Sunday Observations 8.11

This is an odd mix of things but it's Sunday and I'm cleaning up notes.

Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona is the first openly bisexual member of Congress. Sinema says she was always open about her sexuality but her first comment on it as an elected official is classic. In 2005, while she was a member of the Arizona State Legislature, a Republican colleague gave a speech in which he insulted LGBT people. "We’re simply people like everyone else who want and deserve respect," Sinema said. Later reporters asked her about her comment and she answered "Duh, I’m bisexual."

Jay Leno was talking about comedy but the Republican Party could have learned an important lesson had they listened to him a few nights ago. He said that when you play to one group, a part of the audience in his case, in the end all you do is pander to that group at the expense of the rest of the group.

I enjoy Abby Huntsman on The Cycle so much more than I did Sarah Elizabeth Cupp.

Something I want to read is Five Star Billionaire, a new novel set in Shanghai and written by Malaysian writer Tash Aw. I was reading a column about it and others in the current rash of Asian superwealth novels when I saw the following line. "Does the rapid ascent of the $30,000 handbag spell some sort of apocalyptic, karmic doom? Or a societal dynastic pattern in which Asian superwealth will end up where America is now, divided and waiting for the revolution." The review was written by Chinese author Janice Y. K. Lee who resides in Hong Kong. Nice to know that the residents of Hong Kong think Americans are awaiting the revolution, they might be right.

Another book i just added to my wish list is Taipei by Tao Lin. Technically Tao Lin is an American writer but his parents are Taiwanese so I guess you could say I'm currently looking at Asian writers. But then I haven't read any of them yet, right now I'm reading The Story Of Paris by Thomas Okey which was written in 1906.

Finally a link I've been saving so long I forgot what it was, "Architecture: Pre-emptive Moves, Predemolition." It's about the New York practice of tearing the decorative pieces off of classic buildings so there is no reason to give them historic designations and clearing the way for the developer to tear down the entire building. I saved the article because it reminded me of a cool store in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. The 'store' is a warehouse next to a huge century old barn both of which are filled with things salvaged from buildings about to be torn down. Everything from doors and windows to mantels and antique crystal door knobs, this place has it all. According to it's website Oley Valley Architectural Antiques even has 150 antique bars.

I warned you it was an odd mix of topics.

Observations on Art 8.10

To start I don't mean this to be rude or to sound like I'm making fun of the writer, I don't mean to, it's just that when I first read this letter I couldn't stop laughing. I mean who even notices descriptions like the ones she is talking about and the first article was written over ten years ago. To me art thief is enough of a description, it doesn't matter if said thief is French, Romanian, or Samoan. Okay I might notice a Samoan art thief, that would be something special.

The letter was written to the editors of  The New York Times by Monica Syancu who had been an intern at the Romanian Mission to the United Nations. I'm posting it here for entirely innocent reasons, or for the links, or because I'm a snobby art bitch. Take your pick.

"You recently published an article about a Romanian mother who may have destroyed the works of art stolen by her son. In 2002, The Times presented a similar case that involved a French family. Although both articles covered art theft and destruction of property, the headlines have very different tones: "Your Stolen Art? I Threw Them Away, Dear" (lighthearted) for the French case and "Romanian’s Tale Has Art World Fearing Worst" (sensationalist) for the Eastern European case.

In the case involving the Romanian family, you quote Ernest Oberlander-Tarnoveanu, the director of Romania’s National History Museum, saying that if the stolen paintings were burned, it would be “a barbarian crime against humanity.”

While Stéphane Breitwieser, the French art thief, is described as a likable “self-taught art lover,” Radu Dogaru, the Romanian art thief, is described in another recent article, "Romanian Says Her Tale of Burning Art Treasures Was a Lie," as standing silently, “flexing his biceps,” during a hearing on his case.

Thus, Romanians are suggested to be backward while those in the West are civilized.

Headlines and articles of this nature fuel prejudice against Romanians at a time when they are already being discriminated against in Europe. The destruction of art is a great loss for our universal heritage. But there is something wrong when the same crime is presented in a more favorable light when carried out by French citizens and as a tragedy when carried out by Romanian citizens."

Basel, Switzerland, July 30, 2013

Observations from the Coffee Shop 8.8

There was a time I watched MSNBC's The Last Word religiously. During last year's election season it was awesome to watch after Rachel. Lawrence O'Donnell always showed he knew the inner workings of the political bubble after having worked in it for years. The show always has the best panel and the fact that Krystal Ball seems to be O'Donnell's favorite panelist never hurt. That time may have passed as lately O'Donnell seems to be following Keith Olbermann's trajectory into smug arrogance. For personal reasons I'm never one to complain about arrogance but if I want arrogance at the expense of intelligent conversation I'll waste my time with Fox News.

Last night O'Donnell outright irritated me.

The opening segment of the show was about President Obama's decision to skip a one on one meeting with Russia's President Putin. There are various reasons for that, Snowden being the obvious fall guy, but that isn't what I'm writing about. I would probably just agree with both sides on this or that point, it's why we debate these things. No I'm writing about O'Donnell's performance during that segment, a performance that reminded me all too much of Bill O'Reilly.

O'Donnell's primary guest for the Russia segment was Julia Ioffe of The New Republic. Why was Ioffe the guest? Probably because she was born in Moscow and has written about Russia in The Columbia Journalism Review, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Foreign Policy, Forbes, as well as The New Republic. Suffice to say O'Donnell didn't agree with Ioffe's assertion that Vladimir Putin isn't nearly as omnipresent as the west gives him credit for (you can watch the segment here). At one point O’Donnell almost shouted, "We’re getting absurd now!" Ioffe answered with a question, "Have you reported out of Russia?" At this point Ioffe's part in the discussion pretty much came to an end. It irritated me not only because of O'Donnell's arrogance but also because I really wanted to hear what Ioffe had to say.

Thankfully this morning I saw this article, "What Lawrence O'Donnell Didn't Let Me Say About Putin." Hopefully you read it. I'll post one part here because it jumped out at me, it's what I think, and it's an opinion O'Donnell totally disagrees with. "Putin does not orchestrate, he reacts. Putin is no chess player. He is a knee-jerk, short-sighted little tyrant. Don't give him credit where credit isn't due." She adds that in her opinion the U.S. totally mishandled the Snowden affair and if they really wanted him back it should have been done quietly. Again I agree but I don't think a man named Glenn Greenwald was or is about to let anything happen quietly.

I may be right or wrong, who knows, but as I wrote on Twitter last night, lately too many journalists make me think of the word hubris.

Observations on Art 8.7

You know by now that I love timelapses and this one is just stunning. I probably use the word stunning too much but I can't think of a better way to describe this film. Nightvision was created by Luke Shepard, an American student videographer studying at American University of Paris. He raised the money to do it with a kickstarter campaign last year. I'm not sure what does it for me, the song, the simple beauty, or the fact that I studied a few of the buildings. The buildings themselves range from the most modern through gothic and baroque to almost ancient. It really is stunning.

The bigger you watch it the better.


NIGHTVISION from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

"Nightvision is a celebration of the brilliance and diversity of architecture found across Europe. Over the course of three months I journeyed with a friend through 36 cities in 21 countries with the ambition of capturing some of the greatest European structures in a new and unique way. Comprised of thousands of carefully taken photographs, strung together and stabilized in post-production, Nightvision aims to inspire appreciation for these man-made landmarks.

Nightvision would not have been possible without my Kickstarter backers, the support of the American University of Paris community, everyone who helped along the way, and of course, those who designed and built these architectural masterpieces."

Director: Luke Shepard

AD: Henry Farrow Miller
Music: "Outro" by M83
Equipment: Canon 5D Mark III, Zeiss 18mm f/3.5, Zeiss 21mm f/2.8, Zeiss 25mm f/2, Zeiss 35mm f/1.4, Canon 8-15mm Fisheye f/4, and Canon 24-105mm f/4
Software: Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe After Effects, Adobe Bridge

update - I just wanted to add this link to Luke Shepard's website which has a list of the buildings and cities of Nightvision. Personally I like the sweeping shot of Rome's Trevi Fountain best. Anyway, I know you were guessing, now see how many you had right.

Sunday Observations 8.4

So you should know by now I have a thing for movies where things go boom but rarely if ever has that included French films. Live and learn. I watched a movie called Forces Spéciales (Special Forces) which is about a fictitious hostage rescue mission into Pakistan. I have to admit I did enjoy it even if I was bit confused at times because it's in French but also English and Persian. As for the plot, well if you have ever seen the Bruce Willis movie Tears Of The Sun you get the idea, just substitute the Hindu Kush for Africa. What's also funny is that the French reporter who is taken hostage by the Taliban is played by Diane Kruger who also happened to play Marie Antoinette in the movie I mentioned last week, Farewell, My Queen. For the record Kruger is a German actress.

It may seem like a weird quirk but when I read a magazine article about a woman I always look to see if the writer and photographer were men or women. What made me think of that? Currently a short bio of Kate Upton in the June issue of Vogue which mentions her breasts quite a few times. Both the writer and the photographer were women. The same issue has a nice fashion layout by Peter Lindbergh, "Stardust." I can't say I've ever really wanted to do fashion photography but if I did I like to think it would look something like that. Maybe it's just the motorcycles, or Edie Cambell's eyes, or her short dark hair, I'm not sure.

Who says an advanced art degree is worthless? It seems more and more people are willing to pay to have someone give them a private tour of a museum or a 'cultural excursion' as it is called. A couple of examples are Art Tours in Europe and Art Smart in New York City. The going rate in New York, about $200 per hour with a two hour minimum. I could handle that kind of money but I wonder how much I would have to talk to people because, well, anti-social.

Something in the same line of thought, art degrees not money. It's that time of year when everybody comes out with a list of worst college majors. I wont bother with links but just say that there is a common thread in all of them, art degrees. All the worst ten degree or major lists include Fine Arts, Film, Photography, and Theatre. None of the lists include Art History which either means they think it's a good degree to have, highly doubtful, or they don't even want to admit it exists.

Finally my sister is off on a fishing expedition this weekend. She texted me a photo of her holding a bass she caught and I'm terribly jealous. For a change that isn't sarcasm.

Observations on Art 8.3

Court is always fond of saying a good short film doesn't need a soundtrack or narration, it tells its story with no sound at all. That is the case with this short bio of Danish artist, designer, and self proclaimed "creative madman" Dennis Seide.

The film is by Mads Jeppesen and I found it while trying to find out if Jeppesen every finished his documentary on New York's underground art called Somewhere In The Dark. The concept trailer of that film is also below. As far as I can tell Somewhere In The Dark was never finished as he only raised $600 on indiegogo and the trail seems to have stopped at the end of 2012. Too bad.


Dennis Seide - No refund from Mads Jeppesen on Vimeo.
Filmed, edited and directed by: Mads Jeppesen.
Vocal mix: Jens Sejersen
Produced by: Mifune Film


Somewhere in The Dark - Concept trailer
from Mads Jeppesen on Vimeo.
Directed by: Mads Jeppesen and Betty Kaye

Observations from the Coffee Shop 8.1

Twitter always seemed a more natural media to me. It doesn't have the massive profiles, groups, or games of other sites. It serves a more limited purpose and in most cases what I post is what I'm reading, looking at, or thinking about at any given moment. I have been known to delete a post I don't think looks like it belongs, I've been told I'm aesthetically obsessed at times, and because I hate typos but both cases are rare.

Over the past couple weeks (July 16^th through July 29^th) something fascinating and important happened on Twitter. Scott Simon, a weekend host on NPR, live tweeted the final days of his 84 year old mother's life. I didn't read it live but I've read it since and I think it's beautiful. Simon said he didn't plan on doing it but it began when he found out his mother needed emergency surgery. As he updated her condition he began receiving thousands of responses and so continued posting till the end.

I learned a few things going through my mom's death and one of them relates to this. Some people think death needs to be extremely private and happen behind closed doors. Out of sight. I finally decided, with some help, that those people thought what they did more out of their own fear of death than for any other reason. As with life what matters most in the end is what is best for the people directly involved.

Even now, over ten years after my mom's death, it helped to read his tweets. It helps to realize other people go through, feel, and think the same things. I remember at the time so many questions were running through my head. What should I say? What should I do? How am I supposed to act? I was touched by Simon being torn at times between holding his mother's hand and doing the 'manly' thing by not. I was at my mother's side at the very end and I didn't hold her hand, I just couldn't. That still haunts me sometimes.

But then there is a moment that makes me smile to this day. Needing to be alone I walked out to the hospital parking lot and smoked a cigarette next to a no smoking sign. At the moment I imagined my mother smacking the back of my head for being rebellious even then. Maybe it's just me, maybe the moment doesn't exist, but it seemed like the moment when memory took over from reality. Maybe that's just the way my mind works.

At 8:17 PM on July 29^th Simon tweeted this; "The heavens over Chicago have opened and Patricia Lyons Simon Newman has stepped onstage."

notes - Here is the link to Scott Simon's twitter page, @nprscottsimon, you'll need to scroll down to the dates involved. Here is a good column on NPR by Andy Carvin that includes many of Simon's tweets and also some of the responses, "On Twitter, Scott Simon's Long Goodbye To His Mother."

Observations from the Coffee Shop 7.29

I thought I would try and clarify my 'prisoner post' from a few days ago because I'm taking a bit of grief over it. The problem comes from my always writing in the same way I think so I just assume a reader understands what I'm trying to say because I understand it perfectly. In all likelihood that last sentence was a perfect example.

In the post I wasn't trying to say that what Manning and Snowden did was totally wrong. In a purely technical sense what they did, stealing classified documents, was illegal but I think justified at some level. In Snowden's case I did say the conversation he started needed to be started but that I think his methods have overshadowed that very conversation. Running to Russia as it persecutes gays and Putin cracks down on his political opposition just created a farce. Snowden could have released the same documents anonymously and had the same results as the documents would have been just as legitimate. The main difference I can see is that Snowden wouldn't have gotten all the attention and that is my issue with Snowden. I wish we could have the NSA and privacy debate without having to debate Snowden's motives at the same time.

Basically my problem with both stories is they seem tainted by ulterior motives and also by personalities I'm not at all thrilled with, Julian Assange, who I see as egotistical, and Glenn Greenwald. At times Greenwald seems overly concerned with drawing the story out as long as possible as he constantly refers to more forthcoming documents and articles he is working on.

As I said in the earlier post it was the comparison to Watergate that set me off. The NSA story isn't as Earth shattering, will bring down no governments, and it shouldn't have surprised anyone. It doesn't even compare to Watergate in a strictly journalistic sense. During Watergate the story drove the release of documents and the infamous tapes while in these cases the release of documents seems to drive the stories.

In all likelihood I just made it all worse. I shall await further grief.

Observations

I found out today that Saturday night somebody my sister went to school with most of her life was shot and killed not far from my dad's house. While I wont go into details it sounds all too much like a case of suicide by police. The question you should ask yourself about this is how did a young man who has had mental issues since elementary school acquire two hand guns. He personally harmed nobody, including himself,  but because of those two guns he is dead today.

I don't want to preach or write a sermon but I needed to say something. This country has some serious issues it needs to come to grips with and I only hope it does before it's too damn late for more of us.

As my sister wrote, "nobody should feel the need to leave this earth so young but now you're in a better place."

Rest In Peace

Observations from the Coffee Shop 7.26

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Sunday Observations 7.21

At the moment the temperature is 79° so I want to quickly claim the temp is below 80° for the first time in days before it has a chance to rise. Today's high temp is supposed to be in the mid 80s, the first time in a week that it hasn't been above 90°, which will break the longest heat wave in the Village since 2002. We shall see.

A few weeks ago I had the totally brilliant idea of getting tickets for a Phillies game when they visited the Mets this weekend. Looking back it probably wasn't one of my better ideas. Granted I had no idea what the weather was going to be like but also Philadelphia sports teams have notoriously bad luck when I'm at the game. I thought things looked good after the Phillies beat the Mets 13-8 in Friday night's series opener. My positive attitude continued as I watched Jimmy Rollins hit a lead-off home run to give the Phillies the lead just a few pitches into the game. Then Cole Hamels took the mound for the first time looking like he had just stepped out of the shower and immediately gave up 3 runs to the Mets. Four hours of hundred degree heat later the Phillies had lost 5-4. It was still a good time.

One thing I noticed at yesterday's game that I'd like to mention. The Mets' home at Citi Field is a wonder of modern architecture. Built facing Flushing Bay in Brooklyn it manages to catch only the non-existent northern wind and have no shade whatsoever. Well done.

I also had a different kind of experience with a movie last night. The movie was Farewell, My Queen (Les Adieux à la reine) a French film by Benoît Jacquot based on a novel of the same name about Versailles during the first few days of the French Revolution. While the trailer is French with English subtitles the version we saw was dubbed in English and I had a hard time following it. The only reason I can think of is that I was reading their lips meaning what I was seeing didn't go with what I was hearing, now I need to find the French version. I'd honestly always rather have a subtitled version of a film.

Another movie I saw recently was the zombie apocalypse World War Z. The movie was good but I just started reading the book because I had heard of some major ways the book and the film were different. What I have found is that the book is so much better. Actually neither the film or the book ruins it for the other because they are written in such different styles.

Last week I read a lot about Tumblr, Yahoo, and the 'quarantining' of adult blogs on tumblr. The short version is that tumblr removed adult blogs from Google and other web searches and also removed them from internal tumblr searches unless you actually follow the blog. I just had a little secret that I wanted to pass on that you may or may not know. Every tumblr blog has an archive page whether there is an archive link or not. Here is an example of one of mine. If you don't want to follow a blog yet you still want to keep track of it just bookmark the archive page. If a blog doesn't link to its archive simply add /archive to the blog's address and hit enter.

No politics today but I do have a quick question, why are so many guests on Sunday morning talk shows Republicans? I rarely watch the shows but it irritates me just the same.

7/23 update - Another tumblr idea I thought I should add to this. If your blog isn't completely adult or 'nsfw' keep tags to a minimum on 'nsfw' posts. That way they don't show up in search, nobody complains, and the gods of tumblr don't find out. Everybody remains happy.

Observations 7.18

When I first saw it this video from Wednesday night's The Daily Show it made my morning. I've watched it a few times since than and if anything I like it even more now. There is a back story to this, which you can get by watching the full segment here, but I think it's perfect stand alone for so many reasons. Especially given Rick Perry signed Texas' draconian anti-abortion bill into law today.

"Don't mess with Texas? No, don't f*ck with New York.
I'm Lewis Black and I approve this message."

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

If you want to have some real fun Google Texas' reaction to the video. The San Antonio Express had this gem; "People come here (Texas) from all over the world because we've got all of the nation's jobs, for the ability to park your car anywhere you want, but most of all, for the fact that it's not the rat-infested, overbuilt, overpriced, concrete craphole that is New York City."

update - There is also a twitter hashtag, #NYmiddlefingerTX, and a website,  nymiddlefingertx.com, for your entertainment. The website is paid for by "New Yorkers who think Texas blows."

Observations 7.13

On Tuesday the ACLU filed a lawsuit in Harrisburg challenging Pennsylvania's same-sex marriage ban on behalf of 23 plaintiffs. On Thursday Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced that her office would not defend Pennsylvania's Defense of Marriage Act. Since 1980 Pennsylvania's Attorney General has been an elected office and Kane, a Democrat, is the first woman or Democrat to ever hold the position. Kane's decision may well doom Governor Tom Corbett's reelection bid next year. Corbett, an unpopular (30% approval rating) Republican in his first term, will most likely defend the law with his general counsel but that will give him almost no chance of winning in suburban Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. If he doesn't defend it his own wingnut base will destroy him.

Pennsylvania state law and politics will make this so interesting to watch as it plays out. As I said Attorney General is an elected office in Pennsylvania unlike most states where the AG is appointed by the Governor. You have a Democrat AG with aspirations of higher office, Kane, and a Republican Governor up for reelection, Corbett. The whole episode is like a political chess match in which Kane has just smiled and said "your move Governor."

I couldn't find Kane's complete statement anywhere but below are the highlights and here is a link to the Pennsylvania Attorney Generals Office website which has more information. I'm sure I'll have more to say about this story.

"I cannot ethically defend the constitutionality of Pennsylvania's version of DOMA where I believe it to be wholly unconstitutional. It is my duty under the Commonwealth Attorneys Act whenever I determine it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to authorize the Office of General Counsel to defend the state in litigation. Additionally, it is a lawyer's ethical obligation under Pennsylvania's Rules of Professional Conduct to withdraw from a case in which the lawyer has a fundamental disagreement with the client.

"I know that in this state there are people who don't believe in what we are doing, and I'm not asking them to believe in it. I'm asking them to believe in the constitution.

"The issue of same-sex marriage is squarely in the tradition of the struggle for civil rights in the United States. We have always stood strong in the face of discrimination, which in its various forms has never withstood the test of time. It is our duty, each and every one of us, to protect the constitutionality, to protect the rights and dignity of others, and to protect the equality of all men and women in this Commonwealth.

"Today, the attorney general chooses to protect all those without high-priced lawyers, all those who suffer discrimination and inequality, those thousands of families who have been denied of the dignity and respect that the constitution protects and guarantees in marriage equality. Today we represent everyone who does not have representation."

Observations on Art 7.10

I'll be on the road again because the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts starts tomorrow and runs through Sunday in State College. That makes it a good time to post some of the art notes I have.

You may not realize it but color has a history almost as intriguing as the art that was created with it. For various reasons there are colors that were once wildly popular but are no longer used or outright extinct. Some are poisonous, white lead is the obvious one but green has had its share of problems. Both Scheele's Green and Paris Green were produced using arsenite compounds (arsenite is an oxidized version of arsenic). Scheele's Green may have caused the death of Napoleon as his apartment in exile was painted with the color while Paris Green was used in early insecticides.

Other colors are just lost to the ages. Mayan Blue is a sky blue color used by the Mayans which doesn't fade, ever. It was made from clay and the indigo plant but the exact preparation is lost. Tyrian Purple was made from the shell of a certain shellfish which was only found off the shore of ancient Phoenicia’s Tyre. Actually a reddish purple it was the color of royalty for centuries but was extremely expensive and disappeared along with the shellfish.

Than there are colors that are simply illegal. Indian Yellow was supposedly made from the urine of cows fed only mango leaves and water but there is no documented proof of that. Whether true or not the government of India outlawed the color in 1908 though a synthetic version is available today. Another illegal color is Mummy Brown the story of which I'll let to your imagination.

Finally there is a blue in a category all its own, Ultramarine or Sacred Blue. It was first produced in the 6^th century and is made by grinding the Lapis Lazuli semi-precious stone of Afghanistan. The paint is literally worth its weight in gold. Unlike some of the other colors I mentioned true Lapis Lazuli blue does still exists and you can purchase it yourself, for $38/gram, at the Kremer Pigmente store in New York.

A few other random thoughts ....

The rich just keep getting richer and in this case I'm not talking about dealers or collectors. Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art, was paid $1.8 million in 2011 while his rival the Metropolitan Museum of Art's President Emily Rafferty was paid $1.1 million. Nine New York City museum or performing arts organization chiefs made over $1 million that year.

For over forty years the Met has been closed on Mondays but as of July 1^st that changed and the museum is now open seven days a week. I only bring that up because there was always a joke that Monday was the Met's busiest day of the week. More tourists lined up at the Met's door on a Monday morning than on any other.

Speaking again of the Met, did you know that you can 'pay what you wish' whenever you visit? The recommended fee is $25 but as little as 1¢ will do just fine. You didn't hear that from me.

7/11 update - The greens seem to be cursed, Ash had another I hadn't thought of myself. Verdigris, actually vert-de-Grèce or the Green of Greece. It's another green that is highly toxic but was the most popular green of the Renaissance when it was made by soaking copper plates in wine. You've seen it hundreds of times without realizing it because it's made by oxidizing copper. It's the color of the Statue of Liberty.