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| blixity |
| a collaborative blog on the intersections of culture, capital, and media. a look at the politics of aesthetics and the aesthetics of politics. |
| Language: English |
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| Total Unique Visitors: 172981 |
| Visitors Out: 1059 |
| Total Visitors Out: 1059 |
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| Decapitation on a Canadian Greyhound Bus |
| 2008-07-31 20:45:21 |
A friend just told me about this insane act of violence. BBC News reports that a 40-year-old man traveling on a Greyhound bus with a large hunting knife stabbed a fellow passenger 50+ times, severed the victim’s head, and gutted him.
The bus had 37 other passengers and was traveling from Edmonton, Alberta to Winnipeg, [...]
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| A Dinosaur in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport |
| 2008-07-11 05:30:25 |
Curious grand gestures in public space:
Chicago’s O’Hare Airport has this huge replica of a Brachiosaurus skeleton, a plant-eating dinosaur that apparently lived 150 million years ago. I’d love to meet the airport officials who approved this. Fascinating for its extreme absurdity — and its innovative use of the atrium’s verticality.
Bloomberg, we need one of these [...]
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| Still Life from a Starbucks Civilization |
| 2008-07-10 16:20:47 |
Just before the not-long-enough July 4th weekend, globalized coffeemaker Starbucks announced that it will be closing 600 stores. By now, we’ve heard gleeful reactions from people who support the demise of this Walmart of coffee beans. We’ve also, of course, heard the human side to these closings: 12,000 full- and part-timers are losing their jobs [...]
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| Two Artworks Use People as Primary Material |
| 2008-07-07 05:30:07 |
Regular People: it’s the art material of the moment.
Last week, Turner Prize winner Antony Gormley won a turn at creating a temporary public artwork for London’s Trafalgar Square. The site is the square’s empty fourth plinth, which has become both a stage for contemporary art experiments and a critical platform from which to question what [...]
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| Life For Sale On eBay Posts New Sequel: Do We Care? |
| 2008-07-03 19:10:58 |
The eBay auction for Ian Usher’s entire life is officially over. The winning bid: AU$399,300 (US$380,286). Unfortunately for Usher, it’s about $100,000 less than what he’d expected. (I suppose everyone’s got recession worries.)
The question is, What’s Next? For starters: a sequel-website. Usher’s original website, www.alife4sale.com, now has a link to Part 2: www.100goals100weeks.com.
AAARRRGGGGHuhhh.
This move, of [...]
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| America’s Collective Anxiety Attack: We Need Group Therapy |
| 2008-07-02 18:56:29 |
A wise man at NYT’s Op-Eds, Thomas Friedman, wrote last Sunday about the urgent need to build/rebuild this nation from within. Titled “Anxious in America“, his column stresses:
It’s the state of America now that is the most gripping source of anxiety for Americans, not Al Qaeda or Iraq.
…My fellow Americans: We are a country in [...]
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| eBay Fined 38.6 Million Euros for Allowing Fake Vuitton Sales |
| 2008-07-01 09:59:17 |
In The Guardian: A French court has ordered online auction site eBay to pay luxury goods giant LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) a whopping €38.6 million euros in damages for negligence. eBay is charged with allowing independent retailers to use its site to sell fake products.
eBay is to pay €19.28 million to Louis Vuitton Malletier [...]
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| Chinese Investor Bids $2.1 Million For Lunch With Warren Buffett |
| 2008-06-30 06:00:49 |
This year, Forbes named Warren Buffett the richest human being in the world. At 77 years of age, this self-made Nebraskan’s published net worth is US$62 b-b-billion. (Remember, there are 1,000 millions in one billion.)
So, how much would you give to power lunch with Buffett?
Zhao Danyang, a Chinese investment fund manager for Hong Kong’s Pureheart [...]
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| A Few Firsts: Gay Prides in India, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, and Havana |
| 2008-06-29 21:45:00 |
While NYC kicked off its 38th annual gay pride march yesterday, other cities were celebrating — or fighting for — their first. Another striking illustration of how uneven sociopolitical landscapes get across borders.
In India, gay rights supporters came out in the streets of Calcutta, Bangalore and New Delhi. Some wore masks, fearing persecution and violence [...]
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| Gay Pride in New York City |
| 2008-06-29 07:00:55 |
So today we celebrate with great pride. LOTS to be thankful for. Lots more to fight for.
If you’re able: shut your computer down now and go support any one of three main events today (Sunday, June 29), organized by the folks at Heritage of Pride:
Rally at Bryant Park: 42nd St. and 6th Ave., 2 - [...]
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| Two Music Videos About Certain Inconvenient Truths |
| 2008-06-28 05:30:47 |
Friday afternoon: Al Gore blamed for 2000 election mess.
Friday evening: Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” on tv! I watched it all over again. It never ceases to impress, depress, overwhelm, and energize. I suppose if Gore had become president, he would not have had the time to focus on the bigger picture. Perhaps we are [...]
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| Supreme Court Justice Blames Al Gore for 2000 Election Mess |
| 2008-06-27 13:06:42 |
Yesterday, Justice Antonin Scalia led a 5 - 4 vote to lift a ban on handguns in D.C. — a decision welcomed by many Republicans but criticized by many law enforcement officials around the country. Today, the conservative, originalist judge is spouting nonsense again.
The UK’s Telegraph reports that Scalia blames Al Gore for the outcome [...]
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| Supreme Court Lifts Ban on Guns, Upholds Right to Bear Arms |
| 2008-06-26 17:09:42 |
An historic and controversial ruling this afternoon in Washington D.C.: a 5-4 vote by Supreme Court justices has lifted a ban on individual ownership of handguns by D.C. residents. This is the first time the court has ruled on the issue since 1939.
Seeking to clarify the ambiguous wording of the Second Amendment, the majority ruled [...]
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| LA Times Poll: Bush To Blame for Bad Economy |
| 2008-06-26 05:30:55 |
An LA Times/Bloomberg poll reports that a whopping 75% of Americans blame Bush for the economic downturn:
Three out of four Americans, including large numbers of Republicans, blame President Bush’s economic policies for making the country worse off during the last eight years… reflecting a sharp increase in public pessimism during the last year.
The poll shows [...]
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| Usher: Life for Sale on eBay Not Worth $2 Million |
| 2008-06-25 05:30:54 |
This past Sunday, heartbroken Ian Usher opened up an eBay auction for bids on his entire life’s property in Perth. In less than 24 hours, the bidding frenzy had raised the top price to over $2 Million (AU$1 = US$0.96). Interestingly, the next day, Usher decided to let common sense — not greed — rule. [...]
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| Disney/Pixar’s “WALL-E” Animates the Future and Mirrors the Present |
| 2008-06-24 05:30:21 |
Saw Pixar’s newest animated movie “WALL-E” at a MoMA preview on Sunday. Directed by Andrew Stanton (who won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, for “Finding Nemo” in 2003) and released by Disney, the animated narrative unfolds around two robots, WALL-E and EVE. It’s (shall we anthropomorphically call it…) a love story set in a [...]
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| A Life for Sale on eBay |
| 2008-06-23 05:30:24 |
Does everything have a price? Apparently so. Ian Usher, a 44-year-old Englishman living in Perth, Australia, has had enough of his life. So he’s selling what he feels has defined his life up to this point: 3-bedroom home (valued at AU$400-420,000) and all its contents in Perth, car, motorbike, jetski, kitesurfing gear. Introductions to his [...]
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| Just Dancing with Matt on a Sunday |
| 2008-06-22 05:30:18 |
A post about nothing more than the joy of dancing. Brought to you by Matt Harding, a wordly kind of guy who seems to have figured out what the whole point of all this really is.
In his words, this 4-1/2 minute video took “14 months, 42 countries, and a cast of thousands.” Enjoy!
“If I can’t [...]
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| India’s Female Feticide: Sexism Before Birth |
| 2008-06-21 12:17:50 |
As India grows into one of the world’s largest economies, it continues to exterminate one of its most crucial assets: women. BBC cites a report by a UK charity today:
…increasing numbers of female foetuses were being aborted and baby girls deliberately neglected and left to die.
Under “normal” circumstances, there should be about 950 girls for [...]
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| Man Arrested for Hiding in Woman’s Couch |
| 2008-06-20 20:50:00 |
Last month in Fukuoka, Japan, a 58-year-old woman was arrested for living in a 57-year-old man’s closet. This evening in Newburgh, NY, NYT reports that a 27-year-old man was arrested for hiding in a 22-year-old woman’s couch.
The trespasser, David Joe Limones, had cut a hole in the couch, hid in the carved-out space, and waited. [...]
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| UK Shuts Martha Stewart Out |
| 2008-06-20 05:30:03 |
Thanks to a posting in Vivre, we skipped over to the Telegraph to read this tidbit. UK immigration officials have refused to grant Martha Stewart a visa because of her record. Whoa!
The NJ-born media tycoon has single-handedly reshaped American culture and global business (for better or worse). She intended to visit the UK in a [...]
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| Beijing Olympics: The Curse of the Five Fuwa Mascots |
| 2008-06-19 18:21:30 |
These five Fuwa characters are the official mascots of the Beijing Games. Based on the five traditional Olympic rings (designed in 1913 to represent the five major continents), four symbolize China’s most popular animals and one stands in for the Olympic flame.
According to the official website:
Each of Fuwa has a rhyming two-syllable name… Beibei is [...]
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| South African Court: Chinese Population to be Reclassified as “Black” |
| 2008-06-19 05:30:09 |
There are about 200,000 ethnic Chinese in South Africa. During apartheid, they were discriminated against because they were classified as people of mixed race. Today, the Chinese are generally considered white — a misclassification that is, ironically, disqualifying them from benefits and protections guaranteed by ANTI-apartheid laws.
So, how should South Africa rebalance this inequality? BBC [...]
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| French Spiderman/Environmental Activist Becomes Paid Promoter |
| 2008-06-18 16:54:04 |
On June 5th, Alain Robert (aka French Spiderman) boldly scaled the 52-story New York Times building in Times Square to call attention to global warming. This afternoon, he climbed the 32-story Dresdner Bank building in Frankfurt.
No environmental activism or political intervention behind today’s stunt, though. It’s all legal, secure (Robert wore a safety harness) — [...]
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| Bush Calls on Congress to Lift Ban on Offshore Oil Drilling |
| 2008-06-18 05:30:17 |
On Tuesday, Republican nominee John McCain said he favors offshore oil drilling in the U.S. to alleviate rising oil and gas prices. Echoing McCain, President Bush is calling on Congress today to end the federal ban on offshore drilling. Ironically, Bush’s father signed the executive order for the ban in 1990 and brother Jeb opposes [...]
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| Same-Sex Weddings See First Light of Day in California |
| 2008-06-17 19:04:58 |
Last month, California’s Supreme Court issued a landmark decision to overturn state laws that restricted marriage to unions between a man and a woman. Today, county clerks in 58 counties across the state began issuing official marriage licenses to hundreds of same-sex couples. YES!
It’s an historic day and the media has been running incredible photos [...]
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| A Car Called Utopia |
| 2008-06-16 12:36:48 |
Green has been coopted as the new black. And the race is on to find “sustainable” means to travel more efficiently, quickly, and quietly along the earth’s surface. For a world increasingly hooked on speed and mobility, visions of utopia seem to be appearing in the shape of mass-producible compact cars powered by alternative [...]
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| Revival of India’s Ancient Sanskrit Opens a Debate about Contemporary India |
| 2008-06-15 07:00:08 |
As India grows wealthier, summer camps that teach children Sanskrit are increasingly popular. Supporters of the Sanskrit revival consider the ancient language integral to Indian culture and national pride. Others disagree.
Opponents see it as a Hindu nationalist effort to turn back the clock and claim the supremacy of Hindu thought in a contemporary India that [...]
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| Benedict XVI Meets Bush In Realignment of Church and State |
| 2008-06-13 13:53:16 |
Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Roman Catholic church, granted a special audience to U.S. President Bush on Vatican state grounds earlier today. This is their second official meeting in exactly three months. Photos of the seemingly casual encounter unambiguously articulate a new alignment and alliance between the two powerful leaders. Both men walk (or [...]
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| Belgian-Brasilian Brewer InBev Moves To Buy America’s Budweiser |
| 2008-06-12 22:12:43 |
InBev, the world’s top brewer and maker of Stella Artois and Becks beer brands, has submitted an unsolicited bid of $46 billion to buy Anheuser-Busch, America’s leading brewer and maker of “The Great American Lager”: Budweiser.
While reports say that InBev’s offer of $65 per share is extremely competitive (considering that before InBev made its move, [...]
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| Surviving Disasters |
| 2008-06-12 05:30:14 |
I happened to pick up Time’s June 9 print issue. It had a photo of a red fire alarm and a cover story by Amanda Ripley: “How to Survive a Disaster”. Ripley opens with: “Disasters are becoming more frequent and more costly. But there are steps all of us can take — right now — [...]
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| California: Same-Sex Weddings Could Boost Economy (no kidding) |
| 2008-06-11 05:30:51 |
Yesterday: forced marriages in Iran. Today: same sex marriages in California. It’s June after all.
Businessweek reports on a new study released by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. It reads in part:
Same-sex weddings could create hundreds of new jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into California’s economy…
Gay couples are projected to [...]
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| Iranian Firm Orders Employees: Get Married or Get Fired |
| 2008-06-10 20:07:13 |
BBC and Iranian media report that marriage is now a job requirement for all employees at Pars Special Economic Energy Zone Company, one of Iran’s state-owned companies. Employees who are single have been directed to get married by September 21 — or get fired.
The company controls Iran’s huge network of gas and petrochemical facilities around [...]
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| Kucinich Delivers 35 Articles for Bush Impeachment to Congress |
| 2008-06-10 04:30:48 |
At about 7PM on Monday night, Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich addressed the House of Representatives and Madame Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He presented 35 articles for the impeachment of President George W. Bush — plus supporting evidence for each article.
Kucinich’s address was aired live on C-Span but was not mentioned in Monday’s evening news. AP wrote [...]
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| More, More, and More Fences Along U.S. Borders |
| 2008-06-09 18:57:54 |
Reuters reports this afternoon that U.S. officials in Washington are planning more high-tech border fences and more stringent immigration control. But, they said, “it would take another three years to declare victory on immigration control.”
What does this mean? The U.S. war on terror has expanded into a war against immigrant workers. In three years, we [...]
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| Bill Moyers Fights Back, Sends Fox News’ O’Reilly Henchman Scurrying |
| 2008-06-08 11:00:25 |
Free Press is holding its 3-day National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis this weekend. Bill Moyers delivered the Saturday morning plenary to an audience of more than 3,500. (Closing remarks are later today, tbd.)
Describing the media reform movement as “the most significant citizens’ movement to emerge in this new century”, Moyers’ address called on [...]
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| It’s Official: Clinton’s Campaign is Dead, Long Live Obama’s Campaign |
| 2008-06-07 17:39:51 |
Slightly after noon today, Senator Hillary Clinton publicly ended her historic campaign for the U.S. presidency and encouraged her 18 million supporters to back the presumptive Democratic nominee, Senator Barack Obama. Parts of her speech (full text here):
Now when I started this race, I intended to win back the White House, and make sure we [...]
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| Bush Responds to Housing Crisis with “National Homeownership Month” |
| 2008-06-07 12:07:00 |
Home foreclosures are at a record high. And nothing bulldozes the American Dream faster than an eviction notice.
Have no fear: the Bush White House has declared June “National Homeownership Month”! From the official press release (i.e., not a joke):
For many Americans, owning a home represents freedom, independence, and the American dream. During National Homeownership [...]
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| Beijing Olympics: One World, One Dream, One Official Cheer |
| 2008-06-07 05:30:34 |
On Thursday, Reuters broke the unusual story about Beijing Olympics organizers releasing an official cheer or “chanting routine”. It’s for local Chinese spectators who “might be lacking in proper sports etiquette”. (And just in case they’ve gotten some ideas from European soccer fans.)
The UK Telegraph reported today that China has issued official instructions accompanied by [...]
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