Feed The Horse Yum Yum
German Buzz On Frey
Merce Cunningham Gone
from AFP via The Times South Africa
Dance legend Cunningham dies
AFP
Merce Cunningham, the legendary New York-based choreographer who revolutionised modern dance, has died at age 90, his foundation said on Monday.
“It is with great sorrow that we note the passing of Merce Cunningham, who died peacefully in his home last night of natural causes,” the Cunningham Dance Foundation and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company said in a statement.
The statement hailed Cunningham, saying he “revolutionized the visual and performing arts – not for the sake of iconoclasm, but for the beauty and wonder that lay in exploring new possibilities.”
Ikeahaus
Making the most of Bauhaus minimalism
New Berlin retrospective for movement banned by Nazis and now reflected at Ikea
by Kate Connolly in Berlin
A woman looks at Denkmal der Maerzgefallenen in Weimar by Walter Gropius during the exhibition Bauhaus. A Conceptual Model in Berlin Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/Reuters
It started as a controversial experiment in the social effects of art and design, producing ideas that were often considered impractical, uncomfortable and costly. But 90 years after its conception by radical and combative designers the Bauhaus movement is nowadays credited with having had the biggest influence of any movement on modern, minimalist style.
Many proponents of the decidedly non-conformist movement, which was founded in 1919 by the architect Walter Gropius, argue that, like it or loathe it, the Bauhaus’ most powerful modern-day legacy is the Swedish flat-pack furniture store Ikea. “Mass-market design like Ikea’s would be inconceivable today without the Bauhaus,” said the newly-appointed director of the Bauhaus foundation, Philipp Oswalt, in an interview ahead of the anniversary celebrations. Events taking place across Germany include dance and theatre productions, architectural tours, readings and workshops.
The movement is still very much in existence but nowadays it largely concentrates on urban planning rather than household objects. Gone too are the movement’s utopian ideas about establishing a conflict-free world. “Today we have relinquished the naive hopes and realise that utopias are not enough,” Oswalt said. The Berlin exhibition charts the movement’s progress through its 14-year existence, from the Weimar school, which was founded in 1919 to the Dessau school and finally to the Berlin school, led by architect Mies van der Rohe, that was closed by the Nazis in 1933. While some say the Nazi ban led to the movement’s break-up, the very fact that many of its members fled to all corners of the world such as China, America and Israel allowed the Bauhaus influence to spread much more effectively than it might have done had its focus remained in Germany.
“Schizophrenic rant documentary extraordinaire….”
When The Bluff Goes Bad
from the Panama City News Herald
82-year-old shoots, kills robber; 3 women charged
By JON MILTIMORE / News Herald Writer
2009-07-22 17:54:15
BRISTOL — Octavious Barnes died Sunday still clutching the $1,100 he took from an 82-year-old bar owner before he was shot.
Now, three Blountstown women accused of helping Barnes, 24, face murder charges in connection to his death.“
As we were processing the crime scene, it became clearer and clearer he (Barnes) didn’t do everything himself,” Liberty County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Brigham Shuler said Wednesday.Jessica Nicole Long, 19; Heather Marie Ammons, 22; and Mandy Allen, 43, planned and aided Barnes in the robbery of 82-year-old Bradley Harvil, owner and operator of the Slip N’ Slide bar, Shuler said.
On Sunday, authorities said Barnes broke into Harvil’s house, which is connected to the bar, and demanded money. Shuler said Barnes was waving a black pistol and assaulted Harvil with a shocking device used to debilitate people with heart conditions.
Harvil gave Barnes about $1,100, but then a second struggle ensued, authorities said. Harvil was knocked over and a TV set fell on top of him, but Harvil was able to reach his own gun, a .357 magnum. He fired twice, hitting Barnes once in the chest and a second time in the eye.
The second shot killed Barnes, Shuler said. Only later was it learned Barnes had robbed Harvil using a toy pistol made to look like a real weapon.“
He had blackened the gun with a magic marker,” Shuler said.
Public Forecloses On Neighborhood
from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PBS cuts back on ‘Mister Rogers’ again
PBS has told member stations that “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” will only be available to air one episode weekly beginning in the fall. This past season, stations that wanted to air the “Neighborhood” daily had that option. Not anymore.
“PBS is operating under very tight budget constraints and it already has a full program lineup to support Monday through Friday,” said Kevin Morrison, chief operating officer for Rogers’ Oakland-based Family Communications Inc. “If it was offering ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ on a daily basis it would only be as an option to the existing full lineup of programs, and that option is an expensive option for them and the financial situation prevents them from making that an option.”
Presumably that means WQED will also air the show just once a week, although I haven’t gotten definitive clarification on that yet.
Treat Me Like Your Mother
Defaced In God’s Image
Gallery’s invitation to deface the Bible brings obscene response
by Mike Wade
A publicly funded exhibition is encouraging people to deface the Bible in the name of art — and visitors have responded with abuse and obscenity.
The show includes a video of a woman ripping pages from the Bible and stuffing them into her bra, knickers and mouth.
The open Bible is a central part of Made in God’s Image, an exhibition at the Gallery of Modern Art (Goma) in Glasgow. By the book is a container of pens and a notice saying: “If you feel you have been excluded from the Bible, please write your way back into it.”
The exhibit, Untitled 2009, was proposed by the Metropolitan Community Church, which said that the idea was to reclaim the Bible as a sacred text. But to the horror of many Christians, including the community church, visitors have daubed its pages with comments such as “This is all sexist pish, so disregard it all.” A contributor wrote on the first page of Genesis: “I am Bi, Female & Proud. I want no god who is disappointed in this.”
Boy reading newspaper, New York, 1944
The power of reading
Morrison on André Kertész’s photographic celebration of the joy of the written word
Boy reading newspaper, New York, 1944 Photograph: The Estate of André Kertész/Courtesy of Stephen Bulger Gallery
One of my favourite André Kertész photographs shows two young men sitting with their backs to a tree, each absorbed in a book. Both are wearing glasses; both use their thighs as a lectern; the one facing forwards is black, the other, in profile (a dead ringer for Woody Allen), is white. Their proximity suggests they know each other and are friends. And given the time and place of the composition, the photo could serve as an icon of the civil rights movement – racial harmony as observed in Washington Square, New York City, 1969. What’s equally striking, though, is how separate the two men are, how oblivious to each other’s presence (and to the camera). They might be friends but their real companions are their books.
Citizen Entrepreneur Presents Initiatives to Solve California State Budget Woes
“Sicko Porn Star” In A Headline
Sicko porn star arrested outside L.A. for stalking two teenage girls
Wednesday, July 22nd 2009, 4:00 AM
A porn star once busted for allegedly flashing women on New York subways was arrested outside Los Angeles for stalking two teenage girls, officials said Tuesday.
California Highway Patrol officers cuffed Ken Hoyt, 44, at his Hollywood home on Friday after cops said he followed two young girls in his car, Officer Luis Mendoza said.
“They were in the vehicle running errands,” Mendoza said. The driver “tried to get away from his vehicle. She feared for her life. She knew that the person was up to no good.”
Hoyt – who starred in adult videos such as “Sexcetera” and “Big Gulp” – was charged with stalking and failure to re-register as a sex offender when he moved from New York to California, authorities said.
Encapsulating The Conventional Wisdom Critique of Cronkite’s Career
Low-rent, Mr. C
Jeweler Plans To Sell Diamonds From The King of Pop’s Locks
by Alex Palmer, N.Y. | July 24, 2009 3:56 EDT
The charred locks of hair from Michael Jackson‘s disastrous Pepsi commercial shoot are being turned into diamonds. Chicago-based jeweler LifeGem, which specializes in creating high-quality diamonds from individual hair samples, has announced plans to release a limited collection made from the King of Pop’s hair.
“Our plan is to give people an opportunity to own a diamond made from Michael Jackson’s DNA,” said Dean VandenBiesen, founder of LifeGem, in a statement.
The hair was first obtained by executive producer Ralph Cohen during the now-infamous 1984 Pepsi shoot for Pepsi when Jackson’s hair caught on fire. After helping extinguish Jackson’s hair with his Armani jacket, Cohen scooped up the hair and put it into the jacket’s pocket, where it remained until Jackson’s death 25 years later.
[ click to continue reading, or voice your disgust, at billboard.com ]
Rhythmic Tree Cacophony
Kaleidoscopic Folds from Tara Donovan
At the Lever House Lobby, [an] eye-grabbing sculpture by Tara Donovan. Ms. Donovan’s untitled piece consists of 2,500 pounds of plastic sheeting loosely folded into a wide box that is glassed in on the front and back and built into a freestanding white wall.
At first you notice the serpentine pattern formed by the edges of the plastic material. Then a remarkable optical effect kicks in. Light pouring through from either side reflects on the shiny surfaces of the plastic folds, producing a shimmering, kaleidoscopic effect. The transformation is magical and more hallucinogenic than anything suggested by Mr. Surls’s works.”
Photo: Librado Romero/The New York Times
[ click to view full slideshow of OUTSIDE ART at the NY Times ]
Artist’s NZD $20 Revenge
$190,000 withdrawn in $20 bills
Irate bank customer hits back
By LAURA BASHAM – The Nelson Mail
Defiant Mapua artist Roger Griffiths today made a stand against Westpac by withdrawing his $190,000 savings in $20 notes.
The bank provided a red-and-black carry bag to take away the cash after meticulously counting it in front of Mr Griffiths at its Nelson branch.
Mr Griffiths, a loyal Westpac customer for 25 years, decided to withdraw his money after the bank rejected his application for an $80,000 mortgage. “It’s about time normal people took a stand.”
He said the bank turned down his application because he did not have a regular income as an artist. However, he was a successful artist, exhibiting his paintings at the World of Wearable Art complex, in Christchurch and New York, he said.
He wanted to buy a $385,000 property in Mapua, had $200,000 in cash and was going to sell his $110,000 campervan.
That more than met the bank’s criteria for a 20 per cent deposit, and the property which included a home and commercial premises would have returned $500 a week, he said.
Having decided to withdraw his money, he then decided to make it hard for the bank by requesting payment in $20 bills.
He said the Nelson branch told him it did not have that amount and he would have to also go to other branches at Stoke, Richmond and Motueka. However, he insisted the bank have the money ready to collect at 9am today. He then took it to the Nelson Building Society, saying he would rather deal with NBS because it was part of the community.
Germany Declares War On Fixies
New Bike Trend Could Be Deadly
By Cathrin Schaer in Berlin
Fixed-wheel bicycles are the latest international cycling fashion and the lean, mean machines are now a regular sight on German city streets. However Berlin police say they are extremely dangerous — not to mention illegal.
Fixed-wheel bikes are the latest trend in cycling. But Berlin police are worried that riders who are choosing the cycles because they are fashionable may be endangering their own, and others’, lives.
After a 32-year-old cyclist recently came off his bicycle and suffered serious head injuries in the center of the German capital, local traffic police issued a stern warning. “The so-called ‘fixie’ bicycles … are either poorly equipped with safety features or have none whatsoever,” the statement read. “The use of such bicycles is considered very dangerous, threatening the life, limb and general well-being of the riders themselves — no matter how experienced they are — as well as any other road users.”
The clean, retro lines, minimalist aesthetic and simple engineering have turned the fixie into something of a fashion trend in cycling. Not to mention how it feels to ride one — as one bike mechanic told Wired magazine: “Learning how to ride a fixie was like drinking decaf your whole life and then suddenly having the real thing.”
Clap Hands
Reformed Cannibal Seeking Companionship, Non-commital Relationship
Cannibal now wants love on the menu
NEWS.com.au
AN INDONESIAN cannibal is seeking love, promising his people-eating days are over.
Sumanto, currently residing in rural Central Java, was jailed after he dug up an old woman’s body for a “cheap and tasty meal”.
“She was delicious,” he told AFP from his room at a Muslim mental rehabilitation centre in rural Central Java.
“I love meat… all types of meat as long as it’s cooked. But I don’t eat people anymore.”
But after a lengthy stint in prison, the former farmer now longs for the taste of love.
“What is love? How can I describe it when I’ve never experienced it, never tasted it?”
Sumanto said his cannibal days are over and that spinach was all he ate nowadays in a bid to be accepted back into normal village life.
“I’m sad. People said so many bad things about me. I will strive to get the villagers to open their hearts and accept me again,” he said.
Healing Vibes Out To Adam Yauch
Beastie Boys Singer Adam Yauch Diagnosed with Cancer
Atlanta, GA 7/20/2009 06:09 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)
Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch has been diagnosed with cancer. A cancerous tumor was found on the musician’s left salivary gland, the rapper’s record label, EMI, says.
Yauch, 44, is expected to make a full recovery. The diagnosis has forced the Beastie Boys to cancel their upcoming tour and postpone the September 15 release of their new album, Hot Sauce Committee Part 1.
“Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Adam Yauch, his family and the Beastie Boys. The most important thing is to allow Adam to focus on staying healthy. We wish him all the best and a speedy recovery,” EMI said in a statement.
“I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we’ll release the record and play some shows. It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because I was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later,” Yauch says in a video posted on the band’s Web site.
Greatest Mashup Ever – Iron Maiden meets The Monkees
This Special Sauce May Be Contaminated
from the San Jose Mercury News
Woman found dead in machine at SoCal food processor that supplies McDonald’s
Posted: 07/21/2009 08:31:31 PM PDT
Updated: 07/21/2009 08:50:12 PM PDT
INDUSTRY, Calif. — A 40-year-old woman has been found dead in a machine at a Southern California food processing plant that is a major supplier for McDonald’s restaurants.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives say the woman’s body was found early Tuesday at Golden State Foods in the City of Industry. Investigators believe her death was accidental.
No other details were given about her death or about the woman except that she was an employee.
The Irvine-based company has distribution centers across the nation. Its Web site says the company supplies McDonald’s and developed the sauce for the restaurant’s Big Mac in the 1960s.
Langston Hughes’ House Foreclosed
from The Cleveland Plain-Dealer
House where Langston Hughes lived in Cleveland is foreclosed on, sold at sheriff’s auction
House where writer Langston Hughes lived as a teen is on the block after sheriff’s sale
by Sandra Livingston, Plain Dealer Reporter
The foreclosure crisis has touched a piece of Cleveland history.
A house where writer Langston Hughes lived during high school – a time when he was developing his famously poetic voice – was sold at a sheriff’s auction in February.
Wells Fargo Bank foreclosed on the East 86th Street house and subsequently took title.
The sale price: $16,667, according to the county auditor’s Web site.
Cold Spiced Cherry Soup
Freebord
with thanks to The Mighty Lars
CAT Scans as Fine Art
Spoke wheel’
This is a CT scan of a human skull.
The red ring-like pattern is cancer of the thyroid which has become detached from the thyroid and deposited itself on the skull bone, shown as rainbow-coloured layers.
The yellow area shows a cut section at the top of the skull, which is due to the top part of the skull not being included in the CT scanning.
The cancer has caused the bones of the skull to expand.
Fung has used a post-production trick he developed, known as the “rainbow technique” to add coloured contour lines to this image. This enhances the 3D effect. (Image: Kai-hung Fung)
Nabokov Prefers It On The Couch
Novice Nun in Nude
Nun sues over naked Facebook photos
A novice nun is suing her ex-boyfriend in Italy after he uploaded pictures of her naked on Facebook.
The 31-year-old woman who lives in Turin said she was devastated when she saw the pictures, taken in summer 2006 during a holiday in Sicily, on the social networking site.
The man who said he wanted to stop her becoming a nun has refused to remove the pictures despite the woman’s requests.
Large numbers of Italians meanwhile have logged on to see the pictures leaving comments like: “If all the nuns are like that, I want to become a priest.”