skrapnel

I don’t like ads that clutter our public spaces. Being exposed to so much advertising waters down the visual arts.  It’s also intrusive and doesn’t do anything to help lift the human spirit.  The new ad from the campaign “Life is for Sharing” from T-Mobile is the exception.

Capturing the spirit of the Flash Mob phenomenon pioneered by groups like Improv Everywhere, T-Mobile creates a surreal scene in the Liverpool Subway station when over 300 people dressed as normal folk break into dance.  Since flash mobs are frequently photoed, videoed and shared online, T-Mobile’s messaging “Life’s for Sharing” resonates with a younger demographic accustomed to sharing viral videos with their friends.

Secretly filmed, the Life Is For Sharing ad begins when the Liverpool Street Station’s tannoy suddenly belts out LuLu’s 1965 hit Shout and a single dancer busts a move.

But as the the amazing scene unfolds a further 350 undercover dancers, positioned amongst regular commuters, burst into a larger routine.

Gradually more covert players join in with the stunt until eventually nearly the whole station is dancing in sequence.

Celeb Choreographer Ashley Wallen took the dancers through an intensive 80 hour rehearsal to ensure they nailed the performance as they could only film a single take.

via T Mobile Liverpool Street Station flashmob ad storms YouTube – National News – News – Click Liverpool.

I love looking at the smiles on the bystanders’ faces.  Caught up in the moment, you can imagine the joy and excitement they feel. The video makes me happy to be alive.

Are you a Star Wars fan?  Do you miss Jerry Springer?  Then you’ll love Ackbar!  In today’s episode, Ackbar reveals the results of paternity tests.  Who’s your daddy?

Sometimes when I’m sitting at my writing desk, I need art to distract me from my own imagination.  I’m not a landscape guy.  And other desk-side artists like Dali, Escher, Kandinsky or Klimt, while pretty, just don’t engage me.  Nope, I need art that’s both simple and stimulating that keeps me in a creative spirit–and if it can make me smile, all the better.  That’s why when I saw Marc Johns’ work, I had to buy a print.

Here’s what his bio has to say about him:

Marc Johns creates whimsical drawings filled with dry wit and humour. Whether it’s a man with branches growing out of his head that need pruning, or a pipe that’s trying to quit smoking, his characters are simply, sparsely drawn, yet speak volumes with just a few strokes of the pen. He’s been drawing since he was tiny. He’s not tiny anymore, but he’s not exactly big either. Marc is not sure why he’s talking about himself in the third person…

via MarcJohns.com.

He’s like one part absurdist and one part Edward Gorey, and totes makes me smile. Check out some of his work, below.  I purchased a print of “Which torso.”  You can purchase prints and originals directly from his site.

To see more of his work, check out his kick-A, near-daily updated Flickr stream or read his blog.

"Which torso" by Marc Johns

"Elements Required to Cast Spell #786" by Marc Johns

"When Henry blew bubbles they became more than that" by Marc Johns

"After the Experiment" by Marc Johns

"The mustaches chased him zealously" by Marc Johns

Prop 8 supporters wanted a judge to overturn the mandatory public disclosure of political donations because it led to harassment and unfair treatment of supporters.  Funny, I would say that taking away marriage rights might also be considered harassment.

Prop 8 supporters have also suggested that the courts can’t overturn the will of the people.  Interestingly enough, the disclosure requirement was adopted by California voters.  Hypocritical anyone?

Thankfully, a U.S. District Judge refused to provide special protection for the Prop 8 supporters.

>> Read more about the judge’s decision via the SF Chronicle >>

I love Animal Collective.  To me, they are like an updated, not-so-sleepy-still-interesting version of Can.  That’s why I can’t believe they broke Top 20.

And three weeks after the vinyl version was an instant sell-out, didgeridoo-loving trio Animal Collective will hit #13 with their critic-magnet Merriweather Post Pavilion album, which sold of 24,700 in its first week out in CD format.

via Taylor Swift Tops Chart For Eighth Week – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News.

Panda Bears’ solo album, “Person Pitch,” was totes a futuristic, post-pop version of the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds.”  Not surprisingly, the new single,”My Girls,” reminds me of what pop music might sound like in Brave New World.  Plus, I’m a sucker for Panda Bear’s lyrics/vocal stylings:

Is it much to admit I need
A solid soul and the blood I bleed
With a little girl, and by my spouse
I only want a proper house

I don’t care for fancy things
Or to take part in a precious race
And children cry for the one who has
A real big heart and a father’s grace

I don’t mean to seem like I care about material things like a social status
I just want four walls and adobe slabs for my girls

The video for their current single, “My Girls,” is a little too Blue Man Group meets iPod commercial for me, but the song rocks. Check it.  What do you think?

The fracas over American Apparel reminded me of a sticker I saw in New York last fall:

Hold on to your skinny jeans.  It looks like there’s a battle brewing amongst the ranks of the hipster elites in the Mission.  No, they aren’t fighting over who’s more emo.  Instead, they’re protesting the potential opening of an American Apparel on Valencia St.  Yup, you read that correctly: The hipster enclave is rejecting the very beacon of hipster fashion.  Surely there must be a misunderstanding.

Well, not exactly.  After reading several blog posts and comments, I’ve discovered a vocal group that thinks big box franchises will destroy the charm of the Valencia corridor; once one opens, a domino effect will occur leading to  “Union Street”-ification followed very closely by the apocalypse and the the end of civilization.

Eileen Hassi, owner of Ritual Roasters, states her case on the Stop American Apparel Blog:

I frequently have people come to Valencia St to check out Ritual and have a coffee.  Out-of-towners then ask what else they should do while they are in the neighborhood.  I take pride in directing them to the many unique offerings this neighborhood has:  check out the bizarro furniture at X-21, stroll down to Paxton Gate and visit the taxidermied mice, stop into 826 for an eye-patch, cross the street for hand-made books, meander over to Dolores Park etc.  Having an internationally recognizable store in the midst of it would definitely take away from our distinctive neighborhood.

This isn’t an attack on American Apparel.  But as far as City Planning is concerned, once a neighborhood has allowed one formula retail to open, it must allow others.  After the Kentucky Fried Chicken at 22nd St closed its doors, another fast food chain tried to take over the space.  My neighbors here fought  a long, hard battle to make sure that didn’t happen.

Eileen, first off: Thanks for directing tourists to my three favorite stores in the city: X-21, Paxton Gate and 826.  Each one of those are indeed precious pearls, and I often take tourists and friends there to experience the feel of the Mission.  But here’s the deal: We are in a tough economic climate.  Those stores and the other independent retailers and restaurants on Valencia need as much foot traffic as possible to increase business.  If having an American Apparel gives these shops 10 more visitors, then that’s more money that comes into the neighborhood.  And what about the jobs it will bring?

Look, I can’t stand American Apparel.  I don’t like big chains.  I buy my clothes at thrift stores like Mission Thrift, from local artists like Upper Playground or Free Gold Watch, or from retailers like Villains.  I vote with my wallet.  If the neighborhood doesn’t want it, don’t shop there.  It took the Haight a couple of decades, but they finally chased the Gap out.

Also, I’m all for neighborhood pride.  But what about the latent racism that separates Mission Street from Valencia Street?  What about the fact that Ritual’s popularity has ushered in a new era of gentrification, causing rent increases that force out the very population that keeps the Mission unique?  I would love to see the business owners come together to try to improve the standard of living for all citizens of the Mission, not just white elites that can afford fancy handbags and overpriced furniture.

That said, I feel that the voice of the people should be heard.  Should American Apparel be allowed to open a store in the Mission? Let us know in the comments.

Also, feel free to flex your democratic muscle through any of the following outlets:

Write a letter to the Planner in charge of this case:

Subject: 988 Valencia – Case No. 2008.0720C

M. Pilar LaValley

Preservation Technical Specialist/Planner

City & County of San Francisco Planning Department

1650 Mission Street, Suite 400

San Francisco, CA 94103

pilar.lavalley@sfgov.org

Go to the hearing, Thursday February 5th

Case No. 2008.0720C

Call 558-6422 after Monday the 2nd for a more specific hearing time

BTW: Great discussion in the comments on this post, but it features a very NSFW American Apparel ad.

Those cooking shows always make everything look so easy: Veggies cut and in pretty prep bowls; liquids measured; casseroles come out of the oven beautifully golden brown.  Funny how it never turns out like that in real life.

In the sketch, below, the MadTV  writers take the pre-packed cooking show and put it through their surrealist lens.  Stephnie Weir‘s facial expressions are amazing, and her timing couldn’t be better.  That’s probably why I laughed so hard my face hurt when I watched it last night with my housemates.  Yup, deep, boisterous guffaws that warmed up my spirits and made me forget about the gray winter weather.

Hope it brightens your day, too!

I’ve gone batty for beets.  I used to hate the little buggers, but now I can’t get enough.  With their sweet, earthy taste, they’ve overtaken acorn squash as my favorite Winter vegetable.  It doesn’t hurt that they are also full of vitamins.

Try roasting them (recipe below) and putting them in a salad.  I toss them with some field greens or arugula, satsuma or citrus slices, candied walnuts and feta cheese.  For dressing, I’ve been making a champagne vinaigrette.  It’s an easy-to-make salad that tastes like, well, earthy sun.

Warning: Beets will stain your hands red! They might also make a surprise comeback performance the next day

Roasted Beets

4 medium beets

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 375° F.

Rinse beets and trim off the leafy tops (reserve for a recipe using beet greens). Wrap each beet loosely in aluminum foil and place in the oven. Roast until tender and easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and take off foil. Set aside to cool.

via Apartment Therapy The Kitchn | Tip: How To Roast and Peel Beets.

The photo on the right is also from Apartment Therapy.  The photo, below, however, is of a beet salad I made my grandmother during the Christmas Holidays.

What are your favorite ways to prepare or cook beets?

Looks like President Obama can add one more first under his belt: first president to use email while in office.  This will help him break through the White House Bubble and not rely so much on the insulation of the staff around him.

This is why I like the man:

“It’s not just the flow of information,” Obama said in a recent interview with CNBC. “I mean, I can get somebody to print out clips for me, and I can read newspapers. What it has to do with is having mechanisms where you are interacting with people who are outside of the White House in a meaningful way. And I’ve got to look for every opportunity to do that–ways that aren’t scripted, ways that aren’t controlled, ways where, you know, people aren’t just complimenting you or standing up when you enter into a room, ways of staying grounded.”

via First e-mailing prez: Obama keeps his BlackBerry | Politics and Law – CNET News.

We knew it would have to come eventually.  I wonder if his staff will get to use Facebook?  Or is that a barrier for a future president to knock down?

Read more about the compromise made with the White House Counsel at CNET