There is an interview with Jürgen Habermas

Jürgen Habermas
(Ink & Watercolour on Paper, 2007)
© Terje Nicolaisen.

. . . here at The Financial Times. Unfortunately, the relative number of column inches devoted to the introductory profile of Habermas and the too-short interview that follows is way out of balance. Nonetheless, Habermas is smart and influential. The piece is worth reading.

Drill Baby, Drill? (2)

This is a follow up on my post from a couple days back. Point #1: I lifted the map above from The New York Times it nicely illustrates the calamity being created by a single well. Point #2: when you are told that expanding off-shore drilling will create 'real jobs right here in America' you should reply: 'Yeah, What Kind of Jobs you Talkn' About?' ... You can find a gesture toward an answer here. The analogy to miners in Appalachia is telling - no options, incredibly dangerous work, and parents who really, really don't want their kids to follow in their footsteps.
__________
P.S.: And before you think 'there goes Jim, that wacky pinko, being alarmist about the environment again,' consider the damage that this 100 mile long slick will do to the economy of the area, which relies on tourism and fishing.

Annals of Fair Use: “Shame on Al Gore” and Shame on the State of Texas

Cameron Todd Willingham, 1994.
From Texas Death Row © Ken Light.

Regular readers will know that I have pretty expansive understanding of "fair use" when it comes to photographs. I acknowledge that many cases are quite complicated. Some, however, are not. And when Al Gore and his company not only used this image by Ken Light without permission, but then appealed a small claims court ruling in Light's favor, they were well out of line. Arguably, the judge that found for Gore on appeal is totally wrong. You can find a story on the case here in The New York Times.

Even more importantly (Light would surely agree) is this story from The New Yorker, the source from which Al and company lifted Light's picture of Willingham; it argues that Willingham, who was executed in 2004 very likely was innocent of the crimes he was accused of committing.

"PowerPoint Makes Us Stupid"

Agreed. According to this story in The New York Times this PowerPoint slide has evidently been making its way around the Internet. It - no joke - purportedly depicts U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan. It was part of an official presentation to General McChrystal last summer in Kabul. The military is evidently learning what Ed Tufte has been preaching for several years. Once he has finished with his current posting to Washington - as adviser to the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board - perhaps Tufte can be transferred to Afghanistan?

And, of course, it goes without saying that the stupidity of our being involved in our current wars in the first place is not a product of PowerPoint.

Best Shots (111) ~ Sophie Ristelhueber

(138) Sophie Ristelhueber ~ Because of Dust Breeding (Detail)
(28 April 2010).

Drill Baby, Drill?

Fire boats try to put out the Deepwater Horizon before it sank.
Photograph © KPA/Zuma/Rex Features.

Does anyone remember the Republicans chanting "Drill Baby, Drill" during the 2008 presidential election campaign? We dodged the McCain/Palin bullet and got a fistful of "hope" instead. Does anyone recall that Obama insists on expanded offshore drilling as a key component of what passes for his energy policy? "Change" anyone? This rig has collapsed into the sea. A dozen or so workers died, many others were injured. The industry is dirty and dangerous and does nothing what-so-ever to wean the U.S. off of fossil fuels. At the moment the well head is pushing in excess of 40,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico each day. I'd say that Obama's policy is a joke, but that would make light of what is an ongoing calamity.

Salomé - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

"I am a Student in Philosophy and photographer
Today, I have a figure-hugging classy look. I like to change every day ...
If I had € 1 000 I would buy CHANEL Shoes and a CHLOE Bag.
I love Books. I hate Hipocrisy".
My message to the world: "Stand back with retrospection"
I wear a camisole by H&M
Short by ZARA
T-Shirt by COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS
Shoes by R. GLERGERIE
Bag by PRADA
Perfume: "Dior J'adore" by DIOR

Salomé - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

"I am a Student in Philosophy and photographer
Today, I have a figure-hugging classy look. I like to change every day ...
If I had € 1 000 I would buy CHANEL Shoes and a CHLOE Bag.
I love Books. I hate Hipocrisy".
My message to the world: "Stand back with retrospection"
I wear a camisole by H&M
Short by ZARA
T-Shirt by COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS
Shoes by R. GLERGERIE
Bag by PRADA
Perfume: "Dior J'adore" by DIOR

Eyjafjallajokull

This is not usually the kind of image I mention here. But this appeared in a British tabloid over this caption: "Spectacular: The Northern Lights are seen above the ash plume of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano last night." I'd have to agree. There are a handful of similar shots here.

Karen - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Stylist in men accessories
"I compare Fashion with Art. It's the same freedom"
My look is very casual
If I had € 1 000, I would buy new glasses
I love the process of creation and its secrets
I hate dishonest people"
My message to the world: "Don't forget to be generous ..."
I wear a sweater jacket by YVES SAINT—LAURENT
Vintage Silk Under-Jacket
Vintage shirt
Shoes from China
Clutch bag unknown
Gloves made by me in collaboration with FABRE
Vintage Glasses
Perfume: "I did'nt found yet. Always testing ..."

Karen - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Stylist in men accessories
"I compare Fashion with Art. It's the same freedom"
My look is very casual
If I had € 1 000, I would buy new glasses
I love the process of creation and its secrets
I hate dishonest people"
My message to the world: "Don't forget to be generous ..."
I wear a sweater jacket by YVES SAINT—LAURENT
Vintage Silk Under-Jacket
Vintage shirt
Shoes from China
Clutch bag unknown
Gloves made by me in collaboration with FABRE
Vintage Glasses
Perfume: "I did'nt found yet. Always testing ..."

Adrien - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Dancer
"Fashion is to express yourself
"My look is a transition between 80's & 90's"
"If I had € 1 000, I would buy an item of LACROIX or MC QUEEN
"I love Art, I hate discrimination"
My message:"Art and creation make your life better ..."
I wear a vintage jacket from my mother and father (unisex)
T-shirt "Fly Baby Fly" by H&M
Shoes vintage
Slim jeans by H&M
Watch by CASIO
Pefume "Farenheit" by Dior
and NARCISSO RODRIGUEZ

Adrien - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Dancer
"Fashion is to express yourself
"My look is a transition between 80's & 90's"
"If I had € 1 000, I would buy an item of LACROIX or MC QUEEN
"I love Art, I hate discrimination"
My message:"Art and creation make your life better ..."
I wear a vintage jacket from my mother and father (unisex)
T-shirt "Fly Baby Fly" by H&M
Shoes vintage
Slim jeans by H&M
Watch by CASIO
Pefume "Farenheit" by Dior
and NARCISSO RODRIGUEZ

BBC Interview ~ Sebastião Salgado

There is an interesting, longish audio interview with Salgado here at the BBC.

Photography Not Terrorism: Thank the Lord for Libertarians

The NY Civil Liberties Union is pressing a legal challenge to U.S. Government regulations that led to the arrest of photographer Antonio Musumeci outside Daniel Patrick Moynihan Federal Courthouse in Manhattan. You can find reports here and here. You can find street level images of the Courthouse and its surroundings by simply using Google maps; this is a point I've made here before. Musumeci is a libertarian (as is the fellow he was photographing on the day they were arrested) accounting, no doubt, for his willingness to seek legal redress.

Educational 'Reform' Haunts Rochester

On occasion I have posted here on educational reform in a general way. Well, reform is on the agenda in Rochester. The mayor and several other local politicos are pushing hard to institute a scheme (still fairly ill-defined) of "mayoral control" over the city school district. The district currently is governed by a superintendent and an elected school board. The new scheme - as I understand it - would dismantle the board and keep the super. It has some significant support and, a while back, the President's of three dozen local colleges and universities endorsed the Mayor's plan.* This is viewed as a get tough move, a dose of realism. In fact it is a mistake - dramatically anti-democratic and based (politely) on scant evidence that the new governance structure is relevant to addressing the pressing needs of students, parents, teachers and staff in the Rochester school district. In responses to critics of his plan the mayor typically adopts a burden shifting stance: the critics, he complains, don't offer a plan for addressing the ills of the school system. The premise of such complaints - and it is a false premise - is that mayoral control itself is a plan for addressing the failures of school system. That is where the mayor is wrong.

Here is an open letter, published yesterday in the Democrat & Chronicle opposing mayoral control. You will note that it includes several suggestions about how to proceed. I am among the impolitic 35.

Dear Rochester Community:

As many of you may already know, Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy has proposed to eliminate the city school board and bring the school system under mayoral control for a five-year trial period. On Feb. 23, the presidents of 19 Rochester-area colleges and universities submitted a letter (to the Democrat and Chronicle) endorsing Duffy's proposal and joined a small group of high-profile supporters including Monroe County Democratic Committee Chairman Joe Morelle and state Assemblyman David Gantt. We certainly respect their right to free speech and we appreciate working at institutions with leaders who are willing to engage in pressing public issues. As faculty and staff from Rochester-area colleges and universities, however, we oppose mayoral control.

We can all agree that the Rochester school system is in a dismal state. We agree with the presidents fully when they conclude that, "The stakes are high." We agree with the underlying motivation of the area colleges' letter. The future of investment and growth in the region is linked to the fate of Rochester city schools. The presidents of area colleges should certainly care about these issues. However, they should use their considerable influence to seriously examine and address all of the factors that militate against a vibrant, sound and effective education for all city students. Mayoral control is not the answer. The reasons for our opposition to mayoral control are threefold.

First and most fundamentally, it will tear away an important layer of democracy. Routine school board meetings provide transparency and opportunities for parents and community members to register their views on important policy decisions. Mayoral control would eliminate a valuable mechanism for citizen participation. We should find ways to make the board more democratic, responsive and accountable. Such reforms might include term limits for school board members, more representation of parents and students on the board, and the creation of a rotating leadership structure. If Duffy is so confident that the residents of Rochester are on board with this proposed change, he should call for an advisory referendum and a legitimate poll involving a representative sample of city residents.

Second, mayoral control has too often served as a prelude to the privatization of public schools through voucher programs, increased proliferation of (for-profit) charter schools (which funnel public funds to the private sector) and the elimination or dilution of collective bargaining agreements, measures which do not necessarily improve classroom instruction and authentic academic growth. In one city after another, whenever mayoral control has been instituted, it has been met with resistance from students, parents and educators for the resulting loss of transparency and fairness and the erosion of basic labor rights of teachers and support staff.

Third, we are not convinced that mayoral control will yield the kind of radical improvements in school performance touted by its advocates. The implementation documents released by the mayor on March 15 and 29 include a number of guaranteed services and promised outcomes, including the following: the promise to staff schools from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. each day; the commitment to provide "the best after-school program in the country"; the guarantee of school bus service to all elementary students who request it; and the provision of "the best behavioral and psychological support for disruptive students..." We applaud the mayor for recognizing some of the core areas that must be addressed for city schools to be successful. Many of these initiatives are indeed long overdue and vital to the educational well-being of city students. However, the mayor has not indicated how these initiatives will be funded given the painful cuts in state and municipal education budgets.

The most recent results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) contradict this claim made in the area colleges' letter that there is "considerable evidence that mayoral control improves outcomes." Of the urban districts that have been tracked by NAEP since 2002, the highest performing districts, Austin and Charlotte, are not mayor-controlled, while the lowest performing districts, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., are under mayoral control. (In fact, Chicago and Cleveland have been mayor-controlled for almost a decade). Atlanta, the district that saw the most improvement since 2002, is not mayor-controlled.

Even though it mentions the problem of concentrated poverty in passing, the area colleges' letter stops short of providing a progressive solution to the enduring matter of segregation in the region's public school systems. How can we continue to profess equality of opportunity in a nation where geography and class largely determine the quality of education children will receive? The area college presidents might have embraced other remedies, such as more equitable funding schemes, better health services and jobs, regional consolidation of school districts or resource sharing between urban-suburban districts. Such progressive remedies have been touted in recent years by academics (many who work at the very institutions these presidents represent), parent associations, public school reformers and advocacy organizations like the Campaign for Fiscal Equity and the Alliance for Quality Education here in New York.

Those of us who want to improve the quality of public education and maintain democracy have a serious fight on our hands. The future of young Rochesterians and our right to self-governance are well worth fighting for. Thank you for your time and consideration of these issues.

— 35 Concerned staff and faculty of Rochester-area colleges and universities

__________
* The plan has significant, articulate opponents too.

Albane - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

Albane:
"I work to pay my Fashion School next year..."
"For me Fashion is an expression of your identity.
My look is rock. If I had € 1000, I would buy
a Vivienne Westwood Bag"
"I love creation. I hate hostile value judgement"
My message:" Don't worry about people staring at you".
I wear a tuxedo jacket.
Skirt vintage from my mum
Belt vintage from my Grand-Ma
Balck top-shirt and scarf casual
Shoes by DOC MARTEN'S
Chinese casual bag
Wayfarers like
Perfume "Amor Amor" by CACHAREL

Albane - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

Albane:
"I work to pay my Fashion School next year..."
"For me Fashion is an expression of your identity.
My look is rock. If I had € 1000, I would buy
a Vivienne Westwood Bag"
"I love creation. I hate hostile value judgement"
My message:" Don't worry about people staring at you".
I wear a tuxedo jacket.
Skirt vintage from my mum
Belt vintage from my Grand-Ma
Balck top-shirt and scarf casual
Shoes by DOC MARTEN'S
Chinese casual bag
Wayfarers like
Perfume "Amor Amor" by CACHAREL

Obama as Opportunist

I want to call your attention to this post ~ "People Thought Obama Would Be Progressive Because He's Black. Big Mistake. But He Could Still Be The Most Transformative President Since FDR" ~ that appeared at 3 Quarks Daily a while back. The author, Evert Cilliers, is spot on about Obama and his prospects (which is a comment on the pathetic state of our politics); he is literate and very funny to boot.

Best Shots (110) ~ Nigel Shafran

(137) Nigel Shafran ~ Compost picture 3 2008-9 (21 April 2010).

Promise Unfulfilled

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

~ Emily Dickinson

This is just another in a line of poems that capture something we've been promised but which remains undelivered. What is the phrase? "The check is in the mail ..."

Gloria - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Student in Fashion Design
I wear a vintage Jacket
Top shirt by H&M
Vintage Short
Tights by H&M
Shoes by ANDRE
Favorite Perfume: "Chloe" by CHLOE
"If I had 1 000€, I would buy ALEXANDER WANG High-Heeled Shoes
people could see from 10 miles !
Fashion is a part of me ..."
"I love girls. I hate Homophobia".

Gloria - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I am a Student in Fashion Design
I wear a vintage Jacket
Top shirt by H&M
Vintage Short
Tights by H&M
Shoes by ANDRE
Favorite Perfume: "Chloe" by CHLOE
"If I had 1 000€, I would buy ALEXANDER WANG High-Heeled Shoes
people could see from 10 miles !
Fashion is a part of me ..."
"I love girls. I hate Homophobia".

Angelique - Etienne Marcel - Paris

I am Student in last year of High School
I wear a long Jacket by ZARA
Dress by AMERICAN VINTAGE
Shoes by DOC MARTEN'S
Beret by KILIWATCH Shop
Ring vintage
Favorite perfume: "Alien" by T. MUGLER
"Eau des Merveilles" by HERMES
"Fashion is a way to express and to make people stare at you ..."
"My look is à l'arrache ..."
"I f I had 1 000€, I would buy a dress by ALEXANDER WANG !"
I love painting. I hate hypocrisy"
My message to the world: "Stay cool !"

Angelique - Etienne Marcel - Paris

I am Student in last year of High School
I wear a long Jacket by ZARA
Dress by AMERICAN VINTAGE
Shoes by DOC MARTEN'S
Beret by KILIWATCH Shop
Ring vintage
Favorite perfume: "Alien" by T. MUGLER
"Eau des Merveilles" by HERMES
"Fashion is a way to express and to make people stare at you ..."
"My look is à l'arrache ..."
"I f I had 1 000€, I would buy a dress by ALEXANDER WANG !"
I love painting. I hate hypocrisy"
My message to the world: "Stay cool !"

Passings ~ Dorothy Height (1912-2010)

Dorothy Height on the platform at the Lincoln Memorial
at the March on Washington in 1963 (Photo: AP).

Dorothy Height, a key, if unheralded leader in the American movement for Civil Rights has died. You can find an obituary here in The New York Times.

The key observation from The Times report reads: "If Ms. Height was less well known than her contemporaries in either the civil rights or women’s movement, it was perhaps because she was doubly marginalized, pushed offstage by women’s groups because of her race and by black groups because of her sex. Throughout her career, she responded quietly but firmly, working with a characteristic mix of limitless energy and steely gentility to ally the two movements in the fight for social justice."

Height was hardly the only female civil rights activist to resist this dual exclusion - think of Ella Baker, for instance - and while the movement for civil rights was a crucial one, it is useful to recall its flaws even as we celebrate its accomplishments and keep an eye on its still unattained goals. The same, of course, is true of the women's movement.

Chloe - Les Tuileries - Paris

I a m a Fashion Student
I wear a cardigan by ZARA
Blouse by TOPSHOP
Pants by TOPSHOP
Shoes by KURT GEIGER
Feathers by TOPSHOP
Jewels mix PRIMARK TOPSHOP
Glasses from the Optician I guess
Perfume "Daisy" by MARC JACOBS

Chloe - Les Tuileries - Paris

I a m a Fashion Student
I wear a cardigan by ZARA
Blouse by TOPSHOP
Pants by TOPSHOP
Shoes by KURT GEIGER
Feathers by TOPSHOP
Jewels mix PRIMARK TOPSHOP
Glasses from the Optician I guess
Perfume "Daisy" by MARC JACOBS

The Problem With Conventions

Election observers taking notes at a polling station. Voting in
Sudan’s elections has been extended by two days to ensure
technical problems do not prevent voter participation.
Photographer © Pete Muller/AP (The Guardian, 13 April 2010).

David Campbell has written this typically smart post on the photography of famine generally and famine in Africa more particularly. His concluding comments, referring to the image I've lifted above, are especially on point:

"One of my refrains for how we should understand photographs in these situations is that the problem lies with the absence of alternatives as much as it does with the presence of the stereotypes. Which means I should conclude with a double-page spread published by The Guardian this morning on the Sudanese elections. Clearly any place that is home to both food insecurity and a practicing democracy cannot be simply represented."

David is concerned with the conventions of documentary photography and photojournalism that inform depictions of large-scale human suffering in forms such as famine, epidemic, war, and other sorts of mayhem. He is especially concerned that such depictions dominate the ways that African countries appear in the Western media. David has put his finger on two distinct problems:

(1) How can one depict famine and so on in ways that do not assume stereotypical form (familiar images of starving babies, lines outside of distribution centers, the crush of people with outstretched hands as aid workers distribute provisions, etc.)?

(2) How can one depict the diversity of social and political experience in African countries in ways that, while not ignoring the difficulties that people face across the continent, nonetheless do not perpetuate what some refer to as 'Afro-pessimism'. (I've posted on this matter here a number of times.)?

These are daunting questions and David is correct both to raise them and to suggest that on both dimensions we are captive to conventions. The problem, in other words, is not necessarily one of bad intentions on the part of photographers or the NGOs who host them. Moralism, after all, is a none-to-attractive convention too.

My suspicion, though, is that very similar conventions inform photographic depictions of democracy, especially in African countries and in other 'exotic' places that have yet to embrace our own faith in that political form. It is not so much that I want to question the faith (although it is important to keep an eye on how it actually manifests itself) but that I think we need to keep an eye on how we serve up democracy as antidote. This is a theme I plan to take up over the course of the summer. Thanks David.

Tilly - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I work as Press Attaché
My Jacket is from "Beyong Retro" Shop - London
Jeans and Cropped-Top by AA
Oversized Cardigan by H&M
Vintage Scarf
Vintage DOC, 10£ from London
Perfume: N°5 of CHANEL
My Bike is recycled with BROOKS Saddle
DP43 Wheels self assembled
If I had 1000€ I would buy CHLOE Cape and pants
Fashion is a well-being
My look is whatever merciless ...
I love to ride my bike
I hate people that don't talk and think they are too cool ...
My message to the world: Keep your integrity !

Tilly - Rue Tiquetonne - Paris

I work as Press Attaché
My Jacket is from "Beyong Retro" Shop - London
Jeans and Cropped-Top by AA
Oversized Cardigan by H&M
Vintage Scarf
Vintage DOC, 10£ from London
Perfume: N°5 of CHANEL
My Bike is recycled with BROOKS Saddle
DP43 Wheels self assembled
If I had 1000€ I would buy CHLOE Cape and pants
Fashion is a well-being
My look is whatever merciless ...
I love to ride my bike
I hate people that don't talk and think they are too cool ...
My message to the world: Keep your integrity !

Aziliz & Audren - Le Marais - Paris

Aziliz (sister)
I am a student in HighSchool
I wear a Jenifer Jacket
Pants and Scarf from Internet
Shoes by CONVERSE
Perfume "Miss Dior"
If I had 1 000€, I would buy beautiful boots
I love Cats and Music
I don't like banality
My message to the world: Buy the next CD of Tokyo Hotel
and don't forget to vote for me !



Audren (brother)
I am a TV Producer and Actor student
I wear a jacket vintage
T-Shirt Hip-Hop
Boots by JB RAUTUREAU
Hat by FLECHET (Le Marais)
Sunnies by RAY BAN
Perfume: "Noir de Noir" by TOM FORD
For me Fashion is a game
If I had 1000€ 8 would buy new JB RAUTUREAU Boots !
I love originality and daring
I hate banality and ignorance
My message to the world: Be yourself and have fun !

Aziliz & Audren - Le Marais - Paris

Aziliz (sister)
I am a student in HighSchool
I wear a Jenifer Jacket
Pants and Scarf from Internet
Shoes by CONVERSE
Perfume "Miss Dior"
If I had 1 000€, I would buy beautiful boots
I love Cats and Music
I don't like banality
My message to the world: Buy the next CD of Tokyo Hotel
and don't forget to vote for me !



Audren (brother)
I am a TV Producer and Actor student
I wear a jacket vintage
T-Shirt Hip-Hop
Boots by JB RAUTUREAU
Hat by FLECHET (Le Marais)
Sunnies by RAY BAN
Perfume: "Noir de Noir" by TOM FORD
For me Fashion is a game
If I had 1000€ 8 would buy new JB RAUTUREAU Boots !
I love originality and daring
I hate banality and ignorance
My message to the world: Be yourself and have fun !

On Miroslav Tichy

In The Nation this week is this essay by Jana Prikryl reviewing an exhibit of work by Czech photographer Miroslav Tichy at the ICP in NYC. I know of the famous emigré Czechs - Koudelka and Kratochvil - but had never heard of Tichy who labored on, to the point of mental instability, under the communists. Indeed, while Koudelka has become notoriously peripatetic, Tichy retreated to haunt a single small village. More precisely, it seems, he haunted the women of the village.

The review is odd, as is the work being reviewed. Prikryl first notes what she calls "Tichy's sublime indifference to politics." But she also describes his life in the late 1950s and early 1960s:

Around this time he became certifiably eccentric, and his abnormality, anticipating in reverse the period of Czech "normalization" following the Prague Spring, manifested itself in a few ways. He was certainly a confirmed dropout and recluse. He stopped changing his clothes and mended his coat with wire until it acquired the worm-eaten texture of something out of a Tim Burton movie. [. . .] These habits alone would have been enough to make his life difficult in Communist Czechoslovakia: not only was his appearance a rebuke to the rather conservative socialist ideal of the clean, honest worker but his habits seemed to advertise a radical independence. Barely eating, barely washing, making whatever he needed, going nowhere he couldn't walk--he simply declined to participate in any exchange that would link him to society. Before every May Day parade, the police would lock him up in an asylum so that the sight of him wouldn't embarrass party officials passing through town; early on, before she died, his mother always packed him a little suitcase for this annual excursion.

Tichy may not have articulated his life as self-consciously as, say, Havel (in terms of "living in truth") but it is hard to see anyone asserting radical independence under a totalitarian regime as indifferent to politics. And later still Prikryl calls attention to and contests the distinctly political interpretation of his work that the ICP curators apparently present. It is not that she exactly denies that interpretation. She simply thinks it is, at best, too "arid and clinical." Having not seen the work it is impossible to say much other than the show seems like it would be worth the trip.
_________
P.S.: You can find another review of the Tichy exhibit here in The New York Times. It notes similar "political" themes in his work: "Clearly Mr. Tichy admired legs, and backsides, often cropping the image to show just the lower body. But he did more than ogle. Many photographs show conspiratorial pairs of women: gossiping, telling secrets or otherwise staking out bits of privacy in public." I lifted the two images (both untitled and undated) in this post from The Times review.

Music Rochester

Every so often The Guardian runs a story about the disappearance - or at least precarious existence - of local record shops. There is another in the paper today. I often complain about Rochester as a cultural backwater, but there are at least three terrific independent record stores in town (compare that to supposedly hip places like, say, Ann Arbor, which seems unable to sustain any) - The Bop Shop, Record Archive, and Lakeshore Record Exchange. Each of the stores occupies a distinct niche - for instance, I try not to go the Lakeshore for fear that I will single-handedly dilute the hipness of the staff and clientele simply by virtue of my age. In any case, on this dimension at least our cultural ecology seems relatively robust.

2NE1 - JEREMY SCOTT'S ORIGINALS DESIGN 5

I did it! i taking that pict! hahaha

Adidas Originals Fall/ Winter 2009 Collection by Originals x Jeremy Scott

Phenomenon "Sick" Shirt by Phenomenon

Copyright © Margareta Vania | Yun Ji Cha

2NE1 - DARA - OUTFITS 5

Dara wore the sweater on Family Outing

Mask T-shirt by Adidas x Jeremy Scott

2NE1 - CL - OUTFITS 3

Jeremy Scott 'Men at Work' Collection by Jeremy Scott

Jeremy Scott at the MOCA New 30th Anniversary Gala

2NE1 - MINZI - OUTFITS 4

Baby Minzy<3>

Jeremy Scott x Adidas SS10 Apparel by Jeremy Scott x Adidas

FROM : 2NE1 fansite

Copyright © Margareta Vania | Yun Ji Cha

2NE1 - JEREMY SCOTT'S ORIGINALS DESIGN 4

I am so proud of our girls for their rewards during the Cyworld Digital Music Awards!! They deserved each one for 2009 Best Artist, 2009 Best Song for "I Don't Care", and Best Rookie Group. They had good performances especially when they performed with GD. A lot of shippers should be happy :) So anyways first I noticed that that they're actually wearing their FILA shoes, since I haven't seen them actually wear it and a few items. GD is lending baby Minzy clothes again, he really does treat her better than Seungri! He's been sharing clothes!! I also spotted CL's skinnes!! So let's a go go go!!

Jeremy Scott "Knight Life" Collection by Jeremy Scott

Peace & Love Inc. by Gerlan Jeans Fall/Winter 2009 Peace & Love Inc. Collection

FROM: 2NE1 fansite

Copyright © Margareta Vania | Yun Ji Cha