Thursday, January 29, 2009
Shoe Hurler....
BAGHDAD – When an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at George W. Bush last month at a Baghdad press conference, the attack spawned a flood of Web quips, political satire and street rallies across the Arab world.
Now it's inspired a work of art.
A sofa-sized sculpture — a single copper-coated shoe on a stand carved to resemble flowing cloth — was formally unveiled to the public Thursday in the hometown of the late Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.
Officials and visitors walked around the outdoor sculpture during the brief ceremony, pondering on its eccentricities — such as a tree poking up from the shoe's interior.
Its sculptor called it a fitting tribute to the shoe hurler, Iraqi journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, and his folk hero reputation in parts of the Muslim world and beyond.
The Baghdad-based artist, Laith al-Amari, said the work honors al-Zeidi and "is a source of pride for all Iraqis." He added: "It's not a political work,"
But its location in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, is a point of reference for prewar nostalgia among some Iraqis.
The sculpture also includes an ode to al-Zeidi and mentions the virtues of being "able to tell the truth out loud."
Al-Zeidi had shouted in Arabic as he pulled off his shoes and heaved them at Bush during the news conference. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq," screamed al-Zeidi, who was working for a Cairo-based television station.
Bush dodged both shoes, but the image was extremely powerful in Arab culture, where throwing shoes at someone is a sign of extreme contempt. Iraqis whacked a toppled statue of Saddam following the U.S.-led invasion with their shoes and slippers.
"This monument ... will remain a present for the forthcoming generations," said Fatin Abdul-Qadir al-Nasiri, director of a Tikrit orphanage whose children helped fashion the sculpture. "(They) will remember the story of the hero (al-Zeidi) who bid farewell to the U.S. president ... in such a way.
Al-Zeidi was scheduled to face trial last month on a charge of assaulting a foreign leader, but the court date was postponed after his attorney filed a motion to reduce the charges.
On Monday, Swiss lawyer Mauro Poggia said al-Zeidi planned to seek political asylum in Switzerland, but one of al-Zeidi's brothers denied the report.
-Clari
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
a lil bit of merengue...
Loca Con Su Tigre (LTP) - El Cata
this is our jam from ny...summer nights dancing outside to this song (sigh...good times)
CSS
Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above - CSS
love this song too. good up-itty song, keeps me awake at work lol
-cris
fu manchu
Fu Man Chu - Desmond Dekker
love this song.
p.s. since im bored at work..im gonna be posting all my song selections for today :)
-cristina
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
funny commercial
Walkin Fridge from dumpbase on Vimeo.
since superbowl is only a couple weeks away, i thought i'd post this funny commercial from heineken. i only watch the superbowl for the commercials anyway lol
-cristina
my kind of photos
my buddy jeff sent over these pics taken by Rick Flores. remind me of the pics of demonstrations i've taken over here. check em out.
Photos of riots in Washington Heights by Rick Flores.
Demonstrations in Washington Heights in the wake of the shooting of Jose “Kiko” Garcia by an undercover police officer during a drug sweep of the neighborhood. These photos were taken over a several days, between the 6th through the 8th. The ensuing violence resulted in major property damage to storefronts and vehicles. Street fires were set and ranged from 125th Street on St. Nicholas Avenue to the Inwood section of Manhattan. During the rioting one man died while falling from a rooftop while being chased by police and 11 people were arrested. To the horror of the family members of Dagoberto Pichardo, the man who was killed over night during the rioting, a FDNY fire fighter was hurt during the rioting while responding to one of numerous calls to turn off a fire set by rioters. The family led a march to the fire house in support of the injured fire fighter and and to beg forgiveness.
-cris
Photos of riots in Washington Heights by Rick Flores.
Demonstrations in Washington Heights in the wake of the shooting of Jose “Kiko” Garcia by an undercover police officer during a drug sweep of the neighborhood. These photos were taken over a several days, between the 6th through the 8th. The ensuing violence resulted in major property damage to storefronts and vehicles. Street fires were set and ranged from 125th Street on St. Nicholas Avenue to the Inwood section of Manhattan. During the rioting one man died while falling from a rooftop while being chased by police and 11 people were arrested. To the horror of the family members of Dagoberto Pichardo, the man who was killed over night during the rioting, a FDNY fire fighter was hurt during the rioting while responding to one of numerous calls to turn off a fire set by rioters. The family led a march to the fire house in support of the injured fire fighter and and to beg forgiveness.
-cris
crisis in Gaza
full blown humanitarian war is going on in Gaza. Israel has been attacking Gaza for over a week now and about 500 civilians have been killed including an attack on a UN school. they're taking over the land and their people. such a tragedy. peace in the middle east! please!
good article about everything thats going on...
read more:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD95HL1I00
-cristina
Monday, January 5, 2009
black hole sun
as disturbing as this video may be...i wish videos nowadays were as creative. this is one of my favorite 90s rock songs. i remember watching mtv when i was like 7 and seeing nothing but cool rock videos like this one. now i cant stand the teenie bopper popular bands like fallout boy and other b.s.
bring back the 90s!
-cristina
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