nevermind the bricolage

Reluctant Billionaires

Apparently, the Zimbabwean government will release a $100 billion note on Monday, yeah, ONE HUNDRED BILLION. This will buy about two loaves of bread at current prices. In a country where conservative estimates put the rate of inflation at 2.2 million% it won't be long before they will have to come up with an even larger bill to cover needs. I remember seeing pictures in school of Germans with wheelbarrows full of cash going to buy staples, at the end of the Weimar Republic just before the rise of Hitler. I spent some time in Zimbabwe a few years back, it was beautiful, and full of beautiful people whose faces still come to me from time to time. I wonder where those people are now? How do they live/survive? They reckon that 80% of the entire population exists below the poverty line and this in a country that was once rich and prosperous.
   I have been wanting to write about all of this for a while, it's been deeply troubling to me, I have no answers, only consternation really, this is one of those times when you wish there was a way to change the situation in a moment and relieve suffering that somehow cannot be anything but the result of corruptoin and madness

Bishops

The Bishops of the global Anglican communion are gathering for the Lambeth dealio over the next three weeks. Some of them, mostly, but not exclusively, from Africa, have declined the invite, choosing division over fraternization with those they regard as having fallen far from biblical standards, particularly over issues related to homosexuality and women's ordination. A couple of bishops were not invited, Gene Robinson in particular, because his ordination as an openly gay man in a committed relationship, is part of the reason for the current state of tension and disarray within the ranks and file as well as amongst the Bishops, a move that I think was pretty chicken-shit on behalf of whomever it is that sends out the invites. I say he is the reason for much of the current state of affairs, but I think I mean excuse, and it's a lame one at that. My friend, Dr. Gareth, has a some marvelous, must-read, thoughts about sexuality and theology  on his blog. I agree with him when he speaks about struggling to see life as a 'gift freely-given.'

dran

"comme je ne sais pas ecrire, j'ai prefere vous faire un dessin." If you've got a few minutes to spare, you could do worse than check out this rather cool site. And so is this, for that matter

Beautiful Freak

I don't really need to hear Beautiful Freak by Eels in a movie about strange creatures, but it a nice touch, in a blockbuster movie and goes a long way in helping to explain why HellboyII is such a fun ride. It also helps that the movie is directed by Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth), who brings a magical realism to the screen. HellboyII doesn't take itself too seriously, there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour throughout, and lots of in-jokes. The story is wonderfully preposterous--a strange creature, Hellboy, bright red, long pointy tail, huge horns on the forehead, is found during the Second World War and becomes part of a secret government team of paranormal crime-fighters.

Topanga, baby yeah!

I am in Topanga Canyon, bastion of LA hippiedom, home of the famous Inn of the Seventh Ray. It's about 15 minuets from Santa Monica but it feels like a world away. Donna is getting a massage(the reason for the trip up here), I am sitting on a stranger's porch reading and looking at nature, hey man, it's really cool...

Levi's Window

Levi jeans --cool blue window 10p,m,

Tempest in a Media Teacup

Yesterday, George Bush held a press conference to address public consumers about the economy--in light of the mortgage and banking crisis, escalating fuel prices and a general sense of malaise and downturn. In contrast to the rather widespread sense of gloom that seems to pervade the air these days, Mr. Bush was upbeat, optimistic and seemed somewhat disconnected from reality, perhaps that is my bias, but I found it a bit disturbing--maybe he knows stuff the rest of us don't, you hope so I suppose. Anyway, you'd think that a speech like this would garner an immense amount of commentary and perhaps even debate, but no, what do we get spread across virtually every media platform?

Dust Bowl Troubador

Mortgage meltdowns, bank collapses, escalating fuel and food prices, to say nothing of an on-going war, the resurrection of the Taliban, and a long list of war-related issues---the list of woes seems to go on and on here in the good old USA at present. Global economic dynamics and interconnectedness seem to be pushing the limits of old school capitalism as the world stretches itself into new horizons, maybe we need a musical accompaniment to our current despair. Woody Guthrie, would have been 95 years-old on July 14th (or 96 depending on who is dating his birth), had he lived that long. Of course, he does live on, in the annals of popular music, and in terms of influence, but he's not around to create songs that speak to the present condition, the pain and hardship being experienced by people struggling to make ends meet in a time of economic woe. 

Going Mobile

I downloaded Typepad Mobile--just seeing if it works. Le Pain Quotidien Pasadena...

Bastille Day!!

For all 'mes amis Francaise'!! In honour of Bastille Day I think I will officially declare this coming week--French pop music week--and kick things off with a little Serge.

Coupland

Douglas Coupland is a writer, or at least, he is principally known as a writer, but he is actually an artist, and art is what shapes his writing arc. His site is always full of interesting stuff, visually as well as textually. I spent some time going back over his New York Times blog recently, and the stuff he wrote on that blog still has some resonance. A particular piece he did on fashion, based on some design work he did for Viktor and Rolf, was quite brilliant. Like me, Coupland believes that fashion should be taken more seriously than it usually is, particularly by academics and those who spend a lot of time critiquing culture.
    I really like his take on most things, there is a wry sense of humour and social critique in most of the things he does. I liked the pieces he did as a homage to Jeff Koons and the Logo Security blankets--they say so much about our culture and our relationship with stuff--what consumerism and shopping offer us, or at least the illusion they offer.

Holy Fire

There was, what looked to be, a really interesting show at the iMal Center for Digital Cultures and Technology in Brussels earlier this year. It was called Holy Fire Art of the Digital Age and featured a number of new media artists presenting 'art of our time,' digital art in one shape or another. The exhibition site is still up and you can explore the work of the contributing artists by linking through the main site. It is a good look at how new media is reframing artistic expression.

Bicurious?

The top song on the Billboard chart this week is, I Kissed A Girl, a fairly typical title for a pop song, and a fairly typical pop song all in all, the only twist is that the singer is a girl, Katy Perry. So the number one pop song in the US is a song about a girl kissing a girl, apparently just for fun, just to see what it was like. I would imagine that for most people, listening to the lyrics is secondary to feeling the groove, I Kissed A Girl is, afterall, a dance-floor song, so dance-ability takes precedence, but the song has generated a lot of chat about its lyrical content on both talk and public radio. Ever since Madonna kissed Britney Spears on the MTV Awards, the fascination of girls kissing girls has become a topic of occasional public debate and commentary.

Collage!!

Some pretty intense collage work from German artist Florian Kuhlmann. This piece is called, Dystopian Death Star.

Let Them Eat Blog

The ever thoughtful Douglas Rushkoff has some interesting thoughts on the implications of the digital age in an invocation address he gave at the Personal Democracy Forum last week. You can watch it here.