Absurdity, Allegory and China

What looks clear from the post-fire photos is that the basic structural shape of the TVCC building does not appear to have been altered at all. The lines look to be consistent with the pre-fire lines, though what it looks like inside is still, for me, a guess. I don’t believe that there is any [...]

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Here is a video shot by my daughter, Moira, while she and I were speaking on the phone – me in Tianjin, she just west of the Third Ring Rd. – while the Television Culture Center (TVCC) went up in fire and smoke. She mentions on the vid that the building appears to be in [...]

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Just when I was wondering what had happened to the world’s most expensive train, this shows up. (h/t to Danwei). And at a great deal, too – 50% off. Twenty-one days as an extravagantly pampered tourist in one of the world’s most fragile environments on a train that is “normally reserved for celebrities and government [...]

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This is big news. On the phone with someone on the scene. Ablaze. “Very bad. Looks like it’s going to come down.” ________ Update: Here is a b&w photo which I took on January 26, 2009, two weeks before the fire. This is what the TVCC looked like. The CCTV HQ Bldg. is in the [...]

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And this from the Way Out Ahead of the Pack file: Boy with a Pipe (1905) Pablo Picasso

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The Chinese drywall problems in Florida (USA), continues to gain steam, lawsuits are flying, and at least one class action lawsuit has already been filed. One large homebuilder is temporarily relocating people so they can tear out the defective drywall and replace electrical wiring. Finger pointing, unaccountability and corporate fear in these times of economic [...]

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In the world where “green” has generated all flavors of snake oil and salesmen, Fast Company’s Danielle Sacks takes a very sharp look at William McDonough, the former dean of the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture and self-promoting megaphone behind the failed Chinese eco-village, Huangbaiyu, in Liaoning province. This is a cautionary tale that [...]

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A week of staggeringly brainless news: – Single mother of six, living with her parents, adds eight more to the brood through in vitro fertilization. – Model has nine breast enhancement surgeries and fills it out to 38 KKK. – Dick Cheney gives an interview spreading more fear of nuclear destruction and torture support. When [...]

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I have an email subscription to the Philanthropy News Digest and receive daily updates concerning philanthropic news, usually three/four times per day. It is difficult to watch as the money continues to dry up. Many foundations have lost major capital over the past year, and especially over the last few months in the wake of [...]

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There’s a wonderful poem by Wendell Berry entitled The First, which I think I’ve posted here before, though it’s short enough to comfortably post again. The Cambridge Shoe Toss brought this one to the front of the line. The First The first man who whistled thought he had a wren in his mouth. He went [...]

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