calendar

World for Palestine 2010 Calendar

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:00:00 +0000

The World for Palestine 2010 Wall Calendar features twelve cartoons drawn by Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff. Latuff’s images are stark, simple, and unflinching in their support of Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation. His images, like most political art or propaganda, do not explore political complexities or nuances, but rather bluntly convey the truth through art. His images emphasize themes of global silence around the genocide of Palestinian people, the struggle of resistance by Palestinians against Israeli violence, and the emotional foundation of hatred that enables the destruction of Palestinian people and their homeland to continue.

This calendar will only satisfy those that are looking for blatantly politicized images. The use of cartoons for political purposes in the U.S. is most commonly associated with revealing the hypocrisy of elected politicians in daily newspapers. These cartoons were, at first, surprising to view because their intention was more simplistically and fiercely stated than I was used to. The artwork in the calendar is meant to nourish the spirits of those fighting the Israeli occupation and to uncover the brutality of the Israeli state.

As an example, one month of the calendar features an older Palestinian man’s hands and head sticking out of a set of gallows. The gallows are made out of a full Israeli flag, and the man’s face conveys pain and humiliation. The calendar succeeds in presenting such unwavering political metaphors, and the write-up in the beginning of the calendar that describes the Brazilian cartoonist, his intentions, and the context of his art helps to promote a better understanding the goals of the calendar and its art.

It is interesting to imagine other ways this calendar could have been presented. Latuff has a particular style, and the calendar may have benefited from a variety of artists. This would have shown the common elements of cartoons used to bolster Palestinian resistance, rather than focus on one artist’s work, which reinforces a similar aesthetic and specific political priorities. After a whole year of looking at these cartoons, it is easy to imagine how the complicated and profound human aspects of the struggle could be lost amidst the constant righteous outrage elicited by the images of one artist. More artists would have strengthened the depth of the viewers’ understanding.

This calendar certainly isn’t for everyone, and definitely not for fence-sitters regarding Palestinian peoples’ liberation. The World for Palestine 2010 Wall Calendar is strong and powerful in its convictions; hopefully Resistance Art will produce more calendars in the future that follow in this tradition.

Written by: Katrina Forman, December 22nd 2009

2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:46:00 +0000

By Nitartha International, Nalandabodhi

Snow Lion Publications

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is, as calendars go, pretty nifty. It features an astrological forecast for each day of the year, determined by a combination of three factors: element combination, ruling conjunction, and auspicious combination. If you do not know what any of these things are, don’t worry; located at the end of the calendar, in the “About This” section, is a wonderfully constructed chart that explains what each astrological indicator is and how it affects a person’s daily life. The indicators are listed in both English and Tibetan, giving the calendar a nice cultural flare. There is also a key that tells one how to read all the information listed on each day’s calendar square, making it all very easy to use and understand. In addition, there are also a few paragraphs on Buddhism and Tibetan astrology that, while not deeply detailed, are still informative and educational.

Each month of the calendar features a drawing of an Arhat, a person who, in layman’s terms, is an elder in the Buddhist religion who has reached enlightenment. These particular drawings were done by the Seventeenth Karmapa Orgyen Trinley, a current spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The sketches are very rudimentary with a minimum of lines and colors, but it is this very simplicity that gives them their charm.

One really wonderful thing about the calendar is that it marks Buddhist holidays, as well as the traditional Western ones for countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia. All the astrological information is conveniently located at the bottom of the square for each day, leaving plenty of room to write in appointments, birthdays, reminders, and other important notes. This feature makes it useful as a functioning calendar, as well as an astrological chart.

The 2010 Complete Tibetan Calendar is created by Nitartha International and Nalandabodhi, two non-profit organizations which strive to preserve the traditions and culture of Tibet.

Written by: Victoria Kroeger, November 30th 2009

2010 Wall Calendar: Anne Taintor

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:50:00 +0000

By Anne Taintor

Chronicle Books

“She was one cocktail away from proving his mother right” is the text accompanying a modestly dressed, yet sexily posed, 1950s woman that adorns the cover of the 2010 Wall Calendar by Anne Taintor. Why is it that these satirical sentences bring a smile to our faces? Why does it give us such pleasure to poke fun at these Leave it to Beaver prototypes? Whatever the analysis, it works. It’s downright funny, as is Taintor’s calendar.

When you open up to January, two “perfect” housewives are looking at a ham that is fresh from the oven. “Ta-daa! Now let’s have a cocktail...” reads the caption. I can just imagine my college roommate, now a few decades later, saying the same thing. Although I’m not sure she’d wait until the ham finished baking.

The Women’s History Month scene is hysterical: “If by ‘happy’ you mean 'trapped with no means of escape' then yes, I’m happy.” I suppose considering marriage a trap is women's equivalent of men calling their wives a ball and chain. Marriage, of course, isn’t the trap it used to be, but there are some who would like to wind back time to when it was—perish the thought!

Turning the pages of the calendar, I am most amused at the jokes centered on drinking (“Why do dishes when you can do daiquiris?"), and I decided to take a look at Taintor’s web site. The tag line—“Making smart people smile since 1985”—greets me on her home page. Wow, in a split second I’m feeling like a smart woman who laughs at drinking, domesticity, and dumbness.

While I love the retro images paired with witty captions, I have to point out that the calendar isn’t very functional. The size allotted for the days of the month is small, and it doesn’t allow much room to write notes, like I usually do. The fonts for the days and holidays are also very small. While it’s a large wall calendar with full size images, the calendar itself has a lot of white space that could have been better utilized. That said, I expect a full year of laughs to compensate for this shortcoming, a problem which could easily be solved by pairing it with Anne Taintor's 2010 Engagement Calendar.

Written by: Joan Dawson, November 5th 2009

The 2010 Lonely Planet Calendar

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:39:00 +0000

By Lonely Planet

There’s something about getting a new calendar that brings out my inner geek, the part of me that revels in stationery supplies and finds the smell of pencils and paper somewhat intoxicating. As a student, the beginning of fall—my favorite season—was always exciting not just for the crisp sunny days and technicolored leaves. I was equally thrilled to have fresh, new school supplies, and to this day, I get a charge when replenishing my office supplies or choosing a new journal. I also carefully select an agenda book and a wall calendar each year. Usually I wait until they go on sale in January, but the The 2010 Lonely Planet Calendar was a nice, early treat.

The wall calendar is a bit larger than average (11 3/4” by 13” when closed), and each day has a large square with plenty of space to jot down birthdays and appointments. Holidays from around the world are unobtrusively pre-printed in a subtle grey ink. Each month is a visit to countries in all corners of the globe—from The Bahamas to Sweden to Indonesia. Vibrant photographs and a brief overview of each destination give armchair travelers a taste of local culture, flora, fauna, traditions, and landscapes.

My favorite month in this calendar is February when we visit Iran. I’m partial to the country's aesthetics—the intricate mosaics, minarets, and domed architecture—all of which are featured in brilliant color. I looked to my birth month (December) with special anticipation. In December 2010 we visit Malawi; highlights of the page are breathtaking photos of Nyika National Park and a canoe that appears to be carved from a single tree.

Lonely Planet was started in the 1970s by a young couple who wanted to show others how to travel the globe on the cheap while having authentic experiences in the places visited. Today Lonely Planet has offices in Melbourne, London, and Oakland with over 500 staff members and 300 authors. Tony and Maureen, the young couple who started it all, are still actively involved in the organization and their empowering approach to travel ("All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!") is still the company’s guiding motto.

Written by: Matsya Siosal, September 28th 2009

The Lunar 2009 Calendar: Dedicated to the Goddess in Her many Guises, 33rd Annual Edition

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:24:00 +0000

By Luna Press

One of the reasons I chose to review The Thirty-Third Annual Edition of The Lunar 2009 Calendar: Dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many Guises by Luna Press was my attraction to the moon and the lunar phases of the moon. Not only am I astrologically a Cancer by heart, and ruled by the moon, but the moon has always been so mysteriously powerful and magical to me. Even as a child, I can remember always being very excited on full moon nights.

Nancy F.W. Passmore, editor of Luna Press, started this unique lunar calendar in 1975, which was a pivotal year in the United States during Second-wave feminism. Women were the first calendar makers and the first calendars were lunar calendars. According to the information provided in this calendar, more than 50,000 years ago women noted the correspondence between menstrual cycles and phases of the moon on lunar calendrical tally sticks. For generations women have been relying on the lunar cycle to guide them throughout their fertility cycles.

The '09 edition features beautiful artwork from twenty-eight artists, poets and writers. The front cover of The Lunar 2009 Calendar features a painting called "Prithvi, protectress" by Jamie Hogan. Hogan says: "With free reign for the calendar, I mixed it all up: an earth goddess, Prithvi, as a tiger queen bordered by decorative designs. This Lunar Calendar is "dedicated to the goddess in Her many guises," and I like to think that the Divine Feminine resides in every woman, queen or not. It’s a mix of nature wisdom, cycle awareness, poetry, and original art." The lunar calendar also features the tree-alphabet as inspired by the book-length essay The White Goddess by Robert Graves. I think the tree-alphabet is a powerful symbol of the fact that like the moon, we are part of nature and nature is a part of us. And while on the subject of nature: Luna Press, although costlier to print, only prints their calendars in the United States on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Just one more feel-good reason to purchase this calendar.

The Lunar 2009 Calendar is like no other because it follows the moon phases in an elliptical pattern, not just the calendar days in a block style. There are instructions in the back of the calendar titled: "How to Use your Lunacy!" that explain in detail how to read the calendar accurately. There is a lunar month diagram example that features letters A to L: each letter interpreting every section of the lunation.

The moon is a universal symbol for all people. Since the beginning of time we have been using the moon to live our lives by. The full moon and new moon phases can affect people in varying degrees, from feeling happy and full of energy to being exhausted, depressed and anxious. As Sarah Fuhro, long-time contributing poet, donor and reader of The Lunar Calendar says: "To know where the Moon is in her cycle, and in the sky, is to partake of her wisdom: there is a time for all things. The Lunar Calendar belongs to all who love the seasons, the keepers of the lunar rhythm." I would highly recommend ordering The Lunar 2009 Calendar. It is a beautifully well-produced calendar that helps us see time as tendrillar. To order yours, visit the Luna Press website.

Written by: MK Matson, March 31st 2009