Hull set for City of Culture mass nude photograph

Hull has been chosen as the latest place to stage a mass nude gathering, all in the name of art.

Internationally-renowned photographer Spencer Tunick is to create a new work there to celebrate its year as UK City of Culture.

The gathering is to be photographed in the East Yorkshire port on 9 July, with the resulting work unveiled in 2017.

Organisers hope hundreds of people will strip to become part of the work, entitled Sea Of Hull.

Participants are to be covered in cosmetic body make-up, before assembling to form the multiple colours of the sea and create abstract shapes for the camera.

New York-based Tunick has created more than 90 similar human installations worldwide, including at the Sydney Opera House, Place des Arts in Montreal, Mexico City and Munich in Germany.

His work in the UK has used places including Gateshead and Folkestone as backdrops.

"I'm very interested in the history of the city and its place as a seafaring centre and its relationship to a rich maritime past," Tunick said of Hull.

"It intrigues me that in some places where there are major streets or parks today, previously there was water."

He said he hoped he would create "a sea of humanity flooding the urban landscape" and the body paint would help many people to overcome their inhibitions to posing naked.

Kirsten Simister, of Hull's Ferens Art Gallery, said: "It's an opportunity to involve people directly in an amazing live performance that will temporarily transform the city."

The artist is to also create a second installation on 10 July inviting a select group of participants to take part in another event in North Lincolnshire.

Anyone over 18 can take part.

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Top 5 Most Dangerous Dog Breeds Based On Their Fatalities

Some dog breeds have more potential to cause injuries to a victim than other breeds and this is exactly why we call them “dangerous”. Based on the number of accidents caused by different dog breeds in US and Canada, I have compiled the list of top 10 most dangerous dog breeds.

According to the research from Animal people in US and Canada – right from the period September 1882 to 31 December 2012 — Pitbulls and Rottweilers have topped the dangerous dog breeds list because they are supposed to be causing more dog fatalities and injuries.

No 1: Pitbulls

If you are someone, who is familiar with almost all the dog breeds, then I am sure, seeing a “Pitbull” in the list of “top 10 most dangerous dogs” must be a big surprise. When compared to other dog breeds, death rates caused by Pitpulls are far higher. Due to its aggressive nature, some state governments have even banned breeding of Pitbulls.

Facts About Pit Bulls

Though these dedicated companions love people more than anything but improper training can sometimes make them aggressive. They can even attack humans if not trained the right way. Otherwise, they won’t harm humans.

86.8% of American Pit Bull Terriers have passed their temperament tests.

No matter what the task is, when pit bulls are committed to any task, they carry out it with full enthusiasm. It’s often the nature of pit bulls, which make us think that they have locking Jaws especially when they bite on something and refuse to release it that easily.

Pitbulls are widely known for illegal sport of dog fighting.

No 2: Rottweilers

Rottweilers occupy second place in my list of “top 10 most dangerous dog breeds”. As a territorial animal, these can guard your home really well. Most owners of Rottweilers find them bit soft. But they can get aggressive if they are not trained right.

Rottweiler Facts

Rottweilers fall under “working dog breeds” category. It is one of the widely known Rottweiler facts.

Life expectancy of this dangerous dog breed is around 12 to 14 years.

After completing their first year, Rottweilers are considered as adults. 1 Rottweiler year is equivalent to 16 years of human age. After they complete 2 years, just add 5 years to find its equivalent human age.

Generally, Rottweilers are considered unsuitable for family pet.

No 3: Huskies

Although Huskies look puffy and soft, reports say that 15 people have died in the last 20 years because of them. Since these dogs are very energetic, they should be taken on regular walks. A well-trained Huskey will be very loyal to its family’s lives.

Husky Facts

Although huskies have nabbed a spot in the list of most dangerous dog breeds, generally they are more friendly towards children, your visitors and other dogs. But again, you should train them properly

However, factors like improper training, poor socialization and bad social experiences can turn them aggressive.

Due to its high shedding, huskies often don’t suit people who are allergic to dog hairs or want their home to be clean all the time.

No 4: German Shepherds

“German Shepherd” is a very intelligent and powerful animal. However, they are reported to be more dangerous too. That’s why it has raised them to 4th in the list of top ten most dangerous dogs. These dogs can serve you loyal but when they are not treated well, they can be dangerous too.

 German shepherd Facts

Even though their aggressive nature had labeled them to be as one of the dangerous dogs but when they are trained properly, believe me — they are your best companion (and I’m saying this from my personal experience).

By nature, German Shepherd is fond of food, fun and friends.

These dogs show immense curiosity in exploring their surroundings. If you own one, you must have observed. This inquisitiveness behavior is apparently when he or she is a puppy.

German shepherd can pick up great speed & at the same time can halt all of a sudden without stumbling on anything or its surroundings.

German shepherd is an extreme hair shredder. Even if you brush its hair for every 15 minutes, you will still see hairs floating in air. So brush its hair every day if you want to keep your home hygiene.

Though German Shepherds are subject to suffer from many different types of illnesses, most common one is “hip dysplasia”, which occurs due to poor breeding practices.

No 5: Alaskan Malamutes

In my list of list of top 10 most dangerous dogs, Alaskan Malamutes are very intelligent breeds. Just like Huskies, these are very energetic. However, when their energy is not used positively, they can turn aggressive.

Facts About Alaskan Malamutes

Alaskan malamutes are slow learners. So you will need a lot of patience to train these dog breeds.

These dogs are prolific hair shedders. Just bring Alaskan Malamutes to your home and watch how sooner your home is piled with whole lot of hairs.

Alaskan Malamutes have the ability to make variety of sounds in order to convey their needs to you. As these dog breeds enjoy human company, you got to spend plenty of time with them to keep them happy.

They need whole lot of energy, exercise, love and your attention too. Malamutes that lack exercises frequently misbehave & at times can turn dangerous too.

They are ridiculously friendly with well-behaved kids.

These dog breeds insist you to allow them to be a part of your family activities.

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Oscar-Nommed Short Doc 'A Girl in the River' Shines Light On Honor Killings – AwardsLine

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy won the Oscar for Short Documentary in 2012 forSaving Face. She’s nominated again this year for A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness. Both films tell the stories of Pakistani women mutilated or killed by radical moralists, and highlight the people around them fighting for societal progress. Girl centers on 18-year-oldSaba Qaiser, who survived an attempt on her life by her own father and uncle in a so-called ‘honor killing’ after she decided to marry a young man considered beneath her class. Obaid-Chinoy tells AwardsLine about the difficulties she faced documenting Qaiser’s story, and the importance of shining a light on the situation for future generations of women.

How did Saba Qaiser’s story come to you?

I’d wanted to do a film about honor killings for a while now, but unfortunately all the victims of honor killings are perished—they do not survive. One day I was looking in the newspaper and it said that a girl had been shot and thrown in the river in what appeared to be an attempted honor killing, and that she survived and was in a local hospital. My team and I started tracking the hospital, calling the hospital, and we got permission from the hospital, run by this wonderful doctor who had daughters of his own and was appalled by what had happened to Saba. My team and I arrived just a few days after she had been taken into the hospital. 

There’s little flattering light to shine on Qaiser’s family; how were you able to involve them in the film?

It was difficult initially to get access to her parents. In the early days, we spent a lot of time with Saba and her husband, who wanted their story told. Theirs is a beautiful love story. They were open to us filming, and after a while, because we had the support of the local police and the doctor from the hospital, we started to be entrusted and made connections with her mother and her siblings and finally, one day, were allowed into their homes to begin filming them.

What does an Oscar nomination do to help spread this message? 

An Academy Award for a social justice documentary filmmaker means that the subject that you’re dealing with gets amplified. In this case, we have a real chance to change the laws in Pakistan, so an Academy Award nomination and having the film out there has really affected the national discourse about honor killings in Pakistan. It’s huge to be able to impact that—it’s every filmmaker’s dream to change a law, and I think that here, we have a real chance to do so. I think the nomination has a part to play in that because it’s brought worldwide attention to the film, so for the first time in the country, the Prime Minister came out and said that he would work on honor killings. On Monday, we’re doing the first ever screening of the film in Pakistan at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, which is his office, and there are people from all walks of life—activists, people from the diplomatic corps, people who work on this issue, and parliamentarians—who are coming together to watch the film, and then see how best to move forward. It’s really a win because here we are, at this step where we are going to be impacting the law, and hopefully saving lives in the future.

Has there been blowback to the film in Pakistan? We’ve seen in cases like Malala Yousafzai‘s that voices challenging the status quo aren’t necessarily welcome.

It is tricky to tell these kinds of stories in Pakistan because, of course, putting up a mirror to society isn’t easily digestible by some people. There are, of course, murmurings that this film should not have been made. When you’re pushing the envelope and you when you want to create change, or when you want to spark difficult conversations in any country, there is bound to be blowback. There has been, just in terms of that type of murmuring that has taken place, but overall, because the Prime Minister has really come out strong, I think that has muted, almost, these voices that would have otherwise spoken out.

There’s an intense moment in the documentary where you go into the prison and are questioning Qaiser’s father and uncle, who were responsible for the attempted murder. You question whether their beliefs in honor and respect are worth spending their lives in prison to defend, and they affirm that yes, they are. What was your reaction in that moment?

Getting into that prison and filming them was a coup, to be honest. It’s very hard to get that kind of access. I wanted to have that perspective because not having Saba’s father talking to us, and not showing his point of view, would have weakened the film. It was very important to have that voice to understand, because you see him in jail and then you see him at the end of the film, and you understand what him being free means, on a bigger scale. It was a very difficult interview to do because, as a filmmaker, you have to show restraint when you’re interviewing people, and it’s hard when the man on the other side is telling you, “I would do it again. What I did was right.” I really had to hold myself back, but in hindsight when I think about it, I often think that this is the only life her father has known. Living in the darkness, how would you understand what life looks like? He doesn’t know any other way of life—think about it. Just the way when he walks free, anybody else who lives in his neighborhood, they will also think that what he did was honorable. They might also, in the future, kill their daughter, because of the signal that sends. He must have seen someone do this and walk scot-free and that’s why he believed it’s an honorable thing to do. It’s a vicious cycle. 
Are you seeing signs of change and progress in the culture overall, with regard to the treatment of women?
There are two ways of looking at it. One is that there are more women who are speaking out. The media is a vital presence in Pakistan—we have 42 news channels in the country breaking news and shedding light on atrocities. You see that all the time. There are a lot of lawyers, policemen and activists who are speaking up for the victims, especially women. Having said that, the society in Pakistan is changing rapidly. There is a lot of push and pull—60% of our population is under the age of 25. Chinese handheld phones that cost only 20 dollars is making it easy for everyone to access the internet now. Women are becoming more aware of their rights. In this patriarchal society, of course there are people who want to hold onto the status quo, who don’t want women to have more rights, and they will do their best to hold onto that, and by holding onto that, of course, you will find the violence against women will rise because the more women will push, the more there will be a pushback. I think with the violence against women, you will see consistently that there will be violence against women, but the good news is that people are speaking up, people are helping, and men are coming forward to help women. That shows that we will see some change in attitudes toward women in the near future.

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Pocket Taser Stun Gun Story (funny!)

[this was from an email I got today...laughed pretty darn hard at it!) Pocket Taser Stun Gun, a great gift for the wife. This was submitted by a guy who purchased his lovely wife a "pocket Taser" for their anniversary. Last weekend I saw something at Larry's Pistol & Pawn Shop that sparked my interest. The occasion was our 22nd anniversary and I was looking for a little something extra for my wife Toni. What I came across was a 100,000 volt, pocket/purse-sized taser. The effects of the taser were suppose to be short lived, with no long-term adverse affect on your assailant, allowing her adequate time to retreat to safety.... WAY TOO COOL! Long story short, I bought the device and brought it home. I loaded two triple A batteries in the darn thing and pushed the button. Nothing! I was disappointed. I learned, however, that if I pushed the button AND pressed it against a metal surface at the same time; I'd get the blue arch of electricity darting back and forth between the prongs. Awesome!!! Unfortunately, I have yet to explain to Toni what that burn spot is on the face of her microwave. Okay, so I was home alone with this new toy, thinking to myself that it couldn't be all that bad with only two triple-a batteries, right?!!! There I sat in my recliner, my cat Gracie looking on intently (trusting little soul) while I was reading the directions and thinking that I really needed to try this thing out on a flesh & blood moving target. I must admit I thought about zapping Gracie (for a fraction of a second) and thought better of it. She is such a sweet cat. But, if I was going to give this thing to my wife to protect herself against a mugger, I did want some assurance that it would work as advertised. Am I wrong? So, there I sat in a pair of shorts and a tank top with my reading glasses perched delicately on the bridge of my nose, directions in one hand, taser in another. The directions said that a one-second burst would shock and disorient your assailant; a two-second burst was supposed to cause muscle spasms and a major loss of bodily control; a three-second burst would purportedly make your assailant flop on the ground like a fish out of water. Any burst longer than three seconds would be wasting the batteries. All the while I'm looking at this little device measuring about 5" long, less than 3/4 inch in circumference; pretty cute really and loaded with two itsy, bitsy triple-a batteries, thinking to myself, "no possible way!" What happened next is almost beyond description, but I'll do my best..... I'm sitting there alone, Gracie looking on with her head cocked to one side as to say, "don't do it master," reasoning that a one-second burst from such a tiny little ole thing couldn't hurt all that bad.. I decided to give myself a one-second burst just for the heck of it. I touched the prongs to my naked thigh, pushed the button, and HOLY MOTHER, WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION@!@$@$%!@ *!!! I'm pretty sure Jessie Ventura ran in through the side door, picked me up in the recliner, then body slammed us both on the carpet, over and over and over again. I vaguely recall waking up on my side in the fetal position, with tears in my eyes, body soaking wet, both nipples on fire, testicles nowhere to be found, with my left arm tucked under my body in the oddest position, and tingling in my legs. The cat was standing over me making meowing sounds I had never heard before, licking my face, undoubtedly thinking to herself, "do it again, do it again!" Note: If you ever feel compelled to "mug" yourself with a taser, one note of caution: there is no such thing as a one-second burst when you zap yourself. You will not let go of that thing until it is dislodged from your hand by a violent thrashing about on the floor. A three second burst would be considered conservative. SON-OF-A-.. that hurt like he**!!! A minute or so later (I can't be sure, as time was a relative thing at that point), collected my wits (what little I had left), sat up and surveyed the landscape. My bent reading glasses were on the mantel of the fireplace. How did they up get there??? My triceps, right thigh and both nipples were still twitching. My face felt like it had been shot up with Novocain, and my bottom lip weighed 88 lbs. I'm still looking for my testicles? I'm offering a significant reward for their safe return

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