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GR2 – 9/24 – 10/12 Robots – A Benefit for Giant Robot 2

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2 Robots A Benefit for GR2 September 24 – October 12, 2011   GR2 2062 Sawtelle Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90025 gr2.net (310) 445-9276 Giant Robot will host a “special” art exhibition for the benefit of Giant Robot 2 – the gallery space. Giant Robot 1 retail space began art exhibitions including Ai Yamaguchi and kozyndan. The space was limiting and art as we know it today was a limited world that was just beginning to bubble. Opening in 2003, Giant Robot 2 or “GR2″ has hosted exhibitions by well known, soon to be well known and new young artists. The first exhibition in the space was by renown artist David Choe. Following exhibitions included Saelee Oh, Deth P. Sun, kozyndan, Barry McGee, Souther Salazar, Eishi Takaoka, Masakatsu Sashie, and many others who exhibit at many locations around the world. We’ve since worked with new waves of artists who’ve also moved forward at a rapid pace as well. Then yet another wave, and so forth. Giant Robot 2 has often and free exhibited young artists at an expense. In the end, who pays for the promotion, rent, staffing, etc? We do. We’re not like many other establishments who force artists into contracts. We try and nurture artists so they can have their freedom. At times it works well. Our track record is powerful. But again, how does this get paid for? The hindering economy leaves us with less options, and a benefit show featuring our artist friends will carry us for a healthy amount of time and we hope to have your support. The goal for GR2 is for the space to be self sustaining as an art space in 2012 and on. We’ll release more news on our plans, soon. Artists include: Apak, Andrice Arp, Gary Baseman, Robert Bellm, Jill Bliss, Aaron Brown, Buff Monster, Jon Burgerman, Youjung Byun, Ako Castuera, Sean Chao, Louise Chen, Shawn Cheng, James Chong, Luke Chueh, Josh Cochran, Eleanor Davis, Evah Fan, Ulises Farinas, Jesse Fillingham, Jordan Fu, Matt Furie, Susie Ghahremani, Katherine Guillen, Clement Hanami, Nao Harada, Seonna Hong, David Horvath, Martin Hsu, Mari Inukai, Yellena James, James Jean, Hellen Jo, Kaori Kasai, James Kochalka, kozyndan, Le Merde, Tessar Lo, Barry Mcgee, Miso, Junko Mizuno, Tru Nguyen, Saelee Oh, Saejean Oh, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Ming Ong, Martin Ontiveros, John Pham, Sidney Pink, Ferris Plock, Jarrett Quon, Albert Reyes, Grant Reynolds, Dr. Romanelli, Luke Rook, Souther Salazar, Rob Sato, Scrappers, Ryan Jacob Smith, Space Invader, Deth P. Sun, Daria Tessler, Mark Todd, Kelly Tunstall, Aiyana Udesen, Edwin Ushiro, Esther P. Watson, Jing Wei, Yoskay Yamamoto, Jeni Yang and more! Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent.   Eric Nakamura Giant Robot Owner/Publisher eric@giantrobot.com (310) 479-7311
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adoption · cat · cats · Giant Robot NEWS · Giant Robot store · GR2 · sale · sidewalk sale ·

Sunday 9/11 12-3 Cat Adoption and Sidewalk Sale at GR2!

  Yes, on the tragic anniversary one decade ago, we’ve teamed up with Animal Services in West LA to help find homes for cats and kittens. It was a little over two years ago that I adopted a kitten. I’m a dog person, and realizing that it was impossible for me to care for a dog correctly, I decided to try out a cat. It sounds ominous to just try a live animal, but with the support around me, I was sure it would work. Soon, one became two. I can now say I’m both a dog and cat person and surely, my cats have a much greater life than before. This sunday, this is your chance, take in a cat! I adopted the one on the right.       
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fukushima · Fukushima diary · Giant Robot NEWS · Issues · japan · Japan disaster relief · Japan earthquake tsunami · March 11th Disaster · News · Nuclear cleanup ·

NewsBot Special: “Cleaning decontamination I was feeling pretty good”—A Fukushima Diary

It is easy to admit that we’re about to exploit about a month of diary entries from a brave man’s life in order to get you to read this piece, and the other things we publish here on Giant Robot. Because, well, it’s partly true. But the majority of the truth about what we are presenting to you is that it gives detailed (one might even call some of it dry and mundane) insight into the thoughts and processes one Japanese man experienced before, during and after participating in the cleanup of radioactive debris at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan.

He isn’t one of the Fukushima 50. The diary entries he made available online start on May 26th and end on July 3rd, 2011, well after the day of March 15th when the 50 stayed behind to control the damage and fire at Fukushima Unit 4. No, the man who wrote these diary entries is (if he still has his job) a robot operator, of a robotic system called “Warrior”. From the diary entries it is apparent that he was assigned to Fukushima to prepare and operate specialized remote-controlled robotic equipment for the purpose of assessing damage and clearing debris within Fukushima Unit 3. 

We’re presenting only about half of the robot operator’s diaries here, the entries which cover June 11th through July 3rd, 2011. These entries detail the operator’s thoughts during the days right before preparing for and performing the dangerous task assigned to him in the debris and radiation of Fukushima Unit 3. Some of his thoughts are humorous, but most are very business-like and even grave. We have pulled some of the more interesting, insightful and inspiring quotes from the diary entries and printed them below. 

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