Defend The Taxpayer Videogame: Bailout Wars

Gotta love this new video game. The naked game of looting the "public purse" for private gain is getting so blatant there's even a game now called Bailout Wars.

"Hope you got some fast fingers because this is what Bailout Wars is all about. You have to protect the White House full of money by ways of your finger. You have your classic poking the enemies which cause some enemies to explode, and you have your flicking of enemies which cause some enemies to lift off the ground and fly in the air. Only some tactics are used to stop enemies and others require combinations"

Version one includes enemies like "bankers, investment bankers, and CEOs but future games could include literally thousands of special interest looters, defence contractors, corrupt road contractors, union bosses, welfare goons, politicians and perhaps NFL, NHL and NBA owners eager to claim their sacred "projects" are in "the public interest".

Of course the idea there's a war is absurd, they just walk in and grab the cash. Why would the president or congress protect it? Did they earn it?



"Louis XIV had left France with serious financial difficulties. Ultimately, Louis XV failed to overcome these fiscal problems, mainly because he was incapable of putting together conflicting parties and interests in his entourage. At Versailles, the king and the nobility surrounding him showed signs of boredom, signalling a monarchy in steady decline. Worse, Louis seemed to be aware of the forces of anti-monarchism threatening his family's rule and yet failed to do anything to stop them. Popular legend holds that Louis predicted, "After me, the flood" ("Après moi, le déluge"). In fact this quotation is more precisely attributed to Madame de Pompadour, although it is not certain that even she ever said it."

Amerasians in Korea See Themselves in Hines Ward

Listening to the Steeler Game-- kind of a classic reminding one of the Steeler 2006 season with some great Ben drives, (a few screw ups) Polamalu back at his best; a clock cleaner by Harrison and of course some great play by Hines Ward.

The Times had a nice story on the impact his achievements and celebrity have had on Korea's small biracial population. Ward,is a national hero there.

"The plight of biracial children in South Korea was largely ignored until 2006, when Ward was the most valuable player of Super Bowl XL. Koreans were quick to make the link to his Korean heritage.

That spring, Ward and his mother, Young He Ward, visited South Korea for the first time since Ward was a baby nearly 30 years earlier. They were mobbed by television cameras and gawking fans. They were honored by the South Korean president.

“I got more love there than I did in the States,” Ward said.

Ward was only starting to understand the underlying hypocrisy. Biracial children in South Korea recognized it instantly."

Anyway, Ward has been playing a big role in changing things. Likely, you know all about it but still a great read.

“They liked someone because he is famous,” So said. “If you are not famous, they are very cold. So I was happy, but also bitter.”

Pittsburgh Art Events: 11/ 6-7/09.

Friday

For some reason, I've been particularly anticipating this month's Unblurred. The last couple of weekends have been dead on the local arts scene, and I'm looking forward to what the various venues will be putting out.

I'm most excited to find out that artist, curator, educator, and former gallery-owner Bob Ziller is opening up a book store! It's located at the old Red Star Ironworks garage at 4810 Penn Ave. Ziller says that he is starting with an inventory of 3400 books, and that everything will be priced at 50% listed price. He's also doing another installment of his Pittsburgh Beautification Project, so stop in and find out what that is all about.

Meanwhile, "Pigeon Pair" is at Modern Formations (4919 Penn Avenue), serving up the work of Christian Breitkreutz & Jason Rosemeyer. I've been keeping an eye on C.B., and I'm eager to track his development.

The building housing the misleadingly-named International Children's Art Gallery (5020) is opening all three of its floors. The second will feature recent stuff by James Maszle, and Richard Rappaport will be up-top.

There will also be music by Brass Chariot, Duane Jones Duo and Al Zavacky at the new Irma Freeman Center for Imagination (5006 Penn), a group show at Garfield Artworks (with Maggie Black from WV), Cory Bonnet & Ryan Dunmeyer at Most Wanted Fine Art (5015 Penn Ave), and creations on glass by Joseph Holtz at Imagebox.

Shadyside offers its monthly dose of openings as well. Gallerie Chiz (5831 Ellsworth Avenue) has a group show called "A Convivial Collection...New Creations" that includes work by Philippe Paulin Derville, Ben Oddi, Joyce Werwie Perry, Carlos Sanchez-Vegas & Randie Snow. It runs from 6-9PM. Patrick Ruane is over at Gallery in the Square (5850 Ellsworth Avenue), and the Mendelson Gallery has Bob and Paul Bowden (6-9PM).


Saturday

Zombo Gallery (4900 Hatfield St.) returns with another one of its idiosyncratic weekend shows. You get the opening on Friday, and if you miss that... the closing on Saturday (6-10 PM, both nights). This time around, it's "Lickity-Split!" with Craig Freeman , supplemented by sculptures by Seth LeDonne. Don't miss the madness of this space.

If you never made your way over to Moxie Dada at the Firehouse in the North Side (1416 Arch Street), this absolutely and without reservation will be your very last chance. The closing for "Dia De Los Muertos Y La Resurreccion: The Existencial Crisis" runs from 6-9PM. If you have been a regular habitue of the space, then I'm sure you'll recognize a lot of the creators represented. While it's sad to see such a stalwart of the local scene pass on, it will be exciting to see what the people behind Moxie Dada do next. Its proprietors have ensured me that they are not giving up, but just moving on to other projects.

Oh, and by the way... the Three Rivers Film Festival opens this weekend, and you can find a list of the events here.

Shepard Fairey at the Warhol Causes Quite a Stir

Fairey's work was often very large, and an anchor for work of other NYC street artists....see faint image of Mao above the wolf's head on right side. This image is from 11 Spring street (today....the building houses truly luxury condos) Now Fairey is both famous enough and legally at risk enough that he prefers venues such as Warhol Museum...see his opening, below.

Shepard Fairey's exhibit at the Warhol Museum opened October 17th at the Warhol. It was absolutely jammed. Fairey's artwork has serious young hipster credentials. And young hipsters were there in force. The line to get in literally went around the block.

The work is good...it is very good. I have a particular fondness for his street art as I have taken photos of his images in New York in combination with works by other street artists. His giant Mao poster was an anchor for a ton of other smaller images that then accumulated at the corner of Spring and Elizabeth Streets in the Nolita area of downtown NYC.

However, I was rather taken a back by the review in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette asking if Fairey could be Warhol's heir ....well NO!!! Most simply because Warhol's influence on pop culture and fine art was mind bogglingly broad...movies, music, photos, painting, as well as prints...and on and on.

But it is a great review, and you can read it here

Wall posters of his artwork are up, legally, all over Pittsburgh. See the story on the terrific PGH art blog Bitterweet Harvest here

There was a lot of additional media buzz after the opening about something Fairey said about which photo he used for the Obama poster...and how it meant he {Fairey} had or hadn't told the truth about...something...?? (who can keep UP with all this stuff)!!

The Fairey exhibit at the Warhol is up through early January.

Finally to wrap up...........during all the hoopla about Fairey I have heard VERY little in the local press reminding us of a burning issue that connects Pittsburgh and Fairey....are we that polite???!!!!

Ofcourse, I refer to the shocking lawsuit that Fairey filed against local hero Steeler baby. Ofcourse, "we" won. Fairey dropped his suit.

Read the story on Gawker here

The Steeler Baby website is here

Even though the suit is settled,I expected to see protesters at the exhibit opening...but there were none!!!

Warning Non Art Post Glut

Sorry, but having being close to the only steady and totally unpaid contributor on here gives me some freedom, which I intend to use. Local transportation and development, national and local economic issues and a variety of media and free speech issues are likely to tilt my posts away from art for a time. Will still try to post about that too.

Another Discouraged Blogger: Pittsburgh Comet Burning Out

If you follow blogs at all, especially those with an interest beyond the Steelers, you know they often show up on a faint horizon, burn sometimes very bright, then fade or even disappear in a single day or explode in a burst of frustrated rants as the blogger realizes the vastness of their job.

I didn't always follow, Bram Reichbaum's blog, partly because I did think effort this sincere and active would never make a dent here and well because his blog had burnout written all over it. Also, unlike Bram, politics really makes me more than a little ill.

Two thoughts--

Pittsburgh Comet had the usually fatal characteristic that spells doom for most blogs- it was a solo effort. Yes, initially it may have been hard for Bram to find others who could keep up to his standards, but by flying that solo, one seriously reduced the chance of survival.

The second is a deeper philosophical one about human nature and relates to why I am a Libertarian. (or more accurately a Classical Liberal)

Dear Bram-- The vast majority of average people have lives, jobs, relationships etc... or want them and can't spend their days following the minutia of city council hearings or zoning code enforcement. Moreover, most know that more and more critical decisions are made at the national or state level often by obscure czar's or extra legal government agencies they have almost chance of influencing without a pitchfork.

This was something very well known by the people who created the country's founding documents which clearly attempted to maximize the freedom of each individual, to say what they wanted,read what they wanted, take or reject the job or offers they wanted, go to the church they wanted, build the home they wanted. Even president Obama, (who apparently doesn't like it) knows the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was designed as a restraint on the state and not on the people. (Previous violations of the letter and spirit of the Constitution don't make it invalid)



The intent was that one could sleep at night and know one's religion or relationships or the fruits of ones labor and associations was mostly secure from interference. With this freedom people felt secure enough to invest, form complex associations and work very hard, unleashing a power and wealth unknown in human history. One key benefit which was not fully understood was that Classical Liberalism allowed individuals to know and invest in only the areas they knew best.

Agreeing to "get together" and throw the bulk of resources and human energy into a giant stew pot "for the common good", isn't the end but just the beginning of ones troubles. What is the common good and who decides it? Now it gets ugly.

The trend towards czars or opaque institutions like the Regional Asset District or The Sports and Exhibition Authority reflects the in inability to handle the thousands of conflicting claims and interests never intended for the political arena. Decisions, people used to make for themselves!

Can I know, what a building height should be on Mount Washington or how many parking spaces one should require for Strip development? Am I supposed to read Bram's Blog and spend the week thinking about this and the hundreds of other known and unknown local issues?

As usual this is an incomplete post and may be revised, updated elaborated on later.

Bank Failure Haiku Update (With No Haiku)

I just can't let this one go.

Surprise, surprise, surprise, GMAC, the troubled former credit arm of General Motors, which has already sucked down 12.5 Billion in taxpayer dollars is back asking for more. GMAC is critical to the ongoing operations of Government Motors comprising the former GM and Chrysler. (GM And Chrysler bailout money not included)

The companies former commercial real estate unit, Capmark filed for bankruptcy protection on Sunday. Meanwhile, the losses continue.

Rolf Winkler

"Yet another argument against those who say we “made money” on TARP because Goldman, AmEx and a few others bought back their warrants at a small premium. All the profits from those warrants wouldn’t add up to the amount we’ve already poured into GMAC, never mind this latest infusion. There’s also the small matter of $100 billion+ we’re never getting back from AIG….

Readers may recall that FDIC was rather peeved at GMAC for previously offering high rates on deposits. This is the ultimate moral hazard of deposit insurance. Depositors aren’t willing to impose discipline on the bank — taking their money out — because they know it’s guaranteed. GMAC knew this and, through its subsidiary GMAC Ally Bank, offered the highest deposit rates in the nation for a time.

In order to sell more government backed debt under TLGP program, FDIC struck a deal by which GMAC will “keep its [deposit] rates at certain amounts,” according to WSJ.

One would think a change of management might be in order. Well, it’s not gonna happen. CEO Alvaro de Molina — formerly CFO at Bank of America — will stay on."

Don't worry your deposits are protected say's Sheila Bair. The assets and future earnings of all successful or potentially successful employer or person in the country has been placed on the block. Wisely, many are shutting down.

Where will it end?

Artist Interview With Ruth Levine On Urban Bytes

Occasional contributor, Jean McClung has a pretty amazing blog with in depth interviews with people who make Pittsburgh such a "special place". (mostly in a good way)

She just put up her interview with Ruth Levine, a local artist with both a fantastic life story and great story telling ability.Life Includes guest appearances by Milton Berle,Danny Kaye,Eddy Cantor,The Marx Brothers and Andy Warhol.

Excerpt

"Jean

: You had told me a story about Andy Warhol. And I think you said you got a call....that's how it started?

Ruth:

Yes. In the early nineteen eighties, I was working at a very large Jewish community center in Rockville, Maryland. And although we had some National Endowment for the Humanities grants and we were starting to make a name elsewhere, it was with some slight sense of shock that I got the following phone call: Somebody got on the phone and said, "Hi my name is Ron Feldman. Do you know me?"And I said, "If you’re the Ron Feldman I’m thinking of, no I don’t know you. But I know that there’s a gallery with your name on it in SOHO, in New York."

He said, "Well I’m here with Andy Warhol who wants to talk with you". And that started the first of my series of saying "right" [ as in" yeah, right"] Because I was very dubious that indeed Andy Warhol wanted to talk to me"

Continues here.