Nothing so terrifying as a blank piece of paper

National Party Arts Spokesperson Chris Finlayson to Josie McNaught on Frontseat, early 2007:

JM: So where are your ideas Mr Finlayson, because National's current arts policy is a quick read. It's not a lot.

CF: I think it's fair to say the 2005 policy for the National Party was good in so far as it conveyed a message that we weren't going to be slashers and burners. But ah, you're right, it was…

JM: Short on specifics – one page.

CF: …Short on specifics. I think my best advice to you is put that away and look towards 2008 and you'll see ah, a substantial document.


National Party Arts Policy 2008: 1 page.
(And don't let the bit on the website that says Policy Summary fool you - this is it. I checked.)

Hand Requirement Labeling Standard Sought

One Moment Caller will today petition the food Safety Authority and countless other government bodies seeking to introduce a mandatory Hand Requirement Labeling Standard for all food items.

The proposed standard, which will apply to all foods, will indicate how many hands are required to open, prepare and consume that food.

The call comes in response to the often precarious balancing act that simple food preparation becomes in a childrearing situation.

"At 4 in the morning, when you have a screaming baby in one hand, it can be really really hard to make even simple food," a spokesman for One Moment Caller said.

"Humble favourites like 2-minute noodles, scrambled eggs on toast, or even buttered toast, can become a logistical challenge when you're carrying your growing, wriggling, and often screaming offspring at the same time."

"It's about the children. Nobody thinks of the children."

Naming rights

Top 6 names to not call your children if you don't want to get deemed a child abuser by a loval judge (front page news in the provinces today):

1. Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
2. Number 16 Bus Shelter
3. Violence
4. Midnight Chardonnay
5. Benson and Hedges
6. Fish and Chips

It gets better: Benson and Hedges and Fish and Chips are twins.

Wow, and to think we very nearly had AndyWarhol or Doctor, though only as a middle name. Went with Andrew by the way - strong family links and will be seeking naming right fees from other bloggers.

(Turns out Doctor may have contravened s.18 of the Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995 anyway)

"Art. Ask for More."

From the associated press release:
89% of Americans believe that the arts are important enough to be taught in schools, and that it fulfills an important role in a well-rounded education. And they are right; studies show far-reaching benefits of an arts education:
• The arts teach kids to be more tolerant and open.
• The arts allow kids to express themselves creatively.
• The arts promote individuality, bolster self-confidence, and improve overall academic performance.
• The arts can help troubled youth, providing an alternative to delinquent behavior and truancy while providing an improved attitude towards school.

Unfortunately, the truth is that the average kid spends more time at their locker than in arts classes. This PSA campaign was created to increase involvement in championing arts education both in and out of school. Parents and other concerned citizens are encouraged to visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org to find out how to take action on the behalf of the arts and arts education. The campaign stresses that some art is not enough and reinforces with the tagline: Art. Ask for More.

More...

This is your inheritance:

There's a whole lot of (largely self-imposed) pressure when getting your baby their first artwork.

Do you take a chance on something conceptual in the hope they get it in the future or do you play safe and get something clearly representational? Do you get something that reflects them (or rather who you suspect they might be at 4 weeks old) or a reflection of the world they've arrived into? Do you go for a name that might appreciate and might pay their way through art school, or something robust that won't get too trashed during the rigours of the average childhood?

See: Pressure!

Fortunately the guesswork has been taken out of it, thanks to Takahashi Murikami's My First Print series at the Kaikai Kiki gallery which, according to the artist, "is to be the first piece of artwork you will own in your life."

Sorted.

Pic: Takashi Murakami, And then, and then and then and then and then 1994

Song about ping-pong

I love how every sports manufacturer and advertiser is throwing an Olympics twist on everything at the moment.

Here's one I quite like for those that remember Ping-Pong Country at Mighty Mighty a while back: Nike have released a table tennis range. It's sharp.

Can you tell I'm missing Wellington just a wee bit?

Cheers: notcot.org,

(and in future I'll endeavour to complete posts before posting)

Hit me baby ONE MORE TIME

"A baby's smile gives a new mother a high like a drug hit and is equally addictive, a study of the female brain shows.

A study involving 28 first-time mothers shows that when a woman looks at a photo of her baby smiling the reward centres of her brain light up. These areas had also been activated in experiments associated with drug addiction.

"It may be that seeing your own baby's face is like a natural high," said Dr Strathearn, who is now based at the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas.

The study, published in the journal Paediatrics, showed this maternal activation was strongest with smiling faces. Photos of babies crying did not evoke the same brain response..."

Full article here...

Life imitating a really slow news day

This is awesome: Telecom are being criticized for an advertisement that isn't real.
The story 'broke' as it were on Spare Room last week, who stated that "Corporates just don’t get the web. They just can’t recreate that amateur viral charm with a big ad budget."

Aside from the fact that 'amateur viral charm' was monopolized by corporate chequebooks (think LonelyGirl, 42 Below's mock-offensive virals, Panasonic's pocket series) a long time ago, aren't we being a bit too precious over what is a blatently creative medium?

I must admit I quite like the ad – it tells a good story (shouldn't all ads?) and it creates an office culture that I aspire to work in (again – shouldn't all ads be aspirational?).

One Moment Caller has taken this investigation a step further, and can reveal the dark secrets of an advertising industry intent on misrepresenting everyday life in order to flog you products. The investigation has shockingly revealed (may contain spoilers):

- Ducks do not drive stock cars around your shiny toilet bowl.
- A man does not sit next to intersections with a Wheel of Misfortune that dictates whether you live or die (though I think this presented a golden opportunity for Clemenger).
- The Butter family were not a real family.
- And not only recent advertising is behind this shocking cover up: the Volkswagon depicted in DDB's groundbraking 1960s print ad is in fact a car, and not a lemon, as stated.