i also (heart) Christoph Niemann (bio courtesy of the new york times):

Christoph Niemann’s illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. He is the author of two children’s books, “The Pet Dragon,” which teaches Chinese characters to young readers, and “The Police Cloud.” After 11 years in New York, he moved to Berlin with his wife, Lisa, and their sons, Arthur, Gustav and Fritz.

his series of illustrative essays on the nytimes site is heartwarming, affirming as to why we feel connections as new yorkers, and simply the most playful 5 minutes you will spend all day:

i lego ny
coffee
ny cheat sheets
bathroom art
the boys and the subway

it all started here.

also, Aretha…and that hat! she is really a “stop what you are doing and listen” type voice, one that is just so powerful you cannot do anything but submit.

i am honestly overwhelmed by the thought that today marks the beginning of the work we must do to create the better tomorrow we all want, and keep reminding myself that 48 hours ago we didn’t even have the opportunity to forge a better future.

lines from the speech such as “as for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals” demonstrate such a clear break in the dialogue that dominates the politics of the past 8 years, and frankly anything since Kennedy. historic times, we should feel lucky to be a part of.

the ny times points out 2 “little things“, in a speech of profound statements, further proving the departure from constraints of the past this presidency seeks to embody.

please read David Finkelstein’s piece in the times online, as it serves as the stimulus for the following:

how old is the man who wrote that article…70+?  the answer is very important.

how the author can completely ignore the timing of israel’s “response” should have been reason enough for any editor to deny publishing the piece.

do you hear african american men like obama referencing the lynching and jim crow laws of the 40’s as justification for murder, robbery, etc commited by african americans in america 2009 ?  i thought not.

the editorial is a great cliff notes version of exactly why israel and its neighbors will never be at peace…the author’s entire argument is based on an assumption that the state of israel has an inalienable right to be there and have its borders and legitimacy respected…a right determined by “the international community” consisting of national representatives from states other than palestinians who were LIVING THERE in 1947…those who share the same “lifetime” of the author.

if modern foreign policy and actions of state actors are based on reactions to historical events rather than shared future goals…there will be no peace.

excusing away human rights violations because a state was under “threats” is horrific…and exactly the reason international law exists to prevent human rights abuses.  the germans who ran the camps could use the same argument of “threats” to then vindicate themselves from abuses to the jews.

in horrific joke and twist of reality…israel 2009 is dangerously starting down the same path as germany 1939 in its actions, justifications and degree of suffering brought to innocents (let’s not forget, if the rest of the world decided to treat the american citizens for the faults of its leaders over the past 8 years the same way israel currently treats palestinian citizens for the faults of its democratically elected leadership…).  the oppressed has now assumed the role of the oppressor…read any philip roth if you want further fiction based dealings of this concept…i recommend operation shylock as a good and timely place to start.

there are no clean hands here, except those of the whose only crime was to be born beyond the reach of international protection and domestic governance…the palestinian citizen.

let me also disarm the argument that the arab community is far worse…as the focus of the discussion should be what is right, what is the solution….not who is least at fault.

now that takes jewish guilt to a whole new level.

Goodbye Shea, goodbye.

speechless.

but, there are photos.

can you spot mt?

Question: How will music distribution change in 2009:

Answer: The question of how music distribution will change in 2009 is in many ways the wrong question.

The responses one will most likely receive, or the way most people will answer, deals with the traditional definition of music distribution, focusing on the different delivery mechanisms / locations / touchpoints where distributors can deliver pre-recorded audio content for a pre-set price.  Pay what you want schemes (such as the Radiohead “In Rainbows” digital release) is innovative in many ways, but still looks to monetize something that some music fans simply don’t value…the pre-recorded content in digital, or non-physical, form.  Answers of this sort demonstrate the lack of innovation that the industry must conquer before being able to solve its distribution issues.  Distributors can only sell what they are given.

The ubiquity of music – on a fan’s device of choice, available on demand, and with a near limitless library from which to choose – should be the most liberating development to hit the music industry since the invent of records. Sadly, it has been met with fear and denial, kicking off a frantic race to monetize the wrong thing…the pre-recorded content…in any way possible. The question of what value fan’s place in the “product” is rarely asked or considered.

The focus of music distribution in 2009 should have less to do with how and where the industry will try to sell pre-recorded music, but rather what the industry chooses to sell.  Focusing on creating products that allow fans to live with their music, in very meaningful and tangible ways, is the path to relevancy the industry so craves, and has avoided for far too long. Creating products that fan’s value means understanding what it is that permits people to connect to music beyond the audio component. It means creating products that cannot be replicated on demand, are differentiated in the marketplace, and have a very special place in the fan’s life.

The focus of 2009 should be on product development, and thus, the transformation of what it is distribution companies sell as opposed to how they find ways to re-sell / re-deliver the same thing they have been selling for 60+ years, pre-recorded audio content. Further, when distribution companies have different products to sell, the environments they are able to sell their products transforms accordingly.

Thanksgiving has always provided a pause in our routines, creating space & time to catch up all the things we can’t seem to get to.  At the top of that list is my “to read” pile, which grows without let up over the weeks of nose to the grind routine.  Fortunately, I had a wonderful environment with which to catch up, my parents place in Virginia, sitting next to a fire, the dog on my lap.  Here are a few of the dents made:

Fiction -
Philip Roth is always a good time, neurotics included: Operation Shylock.

What I Wish Was Fiction -
Palin continues to disgust. Read about who she is campaigning for, reported by her hometown paper.

Citi / Economic Collapse -
Fantastic snapshot and analysis of the culture created, and priorities held, at the top of Citi, before the fall: The Reckoning.
Follow that up with Thomas Friedman’s reaction: All Fall Down.
Top it off with Michael Lewis’ perspective: The End.

Mumbai -
My friend Steve Baer’s (aka Twitchy, Baer-Man, Baer-Claw, etc.) brother Todd (aka Bones), is a reporter working the greater Middle East (including India).  See his 4 minute report from Thursday on the attacks in Mumbai, better than anything we were getting on CNN / NY Times / Huffington Post at the time: Indian Forces Gain Ground in Mumbai Standoff.

In-Depth Affairs -
Remember “Why We Fight”, rent it and watch it again.  Then read: A Military-Industrial-Media Complex.
As part of a larger series / book on the Cheney Vice Presidency called Angler, we have a 2 part analysis of the actors and events surrounding the White House’s domestic spying program: Conflict Over Spying Led White House to Brink & Cheney Shielded Bush From Crisis.
Tim Wise is wonderful: How Conservatives Scapegoat Minorities, Even for the Wall St Bail-Out.

Music, Art & Design Related -
From DWR: Drawing Circles in Square Times.
A nice summary, albeit surface, on the state of the music industry…and its path to relevance: Ian Rogers On The Death Of The Music CD Business: “I Don’t Care.”
Gerhard Richter continues to fascinate me, and this article is a great overview of his work through 2002: An Artist Beyond Isms.

Sport -
And there is always football (well, football players): Source: Burress Tells Giants He Shot Himself In Leg By Accident.

Enjoy the last few hours of November.

Thomas Friedman found them:

“This is the real “Code Red.” As one banker remarked to me: “We finally found the W.M.D.” They were buried in our own backyard — subprime mortgages and all the derivatives attached to them.

Yet, it is obvious that President Bush can’t mobilize the tools to defuse them — a massive stimulus program to improve infrastructure and create jobs, a broad-based homeowner initiative to limit foreclosures and stabilize housing prices, and therefore mortgage assets, more capital for bank balance sheets and, most importantly, a huge injection of optimism and confidence that we can and will pull out of this with a new economic team at the helm.”

read the rest here.

Jason Yates at Fingered, comes highly recommended by yours truly.  New work for the instillation:

Jason Yates @ Fingered 11.22.08

Let’s go blue.