GENERATION X - PROMISES PROMISES

"Our hair was short we said what we thought
We'd never be scared, never be bought
Never sell out like they did - they did

Promises Promises
Do you remember the promises promises - I do-
Do you remember the promises promises - I do-"


Seems like a hundred years ago now, but this was on the first mix tape that Grigley gave me. I wore that thing through. There was some Gen X, The Jam, Buzzcocks, 999, Clash, and Stiff Little Fingers on it. To this day some of my favorite bands. Cliche to say it, but it changed my life. I stopped thinking about Michigan things, dove into skateboarding, punk rock and rebelling head first. So many memories. John will always be the older brother/best friend in my life. I guess that holds true for all the "St. Pete Crew."

Gorki House

This house was designed by Atrium. The site is situated not far from Moscow to the west. The house is positioned on the top of a hill surrounded by pine trees. The site has three directions with beautiful views, only the north view is worse, so the architects decided to close it off. This provoked the idea of folded plane, which is lifted a little above the ground and forms the space of the house. It creates a variety of inner and outer spaces which serve usual dwelling functions.

Windows throughout the house are oriented towards natural light. You can feel the structure of folding in the house because of the open space plan where public zones flow into private areas and vice-versa. There is no difference in cladding of the outside and the inside. If you see wood in the exterior you can be sure that this place in the interior is made in the same material. The Architects specially worked on the issue of thickness of this plane to make it elegant and functional at the same time, as the cantilever of the roof above the terraces is about five meters long.

Fourteen Defining Characteristics Of Fascism

By Dr. Lawrence Britt

Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:   1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.   2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.   3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.   4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.   5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.   6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.   7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.   8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.   9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.   10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.   11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.   12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.   13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.   14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.     Interesting to read these and look at parallels in our own government. The suppression of labor unions, protection corporations, fear used to pass the "patriot act" (which forgoes civil liberties in order to protect the nation), the questionable election of W, etc., etc., etc.

Back in the day...

This photo by Tim Flach reminded me of my childhood. I hadn't thought about it in YEARS, but when I was 7 or 8 I lived in city called Linden in Michigan. Our "neighborhood" surrounded this lake, up on a hill. There was maybe 40 houses in the area & you had to drive through an apple orchard and corn fields to get there. I made some friends who had dog sleds. The family had 3 teams of them. I remember going out with them onto the lake during the winter. So long ago, funny the things that bring back memories.

A garden on a rooftop in New York City

This is the view out of the master bedroom of a rooftop apartment in NYC. You can see some of the skyline. AMAZING!

Staircase, by Atmos Studi

Designed by Atmos studio, this staircase made of CNC-carved sheets of MDF and oak. Creating an organic and stylish flowing form that fuses with the pattern of the house.

Aloe Blacc - You Make Me Smile

Loving all of his stuff lately, but this video stands out. Live in a subway station