blow up the school; pi san animation

with the nytimes reporting of increasing censorship by the communist party in china they've also produced a supplementary piece that outlines the creativity and pointed criticism of the government's actions.

animator Pi San's cartoons are a "mordant swipe at the educational system." One of his first animations of the wordcloud-headed character, Kuang Kuang apparently was viewed 3 million times on its first day posted. government officials reacted by slapping the artist with a fine for "inappropriate content."


here's the Pi San's first animation called: blow up the school.


there are many more available via youtube


* interesting editorial note:
the video is posted by an online chinese magazine called danwei; which is also a type worker house_ this term is connoted with the period of chinese history under heavy socialist influence.

#occupywallstreet

ideas

the results of an exchange of information after a rather awkward platform for discussing [@gsapp] the events that have surrounded the occupy wall street movement.

[yates mckee was terrific; articulate and insightful!]

see you on friday.

cop15

been trying to follow the cop15 conference
the optimism...
the compromise....
the frustration....
the hope...
the disappointment....

i was intrigued by this first hand account by thom yorke. acquiring a press pass he has logged thoughts at deadairspace

here are a few of his thoughts;

"and as i wrote the previous entry my battery goes dead and obama walks past with a very grim expression, everyone thought he was stroming out but no he'd just been in talks with the chinese. just now a french delegate tells me that brazil has stormed out of the talks. this is all so sad. still peace and goodwill to all men. love and understanding.

just no more business as usual ok?? this is all starting to really feel like some enormous vaguely pointless corporate expo."

"well ... i am truly disgusted about the way things have ended here. if you read in tommorrows headlines that a deal was reached?? remember it was nothing like what was needed and was filed by a bored complicit press who needed to show something for two weeks of crap.. and that it reflected the wests inability to lead decisively.
that it will make alarm bells ring throughout the world.
we have no international agreement. this is all too too late.
i feel deeply traumatized by the whole experience. if you'd been there you would also have been."

i also stumbled upon an interview via pitchfork brought to you by the age of stupid


please leave your thoughts if you're at all concerned, outraged, inspired, hopeful....