May 21st 2012, 15:10 by R.G. THE Chinese blogosphere has moved on very quickly from the case of Chen Guangcheng. (The blind activist arrived in America on May 19th, more than four weeks after he first took refuge in the American embassy). Mr Chen’s case has not disappeared from view entirely. Instead the accusations about the Americans scheming to assist Mr Chen in his escape from house arrest have been folded into a broader debate about foreigners in China. Ever since foreigners arrived in China in large numbers in the 19th century, there has been a tendency either to lionise all that is foreign or to denigrate it, and to treat foreigners themselves either as gods or as barbarians. That dynamic has been very much ... Continue reading →
How do you have a feeding frenzy when you can’t—officially, at least—see what’s being served? This is the strange dynamic that runs through the flurry of Chinese debate this week about Facebook. In China, the site’s I.P.O, on Friday, is not simply an event; it is an existential problem—an object of admiration, envy, and, from the government’s perspective, suspicion. In Facebook’s shadow, there is also a persistent question about the weakness of Chinese innovation. In Asia, the Facebook offering is already more than twenty-five times oversubscribed, the Times reports. That is all the more remarkable because the Chinese government has blocked Facebook since July, 2009, largely on the belief that it will promote the kind of organized agitation that swept the Middle East. So for ... Continue reading →
This video isn’t new — it was uploaded to Vimeo seven months ago — but it’s definitely worth four minutes of your time. London’s many shapes and contours are captured in a beautifully shot film that combines timelapse photography, tilt / shift (that trendy lens trick that makes buildings look like models) and slow-motion cinematography. The soundtrack is by Rael Jones, who also wrote music for the recent Sherlock TV series; in fact the film bears some resemblance to that show’s credit sequence, which is no bad thing. According to the filmmakers, their intention was to “capture the spirit and endless energy of London”. Job done. Many thanks to Paul Southwood for posting this to our Facebook page. See also: Video: London On High Continue reading →
Somewhere, Adam Yauch is laughing. Continue reading →
Video: The skaters of Sanaa Meet the Arabian Skaters. They're back on the streets as the capital struggles back to life. SANAA, YEMEN—They walk through the Old City like visitors from the future. Sneakers shuffling along cobblestone laneways handcrafted centuries ago, emerging in and out of the shadows cast by towering gingerbread-like buildings. Even the mangy cats look up from garbage piles in the early morning dawn, startled by these creatures with backpacks and boards with wheels. Only two from the crew came to skateboard today, Majd Aldouis and his friend Luqman Esmail. The other skaters are getting ready for school or sleeping, like typical teenagers who prefer the sun rises before they do. Majd looks like a 16-year-old who could be dropped anywhere and ... Continue reading →
I was at a party last week in New York when a man asked where I’m from, and I responded, “Toronto.”“Oh, the city with the really embarrassing mayor,” the man said to me, and for a second I felt shame. And then it occurred to me that many cities pay to obtain that kind of international brand recognition. More related to this story I’ve grown accustomed to blank stares when I say I’m from Toronto. Now, the name Toronto is evocative to people, like other great cities’ names: I Love New York; Paris, the City of Light; Toronto, the City with the World’s Most Embarrassing Mayor.I began to wonder whether it was possible to harness the reputation of our mayor to benefit the city I ... Continue reading →
Iggy Pop performs at the Hop Farm Festival in Kent, United Kingdom. Martin Godwin/Getty Images Iggy Pop's new album of French pop classics has been rejected by his label, Virgin EMI, the Guardian reports. "[The label] didn't want it," Pop told reporters at a press conference in Paris earlier this week. "They didn't think they would make any money, they didn't think my fans would like it. They would have preferred that I do a rock album with popular punks, sort of like 'Hi Dad!'" Pop was contractually obligated to offer the album, titled Après, to the label. Pop has opted to self-release the album digitally, and it is already on sale on the French website Vente Privée. The singer is taking the rejection hard, ... Continue reading →
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