Skyekat

I know, I generally like to keep certain topics off the boards more often than not, but I just happened upon some really good things recently that I wanted to share. I promise not to put too much polemic into my posts, or to digress down the socio-political alley too often, but I thought these items deserved to be linked-up.

1) Architecture of Authority by Richard Ross

Photoshelter blogged about what photo books they were reading, and this one really struck me. It’s an architectural photography book that focuses on how authority is imposed by the space we’re in. The images are so stark, and yet there’s a strange quality of beauty in this designed order. The range of spaces photographed is also telling, from a Montessori, churches and mosques, where perhaps we first learn the subtleties of power, to courtrooms and the UN assembly hall. It looks like a very moving visual essay, and quite pertinent to the times we live in. (click the images to view larger)

2) CapitolWords.org

Today’s Very Short list was this fascinating website, CapitolWords.org. This website will analyze congressional records to see what the most used word of a given day is. From VSL:

Created by the Sunlight Foundation, Capitol Words demonstrates how oil, energy, health, and intelligence are perpetual hot-button issues — while some days are all about spam (presumably not the canned meat). Traveling back in time can be both a pleasure and a sobering slap in the face: The word from Monday, September 10, 2001, conjures a nation with arms wide open: available. By Friday it was war.

You can view today’s word, or see a month view. The monthly view reveals how heavy certain topics weigh on the minds of the public and lawmakers alike…

3) Underground America: Narratives of Undocumented Lives, Edited by Peter Orner

I would need to be in an extraordinarily good mood to make my way through this book, but I think it’s important that it was written. It’s an oral history of undocumented workers in the US. Especially with the election coming up, immigration is a hot-button issue. What gets forgotten so many times is the human lives behind the numbers of those who have come over to this country to seek a new life. Often, they don’t exactly get what they bargain for, and too often, the conditions they find themselves in are no better than the ones they fled.

The publisher’s description:

They arrive from around the world for countless reasons. Many come simply to make a living. Others are fleeing persecution in their native countries. Millions of immigrants risk deportation and imprisonment by living in the U.S. without legal status. They are living underground, with little protection from exploitation at the hands of human smugglers, employers, or law enforcement. Underground America, the third book in the Voice of Witness series, presents the remarkable oral histories of men and women struggling to carve a life for themselves in the U.S. Among them are:

FARID, an Iranian-American business owner who employs a number of American citizens while he himself remains undocumented. A critic of the Iranian government, he fears for his safety if he is deported back to his native country.

DIANA, who, along with thousands of other Latino workers, helped rebuild the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. After completing her job, she and many others were detained and imprisoned for not having proper documentation.

LISO, a South African woman who was the victim of a bait-and-switch immigration scam. She was enticed to come to the U.S. as a religious missionary, but once here, her sponsors forced her into unpaid domestic labor.

Thanks for listening, and I hope you find something in there that sparks you as well. Now back to the art and fluff.

(I have no idea what the title means, just saying)

What, oh what, you may ask, has finally pulled me out of my post-writing stupor?! Several things, as you will learn, but firstly…

Psychotic baby bunnies!

Secondly, I am just pointing out that my Twittering is probably more reliable than my posting. It’s me in bite-sized bits. Well, when twitter (and the rest of the internet!) isn’t down.

So onto other things. I’ve seen a couple shows in the past couple of weeks. First, there was The National (most recent album), Modest Mouse (most recent album), and R.E.M. (most recent album). It was the first real concert of the summer, Raconteurs not withstanding as I went by myself. As previously mentioned, I got out of work at 3 for this. The concert was starting at 6:30, but it meant that each act got a decent amount of time on-stage. Unfortunately, everyone in the known world was on the road with us. It took me almost twice as long as normal to get to my apartment, and my friend took another half-an-hour after that. Once we were off, it wasn’t too bad getting down there, but we didn’t hit the lot until 6-something. Not a good prognosis! So I had to curb my plans to see The National‘s whole set, because otherwise there were steak-tips that would have gone to waste!

We did make it in for the second half of their set though, and walked into the venue while they were playing “Mistaken For Strangers”. I wasn’t sure how much my companion was going to like them, but he totally enjoyed it too. Mostly songs from The Boxer, but a few others thrown in as well.

Next up was the Modest Mouse, who were very good and had energy to spare. I wish they could have played even longer, but was happy with what I got to hear. My concert buddy didn’t like them quite as much, which surprised me, as he tends to dig the aggressive thing, and they were being a bit that day. The screaming into the guitar and using it as a mic was interesting! I’m trying to remember what they played, but I know “Satin in a Coffin” made it (and I think was the first song), along with “Dashboard”, “Here it Comes”, “Paper Thin Walls”…and a bunch more I don’t remember! This is why I’m not a rock critic.

And finally, there was R.E.M.. I had heard from a number of people that they’re great live, and they really are. I don’t know a ton of their back catalogue, but they’re engaging enough that it really doesn’t matter. Michael Stipe is one funny individual. He’s up there bantering about something, loosing his train of thought, noting that the current tangent is not germane to the story, and then proceeding on with his tale. And his dancing! I did get to hear “Ignoreland”, which made me happy, and they played “Orange Crush”, my friend’s favorite, so everyone left feeling warm and fuzzy.

Then… I disappeared for two weeks. I mean, not literally. I know I did things, I just can’t think of what they were at the moment… I know there was a fair bit of book reading involved. Finished The Age of Conglomerates (which was decent), and also read, Goodbye, Chunky Rice (now an all-time fav), The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch, The Dangerous Alphabet, and The Labyrinth. All of which are reviewed over at LibraryThing.

I also got a brand new haircut and dye job. It’s much shorter now, but I likes it a lot. And I am going to save my thoughts on the two Pearl Jam and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists show for the next post, as this has gone on long enough!

Escape from Amsterdam is a creative thriller about modern-day Japan. The main character, Aozora, is an apathetic student at Kyoto University, aspiring to do nothing more than fix bids at the Ministry of Construction. He’s obsessed with brand-names and just wants to make easy money and retire early. When his Mahjong debts become too much, he’s given a gift. An old Aunt left him and his sister a priceless collection of art. The only problem, he must find his sister. She’s been non-communicative for the past few weeks, so Aozora must set out to track her down, before his debtors track him down. The characters in this book are quirky, and none of them are black and white. Every person in this book does questionable things, even the “good guys.” As the circumstances of his sister become apparent, even Aozora’s motivations come into question. Some of the foreshadowing is a bit heavy-handed, but the story-line keeps your interest piqued. An interesting feature to the book is the manga and illustrations. Peppered throughout are xeroxes of manga, photographs the main character snapped, and drawings he’s made. It’s an interesting story filled with yakuza, family amusement parks with sinister underbellies, and families, as strange as they may be.