Mickalene Thomas on Motherhood, the Mirror Stage, and Her - Artinfo

Despite her glittering portraits of unflappable, seductive black women?often decked out in passels of crystals and rhinestones?Mickalene Thomas makes more than just eye candy. In her first major museum show, ?Origin of the Universe,? at the Brooklyn Museum, Thomas takes on the trope of the female nude in art history, tackling race, gender, sexuality, and constructions of beauty. Meanwhile, her third show at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, which focuses on Thomas?s landscapes and interiors, opens on November 1. Chloe Wyma talks to the artist about her two shows, her family, and the power of the gaze in her work.

CW: The title of your exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, ?Origin of the Universe,? is an allusion to Gustave Courbet?s notorious nude.

MT: I was interested in Courbet?s Origin of the World as a conceptual idea related to the female body, and I used that as a central focus for the show. For me that painting is very controversial, and it was very controversial for its time. I wanted to reclaim that pose by using my own body as the subject. I felt a little exposed, because I?m revealing a part of my body that one will never see unless they get very close to me. Putting myself in that vulnerable position allowed me to understand the positions that I put my own models and sitters in. I used to use myself a lot in my earlier works, but those felt more narcissistic. In this work, it wasn?t necessarily important for the viewer to know that it was me, the artist.

CW: And you did a second version with your wife, Carmen McLeod.

MT: Yes. It was a sort of call and response, dealing with the nature of sexuality on a different level, romanticizing the nature of relationships and intimacy?and also having this connection with a black body in relation to a white body. Beauty is so much about a particular type of construct, and I wanted to have that dichotomy be a subject to talk about.

CW: It?s an interesting coincidence that Jacques Lacan owned the original Origin of the World at one point, since Lacanian psychology is something you?re drawing on in your work.

MT: To see yourself, and for others to see you, is a form of validation. I?m interested in that very mysterious and mystical way we relate to each other in the world. I was in India many years ago and thinking about photography and photojournalism before there was digital photography. People would go to these countries and photograph kids; nobody ever went back and said to those they?d photographed, ?Hey, here?s the image.? On my trip I had a digital camera, and to show people what they look like gives them great power. And so those philosophical notions of Lacan relating to the mirror are so deep, in the sense of ?I see you, therefore you exist.?

CW: You?ve also talked before about the importance of Carrie Mae Weems?s piece Mirror, Mirror (1987).

MT: What Weems did, depicting family and gender, those social roles, really hit home?the dynamics in these relationships, dealing with beauty and intimacy. The mirror is a powerful tool because it forces you to deal with yourself on a deeper level. Conceptually, paintings are like mirrors. They?re an expression from the artist: ?This is how I view the world?I?m presenting it to you.?

CW: Your show at the Brooklyn Museum will also include your first film, Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman.

MT: It?s a documentary about my mother as a muse and how her beauty has transformed due to illness. The film gives the viewer a slow, methodical way of looking at her beyond what you would see in a photograph or a painting. I hadn?t photographed my mother since 2010, and she?s always been someone that I use in my work. At my last show she said she was sad not being a part of the work; I wasn?t using her because she was sick. And I thought, why should I stop using her because she?s sick? She has an uncanny beauty that has come upon her due to an illness.

CW: You?re expecting a baby soon. Has the experience affected your work at all?

MT: No, but what it has affected is my understanding and appreciation of time. I?m preconditioning my behavior. I can?t stay out late. I don?t drink as much anymore. It?s interesting how your brain just switches into ?you need to be an adult.? And I hope the baby will teach me how to be a kid again.

CW: Can we talk about your show at Lehmann Maupin? Most of the work focuses on interiors and exteriors.

Source: http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/829101/mickalene-thomas-on-motherhood-the-mirror-stage-and-her

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4 teen girls held in taped beating of Pa. woman

(AP) ? Four teenage girls have been arrested in the beating of a neighbor on her stoop "for fun" outside Philadelphia and will be charged as adults in the attack, which was recorded on one of the youths' cellphones and posted on Facebook, police said Friday.

The fourth suspect, a 16-year-old, was turned in by her father Thursday night, said James Nolan, a detective in Chester, about 10 miles south of Philadelphia. Three other girls, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old, had already been taken into custody.

Investigators are still looking for two other teens in the attack Tuesday on a 48-year-old woman police described as "mentally challenged."

"It appears just for fun," Nolan said. "There hasn't been a discernible explanation as to why."

The suspects, two of whom are sisters, will be charged with aggravated assault, simple assault and other charges, Nolan said. They were scheduled to be arraigned Friday morning.

The woman was taken to a medical facility and treated for her injuries, Nolan said. Her injuries have been described by police as "not severe."

One of the teens recorded the attack on her cellphone and posted it to Facebook, investigators said. The footage was first obtained from police Thursday by the Delaware County Daily Times.

It shows a group of girls walking along before suddenly deciding to attack a woman sitting on her stoop. The teens then follow the victim into her home as she tries to escape, taking turns punching and beating her. They quickly flee.

Chester is a city of about 30,000 residents that has long battled high rates of poverty and crime.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-09-28-Teens-Videotaped%20Beating/id-a56c5958116e433c9929186c6c55d953

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Gray Matters: Training the Grownup Brain | Sheridan Media ...

AARP Wyoming and Wyoming Retired Education Personnel hosted a four hour workshop Thursday at the Sheridan Holiday Inn entitled ?Gray Matters: Training the Grownup Brain?. The workshop focused on how food, fitness and fun can impact the mind as it ages.

Rita VanNorman with Northern Wyoming Mental Health Center spoke about risk factors that can play a role in the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. She said that stress can be a trigger to other unhealthy behaviors.

The free workshop stressed that staying physically active, eating the right foods and socializing can all help keep the mind sharp as it ages.

Source: http://www.sheridanmedia.com/news/gray-matters-training-grownup-brain53338

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Check In on Foursquare to See a Company's Political Donations

How much money is a company giving to a political candidate? Now you can find out by simply checking in on Foursquare.

[More from Mashable: Somber French Cat Discusses Political Opinion [VIDEO]]

GeoPollster, a new "connected app," links with your Foursquare account then shows the political contributions of every company to which you've ever checked in, when the data's available.

"We added the 100 companies with the most venues [on Foursquare]," said Adam Kraft of GeoPollster.

[More from Mashable: 10 Great Apps for Android Tablets]

The platform's results are based on data from the 2010 and 2012 political cycles. OpenSecrets.org, an independent campaign finance watchdog, provides those results.

GeoPollster also assigns "partisan points" to its users, resulting in a score that the company says "help users understand how their spending habits subsidize politicians."

We tested the app and found that GeoPollster's data was rather scant. For upwards of 200 check-ins, data was only available for two companies -- Whole Foods and Waffle House.

GeoPollster has been around since October of 2010, but the check-in based donations information is a brand new feature.

As the app's name implies, its primary intent is to do "location-based polling." Users can choose their political party and GeoPollster will then collect anonymous check-in data with the hopes of gleaning insight into the different habits of Democrats, Republicans and other voters. At the moment, there aren't enough users to get statistically significant data, but Kraft told Mashable he hopes that time will come soon.

So far, 800 users have signed up for GeoPollster. Will you give it a shot? Tell us in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, hocus-focus

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/check-foursquare-see-companys-political-donations-163048033.html

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Could someone help me please? - Paranormal Psychic Community ...

09/27/12 at 10:20:16 ??Who's in chat
harmz2361 I'm a muddled at the moment, I'm looking at a split path. I can go in left or I can go right but I'm not sure which way I should go.

This is in reference of my Education/Career choices.

I honestly have know idea what's best for me. Could you help me please?

Back to top

?

alexburke You are in between paths just like you said.
I see the paths being basically EVEN but one has a higher cost.
The one with higher cost gets you there faster, but not always a wise
choice because the other doesn't take you much longer and there NO
NEED to rush anything. Eventually everything comes at the end of the path
there's say a "package" waiting. Both paths give the same package.
its how your choosing the decision of what route to take.

My advise is go with the PATH or ROUTE that is a little longer.
Who cares right.. your eventually get there. Its all about
learning to enjoy the trip on that path.

You could be taking the long way, and not like it maybe even wish
you took the faster route. Truth is its not the path
you choice ITS THE WAY YOU CHOOSE To experience it.

I will say with certainty that at the end of both paths is a comfortable
life.
Take the longer path if you can enjoy the ride and want to make a commitment
to that.
Take the shorter ride if you want to just get it over with.

Back to top

?

Source: http://anybodythere.net/cgi-bin/paranormal-forums/YaBB.pl?num=1348675801

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CreditInfoCenter Announces The Release of Their New Student ...

PHOENIX, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ?CreditInfoCenter announces their new Student Loan article series. Student debt has skyrocketed in recent years. With students back to school this fall, tuition sticker shock has surely set in. The new article series shows current and future students ways to deal with current student loans and ways to finance your way through future semesters of college.

Many new college grads find themselves deep in debt after they graduate and face years of being in the hole financially. The article series talks about ways to avoid debt in the first place and ways to minimize the impact of existing student loans.

Topics include:

? Comprehensive guide to getting and applying for Student Loans Everything you need to know about federal and private student loans.

? Ten Tips for Finding Free Scholarship Money for College

? Paying for College via Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Learn the secrets of successfully applying for the largest federal student program.

? Ways to Avoid Getting Into Student Loan Debt Learn alternative ways to finance your college tuition.

? Are You In Jeopardy of Defaulting on Your Student Loan?

? Public Servant Student Loan Forgiveness Program Learn about a program where volunteer work can wipe out your student loan debt.

? What College Degrees Should You Pursue and Help Finding a Job Learn which college degrees give you the most bang for your buck after you graduate.

? Best and Worst College Degrees by Salary

? Getting a Job by Volunteering Can extracurricular activities you've been participating in help you get a job?

The student financial series can be found at http://www.creditinfocenter.com/loans/student-loan-college-guide.shtml.

About CreditInfocenter.com:
CreditInfoCenter (http://www.creditinfocenter.com) is a one-stop destination for consumers looking for free advice and tips on how to repair and rebuild bad credit and maintain good credit. CreditInfocenter.com founder Kristy Welsh is also the author of good credit is sexy (http://www.goodcreditissexy.com), a tongue-in-cheek guide to managing your finances.

Media Contact
Kathleen Richards
Web Nation, Inc.
7904 E. Chapparal Road
Scottsdale, Arizona 85250
480-990-3938
kathleenrichards@mac.com

SOURCE CreditInfoCenter

Source: http://www.execdigital.com/press_releases/creditinfocenter-announces-the-release-of-their-new-student-finance-series

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Natural Health Magazine Subscription $3.99/year (91% Off)

Today only, you can get a subscription to Natural Health Magazine for just $3.99/year (91% off) from DiscountMags.com! Just use the promo code?4094 at checkout. Select up to 3 years at this price. Natural Health magazine is for people interested in alternative health, natural living, the mind-body-spirit connection and self-care. Topics include vitamins, fitness, herbs, foods that heal, home remedies, new products, recipes and prevention.

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Source: http://www.inspiringyou2save.com/2012/09/natural-health-magazine-subscription-3-99year-91-off-3/

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How Apple is boosting its iAd platform with ... - The Next Web

Launching last week, Apple?s new iOS 6 software has been very well received; of the 400 million iOS devices in the wild, over a quarter of them have already updated to the new firmware and enjoyed many of the 200 new features present in the OS (just don?t mention Maps).

While many of the features iOS 6 are customer facing, Apple has worked had to make it easy for developers to integrate its new services into their websites and existing platforms.

Take Passbook as an example, if the brand or business understands the feature correctly, passes can be automatically added to a user?s Passbook wallet, deliver notifications, remain location aware and increase the brightness of a device?s screen to ensure passes can be scanned easily.

Apple has also begun making the new features in its iOS 6 platform directly available to advertisers. As part of its iAd refresh, Apple has enabled a number of iOS 6 specific features in its advertising platform, taking its service beyond the normal ?click and visit? banner ads that you may see delivered on mobile websites.

Yesterday, Apple updated its ad creation tool: iAd Producer. Updating it to version 3.1, Apple included the following new features:

  • Follow on Twitter
  • Save a Reminder
  • Save a pass in Passbook
  • Creating messages with SMS attachments
  • Support for building ads that access an advertiser?s web site.
  • Medium banners available for iAd projects delivered to iPads running iOS 6.
  • iAd JS updated to version 1.6.1.

While some of the new features are platform-specific, most of them directly impact how an iOS device owner interacts with the iAds they come upon in supporting apps.

Take ?Follow on Twitter? as an example; Apple has integrated both Twitter and Facebook into its core operating system, meaning that if an advertiser chooses, they can include a ?Follow? call to action and allow users to follow their brands or businesses on the social network.

Note, if it wasn?t for Apple implementing a single sign-on for Twitter, the process would be troublesome for the user. Without this feature, users would be required to authorise their accounts using Twitters oAuth, adding friction to the process.?More friction equals less conversions.

The same goes for Reminders. Advertisers were already able to bundle calendar events, send emails, place calls, take screenshots, set wallpaper, save images and take photos. Now, Reminders can be added for a certain date and time, but also include support for a specific location.

Passbook

Perhaps the biggest addition to the list is the inclusion of Passbook support. For advertisers, this could be a very interesting development.

Often, an advertiser will choose to run a promotion, perhaps choosing a small banner ad that will run at the top or bottom of the screen and alert users to a ?Buy two cheeseburgers and get one free? offer. As it works now, the user clicks that banner, visits the retailers website, enters his/her details and then receives a coupon via email.

With Passbook, it?s a case of discovering the user?s location, pinging its database for the relevant coupon and then serving it to the user. The coupon will display the retailer?s branding, offer details and other relevant information to the user and all they have to do is hit ?Add? and it is saved to their Passbook.

If that offer isn?t time sensitive, it could reside in a user?s Passbook until they are physically passing the participating store. Passbook?s location-aware features kick in and BOOM, a notification is served, pass displayed on the user?s lockscreen and someone has the chance to redeem their ?Buy two cheeseburgers and get one free? offer when they might otherwise have forgotten about it.

Screen Shot 2012 09 27 at 08.26.02 520x394 How Apple is boosting its iAd platform with seamless Twitter and Passbook integration

A boost for iAd?

Apple?s doesn?t often comment on its iAd platform, making it hard to determine whether it is a successful division within the company.

Apple?s VP of Mobile Advertising, Andy Miller has jumped ship to VC firm Highland Capital and been replaced in an interim fashion by Apple?s VP of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue. Then in January, Apple hired on a full-timer in ex-Adobe executive Todd Teresi to head it up.

In April, Apple sent out a notice to participants in its iAd program that it would give 70% (up from 60%) of the revenue earned from an ad displayed in an app to the developer. The change was seen as a?continuation of Apple?s efforts to jumpstart the adoption and use of its iAd service.

On its website, Apple offers some usage statistics, many of which are of the wider iOS ecosystem, but it does note that users engage with iAd ads for an ?average of 60 seconds per visit.?

Apple prides itself on its iAd technology, highlighting that it is built into its iOS software. This enables advertisers to push app or iTunes downloads, compose SMS and email messages and have them delivered to a targeted address, deliver 3D graphical interfaces, load video and audio within an app and share content.

Facebook has already shown that if you don?t focus on mobile first, it?s a long process trying to adapt your existing products and services to work on mobile and resonate with mobile audiences. In this sense, Apple has been quietly collecting advertising data and tuning its service since it launched iAd in 2010.

With the inclusion of Passbook support, Apple has removed a number of barriers that have traditionally stopped users from interacting with mobile?advertisements. Press, add and redeem is a lot easier than having to complete a web form and then find and redeem it when it hits your email.

Apple put a lot of effort into making its Passbook feature operate silently, it?s not an app that requires direct interaction. Instead, it waits and captures any supported coupons or tickets and throws out reminders, based not only on time but also location.

Reminding users they have a ticket or coupon is half the battle, advertisers will surely be interested in pursuing campaigns a platform that will deliver dates, times, locations, offers and lots of other information with little or no interaction on their part.

Image Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Source: http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/09/27/apple/

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