Painting of Putin in Drag Seized | Artist Flees Russia

<script height="480px" src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=lsNWEwZTpXSEYaI0mKME7YXpg1nQL__W&pbid=336bd638bbee4ff393f4f71598a17afa" width="853px"></script><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/28/painting-of-putin-in-a-negligee-seized-by-russian-police-artist-flees-the-country/" target="blank">The Washington Post</a></b></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">R</span><b>ussian police seized a portrait depicting Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wearing women’s lingerie from the Museum of Power in St. Petersburg and shut the gallery down. According to the Associated Press, the artist, Konstantin Altunin, has fled the country. </b></div>

Painting of Putin in Drag Seized | Artist Flees Russia

The Washington PostRussian police seized a portrait depicting Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev wearing women’s lingerie from the Museum of Power in St. Petersburg and shut the gallery down. According to the Associated Press, the artist, Konstantin Altunin, has fled the country. …

Read more »

China’s Disneyland Knockoff Demolished

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/26294923?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="853"></iframe><br /><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2322754/Inside-Chinas-Wonderland-investors-pulled--The-haunting-images-derelict-amusement-park-make-look-like-set-horror-film.html" target="blank">Daily Mail</a></b></span> <br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span><b>t was to be China’s answer to Disneyland—a magnificent theme park attracting millions of visitors a year with state-of-the art rides in a chintzy fairytale setting.</b><br /><br />But Wonderland, on the outskirts of Beijing, is being torn down after a catastrophic history stretching over 15 years.<br /><br />Video: <a href="http://www.catherinehyland.co.uk/" target="_blank">Catherine Hyland</a>. Photos: David Gray, Reuters</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUsOBT6tpYP6hxkkn0EXS1tdpjqQz5OFqNadIwez5fmswh81bmKNLYUwAY_2vOvWF2V6k3icyYNhyUQVnWrCbL5kkuAVbeDJvNgC62H6dlCzhtUtbU5ZDlVpIBLwl9pOJgxRan-Ith04/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUsOBT6tpYP6hxkkn0EXS1tdpjqQz5OFqNadIwez5fmswh81bmKNLYUwAY_2vOvWF2V6k3icyYNhyUQVnWrCbL5kkuAVbeDJvNgC62H6dlCzhtUtbU5ZDlVpIBLwl9pOJgxRan-Ith04/s1600/1.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Construction work at the 120 acre site ground to a halt in 1998 due to a dispute between the developers and the landowners and a corruption scandal that went right to the heart of the communist party.<br /><br />Back in the mid 1990s, developers Huabin foresaw a bustling theme park attracting some three million visitors and generating $1 billion a year.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjsac-sECkQWwmKKLixzvOZC7owNwhN6FwufXNIHETXs7nRTnLURlgHI5isp-PXkDruim4gsXg4lA8TDNVWp2NinP_vnI5duNIxn6Q2LMaohDPE9UzTWwoRkdEMtwum3bZeWfMIqBgKg/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjsac-sECkQWwmKKLixzvOZC7owNwhN6FwufXNIHETXs7nRTnLURlgHI5isp-PXkDruim4gsXg4lA8TDNVWp2NinP_vnI5duNIxn6Q2LMaohDPE9UzTWwoRkdEMtwum3bZeWfMIqBgKg/s1600/2.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Crucially they had secured the backing Chen Xitong, then the Beijing Party Secretary who was being tipped to become the country’s next leader.<br /><br />But when Chen was jailed for corruption in 1998, his successor, perhaps scared of being tarred with the same brush, refused to support the project.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRmYB7scn_6AAVasl5I0aDpQ_p1M3aQeEE6G_yH4LdzeRiAAtnf2WGH5SADw0qsi_zcWniOC8xeToPuUKXjUIZJTOFo1VUFB4JgAlo7xRQN9Pli9cg6dlYfxT5G7rB3hG5OQ-ARgu7TI/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRmYB7scn_6AAVasl5I0aDpQ_p1M3aQeEE6G_yH4LdzeRiAAtnf2WGH5SADw0qsi_zcWniOC8xeToPuUKXjUIZJTOFo1VUFB4JgAlo7xRQN9Pli9cg6dlYfxT5G7rB3hG5OQ-ARgu7TI/s1600/3.jpg" width="853" /></a></div><br /><div id="posttext" style="text-align: justify;">Now the farmers that used to own the land have returned to grow their crops once again, with the decaying building site filling the skyline.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KaqXVlAB6Ee2WkWB0bRjVlRUixDZozh5q4LBJEGd0vj211RtrwVN4fX69D84IDl5Q8VqK9pv-byOPdwWBUyCEdt1AbfFvbLNxu6ThwAZVdp0Eicr5xh6vpaqkgsn4vjmHJXAeSDrBW0/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KaqXVlAB6Ee2WkWB0bRjVlRUixDZozh5q4LBJEGd0vj211RtrwVN4fX69D84IDl5Q8VqK9pv-byOPdwWBUyCEdt1AbfFvbLNxu6ThwAZVdp0Eicr5xh6vpaqkgsn4vjmHJXAeSDrBW0/s1600/5.jpg" width="853" /></a></div>

China’s Disneyland Knockoff Demolished

Daily Mail It was to be China’s answer to Disneyland—a magnificent theme park attracting millions of visitors a year with state-of-the art rides in a chintzy fairytale setting.But Wonderland, on the outskirts of Beijing, is being torn down after a catastrophic history stretching over 15 years.Video…

Read more »