Art With A Stigma: Italian Futurism in NYC

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"We intend to destroy museums, libraries, academies of every sort, and to fight against moralism, feminism..."

That is part of the legendary Italian Futurism manifesto, published in 1909 by Italian poetFilippo Tommaso Marinettion the French newspaper Le Figaro. Even though the movement wanted to destroy museums, its work is now at a major one in New York, theGuggenheim, for its first comprehensive retrospective in the United States.

Although the movement ended in 1944, a retrospective is happening only now because Futurism had a stigma attached to it. WNYC's art critic Deborah Solomon says Marinetti denounced museums, women, film, institutions, and even pasta.

"It comes packaged with the silliest ideas in the history of art," she said. "The futurists sometimes can sound like a group of high school punks."

Solomon adds some of the art is better than the ideas, especially the early works.

Still, the Guggenheim show ends with what is considered the biggest criticism against Futurism: some of the art was propaganda for Italian dictatorBenito Mussolini.

"That explains why Futurism never went anywhere and why the Italians kind of felt out of the story of modern art in the latter 20th century," said Solomon.

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Art With A Stigma: Italian Futurism in NYC

TLC's 'Fanmail' Turns 15: Backtracking

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Backtracking is our recurring look back at the pop music that shaped our lives. Our friends may come and go, but well be spinning our favorite albums forever.

1999 was undoubtedly the year of the bubblegum pop takeover, headed by Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys and a shipload of European imports. But it was also the year TLC sliced through it all with their third album, FanMail, which turns 15 on February 23. The LPs electronic-meets-urban production was ingrained in futurism, and it embodied the impending Y2K era of digitization.

Its almost genius how the albums concept was so ahead of its time, and still resonates with the modern world we live in. From the Tumblr-obsessed teenagers to self-proclaimed addicts of Twitter and Facebook, and corporate workers frantically checking their email accounts as a mini-escape, the Internet has become embedded in our daily lives. Fifteen years prior, TLC predicted this digital domination and created a sonic experience complete with dial-up connections, missed voicemails and pre-Her computerized assistants.

FanMail was marketed as a tribute to TLC fans who sent fan mail during the groups five-year hiatus which was tainted by rising tensions between the girls, Chilli having a child with the albums future executive producer Dallas Austin, an exploited bankruptcy case and Left Eye infamously setting her boyfriends house on fire. These issues, along with the reduction of Left Eyes presence to sporadic eight-bar features, create an uncomfortable void that envelops the entire album. Save for songs like Unpretty and I Miss You So Much, FanMail feels tense, cold and distant which is all reflected in the vocals, the production and the introduction of the female android Vic-E. But dont get it confused, this almost palpable emotion is what makes this album so powerful. Today, as part of its 15th anniversary, we take a look back at an album that shattered the sonic expectations of its era.

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TLC's 'Fanmail' Turns 15: Backtracking

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black FlagAdwal Gameplay – Freedom Cry Level 6 ENG – Video

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Assassin #39;s Creed IV: Black FlagAdwal Gameplay - Freedom Cry Level 6 ENG
Assassin #39;s Creed IV: Black Flag Gameplay - Freedom Cry Level 6 ENG Expanzia Assassin #39;s Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry bude ma 9 misi s vlastnm prbeho...

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Assassin's Creed IV: Black FlagAdwal Gameplay - Freedom Cry Level 6 ENG - Video

Sizing up press freedom

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By BOB TEOH

Press freedom in Malaysia has taken an unprecedented plunge according to the latest ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) released last week. But the government doesn't think so. The Prime Minister's Office responded immediately, insisting that the press in Malaysia is freer than it ever has been. So who is right?

To begin with the index tabulated by RSF is flawed in its methodology so we need to take its ranking with caution. The government's claim, on the other hand, is mere rhetoric so we need to be equally cautious.

Out of the 180- countries ranked in the 2014 RSF press freedom index, Malaysia stood at 147 out of 180 countries surveyed, dropping 23 spots from the previous year. Compared to the 2006 index, Malaysia was in the 92nd spot, or a drop of 55 places over eight years!

The RSF index measures the level of press freedom using six criteria pluralism, media independence, environment and self-censorship, legislative framework, transparency and (news production) infrastructure. But it also include another criterion for measuring violence against journalists which is given a weight of 20 percent. This might have skewed the overall tabulation. The index also lacks what is known as inter-coder reliability, a device for double checking data normally used in content analyses.

For instance the Philippines, which is among the freest press in the region, is ranked three spots below Malaysia, possibly due the violence against journalists in some remote provinces which are controlled by warlords. In Brunei, where violence against journalists is largely unheard of, the country is given a higher ranking of 117, or 32 spots higher than Philippines in terms of press freedom.

It is also incredulous that the US is ranked 46, or just one spot above Haiti, Japan at 59, is just two spots above Hong Kong and Britain at 33 is six spots below Ghana!

So how free is the press in Malaysia then? We can measure it against the government's declared intentions. Within six days of Najib Razak taking office Prime Minister on 3 April 2009, he called a closed door meeting of top editors. Najib told the top editors, "I will give latitude to the media" and went on to say "I'd rather be criticised by the media than be rejected by the people."

Najib even took the initiative to visit Sin Chew Daily, the country's largest newspaper just days before he became PM. Some months later, he made another visit, this time officially, making him probably the first Prime Minister to visit a Chinese newspaper. This contrasted with former PM, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who shut down Sin Chew Daily together with The Star and Watan for six months in a massive clampdown on civil liberties known as Ops Lalang in Oct 1987 which resulted in the arrest of over 100 dissidents.

Najib went on to reform press laws, in particular the amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 on 20 April 2012. The amendments removed the need for annual renewal of press licences. The absolute power of the minister in revoking or imposing arbitrary conditions was also removed. But anyone wishing to start a newspaper is still required to get a licence from the Home Ministry.

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Sizing up press freedom

Eugenics and Coerced Sterilization in California: A Digital History | MCubed Symposium 2013 – Video

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Eugenics and Coerced Sterilization in California: A Digital History | MCubed Symposium 2013
Eugenics and Coerced Sterilization in California: A Digital History is an interdisciplinary project that aims to create a virtual collection of archival, pri...

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Eugenics and Coerced Sterilization in California: A Digital History | MCubed Symposium 2013 - Video

IT, pharma sectors may run Telangana's economy

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Post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the information technology and pharmaceuticals manufacturing sectors may become backbone of Telangana economy, leaving power production, ports and oil and natural gas to play a pivotal role in driving prosperity in the residuary state.

With nearly 1,000 km-long coast line, the coastal Andhra has major private ports such as Krishnapatnam, Kakinada and Gangavaram, besides state-owned Vizag Port and can continue to reap rich harvest by way of export and import of commodities such as iron ore and coal.

Lok Satta Party national president and MLA Jayaprakash Narayan, however, cautions that Rayalaseema region, part of residual Andhra Pradesh (the other part being coastal region), will be badly impacted in terms of revenue after the division.

"While Hyderabad city (which would be joint capital of the two states for 10 years before being exclusively of Telangana) had Rs 13,000 crore revenue surplus, Rayalaseema had Rs 7,000 crore deficit (four districts, 15 million population) during 2012-13. The proposed pay revision this year would take Rayalaseema's deficit to Rs 9,000 crore. The region will not have enough revenue to pay even staff salaries," Narayan said.

As much as 20,000 mw additional power capacity is targeted during the 12th five-year plan and beyond in Seemandhra region, including 6,000 mw nuclear power plant to be set by the Nuclear Power Corporation at Kovvada in Srikakulam District.

Telangana being land-locked will have to depend mostly on road and rail for transportation.

However, as the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad has necessary infrastructure for storage of drugs and pharma exports from Telangana may not face any hurdles. Hyderabad almost accounts for nearly 20 per cent of pharma exports from India.

Y Harish Chandra Prasad, past chairman of CII Andhra Pradesh and chief coordinator of CoastaRayala Development, said, "Telangana has the advantage of having ready made capital with all necessary infrastructure and eco system. Andhra will have to search for one and build.

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IT, pharma sectors may run Telangana's economy

IT, pharma sectors likely to be backbone of Telangana

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Post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, the information technology and pharmaceuticals manufacturing sectors may become backbone of Telangana economy, leaving power production, ports and oil and natural gas to play a pivotal role in driving prosperity in the residuary state.

With nearly 1,000 km-long coast line, the coastal Andhra has major private ports such as Krishnapatnam, Kakinada and Gangavaram, besides state-owned Vizag Port and can continue to reap rich harvest by way of export and import of commodities such as iron ore and coal.

Lok Satta Party national president and MLA Jayaprakash Narayan, however, cautions that Rayalaseema region, part of residual Andhra Pradesh (the other part being coastal region), will be badly impacted in terms of revenue after the division.

"While Hyderabad city (which would be joint capital of the two states for 10 years before being exclusively of Telangana) had Rs 13,000 crore revenue surplus, Rayalaseema had Rs 7,000 crore deficit (four districts, 15 million population) during 2012-13. The proposed pay revision this year would take Rayalaseema's deficit to Rs 9,000 crore. The region will not have enough revenue to pay even staff salaries," Narayan said.

As much as 20,000 mw additional power capacity is targeted during the 12th five-year plan and beyond in Seemandhra region, including 6,000 mw nuclear power plant to be set by the Nuclear Power Corporation at Kovvada in Srikakulam District.

Telangana being land-locked will have to depend mostly on road and rail for transportation.

However, as the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Hyderabad has necessary infrastructure for storage of drugs and pharma exports from Telangana may not face any hurdles. Hyderabad almost accounts for nearly 20 per cent of pharma exports from India.

Y Harish Chandra Prasad, past chairman of CII Andhra Pradesh and chief coordinator of CoastaRayala Development, said, "Telangana has the advantage of having ready made capital with all necessary infrastructure and eco system. Andhra will have to search for one and build.

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IT, pharma sectors likely to be backbone of Telangana