Calvin & Hobbes = Theologian & Philosopher?

WHO KNEW?

The endearing and universally adored duo - Calvin & Hobbes, are named after a 16th century influential French theologian and pastor and a 17th century English political philosopher, respectively!!

Calvin believed in predestination & Hobbes had a dim view of the human nature. Makes sense.

Calvin and Hobbes was first published on November 18, 1985.

The last strip was published on December 31, 1995.

Bill Watterson is the creator of the comic strip.
"A real job is a job you hate" - Watterson.
Wise words.

I thought Susie Derkins deserved a mention in the column. Just because I love her so much.

A Lesser Known McCartney

There is a McCartney whose name is not Paul or Stella.

Mary McCartney.

Mary McCartney is a photographer and one worth blogging about. Her new book contains snapshots from the 90s (picture Studio54). And obviously her camera went to places where photographers are a strict no-no. You Know, McCartney is not just another surname!

Book Cover

Oh to be born a McCartney. 

A shot of Paul McCartney. Fabulous.

"Guerrillero Heroico"

Recognize this picture? duhh..

Yes it is  C H E  G U E V A R A.
And we have seen the image on the surface of every possible thing it can possibly be be printed on.

This omnipresent image of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara was captured by Fidel Castro's official photographer, Alberto Korda, at a memorial for the victims of an explosion in the Havana harbor.

The iconic shot of Guevara was hailed 'Guerillo Heroico' and has been declared the most famous image in the world .

Guevara (L) & Castro (R)

 Che Guevara was a revolutionary, a doctor & a practitioner of Guerilla Warfare. He was also Fidel Castro's right hand man. In fact, Che was so revered by Castro that he was given his own memorial in a city close to Havana.

"He was ruthless. If you wanted to back out of a battle, he'd probably shoot you" - a fellow revolutionary.

1928-1967

Guevara died at the peak of his popularity and hence never aged in the eyes of the public. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
 "I don't care if I fall as long as someone else picks up my gun and keeps on shooting."

Think All Publicity is Good Publicity? Think Again.

Case in point, British Petroleum.

Incident: BP Oil Well blew out, off the Louisiana coast, destroying Deepwater Horizon rig

Casualties: 11 men killed and the spill triggered the worst offshore spill in U.S. history.

Cost of Spill: ~$9.5 billion

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig

BP could withstand the financial costs of the oil-spill but the repercussions of the disaster on the company's reputation and goodwill, will be felt for years, possibly decades to come.

Intriguing: Who is Banksy?

Profession: Guerilla Graffiti Artist

Birth Name: Unknown (might be Robert Banks)

Age: ~35

Nationality: British

"Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it."

-Banksy

The 'Art Terrorist' Banksy's fiercely guarded identity is adds to his mystique as much as his unconventional works of art. The message of his work is usually anti-war, anti-capitalism or anti-establishment. His subjects are mostly rats, monkeys, policemen, soldiers, children, and the elderly.

Efforts have been made to catch the reclusive artist but he manages to evade authority and still show his magic in the busiest and most popular locales in Britain & even New York.

British officials have been quoted saying-
"We are concerned that Banksy's street art glorifies what is essentially vandalism".

FYI, he does not sell his work himself but his art work has been auctioned for Millions, unofficially.

Want more? BANKSY

Banksy's Kate Moss; his take on Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe

"People who get up early in the morning cause war, death and famine."


ICON: Got Milk?

Where's your mustache?
The man behind the legendary 'Got Mik?' ads - Jeff Manning.

Steven Tyler

As executive director of the California Milk Processor Board, Jeff Manning created the tagline and the campaign in the early 90s. The 'Got Milk?' campaign has stood the test of time and maintained its allure even after two decades. 
Manning made the milk mustache de rigueur.

The campaign has maintained its concept and tagline through the years keeping the advertorials fresh by featuring the who's who of the glitterati. 

An advertising marvel.   

Marilyn Manson

Charles Manning now the Chief Marketing Officer for the Cherry Marketing Institute.

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil

Who says models are dumb?

They've obviously heard of the 'Confucius's Code of Conduct'.

Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell & Christy Turlington

Iwazaru, Kikazaru & Mizaru, in that order. Yes, those were the names of the three wise monkeys.

Homage: Alexander McQueen

The bleeding edge of fashion - Nothing fashionable stays fashionable forever.

But when clothes go beyond pret & couture, they become art. And art lasts forever, infact art gets better and more valuable with age. Alexander McQueens clothes are nothing short of art.

March 1969-Feb 2010

McQueen (original name Lee McQueen), was discovered by Isabella Blow when she purchased his entire graduation collection. There was no looking back. Year after year, he produced collections than left the fashion industry awestruck. Even his ad campaigns were a work of art. 

McQueen committed suicide in Feb 2010.

Buy a McQueen piece. It's isn't clothing, it's an investment.

R.I.P

Jobs: An Evil Genius?

Charles Manson would shift in his grave if he knew his cult was like a molehill, when compared to that of Apples'. Don't get me wrong, I like Apple products as much as the next person. What's not to love? The design, the innovation (this is debatable), ease of operation..  But the fanatical devotion displayed by Apple users borders on paranoia. It's as if they feel that if they don't put every other product down (case in point - Blackberry,Google and god forbid Microsoft), how will they succeed? 

I saw this speech by an ex-apple evangelist, Guy Kawasaki, which was I'll admit, very entertaining. So, I went and got his book 'Selling the Dream', which was funny to begin with but by the end of the book, I was convinced, something is wrong with Apple employees. So the writer had only good things to say about Apple, but somehow the only company I liked less at the end of the book ,was Apple (irony!). Why you ask? Thanks to him bashing IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett Packard & every other Silicon Valley company. Quite putting off. This holds true for Apple employees and the users, well the crazy ones. 

If Microsoft was a crime against humanity, then Apple is no saint either.

No prizes for guessing who's responsible for all the paranoia and the obsession that surrounds Apple. Steve Jobs the self proclaimed Che Guevera of the PC revolution.

  

Bur Apple did not start with just Steve Jobs -

*There's Steve Wozniak who is the brains behind the Macintosh computer 

*Mike Markkula the venture capitalist (cash provider)

*And Jobs

 It did end with just Steve Jobs. Jobs has the ability create, what is called, a Reality Distortion Field, making small innovations sound like ground-breaking products. When he talks of his products, you listen. In his latest speech promoting the i-pad, he himself said that Apple has stood on the shoulders of Kindle and made a product that is better. Ground breaking innovation? I think not.

                    

  Not to undermine Jobs, he might not be the man behind Apple, technology-wise; but he is the man behind Apple- the GIANT of a company; Apple the cult & all the 'i-ho's'. If you weren't already aware, he got fired  from Apple but rejoined the company and brought it back from near death. He is no electrical engineer like Woz, he certainly was not an experienced businessman like Gates, but what he is, is an insane marketer and a demon of a sales person.

Apple IS Jobs. The end justifies the means.

Apple?

Classic! (pun intended)

"There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about"
 -Oscar Wilde

Need something to read?
'The Picture of Dorian Gray'- Oscar Wilde's finest work revolving around the supernatural, aimed at the vain. 

A cinematic adaptation of the book - 1945

 A brief skeleton of the plot - Beautiful and young Dorian Gray, overcome with the adulation of his sycophantic friends, begins to believe that the only thing worthwhile in life is beauty, youth and the un-relentless pursuit of happiness. His wish comes true when his ageing and his sin is cast not on his actual self but inflicted upon his portrait, which grows increasingly grotesque as his age and his sins grow.  

The book was written in 1890, an era before supernatural was fashionable (picture Twilight, Harry Potter, even H.G Wells). One can only imagine the controversy that surrounded the book, what with the hedonistic theme and homosexual overtones. Wilde was severely criticized by the conservatives and was even dubbed to be a delusional writer. But Wilde would rather be talked about than not! The book is now considered a work of classic.


Classic is what controversy makes.

Got to love Kate

Kate Moss & Pete Doherty

My second entry and I'v already crossed PG-13 bounds. 

Love the shot but don't try this at home.

Favourite Picture #1: Bill Gates & Warren Buffett

Bill Gates (L) & Warren Buffett (R)

Bill Gates (founder of Microsoft), and Warren Buffett (world's greatest investor & owner of Berkshire Hathaway) were first introduced in 1991 when Gate's mother persuaded him to attend a meeting where Buffett would be present. Both Gates and Buffett were relucatnt to meet each other. In the words of Bill Gates, "What are we supposed to talk about? P/E Ratios?". 

They hit it off immediately. 

For those of you who aren't aware of this, Gates and Buffett have battlled neck-to-neck (colloquially speaking) for several years, for the top spot in the list of the world's richest men. Obviously, nobody expected them to get along. Buffett is now donating a huge chunk of his wealth to 'The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation', a charity run by Gates and his wife.

Now I am a big fan of both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and have read several books/literature written on both these men. I came across this picture on the website of NetJets and loved it! (Almost as much as I love the Kate Moss and Marc Jacobs dancing picture). Their unlikely friendship is captured so well. Don't you think? It's not one of those pics where two tycoons are pictured shaking hands (picture Donald Trump and Robert Kiyosaki). Gates looks so happy and at ease and Buffett looks adorable as always, with his favourite drink - Cherry Coke, in front of him. (yes, Cherry Coke is Buffett's favourite drink. He is one of the largest shareholder of  Coca Cola).

All in all, Love it!