World Autism Day April 2

The annual observance of World Autism Awareness Day should spur global action to combat the “unacceptable” discrimination, abuse and isolation that people with the disorder and their loved ones face. “Autism is not limited to a single region or a country; it is a worldwide challenge that requires global action, Day is observed annually on 2 April. “People with autism are equal citizens who should enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

In December 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day in an effort to draw attention to a pervasive disorder that affects tens of millions around the globe. Autism is characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social interactions and in restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour.

“Our work with and for people with autism should not be limited to early identification and treatment; it should include therapies, educational plans and other steps that lead us towards sustained, lifelong engagement. “Reaching out to people with autism spectrum disorders requires global political commitment and better international cooperation, especially in sharing good practices.”

There is need for greater investments in the social, education and labour sectors, since developed and developing countries alike still need to improve their capacities to address the unique needs of people with autism and cultivate their talents. “We also need to promote further research, train non-specialized care providers, and enable the autism community to more easily navigate care systems to obtain services that can support and mainstream individuals with autism.

In New York, Vienna and Geneva, the UN Postal Administration (UNPA) released six commemorative postage stamps and two collectible envelopes dedicated to autism awareness, with images created by artists who have been diagnosed with autism. The stamps will send a “powerful message to people around the world that talent and creativity live inside all of us.

“Probably the best part of the process, that we learned, is the talents that some of these people have and working with their families and their relatives and their supporters, and what a great network of people that there is around the world that are really passionate about the subject and want to help raise awareness about it.

UNPA originally intended to pick three designs to feature on each of the three denominations that it issues stamps for. However, the artwork received was so good that it decided to feature eight designs from among the 200 different pieces of artwork it received.

What do people do?

Many events are organized on World Autism Awareness Day. These include:

Panel discussions with autism experts, politicians and non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives.

Informational events for parents of children with autism.

Conferences and workshops for professionals working with people with autism.

Artistic workshops for people with autism.

Television and radio shows, as well as newspaper features, about people with autism and their lives.

The launch of educational materials for parents and teachers.

Exhibitions of art work by artists with autism.

The display of posters and banners to increase public awareness of autism.

Special clinics are also organized for families dealing with autism to obtain consultations with pediatricians, educational psychologists and social workers

Public life

World Autism Awareness Day is not a public holiday.

Paper Cut Sculptures by Peter Callesen

 

Paper Cut Sculptures by Peter Callesen

Peter Callesen, Danish-born artist, has been recently working with white paper in different objects, paper cuts, installations and performances, like this skeleton piece. It does in fact look like paper performance piece now that we look at it closer.

Callesen writes about his work, "Lately I have worked almost exclusively with white paper in different objects, paper cuts, installations and performances. A large part of my work is made from A4 sheets of paper. It is probably the most common and consumed media used for carrying information today. This is why we rarely notice the actual materiality of the A4 paper. By taking away all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white A4 paper sheet for my creations, I feel I have found a material that we are all able to relate to, and at the same time the A4 paper sheet is neutral and open to fill with different meaning. The thin white paper gives the paper sculptures a frailty that underlines the tragic and romantic theme of my works.”

 

 

  

 

 

 

Strangest Musical Instruments

The world is full of strange musicians, but even weirder are some of the axes they wield. Here you will see a review of some of the funkiest-looking and craziest-sounding instruments ever to squeak, honk, buzz, hum or bray. Watch and listen!

The Badgermin

Take an already strange instrument – the theremin is played by waving your hand in the air – and stick it inside a dead honey badger, and you've got the Badgermin! Sonically, it's no weirder than a theremin (used in many Sci-Fi movies because of its other-worldly sound) but adding the badger just takes it over the top. And, unlike some of these strange instruments, you too could actually own one.

12-Neck Guitar

 

This fully-functioning Stratocaster/work of art by Japanese artist Yoshihiko Satoh, has 72 strings of pure power. You might need an extra arm or two to fully rock out, but imagine walking out on stage with this baby strapped around your neck and Talk about Rock.

The Viennese Vegetable Orchestra

Not just one strange instrument, but an entire ORCHESTRA! This enterprising group shops for the veggies in the morning, carves them up in the afternoon, and plays them in concert that evening. And THEN they chop them all up (minus the parts they touch with their lips) and serve a delicious soup to the audience. In a sense, this is probably every child's worst nightmare.

The Stalacpipe Organ

Forget John Holmes, THIS is the world's largest organ. Located in the Luray Caverns of Virginia, this instrument technically known as a Lithophone (an instrument made from rock) was invented by Leland W. Sprinkle. Legend has it, in 1956 he noted the musical resonance in the cave when his son banged his head on a low-hanging stalactite. Over several years, he found every tone on the Western musical scale on the formations, and painstakingly honed them for perfect pitch, and attached a small mallet to each. An electronic keyboard controls the organic organ, which can be heard throughout the 64-acre cavern. 

The Glass Armonica

 

Leave it to ol' Ben Franklin to create this wonderfully odd instrument in 1761. Inspired by the sound of glass bowls (played by stroking the lid of a wine glass filled with water,) Franklin created this version, which reversed the concept. Thirty-seven bowls are arranged on a spindle and slowly spun. The player merely touches the glasses with wet fingertips. With Franklin's invention, more than two tones could be played at once, producing some hauntingly beautiful chords. In its heyday, more than 100 composers wrote for the instrument, including Mozart and Beethoven. No one is sure why it fell out of favor, but changing out one of the tones proved to be a real pain in the glass.

The Musical House

 

A man's home is his castle, and now, also his instrument. The Wege house, located on Northern Lake Michigan, is an experiment in living, created by Architect David Hanawalt and Bill Close, Sonic Installation Artist. Built like some kind of Byzantine harp, strings wind along the walls and through the halls, allowing family members and their guests to pluck or strum at random. 

The Zeusaphone

 

Ever since Nicola Tesla unleashed the spectacular Tesla Coil in 1891, it has been transfixed in the imagination. In 2007, some enterprising inventors harnessed the low-voltage, high-frequency currents of the coil and created the Zeusaphone. This bizarre instrument electrifies even the most boring recital and is available for the mere mortal to purchase. 

Barb-Wired Fence

A lot of these gadgets are flashy and expensive, but what about something for the lonely cowpoke? Violinist/artist John Rose made it a goal to play and record the lilting sound of fences around the world with just a rosined bow. Here he is playing a barbed-wire fence in the outback of Australia. If you think about it, many fences are, in essence, just giant stringed instruments ready to be stroked. But be careful, that F-sharp can be really… er… sharp!

The Singing Ringing Tree

 

Atop a barren hilltop in Lancashire, England, stands this most unusual musical sculpture. Designed by architects Mike Tonkin and Anna Liu, the “tree” is comprised of a series of pipes, cut and stacked in a spiral fashion. When the wind is blowing, a mesmerizing tone echoes through the hillside, like a lost sound effect from a Pink Floyd album.

Earth Hour 2012: World organizations

The Earth Hour 2012, which will be on Saturday, March 31, 2012 from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm worldwide, will be joined by various organizations around the world, with YouTube also supporting the one-hour lights off.

Earth Hour official logo

According to a press release, various global organizations have announced their commitment to join Earth Hour 2012, where everyone is being invited to turn off their lights for an hour.

As noted in the report, International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, National Hockey League, Siemens Poland, HSBC are only among organization that will join Earth Hour this year, an annual event started by World Wildlife Fund in Sydney, Australia back in 2007.

Meanwhile, YouTube has now added special feature on their videos in support for the Earth Hour 2012, where each video has a special toggle switch that viewers can click ‘On’ and ‘Off’, which will change the white background to black.

In the Philippines, Globe Telecom is among the companies that announced earlier their participation and will be to join switching off lights in its major offices and billboards during the Earth Hour 2012, with local reports noting that the event will take place at Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City, Fort San Pedro in Cebu City, and SM City Davao Parking lot in Davao City.