[articulaters]

Mapping Minds.

The Blue Marble photograph in its original orientation.

The chance of encountering a student whose favorite school subject is Geography may be quite faint. Nevertheless, memorizing the capitals and the locations of certain countries is fun and impartially pragmatic when it comes to an icebreaker game or a QuizUp challenge. As it happens, maps can certainly be fascinating. In fact, the study and practice of making maps (scientifically known as "Cartography") date back to nearly 6,000 BC.

Primarily, I believe everybody's familiar with the contemporary and "conventional" world map: The northern hemisphere (which comprises approximately all of Europe, North America, Central America and the vast majority of Asia) is up, while the southern hemisphere (which includes Africa, South America, Australia and part of Asia) is down.

The astronomer Claudius Ptolemy was the first to inaugurate the protocol of orienting the north as the top. This convention was also the result of European explorers depending on the North Star as their reference for navigation.

However, as we perceive the earth, it is revealed and also wide known that our planet has a spherical shape, floating in a three dimensional space. So, strictly speaking, implying that the north is up and the south is down is necessarily flawed. This up-and-down-reference attribution grows into a complication when the surface of the earth is projected onto a map.

Parting from this theory came the idea of creating a map representing a different orientation where the southern hemisphere is on top, while the northern hemisphere is at bottom. Maps relying on this orientation are called upside down maps.

Moreover, South-up map orientation can have a deeper effect on people's minds. Psychologically speaking, "above" and "below" may allude to "good" and "bad" respectively, eventually creating a bias towards the northern hemisphere. Therefore, "going south" or "going north" would have a much relevant meaning than the mere geographic location.

And as a matter of fact, upside down maps aren't the only type of underrated maps. There are also rotated maps where Indonesia is in the center while Europe is on the side.

In summary, I'm not saying that reversed maps are better than the conventional ones, but acknowledging all of them is crucial to perceive everything and everyone equally. Not to mention that our education system has managed not only to stereotype intelligence, but to stereotype maps as well.

(Paul)

[articulaters]

Eurovision 2014: Conchita Wurst.

Long before “American Idol”, “The Voice” and all the other popular talent shows, there was the Eurovision Song Contest. Held every year since 1956, Eurovision features talents from across Europe competing over five days, with each country submitting an original song to be performed on live television. It's one of the most-watched broadcasts in the entire world, with an average annual audience of 125 million viewers in 45 countries.

Eurovision also happens to be one of the craziest broadcasts on the planet; it is seemingly untouched by time or taste, with the contestants wearing all kinds of costumes, varying from traditional outfits to evening gowns to even spandex, and preforming a variety-show dance moves across the stage.

And Saturday's newly crowned champion at the Copenhagen 2014 competition is no exception. Austria’s first winner since 1996, Conchita Wurst (aka 25-year-old drag queen Tom Neuwirth), popularly known as the "Bearded Lady", is one of Eurovision's most unique, wild  -and polarizing- winners yet.

­­­­Singing the fittingly titled, Bond-theme-reminiscent "Rise Like a Phoenix", Conchita wowed with her amazing vocals, dramatic camera eye contact, magnificent golden gown..., and a face full of scruff, of course. Where other acts brought a phalanx of backing dancers with them, Conchita commanded the stage alone, and the performance showed off her astonishing voice and inspiring, arena-filling charisma. Obviously, Conchita had every other act beat for sheer fabulousness and originality.

When she was announced as the winner, Copenhagen erupted into cheers and tearful embraces. For all the abuse thrown her way during the last few weeks, there hasn't been such a popular Eurovision success in years.

In fact, Conchita wasn't just battling singers from 25 other nations in Saturday's finals; she had to fight controversy over her participation in the contest in general. The Eurovision Song Contest, initially conceived to unite Europe following World War II, was meant to be non-political. But political strife slipped between the cracks at this year's contest.

When it was announced that she would represent Austria at Eurovision 2014, online petitions were started in Belarus, Armenia and Russia - whose government passed a law last year banning "gay propaganda" among minors - to have Wurst removed or edited out of broadcasts in their countries. She has been accused of being a ‘circus freak’ and a ‘joke’, and many comments about moral purity – accompanied by quotes from the Bible- found their way into the Youtube comment section.

But that’s not all, after Wurst's win, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, head of Russia's Liberal Democratic party, claimed that :"There's no limit to our outrage. It's the end of Europe. It has turned wild. They don't have men and women any more. They have 'it' ". Russia is even considering exiting the competition and starting it’s own “straight" Eurovision!

But the abuse sure isn’t stopping Conchita, who has since then become a symbol for tolerance and artistic freedom in Austria and beyond.The Austrian president himself, Heinz Fischer, announced that it was "not just a victory for Austria, but above all for diversity and tolerance in Europe".

“This night is dedicated to everyone who believes in a future of peace and freedom. You know who you are. We are unity. And we are unstoppable”, said the winner upon receiving her award. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke, and many of us watching did, too. 

Later, on the theme of tolerance, Wurst told reporters in the Austrian capital: "This will remain an issue for a long time and I fear I won't see the end of it in my lifetime. It will be my life's worth and I gladly take it on […]. It was not just a victory for me but a victory for those people who believe in a future that can function without discrimination and is based on tolerance and respect".

As for the beard, cause of most of the abuse, Wurst had described it as a statement on tolerance, proof "that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are or how you look". It was a matter of personal significance, a symbol of her identity, as well as an extraordinary touch to her appearance. No other contestant received abuse for their costume, nor should she.

Furthermore, Conchita isn’t the first winner to have redefined their own gender – or the audience’s preconceptions. In 1998, Israel’s Dana International – born Yaron Cohen – was the first transsexual woman to win the event, which is known as much for its embrace of all things fabulous, glittery and camp, as for the actual music. 

“Dana won years ago, giving Conchita inspiration, I really dream of a world where we don’t have to talk about unnecessary things like sexuality, where you’re from, who you love.”

Yes, Thomas Neuwirth -Conchita’s off-stage name-’s dream and long struggle should serve us all as an inspiration to accept others without judgement, especially on things like sexuality, and is in no doubt a groundbreaking success for the LGBT community across Europe. But despite all that, her sexuality was not the reason she won, as so many people had claimed, but her unique talent. Beard or no beard, man or woman - it is unimportant; this is a competition, a song contest and in the end, it was the song that really won.

Click here to watch Conchita's performance.

(Sandra)

[articulaters]

"Orphan Black" Review.

How cliché would it sound if you heard that a new series's storyline revolves around clones? Well, if you judge "Orphan Black" by its connotation, you would be absolutely mistaken. This action-packed and equally thrilling series will get you hooked in no time: Sarah Manning leads the life of a con-woman who accidentally finds herself witnessing the suicide of Beth Childs, a look-alike stranger (yes, her clone) in a train station. Already wondering what'll happen next, aren't you? Well, I guarantee that I won't reveal any spoilers, but I would like to draw attention to the star of this series, the extremely talented (and unfortunately unheard of) Tatiana Maslany, who managed to professionally depict seven clones, each with a remotely different character. All in all, if you're a sci-fi fanatic and already wondering what to watch next, "Orphan black" is the adequate choice.

(Paul)