The Love Police

Just take a minute to check this website out and this youtube video.

The message is simple:
Think independently, love eachother, be human to eachother. Educate yourself and wake up. Love is the solution.

Everything is OK.

Love

J.

Co² is Square

While watching the news yesterday a fact came up that shocked me.
Global CO2 emissions from oil, (stone) coal and other fossil fuels have increased by 29% this decade. Which is almost 30%. Which is way too much!
From 2000 to 2007, the global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels rose annually by about 3.6%. That is three times more than in the 90's, when the annual increase was still 1%. Most of these emissions are due to man.
We're punching Mother Nature in the face, turning our backs and saying "I'm sorry" doesn't even cross our minds.
We need to act. And fast.

Let me copy/paste something from an article from the New York Times' Green Inc. Blog: "Governments, negotiators and campaigners now say the Barcelona talks – and the Copenhagen summit that follows – will not make, or break, global climate policy. (...)Yvo de Boer, the U.N.’s climate chief, said it would be “physically impossible” to conclude a deal this year."
Let me be bold. If we keep accepting these increases and not conclude a deal and make a change soon, it'll be "physically impossible" to do anything but sit back and watch humanity fade away. I'm talking wipe-out.

Pitch in people. You may think this subject is boring, and you may not be interested in our earth's health. Let me tell you. We're just dots. Little dots in this enormous galaxy. I often hear friends saying the following phrase when they're having a bad day: "Life's a bitch." Yes, your life is insignificant. But I always reply: "It's what you make of it."
Let me be clear. Without this planet, there is no life. Not even a bitchy one.

I don't want to scare, annoy or anger anyone with this. But wake up. And do something.

Here's a little list of things you can do yourself:

- Stop eating red meat (you have no idea how much a cow contributes to CO2 emissions).
- Stop buying plastic bottles and bottles of water. Heat it up, filter it and put it in an eco-friendly, reusable water bottle. Get a Kleen Kanteen one, an Aquasana glass one or a sym.blue.ology blue glass one with a message.
- Now that I think about it, get your things in a shop. Save money on shipping costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions (you have no idea how much transportation contributes to CO2 emissions). And if you can, go to the shop by bike or on foot. That's how I do everything.
- Save up money and get solar panels.
- Use low energy light bulbs.
- Back to the roots, the way they do it in Brazil because water is scarce and expensive: harvest your rainwater.

On Carbon Footprint, you can calculate your own carbon footprint and learn how to reduce emissions and save costs.

Whatever you do... Act.

Have a healthy, conscious and aware day.

Jolene

Life lesson

It's all about one fourletterword:

LOVE

J.

The Ink Issue: What A Beautiful Mess.

I am fascinated by tattoos. Especially on women.
There's just something about them. In a world where Mattel invented the Barbie doll and introduced a stereotypical image of how women should be, I am thrilled to see that more and more women are going back to an artform that has been past on from one culture to another, surrounding themselves with elements of themselve. Being it a quote, a portrait or something abstract, I believe every tattoo has its meaning. It's a way of putting out there what is already in you, without the fear of being judged.

I used to think a tattoo was something you had to be a hundred percent sure of, because it sticks to your skin for good. No turning back. So no regrets. But even the silliest thing is not worth regreting, because it marks who you were. And if you change, it marks your evolution.
Of course, if you're not satisfied with your evolution or just made a wrong move by not thinking it through, there's always laser removal.

Before I got my first tattoo about two months ago, I talked to some people to see what their opinion was about the whole tattooing thing. Most of them tried to talk me out of it. I scheduled my appointment without telling anyone, besides two of my closest friends, and went off and got it anyway. Reactions afterwards were "It actually looks really good." Lesson: Do not let anyone talk you out of something you have set your mind to after careful consideration. You might ask them for their opinion. But they are not you.

I'm not Jesus, and not trying to convert you into something you're just not into. But if you are looking for some inspiration, here are some beautiful, tattooed women.

Inked Magazine - Quotes, stars, portraits, custom-made designs,etc...

Betty Lipstick - Hearts, dragons, roses, etc...

Kat Von D - Tattoo artist specialized in portraits, mostly black and grey.

Known From LA Ink & her shop High Voltage Tattoo

Murielle Scherre

Belgian designer of the lingerie label La Fille d'O - has a bow, pin-ups, the word "Amor", cherries, etc...



A random girl in Barcelona with leopard print and a cupcake

A tattoo is a true poetic creation, and is always more than meets the eye. - V. Vale and Andrea Juno, Modern Primitives

Show me a man with a tattoo and I'll show you a man with an interesting past. - Jack London

You may lose your most valuable property through misfortune in various ways. You may lose your house, your wife and other treasures. But of your moko, you cannot be deprived except by death. It will be your ornament and companion until your last day. - Netana Whakaari of Waimana

Ink to paper is thoughtful. Ink to flesh, hardcore. If Shakespeare were a tattooist, we'd appreciate body art more. - Carrie Latet

Tattooing is about personalizing the body, making it a true home and fit temple for the spirit that dwells inside it. Tattooing therefore, is a way of keeping the spiritual and material needs of the body in balance. - Michelle Delio

But! Think before you ink! I'm sure you don't want to look like our famous Belgian tattooed girl aka 56-stars-on-your-face when you're 85.

Jackie

Facebook: Filter!

Alright, so I was going through all sorts of subjects for new blogposts and doing some research, when all of a sudden I bumped into a humungous amount of "fanpages" titled "Artist X sucks", "F*&# off Artist Y", "Artist Z, you're a f***" on Facebook.
Seriously. What the heck is wrong with these people?
Okay, so you might not like a certain artist. Tell me, what do you get from calling him a something something on a worldwide communication page? Is it going to make your day and enlighten yourself? If so, it sounds like you might need to sort yourself out and start looking for some useful occupations.
I go gaga when people start dissing eachother like it's the most common thing to do. Seriously, it's not. That's your imagination. Or maybe you just have some mental disorder you need to deal with. Especially when it comes to music.

Music goes back to the Paleolithic era when humans began to produce the earliest works of art. Who are you to destroy a monkey's work of art? That monkey being your forefather, hanging around with the forefather of the one you just dissed.

Seriously though, music is one of the few things we do not engage in war for. It's a universal language that everybody speaks, no matter what your cultural background is. You get it and you appreciate it, even if it's not your own.

Music expresses feeling and thought, without language. It was below and before speech, and it is above and beyond all words.  - Robert G. Ingersoll

Get the message? Exactly. Shhhhh...


Dear Facebook,
You're a wonderful invention for communication. And I'm all for free speech, otherwise I wouldn't have this blog. But filter your shizzang, will you?
Sincerely
J.

Supermodels Supernatural

German photographer Peter Lindbergh is tired of subjects in fashion magazines looking like overly-Photoshopped "objects from Mars". “My feeling is that for years now it has taken a much too big part in how women are being visually defined today. Heartless retouching should not be the chosen tool to represent women in the beginning of this century.”, he told the New York Times.
For Harper's Bazaar's September 2009 issue he captured supermodels such as Amber Valletta, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer and Cindy Crawford without make-up or excessive retouching.
I love black and white photography, and have always admired 30-40 something women with long hair, minimal make-up and a natural glow. The two combined are devine.
Natural all the way baby, let's start capturing beauty as it is.

Off to an exhibition of Belgian photographer Stephan Vanfleteren now. He specializes in B&W's too and portrays artists, actors, writers, directors, musicians and other people who express themselves through their profession. He also captures events from world conflict zones as well as every day life around the world. Check out his work here

Little Girl, Big Blog: Tavi "Style Rookie" Gevinson

Meet Tavi Gevinson. A 13-year-old fashion blogger from Chicago who started "Style Rookie" about a year and a half ago and has had over 4 million readers since then. She has become a popular guest at fashion shows, and posed on pictures with designers as Yohji Yamamoto and Marc Jacobs. A lot of people praise her talent and look at her as if she were some kind of wonderchild. Others are sceptical and question her credibility. Why is this kid so articulate for her age? And how does she know so much about fashion and designers at such a young age?

I'm not going to butt in on the pros and cons, I'm just sharing something I think is quite remarkable.

I can say this though: as a kid, I was really curious too. And pretty smart. Always getting straight A's, provoking jealousy from peers and receiving kudos from adults who thought I had an amazing brain for my age. To me, I was just normal. As the years go by and you experience life, certain things change. And certain things just stick to your core. A gift, as this little girl has in writing, should be admired. But she's still a kid. And fashion can be a harsh world. Let's hope she stays true to who she is and what she loves to do, without losing her innocence.

In addition to this, an article appeared in Eosmagazine.eu today saying most children who were born in prosperous countries after the year 2000 will probably live up to be a hundred years old. If that's true, lots of remarkable things are headed our way if you ask me. Tavi won't be the last.