Posts: 201

1. 

   Don't Make Me Laugh!

   27.Aug.08, 18:00 IST
   
   Share It | Spread It | Comments: 0

   
   
   Oh damn, that's not even funny
   
   Okay, what's your favorite joke? This is mine:
   
   Question: How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
   Answer: Only one, but the light bulb really has to want to change!
   
   I know, it's a simple joke, but it usually gets some laughs, as well as some serious moaning. How about this one?
   
   Knock Knock
   Who's there?
   Isadore!
   Isadore who?
   Isadore locked? I can't get in!
   
   Uh-oh, I took a risk with that knock-knock joke, because I might get some punishing comments after this blog. You see, according to Washington State University Linguist Nancy Bell's study on bad jokes, "The predominant verbal reaction to failed humor in our study was oriented exclusively toward attacking the speaker," Bell said. "These were basically attacks intended to result in the social exclusion or humiliation of the speaker — punctuated on occasion with profanity, a nasty glare or even a solid punch to the arm."
   
   Ouch!
   
   Bell also said that a stupid joke insults the listener by suggesting that he or she might actually find it funny. Now wait a minute! What if I think I have a great joke, an intelligent challenge, and it's a pleasure for me to share it with you? I can't help it if you think it's a stupid joke, can I?
   
   Ouch, another punch in the arm!
   
   Hey, give me a break here! Shouldn't my friends be really glad that I don't possess that annoying habit of saying something I think is funny, then laugh at it myself, then quickly rattle off another joke — then another — without stopping until everyone leaves the room?
   
   Wait, are you hauling off to punch me in the arm right now? Okay, I understand, but I told you two of my favorite jokes. I took a big risk, so now why don't you tell me one of yours? Hm? Don't be scared ...
   
   Juliana Luecking, aka Queen Juliana, is a MOLI View contributing editor for Life & Love.
   
   

2. 

   Ricochet: Waterfall

   25.Aug.08, 18:00 IST
   
   Share It | Spread It | Comments: 0

   
   
   Four fake waterfalls. Another stinkin' art project
   
   Oh, please! This multimillion-dollar construction by the Public Art Fund in collaboration with the City of New York is for the birds! Engineered by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson, 132,485 liters every minute are thrown over four giant scaffolds to create a set of Frankenstein falls. Is it beautiful? No. Does it take loads of energy? Yes. Does anyone know why a city like New York needs them? You tell me.
   
   The concept for the video series, "Ricochet: Thought to Idea," is pretty simple. I shoot images and match them with my spoken-word pieces: funny stories about something that really happened, or an abstract concoction of things that bounce through my mind. They're little art videos that make you think. (By the way, what are you thinking right now?)
   
   Juliana Luecking, aka QueenJuliana, is a MOLI View videomaker and contributing editor for Life & Love.
   
   

3. 

   People Are a Trip: Frank

   22.Aug.08, 18:00 IST
   
   Share It | Spread It | Comments: 0

   
   
   The kind of guy who makes tiny ships fit in a bottle
   
   Frank was kicking it at a miniature boat festival, demonstrating his craft for a few interested fans. His passion? Making stuff.
   
   "People Are a Trip" is a video series shot with a crew of one (me!) in New York City. I do spontaneous interviews with people on the street and with influential underground musicians. They answer my blunt questions with the truth of the moment. They are hilarious. No, poetic. Well, maybe quite philosophical.
   
   Juliana Luecking, aka QueenJuliana, is a MOLI View videomaker and contributing editor for Life & Love.
   
   

4. 

   Borrow a Lesbian

   20.Aug.08, 18:00 IST
   
   Share It | Spread It | Comments: 0

   
   
   In Sweden, your library card can get you more than a book
   

   When I went to the library in tiny Catonsville, Maryland years ago when I was a little tomboy, there were no books about lesbians. Believe me, I looked! Even after I moved to Washington, DC at 23, the public library card catalog listed a few paperbacks with tantalizing lesbian themes (but they were gone!), and the scholarly articles which analyzed the unique properties of a lesbian lifestyle (icky snore-material). However, at one Swedish Library, you can borrow a lesbian— for a 45-minute chat, a coffee, and a chance to learn about her life.
   
   According to a recent story in the Advocate, a library in Malmo, Sweden, tried a new weekend program where library-card holders could check-out not only a lesbian, but an animal rights activist, a blind man, a journalist, or a gypsy. The project is part of Living Library, and was introduced at Denmark's Roskilde Festival in 2000. Other libraries have tried it out, including some in Copenhagen, Norway, Portugal, and Hungary, and the Swedish library provides free coffee in their cafe, and the "living books" answer questions about their lives, beliefs, or jobs.
   
   What a great idea, especially in countries where immigrant communities are growing. Imagine having the chance to check out a cop to ask about her hobbies and her take on institutionalized police violence, or borrowing a Muslim to learn about their faith and his take on the Iraq War. Hey, maybe there'd be a chance to reserve a spot with the transgender man who recently gave birth.
   
   The possibilities are endless, of course, since we humans are such a wondrously diverse species. So, if you were one of those kids noting the call numbers on scraps of paper and searching the library and finding empty spaces on the shelves, what category of people would you like to borrow?
   
   Juliana Luecking, aka Queen Juliana, is a MOLI View contributing editor for Life & Love.
   
   

5. 

   Ricochet: Alone

   18.Aug.08, 18:00 IST
   
   Share It | Spread It | Comments: 0

   
   
   Video: I admire people who venture out alone
   
   Folks live alone, have dinner alone, go to events alone. Do you prefer to be alone?
   
   The concept for the video series, "Ricochet: Thought to Idea," is pretty simple. I shoot images and match them with my spoken-word pieces: funny stories about something that really happened, or an abstract concoction of things that bounce through my mind. They're little art videos that make you think. (By the way, what are you thinking right now?)
   
   Juliana Luecking, aka QueenJuliana, is a MOLI View videomaker and contributing editor for Life & Love.