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Barthes noted a duality that was present in certain photographs: “A co-presence of two discontinuous elements”. Barthes calls these two elements, the studium and the punctum. The previous refers to the multiplicity of meanings on offer and clear to all who look upon the photograph. The meaning of the image is self-contained and unified and can be taken at a glance without having to think, the pictorial space is basically ordered in a comprehensible way. The studium is the interest one shows in a photograph and their desire to understand the meanings of the photograph in question and to explore the link between the photograph and our own subjectivities. The punctum refers to something altogether very different, though not quite so different as to refer only to a camera data cable. The punctum refers to an intensely private meaning that a photograph may harbour, a meaning that is unexpectedly recognised and as a result, remembered. As Barthes put it, the private meaning “shoots out of the photograph like an arrow and pierces me”. The private meaning is not easily communicated via language.

Wow I simply love perfume. I simply lather it on. If I could have a bath in perfume, I would. If I could drink perfume, I would. If I could be buried in a bottle of perfume as opposed to a coffin, I would. My oh my there is very little I would not do for perfume. My relationship with perfume began at a very early age when my brother bought me a make-your-own-perfume kit for Christmas, I was immediately enamoured. I simply spent all day and night making perfume before bottling it and giving each bottle a label. It was great fun! Nowadays I have foregone my perfume-making habit and do not make perfume so much as buy it. Gosh I really do buy too much of it. After squandering all my savings on perfume, I finally decided to seek help, professional help. My psychiatrist has been trying to wean me off the intoxicating liquid and he almost succeeded. I spent one entire Wednesday without perfume on! The future was looking bright and odourless, until one fateful Christmas, when my brother gave me some Cheapsmells discount codes. Once again I find myself on the road to perdition.

In Goya’s ‘Witches’ Sabbath’, one woman differs from the rest of the assembled witches. One woman, located on the far right, sits on a chair slightly apart from the main group with her face hidden by a black veil. Speculation asserts that this woman is due to be initiated into the coven while others asserts that the woman is Leocadia Weiss, Goya’s maid, whose portrait was located beside this painting in La Quinta del Sordo. The only faces in the portrait that are hidden are those of the Devil goat and the woman seated to the far right. Goya began the painting with a black background, just as with the other works in the Black Paintings, before painting over it with lighter colours. In many of the darker areas of Witches’ Sabbath, Goya allowed the, not dedicated hosting, but the black background to seep through, such as in the figure of the Devil which is completely black. Goya used tone to create atmosphere which is part of a tradition in Spanish art that was started by Velazquez and Ribera.

In my quest for food I stumbled on a Gu10 patrol. They were making camp in an old ruined apartment building on the second floor. I lay in wait and started to think about my chances. I knew they had food by how to get it without getting shot. I must have been waiting for hours when suddenly one of them rallied them up and ordered to various positions around the block. Only the leader stayed in front of the building. The camp was deserted and it was a chance that I couldn’t miss. I noticed fire stairs from the other side of the building. That’s my way in. I slowly circulated around the building and started to climb the fire escape. When I got to the apartment I grabbed the gun that was standing on the table just in case. I picked up their spare clothes and boots and felt like finally I am ready for freeing my daughter. Few minutes passed and I found their rations. It was enough food for three days. As I was getting ready to leave I saw a shadow near the door. I hid and waited to see who it is. I just hoped that it was my imagination and that it's not a Gu10 guard. Of course it was. He was nervous because he heard me and now he has come to investigate. I could feel the tension rising, because both of us were burning with fear and anticipation. It was me, a fire fighter, against a fully ... Continue reading...

Putin was re-elected to the presidency of Russia on March 14th 2004, receiving a whopping 71% of the vote. Yet Putin was suffering accusations that he had undermined independent sources of political power in Russia and decreased the degree of pluralism in the Russian society. Following the Beslan school hostage crisis in September 2004, Putin made some drastic changes which make allegations of undemocratic activity understanding. Putin created the Public Chamber of Russia and replaced the direct election of Governors of the Federal states with a system whereby the President proposed them. The demographic and social trends in Russia formed one of the major domestic issues for President Putin. The death rate was actually higher than the birth rate, cyclical poverty was common across the country, and housing concerns were peaking. Putin proposed increasing maternity benefits and prenatal care for women in a 2006 speech, hoping to reverse the death and birth rates. I wonder if mr11 leds shone on the consequences?