Brown's removal - Lego figures of General Election 2010 at Downing Street
In my last article, I wrote a summary of UK General Election. I spotted another coverage.
David Cameron and Nick Clegg carried out Gordon Brown from Downing Street, the office of the UK Prime Minister before UK General Election (so-called "Brown's Removals")...it's not yet in the real life, but at Legoland Windsor.
Legoland exhibits the superb miniature collection of many world-famous monuments which are built by their colorful plastic blocks. This Election figures are one of them.
There are wives of the competing 3 party leaders...one of them will be the next first-lady. Pregnant Samantha Cameron, who is becoming a political fashion-leader, appears in blue maternity dress.
What a elaborate political artwork! I, LEGO-lover cannot miss this.
Tomorrow is the general election in the UK.
This year is getting more exciting than previous one.
The Labour is now flying low after being in office for last 13 years. The Conservative was on the counterattack against it, however it really didn't work since they were blamed for notorious expenses claims. While two main parties are struggling, it gave a chance to come under the spotlight to the Liberal Democrats which has been far from the limelight.
So far, none of them seems strong enough to take power and it may result in hung parliament. The situation like this is rather boring for observers. But it's a bit different this time.
The First Election Debate
Unlike the US, party leaders didn't have a chance to debate in the public before in the UK. The video above shows how each leader is appealing.
Gordon Brown(Labour) sometimes frightened the audience by the talking about the reality and show his concrete suggestions. David Cameron(Tories) spend his time to criticize the Labour and appeal more to audience's patriotic spirit. Nick Clegg(Lib-Dems) spoke in more friendly and open style like Obama.
Actually, the poll after the debate showed the Liberal Democrats received the highest public support rate.
Brown's "Bigot" made newspapers turn back
During the election campaign, Gordon Brown, the prime minister had a conversation with Gillian Duffy, 65 year-old pensioner. She asked him a few questions about immigrant and crime. The conversation was OK...but he made a big mistake. After he got into his car, he said "That was a disaster...She's just a sort of bigoted woman" without realizing the microphone pinned to his shirt was still on.
So it came to one of the top issues which was broadcast every minute. Gordon Brown had to apologize on a BBC Radio 2 and travel to see her in person. She has supported the Labour all the time but now she stopped it.
It stirred a widespread controversy among media. Unlike Japanese media, British newspapers clearly announce a supporting political party. Some newspapers had to change their political allegiances after the Bigot incidence.
For example, Financial Times is backing for the Conservative. Other newspapers, the Sun, the News of the World, the Guardian, the Times, and the Economist have supported the Labour but had to change their allegiances. Most of them switched from the Labour to the Conservative, and only the Guardian from the Labour to the Liberal Democrats.
Many episodes came up day by day.
In today's poll, the Conservative leaded other parties, then how will it go?
----------------------------------------------------------------------- Now Top Gear Is On-air in Japan
I came back to English school last month as I was too lazy last year. I prefer to study British English, so many UK-manias turn up in a classroom. One of my classmates told me Top Gear started being broadcast on BS Fuji (Friday 24:00-25:00) and it made me so excited.
Top Gear is one of the best motor TV-shows in the UK which started in 1977. 3 real-British guys, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May drive and challenge lunatic car races in every episode. Though the TV program was suspended once, now it got worldwide renown among car manias and has been broadcast in the US, Canada, and so on.
This program is not only a car show, rather huge entertainment with British sense of humor. When they did a shooting in Japan, Shinkansen(Japanese bullet train) raced with Nissan GT-R. Even an armored vehicle appeared in a episode which I've seen in the UK. It is sometimes extreme entertainment show in which caustic comments pop-up every minute and some cast suffered severe injury and other was dead from extremely adventurous challenge.
The week before, Ewen McGregor challenged celebrity time race in the episode 4 of series 8 was on-air (UK broadcast in 2006). Of course it showed he stalled without reservation.
In the episode, Jeremy drove Mercedes S class. He tried the latest equipment and shouted "the most lavish radio station"...then he got so satisfied as the car started playing BBC radio 1. You can see a piece of British sense of humor.
In the next corner, Porsche Cayenne run on the race course in Cyprus to race with a parachuter from the Royal army who dived from 4 km above ground level. It's such a crazy race!
The most tremendous story was the complete revamp of Mercedes S class (see the movie above). He complained about the leather seats and asked Marie, French interior designer to remodel the car like his home.
Contrary to his expectation, Marie designed a trendy vodka bar which was completely against his idea. He had tantrum against her and shouted "Tweed doesn't go with it, I want...I want wing-back chair!!"
The long-history fight recurred between the UK and France. Jeremy quoted the Battle of Agincourt (Henry V's England army defeated French in 1415). Then Marie insisted "Vinegar on chips are really revolting." These battles are fun enough for a no-car mania like me.
Finally, Jeremy brought a cement mixer. Cement went into the car instead of the floor stripped out and set wooden floor on it. His long cherished items were installed...wing-back chairs, fire stove, small bookshelf and even tea set. They tried the car which didn't run fast enough with heavy cement. The chairs slipped on the freshly-waxed floor, the chimney went off during the run, and brake lump didn't work....any way an electric wiring was under the cement. They had nothing to do with it.
But I can say, most of the British like bigot and enthusiastic guy like him. In a sense, he is a typical British. I like him, too.
The TV program was on-air around Sunday evening when I was in the UK. It evoked some sorrowful mood at the end of weekend, just like "Sazae-san." Actually I didn't watch the program often in the UK. Thanks to subtitles, I could enjoy many cranky words and blue jokes. I need to study English more...
I found TED (Technology Entertainment Design) by a tweet of Jamie Liver, English TV chef. I wrote about his winner's presentation in my previous post.
TED offers tremendous numbers of speeches by innovative people...scientists, artists, entrepreneurs, activists, and so on. Amazingly they provide all movies for free which is introduced in a simulating book, "Free: The Future of a Radical Price" by Chris Anderson.
Once they started delivering videos across the Internet, the translation for them has been needed for international audience. Believe or not, all translation and subtitles are made by volunteer translators and reviews all over the world.
This is my first challenge to join TED translation project. My first translation was the speech by Jamie Haywood.
To be honest, I selected Jamie "Heywood" when I was about to choose Jamie "Oliver." Then I was given an honorable chance to translate his presentation (sorry, Mr.Haywood...)
This coincidence brought me the chance to think about ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), intractable disease, then why we live, how we connect with people, and what technology could do for us.
As I started without any previous knowledge, I had to find related information (e.g. Books by Shinya Tachiiwa "ALS - immobile body and breathing machine") over a finite period of time.
Jamie utilized cutting-edge technologies to develop Web tool for all struggling patients and not left his brother's life and death in vain. His valiant challenge employed "time machine"... Apple's unique technology. I have no doubt that he is one of the brilliant and skilled MIT graduate.
Generally, life is so cruel. Jamie talked about his activity with strong motivation. I was deeply impressed that he accepted the hard facts of life, tried to do his best and always did not forget to give a benevolent gaze to patients.
It was also a new challenge for me to translate and caption a movie. Now I'm so glad that my translation was published as subtitles. Kaori-san, thank you for helping with my crude translation as a reviewer.
The wrapping of the Reichstag in Berlin (the parliament building during the German Empire) became my first encounter with Christo's work. A documentary film showed how they created the magnificent art work during the Cold War.
Everything started when a Bulgarian boy and a French girl met in Paris in October 1958. It was Chriso and Jeanne-Claude, both of them were born on 13th June 1935. What a beautiful coincidence!!
We can see only one side of their works, as their main works are so huge such as the wrapping of the Reichstag, a bridge across the Seine,
the pink cloth covering Miami's Biscayne Bay, the numerous umbrellas in California and Japan, and so on. All public spaces are the stage for their exhibited.
They changed the familiar appearance of buildings and spaces so that it gives new perspectives to viewers.
Christ made many beautiful drawings of the Pont-Neuf bridge or the Reichstag to develop his idea and project. All images in his drawings are works of his imagination. Amazingly those blueprints look precisely the same with his real works in photos.
In the exhibition, there was a timeline showing duration of each project. Some projects needed more than 20 years for preparation while exhibiting for less than a couple of months. Every their art work has an end. Brevity makes them more artistic and aesthetic.
Once Paul McCartney said "cooking is the best form of modern art. Every dish will be eaten and destroyed as soon as it comes onto a table…" in an interview. All the time, something beautiful has a end and exist only for a limited period.
There are some films in the exhibition. I saw one of them which described how they developed and created the idea, plan and art work of the Pont-Neuf bridge. Christo was not satisfied to cover the bridge by large cloth. He has sharp aesthetic sense caring each drape to cover it.
The drapes of the wrapping cloth show ethereal beauty and cannot help making us vehemently moved.
They are known as great maestros as well as pioneers in modern art in every respect. They get in, explain, and collaborate with thousands of people through the project. Their works appear in a public space all of sudden, and catch everyone's attention.
What I love most is the process of their works. They throw a stone to all levels of people for their activities. By the end of completing the works, or even after that, people who never know each other are involved and they start communication. Some criticize the artists and works, the other have in favor. All sorts of things come out.
I was extremely impressed not only by the scale of works, but the broadness of visions.
Apart from other art works, they need permission from many authorities, country, local authorities, people and so on. They always had to have a long way to repeat communications for fruition. Surprisingly Christ enjoys it as a part of his art work.
Since Jeanne-Claude had passed away last November, Christo lost his best partner throughout his long career. He decided to carry on two on-going project even after her death to keep the promise with her. One is "Mustaba" in the U.A.E and "Over river project" in the US. I'm looking forward to see how his new works will surprise us.
All his drawings and documentaries nearly made me to fly to Berlin or Paris.
Many things have rushed in me since last month (not only job), more drafts were left in my document folder. This article is one of them which I spotted last month.
You can see her in the picture a real computer geek.
How could she find the T shirt with binary code printing? It should be custom-made or found at a computer fare. She seems a high-tech lover to chase after latest gadgets and update the latest technology information.
"You know, new xx add-on is compatible with XXX and very cool."
”The latest version of XX's notebook doubled CPU and also implemented....!”
Every morning she cannot start without reporting her technology news. It makes me full enough.
I like this WIRED's article. Their fifth suggestion is to develop 2 different types of Barbies for Windows and mac.
Now the doll is sold for $12.99. How many dolls will be gone?
We also have Japanese version of Barbie, Licca-chan.
When I was a kid, I was not interested in a piano teacher, kindergartner nor bride (they were top 5 careers for Japanese girls around that time, not sure about current girl's dream...). I thought that I needed to prepare an answer to "what do you want to do when you grow up?" I found that Licca-chan's mum was a designer and decided to answer "designer" to such a question. But I was never asked the question.
Well, the spell of the doll is "Licca"....a bit strange.
On the day, I was sitting in a smoking section of a coffee shop.
A willowy girl was sitting at the table by the wall just in front of me. She looked in her early 20s. She had a cigarett in her right hand and a paperback "Anne of Avonlea" in her left one.
Cigarette, "Anne of Avonlea", and Tokyo in 2010...I thought these things were totally far from the time or world of L.M.Montgomery. I could not help taking a look at her.
Could L.M.Montgomery, the authoer of the novel imagine a girl reading her novel with a cigarette in the Far East while writing her novel? Or whom did she imagine as a reader of her novels? Or she might never think about who would read her works.
I wonder whether writers care about their prospective readers.
ところで先週、仕事でプレスリリースの Web ページを作っていていたら、「〜が今年のアカデミー賞を受賞」という原稿がやってきました。「授賞式はまだ来週なのに、なぜもう受賞したことに？」と疑問に思っていたら、アカデミー賞の中には「ノミネート＝受賞」という部門があるのだと、この業界に詳しい同僚が教えてくれました。ちなみにそれは科学工学賞など。
BAFTA 2010, Carey Mulligan and Colin Firth Won The Prize
This year's BAFTA（British Academy Of Film And Television Arts）was held at the Royal Opera House on 22 February. BAFTA is equal to the Oscar.
Carey Mulligan won the best actress award for her performance in "An Education". The script of the film was written by Nick Hornby whose book I introduced before.
I didn't remember she was starring in "Pride & Prejudice" as Kitty, the fourth daughter. I want to watch the film with beautiful scenery again now.
The best actor award went to dandy Colin Firth for "A Single Man" (on screen this October in Japan) directed by a fashion designer, Tom Ford. I could not believe this was his first BAFTA during his long career in the industry.
Both of them are also nominated for the Oscar. I cannot wait a good news. "An Education" is on the list of the Academy nominees in the best film category. I really look forward the release of the film this April in Japan.
Another top feature was the battle between American films, "the Hurt Locker" a drama about a US bomb disposal unit in Iraq, and "Avatar", the 3D fantasy which is a blockbuster film around the world.
While "Avatar" was nominated in many categories and could ultimately won only 2 minor awards (production design and special visual effects), "the Hurt Locker" won main 6 prizes, best film, best director, original screen play, cinematography, editing and sound. The British made their own selection.
Kathryn Bigelow, the director for "The Hurt Locker" becomes the first woman in BAFTA history to take the best director award. She is the former wife of James Cameron, who cheered her on from the audience.
BAFTA is said a prelude to the Academy Awards. We cannot judge a film only by prize, but it makes me more excited to see how the British can be successful at the Academy Awards this year.
Regarding another category, ShigeruMiyamoto, a game creator of Super Mario Brothers, received the Fellowship at this year's GAME British Academy Video Games Awards.
By the way, I had to create a Web page for a press release last week. The draft which I received said "xxxx is this year's winner at the Academy Award...". I wonder why they already knew the winner. My colleague who know the industry well, told me that in some categories nominees automatically turned into a winner. This is an example... scientific and engineering award.
The Academy Awards will be held on 7 March in the US.
時事ネタ、アート、カルチャー、その他諸々、UKに関わることなら何でも（たまにはそれ以外も）書き綴ったブログです。
All articles are written about the UK (some are not), please enjoy my blog about UK current affairs, art, culture, and so on.
」でも紹介されている。
