Move over, Cannes. Maine will be playing host to its first-ever international mustache film festival, part of its annual pageant that celebrates the bristly facial hair.
The festival set for March 30 in Portland will feature short films with storylines that involve mustaches or a main character who wears a mustache, said Nick Callanan, head of No Umbrella Media, a video production company organizing the event.
The idea for the mustache film festival, believed to be the first of its kind, grew out of an annual mustache pageant held locally to benefit arts and cancer research organizations, he said.
This year's 2012 Stache Pag will feature contestants wearing all manner of mustaches, from handlebars to horseshoes, Callanan said. There are also the walrus and Fu Manchu styles, he said.
"It's just about men expressing themselves," he said.
To be considered for the festival, films must be eight minutes or less and have a mustache theme or a main character with a mustache. Callanan said he has received submissions from as far away as Norway.
The films will be screened ahead of the pageant, which has been held annually for five years at bars, bowling alleys and elsewhere, he said.
What began as a gathering of friends mushroomed into an event that attracted some 450 people last year, he said.
The pageant includes categories for various types of mustaches, including the "Magnum, P.I.," named after the amply mustachioed television character played by actor Tom Selleck.
Popular Hollywood movies that would be considered "mustache films" might include "Smoky and the Bandit," starring Burt Reynolds with a thick mustache, "Tombstone" with Val Kilmer or films featuring action star Chuck Norris.
Proceeds from the film festival will be donated to Northeast Historic Film, a film preservation organization, and those from the pageant will be given to an arts support organization called MENSK and a cancer research fundraising group called My Stache Fights Cancer.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Photo-happy judge adds Marley, ostrich to opinions
A Chicago judge is under fire for making his rulings look a bit like a graphic novel, using pictures of reggae icon Bob Marley, lions, ostriches and other images to underscore his opinions. Judge Richard Posner's tendency to use pictures -- often taken from the web -- to spice up his rulings is a rarity in a legal world where staid, dry documents are customary, and sometimes a matter of pride.
Posner, a judge in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, used the photo of Marley with his matted, foot-long braids flying in every direction in a case examining the right of a prisoner with dreadlocks to refuse a haircut on religious grounds.
In another case, Gonzalez-Servin v. Ford Motor Co, Posner embedded an image of an ostrich with its head in the sand next to an image of a man in a suit on his knees, his head also buried under sand.
The intent? To reprimand the plaintiffs' lawyer for ignoring a precedent.
Pleasing to some who delight in the unorthodox presentation, the images have ruffled feathers of others. David "Mac" McKeand, the plaintiffs' lawyer who was the object of Posner's ostrich-photo-jab, was so offended by the image he submitted a grievance with the 7th Circuit.
"If the judge can bully plaintiffs' lawyers, he's going to do that to protect American corporations," said McKeand, whose grievance was dismissed.
Posner said it was the first negative feedback he'd received for an image. "I'm sorry he was upset by it," he said.
Posner also defended his use of artistic license, saying photos embedded in his opinions "couldn't conceivably be hurting the copyright holder."
Copyright lawyer David Donahue of the intellectual property firm Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu agreed with Posner's analysis.
Still, David Corio, the British photographer who took the picture of Marley, the late singer, said he was surprised to see it in a judicial opinion without any credit or attribution.
"I would have a thought a judge of all people would be decent enough to ask permission before using an image," Corio told Reuters on Friday.
So far, no one has objected to one of Posner's earliest forays into photo-enhancing in 2007: the photo of Kwanzaa, a lion at a Texas zoo, celebrating its birthday with a cake made from 10 pounds of horsemeat topped with whipped cream and a carrot.
The point there -- it would seem -- was to underscore that zoos feed their animals a considerable amount of horsemeat in a dispute over banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
Posner, a judge in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, used the photo of Marley with his matted, foot-long braids flying in every direction in a case examining the right of a prisoner with dreadlocks to refuse a haircut on religious grounds.
In another case, Gonzalez-Servin v. Ford Motor Co, Posner embedded an image of an ostrich with its head in the sand next to an image of a man in a suit on his knees, his head also buried under sand.
The intent? To reprimand the plaintiffs' lawyer for ignoring a precedent.
Pleasing to some who delight in the unorthodox presentation, the images have ruffled feathers of others. David "Mac" McKeand, the plaintiffs' lawyer who was the object of Posner's ostrich-photo-jab, was so offended by the image he submitted a grievance with the 7th Circuit.
"If the judge can bully plaintiffs' lawyers, he's going to do that to protect American corporations," said McKeand, whose grievance was dismissed.
Posner said it was the first negative feedback he'd received for an image. "I'm sorry he was upset by it," he said.
Posner also defended his use of artistic license, saying photos embedded in his opinions "couldn't conceivably be hurting the copyright holder."
Copyright lawyer David Donahue of the intellectual property firm Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu agreed with Posner's analysis.
Still, David Corio, the British photographer who took the picture of Marley, the late singer, said he was surprised to see it in a judicial opinion without any credit or attribution.
"I would have a thought a judge of all people would be decent enough to ask permission before using an image," Corio told Reuters on Friday.
So far, no one has objected to one of Posner's earliest forays into photo-enhancing in 2007: the photo of Kwanzaa, a lion at a Texas zoo, celebrating its birthday with a cake made from 10 pounds of horsemeat topped with whipped cream and a carrot.
The point there -- it would seem -- was to underscore that zoos feed their animals a considerable amount of horsemeat in a dispute over banning the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
Irishman makes "billion-euro home" of shredded notes
An unemployed Irish artist has built a home from the shredded remains of 1.4 billion euros ($1.82 billion), a monument to the "madness" he says has been wrought on Ireland by the single currency, from a spectacular construction boom to a wrenching bust. Frank Buckley built the apartment in the lobby of a Dublin office building that has lain vacant since its completion four years ago at the peak of an ill-fated construction boom, using bricks of shredded euro notes he borrowed from Ireland's national mint.
"It's a reflection of the whole madness that gripped us," Buckley said of what he calls his "billion-euro home."
"People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing," he said. "I wanted to create something from nothing."
A wave of cheap credit flowed into Ireland in the early 2000s after Ireland joined the currency zone fuelling a huge property bubble that transformed the country.
The bubble's collapse since 2007 plunged Ireland into the deepest recession in the industrialized world, forcing the former "Celtic Tiger" to accept a humiliating bailout from the EU and the IMF.
Buckley was given a 100 percent mortgage at the peak of the boom to buy a 365,000 euro home on the far reaches of Dublin's commuter belt, despite the fact he had no steady income.
He has separated from his wife who lives in the home, which has since lost at least one-third of its value.
Living in his "billion euro home" since the start of December, Buckley is working on adding a kitchen to the living room and hall.
The walls and floor are covered in euro shreddings and the house is so warm Buckley sleeps without a blanket.
Pictures made from notes and coins decorate the walls, including one of a house, made from Irish 5 pence pieces.
"There are houses in Ireland worth less than that," Buckley quips.
Buckley said he wants Europe's politicians to solve the eurozone debt crisis without destroying its currency. But if the currency ultimately fails, he will happily use the euro zone's defunct notes as fodder for future projects.
"Whatever you say about the euro, it's a great insulator."
($1 = 0.7704 euros)
"It's a reflection of the whole madness that gripped us," Buckley said of what he calls his "billion-euro home."
"People were pouring billions into buildings now worth nothing," he said. "I wanted to create something from nothing."
A wave of cheap credit flowed into Ireland in the early 2000s after Ireland joined the currency zone fuelling a huge property bubble that transformed the country.
The bubble's collapse since 2007 plunged Ireland into the deepest recession in the industrialized world, forcing the former "Celtic Tiger" to accept a humiliating bailout from the EU and the IMF.
Buckley was given a 100 percent mortgage at the peak of the boom to buy a 365,000 euro home on the far reaches of Dublin's commuter belt, despite the fact he had no steady income.
He has separated from his wife who lives in the home, which has since lost at least one-third of its value.
Living in his "billion euro home" since the start of December, Buckley is working on adding a kitchen to the living room and hall.
The walls and floor are covered in euro shreddings and the house is so warm Buckley sleeps without a blanket.
Pictures made from notes and coins decorate the walls, including one of a house, made from Irish 5 pence pieces.
"There are houses in Ireland worth less than that," Buckley quips.
Buckley said he wants Europe's politicians to solve the eurozone debt crisis without destroying its currency. But if the currency ultimately fails, he will happily use the euro zone's defunct notes as fodder for future projects.
"Whatever you say about the euro, it's a great insulator."
($1 = 0.7704 euros)
Italy's "Get back on board, damn it!" T-shirts a hit
A coast guard officer's "Get back on board damn it!" order to the fleeing captain of the capsized Costa Concordia liner is being printed on T-shirts by a company hoping to inspire Italians to rescue their country from economic crisis. Italians have made a hero of coast guard officer Gregorio De Falco for his angry exchange with skipper Francesco Schettino -- who has been blamed for the accident and is now under house arrest accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.
Stefano Ramponi, owner of the Lipsiasoft web agency that is producing the T-shirts and selling them on the Internet for 12.9 euros ($16.63), said they had become an instant hit both in Italy and abroad.
"We have had a lot of requests from all over the world, from Brazil, Hong Kong, also from Germany and France, the UK. Everyone is asking us for it," he said.
He said he had been criticised by some people for making money out of the January 13 disaster, in which 11 people died and 21 are still missing.
But he hoped the slogan would become a rallying cry for all Italians to shoulder their responsibilities and work together to navigate through recession and get the euro zone's third largest economy back on course.
"We liked this phrase a lot because it was said by Captain De Falco in an extremely difficult situation, it really impressed us," Ramponi said.
"We wanted to... distribute it en-masse...particularly to all the people in Italy who don't concentrate on their jobs, who don't give their all and do harm to Italy in this time of crisis, difficulty and economic hardship."
The furious telephone exchange between De Falco and Schettino, in which Costa Concordia captain was ordered in vain to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations, has been played over the media to millions.
The Italian word De Falco used, "cazzo" in Italian, literally is slang for penis but it is also commonly used to emphasize something.
De Falco has since been called a national hero while newspapers have branded Schettino a coward for fleeing in the face of adversity.
Stefano Ramponi, owner of the Lipsiasoft web agency that is producing the T-shirts and selling them on the Internet for 12.9 euros ($16.63), said they had become an instant hit both in Italy and abroad.
"We have had a lot of requests from all over the world, from Brazil, Hong Kong, also from Germany and France, the UK. Everyone is asking us for it," he said.
He said he had been criticised by some people for making money out of the January 13 disaster, in which 11 people died and 21 are still missing.
But he hoped the slogan would become a rallying cry for all Italians to shoulder their responsibilities and work together to navigate through recession and get the euro zone's third largest economy back on course.
"We liked this phrase a lot because it was said by Captain De Falco in an extremely difficult situation, it really impressed us," Ramponi said.
"We wanted to... distribute it en-masse...particularly to all the people in Italy who don't concentrate on their jobs, who don't give their all and do harm to Italy in this time of crisis, difficulty and economic hardship."
The furious telephone exchange between De Falco and Schettino, in which Costa Concordia captain was ordered in vain to return to his ship and oversee the rescue operations, has been played over the media to millions.
The Italian word De Falco used, "cazzo" in Italian, literally is slang for penis but it is also commonly used to emphasize something.
De Falco has since been called a national hero while newspapers have branded Schettino a coward for fleeing in the face of adversity.
Year of the Dragon may burn Putin, light up for Pacino
The coming Year of the Dragon will bring actor Al Pacino good fortune, but Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin needs to watch out -- he may lose vast sums of money. As Chinese communities around the globe prepared for Lunar New Year, which starts on Monday, a Taiwanese fortune teller predicted a mixed bag of luck for famous "dragon" people around the world.
"Putin was born in 1952 ... This year he has a negative Treasure Star, it means he could lose a lot of money," Chan Wei-chung said of the possible fortune of the Russian leader, who last month faced widespread protests over a disputed election.
"As a country's leader, it is possible that he will not get the money he should earn, or the money he earns in the end all needs to be spent out again," Chan added, using an ancient Chinese method that plots destiny from alignments of stars in 12 "palaces" at the time and date of birth.
For veteran actor Al Pacino, born in 1940, the year is brighter, particularly if he does good deeds.
"This card reads 'bright sunshine,' which means he could turn away trouble with good luck, because of his works of charity or the help he has done for others," Chan said, consulting a set of fortune-telling cards he designed himself.
"This is a very lucky sign, we are very happy for him."
Sandra Bullock, born in 1964, needs to watch out for manipulative people beside her, but may have a chance of conceiving, while Reese Witherspoon, born in 1976, may enjoy more work success despite suffering from stress.
Chan, whose advice is much sought after by Taiwan's glitterati, sees a magic year for British actor Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame, but only if he heeds his elders.
"This year he has helpful forces by his side ... unstoppable connections in the rise of fame. His money comes from elders this year, this includes any seniors, his agent or his company, who can all help him to earn more money," Chan said.
There are 12 animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Those born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976 and 1988 are all dragons.
"Putin was born in 1952 ... This year he has a negative Treasure Star, it means he could lose a lot of money," Chan Wei-chung said of the possible fortune of the Russian leader, who last month faced widespread protests over a disputed election.
"As a country's leader, it is possible that he will not get the money he should earn, or the money he earns in the end all needs to be spent out again," Chan added, using an ancient Chinese method that plots destiny from alignments of stars in 12 "palaces" at the time and date of birth.
For veteran actor Al Pacino, born in 1940, the year is brighter, particularly if he does good deeds.
"This card reads 'bright sunshine,' which means he could turn away trouble with good luck, because of his works of charity or the help he has done for others," Chan said, consulting a set of fortune-telling cards he designed himself.
"This is a very lucky sign, we are very happy for him."
Sandra Bullock, born in 1964, needs to watch out for manipulative people beside her, but may have a chance of conceiving, while Reese Witherspoon, born in 1976, may enjoy more work success despite suffering from stress.
Chan, whose advice is much sought after by Taiwan's glitterati, sees a magic year for British actor Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame, but only if he heeds his elders.
"This year he has helpful forces by his side ... unstoppable connections in the rise of fame. His money comes from elders this year, this includes any seniors, his agent or his company, who can all help him to earn more money," Chan said.
There are 12 animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Those born in 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976 and 1988 are all dragons.
China driving schools teaching millions the art of war
China is rapidly becoming a country on wheels and its crowded driving schools are racing to churn out licensed drivers as fast as cars roll off the assembly lines.
But judging by the daily smash-ups and blatant disregard for even basic traffic rules on China's roadways, quantity seems to have trumped quality at many schools.
China surpassed the United States in 2009 to become the world's largest auto market, and just as newly affluent Chinese are snapping up expensive cars in staggering numbers, driving schools are bursting at the seams.
"There are so many trainees because everyone wants a driving license," said Ren Xingzhou, an instructor at Fengshun Driving School in Beijing. "Driving used to be a profession in China -- now it's necessary living skill."
According to official data, China granted 22.69 million driving licenses in 2011 alone, bringing the total number of licensed drivers in the country to 236 million at the end of 2011.
But no amount of classroom work or simulated driving may prepare drivers for the roadways that more closely resemble slow-moving battle grounds than transportation arteries.
In 2010 alone, China reported 3.9 million road accidents that killed 65,225 people and injured 254,075. Lack of experience is often cited as a key reason behind the rocketing number of accidents.
In hopes of instilling some sense of order, Chinese law requires drivers to attend a driving school before passing a written test. As a result, thousands of driver training schools, charging as much as 8,000 yuan ($1,300), have mushroomed across Beijing, a city of about 20 million people that is already congested with some 5 million cars.
Fengshun driving school alone mints about 10,000 new drivers a year, running classes from 8 in the morning to 9 in the evening, seven days a week.
Applicants must pass three tests to obtain a license. The first part is classroom training to make drivers aware of traffic rules. As hundreds of trainees listen, an instructor explains a text book compiled by the traffic police.
A quiz of 100 questions follows, and trainees must provide correct answers to at least 90 before they can even get behind the wheel of the training vehicles.
"You don't have to be a genius to pass that as long as you read the book in the evening before the quiz," said a company clerk, who claimed he skipped all the classroom lessons apart from the first one when a fingerprint was required.
"ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS"
The second section -- the main part of the training that requires at least 54 hours -- is conducted on a paved proving ground that mimics actual roads and traffic signs but lacks all of the hazards that make actual driving a challenge.
Hundreds of meters from the school, one of the city's main roadways was packed with cars end-to-end on a recent winter day, a looming reminder to the school's drivers of the world they would enter upon graduation.
In each car -- mostly Volkswagens at the Fengshun school -- one instructor and one trainee sit side-by-side, practicing all the required skills, from parallel parking to driving through a 30-metre obstacle course of six yellow-painted sewer covers without touching any of them.
"It's absolutely ridiculous. These covers are symbols of roadblocks, but which road would be so terrible as to have so many roadblocks, and even if there are so many roadblocks, which driver would be so crazy trying to pass them?" asked Ren even as he put the students through the required exercise.
For trainees who pass the second test, including parking in the right position and starting the car on a steep slope, they will apply their new skills on public roads, where already-licensed drivers routinely make sudden lane changes without signaling, and where pedestrians unexpectedly dash across roadways wherever they see an opening.
Road training lasts for 10 hours where soon-to-be-drivers are often bullied and horrified by Beijing's infamously short-tempered drivers.
On a recent day, a young driver stopped and hurled curses to complain that one trainee's car was moving too slowly.
"If he dares to get out of his vehicle, I would definitely teach him a good lesson," retorted Wu Liansheng, the instructor in the training car.
Turning to his student drivers, Wu said: "Now remember, you don't cross the line into others, but if someone else crosses into yours, you must fight back."
It's enough to make one nostalgic for simpler days when millions got around on bicycle.
But judging by the daily smash-ups and blatant disregard for even basic traffic rules on China's roadways, quantity seems to have trumped quality at many schools.
China surpassed the United States in 2009 to become the world's largest auto market, and just as newly affluent Chinese are snapping up expensive cars in staggering numbers, driving schools are bursting at the seams.
"There are so many trainees because everyone wants a driving license," said Ren Xingzhou, an instructor at Fengshun Driving School in Beijing. "Driving used to be a profession in China -- now it's necessary living skill."
According to official data, China granted 22.69 million driving licenses in 2011 alone, bringing the total number of licensed drivers in the country to 236 million at the end of 2011.
But no amount of classroom work or simulated driving may prepare drivers for the roadways that more closely resemble slow-moving battle grounds than transportation arteries.
In 2010 alone, China reported 3.9 million road accidents that killed 65,225 people and injured 254,075. Lack of experience is often cited as a key reason behind the rocketing number of accidents.
In hopes of instilling some sense of order, Chinese law requires drivers to attend a driving school before passing a written test. As a result, thousands of driver training schools, charging as much as 8,000 yuan ($1,300), have mushroomed across Beijing, a city of about 20 million people that is already congested with some 5 million cars.
Fengshun driving school alone mints about 10,000 new drivers a year, running classes from 8 in the morning to 9 in the evening, seven days a week.
Applicants must pass three tests to obtain a license. The first part is classroom training to make drivers aware of traffic rules. As hundreds of trainees listen, an instructor explains a text book compiled by the traffic police.
A quiz of 100 questions follows, and trainees must provide correct answers to at least 90 before they can even get behind the wheel of the training vehicles.
"You don't have to be a genius to pass that as long as you read the book in the evening before the quiz," said a company clerk, who claimed he skipped all the classroom lessons apart from the first one when a fingerprint was required.
"ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS"
The second section -- the main part of the training that requires at least 54 hours -- is conducted on a paved proving ground that mimics actual roads and traffic signs but lacks all of the hazards that make actual driving a challenge.
Hundreds of meters from the school, one of the city's main roadways was packed with cars end-to-end on a recent winter day, a looming reminder to the school's drivers of the world they would enter upon graduation.
In each car -- mostly Volkswagens at the Fengshun school -- one instructor and one trainee sit side-by-side, practicing all the required skills, from parallel parking to driving through a 30-metre obstacle course of six yellow-painted sewer covers without touching any of them.
"It's absolutely ridiculous. These covers are symbols of roadblocks, but which road would be so terrible as to have so many roadblocks, and even if there are so many roadblocks, which driver would be so crazy trying to pass them?" asked Ren even as he put the students through the required exercise.
For trainees who pass the second test, including parking in the right position and starting the car on a steep slope, they will apply their new skills on public roads, where already-licensed drivers routinely make sudden lane changes without signaling, and where pedestrians unexpectedly dash across roadways wherever they see an opening.
Road training lasts for 10 hours where soon-to-be-drivers are often bullied and horrified by Beijing's infamously short-tempered drivers.
On a recent day, a young driver stopped and hurled curses to complain that one trainee's car was moving too slowly.
"If he dares to get out of his vehicle, I would definitely teach him a good lesson," retorted Wu Liansheng, the instructor in the training car.
Turning to his student drivers, Wu said: "Now remember, you don't cross the line into others, but if someone else crosses into yours, you must fight back."
It's enough to make one nostalgic for simpler days when millions got around on bicycle.
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