Came across this via The Atlantic Cities. Jo Peel, a urban visual artist from London, does a time lapse of her city mural, “Things Change.” After an amazing panel discussion at the Protest and Public Space Conference at the CUNY Grad Center, this video seemed to capture, visually, the questions I keep coming back to about the porous space between streets, walls, bodies, and imagination.

How do cities come into being, layer by layer, person by person, moment to moment, pixel by pixel? When we break the built environment down, speed it up, watch it grow and crumble…When we ask more from it, what do we mean? What does it want from us? And to what extent are the answers to these questions framed by how we look at and imagine our cities? A few of my jumbled thoughts while I bask in the Benjaminian aura of watching this city grow…

Across the nation supporters have rallied in defense of alleged shooter of Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman. “I call out to people to be awake. Open your mind and your senses to the impending assault on our civil liberties” spoke Charles Gulman. Gulman, a Fish and Game store owner, is one of hundreds rallied at charity firearm swap Grieved Guns for George. “We are gonna be out here every week until we raise enough money, or enough guns to defend our right to defend ourselves.”

Besides the broker fees for arranging swaps, money is also being raised by vending political action merchandise. Over half the attendees are sporting shirts and buttons emblazoned with red, white, and blue flames surrounding the statement: “I killed Trayvon Martin.”

“It’s a relief to see so many people still care about what direction we are headed in,” said Cynthia Thayer, organizer for the event. “When Georgie was arrested we knew something had to be done,” she said, while answering questions about the impetus of this new counter movement. “So we talked to the county commissioner so that we were licensed and legal. And we had a cook out.”

Advertising for the expanding movement took off through a counter to the ubiquitous phrase “I am Trayvon Martin” which everyone from Occupiers to professional sports teams has been wearing. The statement “I killed Trayvon Martin” is featured on headbands, hats, tank tops, and buttons. Online sales were immediately viral, with much support coming from orders across the country.

Supporters for George Zimmerman have raised over $200,000 in funds since he was arrested and charged with second degree murder three weeks ago.

-written by guest correspondent Tyler Foley

Las Torres, Santiago de Chile

Severe Weather, Oklahoma

The Great Escape, Rio de Janeiro

Charcoal drawings on paper from travels between 2009-2012 by Em.

We do not have the luxury of total geographic and cultural isolation that the citizens of Panem’s capitol had, which means that even those of us with snooty voices and ironic tattoos have at least heard of the Lords Resistance Army, Trayvon Martin, or “gang wars” in cities like Los Angeles, Oakland, and Newark. Those of us who bother to pay more attention have summary knowledge of police brutality and debilitating poverty throughout the US, political conflicts in Libya, Columbia, Syria, and Sudan… murders of Aboriginal children in Australia and Canada…mass starvation in south Asia…live televised hunger games in Haiti and drug related (CIA sponsored) child warfare in Mexico and throughout Latin America. Not to mention those “natural” killers, like tracker-jackers and rabid dogs, that could be easily prevented – murderous illnesses like tuberculosis, malaria, and diarrhea. And that’s what we know about “injustice” while just being lazy and mildly attentive. I’m sure a half-hearted google search could triple this list. Some intelligent research would unearth more man-made tragedy than a person can be expected to comprehend.

So hey, why don’t we cry for those kids? When beautiful little Rue was lay dead in a bed of wildflowers (in the book and the film), I cried. “Real tears”, as my boyfriend’s mother put it so succinctly. When Trayvon Martin was shot in the chest and lay dead in the grass…I watched. I shrugged my shoulders. Definitely not because I did not care, but because I was not surprised. I said to myself, “he’s not the first, or the last.” Most of us, ashamed or not, behaved the same way.

This can be blamed on nothing so simple as human apathy. It is true that when we see news we do not like, we change the channel. Maybe we post a link to facebook first, to make other people read an article we didn’t bother to finish. Or maybe we even make a t-shirt, or a poster, or wear a hoodie, or spend the night in the park. Maybe we do all of these things and more. But what we do NOT allow ourselves to do, is feel too deeply. What we do not do, for Trayvon, or the 16-year-old boy on my block who was just shot by another 16-year old boy from the block, or every boy named Ahmed who will die in an explosion in the name of Allah or “freedom” or oil- for each one of those children we do not take 2-hours from our life to eat some popcorn and mourn.

The Hunger Games fits, though we hate to admit it, into the “escapism” of popular entertainment that allow to “feel human” for a few sweet hours without any lasting obligations or implications. One insightful writer to The Atlantic noted “In Katniss The Hunger Games offers that populist hero the Occupy movement wasn’t able to deliver.” I’m not saying stories like this shouldn’t exist, and I’m not saying that the educational value of these stories ought to be dismissed. All I’m saying is, I went to the movie and there was not a kid to be seen. A few young black men walked out about an hour into the movie, and I looked around to find myself in a dark room of teary-eyed women watching Katniss being dressed in flames. Again I say, be cautious:

“What innocent heroes don’t always understand is that they play a useful role for people who have much more cynical motives. The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage.” (Teju Cole, The White Savior Industrial Complex )

Unlike the controversial (familiar) imagery of Kony 2012, The Hunger Games features no white man to come save the dark peoples of the earth. It’s no coincidence that in this fantasy world beautiful white people play the victims and suddenly it’s breaking records like ‘nobody’ saw coming. But one of the things Panem accomplishes so well is its feminist overtones and omni-racialism. It really condenses the “human problem”, and makes us believe we are all in this together. It allows us to feel, as deeply as we can muster for two/too short hours that in the days of the dark future, we will be on the right side. Not just the winning side. The Right side. The side for good people.

Different “optimists” may have their hopes in a different District 13 (Obama, Zuccotti Park, Iran, Israel) but we like to forget how the story ends. A leader emerges, bloodthirsty and power hungry as the rest, and tries to to institute their own world order. Think about it. Doesn’t this movie make you feel good about yourself, and think badly about everyone else? Be careful which evil you root for, or you may find yourself starving on the wrong side of the Great Divide.

If you haven’t watched it yet, you can catch the complete “enhanced broadcast” HERE, complete with hilarious Colbert-esque graphics for people with short attention spans.

If you’re a die hard leftist, closet-socialist, or flaming anarchist you’ll find Obama’s pro-Amurrica, pushing numbers, economy talk to be a little GOP. I think he does a fine job of walking the thin middle line, a job no other candidate seems willing to do (or even capable of doing).

Here are some of my favorite highlights (for a variety of reasons) from the set.

If you wanna grab some friends and catch up on the state of the nation together, there’s this daunting State of the Union 2012 DRINKING GAME  to keep things moving.

Hot Springs, Arkansas: Boyhood home of Bill Clinton, favorite southern hideaway of Al Capone

Deep in the endless hills of the Ozarks, is this hidden 1920s oasis of geothermal activity. Secret tunnels between hotels and bars distinguish the underground topography of this early 20th century gem of a town that doubled as a spa retreat and hideout for one of America’s most distinguished gangsters. Art deco hotels and bathouses line the main street of Hot Springs, AR, where Bill Clinton and the man Al Capone himself came for some R&R among the majestic healing waters bubbling out of the surface of the lush hills of central Arkansas. A city out of time, the architecture and mineral-rich landscape is well worth the detour on your southern routes. The mixture of old time saloons, restored (and neglected) 1920s art deco buildings and elaborately renovated bathouses (sadly out of commission), and heavy southern accents sweetly lull you into this domestic oasis. Find yourself some locals and get a taste of this folklore of times past.

Deep in the heart: Memphis, Tenessee

Along the banks of the muddy banks of the Missississippi, the blues well-up deep in the river, pouring down Beal Street into the sweet notes of a guitar dripping over the mummur of a hungry and lovesick crowd. Memphis is a magical and haunted place. Go down to the river and listen for her song.

Tomato pie! : Chicago, Illinois

Can’t say enough about the hometown. Wherever it is for you, hopefully you can indulge in all its good and bad whene you get your ramblin’ self back there. You may be surprised by what home has to offer. Sufficice it to say, if you find yourself in Chicago, get you some deep-dish pizza from Lou’s, Giordano’s, or Gino’s and you are good to go. The skyline is not to be missed (but is much better in the spring and fall than the dead of winter or heat of summer). Bring an appetite and your walking shoes.

Rolling green: Bowling Green, Kentucky

A little town between here and there that is quite a beautiful spot. Stop for a coffee or lunch and take in the verdent landscape and friendly lilt of the locals.

Missouri: Between here and there

Tornaodes tore through Joplin, MO last year, but ‘Missourah’ is still intact and quite a pleasant drive to make between destination 3 and 6. Sunsets are hard to beat en route west, and there is a Steak n’ Shake about every 10 miles.

Skycrapers on the prairie: Bartlesville, Oklahoma

Surprising but true, the only skyscraper designed by the prairie-house man himself, Frank Lloyd Wright, is the great state of Oklahoma. Perhaps not the first place one would think to find such architectural feats, yet this is quite the treat after a long drive west. Nested among the northeast territory of the Sooner state, the Price Tower is a great little spot to check into along your journey.

The only: New York, New York

As Dorothy says, clicking her red heels together, ‘there is no place like home.’ And we’re glad to call home New York City. Snow in October, Hurricanes in August, protests in Union Square, or dancing in Brooklyn. Some of the best places to be are right there in your face.

11. 13 Chambers - Wugazi:  What can I say about this project? Every track works like it was meant to be. An earful of distortion, aggression, and angst – Wu Tang and Fugazi mash-up your adolescence revisited, but louder.  The whole album plays like a summer barbecue – effortlessly engaging, with hot, busy, sweaty, fatty tracks full of volume sizzlin’ like steaks on a grill. I love it.

Favorite Track –  “Forensic Shimmy”  - (ya’ll know the lyrics)

10. Lumpy - Life, Man: Bryan Highhill is a brilliant one-man band who’s music never fails to make me smile. His newest album is yet another drunken, loopy joyride that is great when you’re in the mood for a little bit of sunshine. Not to mention that he jacks up every track with fatty trumpet lines, which in my opinion, can never go wrong.

Favorite Track: “One Thing”

9. Fiest - Metals: This is not the cheerful, girl-in-the-sun sound of Feist’s last album, The Reminder. Instead, the tracks are dark and heavy. Often syrupy and definitely not sweet, they remind me of thunder and dark moss. Partially because the album lyrically dwells on land, water, and sky, and partially because the vocals are expansive and tumultuous, this album is like a night at sea. Distinct from Feist’s last sound, this is a brave (and successful) attempt to leave behind a perfectly good formula for stardom and try something new. For her bravery, she beats out The Strokes return album for a spot in my top 10.

Favorite Tracks: “The Circle Married the Line“

8. Juvelen - 1: I’ve loved this man from the first words I heard him squeal through my speakers. I thought he was a 16-year old boy when I saw his video, but it turns out he’s nearly 35, (Swedish) and brilliant.  He makes a marvelous Prince reincarnate, and I absolutely adore him for it. He doesn’t play the guitar, but nobody is ever going to touch the real Prince. This kid gives it gallant run, and the result in something deliciously, delightfully dance-y, bass-y, and full of joy. A couple of the songs miss the mark, but if this album doesn’t make you need to dance, it is because you suck, or you’re sad and have forgotten how to live.

Favorite Track: “Don’t Mess“

7. Casiokids - Aabenbaringen Over Aaskammen: Usually calling something “easy listening” is an insult, but I say this about this Casiokids album in the best way possible. I mean it absolutely as a compliment- there is nothing obtrusive or demanding about this album. It goes down easy and works like a charm. Think Postal Service without the lyrical density (because I don’t speak Norwegian) meets Múm…always with that layer of that symptomatic Nordic wistfullness we’ve come to expect from those pale northern terrains. Put simply, I like it.

Favorite Track: “Det Haster!”

6. Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears - Scandalous: It’s exactly what it seems, doesn’t require much explanation. Black Joe Lewis is a turn of the century blues man revisited. His six-man band plays dirty, grungy blues licks that are perfectly familiar. What makes this even better than the ‘back then’ is the fusion of his dirty blues sound with sassy Motown horn lines. This album showcases a full brass section that keeps this album on my top 10 year round. Drink something dark and sticky while you listen to this. Then have a cigarette and get laid. In that order.

Favorite Track: “Mustang Ranch“

5. Cuckoo Chaos – Woman: Jeremy and Jackson are a formidable team of songwriters who have been working together on various music projects for over a decade. Their newest band, Cuckoo Chaos, is their most rhythmic and groove driven thus far. Woman is a perfect party album…or one of those sonic stories made for cruising down Hwy 1. They definitely sound like a band that lives 10 minutes from the beach, and their time in San Diego shines through the tight vocals and bass-y punch lines. They’ve been compared to Vampire Weekend in  every review, but since I love Vampire Weekend, I’ll repeat that mantra here. Fun times all around.

Favorite Track: “Just Ride It“

4. Thao and Mirah - Thao & Mirah: Mirah has been one of my favorite singer/songwriters for many years,  getting more play on my playlists than anyone but Joanna Newsom. For this album she teams up with Thao (from Thao + The Get Down Stay Down) for a playful collection of perfectly girly songs, just they way I like them. Mirah’s voice on this album rings clear as her own, and her tracks are probably my favorite on the record. The  album feels more like a compilation of Thao and Mirah songs, as opposed to a collaboration between the two. Not every song speaks to me, but the upbeat, neo-grunge production (by Merrill Garbus!) makes this still a fun bunch of tunes overall.

Favorite Track: : “Little Cup“

3. Scott Garriott – Dragon in The Doorway: This album by Scott Garriott is a compilation of previously released tracks from his earlier records. He’s a modern day blues man with obvious folk/ rock influences. It sounds like he keeps a collection of Dylan albums by his bedside. Probably the most prolific songwriter I’ve ever known, Scott is a lyrical fountain of wit with a signature sound all his own. If you don’t know Scott’s music, I recommend getting to know it before the cool kids start wearing his t-shirts and you have to hear it from them. Because of the sheer number of plays this album has garnered from me since summer, it has earned the #3 spot on my list this year.

Favorite Track: “Endless Path Behind The Shed Blues (Wildberry Song)“

2. Alexander – Alexander: This album comes from the leader of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a big favorite from last year. Turns out his name is not Edward, it’s Alexander Ebert. This album has some familiar (Zeros) sound, and half a dozen other musical styles as well. It’s eclectic, but not random, a unique soundscape that borrows from electronic, hip hop,  funk, and pop rock influences. Each track stands alone, but together the album plays seamlessly as well – a huge feat for such a broad talent.

Favorite Tracks: “Let’s Win” and “Truth” — > Note: if you watch only one video off this post, make it this one. 

1. tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l s: Merrill Garbus is a vocalist you just can’t turn away from. Her power and control is mesmerizing. Often she twists melodies around in ways that are much too intricate to be as delightfully pop and digestible as she manages to make them. Every note is a wonder and a delight. She also does her own production, for which I have so much respect and admiration. I find her work on this album truly inspiring.

Favorite Tracks: “Powa” (!!!) and “Gangsta“

Happy Listening.  Happy New Year.

……

Honorable Mentions: The Strokes – Angles, Austra – Feel it Break, Broken Records – Let Me Come Home, Bon Iver – Bon Iver

Note: every album mentioned here is available for purchase on iTunes.

The police outnumber the people two to one. Not that police aren’t people, but when they put on that uniform and stand there, shoulder to shoulder, full arsenal on their cocked hips, arms crossed, eyes gleaming, well…they seem closer to cyborgs. If cyborgs had a rudimentary grasp of sarcasm. The condescension found between their brows would be alarming, if it weren’t for the presence of a secondary emotion: excitement. Yep, excitement, simmering just below the surface, observable in the quick twitch of the head and the way they are just a touch too eager to make eye contact.  “Please” they seem to be begging. The best you can do is ignore them.

The people occupy the square. They’re wrapped in cellophane “space blankets”, sparkling in the dim lights implanted in the concrete at their feet. Smiles, everywhere.  People sitting in huddles, standing alone, staring into space, selling neon star wars swords and funny flashing goggles. A band of musicians- three buckets, an air horn, and a euphonium- march past. It may as well be Disneyland. Here the excitement is external. Not brewing in some American macho fantasy behind the police façade, but buzz buzz buzzing around Zucotti Park, picking up energy from the hundreds of bodies that mill around with soft smiles and troubled eyes. It’s obvious a lot of people here don’t know what to do with themselves. They may not even know why they’re there. Who knows why I’m here. But the compulsion was enough that all kinds of people have stopped what they were doing to come down and mill about. Buzz Buzz. Occupying space.  This space and this time and a man wearing goggles paces the square with a sign held high over his head. “If not now, when?” “If not us, who?”

At the front of the park, “direct democracy” sweeps across the crowd in waves. The people hear the message to their right, turn their heads to the right, and repeat it with militant precision.

“NEXT ON THE BLOCK IS KAREN”

“Next on the block is Karen”

“next on the block is karen”

“HI, MY NAME IS KAREN”

“Hi, my name is Karen”

“hi, my name is karen”

“THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONCERNS”

“There have been some concerns”

“there have been some concerns”

“ABOUT HOUSING FOR WOMEN, AND TRANSGENDERED”

“About housing for women and transgendered”

“about housing for woman and transgendered”

“GO ACROSS THE STREET”

“Go across the street”

“go across the street”

“TO THE RED LANTERN”

“To the red lantern”

“to the red lantern”

“AND ASK FOR LUKE”

“And ask for Luke”

“and ask for luke”

“SO YOU HAVE A PLACE TO SLEEP TONIGHT”

“So you have a place to sleep tonight”

“so you have a place to sleep tonight”

It matters, where you put your body.

I sit.

On my way out of the park, I overhear an officer complaining to his colleagues, ”this is so boring. I kinda wish something would happen.” A tall man in a long wool coat walks past with a blond, smiling woman on his arm. She waves to the officer. “Thank you officers!” she says. “You are America.” And then, turns in the direction of the protestors. “OCCUPY A JOB!” she manages to say without feeling shame.

We are the 99%.

Join the people this week: http://occupywallst.org/action/november-17th/

Erato. Members: Amanda Wikström, Petra Brohäll and Ebba Lovisa

Thank cottage cheese and Alexander Parkes for the inspirational percussion. Girls will be practicing this around their kitchen table for  months to come…maybe longer. I like their precise pop sentimentality and static harmonies, so I hope Erato’s got more tricks up their sleeves, and this isn’t the last we hear of them.

The song “Call Your Girllfriend” is a cover from the Swedish pop artist Robyn, who I’d never heard of until I saw the Erato version. The original song is über-produced and significantly less interesting, but the video may be worth watching just to watch someone dance shamelessly for a camera the way 15-year old girls dance when they’re drunk and home alone and absolutely sure no one is watching. Check that one out here.  

Video captured by Eric Sarmiento, inspired by the words of Jane Bennett