how man devours his children: a word about jamie oliver, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, goya, and pink slime

ugolino and his sons, by jean-baptiste carpeauxa. a society that devours its children is no society at all… 

clip from chef jamie oliver and his now-defunct TV show. a must see. “schools across the US are to ‘be allowed’ to stop serving the so-called ‘pink slime’ beef to their pupils at mealtimes.” notice the word ‘allowed,’ which in this case, refers to the fact that until now US schools had no other choice but to serve ‘dog food’ (also referred to as pink slime) to children.

so what is “pink slime”? it is a term reportedly coined by a microbiologist working for the US government — it is a form of “lean beef” formed by reclaiming the small parts of meat, which are otherwise trashed, or at best turned into dog food. it contains leftover bits that include inner parts of the cavity where the guts are and generally contain salmonella and E. coli. pink slime is only tuned into somewhat edible food by dousing it with the chemical ammonium (like bleach) to kill the bacteria. and then mixed into 70% of US consumed ground beef (that would include almost all fast foods, most restaurants, and even supermarket and clearly school meats) as a thinner to increase profits!

last year, british celebrity chef jamie oliver publicly criticized the product on his US TV show (the show has since been cancelled – most definitely due to the strong beef lobby in the US). the revelation prompted a popular outcry, and even mcdonald’s recently said it would phase out the use of “pink slime” in its burgers which it called 100% beef (well that is kinda correct) with the blessing of USDA.

the USDA, a body charged with the protection of US citizens and paid for by our taxes, “continues to affirm the safety of lean finely textured beef product for all consumers and urges customers to consult science based information on the safety and quality of this product,”

how pink slime is made: “the beef is spun in a centrifuge to separate the meat from the fat, before the final product is treated with a puff of ammonium hydroxide gas to kill any bacteria. it is produced in bulk by a firm in north dakota”. source bbc. by dd

CATEGORIES: earth related

ROBERT POLIDORI X BOTTEGA VENETA

after robert longo, nan goldin, sam taylor wood and others, it was a good surprise to see bottega veneta collaborating again with an unexpected artist for their campaign. robert polidori set the campaign in a venice palazzo which reminds me of his work in versailles… unfortuately i’m not sure i like the shots with the lame model, but it’s always nice to see these rare people at work in the behind the scenes. by pp.

CATEGORIES: fashion, photography

I CAN AFFORD TO BE SICK

this is an article from Esquire, april 1970. juuuuuust about 42 years ago! it’s all relative, but how is the big picture still the same? i at least think we’re a pretty smart bunch of kids, there must be a better way instead of draining people because they got the short end of the stick, or worse, shutting out citizens from options to take care. the weird comfort americans have with the insurance system is my least favorite thing about the united states, that comfort, or fear of losing false control, is what keeps this system alive. by kl

CATEGORIES: earth related, musings

ask: jeremyville – artist

my favorite _____ is:

-villain: mediocrity. the barriers in our own mind.

-hero/superhero: mistakes. hard work. dedication. vision. timing. intuition. saying no

-book: andy warhol diaries

-smell: random chimney smoke from fireplaces in the west village nyc.
 soos bakery at the end of my street in rose bay sydney. when i was growing up as a teenager i used to draw late into the night, then walk down the street at 5am to take in the early morning bread and croissant aromas.

-fetish: same breakfast every day, smoothie made from 1 banana, almond milk, 1 date, soaked goji berries. flax seed powder. ice cubes.

-film: ‘eraserhead’ made the most impact on me growing up.

-band/musician/composer: dylan, neil young, john coltrane, tim buckley, nick drake, lennon, the velvet underground, the kinks, stone roses, oasis, nick cave, waits, jeff buckley, paul kelly, morrissey, joy division and the smiths have always been there through everything.

-artist: duchamp, the fluxus movement, dada, warhol, koons.

-city: jeremyville, sydney, new york, buenos aires, berlin, tokyo, milan/lake como

-restaurant/bar:  souen macrobiotic food on prince and 6th ave. cafe gitane at the jane hotel and falai on clinton st lower east side. the smile on bond st. birichina café and crabble hole bondi beach sydney

-hotel: soho house ny for quiet drawing time and poolside. gramercy park hotel for the art and the key to the park. hotel on rivington. hotel on bowery. faena and casa chic buenos aires.

-drink/cocktail: good red wine. filtered water.

-decade: late 70’s downtown nyc

-sport: the bondi to bronte headland run in sydney, and running along the hudson river. swimming.

-advice: be yourself. find a unique style and voice.

-food (type of food): vegan

-shop: vintage clothing stores. farmers’ markets.

-nightmare: i often dream of being swept up by a rising ocean at bondi beach, but i always manage to swim to safety.

-vice: facebook

-woman (of all time): my mum sandra, who knew who i was before i knew, and then let me become.

-man (of all time): warhol still holds the strongest intrigue and fascination.

-hobby: discovering veganism, (which is the opposite of how i used to eat). it’s a journey into true flavor and new found energy.

-prized possession: my past mistakes, a blank sketchbook and a handful of pens.

-way to go (die): working hard on the next project.

www.jeremyville.com


CATEGORIES: ask

wear sunscreen by baz luhrmann

“don’t worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.” lyrics are from an essay titled,  “advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” written in 1997 by mary schmich, a chicago tribune columnist. by ak

CATEGORIES: clips, mind candy, music

HEDI SLIMANE FOR YVES SAINT LAURENT

i CAN’T WAIT to see what hedi brings to women’s fashion when we saw what he did for men oh-so many years ago. stefano pilati just showed his final women’s ready-to-wear and hedi has been announced as the successor …. i guess i have to just sit and wait patiently….. this is gonna be tough.  by kl

CATEGORIES: fashion