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LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE
The slow movement is expanding its influence to new horizons
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Once associated with dreamy tree huggers and philosophers who had infinite time to ponder, the slow movement has undeniably become an international obsession. While slow food and slow fashion have penetrated the mainstream to some degree, people looking to connect with the world on a deeper level are now looking for new areas to which they can apply the movement's theories. Simon and Garfunkel would feel groovy about these new social trends:
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Slow Art: When John Berger wrote Ways of Seeing in 1972 he had no idea that we would now be rushing with the masses to
Target Free Friday Nights at the MoMA. Recognizing that art is supposed to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace, non-profit
A Reading Odyssey
recently launched a
slow art initiative
at museums and galleries, both in the US and overseas. Event participants are encouraged to pick only a few paintings, look at them for ten minutes to an hour, and then report back to the organizers on what they saw and learned. It sounds a bit like what you need to do to get an art history degree, minus the prohibitive cost of a liberal arts education.
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Slow Parties: Meeting for beers and then pounding Red Bull at the local bodega to resist the temptation of returning to bed isn't always worth it. And so it is with open arms and a huge sigh of relief that many are welcoming the slow party movement. Dinner parties are being held with greater frequency, and guests are now being invited over in the afternoon to take part in the meal preparation, thus extending the social gathering into a full-day affair. No longer just quick spaghetti banquets, the new chic dinner party is paying great attention to detail. So whether that means dressing up, cooking three or four courses, or lingering longer with snifters of brandy, the party is prolonged. And with
so many anti-energy drinks coming to market
, we have a feeling it won't be long before the latest chill pill is found in a cocktail:
Drank
Martini, anyone?
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Slow News:
Thanks to RSS readers, Google Alerts, and Twitter, we are more aware of up-to-the-minute world news than ever before. As thankful as we are to be so well-informed, many are feeling a sense of disconnect because of the rapid pace of news dissemination; often, there is no time to digest information before moving on to the next story. While the masses will certainly continue to look for real-time digital news sources, we are noticing a new trend of consumers going back to old-fashioned print in search of greater context to their news. More people seem to be holding out for the Sunday newspaper's Week in Review to study over a lengthy brunch, or are looking to news magazines, likeThe Week, that curate only the most important stories. Even in the age of free information everywhere, those who wear knowledge as a badge of honor seem to be willing to pay for it. Plus, in the long run, this slow news movement could actually save you time: Did you really need to be following every minute of Balloon Boy madness as it unfolded?
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* trendcentral articles are designed to be trend reports, not endorsements * The Intelligence Group is a trend-forecasting and marketing Consultancy focused on Gen X, Gen Y and Tweens. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated studies, The Cassandra Report, Tween Intelligence, Latino Intelligence, and Mom Intelligence, contact Alina Goncalves at 212-277-5299 or via email at agoncalves@intelg.com.
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