Tag Archives: PhotoMash

tD

PhotoMash: CEO Pay For Failure Versus CEO Pay For Success

Photomash-Mayer-vs-SorrellToday’s PhotoMash is a stark reminder that many corporate CEOs live by different rules, which they tend to conjure up themselves.

The PhotoMash comes courtesy of the Guardian on April 19, 2016.

On the one hand we see Marissa Meyer, CEO of Yahoo since 2012. She has presided over the demise of Yahoo — loss of search business to Google, loss of ad share to Facebook, failed investments in new business ventures in the billions of dollars. Yet, since taking over Yahoo Meyer has taken home around $78 million. Further, she’s on the hook to collect another $59 million should Yahoo’s takeover spark her dismissal. Admittedly, Yahoo’s stock price has rallied in recent years, but most analysts attribute this solely to Yahoo’s stake in China’s Alibaba.

One the other hand we have Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP. Over the last 30 years he’s built WPP from a small UK-based wire and plastics manufacturer, which he used as a shell company, into the world’s leading marketing and advertising services company. By current estimates WPP is valued at around $30 billion. Of late he’s been defending his latest compensation package estimated at $100 million.

Both Meyer and Sorrell tell us they’re worth every penny of remuneration to their companies and shareholders. But while it could be argued that both are earning rather too much compared with the 99.999 percent, only one is deserving. And, that shows the crux of the issue — regardless of success or failure, most CEOs will always win.

Image: Screen shot from the Guardian, April 19, 2016.

Political Discourse

PhotoMash: A Tale of Two Nations

Photomash-Muslim-vs-anti-Muslim

Today’s (photo-)mashup comes from the front page of The Guardian, May 6, 2016. The kindly editors juxtaposed two stories that show the chasm between two kindred nations: the United States and the United Kingdom.

The first story reminds us that the United States now has a xenophobic, racist, anti-Muslim bully [I would use more suitable words, but my children sometimes read this blog] as its presumptive Republican nominee for President. The second story breaks news that a Muslim was just elected Mayor of London, the capital city.

One of these nations is moving forward; the direction of the other remains perplexing and disturbing.

Image: Screen shot from the Guardian, May 6, 2016.

Idea Soup, tD

PhotoMash: A Great Leader vs Something Else Entirely

Today’s PhotoMash comes courtesy of the Guardian (UK Edition), on January 21, 2016. A kindly editor over there was thoughtful enough to put President Eisenhower alongside two elements of the 2016 US presidential election clown circus.

Photomash-Palin-vs-EisenhowerMany political scholars, commentators and members of the public — of all political stripes — who remember Eisenhower during his two terms in office (1953-1961) agree that he was one of the greatest US Presidents. As for the pretenders to the throne in the other half of this PhotoMash, well, ugh. Enough said.

Image courtesy of the Guardian.

Idea Soup, tD

PhotoMash: Honey Boo-Boo and Trump’s Jihadists

Oh, the Washington Post is the source that keeps on giving. We’re only a few days into 2016, and the newspaper’s online editors continue to deliver wonderfully juxtaposed stories that highlight the peculiar absurdity of contemporary (American) “news”.

Photomash-honey-booboo-vs-donald-for-isis

This photomash (or more appropriately “storymash”) comes to us from the Washington Post, January 2, 2016. Both subjects are courtesy of our odd fascination with the hideous monsters created by reality TV.

The first story describes Discovery Communications re-awakening; aiming to move away from the reality trash TV of Honey Boo Boo. The second, highlights our move towards the new phenomenon of reality trash politics spearheaded by the comb-overed-one.

Idea Soup, tD

PhotoMash: A Blind Girl Sees; A Sighted Man is Blind

Today’s juxtaposition of images and stories comes courtesy of the Independent, from December 15, 2015. One is literally blind, the other figuratively.

The girl on the left is a 14-year old from Malawi. Her name is Rose. As a result of severe eye cataracts she was blind since birth. A recent operation restored her sight.

The man on the right can see, and according to his doctors is in excellent health. But he remains blind to all around, except his own reflection.

Photomash-Blind-versus-Blind

Images courtesy of Independent, UK.

Idea Soup

PhotoMash: Two Kinds of Monster, One Real

I couldn’t resist this week’s photo mash-up. This one comes courtesy of the Guardian on December 3, 2015. It features two types of monster very aptly placed alongside each other by a kindly newspaper editor.

Photomash-Trump-vs-Monsters

The first monster happens to want to be President of the United States. He seems to be a racist, misogynist and raving bigot, and unfortunately (for some), he’s very real. The second, is a story of photographic artist Flora Borsi. She’s tired of perfect models with perfect hair in perfect fashion photographs. So, she retouches them, or in her words “detouches” the images into her “little monsters”. These are not real.

Our real world can be rather surreal.

Images courtesy of Guardian.

BigBang, Environs

PhotoMash: Climate Skeptic and Climate Science

Aptly, today’s juxtaposition of stories comes from the Washington Post. One day into the COP21 UN climate change conference in Paris, France, US House of Representatives’ science committee chair Lamar Smith is still at it. He’s a leading climate change skeptic, an avid opponent of the NOAA (National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration) and self-styled overlord of the National Science Foundation (NSF). While Representative Smith seeks to politicize and skewer science, intimidate scientists and trample on funding for climate science research (and other types of basic science funding), our planet continues to warm.

Photomash-Climate-Skeptic-Climate-Facts

If you’re an open-minded scientist or just concerned about our planet this is not good.

So, it’s rather refreshing to see Representative Smith alongside a story showing that the month of December could be another temperature record breaker — the warmest on record for the northern tier of the continental US.

Images courtesy of the Washington Post, November 30, 2015.

Idea Soup

PhotoMash: Snoopers Charter and Fast Walking

Welcome to my inaugural PhotoMash segment. This is a lighthearted look at juxtaposing news stories. Online media needs eyeballs. So to keep our attention media outlets cycle and recycle their news stories ever more frequently. The result is that we’re increasingly likely to find unrelated and sometimes opposing stories right next to each other on a page. Editors have little time to police these embarrassing juxtapositions of text and images, since much is now driven by automated content publishing systems, which of course paves the way for my story and/or photo mash-up service.

Photomash-Teresa_May-Fast_Walking

So, here’s my first PhotoMash, courtesy of the Independent in the UK. Home Secretary Teresa May introducing new surveillance proposals and the UK’s first fast pedestrian lane for walkers. Makes for an interesting mash-up. Get the idea? Two, or more, incongruous images displayed coincidentally side-by-side. [Are those Teresa May’s legs?]

Images courtesy of the Independent.