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This Calendar Is Redefining What It Means To Be 'Malcriada'

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This woman is redefining what it means to be “malcriada.”


When the Peruvian newspaper Tome started to publish photos of scantily clad women in a section labeled “Malcriadas,” local woman Kelly Elfaro decided to reclaim the term for badass women everywhere. 


The Spanish word “malcriada” roughly translates to "misbehaved" or "ill-mannered." However Elfaro has flipped the term on its head, using it to describe the female revolutionaries, activists and artists featured in her feminist calendar, “Las Malcriadas.”


In the teleSUR video above, Elfaro says the premise of the calendar is to celebrate women who, because of their “bad behavior,” have started revolutions and made changes. She adds that she hopes the calendar will inspire other women to fight for their rights, "because we still have a long way to go." 


Past malcriadas included, Nobel Peace Prize winner and indigenous rights activist Menchú, girls' education advocate Malala Yousafzai and political activist Angela Davis -- to name a few.


"Las Malcriadas" is sold locally in Peru at La Libre de Barranco, Librería Contracultura and Feria Peru Independiente. However, fans all over the world can celebrate malcriadas, past and present, on Facebook.


H/T teleSUR English


Also on HuffPost: 


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This Man Turned Trump's Racist, Sexist And Bigoted Words Into Art

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An artist from the United Kingdom has compiled some of the most appalling language to come out of Donald Trump's trap and turned these collective statements into a beautiful work of art.


To create the portrait, Conor Collins pulled together the words of the American businessman from his Twitter, speeches and interviews, using only statements that represent racist, sexist or bigoted rhetoric -- not a difficult task when it comes to the Republican presidential candidate.



"I painted him because it matters. He had gone beyond a joke," Collins told The Huffington Post. "He is giving justification to millions of people for racism, sexism, bigotry and it has to end. It's 2016 not 1916 [...] I only paint real people made out of real comments. The style may be a bit surreal, but the words on canvas are all things that are being said today."


Collins first garnered international attention for a previous painting, comprised of online comments following Tom Daley's coming out in 2014. The Olympic diver was subjected to a huge amount of homophobic backlash. In 2015, Collins produced another work in the same vein, using Caitlyn Jenner and the transphobic comments she received after coming to live as her authentic self.


Collins told The Huffington Post that he produces his works not to draw attention to the negativity, but to illuminate the pervasiveness of online hate speech.


"In this world where technology has brought us closer together than ever, people like him are trying to separate us," he said. "It has to stop."


 


Also on HuffPost:


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The Bachelor Season 20 Episode 4 Recap: What Happens In Vegas (Sort Of) Stays In Vegas

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After a months-long hiatus, "The Bachelor" franchise has returned, this time with all-American family man Ben "Unlovable" Higgins at its center. And on "Here To Make Friends," we talk about all of it -- for the right reasons.


In this week's "Here To Make Friends" podcast, hosts Claire Fallon and Emma Gray recap Episode 4 of "The Bachelor," Season 20. We'll discuss Olivia's talent(s), the decoupling of The Twins, "sex panthers" and Ben's unflinching ability to manage the emotions of the women around him.





We're also joined by opera singer, columnist and former Bachelor contestant and Sharleen Joynt!


 



 


See who made the cut this week in the handy graphic (above), and check out the full recap of Episode 4 by listening to the podcast:


 





 


Do people love "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," or do they love to hate these shows? It's unclear. But here at "Here To Make Friends," we both love and love to hate them -- and we love to snarkily dissect each episode in vivid detail. Podcast edited by Nick Offenberg.


The best tweets about this week's episode of "The Bachelor":


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4 Things To Know When Watching 'The Bachelor,' From A Former Contestant

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It may come as a shock, but -- wait for it -- not everything that happens on "The Bachelor" happens organically. (We know, we know, we'll let you take a minute to recover from that extraordinary revelation.) 


But all jokes aside, it's easy to get sucked into the narrative of a show like "The Bachelor" and assume you understand where the characters, er... contestants, are coming from -- even if you intellectually understand that there are a team of producers behind every date. We recently spoke to former "Bachelor" contestant Sharleen Joynt (who also happens to be a very successful opera singer and Flare columnist). She had some great insights about what actually happens behind the scenes on a reality dating show, pulled straight from her experience as the "most revolutionary 'Bachelor' contestant" on Juan Pablo's season.





Because, when you think about it, is it really surprising that being trapped in a hotel room without Internet or TV while being asked by everyone around you to constantly think about one man might drive a woman to behave a bit "dramatically"?


Here are a few things every informed viewer should understand when watching "The Bachelor."


1. The contestants who aren't on a one-on-one date are encouraged to be aware of the date they are missing. When you see the girls all looking up at an airplane that's just flown Ben H. and his date above them, it's probably not because they've all been staring at the sky pining away for him for the previous three hours. More likely it's because the cameras have all turned skyward, tipping the women off that something is going on up there. The same goes for Monday night's helicopter/fireworks date that the women seemed to be constantly watching from their hotel room. 


2. "Bachelor" contestants are generally kept physically and mentally isolated from the outside world. "Legend has it that you can’t bring books, but at our first airport, a producer let me buy a book," said Joynt. "They definitely want to keep you focused on [the Bachelor] all the time. So, no music, no books, no anything that could possibly keep you sane."


3. To get those juicy confessionals, "Bachelor" producers use leading questions. When contestants are in an "In The Moment" interview, as they're called, they are asked very specific questions, and then told to answer in the present tense in complete sentences -- even if the events they're talking about happened hours before. So, "How confident do you feel about your connection with Ben?" could turn into "I feel very confident in my connection with Ben." Or, perhaps, "Do you think of Ben as your husband?" could become "I do think Ben is my husband!"


4. Producers often become very close with the contestants, which is why they end up getting so much "opening up" out of them. "If you bond with your producer more than the other girls in the house, it’s a recipe for disaster," said Joynt. 


For more fun tidbits from Joynt, listen to the HuffPost "Here To Make Friends" podcast, below:





 


Do people love "The Bachelor," "The Bachelorette" and "Bachelor in Paradise," or do they love to hate these shows? It's unclear. But here at "Here To Make Friends," we both love and love to hate them -- and we love to snarkily dissect each episode in vivid detail. Podcast edited by Nick Offenberg.


The best tweets about this week's "Bachelor" episode...


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Italian Politicians Furious As Rome Covers Nude Statues For Iranian President's Visit

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Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrived in Rome Tuesday on his first European trip after the implementation of the landmark nuclear deal. But just hours after his arrival, Italian politicians were already up in arms about the visit. 


Rouhani embarked on his European tour ready to reestablish economic relations after sanctions against Iran were lifted. In addition to meeting the pope, the Iranian leader conferred with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. 


To avoid offending the Iranian leader, authorities at the press conference with Rouhani and Renzi at the Esedra room of the Capitoline Museum opted to cover up classic nude statues with large white panels. 


That decision, however, sparked furious protest from Italian politicians, who described the move as disgraceful


Both liberal and conservative parties criticized the Italian government, accusing it of censorship and compromising Italian culture.


"The choice of shielding the nudity of several statues at the Capitoline Museum is worthy of the worst Islamic terrorist. It's a decision that offends Western culture, as well as the supremacy of art as a vehicle for culture and liberty,” said Fabio Rampelli, leader of the right-wing Fratelli d'Italia-Alleanza party.


"It is a shameful act, and one that [Culture] Minister Franceschini will have to answer for,” he continued. 


Secretary of the right-wing Lega Nord political party, Matteo Salvini, was equally critical, calling the move "crazy" on his Facebook page. Barbara Saltamartini, a deputy with Lega Nord, called the authorities' decision "an act of submission." 



Some politicians from former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party also criticized the decision. For Forza Italia's Luca Squeri, "covering up statues in the Capitoline Museum for Rohani's visit is a demonstration of excessive zeal, and therefore cannot be supported. This isn't respect, it's a denial of differences and perhaps even submission," Squeri said.


"It’s proof that when Renzi talks about identity and integration, it's pointless babble. Because people are not supposed to hide their identities, and without valuing identity, we'll never have true integration," Squeri added


The statues were covered in a show of respect for Iranian culture and sensibilities, according to Italian news agency Ansa. Wine was also scrapped from the menu during the formal dinner hosted for Rouhani, Ansa reported.


When Rouhani was scheduled to dine with French President Francois Hollande in November he requested a wine-free table and halal meat. But Hollande declined saying that would sacrifice French secular customs. The visit, however, was postponed following the Paris attacks.   



This post first appeared on HuffPost Italy. It has been translated into English and edited for clarity.


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Self-Taught Teen Pianist Gives Stunning Public Performance

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This teen's impromptu piano performance has led to a crescendo of praise across the Internet.





Monntel West, an 18-year-old from Lansing, Michigan, played South Korean pianist Yiruma's "River Flows in You" at a public piano in the Lansing Mall last Friday, Today.com reported. The teen's impromptu performance was caught on camera by Sara Hadley and shared on Facebook where his playing was music to social media users' ears.


"I was so amazed, it's crazy," West, whose piano skills are self-taught, told Today.com of his newfound viral fame. "It's made me feel really good about myself. To see people are interested in my talent -- it made me feel really happy."


Watch the teen do the gorgeous melody justice, playing the song with fluidity and control. 


The teen told The Lansing State Journal that not only is he self-taught, but he doesn't have a piano at home and can't read music. West began teaching himself to play about four years ago when his father bought him an electric keyboard, according to Today.com. He didn't have money for lessons, however. 


That day West played on the mall piano -- which was placed in there as part of the Keys in the Cities program, which brings pianos to public spaces -- the teen was waiting for a friend. 


"I thought I might as well practice a little bit," he recalled to Today.com. 


But for Hadley, as well as so many people across the Internet, the "practice" was so much more than just that. 





"I had goosebumps," Hadley told the Lansing State Journal of the teen's performance. "It was just amazing, and I figured he just deserved some sort of recognition."


Since the video went started getting attention across the Internet, the teen's been contacted by producers as well as people offering free music lessons, Today.com reported. While the 18-year-old is delighted by the positive feedback he's received, he hopes that his performance inspires others to be confident in their skills. 


"Everybody has those hidden talents and hidden abilities," West said, according to the Lansing State Journal. "Hopefully this shows people to not be afraid to show them."


The teen plans to attend Lansing Community College and study music management, according to Today.com


 


Also on HuffPost: 


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Oxford Dictionary Manages To Make Innocuous Words Wildly Sexist

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Last Wednesday, anthropologist and Ph.D. student Michael Oman-Reagan noticed something a bit odd about definitions and uses of certain words in the Oxford Dictionary. 


When Oman-Reagan looked up the term "rabid" on his computer, it responded with this definition and example sentence: "Having or proceeding from an extreme or fanatical support of or believe in something: a rabid feminist." Seems just a tad unnecessary. 






On Jan. 20, Oman-Reagan tweeted his observations at Oxford University Press, which owns Oxford Dictionary. "Why is 'rabid feminist' the usage example of 'rabid' in your dictionary -- maybe change that?" he wrote. 


As Oman-Reagan pointed out in a post on Medium, the Oxford Dictionary is the default dictionary on Apple's Mac OS X operating system. A Mac computer, iPad and iPhone all use definitions from the Oxford Dictionary.  


"Why is [Oxford Dictionary] filled with explicitly sexist usage examples?" Oman-Reagan asked on Medium. "Shouldn’t the usage examples in this dictionary reflect that understanding of sexism in language?" 


Oman-Reagan's tweet definitely resonated with Twitter users, who retweeted it over 900 times. The observation prompted others to weigh in on the debate with the hashtag #OxfordSexism.


New Orleans-based writer Nordette Adams made the same observation as Oman-Reagan. In a 2014 blog post she described why pairing the terms "feminist" and "rabid" is so problematic:



The image of the 'rabid feminist' is one conjured and promoted most often by people who don't like feminists... The editors of dictionaries indeed influence human perception of the world and attitudes toward certain objects or phrases. Through examples, it can even shape the meaning of the word feminist when feminist is not the word the reader looks up.



In the days after Oman-Reagan shared his initial observation, he found several other examples of sexist word uses from Oxford Dictionary. He tweeted all of his observations at Apple CEO Tim Cook too, given that Mac devices use Oxford as the default dictionary. 







Scroll below to read a few subtly sexist example sentences Oman-Reagan tweeted. 






























BuzzFeed also found a few more examples of subtle sexism from Oxford Dictionary including the definitions of "nurse" and "doctor." The "nurse" example sentence only used the term as a verb when referring to women: “She nursed at the hospital for 30 years." The "doctor" explanation uses only utilized male pronouns. 



Only two days after Oman-Reagan's initial tweets on Jan 22., Oxford Dictionary responded with a tone-deaf and disrespectful tweet. 










The company added in another tweet that that "'rabid' isn't always negative, and our example sentences come from real-world use and aren't definitions." 


In just a few days, "rabid" became one of the most popular search terms on the Oxford Dictionary website as discussion of the topic picked up steam on social media.


On Jan. 23, the company finally tweeted a real apology, describing their first tweet as "flippant." Scroll below to read the full apology. 


















On Jan. 25, Oxford University Press issued a statement apologizing for the company's "ill-judged" tweets and said they will be reviewing their example sentence for "rabid" and other terms that Oman-Reagan pointed out. 


"We apologise for the offense that these comments caused," the statement read. "The example sentences we use are taken from a huge variety of different sources and do not represent the views or opinions of Oxford University Press. That said, we are now reviewing the example sentence for 'rabid' to ensure that it reflects current usage."


Click through below to read the full #OxfordSexism debate from Oman-Regan and other Twitter users. 




Head over to Medium to read more from Oman-Reagan. 


Also on HuffPost: 


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'The Birth Of A Nation' Is The Year's Powerful Sundance Breakout

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The Sundance Film Festival just provided an early remedy for the lack of diversity next year's Oscar race could inevitably face. After four days of rave reviews for the pale casts in "Manchester by the Sea" and other movies, "The Birth of a Nation" earned three standing ovations at Monday's premiere -- one before it even started, one that lasted throughout almost the entire end credits and another when director/writer/star Nate Parker took the stage immediately afterward.


It's too early to discuss 2017's Oscars, of course. But Sundance almost always gives us at least one or two films that carry their critical plaudits all the way to the following year's awards (see: "Brooklyn," "Boyhood"). Monday's crowd declared "Birth" an instant antidote to the ongoing #OscarsSoWhite controversy. That premonition seemed doubly likely when distributors quickly huddled in the theater lobby to begin bidding for rights to the film, resulting in Fox Searchlight's record-setting $17.5 million acquisition. (The studio has a history of shelling out for splashy Sundance titles, buying "Brooklyn" for $9 million last year and "Little Miss Sunshine" for $10.5 million in 2006.)


But more important than awards odds is the story told in "The Birth of a Nation" -- and, specifically, the way it's told. Parker, who played Gugu Mbatha-Raw's love interest in "Beyond the Lights," spent seven years making the film a reality, and in 2013 -- after being told it was too controversial, too violent and too, well, black -- he vowed not to act again until "Birth" was complete. The result is one of the most powerful slavery stories committed to film. 



During the Q&A after the premiere, where the massive cast and crew took up the entirety of the stage, Parker said there's a resistance to seeing slave stories because we "sanitize" history. He made "Birth" with the "hope of creating change agents" regarding Hollywood's willingness to tell African-American stories. In keeping, every actor worked for scale, meaning they took home the union's minimal daily pay rate instead of full-blown salaries. That move is a staple of the independent-film world, particularly when it comes to passion projects. 


"The Birth of a Nation," which shares an ironic title with D.W. Griffith's infamously racist 1915 Civil War epic, will inevitably draw comparisons to 2012's "12 Years a Slave." But "Birth" does some things that most films of this genre do not. In chronicling the true story of Nat Turner, the cotton-picking Virginia preacher who led a violent slave uprising in 1831, Parker makes the white owners somewhat sympathetic. Usually such figures are depicted as caricatures of villainy, and understandably so. (Think Michael Fassbender and Sarah Paulson in "12 Years a Slave," for example.) Here, Armie Hammer plays Nat's childhood friend turned alcoholic master who at times forgets his despotic ways and pals around, perhaps even regretting Nat's condition. That was a concerted choice for Parker, who said slave owners were part of the systematized evil encouraged before the 13th Amendment was enacted.


Secondly, "Birth" makes a refreshing statement about religion's role in slavery. Owners citing scripture as justification for their brutality becomes the impetus for Nat's rebellion. While studying the Bible, he comes to a conclusion: "For every verse they use to support our bondage, there’s another one demanding our freedom.” That sentiment inspires the uprising, creating a profound statement about the ills of abusing religion in the name of wrongdoing. (Some things haven't changed.)



"Birth" is moving and tough to watch, as Parker rightfully refuses to shy away from violence. By the end, it's a weepy galvanizer. But it is not a perfect movie, despite the typically extreme reactions that flooded Twitter after Monday's premiere. (There's something in the air at film festivals that prompts hyperbolic reception on social media, only to be tempered with a little distance. I'm guilty of it, too.) The movie casts a wide net with its characters, bringing few into focus, beyond Nat. Arcs are introduced at the start of the film that don't bear much emotional fruit by the time the rebellion occupies its third act. 


In many ways, those flaws don't matter much. The tug-of-war between good and evil is told with an ethereal tribalism. Parker has accomplished what he set out to do seven years ago, to jostling effect. In the movie's most powerful scene, the sounds of Nina Simone's "Strange Fruit" brought the Sundance audience to tears as Elliot Davis' camera panned across series of black men hanging from trees. Despite the eras that have transpired since, it's a moment that reminds us of our complicity in the injustices that have long ruled society. Told with heartbreaking honesty, the movie offers such passionate filmmaking that minor character issues and the clumsy aesthetics of Nat's vision sequences are easily forgiven.  


"The Birth of a Nation" is Sundance's buzziest film so far, as evidenced by its hefty distribution deal. The festival tends to front-load its lineup, which means the next few day's offerings aren't likely to top this movie's kudos. Now it's our turn to blaze a trail toward theatrical attention that lives up to the early hype. The movie deserves it. For now, "Birth" doesn't need Oscars -- it needs us.



Also on HuffPost:


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The 9 Things Introverts Need For Happiness In The Workplace

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This article first appeared on QuietRev.com


Dear Start-ups,


Introverts are valuable employees. We bring creativity, dedication, and self-motivation to any task we focus on. According to Marti Laney, author of The Introvert Advantage,



“Introverts are thoughtful, imaginative, tend to work independently and think outside the box. Introverts are keen observers and sensitive listeners.”



Famous introvert entrepreneurs include Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Marissa Mayer, and Mark Zuckerberg.


When we imagine our ideal workplace, it looks more like a library full of quiet rooms and isolated carrels than the ball-pit and bullpen situation start-ups are currently obsessed with. As introverts, we may be outnumbered by extroverts at start-ups. According to Laney, “The introvert is pressured daily, almost from the moment of awakening, to respond and conform to the outer world.” This need to conform can be tiring. But we promise, with just a few tweaks in the workplace, you could make us very happy.


Here are a few guidelines to help us out:


1. Open floor plans take years off our lives. If possible, give us our own space.



2. In planning employee bonding activities, look beyond the noisy “all-company mixers.” We can be intensely social, but prefer one-on-one or small group interactions.



3. If you want us to speak up at all-hands meetings, provide an agenda, and put us on it. We do best when we can think before we share our thoughts.



4. We don’t rely on external stimulation via ping-pong tables, sound systems, and snack areas. We can give you our best work while sitting in a room by ourselves.



5. Give us the freedom to structure our own days, and we’ll get the work done.



6. Recognize our good work through thoughtful gifts or simple acknowledgements, not public toasts.



7. Team travel takes energy. Socializing after all-day site visits or client engagements burns us out. Let us have down time we need.



Sincerely,


An empathetic introvert



2015-02-04-Joni_Blecher_150x150.jpg
This article originally appeared on QuietRev.com.

You can find more insights from Quiet Revolution on work, life, and parenting as an introvert at QuietRev.com.

Follow Quiet Revolution on Facebook and Twitter.




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Mo'Nique: Hollywood Only Allows One Black Actor To Shine At A Time

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Oscar winner Mo'Nique is disappointed by a sad reality about the film world: There's not much room for black actors in the upper echelons of Hollywood.


The actress, who talked about the Oscar boycott in the latest episode of her podcast "Mo'Nique and Sidney's Open Relationship," called out Hollywood's warped vision of diversity in an interview with HuffPost Live on Tuesday.


"Why is it that it can only be just one?" she asked. "Normally, when it comes to people of color, it can only be just one that gets in. When there was Sidney Poitier, who else was there? Then there was Denzel Washington, then it was Will Smith. And we always want to know, who's going to be the next?"


That quota-like system doesn't apply to white actors, Mo'Nique continued:



We never say, 'Who's going to be the next Matt Damon?' because there's George Clooney. We never say, 'Who's going to be the next George Clooney?' because there's Tom Hanks. We never say who's going to be the next [of] those people because there's an abundance, but when it comes to people of color, you'll see that there's normally just one or two and that's it."



While the "Precious" star applauded the newly-announced initiative to diversify the Academy Awards, she said the issue of race in the film industry goes beyond award shows. The actress urged film executives to stop "paying people based on the color of their skin." Without the guarantee of a justly-earned paycheck, the "compliments" of an Oscar don't mean much, she told host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani.


"Can we get the paychecks to go along with it? And no one seems to be saying that out loud," she said. "It's, 'Let's get more diversity! Let's get more women! Let's get it!' … But can we get the income that comes along with it?"


Hear more of Mo'Nique's thoughts on #OscarsSoWhite in her HuffPost Live interview here


Want more HuffPost Live? Stream us anytime on Go90, Verizon's mobile social entertainment network, and listen to our best interviews on iTunes.


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How David Bowie Helped Michael C. Hall Through His 'Dexter'-cism

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From his beloved television roles on "Six Feet Under" and "Dexter" to his riveting performances on Broadway and the silver screen, Golden Globe-winning actor Michael C. Hall captures your attention with his signature look and prominent baritone. 


Hall recently worked alongside David Bowie, starring in the late icon's off-Broadway musical "Lazarus," which ran at the New York Theatre Workshop from November to January. A sequel to Bowie's 1976 movie "The Man Who Fell to Earth," the show tells the surreal story of alcoholic millionaire alien Thomas Newton (Hall). But it wasn't until after Bowie's untimely death on Jan. 10 that Hall truly understood how fortunate he was to have worked with the shapeshifting artist.


"The last week and a half of performances after he died were newly contextualized and resonant for both the cast and the audience," Hall told The Huffington Post while promoting "Christine" at the ongoing Sundance Film Festival. "The piece, in many ways, is a part of his epitaph, along with the ‘Blackstar’ album, and we always knew that it was something very important to him, but the immediacy of that importance was made all the clearer when he died. It was a very humbling experience to be a part of that all along, and certainly at the end." 


Hall got emotional when discussing his connection to Bowie and what he learned from him throughout the play-making process. 


"To have had the chance to meet with him, sit with him, talk with him about the show and other things and just absorb the amazing energy and kindness in the man all counted as one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had the opportunity to do. I will cherish the time that I had with him and with his work forever," Hall explained. "To sit in the room with someone who is one of the greatest rock, cultural, artistic icons of the past 50 years is a pretty heady experience and such an honor."


Hall has been focused on his stage career as of late, in an attempt to shed his identity as Dexter Morgan after an eight-season run of Showtime's "Dexter." He credits both "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and "Lazarus" for helping him move past the character that defined him for many years. 


"It was exhilarating, but it was hard work, for sure, and a part of my ‘Dexter’ exorcism. He’s out of my system now," Hall said, laughing while talking about his Broadway experience. "I’m not kidding myself that people are more inclined to associate me with that show and that character, and maybe ‘Six Feet Under,' but I feel like at least, for my own part, I need to put some distance between me and that guy." 


Hold your horses, though, "Dexter" fans, because as much as he would like to bid adieu to his dear old murderer-avenging friend, Hall will never say never to a revival


"There’s talk of the show returning and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility entirely, although it’s hard for me to imagine what that story would be," he said. When I chimed in to suggest that of course Dexter would be a "lumberjack killer," Hall replied, "Yeah, he kills trees now ... bad trees."







Hall looks forward to some rest and relaxation after promoting Sundance's "Christine," in which he plays news anchor George Peter Ryan. Antonio Campos' film tells the true story of Christine Chubbuck (portrayed by an incredible Rebecca Hall), a Florida TV reporter who committed suicide during a live broadcast in 1974. Amid the deeply emotional layers of the film, Hall brings forth wit and charisma. 


"When I read the script, I appreciated that George seemed to, among other things, function as someone who could bring some levity to proceedings," Hall said. "He’s a stereotype in many ways -- a propped-up news anchor -- though I also liked that substance, at least, was revealed." 


Sundance crowds were surprised by the amount of humor sprinkled throughout "Christine," which Hall says is essential because no one could outline the future of the still-burgeoning industry. Hall's performance is contagious, the kind we're sure he'll deliver time and time again in the years to come. 


"None of us in the film, including Christine, know where things are headed so we didn’t want to feel like our hands were tied in terms of having the sense of vitality and fun," he continued. "I think people in 1974 working at a small-market news station are sort of operating outside the box of any established rules of how to go about things and so there’s a lot of fun. They're kind of Wild West characters in that sense. There was an inherent humor that we can associate with that character, and so I didn’t shy away from it." 


 


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Delving Into The Shadowy World Of Occult Art

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"The word occult simply means hidden," curator and writer Pam Grossman explained to The Huffington Post.


Grossman is the curator of "Language of the Birds," an exhibition now on view at New York University's 80WSE Gallery. The exhibition's title alludes to the mystical belief in a perfect, divine language, devised entirely of symbols, through which the initiated can communicate to reveal secrets and ignite metamorphosis. 


"We use [occult] to reference revealing things that were hitherto unrevealed," Grossman added. "More specifically, in the context of the show, it really is about magic, using ideas of symbolism and ritual and intention to create actual change in the material world."



"Language of the Birds" features artists historical and contemporary, whose work converges at the nexus of the real world and one potentially beyond, beneath, or humming all around us. "The featured artists are trying to translate a spiritual experience into art," Grossman continued. "They are often pulling from a similar box of influences -- Kabbalah, alchemy, hermeticism, Tarot -- pulling on threads from different mystery schools and mystic and mythical systems." 


Under this wide umbrella, the exhibition can be divided into categories of "high" and "low" magic -- high referencing ceremonial rituals passed down through centuries of literature, and low denoting witchcraft, folk magic and other more resourceful means of enchantment passed down orally, if at all. 



Grossman, who ten years ago created the blog Phantasmaphile, which focuses on esoteric and fantastical matters, has been invested in supernatural matters for far longer. "I’ve been interested in magical things ever since I was really small," she said. "I loved anything having to do with mythology and fairy tales -- things I think a lot of kids are attracted to. That developed into me doing imaginative rituals and ceremonies and drawing pictures of magical creatures. As most people get older, they seem to grow out of that phase, but I just went deeper."


At its core, Grossman explains, the occult is about experiencing an immaterial realm, whether through a performed ritual, an altered state, a path of learning, or a work of art. Grossman had her first encounter with the latter via the work of René Magritte, the French Surrealist painter known for his use of beguiling bowler hats, floating green apples and pipes that may not be what they seem. 


"While I don’t consider him an occult artist, he was this gateway for me in realizing art was something you could have a relationship with, something you could feel and not just think about. Art opens up portals to these realms that felt mysterious and otherworldly." From Magritte, Grossman was introduced to artists who more easily fit into the occult description, artists like Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo. 



Carrington, primarily based in Mexico City, painted magical realist themes in evocative detail, rendering limber, androgynous princes and enchanted humanoid owls with equally naturalistic precision. While most male Surrealists of the 1940s regarded female sexuality as their muse and inspiration, Carrington opted to portray a woman's eroticism from a first person vantage point, experiencing rather than analyzing themes of sexuality and desire. 


One of Carrington's 1950 paintings, titled "El Nigromante (The Conjurer)" is featured in Grossman's show, much to her continued amazement. The work contains an assortment of monochromatic fantastical beasts against a blood red wall, all congregated around a diamond-faced being holding a many-limbed monkey. The actual meaning and symbolism of these characters is lost on me, though their emphasis is not. Failing to properly name or recognize a single element on the canvas, the viewer lets go of the will to understand and explain and begins to experience something else. Something like a door you never quite noticed before. A portal that leads to the same space, made somehow different.



As Grossman explains, the artists of "Language" don't just incorporate magical imagery into their work. They infuse the work with the supernatural itself. "The majority of artists in the show are using these images to give both themselves and the viewer a mystical experience," Grossman said. "They're not just using the tropes of the occult because it’s cool or interesting, which we see a lot in contemporary art. Their work is a spell."


To clarify, Grossman doesn't condemn the recent cultish fascination with occult imagery that's sprung up amongst a certain Millennial demographic. In her view, the trend has roots that stem beneath the intriguing surface. "These images bubble up when it’s time," she explains. "They have never gone away. Nowadays, people are longing for some kind of alternative spiritual experience. When people feel disenchanted by mass religion, mass government, capitalism, they turn toward something deeper. I think that is, broadly, a really good thing."



"Language" places contemporary and historical artists in conversation, sometimes directly or indirectly. The juxtaposition of various spaces and perspectives illuminates the evolution of a system of symbols and beliefs that dates back before recorded history. It's interesting to see the way past and present converge in this alternate realm, moving at a pace all its own. "Magic is a living system," Grossman explains. "Using images that are hundreds if not thousands of years old, many of the artists comment on something that’s happening in their own lives in contemporary times."


One artist situated firmly between past and present is the iconic Aleister Crowley, known primarily for founding the religion and philosophy Thelema. "A lot of people think of Crowley as a magician, a writer and a leader of a religion. But he dabbed in fine art quite a bit as well," Grossman noted. "He saw art as a profound and potent way to represent the spiritual experiences he was having."


Crowley's work in "Language," titled "Kwaw (Imaginary Self-Portrait)," is just that -- a self-portrait of a man who looks nothing like Crowley in real life, but nonetheless represents some essential persona within him. "It looks like someone of Asian descent, this creature or being named Master Kwaw," Grossman explained. "This self-portrait is meant to remind the viewer about going against one’s natural tendencies. It’s about making sure you do not fall into your patterns that you naturally fall into. Make sure you’re in balance." 



The show is physically divided into five galleries, divided by theme. The first gallery, "Cosmos," features mainly diagrams, maps and schemas. On view is the late Paul Laffoley’s "Astrological Ouroboros," which features the 12 signs of the zodiac as they correspond to various stages of attitude in life and cycles of death and rebirth. Laffoley, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a young age, is often categorized as an outsider artist, due to the obsessive nature of his works, which he guesses take about 15 years to fully comprehend, each. 


While Grossman isn't convinced there is a direct link between outsider art and occult art, she does recognize the way both loosely defined fields are often delegated to the outskirts of the art world. "Occult art has often been marginalized. It’s something that, up until fairly recently, was kind of sidelined and trivialized in the academic world and the institutional world. It’s ironic because a lot of the most canonical artists of all time -- Kandinsky, Rothko, Pollock -- were trying to do exactly the same thing. Using art to help us transcend."



The second gallery "Spirits" explores diverse beings, forces and creatures spawned from the imagination throughout time, such as Kiki Smith's mystical hybrid animals. The third, "Practitioners," highlights witches, magicians, seers and other breeds of magic-makers. Crowley's work fits in here, as does his compatriot Cameron, a witch and multi-disciplinary artist who commuted via hearse and dressed according to the phases of the moon. There's also the work of Argentinian surrealist Leonor Fini, self-proclaimed "queen of the underworld," who enjoyed dying her hair, painting her dreams, and surrounding herself with Persian cats. 


Then there's gallery four, "Altars," which serves as an active altar-space honoring late occult-Surrealist forebears, Kurt Seligmann and Enrico Donati, through the work of artists Jesse Bransford and Rebecca Salmon. And finally, gallery five, "Spells," exalts artists who, through their work, enact something that can only be described as magic. For Grossman, no work embodies this idea better than Carrington's black-and-white-and-red-all-over "El Nigromante."


Through a discombobulating combination of colors and shapes, the viewer's perspective is shifted, her balance tipped off. In Grossman's words: "Through her painting, she turns herself into a magician -- and reminds us that we each have the power to do the same."



In sum, Grossman hopes the combination of mystical imagery, mythical teachings and dark forces bubbling beneath the exhibition will not just inspire viewers to dabble in hexes and spells -- though that's certainly encouraged. Rather, Grossman hopes the enchanting experience of encountering occult art will awaken viewers to a new way of art viewing, one where feeling is privileged over knowing. In this sense, occult art echoes the possibility of outsider art and even abstract art in awakening the (often intimidating) power of visual expression. 


"I really hope the show gives people permission to have a relationship with art that is of the spirit and not just of the mind," Grossman said. "I think analyzing art is really important, as is understanding the historical or political context. But I really hope the show helps resurrect the imagination and helps validate that experience as well."


"Language of the Birds: Occult and Art" is on view at 80WSE Gallery at New York University until February 13, 2016.



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16 Times Latinos Were Brutally Honest About Hollywood’s Lack Of Diversity

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The conversation about diversity in Hollywood tends to reach a fever pitch every year around the time the Oscar nominations are announced. But the reality is that actors of color have to deal with the limitations of working in a predominantly white industry every single day, and they've been voicing their concerns for years. 


For Latino actors the struggle has certainly been an uphill battle. While Latinos constitute over 17 percent of the U.S. population, in 2014 only 4.9 percent of speaking roles within the top films of the year went to Latinos, according to USC's “Inequality in 700 Popular Films" study. And at times, as several artists note below, the roles that are available to Latino actors lean in to harmful stereotypes. 


Here are 16 times Latinos were brutally honest about Hollywood's lack of diversity. 



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A Young Russian Photographer Questions The Byproducts Of Technological Progress

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In his photo series "Restricted Areas," Russian photographer Danila Tkachenko captures the ruins of a future that never took off. His photographs feature abandoned nuclear stations, oil fields, former mining towns and military bases in the former Soviet Union.


"I travel in search of places which used to have great importance for the technical progress - and which are now deserted," Danila Tkachenko writes on his website. For "Restricted Areas" --which earned him the 2015 European Publishers Award for Photography -- he traveled through his native Russia, and photographed what he describes as "secret cities that cannot be found on maps, forgotten scientific triumphs, abandoned buildings of almost inhuman complexity." 


He captures the vestiges of the fall of the Soviet Union, a superpower that dreamed of conquering the world, from ocean to outer space. Today, all that remains of this "perfect technocratic future" is wreckage, shrouded in silence. 


Tkachenko worked on the project during the winters of 2013 and 2014. He captured objects swaddled in fog and snow, and was careful to shoot only in weather conditions that amplified a sense of obscurity and absolute silence. "I wanted to create a certain distance for the spectator. It is a symbol of emptiness, as if nothing exists apart from these objects," the photographer told BBC Culture


"Better, higher, stronger -- these ideals often express the main ideology of the governments, for these goals they are ready to sacrifice almost everything," Tkachenko writes. "Any progress comes to its end earlier or later, it can happen due to different reasons -- nuclear war, economic crisis or natural disaster. For me it's interesting to witness what is left after."


Tkachenko, who was born in 1989 in Moscow, has received a number of awards for "Restricted Areas," including 30 under 30, Magnum PhotosEmerging Photographer Fund Grant, Foam Talent, CENTER Choice Awards and the  lacritique.org Award.


"Restricted Areas" will be on view at the Galleria del Cembalo in Rome, Italy, until February 13, 2016.



This post first appeared on HuffPost Italy and has been translated into English.


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Egypt's Answer To 'The Vagina Monologues' Confronts Sex, Violence And Daily Life For Women

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During the first months of 2011, Sondos Shabayek often found herself at the front lines of Egypt’s revolution in Tahrir Square, where clashes between protesters and security forces marked the last days of Hosni Mubarak's regime. It was a chance to experience fear firsthand, she says now.


Shabayek joined thousands of Egyptians throughout weeks of demonstrations that began on Jan. 25, 2011, as they shared in their frustrations and chanted demands for bread, freedom, social justice and the downfall of the Mubarak government. 


Driven by "incredible adrenaline," Shabayek quit her job as a journalist to start a theater project that honored the personal experiences of Egyptians who joined the protests. With a passion for storytelling and a firm belief that the revolution was affecting individuals differently, Shabayek staged "Tahrir Monologues," featuring stories of fear, courage and hope from the revolution.


"Tahrir Monologues" particularly focused on the first 18 days of the revolution -- a period Shabayek has described as "utopian" -- when Egyptians believed that overthrowing Mubarak’s regime would also end police brutality and oppression, and expand personal and political freedoms. But the leaders that followed -- the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, Mohamed Morsi and now Abdel Fattah El Sisi -- have left many Egyptians feeling dispirited and disenfranchised.


Overcome by disappointment in the post-revolution reality of Egyptian politics, Shabayek found it difficult to think about, let alone continue to stage stories from, Tahrir. It was "purely painful," to revisit these memories, the artist says.


Soon after coming to this realization, and still deeply enthralled by the power of the stage, Shabayek picked up "BuSSy," a storytelling theater project she had been working on before the revolution. The term "BuSSy" comes from a translation of the Arabic word for "look," and is a play on a slang word used to refer to vaginas. It's a storytelling platform for Egyptian women and men to share and explore stories on gender issues, including topics such as sexual harassment, domestic violence and masturbation -- all of which are still largely taboo in Egypt's conservative society.


Despite censorship and clampdowns on free expression, Shabayek is courageously taking "BuSSy" performances to venues across Egypt.


Shabayek spoke with The WorldPost about the revolution’s imprint on her life and career, and the hopes she has for her latest project.


You’re known for "Tahrir Monologues" and now the "BuSSy" project. Can you describe what they have in common, and what you’ve been trying to accomplish with each?


I was working on "BuSSy" before the revolution, and I think the reason I decided to go full-time with theater was "Tahrir Monologues." But until 2011, I was working on "BuSSy" in parallel. I was doing it on the side, with my full-time job as a journalist and editor. Working on "BuSSy" before the revolution is what gave me some insight about storytelling generally. I was unintentionally going around recording stories. Obsessively. So I think that the fact that I was doing that motivated me to start "Tahrir Monologues."


What have you learned from "Tahrir Monologues" or the revolution at large that you were able to carry over to your work with "BuSSy"?


I think the biggest lesson for me was that I discovered that I wanted to be working in theater and that I didn’t want to be doing anything else. I don't think this would have happened if the revolution hadn’t happened, and if "Tahrir Monologues" hadn’t happened. As stupid and adolescent as this will sound, because it was, I literally dropped everything in 2011 and decided: No. I want to do "Tahrir Monologues." And there was no money in that. And it wasn’t logical. I decided I didn’t want to write. At the time, I was freelancing with [Egyptian newspaper] Al Masry Al Youm. I stopped responding to calls. I had another job as an editor at a magazine, which I also quit two months later. It wasn’t just that I wanted time off, I was completely giving it up. And this seemed very illogical to me, because for 15 years, I wanted to be a journalist.





By March, I was jobless and broke. All I knew was that I wanted to do "Tahrir Monologues" that year, and I wasn’t thinking of what would come next. I didn’t consider whether that meant that I would work in theater or not. Until the end of 2012, I was struggling to identify myself. So I didn’t know how I should introduce myself to people. Until after a series of workshops, people started telling me that I was a theater director. So I said, oh, I’m a theater director! OK! Seriously. This wouldn’t have happened without everything that happened in the country, or without "Tahrir Monologues." I think there was this euphoria and incredible adrenaline that gave birth to "Tahrir Monologues."


You said that "Tahrir Monologues" resulted in an intimacy between audience and actors. Is it the same with "BuSSy"?


"Tahrir Monologues" had a very specific feature that was different from "BuSSy": We had the same team for almost two years. It was horrendous, of course, because we’re talking about a group of volunteers. But people started getting attached to them, because they saw them in one performance after the other. And those who came to the first performance in May 2011, came to the last performance of that year in December 2011. So they could trace how the performance had changed. We gained a loyal fan base. And it was emotional because of the topic.



You’re talking about a woman’s relationship with her vagina, for example. As opposed to someone’s relationship with state security.



"BuSSy" is different in the sense that it’s more shocking. "BuSSy" needs more guts. And even though "Tahrir Monologues" is a project about the revolution, I always consider "BuSSy" to be more political than "Tahrir Monologues." We didn’t face the resistance and problems we faced with "BuSSy" with "Tahrir Monologues." The problems we faced with "Tahrir Monologues" were limited, compared with "BuSSy." I remember being shocked at the extent to which people were welcoming. I performed in places I would never take the "BuSSy" performance to. At least not before another revolution.





As you watch the audience during "BuSSy" performances, what is the impression you get about the effect it has on them? 


Unlike "Tahrir Monologues," which mainly addresses a collective emotion, a collective experience, "BuSSy" has a very individual impact. It is experienced on an individual level. You receive it alone. You may be sitting among the audience, and you come out saying, this is my story. Not our story. Of course, "Tahrir Monologues" definitely does that to a certain degree, but still, not like "BuSSy," because "BuSSy" is still very individual.



To surrender to self-inflicted censorship and outside censorship is something that kills you.



Sometimes it’s more moving for women. You’re talking about a woman’s relationship with her vagina, for example as opposed to someone’s relationship with state security, you know? In "BuSSy," there are a lot of things that we talk about that were never discussed openly. So I remember that some people didn’t quite get what constitutes sexual harassment. When they would watch the monologues they would realize, and say, "Oh, I discovered when I heard this story that I was also harassed." And you didn’t know that before?


What it exposes is much much much deeper, much much much more problematic to face and deal with than "Tahrir Monologues."


You’ve said that it was challenging to keep working on "Tahrir Monologues" after the revolutionary events got complicated, and people’s positions became more fragmented. Is that why you decided to end the project?


We had reached a point where we could no longer talk about the 18 days. At the same time, it started becoming very difficult to share new stories, because there were too many; they were too intense, and ongoing. We started thinking it wasn’t safe and I didn’t have it in me. I don’t know how else to articulate it. I didn’t have it in me. When I agreed to make a filmed version of it, it was so difficult to work on the editing. I didn’t want to. I couldn’t think about these stories again. And when I did, it was just so fucking painful. Purely painful.


Do you have a favorite Tahrir monologue that you keep thinking back to?  


These questions are making me cry. I’ve cried nonstop working on "Tahrir Monologues," and I’ve cried nonstop watching the performances. I feel like a pathetic loser. I’ve worked on all the stories, so all the stories touch me. Even the ones that no one expects to be touching. I don’t feel that there’s any one story that has a hold over me. Every now and then a different story comes to mind. I guess my own personal story in "Tahrir Monologues" always comes in flashbacks. And it upsets me when I recall it. Because whether it’s my story or other people’s stories -- they remind me of moments of courage that I’m not sure I’ll ever experience again in my whole life.



They all touch me in different ways. Even the absurd ones. The one with the man who stole a gas barrel from [Mubarak’s] National Democratic Party building and ran out on the street. He entered the building and picked the heaviest thing he could find, and he took it. Because he felt that he owns it and he wanted to take what belongs to him.


You told me last time we talked that during the protests, you would move closer to the front lines each time to test the limits of your fear. Do you feel that with the "BuSSy" project, you’re testing the limits of creative expression in Egypt?


In a very different way. I’m not gambling with death directly when I do that in "BuSSy." I’ll tell you something. I don’t know how to describe it, but to surrender to self-inflicted censorship and outside censorship is something that kills you. I feel like if I do do that, I’d turn into a cucumber -- something dead, limp. I feel that I can’t not do this. Because, where we got today in terms of freedom of expression -- even though it’s still appalling and everything -- where artists stand now is because of artists before them who pushed the limits. Where I personally stand now is because of the boundaries I previously pushed. If in 2011 I hadn’t decided to refrain from removing profanity from performances, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now. 



If I include stories on same-sex relationships, then I would be giving up these storytellers, and giving up the project, to the government.



I don’t feel that I’m gambling with death, but I feel like I’m walking a very thin line. At a time we know a project may be unceremoniously killed at any time, I want to know that I’ve done the right thing. I want to know that until the very last breath, there was a set of values that the project believed in and held onto. If we have a tiny impact I just want to make sure that this impact has integrity.



What do you feel that the impact of "BuSSy" has been?


I don’t think that I could ever give an objective answer to this question. I can only tell you what I’m hoping would happen. That is to expand the margins for people, to remove shame and stigma from stories and start talking about issues openly and honestly, and stop this policy of hiding our dirty laundry.


If I’m being more specific, I wish for the project to be a source of solidarity and empowerment for women generally, to tell their stories and go watch stories of other people telling stories, so that we would dig ourselves out of the hole of "she had it coming to her." We’re dealing with a generation of women who were beaten up as kids when they got sexually harassed. We are so far behind. When someone once asked me, Why don’t you pose solutions? I told him, What solutions? Watch out for this next metaphor. I told him: It’s like you’re dealing with people who are sick, but they don’t even know that they’re sick. And they don’t see their bruises as bruises. They see their bruises as just colors. We’re trying to tell people: By the way, you’re hurt. So tell people you’re hurt.


So this is so far away from giving solutions. I don’t think it’s my role to give solutions. I think there are other people whose role is to do that. But you’ll never solve a problem if you don’t even acknowledge it’s there. So the fact that people are talking about harassment, and the fact that there’s awareness, for me, is progress, even if that only happens in Cairo. Walking down the street now is very different. If I stand on the street and scream, "I’m being harassed," the harasser would be severely beaten up. Of course, there are still incidents and catastrophes. And harassment in homes by family members and relatives and friends is still rampant. But at least we know what harassment is.


While your work so often has focused on gender and sexuality, you have yet to tackle same-sex relationships. Why is that, and what are the obstacles to approaching the subject?


If I include stories on same-sex relationships, then I would be giving up these storytellers, and giving up the project, to the government. I had people with very diverse sexual affiliations in workshops, and a few of them valiantly volunteered to go up on stage and tell their stories. I said no. Forget it. Yes, I want to remove shame and stigma and all, but I would never place a human being’s life in danger to do it.



They don’t see their bruises as bruises. They see their bruises as just colors. We’re trying to tell people: By the way, you’re hurt.



This is one form of censorship that I’m still doing. And I’m not doing it because I’m scared, I’m doing it because I know that before I get a chance to actually have any impact, the whole thing would be shut down. Maybe it’s a mistake, I don’t know. The things I don’t do are always running around in my mind. Whatever I decided to leave out haunts me. There’s a lot of guilt.


Finally, what is your personal silver lining from the revolution?


I believe very much in the individual impact that the revolution, as a collective event, had on human beings. The effect that no one talks about. No one talks about how an event like that changed people’s personal lives. Many people shifted careers and ended relationships and traveled and came back, triggered by that event. When I think back to where I would have been if the revolution hadn’t happened I find that I would have been someone else. I’m grateful for the moment of truthfulness that the revolution gave me, about who I am, what I want to be doing, what life is, and who the people around me were. We lost a lot of friends, and we gained a lot of friends during that time. But I feel that the real silver lining was that pure moment of truthfulness with oneself. When you find yourself very close to death, all that’s left is the truth. 


This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.


This post is part of a series ​looking back at five years after the start of the protests in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.​ More in the series: 


An Egyptian Artist Took On His Country's Revolution. Now He's Turning His Eye To The U.S.



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Why This Woman Made A Feminist Comedy About Bulimia

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You wouldn't necessarily expect "bulimia" and "funny" to be in the same sentence, let alone form the building blocks of a show. But that's exactly what filmmaker and actress Jessie Kahnweiler's new series, "The Skinny" does: find the comedy in a topic as seemingly dark as eating disorders.  


"The Skinny," which premieres on Refinery29 on January 27, follows a young feminist YouTuber named Jessie -- "I do hardcore feminist shit. Like, full bush, liberal" -- who lives in LA. She also happens to have an eating disorder, something that informs all of her relationships, most importantly her relationship with herself. The series, though very much a work of fiction, is deeply rooted in Kahnweiler's own experiences. She was bulimic for over a decade and is now in recovery, a process she sees as ongoing, possibly forever.


I spoke to Kahnweiler just after the Sundance premiere of her show this week. She was getting on a bus "drunk on love," and chatted with me about the perceived tension between being a "good" feminist and having eating issues, the need to tell your own story authentically, and why "The Skinny" is about so much more than bulimia.


I know "The Skinny" is somewhat inspired by your own struggles with an eating disorder. What made you want to create a show that touches on those themes with yourself at the center?


As an independent filmmaker it’s just, what are the stories that are not being told? What’s the shit that matters to me and my friends that’s not being depicted in an honest way, whether that’s sexual assault or race or eating disorders? I was bulimic for over 10 years and in recovery now. And I believe that I’m never going to be recovered, it’s always going to be something that’s a part of me. [I wanted to explore] this issue of women’s relationships to their bodies and how that relates to sexuality and food and desire. I was literally searching for a story like that.


Was it scary to create something so personal?


I was really nervous. Part of me felt like, this is the most shameful thing. I can flash my tits, I can say "fuck," I can be that zany clown, but what I was doing with my eating was so shameful that that was the scariest thing to expose. That’s what made me want to do it -- this challenge and the need to see this story told in an authentic way, which is very personal to me but not just my story.



I was this loud, happy, crazy, feminist and I also had this other part of me that was full of shame and self-hate. So, how do those two people co-exist in the same woman?



Do you think what you’re doing with "The Skinny" is different from the depictions of eating disorders on TV and in movies we usually see?


I don’t know if it’s different, but as an out and proud TV addict I was looking for stories that showed eating disorders in a real way. It’s joked around with because people feel really uncomfortable or it’s melodramatic -- like this girl has an eating disorder, and then by Act III three she almost dies and then she’s better. And for me that was not my experience. I was this loud, happy, crazy, feminist and I also had this other part of me that was full of shame and self-hate. So, how do those two people co-exist in the same woman? 'Cause every woman I know is incredibly complicated. So I was really interested in exploring that. I guess [through the show] I'm asking questions to myself. How did this happen? What does this mean? I feel very grateful going through this process of recovery. The show is probably part of that, though it is not actual therapy.


What a novel idea! Women are complicated!


[Laughs] I know, you would think. We have 'Girls,' let’s move on. For some reason -- we show sex and violence and all this crazy stuff on TV and that’s OK, but you show a woman eating an entire pizza and that’s insane. And that’s insane to me, because that perpetuates the cycle of shame. If you don’t see your story, you’re like, 'Well, I’m the only one.' That’s what I thought for 10 years: 'I’m the only one that does this, no one else does this shit with food like I do, and I need to keep it to myself and I need to get better by myself.' Which is total bullshit.


You’ve also spoken about the tension you felt between being a "strong feminist" and having an eating disorder. What is it about food issues -- which pretty much every woman struggles with -- that is seen as being incongruous with our feminist values?


That’s a great question. I really believe that it has everything to do with a lack of female storytellers and the female gaze being represented, which means women telling stories about their own lives and putting themselves as protagonists in their own stories. It’s amazing to have Lena and "Broad City" and Amy Schumer, but if you think about all the TV shows out there, 95 percent [of the time] we’re still seeing a man’s experience. Of course men can write women and women can write men, but I think that when it comes to something like eating and body, I think there just needs to be more. Yes, there’s women. Yes, they’re making art. And, yes, there needs to be a lot fucking more.  



Yes, there’s women. Yes, they’re making art. And, yes, there needs to be a lot f**king more.



Most of your work has been online. How do you think the Internet has changed your career trajectory?


I wouldn’t have been able to be an artist before the Internet. No one wanted to make this show. Nobody. Eating disorders are ugly or messy or gross. So, what are we going to do about it? There was something inside of me as an artist that was like, 'I will literally die before I don’t tell this story.' It was bursting out of me. So going on Kickstarter and literally empowering myself, and enlisting Illeana Douglas [who plays Jessie's mom in 'The Skinny'], you get all these little pebbles of hope. You get Illeana Douglas saying yes. You get 10 bucks and an email from a girl saying, 'Oh man I thought I was the only one. Thank you so much for making this show.' OK, that’s a pebble of hope. And you keep rolling that pebble up the hill until it becomes a boulder. And now I’m at Sundance and 'The Skinny' is everyone’s -- it’s not mine anymore.


You've worked with some incredible women, like "Transparent" creator Jill Soloway who is a producer on "The Skinny." How did your collaboration with her come about?


I stalked Jill a few years ago on Facebook. I was really seeking out mentors. And Jill was a really badass storyteller, a really specific true voice. I sought her out and started this relationship where she helped me get this grant from the Jewish Federation and I was able to make a web series. Her thing is just to keep making work. I think a lot of the times in Hollywood it’s like, 'Well, it’s all about people you know.' And, yeah, it’s all about people you know, but you have to make the work. The work is the networking, ultimately. What was really incredible about having Jill involved in the show is that the show is so personal to me, and she really helped me build the structure. Everything is based off emotional truth, and having an adventure and characters learning, growing, changing and fucking up, and because I had her to help me shape the story, it allowed me to take more chances.



A lot has been made about the show’s focus on our fucked up relationships with food. But when I was watching, a lot of other themes jumped out at me -- like the challenges of getting a creative career off the ground, the challenges of navigating relationships and dating, and maintaining boundaries with your parents as you grow up.


Yes. I’m so happy you’re saying that. In structuring the show, it wasn’t the 'bulimia show.' It’s not just, this is what it’s like to be bulimic. Of course that’s really important, but I wanted it to be more of a story. It's about, having an eating disorder, how does it affect my relationships, my relationship to myself, my body. A lot of times, my eating disorder was my best friend and my worst enemy. Really [the show is] about this girl’s journey of becoming a woman and how she reconciles her self-hate. And how she makes meaning of her life. And, hopefully, that’s a universal story.


There’s a moment in the third episode where your character is trying to sell her YouTube series and someone says, "No one likes women that real." That line really really stuck with me. Is that something you’ve actually heard said explicitly -- or is it just kind of implied?


A lot of the show is inspired from these nuggets that happened and then you build on them. That moment specifically, as a woman I feel like either I’m not enough or I feel like I’m too much. And I’m totally internalizing the patriarchy in moments where I’m like, 'Oh my god, I don’t want to take up too much space.' I’ve been told I’m too much my whole life. And I think I was trying to face that and examine that. And there’s no bad guy. I’m not saying that the guy who said that to me is the bad guy. But just, god, where did this [attitude] come from? How can we change it? How does the way society deals with women affect my own relationship with my body? As I’m growing and feeling more comfortable in my body, how does that change how I am as an artist, as a friend, as a girlfriend, as someone who loves the environment and politics? I feel like the most fundamental relationship is my relationship with my body, yet it’s been a journey to get back there -- to the state of being a little kid, where my body was something I used to have fun and not take out all my rage on.


Ultimately, what do you hope other women take away from watching "The Skinny"?


I really hope that it’s an entertaining experience. I know that it can make people kind of feel uncomfortable but I really want it to feel like, it’s OK. The most shameful thing about you, I’ve felt too. That thought? I’ve had it too. The process of making the show, and working with my writers and my editor and Jill, it was a constant process of, 'Me too. Me too.' Women [need] to tell the stories that only they can tell.


Watch a trailer for "The Skinny" below:





Need help? Call the National Eating Disorder Association hotline at 1-800-931-2237 or visit their website.


This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.


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Snow Reveals A Statue’s Dark Side By Turning It Into Darth Vader

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Jako że nowe wcielenie Jakuba Wejhera bardzo Wam się spodobało, wrzucamy jeszcze jedno ujęcie naszego Vadera :) Niech...

Posted by Wejherowo.pl on Saturday, January 23, 2016


Who knew Jakub Wejher, a 17th century Polish nobleman and military leader, was so tall, Darth and handsome?


A statue of Wejher, that stands in Wejherowo, Poland, -- the town he founded -- was blanketed in snow a few days ago. That’s when Artur Hutnik from the town’s local newspaper, Wejherowo.pl, decided to snap a shot and compare the nobleman to the Sith Lord.


The paper posted the funny picture to its Facebook and Instagram pages, and it was an instant hit for the publication, receiving over 2,000 likes on Facebook and 335 likes on Instagram.




This is not the first time a modern Slavic city has compared a statue to the "Star Wars" villain.


In October, a controversial statue of Vladimir Lenin that stood in the Ukrainian city of Odessa got a facelift when an artist replaced the Soviet founding father’s head with the head of Luke and Leia’s dad.


How Darth InVAsive, Odessa!


H/T Bored Panda


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Photographer Documents The Haunting Journey To Auschwitz

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On Wednesday, the United Nations marks International Holocaust Remembrance Day, in which the world honors the millions of victims who were murdered by the Nazis in World War II.


This year marks the 71st anniversary of the date Soviet forces entered the Auschwitz concentration camp complex and liberated about 7,000 prisoners. Some 1.1 million people are estimated to have died in the camp, including 960,000 Jews. 


Many people who found themselves in Nazi concentration camps began their tragic journey at Platform 21 in Milan's central train station. There, victims were packed into freight cars and transported to concentration and extermination camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen in Germany, and Fossoli and Belzano in Italy.


Italian journalist and filmmaker Luca Ferrari took a train from Platform 21, which has now been turned into a Holocaust memorial museum, to Auschwitz-Birkenau to capture the journey and the extermination camp's interior. 


Take a look at some of Ferrari's haunting photos below.



This story was originally posted on HuffPost Italy and was translated into English.

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In Movies About Disney Princesses, Men Do Most Of The Talking

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Even Disney princesses have to deal with the patriarchy.


According to The Washington Post, linguists Carmen Fought and Karen Eisenhauer recently presented a preview of their research on dialogue in movies with Disney princesses during a conference. The results are a bit disheartening.


The research shows that male characters in most movies starring Disney princesses talk more than the female characters in the films. Men speak 68 percent of the time in "The Little Mermaid," and 71 percent in "Beauty and the Beast." They talk more than 75 percent of the time in both "Pocahontas" and "Mulan." The biggest patriarchy problem of all is in "Aladdin," which has men taking over 90 percent of the dialogue. 







Surprisingly, Fought and Eisenhauer discovered that women actually had a bigger opportunity to speak in older movies featuring Disney princesses. The dialogue is approximately split evenly in 1937's "Snow White," and women talk 60 percent of the time in "Cinderella," which came out in 1950. In "Sleeping Beauty," which was released in 1959, women make up 71 percent of the dialogue. That means a movie starring a princess who is literally asleep for a portion of the film has more dialogue coming from women.


This trend certainly makes it seem like Disney has taken a step backwards, but a few newer films manage to offer women more time to talk. Women speak 52 percent in "Tangled" and a notable 74 percent in "Brave." However, Disney's hit "Frozen" features men speaking 59 percent of the time (even with two women as its protagonists).


According to this research, dialogue is mainly dominated by men in movies featuring Disney royalty. Here's to hoping future princesses get more of an opportunity to speak their minds.







Same, Ariel. Same. 


For more information on this research, head to The Washington Post.


H/T Refinery29


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6 Must-Read Book Recommendations From The World's Brightest Minds

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One of the easiest ways to get smarter is by picking up a great book. So last week The Huffington Post asked some of the brightest minds at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to share their must-read recommendations. Find out what Fusion's Felix Salmon, Save the Children International's Janti Soeripto and CNN's Fareed Zakaria, among others, think you should check out. 


Also on HuffPost:


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