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DEC. 2010

CAN YOU NAME THREE EXPLORERS THAT HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH AMERICA?

CAN YOU NAME the three kardashians?

George ... something?

Kim, Kloe, and Kourtney.

jay leno on “jaywalking”, april, 2010, the tonight show

president barack obama, october 21, 2010, it gets better video

We’ve got to dispel this myth that bullying is just a normal right of passage

For six years of middle and senior high school in the leafy Bergen Countysuburb of Emerson, ‘J.C.’ was allegedly routinely called “faggot,” “gay” and “homo.”

He complained that another student punched him in the stomach, then threatened to slit his throat “if he ever talked about him behind his back again” after ‘J.C.’ complained to his mother. That was in middle school.

brian thompson, november 23, 2010, nbc new york

Young people discovering their identity and their desires need a zone of privacy where they can be who they are, perhaps in the company of another human being, without feeling that somebody else might be tweeting it, filming it, or blogging about it, or that maybe they themselves ought to be—there’s such a thing as violating your own privacy, too. The unobserved life is so totally worth living. john cassidy, october 25, 2010, the new yorker

NJ lawmakers approve tough law to fight bullying

november 22, 2010, associated press

As an openly gay man myself, I know that life does get better for LGBT youth. It dramatically does. Young people should know that no matter how difficult the challenges are that they are facing right now, it does get better. Every individual is precious and our nation’s future rests on our ability to engage and inspire this new generation. You can be whatever you want. You can love whomever you want, but only if you first love yourself. Trust me. It’s worth it. It gets better.john berry, november 26, 2010, white house blog

NJ lawmakers approve tough law to fight bullying

My mentor encouraged me to think of a positive way to get back at those who bullied and put me down, not by violence but by competition.

Our main purpose is the exact opposite of that of the bullies and gang groups -- to care, show love and acceptance by making a small yet significant difference in school, in our family, toward our friends and the people around us, and to use our time, skills, talents, strength and energy in more productive activities.

We want to create an environment where children can express themselves in a conduct that is loving, accepting and respecting of others, so that they may grow up to be assets and not liabilities to society.

efren peñaflorida, november 24, 2010, cnn

I have never been a victim of harsh bullying, nor have I known anyone personally who has committed suicide. I am only beginning to understand that my own liberal values are not the norm for much of America. The idea that someone would take their own lives because of bullying is unimaginable - the fact that it happens to college students really brings it home.

The family of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who committed suicide after his gay sexual encounter was allegedly broadcast online, has allowed New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg to introduce anti-bullying legislation bearing Clementi’s name.

caroline black, november 19, 2010, cbs news

doug schoen, november 15, 2010, fox news

dan balz, november 14, 2010, the washington post

peter nicholas, november 23, 2010, los angeles times

The Republican takeover in the states

“The election is over,” said the president, wearing a white shirt and tie but no jacket. “We have to find places where we can agree. We have to remember that the most important contest that we face is not between Democrats and Republicans; it’s between America and our economic competitors.”

What Democrats Need to Do Now

It appears that in losing at least sixty-two House seats the Democrats got whacked by the center: that independents swung to the Republicans by a substantial margin, a phenomenon that started occurring in the spring of 2009, after the stimulus bill passed; and moderates voted for the Democrats in a far smaller number than in 2008.

elizabeth drew, november 22, 2010, the new yorker

What if Barack Obama is

telling the truth about

his own beliefs when

he says that neither

party by itself can

realistically hope to solve

the challenges facing the

United States?

Twitter, Facebook, Google and

Foursquare all did their bit

for democracy Tuesday with

election-themed widgets and

services appearing on

their pages.

david s. broder, november 28, 2010 the washington post

craig howie, november 2, 2010, los angeles times blog

cnn wire staff, december 5, 2010, cnn

Two Senate procedural votes on Democratic measures to extend George W. Bush-era tax cuts for people who are not super wealthy failed on Saturday, preventing the measures from moving forward.

Obama Tells Dems He’ll Oppose Tax

Cut Deal Without

Unemployment Benefits,

sam stein, december 4, 2010, huffington post

Politics has always been a scary arena of discussion for me. It comes with its own vocabulary and a complex understanding of many problems. Any slip up has the potential to start a heated argument with deep emotional beliefs. As a self-proclaimed democrat, I often question what that evens means for me, a junior in college. But I hope to continue to explore what these values say about me and how I can express them.

As Sarah Palin ponders a 2012 presidential campaign, some prominent Republicans are urging her to resist the temptation to run even as her devoted followers flock to her book tour.

reuters, december 3, 2010

President Barack Obama made a brief, unannounced visit to troops at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, telling them “you will succeed,” a year after his decision to widen the war and days before a White House war-strategy review.

laura meckler, december 4, 2010, the wall street journal

President Barack Obama made a brief, unannounced visit to troops at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan, telling them “you will succeed,” a year after his decision to widen the war and days before a White House war-strategy review.

Global warming talks just hot air?

cnn wire staff, december 5, 2010, cnn

elisabeth rosenthal december 2, 2010, new york times

While many countries are somewhat stalled in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Brazil has been making progress, in large part by combating deforestation of the Amazon. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has helped Brazil brand itself as one of the greener large developing countries.

And the deeper bottom line: if we actually want to stop global warming, then we have to build a movement big enough to force change. Otherwise we’re suckers too.

bill mckibben, december 4, 2010, the huffington post

december 5, 2010, the associated press

gavin schmidt , december 3, 2010, cnn

In Cancun, where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change conference will be meeting until Friday, there are talks about targets for emissions cuts, the role of deforestation and the effect on climate if we continue with a business-as-usual approach on emissions. Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., some new members the new congressional intake have expressed either disbelief or ignorance about how humans influence climate change.

And the deeper bottom line: if we actually want to stop global warming, then we have to build a movement big enough to force change. Otherwise we’re suckers too.

Mayan village in Mexico impacted by climate change.

Alaska wildlife officials have

released a report acknowledging

that scientific and traditional

evidence increasingly shows

climate change at unprecedented

rates throughout the Arctic.

The report released this

week marks a departure

for the state, which is

suing to overturn the

federal listing of polar

bears as a threatened

species because of

declining sea ice habitat.

dan joling, december 2, 2010, the associated press

As the defining challenge to our generation, I find myself constantly bombarded by

“green” news. So much so that I have begun to consciously ignore it. I think the problem lies in the message being hijacked by advertising and the media. There are exciting innovations every day; I just have to cut out all the extraneous greenery.

The idea for this project was loosely inspired by a segment on Jay Leno’s the tonight show called “Jaywalking.” The premise is that Jay asks unsuspecting people questions about the news, pop-culture, and history, producing comical yet troubling responses. I began to question how acceptable it was for younger Americans to not know who the last four presidents were or how many Supreme Court Justices we have. But at an even more fundamental level, not being aware of the current events that are shaping our lives everyday. How can this information be presented in a way that appeals to 20-somethings? Is it in the typography or photography? In an era of rapid information distribution and viral data sharing, the news is now digested in 140 character portions – a trend I explore in this print piece which attempts to display the news in a more visceral way.

victor ng studies Communication Design and Photography at Carnegie Mellon University.

Thanks to Valerie Umbricht for letting me photograph her. Best of luck back home in Switzerland.

“The News” is set in 5am Gender and Minion Pro. Design and Photography © Victor Ng.