Long way up – The Route (part 2)

In the previous part I gave you a taste of miraculous places in Sweden. Basically this is going to my way up. I would like to tell you some about the North Cape or, like Norwegians call it, the Nordkapp.

The North Cape is located on Magerøya Island in northern Norway. It’s a 307 meters high cliff at a junction of the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. Just 2102 kilometers from the North Pole. The North Cape isn’t the farthest point of Europe laying to the north. For example neighboring Cape Knivskjellodden lays 1457 meters closer to the North Pole. A road to the North Cape was opened in 1956, but to get to the Magerøya Island you had to use a ferry.

In 1999 the North Cape Tunnel was built making it easier to get to the North Cape. It’s 6875 meters long and reaches a depth of 212 meters below the sea level. The tunnel has anti-freezing gates which close the mouths of the tunnel in the winter to avoid freezing of leaking water. These gates open automatically when cars approach and are permanently open in the summer, when traffic is denser.

• Do you think that the North Cape is worth seeing?
• Is it epic enough for a destination of an epic journey?
• Would you like to travel there with me?

Long way up – The Route (part 1)

So I’m going to travel north. But where to? I quickly found a map of northern Europe and started looking suitable place worthy to be a target of my adventure.

At first I look at the Sweden, but nothing caught my eye – lots of miraculous places to see, but nothing in the epic category. Then I tried Finland – beautiful lakes and woods, but not the kind of things I was looking for. Last but not least I looked at Norway. Fjords looked promising, but I tried a little bit more north. The Lofoten – marvelous islands connected by bridges and tunnels with “whale safaris”. I knew I was getting closer, but I looked a little bit more to the north and then I found the perfect destination…

The North Cape.



Further north you can find mainly ice and you need a boat or a plane to get there. So I found the target of my journey. But which way should I go there and how should I get back? Because I have limited timeframe (two weeks, give or take) I decided to focus on northern Sweden and Norway. I quickly found a ferry, which will take me from Gdansk to Nynäshamn (town near Stockholm). From there I will travel north along the shore of Baltic Sea.

My first sightseeing stop will be area known as Hoga Kusten (The High Coast) and Skuleskogen National Park which are on The UNESCO Natural Heritage List. Nature there is astonishing as also the landscapes. One of the most amazing landmarks of this region is The Hoga Kusten Bridge. It’s over a mile long, The road runs 40 meters over the sea level and the pillars are over 180 meters high. It was design to look similar to The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.


In northern Sweden there lots of heritage parks showing everyday life of the Saam people. They’re a nation which lives in northern Finland, Sweden and Norway for thousands of years. There are also many museums dedicated to mining silver and iron. And last but not least one of the biggest and outstanding waterfalls in Europe, like Stora Sjofallet.

• Are you interested in visiting Scandinavia?
• Do you believe that seeing these marvels of nature is worth traveling great distances?

Stay tunned for part 3: Long way up – The Route (part 2).

Long way up – The idea

First of all, I’ll explain what’s this presentation is about. It’s going to be about my future motorcycle trip. I have a motorcycle for a year now and the farthest place I have been to by my motorbike are Mazury Lakes. Through the last year I was rather thinking about enjoying a Saturday afternoon ride then planning great trips. And then, on a Christmas Eve it began…

It wasn’t the beginning - there are no true beginnings and no true ends – but let’s call it a beginning. As one of presents under a Christmas tree I found a book. At first I was more interested in other presents, but later in the evening I’ve picked up the book to have a closer look. The book was titled “Long way round – Chasing Shadows Across The World” and on the cover were two smiling guys. One was Evan McGregor and the other one I didn’t know. Later I learned it was Charley Boorman, also an English actor (most of you probably also haven’t heard about him before). Swiftly I have learnt that it’s going to be about a motorcycle trip (the catch phrase at the back of the cover stated “Two men. Two motorcycles. 20000 miles.”). The book is Evans and Charley’s diary of the trip.

In 2004 Evan McGregor and Charley Boorman went on a trip from London to New York through Europe, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Russia, next they flown to Alaska, where they mounted their bikes again and went south, discovering the highways of Canada and the United States. With each mile their massive BMW motorcycle conquered problems arose. Exhaustion and tripping of the bikes were the final test of strength and endurance. They rode through treacherous roads, had to endure unforeseeable weather, had to get going with crazy politicians and local crime lords. In Kazakhstan they were chased by paparazzi. In Ukraine they were guests of mysterious and armed men. In Russia they were harassed by police patrols. In Mongolia they were invited by nomads to a supper, where as a main dish were served bulls testecles.

Long Way Round 1(1)
Załadowane przez: saltiel. - Egzotyczne i przyjemne wideo z podróż.

Despite all the obstacles they managed to ride over 22600 miles in four months and this voyage changed their lives forever.

In 2007 Evan and Charley again went on a marvelous adventure – this time they called it “Long way down”. They traveled from John’O’Groats in northern Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa. Again discovering wonderful places, meeting unordinary people.


Reading and watching TV shows about these trips was very inspiring for me. So I decided to a little trip of my own. Hopefully living an unforgettable adventure. Because Evan and Charley covered three out of four directions, they left me only one choice. I’m going to do my own “Long way up”…

• What do you thing about traveling to remote regions?
• Do you feel like taking some sort of an epic journey?
• What do you think about motorcycles?

Stay tuned for part 2: Long way up – The Route

LEGO - Part III - Films & Games

Lego Company haven't forgotten about computer users and created over 30 games with minifigures. Most of theme are based on movies - like series of Lego Star Wars, where gamers can play as movie characters and in original story but..In Lego World:



Or Lego Indiana Jones:



But the most expected game is Lego Universe - first Lego World based MMORPG where you will be able to do anything with Lego bricks and minifigs:



Beside Lego Games there are also fun made movies. Like this Star Wars Episode I:



there are also music videos made from Lego - like this White Stripes clip:



Most movies are made like old fashion cartoons - with stop motion technique:



Of course there are computer animations clips, but they are rare and short.

What do you think about such productions?

LEGO - Part II - AFOL

AFOLs is acronym for..Adult Fan Of Lego. As Lego is usually toy for young children, nowadays lot of adult people play with bricks. Why? Because it's great hobby, and of course, when you are grown up you can afford to buy any Lego set you want :)

AFOLs have their own community called LugNet (Lego User Group Network) - . In 2004 LugPol () was created, so people from Poland can share their hobby. The second most popular polish site for Lego Lovers is

The biggest fan gatherings - BrickFest, BrickWorld and Brickfair are held in USA.



AFOLs also have their own e-magazine called BrickJournal, which presents best user constructions.

Lego Company also spotted adults playing with bricks and created special program called Lego Ambassadors, whose goal is to spread. Poland was represented by Shaggie, member of LugPol.

There's even special certification program for Lego Lovers. You can be Lego Certified Professional! Person who knows EVERYTHING about Lego. Isn't it great? ;)

The most important part of AFOLs life are MOC - My Own Creation. Those are not standard (not Lego Company created) models representing every possible theme - City, space etc. The most popular site with MOCs is Brickshelf with tons of projects and photos. Like this giant model of world largest hydraulic shovel - Terex RH400





Beside MOCs there's also minifig customization - - like these custom made Star Trek figures:





So are you ready to go back to play with Lego again? :)

LEGO - Part I - History

Everyone remember them. LEGO. Toy of our childhood. Everything started in begining of 30's when the company was founded by Ole Kirk Christiansen. The word Lego is derived from the Danish words "leg godt" which in Danish means "play well". Then in Latin means "put together". At beginning, he was making wooden toys for local society, but soon he switch to plastic.



Company also created mechanism to lock one brick with another with so called studs. They would stick together, but not so tightly that they could not be pulled apart. In 1953, the bricks were given a new name: Lego Mursten, or "Lego Bricks."

In following years, company started producing sets including trains, trucks, cars, etc.

On June 7, 1968, the first Legoland Park was opened in Billund. This theme park featured elaborate models of miniature towns built entirely from Lego bricks.



In 1978 first minifigure or minifig was created with small arms and legs and a friendly smile. From now on, they were included to almost every Lego set released allowing to create "living" towns.



In next years, Technics, Duplo, Bionicles and many more themes were introduced to public, allowing Lego to occupy whole market.

Gender equals SEX ? Part 3 - Human Sexuality

When we look at the stage design the two doors opposite to themselves seem to represent contrast between this what is masculine and this what is feminine. Our gender is defined by our behaviour and because in present time borderline dividing social roles for man and women is fading away the doors are look almost the same. Spectator could not declare with all certain which one represents which gender. The choice is as individual and independent as our gender and desires are independent from our sex. But what we can say about frame with out a mirror? In my opinion it is relate to character of Trigorin. Because he is hiding his true nature and stifling his sexuality he can not look to the mirror. He can not look at his reflect and face the truth about him self and his desires.

In my opinion director well-turn the story and highlight the issue of human sexuality and roles that we attribute to the man and woman and which is based on our sex. Political correctives require from people liberal perceive of that issue but out from “the big cities” and TV cameras perception of human gender is still more conservative and discussion about this what is masculine and what is feminine is still open. Through the centuries everything was presented in black and white colours but today discussion about social roles become dominated by lots of shades of grey and depending who is watching the performance the new colours to the palette of interpretations can be add.


Question : what do You think about gender theory? sex and gender : different or the same ?

Source : „Notebook of Trigorin” by Tennessee Williams

http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-b-e1.htm

Gender uquals SEX ? - Part 2 - "Notebook of Trigorin"

Now I want to describe a scene from the performance „Notebook of Trigorin” that I want to consider in the presented point of view. I have chosen that scene mostly because of issue that it raises and the way of presentation of it. The scene took place in the second act of the play. The characters that appear in that scene are Trigorin and Arkadina. On the stage audience could see an arranged room. In the centre of the stage stand round table with couple of chairs near by. Behind the table stand small cabinet with frame on it but without any mirror. On the left side of the stage were placed double doors sloped to the audience in the way which gives it opportunity for anyone in the audience to see without any problems anybody who stand in the doors. The exactly the same doors are placed on the right side of the stage sloped to the audience in the same way. This scene is the only one in the play in which homosexual or rather bisexual proclivity of Trigorin are verbalized and presented straightforward to the audience but lets take a look how it was presented. During the whole play we can not notice anything that may suggest the sexual preferences of Trigorin. At the beginning we can see intensive interest Trigorin of Constantine but nothing is going beyond something that we can call mentors interest because Trigorin as experienced play writer try to support the young Constantine in his first experiences with play writing. The way how Trigorin behave in that scene do not give a simply answer how audience should perceive the subject. When Trigorin confess his sexual preferences he was very upset. The observatory may interpret his confession as an attack on Arkadina. The intention of his confession seems to be hurting feeling of Arkadina who is in love in him. The words he spoken are provoked by her. But after a while we can see that Trigorin realized what he done and we can see some kind of uncertainty on his face. The words were spoken and he cannot turn it back but he is not sure is this what he done was a good idea. If we look at the history context declaration like this in the XIX century was unusual and not to safe. The proclamation of own sexuality orientation is still perceived in society as a some kind of faux pas. What is interesting until 1990 homosexuality was enlisted by WHO (World Health Organization gathering 193 countries) on a International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) and recognized as a deviation and psychological personality disorder and even now in open western societies which are perceived as the most liberal in issue of human sexuality declarations like this sometimes arouse the controversies. Trigorin who realized what did he said can not stand the look of Arkadina turn around and walk away. When he sit on the trunk closer to the audience spectators can see his confusion and afraid of consequences of that declaration. Reaction of Arkadina is also an interesting. She declares that she is an actress and worldly woman so she understands his desires. She also mentioned that she know that fact for a long time. From that statement spectator may perceive Arkadina as a reflection of present feminist. Arkadina seem to understand complexity of human nature and sexuality but from the way the actress who played Arkadina pronounce that statement we can got slightly different impressions. The mimic of face and weak and uncertain voice suggest us to interpret that statement as a desperate try to keep Trigorin close to her. Arkadina occur as a woman who need Trigorin to reinterpret and increase her own self esteem. Her close relationship with Trigorin proves her self that she is still a full valuable. Her rundown relationship with her own son makes her felt as a bad mother and she cannot find herself in that role. The role of actress and worldly woman helps her to build her self-confident. But to achieve that she need Trigorin who can prove and remind her value in the artistic world and help her to forget about her senescence. The suppression - rejection of distressful events and facts - seem to be her live strategy. She tries to convince her self that problem do not exist and focus her thoughts on other aspects. Her acceptation of Trigorin declaration is nothing more then rescuing her self from negative consequences of alone live. To achieve a success in the artistic world that time mostly dominated by men cost her lot and Trigorin became her support. Trigorin take her statement with visible relief.

Gender uquals SEX ? Part 1 - Gender Theory

The point of view I want to look at in my presentation is theories of gender and mainly I want to focus on the problem of sexual orientation that was presented in the „Notebook of Trigorin” („Notebook of Trogorin” which is Tennessee Williams free adaptation of famous „The Seagull” written by Anton Chekhov over a century ago ) nevertheless the leitmotiv of the play originally was not about human sexuality Tennessee Williams make from it a new motivation for the main character. The performance I had opportunity to see. The play tells story of people involved in triangles of loves and shows the consequences of this kind of relations. Tennesee Williams use the famous play of Chekhow to present problems more adequate to present times.

For many centuries masculine and feminine were treated as an obvious categories and fundaments of invariable social order. Sexual revolution in '60 change the way of perceiving gender as an opposite ends of traditionally formulated continuum dividing social roles between man and women. Those events initiate Feminism as a social movement which in determined way tries to indicate changes in way of perceiving that what is masculine and what is feminine. The philosophy of the movement contribute to reconsider the issue of human sexuality and sexual identity and go beyond traditional frames that demand to perceive as a deviation every sexual behaviour of human incompatible with Christian worldview.

The person who theories dominated the sociological conceptions of the subject in the last decade is Judith Butler. She erases an equal’s sign between sex and gender. In her opinion our sex (male or female) do not indicate our gender and indicate sex drive to opposite sex. Sex and gender are not combined with each other as they seem to be but they are independent and should be perceived and analyzed in different ways. Our gender should be considered in perspective of time and history. Our gender is not defined by who we are in biological sense but by our behaviour what means that our gender is performative. Is defined by the way we want present ourselves to the others. "When the constructed status of gender is theorized as radically independent of sex, gender itself becomes a free-floating artifice, with the consequence that man and masculine might just as easily signify a female body as a male one, and woman and feminine a male body as easily as a female one." [Butler, 1990]

Tatoo - Part 3 - Different people, different styles

Every person have different taste, that’s why people choose different types of tattoos.

The most common are:

• Colour

• Black – just lines

• Black – lines and shadows

• Tribal

• Face
  

Its the simplest list of what clients would like to have. Black shaded are quite easy in comparison to faces done in colour which are the most complicated in my opinion. The trends with tattoos have been ever changing. From basic black to bright hues. You can find sample designs at almost any studio, or you can make your own to be printed.

Flash is basic tattoo design that shops buy from artists to hang on the walls and give customers something to pick from them. Tattoo shops make much more money when they are tattooing rather than spending time drawing, so they are encouraging their customers to pick something already drawn. The problem is that the page of flash you are choosing from could be in 300 shops across the country or the world That shows that thousands of tattoo customers are viewing those exact images every day. The likelihood that a few hundred people have the exact image you are picking is very high. Tattoos should not be produced like clothes, and you should never have to meet someone with the same tattoo. You might want to make this permanent addition to your body a little more customized to just you.

You should be careful while choosing something from the internet. There are people who put photos of their own tattoos to show the beauty of them, not to give others opportunity to steal their idea. If you already felt in love with design like that you can take it to tattoo artist and ask for advice and new drawing with few details changed in order to make it more suited to you.

Photo source:

http://www.checkoutmyink.com

Tatoo - Part 2 - Tatoo permanence

Marking for the whole life
The traditional or permanent tattoo is for some people the "only correct" form of this art. It consists on introducing the dye under the skin with help of the special device.

Tattoos should be made under strictly hygienic condition. Single needle use or sterilization method. Many studios choose the first method. Not because it’s cheaper (you don’t have to buy sterilization machines etc.) but it makes client and tattooist feel more safe and comfortable. Used needles are kept in special boxes which waits until some kind of health service will come to take them.

You have to remember that having tattoo made is painful. The bigger tattoo the worse pain.
It also depends on which place you choose. Belly, spine, neck, head for example hurt the most. During tattooing skin starts to swallow and change color to pink/red.

Right after finishing it’s hard to tell how directly the colors will looks.

Skin heals two weeks. You have to use Alantan or Bepanthen Cream 4 times a day in order to keep skin moistened. Try to make right care about your tattoo, it will look fresh longer.



Tattoo removal


There are a lot of reasons for possibly wanting a tattoo removed.

Tattoo removal procedures are even more popular today than earlier, the technology has advanced where almost every detail of the tattoo can be removed from your body and it can become a thing of the past.

Lasers are the most common method of tattoo removal. They work by targeting the ink with pulses of highly concentrated light that break the ink into tiny fragments, which are then cleared away the your own immune system. However, this isn’t all done with just one treatment.

There are other methods of tattoo removal, but most of them are so painful and ineffective that laser removal replaced them as soon as it became available.

Source:

• http://www.tattoo.co.uk/history.htm
• http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/tattoo.html?c=y&page=1
• http://www.tattoos-by-design.co.uk/history.html
• http://www.osuedc.org/plastic_surgery/tattoo_removal.html
• www.youtube.com
• Own experience.

Tatoo - Part 1 - History and evolutin of tattoos

"Tattoo" or "Tatao" or "Tatu"
Humans have marked their bodies with tattoos for thousands of years. The word "tattoo" can have many origins as words in many different languages have the same meaning and similar pronunciation. The word tattoo is said to has two major derivations - from the Polynesian word “ta” which means striking something and the Tahitian word “tatau” which means 'to mark something. It’s the distant ancestor of the modern word "tattoo".

The beginning and developing
American tattoo artist named Samuel O'Reilly in 1890, started a new era in tattooing thanks to his invention - first electronic tattoo machine. But this kind of art wasn't appreciated at first. Society considered it as something suitable for criminals, junks and drinkers. Now almost everyone wants to experience it on their body parts. The popularity of tattoo increased after many years and now it’s a fashion symbol rather than a simple, poor mark. Previously it seems as a non sense thing but then it become a part of new generation fashion. People want to be unique, that’s why changing appearance is so important. One's prefer characteristic make-up, hair made or clothes but the most permanent way of showing individualism is tattoo. Tattoos are now part of everyday society with over 60% of all North Americans aged 18 to 30 years old having at least one.

Nowadays, it seems like everybody has one. How can we explain why someone would go under the needle? It could be a lot of different reasons but there are types which are the most common.

Many people get them as a gesture of love. It helps them to remember their family members who passed away or the new ones already born. Of course picking other half name as a design of tattoo is also popular but not so wise. Life is changing so as feelings. Another very common is the religious tattoo. It's a sign of devotion to personal beliefs. If that’s important for you why shouldn’t you do that? Sometimes it happens that person can't quite explain and find the reason. It might be because of curiosity or pressure to be modern. These people will say that they just got it "because".

It would be nice if in near future we can find some easy and painless way of getting this art done. And develop some new techniques for easy and safely removing these type of designs from the body. In this world everything has some good and bad effects. It depends upon the person who wants to make its good or bad use. a lot of people's taste will change and in turn, they will refer to their tattoo as a mistake. So try to never regret your decision.