correct...the world as you know it (i.e., the american empire of capitalism) is coming to an end for most americans...and as was pointed out a few years ago,the US is not very well prepared for it either...panic to the people!
seeing his projects on screen and hearing the story behind them was very inspirational to many in the audience.
he has an uncanny sense of originality, space, light, structure, tradition, contemporary culture and he is definitely getting many important comissions regardless of his young age of 42.
i hate to say it but the brand new 'mass' interest in african talent and intellectual recognition via president elect 'obama' is not hurting his chances either. but those merits of his (adjaye's) are not necessarily new to many in the audience.
Beta,
I thought only dogs needed their anal glands purged.
SH, yes the name does often throw people off. I was actually a tow headed kid when young. (which by the way is a word i only learned the meaning to this year)..I guess that is what i get for being a Yankee.
Yes, Jantar Mantar is a Royal Observatory constructed in the 1700s. All the various "buildings" tracked different aspects of the astronomical universe.
I too like Adjaye's work. He also seems to have a good bit of skepticism about his "staritecture" status based on interviews I have read with him.
Plus, I like how he seems to really be interested in the materiality of his buildings...
Vado, I have always wanted to watch that film, but have had difficulty finding it. I suppose i could just buy it but....
And finally, LB and all,
Yes India was such a different physical and psychological world. While modernized in many respects things have a sense of shared age and experience that i just never experience in America or even most of the West for that matter. So many lines are blurred there. Between the spiritual and material, between new and old, between progress and reactionism etc...
I don't quite think "nostalgic" is the right word, jump. To me getting nostalgic about a hotel key would be one that is shaped like a skeleton key but has a magnetic chip in it - appealing to the romanticism of the old but without any of the actual patina of age (which reminds me of "quaint" bed and breakfasts with their doilies on chairs and charming flowerpot patterned wallpaper and forced collegiality - god I despise those places). Similarly, you can get that "ribbed" effect in wood (which I LOVE) floors by sandblasting them - but it's not the same feel. The sandblasting is somehow too even. Or chemically-patinated copper - its color is never *quite* the same as the stuff that's been out in the weather for 50 years.
OK I guess it is nostalgia in some sense, but it's also an appreciation of actually old, quality things, coupled with no fear of germs. Speaking of which, wasn't there just a report in the news about how copper doorknobs can kill MSRA germs? Maybe copper is going to get even more frightfully expensive than it is!
melt, I speak from experience when I say that if your firm starts losing work it will be from a lack of vision and incompetence at the upper levels of the company.
puddles, who pissed in your cornflakes? You're sounding awfully cynical these days ... are you jealous because you don't get to partake in all the fun* up here?
DubK - there's actually been quite a lot of vision up here. We've expanded into a lot of new markets that I can't really talk about on TC. What I'm really worried about is the GLOBAL slow down.
To add to DubK's remark above... puddles I must add that your statement is rather short-minded. This is not just an American crisis we are upon, it's a global crisis. This world is way too interdependent these days to point fingers. If one goes down, we all go down 'Nuf said. And one more thing, I've been talking about America's "downfall" since 9-11, so tell me something I don't know. Actually I think I was blatantly aware of it, when we lost control in Rwanda. But anyway, I gotta get back to my drawing.
Guys: Think of puddles much like you think of Steven Colbert. Don't let his comments annoy you, let them amuse you. There is truth in them, obviously. but he's also playing a character to get you to think.
Or, I'm a complete idiot. Which may likely be true.
melt, that's great that you're expanding into new markets. Really, it is. But unless that "vision" includes a comprehensive review of how buildings are actually built, and how they consume energy, and how they can consume less energy, then the company has a shelf life of 10, maybe 15 years. The goal is to be building carbon neutral buildings by 2030. NEUTRAL. Zero carbon emissions. When was the last time one of your(/my former) cohorts made the decision to design something because it saved energy? I would really actually like to know. Because then I would know that they are truly growing.
the dimitry orlov article i linked above on the "collapse gap" is over two years old...oddly enough, i just stumbled across the headline Gorbachev Calls on Obama to Carry Out ‘Perestroika’ in the U.S...how surreal that the gorbachev now presumes to advise the president-elect.
you can make a point that the world is "interdependent"...but the point can also be made that americans benefitted more than others in good times so it shouldn't necessarily be unfair that they are due to suffer more than others in bad times.
I can't say I read every word of what transpired while my computer was being repaired (the keyboard & trackpad died last friday), but, did I hear... technomelt? really? oh my.
Obi-wan is terribly, terribly cute WK. I may have to volunteer for animal sitting duties for somebody, because I keep getting really jealous of all the adorable fuzzy guys that the rest of you have, and still miss my doggy (who died ten years ago, so you're absolutely allowed to miss WonderKitty that long!)
Wow, DubK, you sound full of cynisism regarding your old work place.
Um... what is purging anal glands? Do I want to know?
There's a guy I work with who said he was going to move to Canada due to last Tuesday's events, to which I pointed out that their taxes are higher than ours, and have socialized medicine. He gave up.
I'd gladly take Canada's single-payer health system over ours anytime, even if it means higher taxes. Some things are worth paying for, and I'd argue that their healthcare system is actually far less of a burden on their economy than ours.
DubK - the project I'm finishing up right now actually... unfortunately the client had no money. It really frustrated DT b/c he got all on board with the green stuff concerning this project too. I also have this sneaky suspicion DT is looking into geothermal for his own home. They've all begun discussing with mountainmelt how to the possibilities of using sustainable design when he finally gets the money to rebuild his house. I think it's there, they just like to play it safe with their. Don't worry though, I'm stirring the pot in my own subtle way ;o) But I agree. Right now though, I'm just trying to keep food on the table.
rationalist - You wanna borrow a cat? The Atechnomelt was in reference to us meeting when he visited in late September. There was also a Living-in-Melt when LIG was in town and when WonderK visits in December the great WonderMelt will return again. (if you don't mind my saying DubK). ;o)
puddles - I have a background in International Relations and I am a firm believer in Diplomacy, ergo interdependence and yes, America can stand to have their head shrunk a little.
puddles is funny, one part bitter old man the next crinkled hair futurist - brilliant. The economical downturn is a little odd however, because much of what is happening outside of the US is business as usual. The bigger problems have to do with markets that depend on either US markets, products etc. Hey our dollar keeps sliding despite the turmoil of American business...its all interelated on some level. But the good thing about it is that we/globally start taking things like free energy seriously. Making less than a dollar a day ain't so bad if you grow what you eat, and make your own energy.
****melt, I suspect if Gin has to move back to Cincy you can rent him a room, Living with melt. Sorry bad humour.
Orhan, I am predicting Adjaye's Pritzker before he turns 50 (maybe even at 45). Not for anything but he's so good at transcending the bullshit - reference to starchitecture as well as creating truly minimal and sexy buildings. But Steven Holl and Zumthor first...next year is Steven I feel it in my bones
xmelt, yeah shrinkage could be good, but only if you can keep some of the positive aspects of being over-confidence i hope.
america is not going down. not yet. it is pointing down, but not really moving too fast. so let's calm down a sec. if nothing changes with your education system and healthcare then maybe america will turn into hell. but i think that is not going to happen.
sarah, the post office in usa is nationalised, as are your schools, and all kinds of other things. what is your problem with nationalised health? i don't really have a stake in whether america ever gets it or not, but just to put things in perspective... Canada does have high taxes but we live longer, AND because our businesses don't have to pay for insurance we frickin out-compete you when it comes to staff and shit (that is the technical term i believe). AND our education is better (well, up to uni level anyway). America has lots of other things going for it that makes much of the above unimportant, but a healthcare system that lags behind cuba for goodness sake is insane. it really is. it makes no sense.
for those who don't know, canada jobs #'s grew last month. that isn't going to last i know, but i do think it counts for something...
for a bit of unrelated trivia it was kiefer sutherland's grandfather who legislated national healtchare system in canada. so there you go. he saves USA from terrorists, AND his grampa made canada a safe place to be sick in. ;-)
Certain people in the US like to make Canadian healthcare into some sort of Marxist bogeyman, and I'm sure it has its flaws. That said, I remember reading somewhere (I wish I had the link) that, even despite its flaws, something like 85% of Canadians are satisfied with their healthcare system and would not want to see it scrapped in favor of an American employer-based system.
If you look at almost any strike, lockout, or other labor dispute in the US within the past couple decades, you'll most likely find that healthcare premiums are a central sticking point between labor and management. Our healthcare system is killing us, and we're going to be royally screwed if some big changes aren't made soon.
With Howard Dean stepping down as chair of the DNC soon, I'm hoping Obama puts him in charge of Health & Human Services. Universal healthcare is one of Dean's passions, and he'd be great at working out the details and getting it passed through congress. (Everybody laughed at Dean's "50-state strategy" in 2004, but that strategy is what got Obama and lots of down-ticket Dems into office this year. I'd say he's been more than vindicated.)
Dude. I just saw an awesome lecture by Aaron Betsky. Totally amazing, broad-ranging, humorous kick-in-the-ass architecture is building its own tomb lecture.
I need to go back and read the reviews of the Biennale now. So much to catch up on!
betsky is good. his biennale, remember, though, was populated by the work of the 'parametric mafia' at which speaks poked fun during the ky/in convention. (there was a biennale review linked there.) i'm sure speaks was over-stating his reading of the review a little - and his own opinion of those involved, in order to make the point...
if you remind me before i see you next, i'll loan my copy of 'false flat - why dutch design is so good' to you - a great read.
Ooh, Steven, please rub some more salt in the wound of me missing Denari, OK?!?
Kidding. Not really, but I forgive you anyway. And yes I'll borrow your book.
From what Betsky showed I didn't see an overabundance of parametric-mafia stuff at the biennale, though maybe I don't understand the term. I think it's an important distinction that the projects were made - from what I saw - specifically for an exhibition. They were experiments, not proposals. "What if", not "what is".
Words that jumped out at me in the last several posts:
Living-in-Melt ... funny.
shrinkage ... indeed.
parametric-mafia ... wha?
I am totally on board with WonderMelting at Christmas!!! And I want tunamelt's coworkers to succeed, I really do, but I think they need to extract their heads from the, ahem, ground in order to do so. Also Sarah, I really appreciate your story about your coworker trying to go to Canada. It's totally true.
I got to see Denari a little while ago and was actually pretty disappointed at what was very clearly a superficiality in his work. I mean, he actually talked about this aspect, I'm not simply making an inference. His forms speak to me in a way that many other formalists' don't, and I think the spaces that he crafts are usually fantastic (hopefully, Steven, he will show this one project he did -- a bank in an asian country -- where he used the ceiling as his playscape -- I really enjoyed that one) -- but I couldn't help but yearn wistfully for some deeper intent to them. I still love the playful plasticity of his surfaces and really want to go visit his buildings. I love it when anyone says "why does this wall HAVE to be straight? Why does this other thing HAVE to be the way it is?" etc and he seems to be a good challenger in that vein.
Steven I will be very interested to hear your opinion if you don't mind.
As for Adjaye, I love his work but when I got to see him speak I was actually a little bit bored. I think it might have just been an off night for both of us. Hopefully I'll get to see him again and change that opinion.
LB your comment about germies makes me think of this one outlandish ad for Lysol spray:
It shows a kid coming in the door from school and there are these gigantic green, yellow, and blue blobs all over him -- the science-y, amoeba-like kind, not the cute cartoony kind -- and then he puts his hand on the phone and then phone -- EEK! -- has those amoebas all over it!!!! Horror of horrors!!! You better follow your diseased children around with a lysol can or YOU WILL ALL DIE!
It makes me laugh everytime. Americans are such softies. Yes, there are germs all over your kid, and yes he will transmit them to your phone, your doorknobs, and yes EVEN YOU. And frankly it will probably make you all stronger.
The Russian shared-cup strategy is too much for me but I did enjoy drinking out of all the public water-fountains in France and would love to have those here. Except that for some reason they would probably gross me out here. Europeans just seem cleaner...
wait there aren't anymore public water fountains in the US? It was a fond memory as a children, the terrazzo face fountains in the parks in Colorado. Its a distinct character but hey that was 81
Germs are good. But a school room full of 3-7 year olds is worse than a hospital, believe me. I'm all into kids eating dirt, worms, candy shared by like 10 kids, food thats' been on the floor for 6 seconds, and random "food" items found in the crease of the couch. Your body is more resilient when you are young - enjoy it. Don't listen to me though I don't have kids, and folks are too keen on me babysitting their kids (something about the loads of artificial cheese and abundant sugar I feed them prior to returning them to the parents)
Steven should I start a "Middle Lectures Report" thread and I can report on Betsky, you on Denari, I'll cover SHoP on Friday? Or are we making too big a deal about the stuff that seems to happen rarely in the middle but is common on the edges?
I think I just found out that Reed Kroloff was here in the middle two weeks ago and I missed it - damnation!
Steve Badanes is also talking at BSU tonight, I will miss it sadly - I saw him about 5 years ago in Philly and he gives such a crazy fun energetic talk!
Jump, to be honest, I am a bit timid when it come to nationalised health, but it stems from a friends accident in Rome. She was standing infront of the Pantheon, turned, and her knee popped out of place. After numerous appointments in the hospitals, and even private doctors through-out the city (she even went to the Vatican Hospital once), they told her she would need surgery. She opted to stay on crutches the whole semester we were there, and have her doctor at home give it a look. When she got home, her doctor said she should sue for Mal-practice had it been an American Doctor because her knee was fine, didn't need surgery, and the only reason she couldn't use her leg was because the muscle had attrophied so badly. If that's what Socialised medicine is like, then yes, I'm worried.
As for Germs, Abe seems to like food best after it touches the floor. So much that he will take a nibble of whatever, and then 'dip' it on the floor before the next nibble. Crazy kid.
your description of nationalised healthcare is only one incident. i think the fact that more people die giving child birth in the USA than in Cuba is better evidence of systemic problems than your friends knee. not to trvialise the experience or anything, but there are shite doctors in the USA too.
it is clear that all systems have problems, but the usa version of providing for the sick is frankly frightening. it only makes sense if you own stock in an HMO or a pharmaceutical company. or lobby for same.
changing topics, i can't understand why adjaye would get pritzker based on his work so far. isn't one of the criteria that the architect has to have influenced architecture and archi-think, etc? in a big way, even? i was looking at his website this afternoon and the work is very refined and nice, but feels like extension of chipperfield more than new work...maybe chipperfield should get it first?
i bin waiting for holl to get it for ages, archi. lately i wonder if his work is too comfortable or something...
Well, for every anecdotal horror story about "socialized medicine", there are a million anecdotal horror stories about American for-profit healthcare. Like the time I ripped my right shoulder to shreds but had to wait three years for surgery because I didn't have insurance. Or all those people who can't get coverage for their cancer treatment because Blue Cross considers it a "pre-existing condition."
But that said, healthcare policy shouldn't be based on isolated personal anecdotes (most of which don't tell the whole story), but based on what's proven to work. Canadian-style healthcare, despite some imperfections, generally works for Canada. American-style healthcare, despite some successes, generally doesn't work for America.
And if there are other healthcare models that combine the strengths of each system while mitigating their respective weaknesses, I'm sure Barack Obama will be much more open to ideas than his predecessor.
i was going to make a similar comment to jump's, sarah. sometimes anecdotal, incidental experiences get in the way of good decisions.
as an example, for years i was against mandatory seatbelt laws - and against wearing one myself - because of an incident involving my uncle. he had a head-on with a utility pole and ended up with the engine in his lap, basically - disabled for life. he often blamed the fact that he was wearing his seatbelt and that it kept him from getting clear of the situation. only years later did i realize a few things: 1) he couldn't have gotten clear in time, 2) he was chemically impaired at the time, 3) his single incident doesn't change the statistics that show how often a seatbelt DOES help.
there will always be singular incidents that serve as arguments against something, but the larger picture has to be considered. if a huge bulk of people can't afford health care, don't have it, and consequently are forced to go to the emergency room for any little issue, there is a problem. and there is already a sort of compromised 'socialized' process at work because the emergency room isn't allowed to turn them away. their expenses end up doing two things: making those persons MORE destitute as they take responsibility for what they can and then STILL ending up as taxpayer-funded public expenses for the remainder, just in a back-door sort of way. and, of course, emergency room care is much more expensive than if those people had coverage and just went to a normal doctor....
i'm not sure i agree that healthcare should be completely free, only because i think there are people who abuse their health and should be held, at least somewhat, responsible for the damage they do. but i don't have ANY idea what a healthcare plan that took personal responsibility into account could possibly look like.
I don’t think a nationalized healthcare system should be a means to enforce preferred lifestyle choices, other than maybe requiring a modest co-pay for each doctor’s visit (mainly to discourage some people who would be inclined to see a doctor every time they sneeze). If the government doesn’t want people to smoke, then by all means outlaw smoking in public spaces and tax the hell out of cigarettes. If the government doesn’t want people to get fat, than by all means ban trans-fats in restaurants and require physical education in public schools. But I don’t think government should be in the business of denying coverage for lung cancer or diabetes.
i also have a health care horror story from rome. a classmate was sick & went to see doctor. he was told that he was just de-hydrated, nothing serious. my friend said, "what? i come all the way to the doctor office, can't you give me something?"...so the nurse told him to turn around and drop his pants. he got a nice old-fashioned, shot in the ass. how backward is that?
Then he's my question, and I'm not staunchly on either side of this issue, but...
Is it possible that Americans go to the doctor more than people in other countries? I know that people I work with go to the doctor for allergies, colds, sniffles, head-aches, and so on. I don't, and its because I was raised with the "its all in your head" mantra. Could it be that in other countries, people are less inclined to see a doctor about life's little ills, much like they are less concerned about germs in general? Could it be they go less because the doctor, or nurse, would just send them away because it wasn't something serious? Are there cultural reason, or quality reasons they don't go to the doctor as often? Do they go to the doctor just as much as Americans? Maybe they do, I really don't know.
I'm glad we can have intelligent, enlightening discussions on TC, and nobody gets angry.
SH - I think it's a little of both. Some people go to the doctor every time they sneeze while others never go and die/get very sick from diseases that could have been treated/prevented.
Just for shits and giggles, I did a little number-crunching to see how much it might cost me out-of-pocket if the US went to a single-payer healthcare system and simply gave Medicare to everybody.
Some facts to keep in mind:
1) According to Wikipedia, Medicare currently covers 43 million people, or about 14% of the total US population.
2) Right now, my paycheck gets deducted to the tune of about $80 per month for the Medicare tax.
3) My employer pays about $500 per month for my health insurance. This is part of my total compensation package, even though it’s not shown on my pay stub.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that my Medicare tax will rise directly in proportion to the number of people being covered by Medicare. For example, if twice as many people get covered by Medicare, my Medicare tax rate doubles. That's a very conservative assumption, as I think significant savings could be achieved with cost-saving measures within Medicare and other reforms throughout the healthcare system at large, but let’s play along here.
Now, let’s say Medicare is expanded to cover every man, woman, and child in the US. Single-payer healthcare for all. Given the numbers and assumptions above, my Medicare tax would then increase 169%, to about $560 per month. But given that I would no longer need a private health plan, my employer’s $500 monthly payment for the group plan would go directly into my own pocket instead of Blue Cross’s.
Basically, I’d be paying an extra $60 per month so that every American has universal healthcare coverage… And that’s not even taking into account any cost-saving reforms that could be introduced into the Medicare system itself, or savings that would inevitably achieved with better preventive care and without having to indirectly cover the costs of the uninsured. With such reforms, I’m sure my Medicare tax rate could be brought down so that it’s far less than what I currently pay into group plan… And I’d still keep my own doctors, and none of this would involve nationalization of the hospitals or clinics.
So, we have two options presented here:
1) I continue pay $500 per month for my own insurance, but with millions of Americans left uninsured.
2) I pay $560 (or likely far less) per month for universal healthcare for everybody.
I don’t know about you, but I’d gladly pay extra into Medicare if it meant I could finally tell Blue Cross to fuck off.
In Jamaica we have national healthcare, but you still pay for it. It works out to roughly 20 - 40% of the cost when you visit a public hospital. Insurance is not required, but you pay before you are treated unless it is life threatening. Most public hospitals are filled with intern and residents, and highly paid consultants who also run lucrative practices. There is a fair mix of both health for profit and social healthcare too, and we pop out almost 100 new doctors every year for a population of 3million.
Sarah based on the recount of your friends injury in Rome I'm not sure I would attribute that to social healthcare. When ten people tell you option A, and one person tells you the option you want to hear, that makes them a Maverick <- sorry couldn't resist, just when you people thought you'd gotten rid of that. Here's a question, whose a bigger [insert pun here] Sarah Palin or Ross Perot aka mr. read my lips
Jump funny you mention that comment about Chipperfield I have have him also on my little list of impending winners. His relationship with Adjaye is unique as he was the one who nominated him for an OBE and as story goes had it not been for the down turn in the UK in the early 90s it might of been Adjaye + Chipperfield (David + David?) But I find Chipperfield's work far more restrained, more balladry than Adjaye, less the constipated minimalism of Pawson. I think now is the time for Holl, he's removed the dust bunnys from all his old projects and they've been finally built, as well as a few new ones. His method of working when he swore by his 11 employees including me rule has worked well even when he had 200+ [url=http://www.audacity.org/Images%20for%20audacity.org/James%20Woudhuysen%20writes/JW-08-16-2004-CAD-Monkey.jpg]minons[/img] slaving away. His work is uniquely his, difficult to imitate or typecast, and dares to be branded (what was that Frank?) he writes/he teaches/he practices/he paints daily, what's not to love...and damnit he was right there on the votes from 2001 <- give the man a prize.
Oh today, I'm enjoying being an independent home-based practioner. I have a french press filled with Blue Mountain coffee next to me and a bottle of Tia Maria for...uhmm...flavouring. Hmmm yum.
Back to my kitchen schedules. How's work going for everyone else?
As an addendum to the above, note that the Medicare tax is a flat tax based on a percentage of income, while the Blue Cross premiums are a fixed amount regardless of income. My income level is significantly higher than the national average (mainly because I live in NYC, where incomes are skewed by the high cost of living).
As such, people who make less money than me would actually save money under a Medicare-for-all system, while those who make more than me might pay more... But only if they're single and have no other family members on their health plan.
Oh did I mention that in Jamaica medication is about 30% cheaper than in the US - just like the ads say, same medication (non-generic <- only allowed for OTC), just 30% less. It has to do with the fact that it isn't taxed when we buy from the distributor, so we only pay the middle man, shipping and insurance.
Thread Central
correct...the world as you know it (i.e., the american empire of capitalism) is coming to an end for most americans...and as was pointed out a few years ago,the US is not very well prepared for it either...panic to the people!
PsyArch, indeed...
seeing his projects on screen and hearing the story behind them was very inspirational to many in the audience.
he has an uncanny sense of originality, space, light, structure, tradition, contemporary culture and he is definitely getting many important comissions regardless of his young age of 42.
i hate to say it but the brand new 'mass' interest in african talent and intellectual recognition via president elect 'obama' is not hurting his chances either. but those merits of his (adjaye's) are not necessarily new to many in the audience.
Beta,
I thought only dogs needed their anal glands purged.
SH, yes the name does often throw people off. I was actually a tow headed kid when young. (which by the way is a word i only learned the meaning to this year)..I guess that is what i get for being a Yankee.
Yes, Jantar Mantar is a Royal Observatory constructed in the 1700s. All the various "buildings" tracked different aspects of the astronomical universe.
I too like Adjaye's work. He also seems to have a good bit of skepticism about his "staritecture" status based on interviews I have read with him.
Plus, I like how he seems to really be interested in the materiality of his buildings...
Vado, I have always wanted to watch that film, but have had difficulty finding it. I suppose i could just buy it but....
And finally, LB and all,
Yes India was such a different physical and psychological world. While modernized in many respects things have a sense of shared age and experience that i just never experience in America or even most of the West for that matter. So many lines are blurred there. Between the spiritual and material, between new and old, between progress and reactionism etc...
I don't quite think "nostalgic" is the right word, jump. To me getting nostalgic about a hotel key would be one that is shaped like a skeleton key but has a magnetic chip in it - appealing to the romanticism of the old but without any of the actual patina of age (which reminds me of "quaint" bed and breakfasts with their doilies on chairs and charming flowerpot patterned wallpaper and forced collegiality - god I despise those places). Similarly, you can get that "ribbed" effect in wood (which I LOVE) floors by sandblasting them - but it's not the same feel. The sandblasting is somehow too even. Or chemically-patinated copper - its color is never *quite* the same as the stuff that's been out in the weather for 50 years.
OK I guess it is nostalgia in some sense, but it's also an appreciation of actually old, quality things, coupled with no fear of germs. Speaking of which, wasn't there just a report in the news about how copper doorknobs can kill MSRA germs? Maybe copper is going to get even more frightfully expensive than it is!
melt, I speak from experience when I say that if your firm starts losing work it will be from a lack of vision and incompetence at the upper levels of the company.
puddles, who pissed in your cornflakes? You're sounding awfully cynical these days ... are you jealous because you don't get to partake in all the fun* up here?
*By "fun" I mean, Obama-partying and job-losing.
DubK - there's actually been quite a lot of vision up here. We've expanded into a lot of new markets that I can't really talk about on TC. What I'm really worried about is the GLOBAL slow down.
To add to DubK's remark above... puddles I must add that your statement is rather short-minded. This is not just an American crisis we are upon, it's a global crisis. This world is way too interdependent these days to point fingers. If one goes down, we all go down 'Nuf said. And one more thing, I've been talking about America's "downfall" since 9-11, so tell me something I don't know. Actually I think I was blatantly aware of it, when we lost control in Rwanda. But anyway, I gotta get back to my drawing.
Guys: Think of puddles much like you think of Steven Colbert. Don't let his comments annoy you, let them amuse you. There is truth in them, obviously. but he's also playing a character to get you to think.
Or, I'm a complete idiot. Which may likely be true.
melt, that's great that you're expanding into new markets. Really, it is. But unless that "vision" includes a comprehensive review of how buildings are actually built, and how they consume energy, and how they can consume less energy, then the company has a shelf life of 10, maybe 15 years. The goal is to be building carbon neutral buildings by 2030. NEUTRAL. Zero carbon emissions. When was the last time one of your(/my former) cohorts made the decision to design something because it saved energy? I would really actually like to know. Because then I would know that they are truly growing.
the dimitry orlov article i linked above on the "collapse gap" is over two years old...oddly enough, i just stumbled across the headline Gorbachev Calls on Obama to Carry Out ‘Perestroika’ in the U.S...how surreal that the gorbachev now presumes to advise the president-elect.
you can make a point that the world is "interdependent"...but the point can also be made that americans benefitted more than others in good times so it shouldn't necessarily be unfair that they are due to suffer more than others in bad times.
I can't say I read every word of what transpired while my computer was being repaired (the keyboard & trackpad died last friday), but, did I hear... technomelt? really? oh my.
Obi-wan is terribly, terribly cute WK. I may have to volunteer for animal sitting duties for somebody, because I keep getting really jealous of all the adorable fuzzy guys that the rest of you have, and still miss my doggy (who died ten years ago, so you're absolutely allowed to miss WonderKitty that long!)
Wow, DubK, you sound full of cynisism regarding your old work place.
Um... what is purging anal glands? Do I want to know?
There's a guy I work with who said he was going to move to Canada due to last Tuesday's events, to which I pointed out that their taxes are higher than ours, and have socialized medicine. He gave up.
I'd gladly take Canada's single-payer health system over ours anytime, even if it means higher taxes. Some things are worth paying for, and I'd argue that their healthcare system is actually far less of a burden on their economy than ours.
DubK - the project I'm finishing up right now actually... unfortunately the client had no money. It really frustrated DT b/c he got all on board with the green stuff concerning this project too. I also have this sneaky suspicion DT is looking into geothermal for his own home. They've all begun discussing with mountainmelt how to the possibilities of using sustainable design when he finally gets the money to rebuild his house. I think it's there, they just like to play it safe with their. Don't worry though, I'm stirring the pot in my own subtle way ;o) But I agree. Right now though, I'm just trying to keep food on the table.
rationalist - You wanna borrow a cat? The Atechnomelt was in reference to us meeting when he visited in late September. There was also a Living-in-Melt when LIG was in town and when WonderK visits in December the great WonderMelt will return again. (if you don't mind my saying DubK). ;o)
puddles - I have a background in International Relations and I am a firm believer in Diplomacy, ergo interdependence and yes, America can stand to have their head shrunk a little.
puddles is funny, one part bitter old man the next crinkled hair futurist - brilliant. The economical downturn is a little odd however, because much of what is happening outside of the US is business as usual. The bigger problems have to do with markets that depend on either US markets, products etc. Hey our dollar keeps sliding despite the turmoil of American business...its all interelated on some level. But the good thing about it is that we/globally start taking things like free energy seriously. Making less than a dollar a day ain't so bad if you grow what you eat, and make your own energy.
****melt, I suspect if Gin has to move back to Cincy you can rent him a room, Living with melt. Sorry bad humour.
Orhan, I am predicting Adjaye's Pritzker before he turns 50 (maybe even at 45). Not for anything but he's so good at transcending the bullshit - reference to starchitecture as well as creating truly minimal and sexy buildings. But Steven Holl and Zumthor first...next year is Steven I feel it in my bones
xmelt, yeah shrinkage could be good, but only if you can keep some of the positive aspects of being over-confidence i hope.
america is not going down. not yet. it is pointing down, but not really moving too fast. so let's calm down a sec. if nothing changes with your education system and healthcare then maybe america will turn into hell. but i think that is not going to happen.
sarah, the post office in usa is nationalised, as are your schools, and all kinds of other things. what is your problem with nationalised health? i don't really have a stake in whether america ever gets it or not, but just to put things in perspective... Canada does have high taxes but we live longer, AND because our businesses don't have to pay for insurance we frickin out-compete you when it comes to staff and shit (that is the technical term i believe). AND our education is better (well, up to uni level anyway). America has lots of other things going for it that makes much of the above unimportant, but a healthcare system that lags behind cuba for goodness sake is insane. it really is. it makes no sense.
for those who don't know, canada jobs #'s grew last month. that isn't going to last i know, but i do think it counts for something...
for a bit of unrelated trivia it was kiefer sutherland's grandfather who legislated national healtchare system in canada. so there you go. he saves USA from terrorists, AND his grampa made canada a safe place to be sick in. ;-)
Certain people in the US like to make Canadian healthcare into some sort of Marxist bogeyman, and I'm sure it has its flaws. That said, I remember reading somewhere (I wish I had the link) that, even despite its flaws, something like 85% of Canadians are satisfied with their healthcare system and would not want to see it scrapped in favor of an American employer-based system.
If you look at almost any strike, lockout, or other labor dispute in the US within the past couple decades, you'll most likely find that healthcare premiums are a central sticking point between labor and management. Our healthcare system is killing us, and we're going to be royally screwed if some big changes aren't made soon.
With Howard Dean stepping down as chair of the DNC soon, I'm hoping Obama puts him in charge of Health & Human Services. Universal healthcare is one of Dean's passions, and he'd be great at working out the details and getting it passed through congress. (Everybody laughed at Dean's "50-state strategy" in 2004, but that strategy is what got Obama and lots of down-ticket Dems into office this year. I'd say he's been more than vindicated.)
Dude. I just saw an awesome lecture by Aaron Betsky. Totally amazing, broad-ranging, humorous kick-in-the-ass architecture is building its own tomb lecture.
I need to go back and read the reviews of the Biennale now. So much to catch up on!
betsky is good. his biennale, remember, though, was populated by the work of the 'parametric mafia' at which speaks poked fun during the ky/in convention. (there was a biennale review linked there.) i'm sure speaks was over-stating his reading of the review a little - and his own opinion of those involved, in order to make the point...
if you remind me before i see you next, i'll loan my copy of 'false flat - why dutch design is so good' to you - a great read.
i get to see denari tomorrow evening. looking forward to that one too.
Ooh, Steven, please rub some more salt in the wound of me missing Denari, OK?!?
Kidding. Not really, but I forgive you anyway. And yes I'll borrow your book.
From what Betsky showed I didn't see an overabundance of parametric-mafia stuff at the biennale, though maybe I don't understand the term. I think it's an important distinction that the projects were made - from what I saw - specifically for an exhibition. They were experiments, not proposals. "What if", not "what is".
Let me go read the review now...
I always thought puddles was a female.
lb what is the venice biannual? i am not familiar with that :P
Words that jumped out at me in the last several posts:
Living-in-Melt ... funny.
shrinkage ... indeed.
parametric-mafia ... wha?
I am totally on board with WonderMelting at Christmas!!! And I want tunamelt's coworkers to succeed, I really do, but I think they need to extract their heads from the, ahem, ground in order to do so. Also Sarah, I really appreciate your story about your coworker trying to go to Canada. It's totally true.
I got to see Denari a little while ago and was actually pretty disappointed at what was very clearly a superficiality in his work. I mean, he actually talked about this aspect, I'm not simply making an inference. His forms speak to me in a way that many other formalists' don't, and I think the spaces that he crafts are usually fantastic (hopefully, Steven, he will show this one project he did -- a bank in an asian country -- where he used the ceiling as his playscape -- I really enjoyed that one) -- but I couldn't help but yearn wistfully for some deeper intent to them. I still love the playful plasticity of his surfaces and really want to go visit his buildings. I love it when anyone says "why does this wall HAVE to be straight? Why does this other thing HAVE to be the way it is?" etc and he seems to be a good challenger in that vein.
Steven I will be very interested to hear your opinion if you don't mind.
As for Adjaye, I love his work but when I got to see him speak I was actually a little bit bored. I think it might have just been an off night for both of us. Hopefully I'll get to see him again and change that opinion.
LB your comment about germies makes me think of this one outlandish ad for Lysol spray:
It shows a kid coming in the door from school and there are these gigantic green, yellow, and blue blobs all over him -- the science-y, amoeba-like kind, not the cute cartoony kind -- and then he puts his hand on the phone and then phone -- EEK! -- has those amoebas all over it!!!! Horror of horrors!!! You better follow your diseased children around with a lysol can or YOU WILL ALL DIE!
It makes me laugh everytime. Americans are such softies. Yes, there are germs all over your kid, and yes he will transmit them to your phone, your doorknobs, and yes EVEN YOU. And frankly it will probably make you all stronger.
The Russian shared-cup strategy is too much for me but I did enjoy drinking out of all the public water-fountains in France and would love to have those here. Except that for some reason they would probably gross me out here. Europeans just seem cleaner...
wait there aren't anymore public water fountains in the US? It was a fond memory as a children, the terrazzo face fountains in the parks in Colorado. Its a distinct character but hey that was 81
Germs are good. But a school room full of 3-7 year olds is worse than a hospital, believe me. I'm all into kids eating dirt, worms, candy shared by like 10 kids, food thats' been on the floor for 6 seconds, and random "food" items found in the crease of the couch. Your body is more resilient when you are young - enjoy it. Don't listen to me though I don't have kids, and folks are too keen on me babysitting their kids (something about the loads of artificial cheese and abundant sugar I feed them prior to returning them to the parents)
fyi...just in case any of you get one of the more than 7,000 presidential appointments
i intended to report back, manta. i'll even take a couple of pix, if it doesn't seem rude in the context of the talk. (small lecture hall, not sure.)
i'd be curious for a report from lb about what got her so excited at betsky, too...
Steven should I start a "Middle Lectures Report" thread and I can report on Betsky, you on Denari, I'll cover SHoP on Friday? Or are we making too big a deal about the stuff that seems to happen rarely in the middle but is common on the edges?
i don't see anyone reporting these lectures from the edges, either... hint.
well, except orhan. he's been pretty good about it.
Heeheehee...you are right of course.
I think I just found out that Reed Kroloff was here in the middle two weeks ago and I missed it - damnation!
Steve Badanes is also talking at BSU tonight, I will miss it sadly - I saw him about 5 years ago in Philly and he gives such a crazy fun energetic talk!
Jump, to be honest, I am a bit timid when it come to nationalised health, but it stems from a friends accident in Rome. She was standing infront of the Pantheon, turned, and her knee popped out of place. After numerous appointments in the hospitals, and even private doctors through-out the city (she even went to the Vatican Hospital once), they told her she would need surgery. She opted to stay on crutches the whole semester we were there, and have her doctor at home give it a look. When she got home, her doctor said she should sue for Mal-practice had it been an American Doctor because her knee was fine, didn't need surgery, and the only reason she couldn't use her leg was because the muscle had attrophied so badly. If that's what Socialised medicine is like, then yes, I'm worried.
As for Germs, Abe seems to like food best after it touches the floor. So much that he will take a nibble of whatever, and then 'dip' it on the floor before the next nibble. Crazy kid.
that is funny sarah. kids do crazy things.
your description of nationalised healthcare is only one incident. i think the fact that more people die giving child birth in the USA than in Cuba is better evidence of systemic problems than your friends knee. not to trvialise the experience or anything, but there are shite doctors in the USA too.
it is clear that all systems have problems, but the usa version of providing for the sick is frankly frightening. it only makes sense if you own stock in an HMO or a pharmaceutical company. or lobby for same.
changing topics, i can't understand why adjaye would get pritzker based on his work so far. isn't one of the criteria that the architect has to have influenced architecture and archi-think, etc? in a big way, even? i was looking at his website this afternoon and the work is very refined and nice, but feels like extension of chipperfield more than new work...maybe chipperfield should get it first?
i bin waiting for holl to get it for ages, archi. lately i wonder if his work is too comfortable or something...
Well, for every anecdotal horror story about "socialized medicine", there are a million anecdotal horror stories about American for-profit healthcare. Like the time I ripped my right shoulder to shreds but had to wait three years for surgery because I didn't have insurance. Or all those people who can't get coverage for their cancer treatment because Blue Cross considers it a "pre-existing condition."
But that said, healthcare policy shouldn't be based on isolated personal anecdotes (most of which don't tell the whole story), but based on what's proven to work. Canadian-style healthcare, despite some imperfections, generally works for Canada. American-style healthcare, despite some successes, generally doesn't work for America.
And if there are other healthcare models that combine the strengths of each system while mitigating their respective weaknesses, I'm sure Barack Obama will be much more open to ideas than his predecessor.
(cross-posted with jump, whom I agree with.)
i was going to make a similar comment to jump's, sarah. sometimes anecdotal, incidental experiences get in the way of good decisions.
as an example, for years i was against mandatory seatbelt laws - and against wearing one myself - because of an incident involving my uncle. he had a head-on with a utility pole and ended up with the engine in his lap, basically - disabled for life. he often blamed the fact that he was wearing his seatbelt and that it kept him from getting clear of the situation. only years later did i realize a few things: 1) he couldn't have gotten clear in time, 2) he was chemically impaired at the time, 3) his single incident doesn't change the statistics that show how often a seatbelt DOES help.
there will always be singular incidents that serve as arguments against something, but the larger picture has to be considered. if a huge bulk of people can't afford health care, don't have it, and consequently are forced to go to the emergency room for any little issue, there is a problem. and there is already a sort of compromised 'socialized' process at work because the emergency room isn't allowed to turn them away. their expenses end up doing two things: making those persons MORE destitute as they take responsibility for what they can and then STILL ending up as taxpayer-funded public expenses for the remainder, just in a back-door sort of way. and, of course, emergency room care is much more expensive than if those people had coverage and just went to a normal doctor....
healthcare should be free.
education should be free.
i'm not sure i agree that healthcare should be completely free, only because i think there are people who abuse their health and should be held, at least somewhat, responsible for the damage they do. but i don't have ANY idea what a healthcare plan that took personal responsibility into account could possibly look like.
what we have sure ain't it.
I don’t think a nationalized healthcare system should be a means to enforce preferred lifestyle choices, other than maybe requiring a modest co-pay for each doctor’s visit (mainly to discourage some people who would be inclined to see a doctor every time they sneeze). If the government doesn’t want people to smoke, then by all means outlaw smoking in public spaces and tax the hell out of cigarettes. If the government doesn’t want people to get fat, than by all means ban trans-fats in restaurants and require physical education in public schools. But I don’t think government should be in the business of denying coverage for lung cancer or diabetes.
On a related topic: Universal Health Care with Mandates May be Coming
i don't either, exacty, gin. but i see it as a problem. don't know answers.
I agree with Vado...
At least if free =universally acceptable. Obvs it they need to be paid for somehow even if only by taxes....
the people who fuck themselves up are going to be a burden to the healthcare system whether it's free or not.
i also have a health care horror story from rome. a classmate was sick & went to see doctor. he was told that he was just de-hydrated, nothing serious. my friend said, "what? i come all the way to the doctor office, can't you give me something?"...so the nurse told him to turn around and drop his pants. he got a nice old-fashioned, shot in the ass. how backward is that?
Then he's my question, and I'm not staunchly on either side of this issue, but...
Is it possible that Americans go to the doctor more than people in other countries? I know that people I work with go to the doctor for allergies, colds, sniffles, head-aches, and so on. I don't, and its because I was raised with the "its all in your head" mantra. Could it be that in other countries, people are less inclined to see a doctor about life's little ills, much like they are less concerned about germs in general? Could it be they go less because the doctor, or nurse, would just send them away because it wasn't something serious? Are there cultural reason, or quality reasons they don't go to the doctor as often? Do they go to the doctor just as much as Americans? Maybe they do, I really don't know.
I'm glad we can have intelligent, enlightening discussions on TC, and nobody gets angry.
SH - I think it's a little of both. Some people go to the doctor every time they sneeze while others never go and die/get very sick from diseases that could have been treated/prevented.
Just for shits and giggles, I did a little number-crunching to see how much it might cost me out-of-pocket if the US went to a single-payer healthcare system and simply gave Medicare to everybody.
Some facts to keep in mind:
1) According to Wikipedia, Medicare currently covers 43 million people, or about 14% of the total US population.
2) Right now, my paycheck gets deducted to the tune of about $80 per month for the Medicare tax.
3) My employer pays about $500 per month for my health insurance. This is part of my total compensation package, even though it’s not shown on my pay stub.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume that my Medicare tax will rise directly in proportion to the number of people being covered by Medicare. For example, if twice as many people get covered by Medicare, my Medicare tax rate doubles. That's a very conservative assumption, as I think significant savings could be achieved with cost-saving measures within Medicare and other reforms throughout the healthcare system at large, but let’s play along here.
Now, let’s say Medicare is expanded to cover every man, woman, and child in the US. Single-payer healthcare for all. Given the numbers and assumptions above, my Medicare tax would then increase 169%, to about $560 per month. But given that I would no longer need a private health plan, my employer’s $500 monthly payment for the group plan would go directly into my own pocket instead of Blue Cross’s.
Basically, I’d be paying an extra $60 per month so that every American has universal healthcare coverage… And that’s not even taking into account any cost-saving reforms that could be introduced into the Medicare system itself, or savings that would inevitably achieved with better preventive care and without having to indirectly cover the costs of the uninsured. With such reforms, I’m sure my Medicare tax rate could be brought down so that it’s far less than what I currently pay into group plan… And I’d still keep my own doctors, and none of this would involve nationalization of the hospitals or clinics.
So, we have two options presented here:
1) I continue pay $500 per month for my own insurance, but with millions of Americans left uninsured.
2) I pay $560 (or likely far less) per month for universal healthcare for everybody.
I don’t know about you, but I’d gladly pay extra into Medicare if it meant I could finally tell Blue Cross to fuck off.
In Jamaica we have national healthcare, but you still pay for it. It works out to roughly 20 - 40% of the cost when you visit a public hospital. Insurance is not required, but you pay before you are treated unless it is life threatening. Most public hospitals are filled with intern and residents, and highly paid consultants who also run lucrative practices. There is a fair mix of both health for profit and social healthcare too, and we pop out almost 100 new doctors every year for a population of 3million.
Sarah based on the recount of your friends injury in Rome I'm not sure I would attribute that to social healthcare. When ten people tell you option A, and one person tells you the option you want to hear, that makes them a Maverick <- sorry couldn't resist, just when you people thought you'd gotten rid of that. Here's a question, whose a bigger [insert pun here] Sarah Palin or Ross Perot aka mr. read my lips
Jump funny you mention that comment about Chipperfield I have have him also on my little list of impending winners. His relationship with Adjaye is unique as he was the one who nominated him for an OBE and as story goes had it not been for the down turn in the UK in the early 90s it might of been Adjaye + Chipperfield (David + David?) But I find Chipperfield's work far more restrained, more balladry than Adjaye, less the constipated minimalism of Pawson. I think now is the time for Holl, he's removed the dust bunnys from all his old projects and they've been finally built, as well as a few new ones. His method of working when he swore by his 11 employees including me rule has worked well even when he had 200+ [url=http://www.audacity.org/Images%20for%20audacity.org/James%20Woudhuysen%20writes/JW-08-16-2004-CAD-Monkey.jpg]minons[/img] slaving away. His work is uniquely his, difficult to imitate or typecast, and dares to be branded (what was that Frank?) he writes/he teaches/he practices/he paints daily, what's not to love...and damnit he was right there on the votes from 2001 <- give the man a prize.
Oh today, I'm enjoying being an independent home-based practioner. I have a french press filled with Blue Mountain coffee next to me and a bottle of Tia Maria for...uhmm...flavouring. Hmmm yum.
Back to my kitchen schedules. How's work going for everyone else?
As an addendum to the above, note that the Medicare tax is a flat tax based on a percentage of income, while the Blue Cross premiums are a fixed amount regardless of income. My income level is significantly higher than the national average (mainly because I live in NYC, where incomes are skewed by the high cost of living).
As such, people who make less money than me would actually save money under a Medicare-for-all system, while those who make more than me might pay more... But only if they're single and have no other family members on their health plan.
the correct link minons
Oh did I mention that in Jamaica medication is about 30% cheaper than in the US - just like the ads say, same medication (non-generic <- only allowed for OTC), just 30% less. It has to do with the fact that it isn't taxed when we buy from the distributor, so we only pay the middle man, shipping and insurance.
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