mbf tod@y

FETISH: fiat 500 abarth

 

 

FETISH: vespa quarantasei

SONG: zizek's rap => sole's "living in the end times feat. slavoj zizek" (2011)

 

more info here (Thanks Chris!)

"The original beat for this song, "Mo Money, Mo Murder" is definitely one of my favorite songs from the 90s. This beat randomly came on yesterday and I knew I had to make a song about the S&P downgrade to it. I do my best to try to infuse the ideas of zizek into this song, discussing everything from bankrupt states, ideology, hip-hop, god's wrath, and the economy. This track will end up on Nuclear Winter 3, which will most likely be 90's themed." (sole)

ITALY: a car crash in slow-motion

Italy's premier, Silvio Berlusconi, is on his way out. Photograph: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images 

"The country is label-queen heaven – Ferrari, Prada, Armani etc – and a major player in utilities, telecoms and banking. But the recession has put a strain on its economy and a succession of pop-up governments have failed to tackle fundamental problems, including the massive pension debts owed its ageing population. Italy's debts now top $2.2tn, or 120% of gross domestic product."

"At this point, Italy may be beyond the point of no return," Barclays Capital said in a gloomy report this week. "While reform may be necessary,we doubt that Italian economic reforms alone will be sufficient to rehabilitate the Italian credit and eliminate the possibility of a debilitating confidence crisis that could overwhelm the positive effects of a reform agenda, however well conceived and implemented."  (Dominc Rushe, The Guardian)

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MY FAVORITE ARTIST: anthony mangieri

 

ITALY: the sad decline of the land of persimmons

Photograph: Pier Paolo Cito/AP, via The Guardian 

"Italy's nepotistic jobs market fuels a steady brain drain as young and educated workers move abroad. The country has one of the highest rates of emigration, with young people often citing family patronage as the reason. A father-to-son policy of succession is still allowed in many industries, which can block out better educated graduates. The youth unemployment rate is now 30%"

"There is still a huge hidden economy and persistent mafia business ethics and corruption at the highest levels that are more prevalent in the south than the north"

The Germans moved their consumer brands upmarket while the Italians kept it cheap and cheerful. Then came the Chinese and wiped them out." (Phillip Inman, The Guardian)

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MAP: europe's 'nationalist populists' and far right

VIDEO: gamer commute

 

GAME: ten years of virtua tennis

 

HEROES & VILLAINS: julian and mark

via Mike Daisey