BANKSY gets Radtke(D) in New Orleans

GRAFFITI - Canal Street , New Orleans 2005 from FALLEN PARADISE

All reproduction rights reserved Wm. Greiner

Fred Radtke is known around New Orleans as the "Gray Ghost" , because he goes around the city painting over any and all graffiti with gray paint. I am not a fan of Radtke, I don't beleive two wrongs make a right. Neither am I a fan of graffiti. Why? Its like driving in my car with all the windows rolled down with the stereo blaring, thus forcing my taste in music on everyone in ear shot! Graffiti, to me, is the visual equivalent!

The irony here though is that Banksy is an internationally acclaimed artist. Banksy's works, at least the ones you can take off the wall and bring home, sell for a great deal of money! After I had recently reported on Banksy's work on New Orleans buildings, I wondered what a derelict house is now worth , with a Banksy painting on it?

Well it sounds like the Gray Ghost, Fred Radtke doesn't care? I understand he has blotted out Banksy graffiti with his gray paint! I think if I owned a Banksy(d) building, I might be upset.

more on Radtke:

http://blog.nola.com/vandalismtoday/2008/05/lost_on_what_were_talking_abou.html

WHEN LAST IS FIRST and FIRST IS LAST!!

GREEN HOUSE , New Orleans LA 2007

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Baton Rouge ranks near bottom for foreclosure activity

Baton Rouge was ranked 99th on a list of foreclosure increases for the nation's 100 largest housing markets. The Capital Region had foreclosure filings against .12% of all homes during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac.com, only Syracuse, NY, had a lower rate at .10%. Baton Rouge remained low despite a nearly 175% jump in the number of foreclosures from third-quarter 2007. Foreclosures were filed against 373 homes in Baton Rouge during the quarter. Stockton, Calif., had the country's highest foreclosure rate, with 3.7% of homes facing seizure during the third quarter. New Orleans was tied for 76th, with .27% of all homes having a foreclosure filed against them. Nationwide, foreclosure filings were up 71% from third-quarter 2007. Foreclosure rates slowed in September, thanks to new laws in California and North Carolina aimed at reducing the pace at which lenders can move forward with defaults.

http://www.businessreport.com/archives/daily-report/2008/oct/23/667/

WORD WEST COAST

CINEMA 1 2 3 , Metairie LA 1996 from FALLEN PARADISE
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Thanks to Doug Rickard for his thoughtful insights:

www.americansuburbx.com/2008/10/william-greiner.html

CLAX IS GONE

Musician Mural on Plywood , New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2006 from 8 Days in Spring
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I did not know William Claxton very well, but I had the chance to exhibit with him last year. It was a pleasure and honor. Clax was one of the coolest guys, period. He died last week and will be missed. RIP.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/14/arts/design/14claxton.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin

CONSTRUCTIVE DESTRUCTION

Blue Roof Tarp, Baton Rouge LA 2008

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BusinessWeek Magazine says B.R., N.O. among best cities to ride out recession

Baton Rouge and New Orleans have made BusinessWeek magazine's list of the best cities to ride out a recession. The magazine says Baton Rouge is "thriving" thanks to GO Zone financing for hurricane recovery work and all of the industrial construction projects. "Like many Louisiana cities, it isn't dependent on the weak durable goods sector," BusinessWeek says. While New Orleans is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, the magazine notes that unemployment is low, banks are relatively healthy and big construction projects, such as levee rebuilding, are still going on. Other cities that made the list include Washington, D.C.; Lexington, Ky., and Arlington, Va. To see the list, click here.

LAMAR DODD ART CENTER Show Opens

KIM SOM, New Orleans LA 1998 from FALLEN PARADISE (New Orleans 1995-2005)

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FALLEN PARADISE

(New Orleans 1995-2005)

at

Lamar Dodd Art Center

LaGrange College

LaGrange GA

October 6 - November 14, 2008

http://www.lagrange.edu/news/photography.aspx

"Children Should be Seen and Not - Shot"*

Boys on Sand Pile, Baton Rouge LA 2007 from Baton Rouge Blues

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The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace , on it’s website www.foreignpolicy.com , has called New Orleans “the most deadly city in the United States”. This opinion is based on a homicide statistic which pegs the city with between 67 and 95 murders per year , per 100,000 residents. **

* Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard once distributed pink bumper sticks with this slogan.
**excerpt from GROUP:New Orleans ‘most deadly city’ by Allen M. Johnson Jr.

LUBRICATION IS A GOOD THING!

Yellow Pickup Truck, New Orleans LA 2008 from the series AUTOMATIC

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“Today, the entire financial system needs a lubricant. It’s kind of like driving your car after running out of oil and the engine seizes up. If there’s no liquidity and no financing, everything seizes up.”*

Barry M. Gosin, chief executive of Newmark Knight Frank, a national real estate firm based in New York

*Failed Deals Replace Boom in New York Real Estate , By CHARLES V. BAGLI The New York Times 9/30/08