Favorites from julen
Subscribe:
Displaying post 301 to 350 of 383
Super Mamika
"A few years ago, French photographer Sacha Goldberger found his 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika feeling lonely and depressed. To cheer her up, he suggested that they shoot a series of outrageous photographs (en français, but I'm sure you can figure it out) in unusual costumes, poses, and locations. Grandma reluctantly agreed, but once they got rolling, she couldn't take the smile off her face."
The Thanksgiving Recipes Question(TM))
What are your thanksgiving side dishes that bring down the house every year?
COME ON, IT'S NOT EVEN THANKSGIVING YET
Holiday Heads up! After the great success of last year's gift drive, I'm organizing another for this holiday season.
Modernist treasures from a bombed-out cellar
Rediscovered in Berlin:
Eleven modernist sculptures branded as "degenerate art" by the Nazis and thought to have been destroyed during WWII. The sculptures include works by Otto Freundlich, who was murdered at Majdanek; Naum Slutzky, a craftsman of both the Wiener Werkstätte and the Bauhaus; and Margarete Moll, who studied with Matisse.
Republicans in Orange County are not the same as Republicans in Nebraska
With the U.S. Midterm elections less than a week away, we can expect to hear more about the Red State/Blue State dichotomy. Journalist Dante Chinni and political scientist James Gimpel are among those who maintain that it's not that simple. They say we are a patchwork nation and divided U.S. counties into 12 categories: Boom Towns, Campus & Careers, Emptying Nests, Evangelical Epicenters, Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Military Bastions, Minority Central, Monied 'Burbs, Morman Outposts, Service Worker Centers, and Tractor Country. Find out how they classified your county.
Glass Signs
The art of glass sign making.
(via) A delightful and strangely relaxing short documentary about the work of David Smith, a craftsman and artist making beautiful traditional glass signs.
The Cat Pees Awry
I have an old cat. He misses the box. He enters, but aims right over the edge. In the deeper, hooded boxes, he just lets loose, right out the door. I clean this every day, but am slowly going batty. What solutions might there be? Um, "out of the box" thinking needed.
You don't have to be vegan to enjoy vegan food.
Vegan Dad: "When you have kids, supper has to be on the table every night. And when you are a vegan, the drive-thru, the deli
counter, and TV dinners/frozen convenience foods are not an option. So, you do the best you can. This blog is a record of what my family eats. It's not always a totally complete meal, not always photogenic, and sometimes it's leftovers. But, it is a realistic look at a vegan family in a northern Ontario city that is not always vegan-friendly."
Smokers, jokers and midnight tokers
I really enjoy Mad Men. Please recommend some great classic 1950s/60s* movies that have similar themes or aesthetic - from noir to the women's pictures. Contemporary films set in the period also welcome!
Slaving Over a Hot Oven All Day
Chris Kimball prepares a 12-course meal from Fannie Farmer's 1896 cookbook.
Using only a coal stove and other authentic Victorian-era kitchen staples, the chef, who lives in Fannie Farmer's former home, recreated a classic holiday Victorian meal from her iconic 1896 cookbook.
The twelve courses included: "rissoles (filled and fried puff pastry), mock turtle soup with fried brain balls, lobster à l’Américaine, roast goose with chestnut stuffing and jus, wood-grilled salmon, roast saddle of venison, Canton punch, three molded Victorian jellies and a spectacular French-inspired Mandarin cake."
Chris Kimball is the creator of public television's America's Test Kitchen) and Cook's Illustrated. Naturally, he chronicled the experience in a book, aptly titled, Fannie's Last Supper. In it, he offers some moden adaptations of Fannie Farmer's recipes. A film depicting the difficulties of authentically re-creating the meal airs this Fall.
The twelve courses included: "rissoles (filled and fried puff pastry), mock turtle soup with fried brain balls, lobster à l’Américaine, roast goose with chestnut stuffing and jus, wood-grilled salmon, roast saddle of venison, Canton punch, three molded Victorian jellies and a spectacular French-inspired Mandarin cake."
Chris Kimball is the creator of public television's America's Test Kitchen) and Cook's Illustrated. Naturally, he chronicled the experience in a book, aptly titled, Fannie's Last Supper. In it, he offers some moden adaptations of Fannie Farmer's recipes. A film depicting the difficulties of authentically re-creating the meal airs this Fall.
Broke a billion hearts in mono
"Teen rebels and bobbysoxers still heralded Johnnie Ray as their hero, but to parents across America, he was Public Enemy Number One. Five years before Elvis Presley evoked a similar kind of mass parental dread, Johnnie had all of button-down America shaking in their boots, fearing for the souls of their children."
The Lady Was a Spy
Eileen Nearne was found dead in her flat in Torquay on September 2, apparently alone and forgotten. But it turns out, she was neither.
The Green Book
NOW WE CAN TRAVEL WITHOUT EMBARRASSMENT was the advertising slogan used by the publisher of
The Negro Motorist Green Book, a vital resource for African-American travelers in a period when sundown towns (previously) were still common. This slim volume was published annually until 1964 for the benefit of black motorists who needed to know where they could sleep, eat, or purchase fuel.
Respect Dad's harp
Harpo's Place
A tribute to Harpo Marx, by his son Bill.
News of the ... Screwed?
Last week, the New York Times magazine published an explosive article about the phone-hacking exploits at the Rupert Murdoch-owned British tabloid News Of The World under the then-editorship of Andy Coulson, now the the Government's chief of communications. Following the NYT's investigation, questions about the "unhealthy" relationship between the Metropolitan Police and the press (particularly Murdoch's News International, which also includes The Sun, The Times and the Sunday Times), and further claims that an independent inquiry was abandoned so as not to upset the Metropolitan Police, assistant Met Commissioner John Yates was questioned [video; 4 mins] on Tuesday by the Home Affairs select committee. Following an emergency debate in Parliament today, which concerned the fact that MPs of all parties may have had their phones hacked (and therefore had their Parliamentary Privilege breached), the Standards and Privileges Committee, the most powerful committee in Parliament, is to open an inquiry which will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence. Meanwhile, former News of the World reporters are coming out the woodwork, claiming that hacking at the paper was "rife", and the pressure is on Coulson to resign his £140,000 job at No. 10, with a poll [pdf] which says 52% of the public says he should go.
The Old Man and the C Drive
What are some comprehensive one-topic websites maintained by cranky old guys (or gals)?
What's My Line? A Who's Who of US Entertainers from Past Decades
What's My Line? was a weekly televised game show that first ran in the US from 1950 to 1967, and featured a celebrity panel whose task it was to discern the profession or identity of the person who sat before them. The panel first guessed at the profession of two "regular folks," with a third "famous mystery guest," when the the panel were blindfolded and the guests often tried to disguise their voices. Let's start with a Halloween episode, split in 3 parts on YouTube, ending with the mystery guest (Andy Griffith). The lengthy list of Mystery Guests include the Harlem Globetrotters, Walt Disney, a young Ronald Reagan and Salvador Dalí (previously).
Suffragette City
Though her nomination was a joke, instigated by a group of men hoping to inhibit the local activities of the Women's Christian Temperance Union by embarrassing female voters, Susanna Madora "Dora" Kinsey Salter surprised the pranksters by winning two-thirds of the vote in the mayoral election of 1887 in tiny Argonia, Kansas, becoming not only America's first female mayor, but also earning the distinction of being the first woman elected to any political office in the United States. Her official notice of election read: Madam, You are hereby notified that at an election held in the city of Argonia on Monday April 4/87, for the purpose of electing city officers, you were duly elected to the office of Mayor of said city. You will take due notice thereof and govern yourself accordingly. Though she only served one term and had no further political ambitions, she became a hero of the early women's suffrage movement.
Pimp my speakeasy!
I found a secret room in my apartment. How do I decorate it?
"She can't be all bad. No one is." "Well, she comes the closest."
Over the course of four months earlier this year, Dave at Goodfella's Movie Blog posted 100 (!) sharply written analyses of a wide range of classic Noir films. The top position was a bit of a surprise amid the obvious standards, but the real meat is in his informative takes on dozens of lesser-known gems.
Which are the Best iTunes Radio Stations?
iTunes radio listeners: What do you like?
Emotional eavesdropping
StoryCorps is an independent nonprofit fostering and preserving meaningful conversations between two people who are important to each other. The vignettes are addictive little heart-grabbers, some unearthing long-held secrets. Here's a sampling: I don't know anything about white people; A son's premonition; Bathtub gin; Adoption; Two canoes; Where's the colored section?; Good hugger; Court every day; A schmear; Stonewall memories; and one video animation - a charming talk between a 12 year old with Asperger's and his Mom. There are hundreds more.
How do I sell myself?
How do I get better at being a people person and a sales person (self promotion)?
Angie Baby, you're a special lady
Of all the story songs of the 1970s, none was as unexpectedly creepy as Helen Reddy's 1974 hit "Angie Baby."
Famous Caves
Feeling like you need something to balance the scent of sandalwood and musk after reading this list of famous man caves (including Jefferson's study, Douglass' office, Edison's library, and Roosevelt's trophy room)? If so, you may be interested in seeing the inner sanctums of some of history's most influential women. Check out Eleanor Roosevelt's living room (picture/info), Marie Curie's laboratory (picture/info), Margaret Mead's room in Samoa (picture/info), Maya Angelou's parlor (picture/info), Susan B. Anthony's study and bedroom (more pictures and info), Georgia O'Keefe's sitting room (picture, info), Helen Keller's childhood bedroom (picture, info), and Frida Kahlo's studio (picture 1, picture 2/info).
It's a living... but WHAT it?
I'm dipping back into Jane Austen for some comfort reading, as one does, and I'm reminded that I still haven't figured out what exactly a "living" is.
Squiggly lines, all alike
Entanglement. A flash game: rotate tiles to make the longest line.
The heartbreak of psoriasis
I have psoriasis. I am among the 2-3% of the world population has it. It is a skin condition with a genetic component (thanks mom and dad). It means that I have white plaques on my skin that itch and shed flakes. I shed so much that I have to sweep my floors daily. I have plaques mainly on my arms and legs, but they can appear anywhere (some locations linked from this page are NSFW. I'm lucky, I don't have psoriatic arthritis which affects about a third of all people with psoriasis. People stare at me or pretend not to stare at me in public. I wish they would just ask me what it is. It isn't contagious. Sometimes people ask if I have a bad sunburn or a regular burn. Little kids ask about my boo boos. Dogs lick my legs. There are several different ways to treat psoriasis including steroids, light treatment, injectable antibodies, and shampoos but it is a chronic condition. One treatment was recently withdrawn from the market because of lethal side effects. There are groups for people who have psoriasis. As with many medical conditions, you sometimes get unwelcome suggestions on how to cure it. When I used to work in a hospital environment, the pathologists showed me what it looks like under a microscope.
Everybody hit. Everybody played.
Mamie "Peanut" Johnson is one of three women to play in the Negro Leagues, and as of yet, the only woman to pitch at the major level in the United States.
William Morris and the Kelmscott Press
The multi-talented William Morris' most famous achievement was the Kelmscott Press, which played a leading role in establishing the private press movement. Although the fifty-three books issued by the Press ranged from Shakespeare's poems to Morris' own work, one book remains prized above all others: the Kelmscott Chaucer. Published in 1896, and featuring illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones, the Kelmscott Chaucer was the most exquisite work of a press known for exquisite work. (Previous Morris.)
like angels on high
As undeniably great as the golden age Motown studio musicians were, and as indisputably funky and creative as the arrangements were, you still have to think that maybe it would've been a good idea to release some of The Temptations amazing vocal group artistry in unaccompanied form. Maybe as B-sides or something. Well, that never happened back in the day, as far as I know, but we are extremely fortunate now to be able to hear a capella versions of many of the Tempts biggest hits, in stunningly impressive and thoroughly enjoyable unaccompanied renditions: Runaway Child Running Wild, Just My Imagination, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, Ball of Confusion, Get Ready and Cloud Nine . And folks, there's more a capella from the Tempts and other Motown acts floating around on the Tubes out there, so feel free to link to them in the thread, cause, you know, I Ain't Too Proud To Beg.
Learn a New Old Skill
Do you like vintage needlework? The Antique Pattern Library is a collection of scanned craft books that are in the public domain. They contain patterns for crochet, knitting, tatting, netting, embroidery, needle lace, beading, and other crafts. See also Home Work, a Choice Collection of Useful Designs for the Crochet and Knitting Needle, and Beeton's Book of Needlework.
If vintage instructions aren't your thing, try lace edgings from 1846 updated for the modern knitter.
Old-time songster, Henry Thomas
Born in Big Sandy, Texas in 1874, Henry Thomas was one of the oldest black musician who ever recorded for the phonograph companies of the 1920′s and his music represents a rare opportunity to hear what American black folk music must have sounded like in the last decade of the 19th century.
Daniel Okrent's Last Call
"Women and men drink together in a bar? Well, then, you have to have bathrooms for the women.
That's the invention of the powder room. That's a phrase that actually comes from Prohibition. They could tuck a tiny little room with a toilet and a sink underneath a stairwell or in a corner. Table service in bars can also be traced to Prohibition, because men and women together, they're not bellying up the bar, but sitting at a table. And the dance band: if you have only men in a bar, you're never going to have a five-piece jazz band there; but you are going to if you have men and women who might dance together." Daniel Okrent and the history of Prohibition.
Forgotten pages from the Great American Songbook
What obscure musical gems have you unearthed from the Great American Songbook genre -- Broadway show-tunes, cabaret and jazz standards from the 1930s-1960s?
Can OTR shows be recreated, live? Any legal issues?
I'd like to stage re-enactments of old-time radio shows. Help me understand any possible legal/copyright issues.
Structure 3 is so post-Classical
"This strangely shaped structure at Calixtlahuaca represents the wind-god Ehécatl and his ability to pass where he will."
Could this enigmatic example of Postclassic period Mesoamerician Architecture be any more fascinating with a dubious ancient Roman head?
Archeologist M.E.Smith has some advice for T.V. producers.
"And no, the world will NOT end in 2012."
That High Lonesome
Bluegrass, it's said was invented by Bill Monroe,(yt) but where
would bluegrass have been without the banjo style of Earl
Scruggs?(yt) Together they created a sound that has become known
as Bluegrass. In 1945 George Elam Scruggs joined up with
Monroe's Blue Grass Boys, two years later Scruggs left to form
a group with Lester Flatt(yt), but not before gifting Monroe with
the amalgam that was and is Bluegrass. Other players like
Chubby Wise born 1915, Lake City, Florida(yt), and bassist Howard
Watts became known as the "Original Bluegrass Band".
Frank O'Hara
Frank O'Hara
was a New York poet, even though he lived less than half of his 40 years in the city. He grew up in Grafton, MA, was a sonarman in WWII and roomed with Edward Gorey at Harvard before moving to the city he would forever be associated with. Naturally, there was am article on him in The New Yorker a couple of years ago. We're lucky enough to have a number of videos of O'Hara, including a reading of the lovely "Having a Coke with You. There's also quite a bit of audio of him, and I can't but recommend this mp3 of John Ashbery, Alfred Leslie, Bill Berkson and Michelle Elligott reminiscing about O'Hara at the MOMA, where he worked. And there are quite a few of his poems available online, as well as five of the poem-paintings he did with Norman Bluhm.
Spray on Cheese, Spray on Hair; What Will They Think of Next?
Spray-On Glass! Immaculate clothing and easy house-cleaning for all!
A German company, Nanopool (may need to run through google translator), has developed some sort of mad science/flying car future-style fluid suspension of SiO2 that can be applied to apparently any surface with startling applications.
I am entertained by the idea that wax fruit may be replaced by glass fruit... as it were.
Additional details, but no real specs here.
searching for wooden watermelons
I often find myself wanting to search sites like netflix and amazon with greater granularity than the sites currently offer. For example, I'd like to find every highly-rated thriller that takes place in another country and is available used for $5.00. Or if I'm searching netflix, I would want to find every foreign mystery that is rated at four stars or higher and is rated pg-13 or lower. Are there third-party clients or scripts that will accomplish these or similar tasks?
Because sometimes you have to wonder if advertising copywriters have ever even met a woman
Ever made fun of a commercial, a TV show, or a romantic comedy? Of course you have. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. But even shooting fish in a barrel can be done with style. Check out Info Mania’s Sarah Haskins’ Target Women spots in which Haskins dissects how the media types depicts we women types, especially when it comes to those matters so dear to the lady brain, like Botox, birth control, chick flicks, female political candidates, number two, cleaning, jewelry, diets, aging, skin care, the Oscars, Disney Princesses, vampires, The View, Michelle Obama’s arms, Lifetime programming, chocolate, lady parts, laundry, security, weddings, and of course that official food of women, yogurt. You can find a complete listing of Target Women spots here.
Thanks, secret quonsar!
Latest chapter of the secret quonsar miracles.
Series of apartment floorplans shaped like letters?
Help me track down an art project I once saw - apartment floor plans in the shape of every letter of the alphabet.
Dr. Mayme A. Clayton: a Champion of Black History
Dr. Mayme Agnew Clayton was a librarian and collector in Los Angeles who left behind a collection of remarkable value. Over the course of more than 40 years, she had collected the largest privately held collection of African-American materials, with over 30,000 rare and out-of-print books, 1,700 films dating back to 1916, as well as more than 75,000 photographs and scores of movie posters, playbills, programs, documents and manuscripts. Her collection, which has been compared to the Schomburg Collection in the New York City Public Library, was opened to the public in 2007.
Ants in the Squarepants: $3
"N.B.--In telling a ladies fortune, omit reading from cards that are intended to apply exclusively to men and vice versa" Instructions for over 7200 games from Hasbro (and Parker Brothers and Milton Bradley and Playskool, etc.) ranging from Venetian Fortune Teller [1909, pdf] and Hop in the Tub [1920, pdf] to the "how could I forget?" Don't Wake Daddy [1992, pdf] and Harry Potter Motion Activated Hedwig [pdf]. And don't forget Ouija [pdf]!
Blanche Calloway, singer and bandleader, remembered
Though she didn't enjoy the same level of fame and fortune as her younger brother Cab, singer and bandleader (said to be the first African-American woman to lead an all-male orchestra) Blanche Calloway is a musician worth remembering and checking out if you're a fan of 1920s/30s jazz stylings. It's Right Here For You, It Looks Like Susie, I Gotta Swing, Last Dollar and I Got What It Takes.
This Year Everyone Gets A Hug
Seasonal Schmoopy: What's the best thing a fellow Mefite ever did for you?