Satan is from Barcelona: August 2011

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Subject Six: Riots in Greece and Mob Mentality

Okay so Greece recently has been in an economic shit hole for a while now and the people were sick of it. They took to the streets to protest and some violent fucks threw some shit and riots broke out. Being in Greece this past summer I got to see the results of the riots first hand and it was really bizarre. I personally got caught up with one of these riots, only running with them for my own safety, but running with a mob just the same. During the riot and the running I noticed how much the mob was one organic figure and how we moved, jumped, and connected to one another. I always find it interesting when groups of people with a common idea become one large mass.

Greek Riots
Mob Mentality Stories
Flash Mobs

These last two are pictures my brother took while we were there.

Subject Five: Body Modification

Short and sweet explantation: Modifying the body in any physical way to achieve ones interpretation of beauty or ideal appearance. It shouldn't really be an issue because get the fuck over yourself and accept other people have a different aesthetic than yourself. Personally I think it is silly when people can't get jobs because of a nose ring or a tattoo. Modification is everything from cutting your hair to wearing clothes and I see it as unfair to hold one hire than another because of the majorities opinion. Honestly it isn't something I think about any more and without the extra holes in my body it would be bizarre to me to see my reflection it's kind of this idea that I think everyone should accept. I am really glad to see that tattoos are being accept more as an art form than as a form of punk rock or rebellion.

Body Modification Ezine
Tattoo Snob
Inked Culture

Subject Four: Space Travel

Recently NASA has shut down the space program which is pretty shitty because space is pretty awesome. Basically because of budget cuts and stuff they had to cut back on space travel. I think it kinda sucks cause space is awesome. It has probably crushed the dreams of several hundred 10 year old boys.

NASA
Loss of local jobs.
Also this:

Major Tom

Subject Three: Animal Testing and the Montauk Monster

In 2010 an animal washed up on the shores of Montauk beach in New York. This animal was hairless and unidentifiable as any animal currently know. Some suspect that it is an escaped animal from Plum Island, a federal run facility that studies animal disease in an effort to prevent it. Others suspect that it is simply a rotting animal that spent too much time in the salty sea. The obvious controversy in this being the exploitation of animals for the benefit of disease prevention and its ethics.

Mostly I would like to know what the fuck is going on over on Plum Island and why these animals keep popping up everywhere.

Plum Island Offical Site
Montauk Monster Official Site
Opinions

Subject Two: Bike Lanes on Madison

The bicyclists would like bike lanes to be installed on Madison because bike lanes would improve their safety while biking and allow greater ease around midtown. Madison was chosen as a bike lane because of it's central location and traffic. However some home and business owners think this will negatively affect there business or home. Drivers do not want to share the road with bicyclist and object the bike lanes. The drivers believe decreased speeds on Madison will ruin there beloved driving experience.

I am in favor of bike lanes because I enjoy the safety a bike lane projects. It is a comforting thought thinking that I can sue the fuck out of any one that may hit me while biking. There is also proof positive that drivers pay more attention to bicyclist when lanes are present. Personally a bike lane on Madison would make my commute twenty times easier, I both live and work off Madison and it is a common road in my travels.

Opposition
Support
Facts

Subject One: Urban Blight

Urban decay or blight is defined as the social and physical decay of a functioning area of an urban enviroment caused by economic and social disturbances. The result of this process is large areas of abandonments, whether they be buildings, plots of land, public parks, etc., in a populated functioning area that negatively effect economic standings, crime rates, and unemployment rates along with many other unwanted functions of a society.

This doesn't have much debate it seems that successful endeavors to buy up the land and create useful new spaces out of them has worked positively for communities, this can also create gentrification which I don't care much about and is another story, but moral of the story the issue of urban blight is a solvable one. However if you are an artist these spaces becoming something of a source of inspiration and an awesome addition to a city. I think without these spaces of emptiness the city itself looses its historic importance. Mostly though it gives people the chance to study the buildings, historically and architecturally, to gain the opportunity to enter the buildings. Basically I want these empty buildings to stick around so I have someplace to explore and be inspired by.

Artists using empty spaces.
Public repurposing of blighted areas.
Artists and explorers interactions with these spaces.