el Jacosorio

culturalsecurity:

When Economic Policy Threatens Cultural Security

In times of economic crisis, a nation’s artistic and cultural programs often suffer harsh fates. The financial woes facing Greece have forced the struggling country to levy strict economic austerity measures to combat years of government corruption and deficit spending.

These drastic measures have forced the Greek Ministry of Culture to begin firing up to 50% of its personnel , including archaeologists, civil servants and guards assigned to protect and preserve cultural heritage sites and museums. Such cutbacks already have resulted in the looting of museums in Olympia and Athens.

Government plans to raise funds by allowing advertising at Greek cultural heritage sites, such as the Acropolis, have been met with shock and outrage. In a particularly ironic twist, as Greek archaeologists struggle to find funding for legitimate excavations and face the threat of unemployment, smugglers of illicit antiquities continue to thrive.

From the public suicide of a single citizen to protests involving thousands, Greeks have taken to the streets to protest the dire economic situation, and the resulting threat to Greek cultural heritage. Unfortunately, after almost two years of violence and civil unrest, an end to this crisis and the subsequent threat to cultural security seems nowhere in sight. 

For similar news stories visit http://culturalsecurity.net/newssummary.htm

Images courtesy of http://www.opednews.com/articles/Greece-in-flames-Cassandr-by-Eric-Walberg-120214-446.html 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/04/markets-give-greek-bailout-lukewarm-reception

(via sans-nuage)

kohenari:

The New York Times is pretty clear in its opposition to the death penalty.

Here’s the conclusion from the editorial the paper printed after Connecticut’s legislature voted to repeal the death penalty:

Any careful evaluation leads to what the American Law Institute concluded after a review of decades of executions: the system cannot be fixed. It is practically impossible to rid the legal process of biases driven by race, class and politics. The growing number of states reconsidering this barbaric system is a welcome sign. Capital punishment, by overwhelming evidence, should be abolished throughout the United States.

I’m always curious what people who support the death penalty think when they read paragraphs like this one. When faced with the evidence of obvious bias (which the editorical cites), how does one ignore it? Is it possible to tell oneself — and believe it too — that the mountain of evidence must be false?

It reminds me of children — fingers in their ears, trying to drown out parents or siblings — repeating “I’m not listening, I’m not listening, I’m not listing …” in a voice that gets increasingly shrill.

(via reagan-was-a-horrible-president)

peachsss:

sexijexi:

pussy-envy:

kissing doesn’t kill

bus ad campaign

gran fury 

1989

maybe these should come back

There needs to be more public advertising with positive impacts such as these. I’m sick of being told what to look like or what to buy to make me feel better.

(Source: cant-party, via amodernmanifesto)