Publishers Weekly’s recent article is a reminder to speak up about the DoJ’s suit against publishers—a topic that has been all over the news of late. The open letter, along with further information on the initiative, can be found here. Let your voice count among the many.

According to ScienceDaily.com people with Autism have an above average capacity to process information even from rapid presentations and are better able to detect information defined as ‘critical’, according to a study published March 22 in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. The research may help to explain the apparently higher than average prevalence of people with autism spectrum disorders in the IT industry. Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder that affects social interaction, communication and learning; however, people with Autism have an increased ability to focus attention to certain tasks. Yet clinical reports backed up by some laboratory research show that these individuals can be more sensitive to the distracting effects of irrelevant stimuli, such as flashing lights or particular sounds, which can be easily ignored by people without the disorder.

Professor Nilli Lavie, from the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, hypothesises that this combination of the ability to focus and a susceptibility to distraction might be caused by a higher than normal information processing capacity.

“Our work on perceptual capacity in the typical adult brain suggests a clear explanation for the unique cognitive profile that people with autism show,” she says. “People who have higher perceptual capacity are able to process more information from a scene, but this may also include some irrelevant information which they may find harder to ignore. Our research suggests autism does not involve a distractibility deficit but rather an information processing advantage.”

The finding may help explain why people with autism spectrum disorders, such as Asperger’s syndrome, may excel in some careers such as IT, which can require intense concentration and the ability to process a great deal of information from a computer screen. Autism diagnoses in California’s Silicon Valley reportedly increased three-fold in the 1990s, a phenomenon termed ‘geek syndrome’ by ‘Wired’ magazine.

“Our study clearly shows that people with autism can do better than typical adults in tasks involving rapid presentations of a lot of information,” says Professor Lavie. “There are clearly careers, such as in IT, that can benefit from employing people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders.”

With this information, it makes sense that people with Autism spectrum disorder are able to express themselves in a creatively profound manner. Along with now recent studies of people with Autism being able to process information with beyond average capacity, maybe they are also able to perceive life more prolifically. This creative expression is inspirational to those who know, friend, teach or parent those with the disorder, making it less difficult to communicate with those who may find it “difficult” to get their ideas across living while living with this disorder.

Guy Laramee who, in the course of his 30 years of practice, found his way through such varied and numerous disciplines as : stage writing, stage directing, contemporary music writing, musical instrument design and building, singing, video, scenography, sculpture, installation, painting and literature. Laramee uses books that are slowly falling apart, such as old encyclopedias and dictionaries to create dramatic landscapes.

His series entitled The Great Wall and Biblios, represents the devolution of human culture; showing glacial landscapes, deep valleys and plateaus. Revolutionizing the way we see art books, illustrated books have been proven to be more than just books with paintings and photography, but as a complete art piece.

In the artist’s own words:

“Mountains of disused knowledge return to what they really are: mountains. They erode a bit more and they become hills. Then they flatten and become fields where apparently nothing is happening. Piles of obsolete encyclopedias return to that which does not need to say anything, that which simply IS. Fogs and clouds erase everything we know, everything we think we are.”

 

The article goes on to explain that the Humane Society in Lynchburg, VA ( the humane society is not affiliated with the No Kill Advocacy Center) is asking the city to more than triple its animal control subsidy to $396,000 by 2015. Seems mighty steep, which leads us to question where the money given to The Humane Society is actually going. Doesn’t it seem highly possible that No Kill Shelters can exist with donations and fundraisers and volunteer workers without the community and tax payers having to shell out more than what is economically feasible?

One short year ago The Humane Society and various other animal protection organizations were accused of corruption, bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice and money laundering. In article published by www.ammoland.com, February 23rd 2010, the purpose of the lawsuit is explained;

“The nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) unearthed the lawsuit in federal court records. CCF is making the lawsuit available online at its newest website, www.HumaneWatch.org.“America’s farmers, ranchers, hunters, fishermen, trappers, research scientists, fashion designers, and restaurateurs have seen for decades watched how the animal rights movement can behave like a mobbed-up racket,” said CCF Director of Research David Martosko.“But it’s still shocking to see the evidence laid out on paper. In a treble-damage lawsuit like this, a jury could actually do the humane thing and finally put HSUS out of business completely.”

Seems harsh, but not when they are being compared No Kill organizations that are doing it the ethical way. The usatoday.com article touches on the new practices of Allegany County, MD, which became a no-kill community a year ago without increasing government spending by relying on volunteers and donations. The interesting comparison lies solely in the treatment of the animals. Ironically the organizations receiving the largest government subsidies are finding themselves in more scandals regarding the treatment of the animals being housed.

Mark Batty Publisher is publishing long awaited title; Animal Shelter Portraits. In “Shelter Portraits,” photographer Mark Ross turns an unflinching eye on the animals stranded at kill shelters resulting in deeply compassionate and haunting portraits of our furred friends. Every picture is paired with the subjects name and story making Animal Shelter Portraits an important book for animals lovers everywhere.

Amongst the artists having their work donated off is Mark Batty Publisher author Remo Camerota’s book Graffiti Japan and Drainspotting. The graffiti featured in Graffiti Japan replicates the calligraphic intricacies of the Japanese language with spray paint, depicting how anime and manga characters, national pride, as well as foreign influences, are integral parts of the country’s scene. From sprawling, legally sanctioned murals to illegal throw-ups hidden in alleyways, this work could not exist in any other country.

Tokyo-based Remo Camerota is an award-winning artist, filmmaker, and animator. He is the author of Drainspotting: Japanese Manhole Covers. His work is often political and social, attacking government issues, flash-in-the-pan fads, and censorship, aiming to create interesting concept-based communications indicative of contemporary visual trends occurring locally and globally.

The event will be held at Con Artist Gallery located at 157 Suffolk Street, New York, NY:

Opening reception on March 8, 2012: 8pm-Late
Special musical performance:
8:30PM – Naomi from Me&Mars
9:00PM – Nao Katafuchi

March 9, 10 by appointment
Closing event on March 11, 2012: 3pm-8pm
Special guest performances:
4:30pm – New York based dancer / singer Hitomi Nozawa and drummer Arei Sekiguchi
5:30pm – New York based Butoh performance artist Ximena Garnica & composer Jeremy Slater

Participating Artists will be announced soon.

This event is organized and produced by [Beau·ti·fied Ta·boo] with support by Superglorious and Con Artist NYC.

http://beautified-taboo.com/
http://conartistnyc.com/
http://superglorious.com/
http://www.japansociety.org/page/system/earthquake

Mark Batty Publisher received a letter from the Kansas Department of Corrections  stating that Tart Cards had been rejected by the KDOC. According to the KDOC, the book contains several photographs that show nudity. The option to appeal is suggested and if the appeal is not considered or acted on the book will be mailed out at MBP’s expense or destroyed. As much as this seems like a small issue it in fact speaks huge volumes on the nature of  our legal system. While no one’s arguing that prisoners should be reading books that instruct them on, say, picking locks or tunnel digging to help them escape, imposing bans on what they can read does a disservice to them and to society generally. Keeping prisoners “ignorant” of life outside of the prison bars that hold them or uninformed of the lives of others almost guarantees a uncorrected prisoner. The whole point of being in a corrections facility is to correct the prisoner, not to castigate to the point of blind obedience. Although these prisoners have committed crimes and some unfairly  prosecuted, does not mean they have lost their human quality. Research shows the best predictors that a prisoner will be able to return to the community and live a productive life depends on whether they’ve maintained connections to the outside world. Allowing prisoners to receive books, newspapers and magazine helps them engage and its very important from a public safety standpoint.

Yes, there should be to some extent censorship of what is read but if the books are merely mirroring what is already happening in society how is it in anyway harmful to these men who use them as entertainment and escape from such a harsh and unforgiving environment. Before judging, one should first consider that these men are victims themselves, being  subject from a young age to crime, abuse, poverty and many other ills that infect society. How could we continue to keep them imprisoned without out any view of the world? Its inhumane and will prove to be a failed method of correcting the ways of these so called menaces of society.

Mark Batty Publisher, attended the Sheknows.com event and promoted book Drawing Autism by Jill Mullin. The paperback edition is scheduled to hit online retailer Amazon.com in April 2012. The book celebrates the artistry and self-expression found in the drawings, paintings and collages  created by people diagnosed with autism. The work consists of over 50 contributors, exhibiting an array of unique perspectives on how these individuals see the world and their places in it.

We sometimes forget the true objective of publishing books. Yes it is to publish great books and do it well, but it is also to create a stronger connection with our community, to pass on the knowledge of our species to those who may be less informed for the purpose of providing information and the various ways it is expressed. Recently I had the opportunity to view a youtube video that truly changed my scope on books and education; Biblioburro. There is also a documentary that aired on PBS Biblioburro: The Donkey Library, directed by Carlos Rendón Zipagauta, that takes a much deeper and more poignant view into the life of Luis Sorian Bohorquez, the traveling librarian.

We are fortunate enough to live in a country where books are easily accessible in libraries, book stores, flea markets, book trade sites and we have the convenience of finding books simply laid out in front of homes to be taken by any passer-by. Some countries are not as fortunate to have books so easily at their disposal. Luis Sorian Bohorquez is a teacher at the mixed school in La Gloria, Colombia, a small farming town known for its growing fishing industry. Though La Gloria, “The Glory” is plagued by poverty and crime, Bohorquez is determined to instill strong values in the children of his town. Luis’s home is a storage site for over 3,480 books (respectively), everyday Luis travels by donkey with a bushel of books for children, with the unwavering bravery to fight, what is called; “the farmers ignorance.” He is also in the process of building a library in La Gloria, but for the time being he rides miles into town as a traveling librarian with a sign reading “Biblioburro,” encouraging the already enthusiastic students about reading. The children light up with excitement and curiosity as Bohorquez rides into town.

Luis speaks with great urgency about the need for books in La Gloria, Colombia; “In a book we can find cities, cultures, rights, duties. Teaching the child rights, duties and commitments. A child who knows his rights is a child informed to say no to war.” Luis’s main purpose is to provide a stronger sense of self worth to the “future of Colombia.” Bohorquez truly demonstrates that true education is not only the absorption of facts and memorization but the creation of a critical mind and a noble citizen, who leads as well as listens, and desires to create a better life for their community. This humble act of courage has the power to transform the the perception of education and uplift those who may feel helpless in communities that have been torn apart by war and violence. Luis Sorian Bohoquez truly gives a face to the true purpose of literature.

This Thursday from 6 to 9 pm, Mark Batty Publisher presents prints from The Noir A to Z. In The Noir A to Z, photographer Julian Hibbard offers an abecedary unlike any other. Drawing on his professional work shooting black & white and color photographs for everything from CD and book covers to high-end fashion, Hibbard has paired a word with one of his photographs for all twenty-six letters in the alphabet. The resulting board book contains images that evoke the shadowy, sexy and voyeuristic noir aesthetic. Refreshments will be served.

Prints from The Noir A to Z
Thursday, November 3, 6-9pm
MBP Minigallery
68 Jay Street, Suite 410
Brooklyn