Sooooo, I'm not sure why I've decided to press on and actually start blogging again other than the fact I have been living this out-of-body experience, so I might as well do an out-of-body activity - and be productive.
So, here is my biography. I am 51 years of age going on 95. I possess a fully-functional body that creaks and squeaks when forced out of inertia. My brain ticks on and is quite capable of coming up with half-baked ideas (like starting this blog), but I think it has reached its sell-by date thanks to AI usurping the necessary skill of formulating any kind of original thought or problem-solving plan.
Other than the frolicking of my fingertips across these keyboards, every other aspect of my life has come to a grinding halt. And lest you think that I am prone to onomatopoeic ramblings, let me assure you that this is not the case. In fact, I can feel the onslaught of inertia embracing me right now, and I know I should stop this ramble.
So, before I lose my nerve and just shut this laptop, let me leave you with one final line of what this ramble is actually about - Menopause: the stage of a woman's life when her menstrual periods stop permanently, and she can no longer get pregnant. Menopause is not a disease or disorder — it is a normal part of aging for women. The time leading up to menopause is called the menopausal transition or perimenopause.
Hone in on the part of 'it is not a disease or disorder' because this blog is all about debunking that laughable notion thorugh personal experience.
Woodstock: When graffiti artists make political statements
Graffiti has become a relevant but also a controversial
method in negotiating memories of a community.In Woodstock, Langa, Muizenberg, and other areas, graffiti is used not only to beautify walls but to make
political statements of the times.
Langa: Graffiti artist displaying the name of community proudly
Muizenberg: a popular mural close to the station on the Main Road.
The mural captures the Muizenberg vibe.
Third-year history students will have to write a ten-page essay using the
following title:
‘Space, Place and Doodling’
Woodstock: Artist's interpretation of the changes in the community
In this essay they need to explore the physical space of
a community and how it is changing over time.Essential to this topic is what is influencing these transformations and
how people respond to these spaces.
Timeline:
Students will be given three weeks to submit.
Submission date:14 November 2017
Guidelines:
1Choose one particular community
2Keywords/phrases to guide your essay:gentrification, delineating urban territory,
inner-city spaces,memory and space
Woodstock: When funky and trendy = gentrification
3It will be beneficial to find graffiti artists
who reside in the area they work – they have an in-depth understanding of the
changing minds of its residents.
4Rubric will guide your writing.
Learning Outcomes:
1The scope of this research will reveal that information
will come from a wide variety of sources. Journals, books, blogs and youtube
are just a few that will need to be investigated by the student.
2It will be necessary to interview graffiti
artists, residents of the neighbourhood, find credible literature(books, journal articles, etc)
It is best to interview artists who have knowledge of the community.
3Think of different ways of searching for
information, trying to cross-pollinate disciplines in the hope of finding
fresh, interesting views that can illuminate the topic.
Dispositions:
1Students must realise that scanning one book
will not be enough.They need to throw
their intellectual net further afield.
To help them in finding information,
the lecturer will provide some titles:
Imagining The City (S. Field, R.
Meyer and F Swanson)
Negotiating the Past (S. Nuttal
and C. Coetzee)
Rap Music and Street
Consciousness (C. Keyes)
Prophets of the Hood (I Perry)
These titles will give them
a foothold in the hip-hop movement which graffiti is an element of.
2Be flexible in mind when interviewing graffiti
artists and residents.Remember that as
an interviewer, navigating memory and bias is a crucial part that at times will
not be dependable.Therefore, it is
essential that they interview residents from different backgrounds and
different graffiti artists whose aims and objectives may differ.
Find artist and residents with different views to enhance essay
Location: Woodstock
3Students should not be afraid to delve into
other disciplines.The essay allows for
this.Sociology, psychology,
linguistics, fine arts are but a few divergent components that can help the
student find serendipitous information
that can thread the essay together.
Graffiti is there to make you think.
Ensure that your essay is thought provoking
Location: Woodstock
žWhat
individuals or organisations would generate information about the use,
design, distribution and/or manufacture of prosthetic limbs? (5)
žProsthetics can be defined as
artificial limbs or silicone prostheses that replace a limb or other body part
after amputation or congenital absence.
ØAbility Prosthetics & Orthotics
The Commons at Oaklands
660 West Lincoln Highway
Exton, PA 19341
717/337-2273
abilitypo.com
ØHope to Walk 3635 A South Main Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060
804/399-0990 hopetowalk.org
ØProfNet
Medical
Crossway
Office Park 2
240
Lenchen Ave (cnr Jean)
Centurion
+27 12 622 9103
ØMedical Orthotists & Prosthetists
(MOPs) are concerned with the design, manufacturing and fitting of splints,
braces, surgical appliances (orthotics) and artificial limbs (prosthetics).
MOPs are members of the rehabilitation team; helping those who require
orthopaedic support. Once qualified, Medical Orthotists & Prosthetists
register with the Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
ØJ.M. de Burros
54 Tanner Rd
Windsor Park
Cape Gate
Cape Town
Tel:021 988 9979
Fax:086 684 8638
žWho
would be interested in information about the effects of parental
incarceration on young children? (5)
ØSocial Workers
ØResearchers
ØWelfare departments
ØRehabilitation Centres for female convicts
ØChief Warden of a prison
žHowand where would the groups that you
identified disseminate the information that they produced on the topic? (5) eg.
websites, government publications
žExploration of a topic can lead to other
dimensions of interest which canlend
additional
awareness to the study of parental incarceration on younger children.
ØScholarly
Articles on the topic
ØLook
at the effects of adverse child behaviour - Documentaries
ØMental
health problems in adults as well as children - Websites
ØDepression
– Clinics
ØSuicide
Attempts -brochure booklets
ØSubstance
Abuse- Workshops at schools
ØDomestic
Issues/Abuse- Women’s organsiations
ØNeighbourhood
Abuse –Community Workshops
Saturday, 28 October 2017
THE LAW IS THE LAW IS THE LAW
So many can't decide whether graffiti is art or a colourful mess that mars the senses of daily folks. but in essences, graffiti artists are allowed to colour the urban jungle, should they wish to. Only difference now is that that they need written permission to do so. I have a niggly feeling that this does not sit well with graffiti artists. Because isn't the unconventional and daring methods of painting in the dead of night, spraying dark corners of a subway and peppering unmarked walls with slogans, a sign of one's radicalism...of being some sort of revolutionary?
Sure, if done legally the artists will have more time to perfect their work but will it not lose some of its purity? Will the message not lose its essence? Will graffiti still have punch and spike or will it conform to the ideas of the ruling class, instead of speaking for those who are maimed by mainstream society ?
Reflection:
I had to ensure that I did not use the certain phrases as one is at times accustomed to doing. I also had to be cognizant of the message so that it remained sincere to the article.
Rflection: The powerpoint was easy todo, but the uploading gave some issues as it failed a few times.
My third source is a youtube video that shows the viewer that graffiti artists are not just lazy kids with time on their hands but real thinkers who ponder ways to change space figuratively: https://youtu.be/1lMcq0UdgJw
Reflection: I found the youtube video refreshing and enlightening as graffiti artists are always regarded in a negative light. The tweet was easy to do and I chose to copy the link in my tweet so that people can go directly to the link and find the video themselves.
The other formats are:
Movie: Exit Through the Gift Shop: A Banksy Film is a 2010 British documentary film, directed by street artists. It tells the story of Thierry Guetta, a French immigrant in Los Angeles, and his obsession with street art.
Find out more: http://www.banksyfilm.com/
Graffiti has essentially been given a bad rap over the years. For too long people regarded graffiti has an eyesore on a many a building and that the artists should be locked away without any grub or bathwater until they learn their lesson! Hold thine horses for a New York minute and lets debate graffiti on African time. For if we do, we will find that graffiti has been with us since our forefathers wore loincloths...notwithstanding that it gets up the noses of some hoity-toities who are chained to their archaic ideas of art.
This is a Nswatugi Cave ensconced with rock paintings.
This image was taken by Mikeflickr.com.
Attribution: 2.0 Generic (cc by 2.0)
This image is free to share (copy, redistribute) and adapt (remix and transform for any purpose)
People have become way too judgemental about graffiti, and why its that when churches have embraced it for the longest of times. In the middle ages graffiti was deemed acceptable.
This image was taken for as book called Medieval Graffiti of England's Churches. This artist is unknown and is said to be a commoner to depict Mary and Child. It can be found on arches in a Suffolk church.
Image found on Google and is free to share .
But not all graffiti of the past has real meaning. Some common folk just scratched their names on walls to solidify their existence, especially since they were without rights or power. In essence the image below is of someone writing today on the back of a toilet door: 'so-and-so was here'
Graffiti carved into one of the walls of Bayeux Cathedral, France
Image taken by Max-12
Attribution: 2.0 Generic (cc by 2.0)
This image is free to share (copy, redistribute) and adapt (remix and transform for any purpose)
Of course, one's beliefs are also exemplified, shared, so that people can gawk and think there is something wrong with you. All gods were not made equal, some are just funkier than others:
Artist: Pshycox20 (mmmmm)
Some Rights Reserved
Attribution: Non Commercia Share Alike 2.0 Generic (CC
by NC-SA 2.0
This can be shared and distributed.
It cannot be used for commercial purposes.
If remixed or transformed, contribution must be distributed under the original license.
Some graffiti speaks specifically to a culture. This image below was photographed in Frankfurt
and Mr Pharoah has gone through a transformation of sorts. Arrrggghh!!
Artist: Wolgang Sterneck
Art for Change - Arabic Graffiti and Egyptian Street Art in Frankfurt
Attribution: Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic (CC
by NC-SA 2.0
Some Rights Resrved
This can be shared and distributed.
It cannot be used for commercial purposes.
If remixed or transformed, contribution must be distributed under the original license.
MEDIA
Graffiti is one of the four elements of the hip-hop movement. It is an art on its own and works seamlessly with the other genres of hip-hop.
YouTube allows users to mark their videos with a Creative Commons CC BY licence.
Attribution is automatic under the CC BY licence, meaning that any video you create using Creative Commons content will automatically show the source video titles underneath the video player. You retain your copyright and other users get to reuse your work subject to the terms of the licence.
Blogs also prove to be popular amongst the graffiti crew. From finding the tools, to how to make their own tool (read spray) there is a large following of bloggers who make it their mission to paint the internet with their thoughts as if it were walls.
In the United States, all creative works automatically fall under copyright law. Even if you make no assertions of copyright, your posts on Blogger belong to you exclusively. You hold the copyright on the text of your blog, but some parts of your content cannot be copyrighted. These include titles, phrases, ideas, methods, lists, facts and common phrases.
#thegraffitipodcast
The Graffiti Podcast is the first ever podcast of its kind. they talk all things Graffiti and Hip Hop, bringing you exclusive interviews with people who are making waves wherever they go.
Graffiti has been used as a tool for educating the young. Because it is seen as funky and a trendy way to express oneself, they youth have taken to it easily. Documents implemented aspects of graffiti to educate. Dropping some heavy flavour, here are a coupla sources for you to peruse
Conditions of Use:
Creative Commons Attribution, non Commercial- No Derve.3.0 unsupported
The interactive activity below uses the graffiti idea and merges it with doodling. It helps kids t visualise, thus helping with their reading.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements.
Graffiti artist Danny 'Dan-One' Polonco, a self-described "Alphabetical Engineer," talks about graffiti art form as a means for self-expression.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements.
Below deals with the legitimacy of graffiti and the artist. Lectures are interactive as student will be asked to find solutions to defining urban space.
Remix and Share:
Remixing, redistributing, or making derivatives works comes with some restrictions, including how it is shared.
The artist below shows that graffiti artists determine their realms and that there are many directions in which to take graffiti art.
Copyrighted materials, available under Fair Use and the TEACH Act for US-based educators, or other custom arrangements.
Go to the resource provider to see their individual restrictions.
I hope this helps in terms understanding graffiti and the artists.
Know that art comes in all forms and cannot be boxed or framed to make you feel comfortable.
He was a long-time South African Communist Party member and a prominent
figure in the liberation struggle who died at age 84 in Cape Town on 2 October 2002.
Kodesh was one of the stalwarts of the liberation movement. He was
described by those who knew him as a soldier, a patriot, an African
Nationalist, a communist, a man of laughter and a father figure.
Discipline:
Third-Year information and library science students at UWC
researching archive management.
Learning Outcomes:
1Define different types of authority, such as
subject expertise (scholarship), society position (public office or title), or
special experience (participating in an historic event).
2Use markers of authority to determine the
credibility of sources.
3Recognise that authoritative content may be
packaged formally or informally and may include audio, visual and non-print
sources.
Materials Needed:
Ainternet
Bhardware:desktop/tablet/smartphone
Activities:
1To prepare for their practical
lesson on archiving the personal
contents of Wolfie Kodesh, the background and his activities during the
apartheid struggle has to be researched so that the collection can be filed in a manner that is
user friendly and sensible.
2Students will need to access to
the archives of Mail and Guardian and
The Guardian newspapers to thread
Wolfie Kodesh’s activities and what else has be noted of him.They have to question the validity of the
newspaper, the journalist who wrote the piece on Wolfie Kodesh and under which
circumstances it was written.
Interviews with and about Wolfie Kodesh completed by Julie
Frederickse for her book The Unbreakable
Thread must be analysed and her credibility verified.In addition the students must be observant of
the light in which Wolfie Kodesh was regarded
by his peers and others whom he encountered by paying close attention to tone
and register while interviews were conducted.
3Students will need to register and access the
visual contents that SAHA (South African History Archives) has on Wolfie Kodesh
and relationships that he nurtured to validate the printed documents that they encounter in the collection that
they are busy with.
Disposition:
Throughout this process students must cognizant of the
voice of authority and the role it plays in the providing the information about
Wolfie Kodesh so that, as far as possible, a true reflection may be displayed
of such a great man.
Throughout the process, they must maintain an open mind
and continuously address their bias as well as those authorities they are
trying question/validate.
They must realise the importance of assessing information
and validating it so that they can remain sincere to the process of archiving
and as well as trying to do justice to the subject.
To complete the task at hand, they must realise the
importance of questioning authority and being open to varying opinions and
views.
