Archives For political

Design and Politics – The Obama Era

April 18, 2009 — Leave a comment

Despite whatever views I may have on Obama’s policy, decisions… or the lack of a firm position (and how much his ideas reminded me of the traditional Latin American candidates during their campaigns) – I do agree with many designers who point out how good his campaign is. The most throughly article I ever read (mind you, I read this a long time ago~~~ perhaps almost a year ago) was Expertinent: Why the Obama “Brand” Is Working – not only the thoughts and critic people involved in graphic design did, but also the comments on the article. Yes, there are a few bad-mouthing the article pointing out how they are not voting for Obama for his marketing, but there are a few others that are quite insightful too. Doing a quick search, you end up with articles such as The Hardest Working Presidential Candidate Logo, which show the pretty awesome use of the Obama-branding… crazy I tell you. As well as NOTCOT’s Obama design post, Ten marketing lessons from the Barack Obama Presidential campaign, and How Better Marketing Elected Barack Obama.

So we all agree. Now, moving on…

So I’ve been Mood: Political for the past week, and I’ve been watching a lot of political shows (which I’m tired off, because I always end up grumpy and cursing interviewers to hell and back), but I’m S&M like that sometimes~

Anyway!!! I got curious, went online and looked up websites of the main political parties here in Peru. APRA, Unidad Nacional, Partido Nacionalista Peruano and… is Peru Possible still relevant? Anyway, I did search for them. I’ll just let you look at my captures instead…

Very 90’s… compared to Obama’s right? Lack of sophistication, graphical quality… but let’s even forget about apperances and focus on the content and its organization. These political Peruvian websites lack ANY information architecture, perhaps interface design needs… a lot of work?, and a total lack of interactive design. But my main problem with all of them is the amount of information, which obviously hasn’t been edited. So in short~~~ They lack structure, and they lack strong content. And don’t even mention the Unidad Nacional website which is just a placeholder saying it’s the website, it has a few links linking to .htm pages with NOTHING on them!

SHAMEFUL.

So now that we are in the Obama Era… the times of globalization, will the political parties take notice of this, and begin minding their design and content? Will good marketing finally matter here?

I may have to agree with something I remember Simon Cowell said~~ that politics in America were great because they were very engaging. Something to that extent… I remember, but can’t find the quote. LOL’  But I remember! That was the reason I watch a lot of CNN, and the voting results with their graphics. There was so much design to be seen there! And I had wished that Peruvian politics took their job that serious and stepped it up with their marketing. *sighs* If only!

In English, Jobs, Rants, Screencaps, Spanish , , , ,
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The Sally Lockhart Mysteries by Philip Pullman

November 8, 2008 — Leave a comment

It took me 3 months (almost 4) to finish reading The Sally Lockhart Mysteries series – shameful I tell you! Four books in that time, shameful!

Thank you, Diana, for letting me borrow these. ^^

So Sally… from the books by Pullman that I’ve read, I noticed that I like his style. Though the more you read him, the more you can predict… guess it’s always like that. The first book on this series, The Ruby in the Smoke, was quite interesting in story and themes. I highly doubt they would’ve let me read this book in school, which deals with the opium trade, dealing, and usage… stuff like murders, extorsion… LOL’ not your very typical ‘children’ literature.

The next book, The Shadow in the North, went sort of the same path with murders and extorsion, but focused a lot more on the financing aspect. However the book wasn’t as good, even though you get to care a little bit more about the characters, and grow up with them. There is also a eh… bedroom scene? xD It reminded me of those PG-13 fanfiction stories. It was intimate on its own, awkward… but you know, it does its purpose for the next book~~~ xD

Book 3, The Tiger in the Well, has some very interestingly written chapters… or maybe just paragraphs. However, by this point, I was beginning to think it was so predictable. I clearly remember I began reading the first chapter, and said out loud “I bet this and that is the one behind!” and then BAM! “I knew it!“. Despite the no-surprise, I enjoyed reading this even more than TSitN… Perhaps it was because it was more complex to me, and I enjoyed Sally discovering how as herself she was a lady, but as someone else she was just a woman… and yes, everybody seemed to be lusting over her. LOL’

Finally Book4, The Tin Princess, which is not really a Sally Lockhart mystery… she’s barely in it. This one was okay, I have nothing against Adelaide, or Becky… and I do like Jim. There are some very well written parts in this one two, but I often found myself skimming. The ending… the ending? I didn’t care enough to… care?

You know how His Dark Materials has sort of a bittersweet ending… more bitter than sweet? This one has a bittersweet ending sweeter than bitter~ LOL’

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Bloody hell~

March 3, 2007 — 3 Comments

I tried to add really old entries from when I started blogging, but it’s really impossible. It’s effing retarded to see how I was blogging almost daily when I was 17, and I find it almost impossible now. Gosh~ So I just gave that idea up.

Since it’s been so long since I last really, really blog, this post might just turn up a little too long, but here goes~

I have been a Dixie Chicks’ fan since I first heard “Without You,’ back when Napster was still free, and I was merely a kiddo living in Lima, Peru. I had NEVER in my life been exposed to Country music, because it’s really not the type of music you hear in a country like mine, so we’d never get anything related to them or their music.

Recently, at a forum, I created a topic to discuss Country music, because I was so excited by the Dixie Chicks sweeping off the Grammy awards. Soon, the topic turned from Country music songs to a heated argument about the Dixie Chicks, so I have been wanting to rant about this.

PS: I think the Chicks will be so proud to create so much controversy in forums~ ;)

However, I must say that their music prior this whole thing was pretty great. Loads of fun to listen to, and lovely ballads.

You can’t take that away from them (hmm… mariah carey’s flashback)

I just saw the documentary “Shut Up & Sing,” which was pretty good… I was expecting more politics, but it was actually moving in bits of the film.

I am not American, but I do not condemn or praise what Natalie Maines said. Well, sure I don’t like Bush… I’m guilty of that, but to defend Natalie’s mistake, her comment wasn’t part of the act. They had just finished a song, and during that moment where they were preparing for the other, she wanted to express something that was bugging her, since the US was invading Irak THAT DAY. The Chicks were watching the news… and closely watching Internet news, when they had to go perform, so that kinda messes with your mind a little, and makes you voice your opinion easier than in other circumstances.

Totally opposite to what Tobey(sp?) Keith did insulting Natalie Maines – that was actually PART of his show, which then turned into that stupid kid’s game of insulting. But whatever~ FUTK, FUDC… but I must say I found Natalie hilarious. x’D

However, watching the documentary – you did see them taking advantage of it. At first, Natalie was all about not making a big deal out of it – and their manager was like “wouldn’t it be great if this and that happened?” – I think that was wrong, and the press didn’t wanna let it go either. If the press and republican groups hadn’t made a big deal out of it, nothing would’ve happened – and probably, the Dixie Chicks would’ve been left standing worse.

There’s no such thing as bad publicity. Any type of publicity is good publicity.

Now, I never saw the big deal with insulting Bush. Everyone does. Every political comic artist in the world pokes fun at every politician they know, because that’s what they do. Otherwise, they’d have no jobs.

Bush is as any other president, or any regular person in the planet. Respect should be earned for the things you do, not the title you wear. That’s my opinion…

After my post, the discussion turned to the definition of “freedom of speech” – And I must say that their arguments weren’t valid to me. Freedom of speech is not “saying whatever you like” – Freedom of speech is “giving your opinion about something.” Yelling “FIRE!” at a cinema does not count as part of Freedom of speech because it doesn’t state anything about anything. I rest my case.

In other crap things~ The Oscar was held a few days back. I guessed a few of them – and I loved the surprise for Alan Arkin =D I was really happy for him, even though I wanted Djimon Honsou to win. ^^ – I also loved “Happy Feet” kicking “Cars”‘ ass for Best Animated Feature. However… WTF – I know Jennifer Hudson was a shoo in for all the awards she’s been getting, but WHATEVER in HELL possessed people to give her an Oscar for playing a singer? It wasn’t much of a stretch now, wasn’t it? – Is Rinko Kikuchi a deaf-mute person? Is Adriana Barraza ever an illegal nanny in the States? – ah, I didn’t think so.

But, ok – whatever~ rant’s over~

In Celebrity, DVD/BR, English, Films, Music, Rants , , , , , ,
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