on the source of many beginnings

It is always difficult to explain a halt, a gap, a missing voice. I guess these are the moments when life takes over. This summer I was taken back to mine. I had to change a bit its course and here I am typing from Newcastle upon Tyne, which, I have discovered on road signposts, in English is understood as just: the NORTH. I guess, meaning far. Being displaced (from London) and the biggest uprising that has been seen in its latest history might have been distracting, and disappointing for me, but maybe it would also bring the new variety of this blog posts and meandering. I have no intention and no capability to represent here what happened the latest months in terms of understanding, representing and demising the corporation worldwide. Thus, I will just start with sharing my latest impressions and bad phone pictures, until I gather the money to develop analogue camera films. Alas. Debris.

Utrecht's main square. Redevelopment of the Music Hall

Abandoned site in Beogradska Street, Belgrade

I have recently been in the Netherlands and Serbia. How utterly different, different, but same crisis felt on both locations! Not to mention the famous 99% ,but we all know how much of a mainstream this blogger can be in Britain in this moment.

Well, in his home coutry, which is imho closest follower of british economic austerity measures in culture sector, he seems to be already a media star. I feel almost sorry for myself for not being consistent in writing this one. I guess the streets took me away from it. In praise for what Jean-Luc Nancy calls 'divine writing' here is my return to recording in words the daily thoughts on our daily existence under the requiem for corporation. On 'Ereignis' next time!

Newcastle has many bridges. They are the basics of its daily functioning. This sign is usually put at their ends we all know for which purpose. I wonder how humanistic would it be to put it on the office skyscrapers nowadays.

Solidarity,
t

Any reviews yet?

I have just received an email, well, from the marketing assistant of the publisher, (since I am not the most devoted Guardian reader) still, with invaluable information about just published book Bankrupt Britain: An Atlas of Social Change, by Daniel Dorling and Bethan Thomas. I had a sneak peak in and it shows the research accompanied by a lot of maps and statistic data, which will apparently not be possible to reach so easy now, after the government cuts on collection data, this message warned. It also shows the rise in anti-depressant prescription, which I wish you will not need for reading it. Here is a promo information:

"This groundbreaking atlas reveals for the first time how the economic downturn has hit Britain, showing the changes from the economic heights of 2007 to the Britain of today, all presented against a background of other social and environmental factors. Maps on over 40 topics including crime, unemployment, house prices, volunteering and the Big Society, with corresponding 'best' and 'worst' tables, allow us to examine Britain both at local authority and parliamentary constituency levels. With additional resources online, this book makes an indispensable record of our time and will serve as an essential reference work for years to come. Due to government cuts on data collection, much of this information will not be collected in future, making this truly one of a kind.
Some of the striking facts it reveals include:
- Anti-depressant use has risen most in North and least in London but nowhere has it fallen since 2008
- Nowhere does any MP elected in 2010 have the support of even half their constituents
- Nowhere did more than 37% of the adult population engage in regular volunteering in 2008 with rates falling since then
- In 2009 in over 100 local authorities there were more households on the housing waiting list than there was council housing stock. In some cases people would have to wait up to 500 years to get to the top of the list!
Sample pages and maps are available from the companion website to the book, which can be ordered at 20% discount (plus p&p) at: http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781847427472

merchandizers' trap

Driven by the wish to learn more about Celine Condorelli's and Gavin Wade's project for the new function of the The Economist Plaza ground floor space, I am holding this book in my hands. As an introduction to the chapter: Navigate the Terrain, there is an excerpt from the Economist Style Book. Some instruction along the lines strangely resonate with the government politics in UK these days:

"Community is another word often best cut out. Not only it is usually unnecessary, it purports to convey the sense of togetherness that may well not exist."

...

I am also struggling to conceptualize what does it mean to be productive in this society and the following quote just does not help me much: "In general be concise. Try to be economical in your size and argument."

...

"TONE The reader is primarily interested in what you have to say. By the way in which you say it you may encourage him either to read on or stop reading."

...

"Use the language of everyday speech, not that of spokesmen, lawyers or bureaucrats ( so prefer let to permit, people to persons, buy to purchase, colleague to peer, way out to exit, present to gift, rich to wealthy, break to violate).

Economists just know it too well how to melt our hearts, don't they?

More on The Economist Plaza project at Support Structure

news from nowhere

via Guardian

a permanent state of happiness...to be declared

"life after the corporation"

Spotted recently a blog called Make Wealth History. The author lists the following companies which, in his opinion, do not run corporation models of businesses and which should be on our top priority list in the time corporations are sinking.

John Lewis, Gore, London Symphony Orchestra, Carl Zeiss, Loch Fyne Oysters, United Airlines, Tribune Company, Mozilla, Tower Colliery, BArcelona FC, Scott Bader.

In short, he explains example through example, how being anti-corporational does not mean being anti-business orientated. My personal doubts, and austerity of my imagination, do not allow me posting the branding images. Read the full original post here.

Whose Fitzrovia?

Next Tuesday, March 15th, a screening not to be missed at Chandler House (Room G10), 2 Wakefield Street, WC1N 1PF: film RIPPLES, by Rastko Novakovic.

The film explores the BT telecommunication tower in London, surrounding area and its urban redevelopment in relation macroeconomic processes. More details can be found here.

In the meantime, here is a filmed interview by the same author, and with Anna Minton, author of a book Ground Control. She talks about sanitation of Fitzrovia area in London, in the name of its identity change and rebranding.

a tribute...

because only Patti Smith can make the bureaucrat look so impressive.