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[Image: Another photo from the Students Under Occupation Exhibit, this one by Essam Al-Rimawi of the Qalandia Checkpoint, Ramallah-Jerusalem, July 2005. "Education is the main foundation for building freedom and independence and as such is one of our strongest available tools to stand against the occupation. So, as students at Palestinian universities, we a have major role to play in the society. But we also face a lot of pressures and obstacles under the Israeli occupation, such as the checkpoints, closures and isolation. The Israeli occupation doesn’t want a well educated, intelligent Palestinian population to exist. It wants an underdeveloped Palestinian society to ensure the continued domination of the occupation."]

Originally from Subtopia on April 29, 2006, 7:30pm

[Photograph by Alex Webb, Crossings: Photographs from the U.S.-Mexican border.]

So, the Senate has diverted 2 billion dollars in Iraq funds to beef up security along the U.S.-Mexico border. Do people really think terrorists are sneaking in that way? Haven’t they already proven far more sophisticated than that? How many terrorist suspects have they actually apprehended there? Instead of pouring billions into border-crosser hunting games, shouldn’t those billions go towards something more worth while? Like affordable housing, community-based Day Laborer programs, labor exploitation oversight enforcement, border urbanism infrastructure: sewage treatment facilities, environmental clean up initiatives in and around Tijuana?
Latino families are one of the fastest growing sectors of the homeless population in California, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of Latinos that populate California’s behemoth prison system. Meanwhile, 10 billion a month goes to Iraq, the Senate deliberates over an Immigration Bill and Border Security Act (which could turn millions of migrants into felons over night and yield a 2.2 billion dollar 700 mile border fence extension), and contingents on both sides are already taking action into their own hands.
May 1, is gearing up to be what has been dubbed by immigration rights advocates, as a day to “shut down all cities”; and perhaps could be a precursor to an even more massive display of immigration solidarity over Cinco de Mayo. From the article, the national boycott has the potential to be the biggest nation-wide protests since the 1960’s. And we need some epic social protest around here, these days, and to see just exactly how the American business machine will grind when the Mexican labor movement pulls out, if even for a day. American Agribusiness is feeling it.

[Image: Contractors and surveyors teaming up with the Munitemen on the border. CBS.]

The Minutemen (in all their self-proclaimed authority) are rallying clans to begin building a border fence between Mexico and the U.S. all on their own. That’s right. Frustrated by what they say is the government’s failure to secure the borders (and viewing recent migrant protests as some sort of hostile alien invasion instead of the democracy of political demonstration in action), they are coordinating a plan with private landowners along the border to repair gaping holes in the current fence portions there, as well as to begin building a new security fence “with or without the government’s help,” they say.

“We’re going to show the federal government how easy it is to build these security fences, how inexpensively they can be built when built by private people and free enterprise,” said Chris Simcox, President of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (“MCDC”).
The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. are descending on the Arizona-Mexico border with donated materials and tools. For one, do they really believe that their fence repairs are going to stop border-crossers, or help in any way to resolve the issue of immigration or terrorism? Secondly, should they plan to erect something more securitized than a mere fence (like sniper outposts, for instance) is it legal for citizens to just go and build something that is essentially a militarized structure? Now, of course they’re entitled to build a fence on private property, but theoretically, should citizens have the right to establish military-style structures at will? Well, this article looks at the legality of civilian patrol groups in this country, which sort of exist as private citizens above any federal or state law that explicitly deals with enforcement powers. I haven’t read it fully yet, but the fine line of where civilian groups are active volunteers protected under the constitution and where their volunteerism begins to interfer with law enforcement could be examined more carefully here.

[Image: Predator 3 UAV, Flight Global.]

Anyway, if you find yourself down there for whatever reason, watch out for falling drones. The Border Patrol apparently let one get away from them a few nights ago. Perhaps a sign that the situation is simply out of everyone’s control, that’s several million dollars that just crashed and burned into plume of dirt on a ranch somewhere. What a waste.
Also, see Subtopia’s earlier coverage of militarizing the U.S.-Mexico border, and this border urbanism news round-up.

Originally from Subtopia on April 29, 2006, 4:58pm

Where Lines Are Drawn by sean hemmerle

Through Hemmerle’s photographs the political situations are remarkably tangible–the sad and complex stories embodied. In these solitary, forsaken landscapes the streets are often dead ends marked by a cul-de-sac, a massive and improbable wall bisecting the street and blocking our visual line, it is an alien presence which has grudgingly become accepted into its surroundings.

In each of these places Hemmerle’s photos show the physical manifestation of ideological differences and the political desperation, that once deemed intractable, are made concrete and expressed through the architecture of walls and barriers. Through Hemmerle’s photographs it becomes apparent that each place, while unique, shares a common malady. These are similar microcosms of societies at loggerheads, with temporary societal band-aids erected over larger cultural divides. By photographing international zones of contention he shows the landscape of discord, and the architecture erected for this specific division.

More Hemmerle Work:
(Review by Thomas Micchelli) | THE TWIN TOWERS | The American War on Terror: Iraq | Secret Collaborators | What the Killers Saw

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Students Under Occupation: Photographs from the Right to Education Photography Project

A group of student photographers from two Palestinian universities in the West Bank (Birzeit University near Ramallah and Al-Najah University in Nablus) came together to work on the Right to Education Photography Project. Their aim was to document student life and the obstruction of Palestinian education under military occupation, through the artistic expression of their own ideas and experiences.

As well as capturing the major obstacles to pursuing an education in occupied Palestine – obstacles that include routine harassment and arrests of students by Israeli soldiers and the daily struggle to reach school and university under a regime of military checkpoints - the photographers also reflected on some of the less visual aspects of student life under occupation. The photographs in this book touch on themes as diverse as isolation, poverty, resistance, absent classmates, military barriers, student prisoners and determination.

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The Wall and the Checkpoints: Emily Jacir, Tareq al Ghoussein, Rula Halawani & Dana Erekat

Four artists interpret “the wall” and translate life across the many checkpoints throughout their occupied homeland – Palestine.

In the two-channel video installation “Crossing Surda (a record of going to and from work),” Emily Jacir offers perhaps the most recognizable interpretation of land divided up into physical boundaries, while In her installation “Where We Come From”; consisting of photos, related texts, and a DVD projection, the artist documents the wishes and the fate or status of people who are not allowed to cross the checkpoints, and then what she did in order to fulfill each wish.

In her series of photographs, Rula Halawani follows the construction of “the wall” which divided her road to work. In her images the skies are weighed down with fear and ugliness, but one can sense the artist’s promise to her homeland.

Tareq al Ghoussein’s images investigate barriers, land, longing and, ultimately, belonging, evoking the artist’s awareness as to how these inform, shape and define each other.

Dana Erekat’s photos capture with simplicity and depth how at a time when the occupied land’s Road Map is being redefined by walls, barriers, and destruction, the human body and mind adapt to these physical barriers: braving the threat of insanity by confinement and the threat of a soldier’s bullet, while waiting to cross.
(Review by Maureen Clare Murphy; Ica Wahbeh; Rula Halawani)

Originally from Subtopia on April 26, 2006, 9:45pm

Rust Belt, Corn Belt, Biodiesel Belt: one blends into the next if you’re touring in a biodiesel powered vehicle across the north-eastern quadrant of the US. There are enough stations in the “belt,” as approximated in the grapic, that you won’t find yourself without biodiesel unless you enter one of the “non-renewable” zones like Upstate New York. See this biodiesel retail sales locator map for a broader picture of what we’re talking about, courtesy of the National Biodiesel Board. Practically speaking, the risk of totally running out of fuel is low because you can always fill up with straight petro-diesel or a blend, as shown on this locator map. For everyday driving, large clusters of biodiesel outlets in Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana represent a good and growing infrastructure. In states such as Vermont, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia, the choices are fewer, but stations are still common enough that, with a little planning, a road trip could likely remain renewably fueled. With the online maps in these two links you can plan your journey around actual hours of pump operation or avoid wasting fuel just to get a fill up, which would be rather “Un-TreeHugger” as we say.

Originally by John Laumer from Treehugger on May 1, 2006, 7:30am

Monday morning’s aren’t many people’s favorites, and sometimes it takes a little something extra to get things rolling after a weekend off. For many of us TreeHuggers, coffee gives us that extra kick that gets the week started on the right foot. Here are our picks to get the week going, from organic, fair-trade beans all the way to the to cup.

1) Solar-powered roasters are tough to beat when it comes to TreeHugger-friendly coffee roasters.
2) Hand-crank grinders yield a super-uniform grind and saves strain on the grid.
3) We like stainless steel French press carafes for brewing up the sweet bean.
4) Iced coffee is a cool alternative for saving energy this summer.
5) A reusable traveler mug is the best bet for those who have to drink and run.

Originally by Collin Dunn from Treehugger on May 1, 2006, 10:00am

No idea if this really works, but sounds intriguing nevertheless. Fruit and veg emit ethylene gas as they ripen, we’re told. And when too much ethylene gets trapped inside a well sealed fridge it can speed up the aging and rotting of garden produce. In short, veggies lose their crispness prematurely. The E.G.G. (Ethylene Gas Guardian) is an egg shaped container holding a sachet of potassium permanganate bonded to zeolite. Apparently the potassium permanganate absorbs the ethylene gas, and the zeolite has such a huge surface area it can hold enough of the oxidiser to be effective for 3 months, extending the storage time of fruit and veg. You then place another sachet inside the vented egg (it allows sufficient air to circulate), while the spent zeolite, being derived from natural volcanic ash, can simply be tipped onto your garden. Available in the UK from ::TheOLife, and in the US through ::WayChem.

Originally by warren from Treehugger on May 1, 2006, 1:07am

China, as we have reported recently, is making serious commitments to stemming the environmental damage being caused by their explosive industial revolution. One of the biggest ecological projects taking place in China is that of Dongtan. Last year the British engineering company Arup unveiled it’s proposal to develop Dongtan as the world’s first eco-city on Chongmin Island off Shanghai. Arup is developing their masterplan in partnership with the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC), which is committing billions to the project. The first phase is scheduled to be finished by 2010 in time for Shanghai’s World Expo. This week the excellent BBC 4 radio environmental series, Costing The Earth, reports from London and China on the progress of the Dongtan project. The programme discusses various aspects of this hugely ambitious build including the need to preserve one of China’s last untouched natural habitats. The island is home to some amazing wildlife and is especially well known for its bird breeding site at the southern tip. The Dongtan project also provides fantastic opportunities to test and develop new environmental technologies, like fuel cell cars. The idea is that the city should be an eco-showcase for others to witness and learn from.

(This post continues on the site)

Originally by leonora from Treehugger on April 30, 2006, 1:51pm

The ribbon was cut on the World’s largest continguous solar plant on 27th April 2006 in Germany. Construction on the 40 million euro (US$48 million) photovoltaic installation started August 2005. This plant demonstrates new standards in cost-efficiency for solar power. Using the master-slave inverter concept developed by Shell, the plant delivers the optimized energy output. Also, flexible installation technology–such as the use of either aluminum, wood or steel racks depending on material prices and the foundation on either concrete or piles–optimizes the costs. And if solar is viable in Germany, just imagine the efficiencies possible where the sun really shines!

(This post continues on the site)

Originally by Christine Lepisto from Treehugger on April 30, 2006, 2:28am

Simple Log inspired collection of bench, stool and table in laminated, oiled oak. Designed by noteworthy Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa for Swedese.

related links

Swedese

Originally by adnan from sensoryimpact.com on May 1, 2006, 7:21am

Nendo’s new blub, Hanabi, uses the heat from the light to allow the alloy lamp to “bloom” whenever the light is turned on. The name “hanabi” is a the Japanese word for “fireworks”, literally means “flower + fire.”

related links

Nendo: Hanabi

Originally by adnan from sensoryimpact.com on April 30, 2006, 4:08am

an experimental architectural project for the Nestlé World Headquarters in Vevey (Switzerland), which proposes to insert a series of “spatial entities” in the existing building. the RealRoom(s) are informed by atomic clocks, luminosity, heat, pressure & humidity sensors, & are distributed in a regular framework representing the entire world globe (one RealRoom per time zone, on 0°, +/-30°, +/-60° and +/-90° latitude).
their architectural parameters vary in real time according to climatic, luminous, sound & visual data, retreived from various information sources from all over the globe. they directly recreate in an artificial but perceptible way, a global “terrestrial spatiality” according to the worldwide scale of Nestlé.
see also perpetual tropical sunshine.
[fabric.ch]

Originally from information aesthetics on April 27, 2006, 5:35pm

In an article published in the cyber journal Technoetic Arts; Professor Stephen Gage of the Interactive Architecture Workshop and Will Thorne (UCL) describe a hypothetical fleet of small robots they call “edge monkeys.” Their function would be to patrol building facades, regulating energy usage and indoor conditions. Basic duties include closing unattended windows, checking thermostats, and adjusting blinds. But the machines would also “gesture meaningfully to internal occupants” when building users “are clearly wasting energy.” They are described as “intrinsically delightful and funny.”

via Architectural Record

Originally by Ruairi from Interactive Architecture dot Org on April 30, 2006, 7:06pm

In Conjunction with the 4th IEEE International Workshop on Projector-Camera Systems (ProCams 2006); co-sponsored by ITP/Interactive Telecommunications Program, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.

Recently there has been an explosion of interest in systems that combine digital light projection with cameras and interaction. Projecting off the Wall is a unique art event that will bring together artists, scientists, and the public for a showing of projector-camera art installations and demos, and is sponsored by the Workshop on Projector-Camera Systems. Previous ProCams events have been held in Nice, France (2003) and San Diego (2005); however, this is the inaugural ProCams Art Event.

The ProCams workshop involves the worlds leading researchers in projection and interactive display technologies and has had increasing participation from the art community. With Projecting off the Wall, the conference organizers hope to foster connections between art and science that focus on the art as much (or more) than the technology. We are specifically looking for artworks that include both projectors and cameras as integral elements of a unique viewer experience. This includes work that:

* incorporates computer vision, object tracking and recognition
* utilizes and/or addresses passively sensed environments
* uses active and non-traditional projection techniques
* involves projection onto custom screens, surfaces and objects
* deals with the aesthetics of projected light and digital projection
* engages issues of ubiquitous camera surveillance
* includes real-time projected display of live camera input
* combines multiple projections in innovative ways
* uses projectors and cameras to create immersive and interactive experiences

In addition, outstanding pieces that explore the themes of interactive experiences and immersive displays will be considered.

The show will take place on June 18th at Tisch School of the Arts, 721 Broadway. Visit www.procams2006.org/artExhibit.html to submit a proposal. Limited funds are available to offset travel and shipping costs.

Submission deadline: May 15, 2006
Exhibition dates: June 18

ProCams: http://www.procams2006.org/
ITP Department, Tisch School of the Arts: http://www.itp.nyu.edu

only 2 more weeks to submit your masterpiece. –SZ

Originally from USC Interactive Media Division Weblog, ReBlogged by sonia zjawinski on Apr 28, 2006 at 08:58 AM

Originally from Eyebeam reBlog on April 28, 2006, 8:58am

From the AP:

House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Ill., center, gets out of a Hydrogen Alternative Fueled automobile, left, as he prepares to board his SUV, which uses gasoline, after holding a new conference at a local gas station in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2006 to discuss the recent rise in gas prices. Hastert and other members of Congress drove off in the Hydrogen-Fueled cars only to switch to their official cars to drive back the few block back to the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Meanwhile, with gas topping $3/gallon in some parts of the country, ExxonMobil posted record profits of $8.4 billion in the first quarter.

this can’t be real? america is a joke. a fuckin’ joke. –SZ

Originally from Eyeteeth: A journal of incisive ideas., ReBlogged by sonia zjawinski on Apr 28, 2006 at 03:42 PM

Originally from Eyebeam reBlog on April 28, 2006, 3:42pm

an augmented reality data visualization that, floating in the space, conveys the interchanged information between users of a network. colorful virtual objects, representing the digital data, fly around & change their shape, size & color in relation with the different characteristics of the information that is circulating in the network. as the virtual representation takes place both in digital & physical public space, it establishes direct relations between visual physical messages placed in the street & the digital information that is floating in the air. see also rixome.
[mixedrealitylab.org & mixedrealitylab.org(mov)]

Originally from information aesthetics on April 30, 2006, 8:47pm

Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened May 28, 1937, an estimated 1,300 people have leaped to their deaths from the span. Officials estimate that at least 24 people commit suicide there every year.
“A documentary that records almost two dozen leaps from the landmark bridge has generated praise and scorn for its maker.”
LAT

pretty amazing that this filmmaker was able to capture these raw moments in these people’s lives. –SZ

Originally from Archinect.com News, ReBlogged by sonia zjawinski on Apr 28, 2006 at 03:34 PM

Originally from Eyebeam reBlog on April 28, 2006, 3:34pm

We learned the hard way about a Toronto tradition for taking back the streets today- mass memorial rides for cyclists needlessly killed. Hubert Van Tol was a University of Toronto Professor and athlete- we rowed together on Lake Ontario (well, not quite together- he was twice as fast). Last Thursday a dumptruck turning right got him. This happens too often in Toronto (two cylists were killed on the same day) where the few bike lanes are full of cars and when it comes to enforcement, we quote Bob Dylan: “the cops don’t need you and man, they expect the same”. There are few North/South streets in the area of the accident and bike commuters are forced to use the ludicrously named Avenue Road, four fast-moving lanes, none for bikes- it just might slow down the rush hour traffic and we can’t have that.

(This post continues on the site)

Unfortunately there are a few of these around Brooklyn. While I wish there wasn’t a need for memorials like this, they are visually arresting. –SZ

Originally from Treehugger, ReBlogged by sonia zjawinski on Apr 27, 2006 at 03:41 PM

Originally from Eyebeam reBlog on April 27, 2006, 3:41pm

gravestmor’s got the goods on Renaissance, a new sci-fi film set in “Paris 2054,” directed by Christian Volckman.

Marcus, at gravestmor, describes the film as “Sin City meets Blade Runner meets Metropolis meets Waking Life” (though hopefully not the latter) – and, from the looks of it, I’d add Alphaville.

But, either way, the film seems further proof that students of architectural design should stop pinning all their hopes solely on architecture, and consider guerilla careers as film, or even game, start-ups, using their graphic ideas and energy to take over Hollywood. Invest in some Power Macs, buy some editing software, talk to your musician friends, get a writer – hire BLDGBLOG – and suddenly that M.Arch degree will put you behind the Oscar stand. Drooling champagne and groping Salma Hayek.

But I digress.
These are film stills taken from the movie’s press section – the film’s in French, by the way – and a bit more info can be found at Twitch and Variety.
Then start outlining your own cinematic debut.

[Images: ©Onyx Films/Millimages/Luxanimation/Timefirm Ltd/France 2 Cinema].

(Via gravestmor).

Originally from BLDGBLOG on April 27, 2006, 10:32am

Cory Doctorow:
The House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations has written a letter to the Secretary of the Smithsonian, blasting the museum for inking a secret deal with Showtime to make the network the sole commercial user of Smithsonian footage in documentary films:

The Subcommittee requests the Board of Regents to immediately review this contract to determine whether it violates the spirit if not the letter of the Smithsonian Trust and to consider changes to the contract which would fully guarantee that its terms are limited to a narrow set of programs and not a bar to other legitimate commercial filmmakers who we believe have the right to reasonable access to the collections and staff. The Subcommittee requests that this matter be brought to the attention of the Board of Regents at its May 2006 meeting and that a response be provided to the Committee regarding these concerns within 90 days.

In addition to our concern about this particular contract, we would be concerned about any future agreements that are negotiated in secret, without Committee consultation, which commercialize Smithsonian resources or which appear to essentially sell access to Smithsonian resources. While the Committee recognizes that budget shortfalls, in particular the need for funds to repair and maintain an aging infrastructure, require the Smithsonian to be aggressive and imaginative in its fund raising, these actions are often controversial and raise the risk of damaging both Congressional and public support for the Institution.

=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/28/AR2006042802213_2.html”>Link to WashPo article mentioned in letter

(Thanks, Carl!)

Originally by Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing on April 30, 2006, 1:16am

Cory Doctorow:
UserManualGuide.com links to hundreds of PDF manuals for consumer electronics from air conditioners to VCRs — great for lost manuals and garage-sale scores.

Link

(via Gizmodo)

Originally by Cory Doctorow from Boing Boing on April 30, 2006, 12:57am