Friday, November 28, 2008
I get my copy of MONOCLE magazine Issue November 2008 on 7th November 2008 from the Best Eastern (The Mall Gadong), through my subscription at the bookshop. I have subscribed the magazine just after I got its first issue.
ANIME MAGAZINE INSERT: KITA KOGA

As usual, the magazine has an insert in the form of an anime magazine: Kita Koga. Kita Koga is the work of Takanori Yasaka i.e for both the story and the artwork. The anime is exclusively produced for the MONOCLE.
Kita Koga is about a Japanese agent, Niel Watanabe, who try to save the Japan’s interest from being spolied by the terrorists or the rival parties.
COVER STORY: NEW DESIGN ON DIPLOMACY
Meanwhile, the cover story is about how an embassy premise should be. According to MONOCLE, “Embassies should be places of fun, a chance for people to meet, and cultural hubs.” The embassies also take the role as “a sale tools” of their countries.Therefore, according to MONOCLE, certain embassies do “branding jobs by choosing architects who can sell their respective national values”. In addition, MONOCLE highlights that “modern diplomacy…is public facing, daring and engages with cultures at street level rather than retreating behind barricades.”


And I do not know when will I can drop by at an embassy office just like I drop by at a bookstore or perhaps at a restaurant, here in Brunei Darussalam and in others countries.
DESIGN: ASANO HOME
Still thinking of what my second home will be…May be my next home will be like a spa center where I and my family can unwind and relaxing during weekend and a place to have a family gathering. There should be a place to have a BBQ. In addition, the kitchen and the dining room should openly connected to the exterior of the house, especially the BBQ area. May be, a feature on the Asano home (p.123-127) gives me some idea of certain parts of my next home.
Lastly, MONOCLE presents a feature and a photo essay about Sumo, a Japanese kind of wrestling. The feature touches on the issue that “sumo has been under threat in recent years from the dwindling numbers of homegrown wrestlers, match-fixing allegations, bullying and doping scandals.”
NEXT ISSUE
The December 2008/January 2009 issue will be on sale on 27 November 2008.
(Photos: Abdul Rashid Haji Tahir. Taken on 7 November 2008)
Labels: Magazine, Monocle, My Reading
Sunday, November 16, 2008
I get my copy of News Photographer magazine Issue October 2008 in the first week of November 2008 through the mail directly from the USA. I think this is my last issue. May be I will renew my subscription in January 2009.
News Photographer magazine is an official publication of the National Press Photographers Association, Inc. (NPPA) (Website: www.nppa.org). The goal of the magazine is “the education of photojournalist and the public about photojournalism by reaching as wide audience as possible.” And the magazine is only available from the NPPA.

The cover story is “You are ALL under arrest”, which touches the topic about or issues on the right of photojournalists taking photos of riots during the Republican National Convention that was held in St.Paul, MN in summer this year.
It is also about the needs to define who is the ‘journalist’ or ‘photojournalist’, which then bring the issue that if independent bloggers or videomakers are to be included in the categories of ‘journalist’ i.e a question about what category of people who have the right to gather news as guaranteed by the First Amenment (in the USA’s Constitution).
In term of the tools of trade, I expect Nikon will introduce HD video capable DSLR when they replace the D300, D3 and D700 while Canon will introduce the video capability when they replace their 1D, 50D, and 450D; the latest is by the end of next year (2009). This is in line to the need that has been touched by Seth Gitner.
I also looking forward high end compact point-and-shoot camera equipped with APS-C or full-frame sensor with minimum DVD or 720p HD quality video capability.
20TH ANNIVERSARY OF VISA POUR L’IMAGE
John G. Morris does a feature on the 20th anniversary of Visa pour l’Image that was held in Perpignan, French in September 2008. At that time, Perpignan become the capital of photojournalism of the world for one week.
EXTRA:
BARACK OBAMA BECOMES THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE USA
During the Barack Obama’s presidential administration, I sincerely hope that USA will continously fight the terrorist and NOT the USA themselves become the terrorists, such as killing innocent life and brings chaos to the world (just like what happen in Iraq and Afganistan).
And I expect and hope the USA will continously become the most powerful (responsible) democratic nation in the world…A country called Palestine, please.
p/s: This article is written based on my understanding on the issues or topics and my reading on the magazine, and from somewhere else (including my experiences and the media).
(Photos: Abdul Rashid Haji Tahir. Taken on 7 November 2008)
Labels: Barrack Obama, Change, Congratulation, Hope, Magazine, News Photographer, Photojournalism, Video DSLR


