Cover designAna Karenina Saraiva & Pedro Calle

All other photographic material herein is ___

Magazine layout & editingMark Dallas

FUTURE PERFECTIssue #7: Feb '13

send comments to futureperfect.editor@gmail.com

This Month’s Contributors

Movie Review: Tarantino Unchained Pedro Calle on Tarantino’s latest movie Make Way for the United States of Obesity Mao Taniyama looks at a growing US problem

Vacations in the Void Lina Lee considers the implications of space tourism

Bilbo Delivers Pedro Calle reviews The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Bursting the Cyberbubble T.Q. reflects on how the Internet has left us out of touch

Somewhere Beyond the Sea Pedro Calle reviews the video game Bioshock

Personal Space Invaders Constance Wu takes a close look at our comfort zones

Visual Urban SpaceBy Tatiana Estrada

Kicking the Car HabitBy Anna Karenina Saraiva

Where the money went last time

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Mark Dallas

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS

This issue of Future Perfect is brought to you by Anna Karenina Saraiva, Constance Wu, Lina Lee, Mao Taniyama, Pedro Calle Jaramillo, T.Q., and Tatiana Estrada.

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culture contexts and makes them mean something else. In this film, Django is one of America’s most fabled heroes: the cowboy. Brave, manly and always ready for action. But also note that Django’s wife is called Broomhilda, which comes from the German legend of Sigfried.

Django incarnates both of these typically caucasian icons as a black slave, making him a new type of gun-slinging hero. So while it seems that this movie touches a hard-to-forget nerve (that would make anyone angry by placing slave violence and humongous mentions of the N-word in the movie), it appears that the whole thing makes a 360-degree turn, making it a reflection of what the Wild West actually was, giving people a somber vision of what happened in those days.

Edgy? Yes. Controversial? Yes. Racist? No. So if you were concerned about these issues, put them to rest, grab a bag of popcorn and go watch Django Unchained.

Director Quentin Tarantino does with black slaves in Django Unchained what he did with Jews in Inglorious Basterds. Paying tribute to the classic spaghetti westerns most people saw during their youth, you may know what to expect from this film: classic styles of film used by the director to encourage his vision, obscure yet memorable characters, a history of revenge, ferocious battles where blood and guts are spilled in the most cartoonish way possible and character dialogs where 2 or more characters try to outsmart each other.

And it delivers all that, applying the Tarantino seal that makes this kind of movie so entertaining. What we weren’t expecting, though, is perhaps Tarantino’s most human, non-ironical film he’s made in a long time. And it could be because of the topic he chose to represent in this movie: slavery.

This is a nerve most of us don’t touch today, but Django is as good a film as it’s

controversial, and it’s one of those rare blockbusters that delivers both entertainment and an

important message. This time, it’s about America’s original first sin.

If you haven’t seen this one, go do it. Some people catalog Django as a racist film, but

in my opinion, this is a misconception,

although it may

appear that Ta r a n t i n o

is just a film geek mashing

pieces of other movies he liked

from his youth to make new bigger

pieces.

Behind that gory, cartoony and stylish

curtain, you might find a literate mind

that understands all pop

Tarantino UnchainedA movie review by Pedro Calle

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of the colonizing culture as it devoured the continent and its former resident cultures like a quarter-pounder, piece by piece.

But what’s surprising is the concentration of levels of obesity in the southeast of the USA. However, if you look at which states have the higher levels of poverty per capita, you will see the correlation.

Nevertheless, perhaps the best way to solve the American

obesity problem is to just remove fast food stores and go cold turkey. But this is impossible because Americans are too addicted to fast food to live too far away from them.

Watch out, Canadians! When the Americans no longer fit within their borders, they may spill out into Canada like a muffin-top.

Americans prefer big things. They like big cars and big houses. They seem to love to own a big space. The reason may derive from their body size. A lot of Americans themselves are big. The USA is known as the most obese nation in the world with an obesity rate that has been getting higher every year.

Nobody else cares or complains about this because Americans now possesses sufficient land to manage their

desire for space. However, they may start to feel dissatisfied with their space if they continue to gain weight. Canadians should pay attention to the obesity rate of the U.S. because if they get much fatter, they may require more space to build giant houses with large garages to park a huge car in the near future.

According to the data (see graph below), the obesity rate in the United States is 30.6%, the highest rate in the world.

On the other hand, Canadians rate as 14.3%. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported higher numbers once more, stating that in the year 2009–2010, “35.7% of U.S. adults were obese”. The American obesity rate has been increasing every year since.

It is notable that all states in the top 10 are huddled in the

east side of the country. Then what makes all those

Americans so fat? Fast food does. MacDonald’s lists 14,098 stores in the United States. 25,717 Subway restaurants also represent that Americans are intoxicated by fast food.

As you can see from the maps below, most people live in the eastern half of the United States. This reflects the westerly settlement pattern

Make Way for the United States of

ObesityMao Taniyama looks at a growing US problem

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It is quite different to live in a weightless environment. You need to know about weightlessness training like:

using a space toilet, minimum individual hygiene (usually you can’t take a shower often in space. You should use a cloth instead of a brush), and you might know how to have weightlessness sex too. And you will eat space food such as dried and canned food. Although it has quite developed for decades, you still can get tired of the food easily.

Your life in space during the tourism will be exactly same

Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of companies have begun creating this industry in recent years. Although Orbital space tourism opportunities have been expensive, people have been interested in the tourism.

There were a lot of novels and movies which used the universe as their background. In my opinion, the most impressive movie among them was a Japanese animation: The Voices of a Distant Star, a sad story in which the basic concept is that two main characters exchange text messages with each other between Earth and space. The further Nagamine moves from Earth, the more their communications are delayed.

Our earth-bound species have long dreamed of human flight, and the dream came true. Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon in 1969. Besides, human beings have launched 8,000 satellites in space so far. The first ‘ordinary’ person travelled into space in 2001. He paid $20 million for the privilege.

One space tourism company has a price range between $20 million and $35 million per seat. For this price, you get to go to the International Space Station with the Russian Federal Space Agency for around 10 days.

If you think that it is very expensive, there is a cheaper option. XCOR suggests $95,000 for a 30-minute

suborbital ride. Even though XCOR provides a diversity of space tourism, it is still too steep for most of us.

Three elements of tourism are tourists, attractions, and communities (a medium of tourism). I wonder whether you think space tourism meets these three qualifications or not. Imagine that we have just left the Earth and are heading for the International Space Station. We will meet some astronauts and space scientists who have been staying at the station for years. Even though we will have had training, there will still be a lot for us to learn.

Vacations in the VoidLina Lee considers the implications of space tourism

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as space people. You shouldn’t expect any different advantage with them. You paid $20 million though.

Can we say that this a community? I would say “No” because we don’t usually call it tourism when we go to an amusement park. Although it has the medium of tourism, their real home is not there. Therefore, people who work at the amusement park and the International Space Station could be regarded as tourists too.

NASA sent the robot Curiosity to Mars last year. But if we wanted to send people to

Mars, we`d need space flight which could provide food and oxygen for least 2 years.

Let’s suppose that the

animation character I mentioned earlier settled down on Mars in 2063, and her friend goes as a tourist to meet her. He pays $ 2 billion, but he still can’t take a shower easily. He has to use a piece of cloth instead of a brush and eat space food for 2 years until he arrives on Mars. But this would be the real experience of space tourism.

Do you still want to go to space?

This photograph of an astronaut exercising with a treadmill isn`t upside-down: in space there is no up or down!

film is highly entertaining even for fans that taught the saga’s closure was a great one, and that it should remain a closed book. A great closed book. Many critics didn’t give the movie a really high score; they often referred to it as “unenthusiastic”. But for me the return to Middle-Earth is a welcome addition that shows with great detail the events prior to Frodo’s epic. To some, it may feel like an extra meal after a great feast but this film is a strong dessert many fans like me have some room for.

Middle-earth. A land full of magical creatures, wizards, mystical landscapes and much much more. The Dwarves were once a race that possessed great power and lived a good life beside “the lonely mountain”. Until one day a giant dragon by the name of Smaug attacked the Dwarves village and made them leave their home along with all their possessions. The Dwarves suffered great tragedy for many years.

A small man raises his fists as he runs away from his home, screaming happily, “I’m going on an adventure!” and I know exactly how he felt, abandoning his somewhat dull reality for a change of pace, this is the kind of emotion I felt watching the first installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.

Similar to how George Lucas showed us the events that led to Luke Skywalker’s quest in Star Wars; director Peter Jackson introduces to us the prequel trilogy of The Lord of the rings saga. The Hobbit shows us the adventures of Bilbo Baggins as he goes on an epic adventure far away from his home. But I can happily say that this unexpected journey is not another “Phantom menace” that let down many fans of the popular sci-fi saga. The Hobbit is a purist’s delight as Peter Jackson recreated with surgical precision every comma and period of the book written by J.R.R Tolkien published more than 75 years ago. The

Bilbo DeliversPedro Calle reviews The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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On another part of the mystical lands lies the town known as “The Shire”, a small peaceful place inhabited by a small and lighthearted race known as hobbits.

One of them goes by the name of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), he is attached to his home and enjoys the good life. Until one day arrives the mysterious gray wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen). He convinces Bilbo on joining him on an adventure along a group of Dwarves commanded by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), the descendant of the previous dwarf king that wishes to slay the fearsome Smaug and recover their home from its claws after many years of enduring the loss of their native home. Bilbo reluctantly leaves his comfortable chair and sets on a dangerous adventure in which he, the wizard and the dwarves will encounter more than the goal they wish to achieve, giving Bilbo more than one tale to tell when he returns, if he is capable of returning at all.

It’s easy to get along with the whole cast, it’s nice to

see Bilbo abandon his comfy Shire and scream “I’m going on an adventure!”, also Ian McKellen does a great job on interpreting Gandalf the grey wizard, he’s wise and clever as he is powerful. The 13 dwarves Bilbo accompanies, even though you will not recognize them all, each of them has loads of personality and all are well introduced at the beginning of the film where Gandalf tricks Bilbo into making a reunion to plan the dwarf assault to the lonely mountain. Many complain that the movie is too long, and that it drags too much it’s first act, on the other hand I say that if you are going to spend almost 3 hours with that pack of dwarves, you might as well get introduced to them.

Just like The lord of the rings saga, you might expect a vast and detailed gamma of sceneries, many of them shot in the director’s native New Zealand. The scenarios are one of the films many strengths, you may not really notice them, but seeing the middle-earth come to life is truly a thing of beauty. Character dialogues are also clever, you can feel

the dwarves sadness of having their homes taken from them, and the part where Bilbo meets the creepy Gollum is one of the best movie dialogues I’ve seen in recent years as Bilbo tries to outsmart him in a series of riddles.

I would recommend this movie to any LOTR fans and movie aficionados alike, even if they are so-called hardcore fans, give this movie a chance, you might find yourselves in an epic which even if may be not as good as the original trilogy it’s still a great prequel to hear one of the many stores the universe created by J.R.R Tolkien has to offer.

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In the past, the search for knowledge and information was restricted to sources provided by libraries -the only source available at time. The collection was small, poorly diversified and you had to spend hours searching for what you wanted, or even consult an expert. Such hard work!

However, it was a reliable source of knowledge and information. Nowadays, the society is undergoing a period of technological transformations and therefore has faced several social impacts generated by these changes. The information is no longer strictly tied to the book and is now present in diverse media, especially on the Internet.

The Internet is a world full of possibilities, able to lead us to know things, people and places quite distant from the reality of our everyday. Additionally, you can still access and share information almost instantly. Because of this, daily, the internet

takes up more time and space in people’s lives and therefore it is possible to realize a big change in social settings, relationships, habits and behaviors.

So far everything looks perfect, but we need to start analyzing all this more carefully. What is the quality of those relationships? Virtual friends have the same importance of real friends? And the information, it is possible to believe the quality and credibility of that information? I think we need to reflect that.

In fact, there are several points of concern and alert. However, I invite you to reflect on the manipulation of information that is occurring on the Internet, the lack of neutrality and, I dare I say it, the lack of freedom. They take the right to choose what we really want to see or until it is unknown.

Normally, when we seek information or when we are impacted by it, from sources like

newspapers, magazines or even television, we have an idea about the editorial or publication of that channel and their political agenda. We don’t need to agree, but we need to know different points of view. So, that way, we will be able to build opinions and develop a critical view on various subjects of interest.

In the other hand, on the Internet, we cannot say that there is neutrality in information because in some search engines and networking, nothing is explicit. You can be framed in a profile and thus have access to predefined information, prepared especially for your profile, but there are not chosen by you.

The worst thing is that you do not know what the chosen information to determine your profile was. This way, you know what you can access, but you cannot know what you’re missing or what parts of the internet are out of your reach. If you want to know more about that, I suggest “The Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You” by Eli Pariser. In this book the author warns against customizing content on sites like Google and Facebook and also about the

possibility of filters isolating people in virtual bubbles, with no access to opinions different from their own.

Commercially speaking, it may be a great deal, since you can sell advertising on a site where the public that arrived were filtered and like the product advertised. The information of consumer behaviour is valuable and there are big negotiations in this market that hide under the table. The result is that, as more companies buy information, the more our preferences continue to dictate what we are shown.

The issue is complex, but reflection is necessary because we are faced with an ethical dilemma. Does the internet that promises freedom actually restrict our choice to navigate and discover the unknown? Are we limiting ourselves to this virtual bubble?

If so, are we destined for a society that is increasingly intellectually impoverished?

Maybe we should go back to finding books in the library.

B u r s t i n g the CyberbubbleT.Q. reflects on how the Internet has left us out of touch

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The Vatican or The Soviet Union. Artists, Scientists and Businessmen came to the city wanting to obliterate all forms of moral barriers that used to stop them on the outside. Rapture grew big in small time and as the scientific advancements of Rapture advanced, they came across a rare sea slug which stem cells could rearrange human genes. They called this substance ADAM and started injecting themselves with it, giving them superhuman abilities, like shooting lightning or icy blizzards from the tip of their fingers, but it on the other hand, the ADAM

“I am Andrew Ryan, and I’m here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow? ‘No!’ says the man in Washington, ‘It belongs to the poor.’ ‘No!’ says the man in the Vatican, ‘It belongs to God.’ ‘No!’ says the man in Moscow, ‘It belongs to everyone.’ I rejected those answers; instead, I chose something different. I chose the impossible. I chose... Rapture, a city where the artist would not fear the censor, where the scientist would not be bound by petty morality, where the great would not be constrained by the small!”

These are the words you hear as you make your way into the cold womb of the ocean in a strange submersible you find in the middle of a lighthouse as that is your only shelter when your plane crashes into the sea.

Bioshock is a videogame available to all mayor game platforms. Praised by critics and fans alike the 2008 game

was nominated for game of the decade in the Spike VGA 2012. And in my opinion, it deserved every single accolade. Anyone saying that videogames are just for kids and that they cannot achieve the standards of a story a movie or a book have to offer will eat their words when they play Bioshock, the videogame published by Irrational and 2K.

I can easily say that this work raises the bar of how stories are told in the world of videogames and the experience you get in the dystopian city of Rapture is one that will keep you reeled, thrilled and surprised. The gameplay is also refined and polished as you need to be clever and resourceful to survive what could become your underwater grave. I doubtlessly think this is one of the best games I’ve ever played in my life.

1960. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Jack is sitting quietly smoking a cigarette and looking at a picture of his

family on his wallet, but he will not be able to enjoy that smooth tobacco flavor as suddenly his plane crashes near a strange lighthouse on a small rock island. Jack survives the plane crash and decides to take shelter there when he stumbles upon what appears to be an old bathysphere. Jack goes aboard the submergible and while he goes down an informative film tells him that he’s come across the underwater city of Rapture, a metropolis built by wealthy industrialist Andrew Ryan in which he thought the perfect society could be built, free of all influences of the United States,

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

Pedro Calle reviews the video game Bioshock

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be given the choice of what to do with them. This opens for a very interesting moral choice, in which everything you do will affect the story’s ending. You may choose to save the girls or kill them. Each has it’s own rewards and affect

the ending in one way or another.

I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good story in an unusual setting. Everything may seem really strange at first but as you make progress the way

the story is told will keep you interested in what is going happen next, and discovering every single part of Rapture is a joy to many gamers. It’s a complete experience, with very high detail in gameplay and narration.

There is a new Bioshock coming next month, but it will be in a completely new setting totally different from Rapture, high expectations have been set for the new game by Ken Levine and his team of Irrational. If you liked to depths of Rapture you’ll love the floating city of Columbia.

gradually degenerated both the bodies and minds of the Rapture citizens. This led to a civil war that plunged the city into chaos making it a dystopian nightmare submerged in the ocean floor.

J a c k e n t e r s the city only to witness a horrible murder which is part of an everyday routine in Rapture, and soon afterwards he’s contacted by a man with a heavy Irish accent that goes by the n i c k n a m e ATLAS.

He offers to help Jack make his way trough Rapture as Jack finds the secrets that plunged the city into darkness, the lives of it’s citizens and even himself. But it will not be easy for Jack, Ryan is paranoid and thinks Jack is a foreign agent sent by one of the three factions he

so much despises, and he will not stop until Jack is dead.

One of the very first things that strike about this game is it’s atmosphere, Rapture is a combination of highly detailed art deco structures with touches of steampunk and

dieselpunk, all in a decadent

state.

The sound department is also top notch, like the sound of a shotgun being fired, and recorder being played with the journal of an unfortunate citizen, and the conversations between the many characters of the game.

You play in first person and you have a wide arsenal at your disposal, from a powerful shotgun to a rapid-firing tommy gun. Also available are Plasmids, special powers that you can use to get out of tricky situations, ranging from blazing fireballs to telekinesis. All of them upgradable.

But you will need every single one o this weapons to survive in Rapture, there are many enemies that will not rest until you die, like the Big Daddies, huge, powerful and highly resistant. The highly modified part human, part machine in a diving suit will charge at you with all their strength to protect their companions the little sisters, retrieving them will be one of your many tasks, and if you manage to defeat their big daddies you will

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feelings of discomfort. Invaders might be the rude words, impolite behaviour, bad communication and so on. Besides, it happens in different situations and occasions which could be within a business meeting, in a hair salon, during a body examination, on a bus or a train, in a theatre and so on.

As follows, there are some

cases about p e r s o n a l s p a c e b e t we e n different occasions a n d

cultures:

G r e e t i n g new friends

Talking about greeting, it is really different

between different countries. For South Americans, they will naturally give a passionate hug or greeting kisses on their cheeks when they meet friends. On the other hand, it might be too close for some Asian people. They might feel uncomfortable and invaded. Usually, a really polite bow is for Japanese and friendly hand-shaking is for Saudi men only.

What is personal space?

It can be defined as a person’s “comfort zone,” which is the space around you. For instance, when you talk with others, your personal air space can be the distance you keep with others. Also, it can be in a re la t ionsh ip. Besides, personal space is influenced by different cultures, relationship and background, so it is pretty difficult to measure accurately. When people live in a relatively crowded environment, everyone has the habit personal space is smaller. If you live in a broader environment, people might prefer a larger personal space. Moreover, we probably hope that other people could maintain “appropriate” distance.

Here are some zone distances:

1. The intimate zone is between 15–45 centimeters.

Only those who are e m o t i o n a l l y closed to us can be allowed to enter this area. These might include parents, lovers, children close friends and so on. Because of the close relationship, we

might allow them to hug or touch us closely.

2. The personal zone is between 46–122 centimeters.

This is the distance for friends gathering, office parties, social functions and so on. It could be the comfort distance for us to talk with friends or colleagues. We feel familiar with them, but we might still need some distance to keep our personal space.

3. The social zone is between 1.22–3.6 meters.

We stand at this distance from stranger who we don’t really know well. For example, they might be the staff working in the restaurant near our house, TTC driver, ticket sellers, a clerk in a shop.

4. T h e public zone is over 3.6 meters.

T h i s is the d i s tance for us to keep from a group of s t r a n g e r s . Also, We choose this distance to stand for feeling comfortable and relax. Within the distance, they do their things in their groups, and we are in our own group or perhaps alone.

What can be your invaders?Everyone has a different idea

of their own personal space. Sometimes, you might feel uncomfortable and anxious when your personal space is invaded. Also, we have different views and

Personal Space Constance Wu takes a close look at our comfort zones

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The hair salonIn Taiwan and Thailand, the

hair salon not only gets your hair cut but also gives you massages. For most people, it is totally fine to accept that service to touch customers’ hair and body, and it doesn’t matter whether the stylist is male or female. However, in Saudi Arabia, it is absolutely not acceptable for a male stylist to serve a female customer. Different genders must be separated while getting a haircut.

The business meetingIn Brazil and Mexico, business

meeting sometimes can be casual like a free talk and discussion with different companies. However, in Japan, it is really serious process. Also, people have to wear formal suits. Besides, in order to get the most efficiency, there must be an agenda and sometimes meeting records. The way for sitting is also very important. In Saudi Arabia and in Thailand, they always sit with back straight and will never

show the soles of their shoes, as that is considered very rude.

Footwear at homeSome of people in Canada

wear shoes in their house or own room. However, this is considered unclean and impolite in Asian countries and hardly happens. Most people have to take off their shoes before entering the house. Otherwise, it invades their personal space and environment.

Student-teacher relationshipThis depends on different

cultures and different cases. In western [colleges and universities], students often call teacher’s by their given name more like the same generation and friends. In Asian countries, such as Japan and Korea, they seldom directly call the teacher’s name. Instead, they call them “teacher” or they add some respectful words to call teachers. Otherwise, it could be impolite or rude.

In Chinese schools, the children rarely interrupt the teacher’s speech, and rarely ask questions; students will not sit very close to teachers to show respect for them and respect for authority. It is extremely different from the U.S. and Canada, which always

Different backgrounds, environments and cultures cultivate people with different thinking and views. We need to think about and understand others who have different backgrounds and try not to invade their personal space impolitely.

Through living and learning, we can get more experience and knowledge about how to deal with others well without invading their personal space. In short, personal space is an issue that has caught much attention. Moreover, there are volumes of studies, literature, and speaking engagements with this as the topic. It is a fascinating topic, indeed.

encourages students to talk, to ask and to express their own opinions and ideas. Also, on campuses in the United States, people can often see teachers and students talking as friends, not like China, where students respectfully stand some distance from the teacher, and listen carefully.

Other cultures value measure power distance: it is continuous from the high to the low power distance divided by cultural categories. In some cultures, those who hold the power influence people in many ways. The high right from the culture and the low rights from the culture are the subjects to the influence of this culture, that in this world of human inequality, everyone has their own position, which position numerous longitudinal marker arrangements.

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At the same time, talking about pollution, if we consider the materials used for this purpose, both pollute, but the marking strategies as billboards or print media pollute in more quantity. This is due to the electricity they use, the paper and the paint. One digital billboard consumes 397,487 kilowatts of electricity a year, about 14 times the average of 1 U.S. home, so imagine if you assembled together all the those billboards, it would cover the surface of 60,000 football fields. This means that on average, a person in the U.S. can see 5,000 billboards per day and the number of advertisements an average urban dweller sees in a life time is 143,080,000! For some people, that could be called harassment.

Only in some cities billboards need to have a specific size, but in others the company can put a billboard as huge as the company is willing to pay.

In this way, we can see that marketing and street art have a lot of common aspects, but the problem here is that street art is free: they don’t buy space. These people take what the government say is theirs, and sometimes

If we understand public space as a physical or virtual space where people gather and interact, then it is generally open and accessible to people. Have you ever wondered why companies are taking up all that space? Have you ever thought that sometimes what is supposed to be public space is sold to the highest bidder? If it is open and accessible to everyone why can companies buy that space without our permission?

Nowadays, we are living with that situation. Every day more companies spend large amounts of money on advertising, especially on billboards and advertisements that they can put in strategic public spaces. In that way they, force us to see them.

The main idea with this kind of advertisement is to catch a person’s attention and create a memorable impression very quickly, leaving the target thinking about it after they

have driven past it. They have to be readable in a very short time because they are usually read while being passed at high speeds. Thus there are usually only a few words in large print, and a humorous or arresting image in brilliant colour.

But, what happens when someone wants to catch the attention of the public, but they use another medium? This is the case of street art that is specifically visual art, also developed in public spaces.

When some companies decide to pollute our public space with advertisements, we don’t think that’s an invasion of visual space or pollution, but when someone paints or expresses a feeling through street art, many complain.

What’s the difference? Why?

Talking about space, both use the same “public space”. Talking about purpose, both have the idea of communicating, but only one is intended to make us buy something.

Visual Urban SpaceBy Tatiana Estrada

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they use it to inform, to express opinions, to make us see what marketing hides from us or sometimes just to try to recover the natural aspects that industry takes from us.

The funniest think here is that, to almost every government, graffiti are considered against the law. Almost all graffiti artists have been in jail because of their art.

But what happens when a company does graffiti to advertise their brands? Commercial graffiti, also known as ‘aerosol advertising’ or ‘graffiti for hire’ is the commercial practice of graffiti artists being paid to promote a commercial product.

In New York City in particular, commercial graffiti is big business and, since the 1980s, has manifested itself in many of the major cities of Europe, such as London, Paris and Berlin.

Increasingly, it has been used to promote video games and even feature prominently within them, reflecting a real-life struggle between street artists and the law.

So what’s the real vandalism? Street art? Or the companies that pollute the environment and do whatever they want because they have the money to pay for it?

In the last few years, you might notice that people are more concerned about the environment and the consequences of pollution. With these changes, we can ask the following question: Are we ready to give up on cars to help to preserve the planet?

Why so radical then? New kinds of fuel have also been developed, so natural resources can be less explored, but what nobody thinks about is what is beyond the fuel, the factories and what damage it causes to the air and

water sources; the waste from car factories is dumped in rivers and in the air.

All companies are launching their electric cars as the solution to environmental problems. In fact, in both Canada and the US,

average fuel consumption must be dramatically reduced by 2016, with new regulations and the rise of gasoline prices have made electric vehicles a top priority for consumers and manufacturers. Although this is still an ideal to

Kicking the Car HabitBy Ana Karenina Saraiva

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Public transportation: Buses, subways, trains. It really seems very obvious and many people already use these alternatives daily, but sadly, not every country offers public transportation in good condition.

Walking and Bicycles: Another obvious alternative, yet bike culture is only starting to get going in most places, and we’re

far from the m u c h t a l k e d -a b o u t C r i t i c a l Mass. If you live closer to

your work, walking is a really good option to consider.

Telecommuting: Probably the dream for many people, which means working from a home office some days in a week. Few people have this privilege, but the advantages are many. Imagine managing your schedule and working without leaving home.

Beyond those, there are many options to avoid car use. It only takes a bit of good will, and we can make significative changes.

be achieved, as we could see in the last Toronto Auto Show, electric cars are much more expensive than regular models. Pickups and powerful cars are number one in the Canadian consumers’ preferences.

Considering that electric cars could be the palliative solution to environment problems, it will still be necessary to adapt and prepare cities with c h a r g i n g s t a t i o n s . That takes some time and only works in the s o - c a l l e d “first world” countries. As we keep trying to fix old issues, new ones just appear. Maybe we are not able to solve all of them, but if everyone starts doing something to contribute, it could work.

How about taking a walk in place of short rides. It will bring some benefits for your health and for your wallet. Sometimes the most obvious ideas are really efficient.

Here are some alternatives that you should keep in mind:

Where the money went last time...

The December 2012 Journalism Class raised $160 for Covenant House, which is dedicated to giving Toronto youth the opportunity and hope to move from a life on the street to a life with a future..

If you have any ideas for content or charities for future issues of Future Perfect, contact us at futureperfect.editor@gmail.com

...and where your money’s going this

time... For information about where the money for this issue is going,

turn to the back cover.

Every dollar paid for this issue of Future Perfect will go to the Toronto Humane Society, which is dedicated to providing compassionate care, shelter, adoptions to caring homes and a voice for abandoned, abused and injured animals.

The Society has a modern facility that houses its shel-ter, clinic and administrative offices. It operates as an independent non-profit organization supported by donors and members and does not receive government funding.

The Society provides a desperately-needed adoption facility for injured and abandoned animals in the City of Toronto. The injured receive veterinary care, and abandoned animals are given a safe haven 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Immature and/or injured animals are placed in foster care until they are old enough and strong enough to be placed for adoption.

Thank you for buying a copy of Future Perfect.

Charity Registration Number: # 11925 9513 RR0001