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"Those who make peaceful evolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable."- John F. KennedyThere's one thing for sure: 2008 isn't anything like politics as usual.The corporate media (with their unerring eye for the obvious point) is fixated on the narrative that, for the first time ever, Americans will likely end this year with either a woman or a black man headed for the White House. Bloggers are telling stories from the front lines of primaries and caucuses that look like something from the early 60s - people lining up before dawn to vote in Manoa, Hawaii yesterday; a thousand black college students in Prairie View, Texas marching 10 miles to cast their early votes in the face of a county that tried to disenfranchise them. In recent months, we've also been gobstopped by the sheer passion of the insurgent campaigns of both Barack Obama and Ron Paul, both of whom brought millions of new voters into the conversation - and with them, a sharp critique of the status quo and a new energy that's agitating toward deep structural change.There's something implacable, earnest, and righteously angry in the air. And it raises all kinds of questions for burned-out Boomers and jaded Gen Xers who've been ground down to the stump by the mostly losing battles of the past 30 years. Can it be - at long last - that Americans have, simply, had enough? Are we, finally, stepping out to take back our government - and with it, control of our own future? Is this simply a shifting political season - the kind we get every 20 to 30 years - or is there something deeper going on here? Do we dare to raise our hopes that this time, we're going to finally win a few? Just how ready is this country for big, serious, forward-looking change?Recently, I came across a pocket of sociological research that suggested a tantalizing answer to these questions - and also that America may be far more ready for far more change than anyone really believes is possible at this moment. In fac

Restored to its erstwhile grandeur, Mumbai's Royal Opera House opened its doors to the public in its centennial month - Oct 2016. A beatific marriage of historic and contemporary features, India's only Opera House promises to amplify the dramatic experience of its visitors.

The NAACP has just passed a historic resolution demanding an end to the War on Drugs.  The resolution comes as young Black male unemployment hovers near 50 percent and the wealth gap's become a veritable gulf. So why is the forty-year-old "War on Drugs" public enemy number one for the nation's oldest civil rights organization? Well here's why:  it's not extraneous - it's central: the war on drugs is the engine of 21st century discrimination - an engine that has brought Jim Crow into the age of Barack Obama.     Author Michelle Alexander lays out the statistics -- and the stories --  of 21st Century Jim Crow in her ought-to-blow-your-socks off book: "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in an Age of Colorblindness." I had a chance to sit down with Alexander earlier this summer. We'll be posting the full interview in two parts.     "We have managed decades after the civil rights movement to create something like a caste system in the United States," says Alexander in part one here  "In major urban areas, the majority of African American men are either behind bars, under correctional control or saddled with criminal record and once branded as criminal or a felon, they're trapped for life in 2nd class status."     It's not just about people having a hard time getting ahead and climbing the ladder of success. It's about a rigged system. Sound familiar?  Like the Pew Research Center report on household wealth and the Great Recession -- the NAACP resolution story was a one-day news-blip - despite the fact that it pierces the by-your-bootstraps myth that is at the heart of - you pick it - the deficit, the stimulus, the tax code - every contemporary US economic debate.     White America just maybe ought to pay attention. With more and more Americans falling out of jobs and into debt, criminal records are a whole lot easier to come by than life-sustaining employment.  Contrary to the conventional media version, the "Drug War" story is not a people with problems

The forest was in chaos. Parts of it were burning and the food was scarce. Remembering how wonderful the forest used to be, various animal groups sent ambassadors to a very ancient owl. The wise owl remembered historical cycles and hopefully had clues on how to reset the forest so it could be productive again. They gathered by the gargantuan oak tree where the owl lived.

My entire critique will be from what used to be a completely conservative perspective. You'll know this by the historical figure whom I cite above all others.

This film explores the historical role of the Democratic Party as the "graveyard of social movements", the massive influence of corporate finance in elections, the absurd disparities of wealth in the United States, the continuity and escalation of neocon policies under Obama, the insufficiency of mere voting as a path to reform, and differing conceptions of democracy itself.  Original interview footage derives from Noam Chomsky, Michael Parenti, Michael Albert, John Stauber (PR Watch), Sharon Smith (Historian), William I. Robinson (Editor, Critical Globalization Studies), Morris Berman (Author, Dark Ages America), and famed black panther Larry Pinkney. 

It's hard to think of another time when there has been such a gulf between intellectuals and activists; between theorists of revolution and its practitioners. Writers who for years have been publishing essays that sound like position papers for vast social movements that do not in fact exist seem seized with confusion or worse, dismissive contempt, now that real ones are everywhere emerging. It's particularly scandalous in the case of what's still, for no particularly good reason, referred to as the 'anti-globalization' movement, one that has in a mere two or three years managed to transform completely the sense of historical possibilities for millions across the planet. This may be the result of sheer ignorance, or of relying on what might be gleaned from such overtly hostile sources as the New York Times; then again, most of what's written even in progressive outlets seems largely to miss the point-or at least, rarely focuses on what participants in the movement really think is most important about it. As an anthropologist and active participant-particularly in the more radical, direct-action end of the movement-I may be able to clear up some common points of misunderstanding; but the news may not be gratefully received. Much of the hesitation, I suspect, lies in the reluctance of those who have long fancied themselves radicals of some sort to come to terms with the fact that they are really liberals: interested in expanding individual freedoms and pursuing social justice, but not in ways that would seriously challenge the existence of reigning institutions like capital or state. And even many of those who would like to see revolutionary change might not feel entirely happy about having to accept that most of the creative energy for radical politics is now coming from anarchism-a tradition that they have hitherto mostly dismissed-and that taking this movement seriously will necessarily also mean a respectful engagement with it. I am writing

A contemporary interpretation of "art as social messenger" calls to mind the historic significance of art and architecture as beacons of cultural ethos. Check out the interesting light installations in Quebec City and leave us your views…

Attempting to understand the roots of 'timelessness' as a universal quality in architecture, Ar. Yatin Pandya cites heritage architecture examples to enlighten us on spatial concepts and their varied nuances, especially relevant in the Indian context. Check it out and leave us your views…

How necessary are historic references in a contemporary architectural landmark? Why? Check out the proposed design for the Lucknow Memorial Gate and give us your feedback…

Every city has a story to tell, its narratives hidden in every nook and lane. Honest and expressive, #Studio Archohm's metamorphosis of #Hussainabad in #Lucknow rightfully prioritises its culture, history, its people and their pure connection…

Mecanoo Architects underline the cultural and historical ethos of the scenic Delft region in South Holland with their design for the Delft city hall and train station. Check it out here…

BSB Architects conceptualise a contextual climate-sensitive school building in Bijapur paying homage to its historic Gol Gumbaz by constructing a 60 ft. vaulted dome as the highlight of the ongoing project. Check out the full story here…

Studio Modijefsky narrates the history of Ottos Burger bakery-turned-restaurant through its interiors, encapsulating its ethos through accent features, materials and space planning.

Is self-indulgence a virtue or a bane; especially in the context of an architect/designer-client relationship? Check out this apartment designed by Diff Studio and help us answer the question...

In a scenario, where the modern is appreciated without compromising on the value of traditional or historic, more architects are making interventions on the borderline; cohabiting the two sensibilities in more ways than one. Check out Appareil Architecture's latest outing and leave us your comments

@sid-lee architecture in association with @architecture49 have redesigned the #FairmontHotel, Montreal in tandem with its historical legacy. Check out the modernist underscoring and leave us your views…

Hotel Parister by Beckmann N'Thépé Architects is a converted office building that is purely Parisian. Elevational elements are traditional, while the interiors are modern and spunky. Conscious efforts to incorporate green elements make this 5-star hotel unlike most! Read on to know more...

This ongoing exhibition traces the remarkable early journey of India's first accomplished female visual artist - Amrita Sher-Gil, a fact that places her in a uniquely important historical position. Check out the review here…https://goo.gl/op9BC1