mbf tod@y

Reminder: FINITE JEST PARTY (Oct 16 2008, Milan, Italy)

What: FINITE JEST PARTY (FJP)

When: October 16, 2008, 9 PM

Where: Atomic Bar, Via Filippo Casati, 24, Milan, Italy

Who: Yours truly and various urbanites

Why: Why not?

Time, Place, Opportunity, Lifestyle

"No matter where you go, lifestyle exists. It is in the configuration of space, the tenor of the place. It resonates in and from the people found there; it is communicated in the cadence of their speech, the clothes they wear, the things they say, the speed with which they move. Lifestyle is anywhere. And it is always different—even if we don’t recognize it as such. It might not be fully formed, well fleshed-out, or even much appreciated. But it will be there. Invariably, topography, history, politics, economics, morality—one or more—will converge to create a way of life, a mode of being. Hell, in today’s world, even Starbucks will sell you some. It’s not about coffee, but about the person we are who drinks that kind of beverage under those calculated, cafe-fully-crafted ambiotic conditions." (Todd Holden, Pop Matters)

Read more

Coffee Culture Thrives in Moscow

"Starbucks, the Seattle-based corporation with almost 9,000 company-operated stores around the world, opened its first Russian venue last fall in a suburban shopping mall in Khimki. The largest coffee shop brand in Britain, Costa Coffee, opened the chain's 1,000th shop last month on Pushkinskaya Square, ambitiously planning on 200 more locations in Russia over the next five years. To these seemingly late newcomers, Moscow's ratio of one coffeehouse for every 3,187 people is an opportunity for growth. Although arriving in an already established coffeehouse scene in Moscow, Western chains are banking on their brand familiarity, the attractiveness of quick counter service and Russians' growing incomes. "Moscow, with its vibrant economy and cosmopolitan culture, is the right place to start in Russia. For a market with a quickly emerging and upwardly mobile middle class, Moscow has a low concentration of cafes," said Mojtaba Akhbari of Starbucks, which opened two more locations in March at the Moskva-City business center and at the Belaya Dacha Mega Mall." (Mario Antonova, The Moscow Times)

Read more

Moscow, the Model City

A marvelous miniature Moscow that is being stored in the local city town-hall, courtesy of English Russia

See it here in all its gloty.

Moasca, capitale del mondo

"Basta tornare nell’Arbat per ricordarsi che Mosca è una metropoli da 11 milioni di abitanti. L’antica Ulitsa Arbat è un mercato a cielo aperto davanti alla casa dove visse il poeta Puskin prima di trasferirsi a Pietroburgo e morire in duello. In piazza, la stazione della metro ha la forma di una stella rossa. Qui puoi cominciare un tour parallelo nei sotterranei della città, nella metropolitana più bella del mondo, forse anche la più efficiente. Stazioni come opere d’arte: lampadari, mosaici, affreschi, statue. I migliori artisti russi si alternarono a decorare, progettare, dipingere. E se riesci a non perderti tra le stazioni segnate in cirillico, è bene fermarsi almeno a Ploshchad Revoljutsii, Park Kultury (fuori, c’è la casa di Tolstoj e il grande Gorkij Park) e Majakovskaja. [...] Fuori, in negozi dove trovi tutto, dal costoso caviale alle divine aringhe, dal pane alle brioche, dalle matrioske a confezioni dal contenuto incomprensibile, donne e uomini si aggirano con cesti in mano. «Fanno la spesa? Ma che ore sono?», chiedo. Ivan e Lena ridono: «Siamo a Mosca, non a New York». (Matteo Nucci, XL)

Leggi

Moscow Is Europe's Hottest Property

Hot Spots
City	2008 Ranking	2007 Ranking
Moscow	1	18
Istanbul	2	11
Hamburg	3	9
Munich	4	4
Paris	5	1
Lyon	6	5
Frankfurt	7	27
Stokholm	8	3
Berlin	9	25
Helsinki	10	6
Source: Urban Land Institute / PricewaterhouseCoopers Emerging Trends survey.

"It looks like good news if you have money to invest but bad news if you are looking for a place to rent. If you want more bang for your buck then the Moscow real estate market is the place to be, according to a Europe-wide survey of market players released Tuesday that put the city on top of the table for investment prospects. But in the rollercoaster world of Russia's property boom not everything looks so rosy, as those polled also ranked Moscow the riskiest city to do business in. Moscow's meteoric rise, up from 18th last year, is due in large part to investors turning away from Europe's traditional markets to tap into new opportunities, the annual report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute said"(Mark Delany, The Moscow Times)

Read more

Moscow Subway: 175th station!

"A new metro station, Strogino, opened Monday, serving a largely residential area of western Moscow. It is the 175th station in the system, reached on a new section of the dark blue line following Krylatskoye station. The tunnel between the two stations runs at an incline of 45 degrees - close to the maximum possible for a metro line. The simply decorated station was designed by architects Alexander Orlov and Alexander Nekrasov. It has an exceptionally wide granite platform, 12 meters across, with oak benches. The lighting is also much brighter than usual in the metro. The new station will eventually link the center with the suburb of Mitino." (Anna Malpas, The Moscow Times)

Read more

Steve Slattery Eats Tacos

as I said: Download SLATTERY2.mp4

Pasha Face Control, the Arbiter of Cool.

"The bouncer known as Pasha Face Control sits in a purple crushed-velvet booth at the entrance. Diaghilev Project is quiet except for the bartenders getting their nightly, premadness briefing from the floor manager. A thin light permeates the club. Standing 5 ft. 9 in. (just over 1.7 m), with a slight build and a languorous gaze stretched across his face, Pasha Face Control hardly looks like a bouncer, let alone Moscow's most famous front man. But that is exactly what he is. As he explains to me who gets into Diaghilev, he speaks with an almost Talmudic earnestness. Everywhere else, Pavel Pichugin, with his blue jeans, button-down shirt and windbreaker, would look totally unremarkable, but in Moscow at this particular post-Soviet juncture, he is not Pavel; he is Pasha Face Control, the Arbiter of Cool." (Peter Savodnik, TIME)

Read more

Madrid's Air Tree

"In Madrid, Spain, a unique, hulking structure is currently being built. An "Air Tree," it's designed to both affect the surrounding environment and act as a social center. It's loaded up with solar panels that create electricity that's sold to the local electric company. It's completely self-sufficient, powering itself and using the money it makes from selling excess energy for upkeep. It also produces oxygen like a tree, hence the name. And as for it being a social center, it's designed to be a public gathering place. It's really pretty cool, a completely unique idea and one that, unlike most out-of-the-box ideas like this, is actually being made a reality.  (Adam Frucci, Gizmodo)

Read more