services, meaning people will be available to help when you need them.



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Eliseo Robinson asked:




If your anything like half the world many of us like to consume a cup o Joe. Coffee is perhaps the most frequently ingested beverage in the world and it is a big part of our daily routine. I bet you that many of us know of someone that can not get enough of that stuff.

Then there is the drama of trying to loose weight. The majority of America is on the look out for a fast weight loss supplement and to shed, go down in weight and do it in no time! Basically every place you look right now there is a new product that claims to get rid of your extra pounds and to do it the quickest. Can we say that South beach java is a successful formula?

Remember the South Beach diet? Now there is South Beach Java. This cup o Joe is a brand-new concept in . It is a new fast weight loss supplement. The **** new figure you have will come from the boost in metabolism from the wonderfully fortified coffee blend used. It is given extra power with minerals and famous fat-burning ingredients from ingredients with big botanical names) and an extra pop of Caffeine. Helping to burn body fat and crush your appetite. South beach java is made with 100% Arabica Coffee Beans that means you wont loose that gourmet-factor yummy-ness. This fast weight loss supplement is mailed out to you already freshly grounded and can be made like any other gourmet coffee.

Not only can south beach Java’s extraordinary blend help you loose weight, but coffee can help prevent liver cancer, throat cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s disease and cancer of the esophagus. And coffee is a rich that perhaps to its biological activity, for example hetero cyclic compounds that show strong antioxidant activity. I think coffee is a great antioxidant. Coffee is the chief source of antioxidants for many people living in North America actually.

Imagine if getting rid of that extra weight was as simple as drinking some gourmet brewed java beans. My only beef about South Beach Java is that it is not organic.

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Andrew Hawnt asked:




It is nearly Halloween once again, and the huge range of Halloween goodies available in mainstream stores made me think- why isn’t Halloween made into more of an event? Like a creepy Christmas or something suchlike. Seriously though, it could be turned into much more than just Trick Or Treating and bobbing for apples. Plus, there’s more out there than just toffee apples to give out as Halloween gifts for everyone.

It isn’t just kids that can celebrate Halloween. Taking it as the commercial version of Halloween and not the religious festival observed by the pagan community (Samhain, prononced ‘Sow-en’ or ‘Savven’ depending on who you talk to), Halloween can be a blast for kids and adults, and can serve as a bonding experience for families. Involving children in Halloween styled games can be a great way to entertain youngsters and educate them on traditional pastimes (even when their origins have become so obscured by popular culture). Dressing up, getting made up as witches and monsters and the like can be fantastic fun for all involved, and properly supervised Trick-Or-Treating is a great thing for making memories.

Another great method for making a Halloween night memorable for children would be to gather a group of them together for a mini Halloween party before Trick-or-treating. read them a spooky story from the proliferation of kid’s horror series that are on the market, or show a suitable movie.

But Halloween isn’t limited to the domain of kids, and nor should it be. With all manner of themed events on in clubs, cinemas and so on there’s a ton that the adult Halloweener can sink their teeth into (sorry). There’s a great deal of Halloween themed merchandise that would make great gifts for loved ones, such as licensed horror movie memorabilia and other horror merchandise such as action figures, posters, statues, and the movies themselves. You could check out things like the ever-creepy Living Dead Dolls figures, or the movie collectibles created by MacFarlane Toys, NECA and Sideshow Collectibles.

Want a great Halloween evening in? How about you gather a selection of friends, some suitably kitsch horror movies (Go for the cheese more than the ******** dark stuff- zombie films, cheap B-movies, Chucky, Underworld, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and its billion sequels, films you can shout at), Halloween snacks (stock up on kids snacks and themed sweets- there’s nobody saying the grown-ups can’t have some fun too), add some suitably camp music (I recommend ‘Project 1950′ and ‘American Psycho’ by the Misfits, and anything by the Cramps) and voila, you have the makings of a fun Halloween party in your own home. Granted, that sounds like a typical night in at our place, but still, there are people out there who are actually normal. Somewhere. I think. get your place decked out with cobwebs and skulls and make an event out of it.

When choosing movies for your Halloween night, I’d suggest finding a bunch of 80s horror titles, as they really do capture the right fun atmosphere you’d need for an evening making fun of everything with your friends. Why 80s? Listen. While some may argue we are enjoying something of a resurgence in ‘true’ horror movies, with your million SAW sequels and million remakes of classics, I am left wondering what happened to the horror films that would have you yelling ‘COOL!’ amidst your screams. The 1980s are a fine example of an era in which horror films had all the horror stuff down pretty well yet mixed in a liberal dose of humour and fun without becoming parodies. While horror has become either more serious or more bland in recent years, with endless repetitions of the same old themes, old schlock fiends like myself are left wanting something that isn’t being delivered, namely films that you want to see again.

You see, a major problem with current horror cinema is that companies are making PRODUCT instead of FILMS. You can go into any DVD outlet and find rack upon rack of Wrong Turn/Scream/Hostel/Halloween knockoffs that are cheap and easy to make, and there’s barely a memorable title amongst them.

I’m not just craving the old days though- contemporary horror is missing something. Look at the 80s. Evil Dead 2. Fright Night. The Lost Boys. Pumpkinhead. Elm Street. Hellraiser. Vamp. Return of the Living Dead. Hell, even Rawhead Rex was better than much of the current output masquerading as horror. All of these horror movies had their scares and their gore, but there was a definite fun quality to each of them. They hit their beats so well you could almost pick out the rhythm. I’d love to see a return to that sort of structuring. Many recent films and their subsequent franchises don’t seem to want to do anything new with the format they are beating like a particularly dead horse.

Want a fun evening’s viewing? Check out any of the following horror flicks for some entertainment with your gore:

Creepshow, Day of the Dead, Trick or Treat, Poltergeist, The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, An American Werewolf in London, Bad Dreams, Hellraiser, Evil Dead 2, Return of the Living Dead 2: Hellraiser II, A Nightmare on Elm street, Re-animator, Scanners, The Burning, Class of Nuke ‘Em High (okay, this is a spoof but it still kicks ass), From Beyond, House, 976:Evil, Witchboard, Warlock, The Thing, Bad Taste, Cat People, Child’s Play, Cat’s Eye, Chopping Mall (BEST. TITLE. EVER), Dead Zone, The Gate, The Hunger, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, Monster Squad, Society, Sorority ***** in the Slime-ball Bowl-O-Rama….. Jeez, there’s thousands of ‘em. Go seek out some fun.

There are so many ways to make your Halloween a fun night to remember. Start off with a movie night as suggested above, then go along to a themed party or concert. Preferably in costume. Check local listings for events in your area that you can go along to and take part in. If all this sounds like a no-brainer, that’s because it is. With a little effort you can transform what has become a relentlessly commercial day into something you can genuinely enjoy without a massive amount of cost. Halloween celebrations shouldn’t be all about handing out sweets to bored kids on your doorstep- it should be enjoyed and relished. I mean, how often can you actually run around with a plastic trident and horns on during the rest of the year? Actually, don’t answer that.



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Scott Carlson asked:




Turning your team into above average dribblers should be a major goal of your practice schedule. Ultimately, the drills you do in practice should help your players to become more comfortable when they have possession of the ball.

Make sure each player participates in each drill at practice to the fullest, rather than standing around waiting for a “turn.” Getting a high number of touches on the ball is at the core of what being comfortable is all about, and if players are waiting on the sidelines they are most definitly not getting any touches.

When players do have to wait, have them juggle as they wait. When they are at home, tell them to practice by dribbling the ball when they are walking around the house and trying to avoid running into furniture It may **** off their mom and dad but it will be for a good cause because it will make them more relaxed handling the ball, especially in game situations in the face of pressure from defenders.

Small-sided games are great for working on ball handling and dribbling skils because players get tons of touches while they are constantly being challenged. 3v3 or 4v4 keep-away is one perfect example of a game drill where players must work on dribbling in strenuous circumstances. Check out my free soccer drills and you will find a few such small sided games.

The most lethal dribblers are born not made but there is always much room for improvement. Take care to run plenty of drills that will improve your player’s ball handling skills by giving them ample touches on the ball.

If you are short on soccer dribbling drills , this soccer drill book has all that you will need! It contains 20 pre planned practice designs that are perfect for any volunteer coach.



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