IN RESIDENCE @ APEXART WITH EDUARDO VERDERAME

the context of the texts below

2007-10-12T08:56:00.001-04:00

One friend that read this blog yesterday asked me to put in some more specific context, and I had to admit that I cut this (and other) part of the text to put onto the blog, because basically I feel much more comfortable with the other part of the text, but of course I will put here anyway.
this part comprises the introduction and the end of the text of the talk, and again had been edited.

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The idea of bringing this talk about public art in Brasil comes with my perception of the difference in the context of doing it there and here. The difference is quite evident since Brasil is in a distinc position in the production of a system of art in comparison with US, and fortunately was able to develop a different point of view. There's no folclorism implicit in this fact or much of a national flavour, but in fact there is some identity that emerges from local specificities.
I use the term Public art very loosely, but I refer to a kind of art that is essencially urban produced in the streets, ephemeral, in general anonimous, and that relates more to the public in general than to the art world itself, but yet have strong connections with and derives from it.
The art system in Brasil has been continuously absorbing with no distinction the information from the outside. So from the start, this "absorbing" concept always been stimulated, since in general terms is there's not a genuine national language except incorporate other's. But maybe the only significance in the art of peripheral countries lays in the way it uses this information to create something new from that.

The public art In Brasil also derives from the activism that took place around 90's arrived with anti globalization movements also had its artistic counterpart. The emerging generation was influenced by the situacionism and was more interested in the public contact rather to the art system itself, quite often using institutional apparatus in order to criticize it.
So it's to say that this new generation had been creating a political way to act with the art environment, although its repertory is not new: happenings, performances, mob flash, interventions, public art, they all been set since at least the 60's. The works in collective were also a distinctive trace of this generation. In Brasil we can follow collective art development since the 60's and 70's, under dictatorial rulers. We witnessed an explosion in collective art in the 2000's.
The boundaries of art and activism is very slight. some - some would say that public art is not art, for not being inscribed in any art circuit others would say doesn't matter if you are interested in an art that can propose changes in society.
The media explored it quite well when frame it under "activism" tag, that could englobe almost anything that could happen on public space no matter the political issue involved.

The public art scene in Brasil mostly had some political precedents with it. After 20 years of dictatorship, the use of the street for expression of ideas- which was vigorously denied- had been gained again. The two major events of this era -the public act against the dictatorship in 1984 and the impeachment of president Fernando Collor in 1991- were only possible under extreme social pressure (and a lot of media influence too). After that slowly social groups could join together again. After a while the new generation of art collectives and collective practices began to spread, but not until the 2000's it came to the surface of public notoriety.

The artists began to promote their own interventions in public space and also new spaces and contexts were found without institutional interference. This made possible a more open approach to the subjects, but also made necessary from artists independent efforts, that were only possible with group work.

The official support for arts in Brasil is very hard to get. in visual arts you are confronted with a tax deduction support, that you as artist must apply, but only a few can get due to the exhausting bureaucracy and the fact that few supporters are kind to open their books to the tax scrutiny of the government. So in general this mechanism only works for big projects which already has both ends tied, when the project and the supporter already know each other. It is very controversial way to support, because by one hand it only helps the ones that already have a lot of influence to propose its projects and provide the big investors a good chance of making their own propaganda with public money. That's how mostly projects fund works.
Another way of getting public funding is applying to some public project where you are likely subject to be accepted or not depending if your project fits into the aims of the institution. In general the official funding are very bureaucratic, very restrictive in content, and very heavy about taxes.
The general idea is that art projects should not generate money to their creators, because is based in the idea that this is a great chance to expose their works and their names and consequently sell it as a product. When it comes to collective projects or that doesn't really have a "product" involved, in general the funding is denied.
Through the years we've been searching for solutions that could give us some material conditions without taking our freedom away. The Cultural institutions are a source of funding, but also it's necessary to know how to deal with them, as sometimes they don't like to have their names attached with sensitive or critical issues.
Private funds also carries this problem and not always like to give funds to any cultural project without having their logo in it.
Difficult but not impossible, as several groups and individuals take advantage of these funds to execute good projects indeed and it is responsibility of artistic community to stick together and make the pressure for their rights. More and more the network created by the artists work in order to spread the news and opportunities.

This barely explains one of the reasons why artists rather work on the street than apply to this public funding at first. If you have a good response for your art project in the street, it can help you to have your name known, and also you can create a product of it like videos, photos or any kind of document.
This and other features turns art in public space attractive to many artists.
In a large view, its possible to say that a parallel system has been created and institutions has been changing their ways to absorb it. Many groups had been working on the streets for only later puts this work into the galleries or institutions, still getting tied to it. Other were much more into media than art field to show their works.
But mainly, a network has been created by these artists, with the help from the Internet. This is where several ideas are discussed and action plans are established. These discussion groups in the web became very strong and several times subject to scrutiny of the government, police, marketing and media agents.

The tasks of finding a place to public art in Brasil are many. We live in a society that has a very poor side and some very rich one. Acting in streets is about to deal with this problems and differences. It's impossible to ignore poverty and social problems in São Paulo as it is impossible not to think about ecological problems there as well.
You can likely ignore it as art and call it activism. We rather think about the problems and try to respond to them. When it comes to the surface is more likely that touch other people that can help and take the discussion ahead. And if art is about making things visible, that is what the collective efforts in São Paulo are about.

For me and the people I've been working for some years now the streets are the most democratic place where you can show your opinion and we encourage people to join us in using it. When Cultural institutions come after us they know what to expect and in general we only associate with the ones that we want. This is the good thing about independent projects.

The Place for the Public Art (part 4)

2007-10-11T21:10:00.000-04:00

The Place fot the Public Art (part 4)
Sitio Joaninha

The group known as EIA (immersive ambiental experience) is in fact not just a collective of art but but also the name of a festival held annually by the group. Unlikely most of the art collectives in São Paulo, the group comprises a large number of non-artists in it, including there architects, journalists, poets, DJ's, designers, producers and eventually artists.
The festival is an open air experience in which artists and people in general are invited to take part. There is an open call for which the interested in send projects can apply. The festival is non profit and held with very little money. Each year the Festival change its format in order to make it more challenging for the group.
In the year of 2006 the EIA members split and each one went to find communities which they somehow relate and that could welcome the group for one day. Me and Felipe Brait contact the people from Diadema, an industrial city in the edge of São Paulo. As a teacher I became friend of a lot of people there, and knew mostly of the city. When contacting the people there, one guy told me about Sitio Joaninha, where he and his friends were running a theater workshop.
Sitio Joaninha officially is not named this way. Officially, Sitio Joaninha doesn't exists. It is a piece of land in the border of São Bernardo and Diadema between two water reservatories.
It was a piece of forest originally, which still can be seen in some areas. Until a few years ago the area was the city dump of Diadema. This attracted a massive population that would gather food there and recycled material. As the Sítio Joaninha was at the top of a water mine it should be absolutely forbidden any dumping there, as it would contaminate the whole water below.
So after years of usage the city dump was finally closed and put underground due to the risk of fires. Mostly of the people living at Sitio Joaninha moved to other areas. Only remained the poorest of them and the people that was actually living there, the oldest of them for more than 30 years. He told us that Joaninha is due to the name of the old owner of the land, an old woman that used to live in the forest and hasn't been seen for years.
The whole land is in her name, but been appropriated and sold to the people that lives there now. Officially is not allowed to built there, but there is a lot of houses there. As the place should not be habited, there's no official light or water system there, but the illegal electricity is all around and each two weeks a car from Diadema municipality brings water to the people.
The first person that give us shelter there was this man that been living there for around 30 years. He had been there since it was a forest, and breed pigs there. The first reunion about doing the project was on his sty.

The second person that would receive us was Pai Josias, that had an candomblé house there. Candomblé is a traditional Afro-American religion in Brasil. Pai Josias was one of the leaders of the community there. He was the one which could get water for the people there and would distribute food he get in the municipality each month. With Pai Josias we arranged a lunch for people from EIA and who else would appear and planned the whole day there. Our idea was to call attention to the place and put it in the map, pressing the public affairs of Diadema to play its role into Sitio Joaninha delicate situation.
We intended to do more a symbolic act than a proper effective act. We knew it from the start that the results would not be visible at that moment.

The day of the EIA in Sítio Joaninha was a messy one. We arrived around 30 people, in cars and some by buses that would take us around 1,5 km from there. It was raining, and some of the cars had a problem to climb the hill to get there.

Once everybody was there we were invited to enter in Pai Josias house, where there was a party for us. In the entrance blood of sacrificed animals and inside lots of ritualistic shows. that make a lot of people a bit sick actually, as they weren't really ready for that. That was a bit too strong even to me. Some of the people leave. That was the edge of an art experience with anthropological experience, it was like entering in a bubble.

We spend the day doing the projects there - which basically would include gluing posters and performances- during a kind of walk with music and flags in which everyone would be invited to take part.
One Maracatu player was invited, and we took hold of the instruments and followed him.
The interaction with the people from the place was the most touching part of the day. Like in many of the places that we make works, when there's children, they come near and want to take part.

The climax of our procession was the Radioactive performance. The Radioactive collective is one of the strong arms of EIA and their performance is always very noisy and disturbing. They took place of Sitio Joaninha's landscape and situation in a very strong way, with speeches about ecology and human rights. The reaction of the people was also very strong. They were identified with the political caos that lead people to live like that, and provoke a moment of reflection to us.
radioatividade
After we leave Sitio Joaninha the group had to stop to make their reflections.
The day there was one of the strongest experiences of the group, for good and for bad, and we had to recover from that.
The history of Sitio Joaninha still waits for its turn. The EIA festival could call some attention to the place, but it was very difficult to get effective actions the people need, for several reasons. Pai Josias confirmed his position of community leader and appeared in the papers, which make possible more people take contact with Sitio Joaninha reality.
And for a While we had no notice of there. Just a few days ago we've been informed that pai Josias had died in a heart attack. People from Diadema was after EIA to get images and films where he could appear, because apparently there's no filmed images from him, except EIA's. We hope this can bring again attention to Sitio Joaninha's situation, and that it can help the people from there.

more about EIA at:
http://mapeia.blogspot.com
and related links

The Place for the Public Art (part 3)

2007-10-11T20:48:00.000-04:00

radioatividade

The Place for the Public Art (part 3)
SPLAC!

The city of São Paulo witnessed a great change in its look when a few months ago all kinds of advertisements were considered illegal, except a few that judicially could stand. The idea to remove the bulk of outdoors and publicity is part of a big plan to establish new rules for publicity, which of course will be very profitable for the municipality. the only publicity allowed in the city is the ones in municipal bus stops and subways.
The radical decision was took without much or no dialogue in the society, and took everybody by surprise. Not only the irregular or excessive propaganda had to be put off, but even small tabulets. Suddenly everything was prohibited without distinction.
Bijari
Too much corruption in past administration had led the city to turn into a tremendous mess. No regulation about the use of public space had turn São Paulo into one of the visually most polluted cities in the world. The ones that caused more damage was illegal advertisements of buildings. Placed in wrong places they were cause of countless accidents. The reaction to this kind of advertisement first take place by individuals, in general by vandalizing them. those ads were totally illegal. It usually was placed on Friday night, when the municipality fiscals were off for the weekend, and would be pulled out on Sunday night. it was a tacit agreement between the fiscals and the advertisement agencies.
The group EIA (immersive ambiental experience) planned a urban exhibition that would use the actual tabulets as support. the tabulets were made of light wood and was attached to light posts with a wire. The idea was to call a large number of individuals and call them to bring their own tabulet - took from the streets- with his intervention.

The EIA also with support of Atelier Coringa (another collective) would provide tabulets for those who had no conditions to take them at the streets. For this, we took two big cars and went after the tabulets. there were hundreds of them. in only one avenue we get most of them, about 100 illegal tabulets.
The day before at Atelier Coringa's studio people were invited to make their own intervention on the tabulets.
Paulo Hartmann
On Sunday we took all the tabulets to a square where they were shown as in an art fair. It was a very beautiful day with a lot of participation from the people of the area, that was endangered by rising taxes and speculation on their lands. this provide them support for their own cause also.
The show was covered by news paper, and after this day the tabulets were taken to Prestes Maia occupation, where it was exposed for a while and after that people could use the wood in several ways.

The disappearance of the tabulets were very disturbing for the tabulet scheme. the next weeks after that there were much less tabulets, and some of them were attached with chains to trees and posts. in less than a mouth after that, the tabulets were declared officially illegal and forbidden by the municipality. Actually they were illegal before, but too much attention on then make them very evident.
The laws forbidding all publicity in the city came around an year and half after that event.
Fernanda Brenner

more Splac! at:
http://splac.atspace.org/

The place for the Public Art (part 2)

2007-10-11T20:29:00.000-04:00

The Place for the Public Art (part 2)

Suspicious Behaviour

In 2006 the group Esqueleto Coletivo, one of the groups that been following the Prestes Maia and the whole process of gentrification in São Paulo had access to the maps of the surveillance cameras in the city center if São Paulo. The cameras has been installed since beginnings of 2006 according with officials reports from the Social Assistance Secretary the aim was to 'repress the street vendors in the city center'.

The whole system would ' help to find the leaders amongst these vendors and punish them' and eventually 'would help the people that live in the streets'. No registered film of the police operations is allowed, since its the own police that take care of the system. Severe abuses of the policemen in central São Paulo has been related, but even though are recorded in tape, no access to the information registered is given to individuals..
Tabata Costa, grupo Alerta!

With the original maps, and subsequent cameras found, the group could trace the area that was under vigilance, and find out that it was the same area that was in the aim of the gentrified plans of the government.
Mostly of the areas in the city wanted to implement the system, but only in those areas they were put.
The group imagined what would happen if at the same time several suspicious actions took place under the surveillance cameras in the city center. does the police would have enough force to check it out everything that was going on there? Would they really care?
Tranca Rua
The group join forces with another group -called EIA, and organized an open call in which everyone was invited to take part in the action. the cameras would be distributed amongst the people and each one was free to do their own suspicious action.
The idea was to decentralize the action in order to make it happen in several places at the same time.
Using surveillance cameras in art projects is not new. Since we started to research about the issue, the stronger references were the group Surveillance Cameras Players - that may be known to most of you.
The project was not supposed to oppose the cameras itself, but to call the attention for its presence, in one hand and try to get more discussion about the uses of the images captured, since it is not free access. In several occasions policial abuses were reported and surely captured with the cameras but obviously the images could never been seem for the simple fact it is kept by the own municipal guard.
So, in general, people admit the surveillance cameras is good for the city, but is not aware that their access to it is denied.
Jaime Lauriano
The action was covered by media and was succeeded. Around 30 cameras captured at the same time the suspicious acts. Pamphlets and lot of talk with the people in the street as usual. Some police around but no confrontation. Other collectives made similar "suspicious behaviour " on other parts of Brasil, and a collective that was in Costa Rica made the action there too. Like always much talk in the Internet followed the intervention itself, especially because it was pretty much on the papers.
Viviana, do Rio de Janeiro
The media coverage tried pretty much to cover the history of artivism, in order to make context with the action, which had a reaction for the collectives.
The municipal guard did not answer the release of the images, and only few months later two major incidents including the municipal guard took place in the city center, and left several people hurt: one in a Christmas party of the homeless, in which two aldermen were hurt and sprayed with pepper gas, and in other a festival of the Municipality where several people get hurt due to policial excess in a rap event.
The images officially never been released, and in the amateur filming the scenes are strikingly brutal.

more at:
http://atitude-suspeita.blogspot.com/

The place for the Public Art (part 1)

2007-10-11T19:53:00.000-04:00

hi Friends, I've been away from the blog, as I went to Washington and later been organizing a talk in apexart. I am still working things here and have some topics to put on it before I leave, but first I would like to share with you the text from the talk . The talk was basically about public art in Brasil, and the relations I could find in New York context for them. I divided it in four groups, and the topics may vary around collectives, politics, communities, gentrification, so, here it goes, The place for the Public Art.
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part one
Prestes Maia and São Paulo Collectives

The new generation of public art in São Paulo begin to take shape after some groups begin to act together. The turning point and most important long term event for collective art in São Paulo was the association of art collectives and individual artists to the homeless movement based in center São Paulo.
It is a long journey which begins in 2003 with the occupation of two buildings by homeless families. The number of the occupants although changed during the time ranged between 1500 and 2000 people. in the only census actually made there, it was counted 468 families.
The building, two towers of an old factory, was left abandoned and closed since 1980.
The homeless movement that took place there were able to put light and water systems in both buildings and clean the space.
The judgement of the case was very unclear, and the homeless were told to leave. The old owner is a very powerful man in São Paulo and although the taxes of the building hasn't been paid for more than 20 years, and the building was left, won the cause.
One of the reasons for that was because the whole area was ready to a multimillionaire gentrification planned by the city government and sponsored by the World Bank. The idea of expelling the poor people living there was made clear by the interviews of the housing secretary. Since then, the police were given special powers to arrest and act with violence against the people of the area. The media as a whole also had choose the side of the private propriety.
But the former owner of the building could not get the building back because he failed in giving support to the people to leave according to the law, and the amount of people were considered hazardous to the police handle in case of conflict.
So the occupants were allowed to stay until a solution for the case was found.

When the first artists started to visit the Prestes Maia building it was in very bad shape. It was only known by the policial pages reports. The homeless movement - MSTC, accepted the proposal from one of them to create an art show there.
In December 2003, a big art show in support of the families took place in Prestes Maia. For that 120 artists attended the invitation and used the place and interacted with the people living there during three weeks. In the last weekend, visitation was open and for the first time people in general could enter the building and take contact with the reality there. For the first time also, Prestes Maia was covered by the media in the cultural pages.
After big criticizing ranging from self-promotion of the artists and paternalism, what could turn into a big project simply did not launched. Only a few artists remained working there, without big achievements.
In June 2005 the MSTC called the organizers again. Prestes Maia was in danger again. They've been notified by police force that they were about to leave in a month. This time a wider range of professionals was about to help, and mainly by the help of attorneys, Prestes Maia was again able to survive.

As the movement around Prestes Maia begun to get stronger the gentrification politics in the area got stronger too. The supporters of Prestes Maia tried to help other social movements in city center that was being desarticulated by the city government. In one of the buildings to be left, a pacific resistance was planned. Several people were injured and tortured by the police. Several were under arrest and processed. The people violented were mostly black and poor. The others amongst them were advised not to get involved. The images went broadcast and for the first time the means of the policial troops against civils in central Sao Paulo were questioned.
After several attempts to contact the habitation secretary failed, it became clear that dialogue was impossible.

At this time, Prestes Maia had been adapted to became an improvised cultural center. Each weekend people would gather there, and attend to theater, cinema and music. after a while the people from Prestes Maia started to create their own parties and attractions.

In March 2006 some of the São Paulo collectives were invited to take part in the Havana Biennial show, and tried to organize in São Paulo and Habana a show that could connect both. The result was a very important event to Prestes Maia -that again was in danger and due to public pressure could get some breath again-, and nothing in Habana. They were not able to send a representative there.

The city government held a cultural festival to attract people for the new gentrified area, and some of the artists and collectives linked with Prestes Maia were invited to take part, and this also bring some tension about the role of the artists in the gentrification process, and in other hand it was the only chance for some to show their work and get some money from it.

As a collective effort it was compiled and edited a book about civil rights in the city center of São Paulo.
The city mayor confronted with the accusations replied that art collectives and intellectuals "don't represent the people".

With another collective effort, mainly by some of the building people, a library was organized. This give space to several media coverage, and give credibility to the movement.
Much with the municipality pressure, the second judgement of Prestes Maia, again give the cause against the occupants, at the same time dispossessing the former owner from the building. A big pressure was put into the mayor as several politicians, actors and even religious leaders been there. The president of the nation itself with partnerships raised funds and get houses for most of the people from Prestes Maia in a corner of the city. The mayor went personally to the building to give the official announcement. Finally people could leave Prestes Maia with a place to live.

The building were desapropriated and locked again. It cannot be demolished because it stands over a subway route. Its doors were cemented and no one knows what is going to happen with it.
The results for the people involved apart of the residents of the Prestes Maia was not evaluated yet.
Harsh accusations over the artists involved has been made by the official art system and even by themselves. The people involved with Prestes Maia more than once were accused being opportunists and hypocrites.

read more and photo credits :
http://integracaosemposse.zip.net

Madison Square Garden: the building the people love to hate

2007-10-03T00:28:00.000-04:00

Madison Square Garden is so big that you risk simply don't notice it.

Yes, I heard that: despite of being a true legend for the ears of people like me (that have lots of recordings of live concerts there), Madison Square Garden is regarded like one of the worst buildings in NY. Of course this is a very provocative and nostalgic view, but of course I had to see it with my own eyes.

The most bizarre shows on earth took place at MSG

First of all, the MSG carries a really functional architecture. It is not intended to be more than a big place to hold any event intended to carry on there. It is so big that is almost impossible to take photos of it, consisting in a cylindrical building and a very high tower, big enough to cover a whole block close to Times Square. The Madison Square Garden as we know today was completed in 1968, after much controversial plans, and that's one of the reasons for the 'love-it-or hate-it' reaction lies in its site.

Of course it's impossible to see any sky behind the actual building

The root of all the controversy that fills lots of discussions forums is the fact that MSG was build to replace the charming Penn Station, that was a true beauty for so many, but it was in bad shape. At the 50's it was planned a big change in the area, and the idea of bringing the MSG there prevail over others. The station still works there, underneath the arena.

Penn Station, which building was replaced for the Madison Square Garden

The Madison Square Garden itself has changed locations for three times before reach its actual place. It's been receiving any kind of events since circus and sports events until musical concerts. It is by far the most popular arena in the city, and is the self claimed the most famous in the world.

One of the past incarnations of Madison Square Garden

It sounds very unreliable that Madison Square Garden comes to be demolished or change its place again, so there's no much room for discussion now. The place which it stands is a very 'build' one, and i believe is very difficult to change anything there. Actually there's no much room for big changes in Manhattan, it seems. There are areas being renovated like Chelsea or some areas at Lower East End, but the real building business looks to be happening in Brooklyn more than anywhere. But still there are people that hopes one day that big ugly building will be removed with no trace behind.

Take the A train

2007-10-02T11:08:00.000-04:00

My friend Isadora sent a link for an article on a journal in Argentina about the New York Subway, and as I was realizing that few cities in the world (maybe only Paris, i guess) has been so fetichized as NY. Everything on it has been subject to world scrutinize. Isadora also send me this link for the famous song from Duke Ellington (Take the A train), in the voice of Ella Fitzgerald.
The subway from New York was started in the very beginnings of XX century taking the London subway as a model. At that time New York was home of crowds of immigrants which would arrive everyday from Ellis and would pack up Lower East End. The subway was intended to give more room for the people to move through the city, and it was really succeeded. Since then the subway took the city to a new level of modernization, and some would say it unblocked any rigid social system that could still remain. The subway is a very democratic way to move, all can take it no matter who you are in the social scale (anyway I've heard the same about coca-cola).
As I have all this floating in my head, I decided to take the A train to Sugar Hill, in Harlem where Duke Ellington lived. This was the area of the black elite in NY at that time. Maybe it is until now somehow. As it is said in the first link, this music has been created in 1939 by Billy Strayhorn a musician that was was following the instructions to get to Duke's house.

You must take the A Train

To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem

If you miss the A Train

You'll find you've missed the quickest way to Harlem

Hurry, get on, now, it's coming

Listen to those rails a-thrumming (All Aboard!)

Get on the A Train

Soon you will be on Sugar Hill in Harlem

another version of 'Take the A train':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLWS5ZKA5cY

But reality is quite different from the legends, as my long stroll through Harlem and the Bronx could showed me. The A train is not the cutest one in town, but like all other has a kind of standard. From the people round me 7 in 10 had I-pods or musical devices. Even the poorest of the guys was listening to music or playing some game. No wonder, like everywhere in New York, the subway is absurdly noisy. I think people want to protect themselves into their own little electronic worlds. When we get to 125th I leave the train and went on walking. Sugar Hill is not dotted on the map, but is said to be around the 125th and the 155th. Although the first scene I saw on street was not a good one - policemen arguing with people on the street- it looked quite calm in comparison to downtown. There's a park, there's the university, which are always signs of good life. It is somehow like leaving the city, or like a smaller city. the features are more like small buildings, residential surroundings, mixed with some commercial centers.

The Harlem look more homogeneous to me, with massive afro-american population.
The Bronx is much more mixed and vibrant, with its afro-latin-oriental population dividing a huge area in the map. At first it looked a bit frighten to me, as I arrive through the bridge over a highway just in front of the massive Yankees Stadium and got into an area for heavy traffic, so I had to walk into it until get to kind of a commercial center - that resembled like downtown Brooklyn. It was not easy until I get there. You know i was somewhat lost (of course) and wasn't sure what would come ahead. But walking a little further I found out Bronx is sort of a place for small buildings and residential spot. It really feels like we left downtown behind and went home. Although there is a lot of commerce, it can't be compared with downtown and this is also an area for large parks, so I decided going to 180th street to walk on the park. The trains here are much more over the ground and outside the tunnels, so I could take a look onto the roofs of Bronx meanwhile. I realize some more specific communities here like afro-muslins Sudan like women, afro-latin guys and girls, sort of Indian and Pakistan people over there too, not the tourist like people in downtown, but much more like settled people living there. Although I went until very far into the city, I haven't found the signs of degradation which are so common in the large cities peripheral areas. Even in it's edges, the city is still wealthy. After a while I took the 5 train back, and could see all that again, the train, the noise, the rooftops, people with their devices, and as the train went back underground I would even close my eyes and eventually be in my interior world again, while the train woulda shake on until Union Square.

Demography in NYC

2007-09-30T23:03:00.000-04:00

I've found some interesting data about demography in NYC here. The city is largely distinct of any other city of USA in its ethnicity, that makes it a big puzzle of mainly nations in the world.
I will let the census speak for itself, thou.

In 2005
44% of the population was white.
25.3% of the population was black or African American,
11.6% was Asian
0.4% were American Indian.
17% belonged to some other race
1.6% of New Yorkers belonged to more than one race.

The New York City metropolitan area is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel.In 2002, an estimated 972,000 Ashkenazic Jews lived in New York City and constituted about 12% of the city's population.The Jewish presence in New York City dates to the 1600s when a Jewish community relocated from Recife seeking freedom of worship (ops!).

As of the 2000 census 255,536 New Yorkers reported German ancestry.

As of the 2000 census 213,447 New Yorkers reported Polish ancestry.

The Romanian community of New York is the largest in United States and North America, with unofficial figures showing 200,000 Romanians in New York.

It is also home to nearly a quarter of the nation's South Asians, approximately 275,000 persons from India (226,587), Pakistan (34,310), Bangladesh (18,825), and Sri Lanka (1,094), and comprise a combined 3.5% of New York City's population.

The largest African American community of any city in the country, at over 2 million within the city's boundaries.

NYC has about 800,000 Puerto Ricans and has the largest Puerto Rican population outside of Puerto Rico.

Another historically significant ethnic group are Italians, who emigrated to the city in large numbers in the early twentieth century, New York City is home to the largest Italian population in the US. New York metropolitan area is home to 3,372,512 Italians, which is the third largest concentration in the world after Milan and Rome metropolitan areas.

The Irish also have a notable presence; one in 50 New Yorkers of European origin carry a distinctive genetic signature on their Y chromosomes inherited from Niall of the Nine Hostages, an Irish high king of the fifth century A.D.
As of the 2000 census 420,810 New Yorkers reported Irish ancestry.

Assertiveness

2007-09-30T13:26:00.000-04:00

One of the features of people here I most recognize is the assertiveness. People on the street tend to talk too much - well it's more they shout to each other.Maybe New York is so noisy that people have to act like this. I am more like a very quiet person, I can spend my days without speaking to anyone. Actually, I am very shy, and in NY this is fatal. At the subway I realize people talk a lot with strangers. When they realize the one next to him is from his same background, people don't stop to think before speaking. I always fear the metro situation or the street situation when someone stops you to talk about global warm or some house for children that needs my help. "You can make the difference", he said and got very much annoyed when I just keep walking while mumbling things he probably could not listen. The same at the market when I received a "HOW ARE YOU TODAY" right on the face and mubled some "fine thank you", and the woman say very angry " WHY YOU DON'T WANT TO TALK TO ME?". Then I realize I had to be more assertive in my talk otherwise I could have problems.

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Skills for family life & work.

the douche and the turd

2007-09-30T12:50:00.001-04:00

"Douche and Turd" is episode 119 of South Park. It was originally broadcast on October 27, 2004, just before the United States presidential election, 2004. The episode is a thinly veiled commentary on the pointlessness of voting for either of the 2004 presidential candidates, a Douche or a Turd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douche_and_Turd

Let's get out and vote!; Let's make our voices heard.; We've been given the right to choose,; between a douche and a turd.; It’s democracy in action!; Put your freedom to the test.; A big fat turd or a stupid douche,; which do you like best?

Trivia sections are discouraged under this blog guidelines.
This blog could be improved by integrating relevant items into it and removing inappropriate items.

splasher tracks

2007-09-30T00:06:00.001-04:00

REVOLUTIONARY CREATIVITY DOES NOT SHOCK OR ENTERTAIN THE BOURGEOISIE, IT DESTROYS THEM. OUR STRUGGLE CANNOT BE HUNG ON WALLS. DESTROY THE MUSEUMS, IN THE STREETS AND EVERYWHERE.
(extracted from the "splasher" manifest)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/28/arts/design/28stin.html

http://gothamist.com/2007/01/23/against_streeta.php

http://nymag.com/news/features/32388/
(from where all texts in this post were extracted)

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/nyregion/thecity/28graf.html

"Whereas graffiti tends to bloom in a city’s poorest neighborhoods and spread outward, street art breeds in pockets of gentrification—Soho, Nolita, the Lower East Side, Williamsburg, Dumbo."

This mural by Banksy, shown in July, was defaced with yellow paint by an unknown vandal and is now covered with gray paint.

“That piece was a gift,” one of them said. “People loved it. We’d sit out there, and people would stop and take photos of that shit all day long. They loved it. There’s 8 trillion other fucking things you could throw paint at in the city. How many people walk down the street and take pictures of AT&T ads?”

Swoon, one of the first street artists attacked by the Splasher

"If you had to choose, from the entire universe of street art, the least likely target of a malicious vandalism campaign, you’d pretty much have to go with Swoon. Her work is unusually quiet, thoughtful, serious, and beautiful: realistic life-size portraits of kids with skateboards and men pushing shopping carts and women sitting and sewing. She spends weeks carving templates in wood or linoleum. She’s a devoted activist, donating her art to raise money for such causes as freeing imprisoned radicals and increasing public awareness of the Mexican government’s repression of the people of Oaxaca. She’s one of the few successful women in the current scene."

Swoon interview at http://one.revver.com/watch/223597

"It was impossible to say if he would strike again, now that spring was about to hit and the walls were starting to fill with fresh targets, or if he’d just been a colorful nightmare in the city’s otherwise drab winter dreams."

Chinatown

2007-09-29T23:22:00.000-04:00

Chinatown more than a place, is an idea. There are hundreds of Chinatowns in the world - it exists basically in mostly countries and big cities of North, South and Central Americas, Europe, Oceania, Africa, Mid-Eastern and central Asia, I mean, they are everywhere. And none of them obviously, are located in China (otherwise would have an actual name).
But Chinatown in an international reference for the -note that- not only Chinese but mostly all oriental nations area in the town. They may differ from place to place but basically is a kind of far oriental cultural ghetto. Chinatown in New York doesn't looks different.

There are records of chinese presence in New York since the XIX century, although the main entrance from orientals in America was San Francisco. In New York, they share the Low East Side with Italians and Jews. Today chinatown is quite established and provides a quite interesting view for the unadvised visitor. The feeling is like you still are in NY but why you can't read or understand anything?

images and history at http://www.nychinatown.org/

Coney Island original borders

2007-09-28T11:21:00.000-04:00

Well these are some maps I found (again at NYPL) that shows the changes at Coney Island's original geography. Actually Coney Island was an island some day, as you can see in the map, but is not true anymore. Most of the changes took place from 1867 to 1930, when Coney Island was definally no longer an island.

nobody cares

2007-09-28T11:19:00.000-04:00

yes I know, yes I know...

This week happened something that shows how the goodwill of some can be used by other's profit. And this also traces the line between the commercial and non commercial uses of anonymous thousands of images posted everyday in the internet. The one above is one of them.
it belongs to Liz Henry and is posted in her Flickr page. I just grab it and put it here. Nobody cares about my blog anyway and I am not taking any financial advantage of it. But when it comes to the use of the same kind image by a big corporation like Virgin how does it works?
I mean, these are the guys that are supposed to have multimillionaire budgets for adversements but they choose to take a photo like that based in the idea of the criative commons.
here's the link for the whole thing here.

The First Jews (some more infos)

2007-09-28T10:48:00.000-04:00

At NY Public Library I've found more information about the jews that fled from Brasil, this time in another point of view, as you can notice in the text written:

"Twenty three Sephardic Jews arrived in New amsterdan in 1654, establishing the first permanent Jewish settlement in North America. Since 1492, when the inquisition expelled all Jews froms Spain, Sephardic Jews have been wandering through the Mediterranean region, Western Europe, the Caribbean and South America, seeking havens. Some had settled in the Dutch colony of Recife, in Brazil. When the Portuguese overwhelmed the Dutch, Jews had to flee. Some arrived in New Amsterdan because the Dutch had been sympathetic to the flight of jews from Spain. Although they were allowed to enter New Amsterdan, Governor Peter Stuyvesant protested their remaining. as a result of a petition by Jewish Dutch stockholders of the Dutch West India Company, Stuyvesant was compelled to permit them to stay.(...)

6emeia

2007-09-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Yes, the streets are fuming in São Paulo, too...

Six and a half, http://www.fotolog.com/6emeia is the name of a collective that's using the design of sidewalks in São Paulo to their criative paintings. call it graffitti, call it urban art or whatever.
I think they are great!

The only statement found of the group, says:
"If we had been living in dictatorship, we would be guerilla soldiers.
If we had been living in the 80's, we would be punks.
If we had been living in the 90's, with the face painted we would put down presidents, and in 2006 we would paint storm drains!!!
The time has come.
6emeia

romanian music: Romica Puceanu and Maria Tanase

2007-09-27T00:16:00.001-04:00

Romica and the Brothers Gori in recording session, Bucharest, mid 50's

This is for music lovers: I've just found the most beautful site about Romica Puceanu (1928 - 1996), for those of you never heard her, or about her, here follows a brief introduction, and a very precious link for her work.

http://aris.ss.uci.edu/rgarfias/kiosk/romica.html

"In November of 1996, the Romanian Gypsy singer, par excellence, Romica Puceanu, died in Bucharest as the result of an automobile accident. Greatly admired by those who knew her singing, she was, nonetheless, the unfortunate victim of a number of circumstances which prevented her receiving the acclaim which she deserved. By the 1960s and 70s she had become in Romania, the unrivaled interpreter of the cintec de pahar, that form of urban Romanian Gypsy song, a combination of Turkish and Romanian elements in a unique Gypsy setting. She possessed an exquisite voice and was singer of great sensitivity and depth. Romanian state policy in effect during most of the years during which Romica was in her prime, made it difficult for most artists, particularly Gypsies, to be heard abroad.(...)"
Robert Garfias
department of anthropology
UCI

I was first introduced to Romica by a friend in Viena and her voice and singing touched me forever. This was the best introduction to romenian music one can have.
There are some recordings from Romica that been release not long ago, in a postumous homage to this great singer. I haven't heard it yet, and I believe it may be very interesting, but if you go to this site, you can listen to a lot more of her songs. My favorite always been 'Lume, lume', a very emotional tune, which i got completely amazed when I got the lyrics of. I put then down here in the original and in the translation of two romanians that live in the USA. More information below.

http://real.irc.uci.edu/rgarfias/mp3/lume_lume.mp3
sung by Romica Puceanu

http://music.virtualromania.org/maria/songs/07.%20Lume,%20lume.mp3
sung by Maria Tanase

Lume lume

Lume, lume, soră lume
Lume, lume, soră lume
Când să mă satur de tine
Când să mă satur de tine
Lume, soră lume
Când s-o lăsa sec de pâine
Şi păhăruţul de mine
Poate-atunci m-oi sătura
Poate-atunci m-oi sătura
Când o suna scândura
Când o suna scândura
Lume, soră lume
Când m-or băga in mormânt
Şi n-oi mai fi pe pământ
Lume, soră lume

Aşa-i lumea trecătoare
C-aşa-i lumea trecătoare
Unul naşte altul moare
Unul naşte altul moare
Lume, soră lume
Ăl de naşte necăjeşte
Ăl de moare putrezeşte
Lume, soră lume

C-aşa-i lumea trecătoare
Unul naşte altul moare
Lume, soră lume
Ăl de naşte necăjeşte
Ăl de moare putrezeşte
Lume, soră lume

World, world

World, world, sister world
World, world, sister world
When will I have enough of you
When will I have enough of you
When I give up bread for Lent
And the glass will give up on me

Maybe then I'll have enough of you
Maybe then I'll have enough of you
When they hammer the nails on my coffin
When they hammer the nails on my coffin
World, sister world
When they put me in my grave
And I won't be on earth anymore
World, sister world

That's how the world is, transient
'Cause that's how the world is, transient
One is born, another dies
One is born, another dies
World, sister world
The born one suffers
The dead one rots

'Cause that's how the world is, transient
One is born, another dies
World, sister world
The born one suffers
The dead one rots
World, sister world

Maria Tanase

Maria Tanase (1913-1963) according to my romanians friends (the ones which translated 'Lume, lume') is better singer than Romica. No doubt she's an excelent singer. You can listen to a lot of her music in their site, which is totally devoted to romanian culture, and take you own conclusion. They told me Romica has a more urban singing, while Maria has a more tradicional approuch. Both can resume the changes that romanian society passed through the 20th century.

http://virtualromania.org/

Go to romanian music, and don't forget to thank these guys for the beautful work they do.

Still Well in Coney Island

2007-09-25T21:39:00.000-04:00

It may be silly, but how not connect Coney Island with its extense imagery, produced along the 20th century? This Brooklyn beach is tied to the imaginary of the people here as a dreamland, and it was first conceived like that.
Opening of Dreamland, 1908

This area was known since 1639 by the dutch as a place to hunt rabbits, from which it took the name (konijin=rabbit). It was a resort for fairs and amusements parks since the beginning of the 1900's. The popularity of the place has declined around the 50's, and the area has deteriorated.

Those were the days: Coney Island Beach at the 40's, photo by Arthur (Weegee) Fellig

Although not now in its glory days, Coney Island is far from the dark idea I first have from it, extracted of the movie "Warriors", which depicted the gangland violence in New York 70's.
When I been to Coney Isl. I was expecting to see some of that deluded universe, decadent seaside area, but there is no much of it.

I love this film...

Anyway, the Coney Island of today has no much of old days glamour neither of the oppressive and violent outskirt, and it is not bad place at all. I bet for a lot of new yorkers it may be the best place to relax by the sea they can find at a short distance. But despite of it, in the weekend I've been there the place was quite empty. Of course there were people, but there were no trace of the crowd of one of the pictures above.

Looked like a mix of Miami with the Old West.

I realized quite quickly that they have their own special days 'round there. No problem, thou, but I got uneasy with the guns. Why there always have to be guns?
I am scared of guns.

By the way, Nathan's is the most traditional hot-dog in Coney Isl. and holds the annual hot-dog eating contest. That's what I meant that was not the day.
I am scared of men who can eat their own weight in hot dogs.

Bizarre enough, I barely had reached the amusement park yet...

That's not gentle...

What really impressed me was some sort of loneliness there, mainly because there were no many people around, and amusement parks and beaches without people can be a strange scenery. the machines were working and everything there were set to a crowd that simply doesn't show up.

The machines were ready to go

While I was walking down the beach and stop to refresh, I realize that I was in a filming set. No wonder, NYC is the home of the filming sets, and I believe there is no place in town that had been not filmed yet. But this especial film had a soundtrack so odd, I had to catch up in this little movie to show you, contrasting with the apparent stillness of the beach.

c'mon everybody!

Later on there was an immigrant fair, that I though to be from anyplace in Yugoslavia, but it was indeed a russian raising funds fair. Until we get to the island there is a lot of immigrant communities alongside Brooklyn, that I can broadly imagine ranges from jewish, afro, latin, muslin and asian communities. Anyone left? Eastern europeans, and russians, so there they were, close to Brighton beach making a big noise to get donations. I heard there is a hasidic russian jewish community living there, but those did not look like them.

Russians in Coney Island.

Like anywhere, modernization came to here, and the areas close to the beach are valuable now, it seems. Big blocks has been built as the city grows and pushes the boundaries of imobiliary enterprises.
Big Blocks in Coney Island, but could be anywhere

On my way back I surprisingly found a work of the Gêmeos, the twin street artists brothers from Brasil.
Os Gêmeos in Coney Island

Stillwell? You tell me.

smart president not for everyone

2007-09-25T21:19:00.000-04:00

sorry guys, but that was funny: president Bush declares Mandela's dead.
at first I though it was a montage but doesn't look like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NKmdd0clmQ

what's going on Brooklyn? (part 2, the insight)

2007-09-25T00:16:00.000-04:00

So, what's going on Brooklyn? After a short walk in abandoned factories taken by vegetation, big avenues and sort of cheap commerce I still had no trace of any art community happening there, although there is, surely is. More and more I had the feeling I was wandering where i shoul not. Suddenly I was took by a very visual - and unusual- message written in a blue tape on the wall. Although I could not understand much at that time, surely there was a clue that Brooklyn was experiencing some kind of transformation, and that was not without questioning.
The message was there, and somewhat clear (quite clear compared to the idiche letterings), definetly someone was trying to call attention to the dark side of the changes the area was passing through.

But What is ATURA, who is Mayor Moo Moo (hehehe) and what about the 'Ratner Plan'. Well it seemed that I need some more information now. But I knew that on the wrong side of the Brooklyn I could gather something to undestand it as a whole. On the way back - through Lafayett Ave. to Atlantic Ave. I could see more of the area development and take a glimpse of what was written in blue on the wall: the whole area was under severe remodelling.

what's going on Brooklyn? (part 1)

2007-09-24T22:47:00.000-04:00

I've been to Brooklyn last week and I must confess my inability in moving there. I was told that there is a vibrant artistic scene going on there, as a part of a big renovation that been going on for some time now. OK, the Brooklyn I've been was the wrong one. I took the wrong subway and get down in the wrong place. That's right, I went to the wrong side of Brooklyn. I was supposed to get the Brooklyn Bridge, but I did not. I got into Marcy Avenue. The place I've been was very dirty, very ugly. Industrial abandoned area. Much uglier than any in Manhattan for sure, but I could sense I was in a very devalued area. The kind of area ready to be destroyed, ready to be gentrified. I know that, because my city is like that. When you want to gentrify, you just leave the area to deteriorate, and then you get lower prices for that, because no one wants that anymore. That's what I've found.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

But I had to continue, of course. I was lost and had to recover my direction, so after a short walk, I realized that i was much north than i should, so I decided go South to reach Bushwick Ave. or Bedford. I mean, I was pretty lost. I went through Penn street and in a moment the whole surrounding area changed completely. Suddenly it was a much more familiar area, with lots of people on the street. but not ordinary people. I was in a Hasidic Jewish community. This mean they are very traditional and hold a strong community there. While and after the II World War they establish this community in 20 blocks around Williamsburg, and I was its very heart. But something still was not in fit. Why all of them was on the streets saluting each other, all dressed alike, with very unusual hats?
A friend of mine later told me I would find lots of Jews in Manhattan, but not like these ones, and he was right. Those were very distinctive indeed. The answer would be just in front of me if i could only read: everything there was written in idiche, so I could not realize there was a kind of a party going on there. It was the very day of the Yom Kippur, one of their major festivities.
At this point I was the only non-jew there, as it already happened to me in some communities in New York City. I just went on until i left that area and went on again into an industrial ugliness again.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

the menace from the east

2007-09-24T22:04:00.000-04:00

This week the paper bombed us with striking news about the visit of Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to USA. I got really bad impression about the way the US media refered about him and the case. I had never seem a paper call a president of any nation "an idiot" or "wily" as I've seen this week.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/09/24/politics/main3292477.shtml
That's right, front page of the paper calling the president of a foreign nation "an idiot". This is completely irresponsible and imprudent, and I am quite sad about it. This can bring very uneasy situations for people which there's nothing to do with it, this can bring instability, this can bring retaliation, in short terms, this is the kind of media that is grounding arguments for justify a military intervention. The power of this kind of media can be nasty. The brasilian media, which has nothing to do with the case was much more professional in the same coverage without leaving its critics behind.
(http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/folha/mundo/ult94u331017.shtml)

born loser

2007-09-23T18:26:00.000-04:00

Loser (Beck)

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me,

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me
get crazy with the cheez-wiz,

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me
drive, by, body pierce
yo bring it on down

I'm a driver, I'm a winner
things are gonna' change I can feel it

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me
I can't believe it

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me
Sprechen sie deutsch, baby

Soy un perdedor, I'm a loser baby so why don't you kill me
You know what I'm sayin'

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

quotation on my own personal dictionary:
potboiler \POT-boi-lur\, noun:
A usually inferior literary or artistic work, produced quickly for the
purpose of making money.

Steam Pipe Explosions

2007-09-23T17:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, just the other day I was wondering what's behind (in the case, below) those hundreds of steam pipes in NY, and so I just heard about it: theres really an underground world goin' on there, and for sure sometimes bad things happens, take a look:
(I have the feeling everyone knows about that except me)
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/nyregion/19explode.html?hp

"A steam pipe explosion beneath a street near Grand Central Terminal yesterday propelled a giant scalding jet of brownish steam toward the sky, sending commuters who had been heading home stampeding to safety.(...)

(all photos by NYtimes)

"(...)The blast, near 41st Street and Lexington Avenue, raised fears of terrorism, but officials were quick to dismiss that possibility. “There is no reason to believe this is anything other than a failure of our infrastructure,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said."

according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_New_York_City_steam_explosion

"(...)More than 12 similar Con Edison steam pipe explosions have occurred in New York City since 1987. One of the most significant events occurred near Gramercy Park in 1989, killing two Con Edison workers and one bystander, and causing damage of several million U.S. dollars. The utility eventually pleaded guilty to lying about asbestos contamination from that accident, and paid a $2 million fine.
A steam pipe explosion at Washington Square in 2000 near the New York University Bobst Library left a 15 foot (3.5 meter) crater in the pavement on Washington Square South, scattering debris and leaving traces of asbestos in the air. The New York Steam Company began providing service in lower Manhattan in 1882.
Today, Con Edison operates the New York City steam system, the largest commercial steam system in the world, with more than 100 miles of steam pipe. It provides steam service to nearly 2,000 customers serving more than 100,000 commercial and residential establishments in Manhattan south of 96th Street. The utility reported that in 2007, the average age of the steam pipes was 54 years, but some were near 100 years old."

Well, as I was there, I though could grab some more information about the steam pipes, which follows:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_steam_system

"The New York City steam system is a district heating system which carries steam from central power stations under the streets of Manhattan to heat, cool, or supply power to high rise buildings and businesses. Some New York businesses and facilities also use the steam for cleaning and disinfection.

The New York Steam Company began providing service in lower Manhattan in 1882. Today, Consolidated Edison operates the largest commercial steam system in the world, now known as Con Edison Steam Operations, providing steam service to nearly 2,000 customers and serving more than 100,000 commercial and residential establishments in Manhattan from the Battery at the southern tip of Manhattan to 96th Street uptown. Roughly 30 billion pounds (14 million tonnes) of steam flow through the system every year.

Clouds of condensation can sometimes be seen rising from manholes in Manhattan, although this is usually caused by external water being boiled by contact with the steam pipes, rather than leaks in the steam system itself.(...)"

Shell Back

2007-09-22T14:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I suppose many of you are not used with the sailor's language and don't have any a hint of what Shell back is. As I receive a Shell back certificate without knowing exactly what it was, I will share with you this strange navy's habit for the sailors who crossed the Equator for their first time.

This is a Shell Back certificate, but not mine...

"Crossing the Equator . . . .

On our way to Singapore, we dipped below the equator to have a crossing the line ceremony. We went from being pollywogs to shellbacks upon completing the appropriate initiation (by the shellback's on board). The initiation comprised of crawling through a canvas chute full of garbage, while they beat the tar out of you with pieces of old fire hoses, and going through several other likewise unpleasantries (i.e., kissing the greased belly of the baby, dunking in the coffin, taking the truth serum, etc.). I remember I was pushing the person in front of me (in the chute) because he wasn't moving fast enough! We also lost chunks of our hair, which they cut out with scissors - most of us all got butch haircuts afterwards. It was an experience. Later on, on the USS Chicago, I got to be on the other side."

oldbluejacket.com/bexar.htm

Beautiful, hum?
Some more, some more!

Shellback Certificate, Which
Was Really More of a
Shellback "Card."

www.solantamity.com/Solant/SolantCruise1.htm

**************************************************

Now if you wonder why and how did I get my ShellBack certificate, I owe it to my friend -and very talented artist- Mack Mcfarland, in which company I had a lot of good time in Portland, OR. While I was back to São Paulo and came back again to USA (to NY this time) he sent me this ShellBack certificate that I received here.

my Shell back certificate
Mack, Tricia, Carl and Regina in Portland. Despite of the photo we were not at the sea that time, you can tell by the drinks.

ah, and the portuguese

2007-09-22T11:42:00.000-04:00

Besides the sefardic jews that arrived in New Amsterdan 'back-when-who-knows-anymore', the portuguese that (self) allegedly made the most important discoveries of the XVI century, also claim to be the first european to be in North America (I suppose they mean it after the Vikings).
Anyway, researching on internet I've found this site that explains it all, but I beg you, not take them very seriously! And by the way, they've been the first ones in Australia too.

look at
http://www.dightonrock.com/

"The engravings on face of Dighton Rock are the TRUE evidence. Any theory that does not have engravings on the face of Dighton Rock, cannot be sustained as a theory. See if you can identify the Portuguese National Symbols on the face of Dighton Rock."

At the same site you can find the secret discovery of Australia (it seems to have been really secret) by the portuguese.
http://www.dightonrock.com/mapprovesportuguesediscoveredaus.htm

By Michael Perry

SYDNEY (Reuters) - A 16th century maritime map in a Los Angeles library vault proves that Portuguese adventurers, not British or Dutch, were the first Europeans to discover Australia, says a new book which details the secret discovery of Australia.

The book "Beyond Capricorn" says the map, which accurately marks geographical sites along Australia's east coast in Portuguese, proves that Portuguese seafarer Christopher de Mendonça lead a fleet of four ships into Botany Bay in 1522 -- almost 250 years before Britain's Captain James Cook (...)

Personally I don't feel much inclined to believe in these theories, even 'cause after more accurated studies most of them simply can't stand for much longer. But in the case of the portuguese you can never tell, because they've been really ahead of their time (note at that time, and not for much longer) and spread their empire through Asia, Africa and America.
That makes me remember about a very weird theory about the Viking presence in Brasil, which was evident bullshit, but I will try to find and add to this blog.

always steaming

2007-09-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

New York is a city that looks like is always steaming, and everywhere there is steam coming out of the ground. I asked my friend Matt what's the reason, and he laught and said: "you don't want to know why". Well, you know, when someone says "you don't want to know" of course you would like to, but I must confess I could not find any satisfactory explanation for this fact.

Anyway, I have my own weird ideas of what's going on down there, but I will spare you of images of an underground world with illegal aliens working on strange factories or something and just show you some of their chimneys.

Another subterranean factory downtown.

starting over: sefardic jews in New York

2007-09-21T01:11:00.000-04:00

One of my first interests in New York was the people living in it. There are so many different kinds of people living here, it can make you really confused sometimes. And even being from São Paulo, which is a very multicultural city, NYC can be more distictive characters. Maybe in Brasil as people are more mixed, we don't feel this sense of foreigner people living there.
This made me remember an old story about a group of Sefardic Jews that came from Brasil (more especifically from Recife) to New York, at that time, New Amsterdan.
I've been searching for this information and found some interesting - although sometimes imprecise- information.
I will post here some Wikipedia information and maps, and some material from other sites too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Amsterdam

"New Amsterdam (Dutch: Nieuw Amsterdam) was the 17th century Dutch colonial town that later became New York City.

The town developed outside of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island in the New Netherland territory (1614–1664) which was situated between 38 and 42 degrees latitude as a provincial extension of the Dutch Republic from 1624. Provincial possession of the territory was accomplished with the first settlement which was established on Governors Island in 1624. A year later, in 1625, construction of a citadel comprising Fort Amsterdam was commenced. Earlier, the harbor and the river had been discovered, explored and charted by an expedition of the Dutch East India Company captained by Henry Hudson in 1609. From 1611 through 1614, the territory was surveyed and charted by various private commercial companies on behalf of the States General of the Dutch Republic and operated for the interests of private commercial entities prior to official possession as a North American extension of the Dutch Republic in the form of an overseas province in 1624. (...)
"On August 22, 1654, the first Ashkenazic Jews arrived with West India Company passports from Amsterdam to be followed in September by a sizable group of Sephardic Jews, without passports, fleeing from the Portuguese reconquest of Dutch possessions in Brazil. The legal-cultural foundation of toleration as the basis for plurality in New Amsterdam superseded matters of personal intolerance or individual bigotry. Hence, and in spite of certain persons private objections (including that of director-general Peter Stuyvesant), the Sephardim were granted permanent residency on the basis of "reason and equity" in 1655.

What is still not clear to me is if these 23 jews that leave Recife were portuguese, spanish or dutch, as the term sefardic basically means they were iberic, but they could be from any of those countries, as Dutchland and Portugal were spanish possession until around 1640.

For those that read in portuguese, there are some other links, although lacks sometimes a more scientifical character to follow the journalistic language:

here the brasilian jews are shown as the founders of capitalism:
http://www.terra.com.br/istoedinheiro/367/estilo/recife_manhattan.htm
(despite of that is a beautiful text anyway)

this is somewhat nostalgic text about the jewish food and traditions that been lost as Lower East End been changing and old population been misplaced:
http://www.hebraica.org.br/cabecalho/MateriaCompleta.asp?idMateria=42

But I believe we should not go too far in their influence in the city's development, cause it was invaded by England at some point and regained again by the dutches to be exchanged by Suriname with England again, all this in around a century. Not counting the great fire that destroyed the city in 1776 (marked in the map below).

free man in paris - joni mitchell

2007-09-20T23:06:00.000-04:00

I received this link from a friend as I just arrived in New York and this song has been my fellow for a couple of days now. Somehow I relate it with myself and my first days here when I've been wandering a lot alone through Manhattan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1EvCDLKGqo
(there's actually no video image in it)

The way I see it, he said
You just cant win it...
Everybodys in it for their own gain
You cant please em all
Theres always somebody calling you down
I do my best
And I do good business
Theres a lot of people asking for my time
Theyre trying to get ahead
Theyre trying to be a good friend of mine

I was a free man in paris
I felt unfettered and alive
There was nobody calling me up for favors
And no ones future to decide
You know Id go back there tomorrow
But for the work Ive taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song

I deal in dreamers
And telephone screamers
Lately I wonder what I do it for
If l had my way
Id just walk through those doors
And wander
Down the champs elysees
Going cafe to cabaret
Thinking how Ill feel when I find
That very good friend of mine

I was a free man in paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No ones future to decide
You know Id go back there tomorrow
But for the work Ive taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song.

Flying

2007-09-20T22:41:00.001-04:00

down here is quite boring
the ground limit, the pavement surface
hurried thousand people
sirens, cars at such speed
and concrete walls
slowly craking

I love the urban sky
departure time
when the first ray of light
touches the glass

the green light of the station
shining over your head
that smile says
if ever we meet again,
I will remenber this day
for the rest of my life

mother tongue at birth

2007-09-20T21:51:00.000-04:00

I heard that newborns can recognize mother tongue at birth, so it's better start this newborn blog writing in english.
For all those of you reading these lines, it must be clear that I am brasilian spending some time in New York, and this blog is intended to be my e-pad somehow.
I don't actually have a proposal for it, apart fixing my impressions of the city, the people I meet and things that I listen. There will be a bunch of links and some of mine obscure researches, but not only. I hope this place can be useful to place some brasilian stuff in it. Also it can be a start for others to come after me.
Any comments you can leave in the link below, and those interested in contact me personally must adress email to everderame@gmail.com.
Hope you enjoy it.