Christmas in Georgetown

After all the garish decorations for Halloween in Georgetown, the Christmas decorations are a bit more restrained. Here are a couple photographs.This must be the narrowest house in Georgetown, and has a wreath half as wide as the entire house.


Christmas in Georgetown - 2011

O Christmas Tree

A set of photos including the National and Congressional Christmas Trees, as well as a few other seasonal sights around D.C.

This is the new National Christmas Tree, that replaced the old one, which blew over earlier this year. Around the National Christmas Tree are state trees. Each state is supplied with clear plastic balls to use to create decorations. A few of the states have finally learned that these balls are just going to get clouded up with moisture, and no one will be able to see what is inside. I have included a photographs of a couple state trees where the ball are decorated on the outside, so you can actually see them.


D.C. Christmas Trees, etc. (2011)

50 Best Photos of the Natural World

From Boston.com's The Big Picture Blog, the 50 best photographs of the Natural World from 2011.

50 best photos from The Natural World

Who Lives Here

This year's special exhibition at the U.S. Botanical Garden is called "Who Lives Here". Here is a set a photographs I took there earlier today. Everything in the exhibition—except the trains—is created from plant material by a company in Kentucky called Applied Imagination.

These photographs do not really do justice to the amount of detail included in each construction. You have to go there in person to fully appreciate these.

I have posted some photos of the exhibition in past years: 2009 & 2006

If you click the "Show Info" at the top of the slide show, you will see the title of each one.


Seasons Greetings 2011/US Botanical Garden

Another Wright House

An article, with photographs, of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Rockford, IL that is now on the market.


Rockford’s Only Frank Lloyd Wright House Up for Auction

Managing the Menhaden

Jelly Bean Animation

"In Your Arms" performed by Kina Grannis, a music video animated with over 1/4 million jelly beans. The music video is followed by a making of video.

Bootleg House

A short article and a gallery of photographs of Frank Lloyd Wright's Bootleg House.

Frank Lloyd Wright 'Bootleg' House

Tribute to Food on Film

Feast, a Thanksgiving tribute to images of food on film by Matt Zoller Seitz. This video comes from this Post on Moving Image Source.

Goodnight iPad

Over at Brain Pickings blog there is a post of The Best Children’s and Picture Books of 2011. Here is a video version of one of them—Goodnight iPad.

The Crystal Cathedral

This week the Crystal Cathedral was sold in bankruptcy to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange. The main sanctuary—designed by Philip Johnson—consists of over 10.000 panes of glass, and contains one of the worlds largest pipe organs. It is designed to withstand to an 8.0 magnitude earthquake.

Here is a video that focuses on the organ, but you can also see a good bit of the architecture it.

Nat Geo's Photo Contest

A selection of entries in this year's National Geographic Photo Contest.

National Geographic Photo Contest 2011

The Swerve

Last night the National Book Award for non-fiction was awarded to Stephen Greenblatt for his book, The Swerve: How the World Became Modern. The book is about the poem "On the Nature of Things", written by Lucretius over two thousand years ago. It was then lost for 1,000 years, and then rediscovered by Poggio Bracciolini in 1417.

I read the book last month, and am skeptical of Greenblatt's thesis that the rediscovery of this poem sparked the renaissance, but it is an incredibly interesting story all the same.

Here is an interview with Greenblatt where he discusses the book.

The Greater Journey

An interview with David McCullough discussing his most recent book, The Greater Journey. I am reading this book about Americans who went to Paris in the 1800's. The books covers a lot of interesting people, and since I didn't know hardly anything about French history between the downfall of Napoleon and the beginning of WW I, I am learning a lot.

The Monuments at Night

A set of photographs I took last night. The moon and Jupiter have gone there separate ways since earlier in the week, so I was not able to get them.


Monuments at Night - 11/12/11

Route 66 Remembered

From the Denver Post's Plog, a collection of photographs marking the 85th anniversary of U.S. Route 66.

Captured: The 85th Anniversary of U.S. Route 66

Under the Moon

The Moon and and Jupiter over the Washington Monument. I just had my iPhone tonight. I might try to go back later this week with a real camera, and see if I can get a better photograph. If I find the right angle I might get both the monument and the moon reflected in the Tidal Basin.

Yesterday on the Canal

A photograph from yesterday on the Canal in Georgetown.


Canal/River - 2011

Nashville Concert Hall Transformed

I knew that some concert halls used to put a floor over the seats in order to hold dances, but I never heard of moving the seats under the floor like they do in this video of the Nashville Concert Hall.

Floor Flip from Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Vimeo.

Halloween in Georgetown

Some Photographs I took this morning around the east side of Georgetown.


Halloween in Georgetown - 2011

Lady LIberty Turns 125

The Denver Post's Plog has a set of over 100 photographs covering the the Statue of Liberty's history, beginning with it's construction by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi's, up through yesterday's anniversary of President Grover Cleveland's dedication of the statue on October 28, 1886.


The 125th Anniversary of the Statue of Liberty

Diwali

From the Guardian, a set of colorful photographs to celebrate Diwali.

Diwali, festival of lights - in pictures

Photographs of the Civil War

From the Daily Beast, a set of the photographs from the Civil War, including the photo below of Thaddeus Lowe, who pioneered the field of aerial reconnaissance.

Photos from the Civil War

Viking Burial

A 1,000 year old viking burial discovered in Scotland.

Devil Sent the Rain

Tom Piazza discusses his recent book of essays, "Devil Sent the Rain". Some of the essays are from his previous work for the Oxford American magazine. He also is writer for the HBO series Treme.

A Room With a View

I got a new office at work last Friday. I now have a window that faces North across N Street. This is what I see when I look up from my computer now—the National Cathedral, undergoing earthquake damage repairs.

My apartment is somewhere behind the trees below and maybe a little to the left of the Cathedral.

Adam Gopnik from the Moth

I think I may have posted a link to the audio of this someplace in the past, but here is the video of Adam Gopnik's story from The Moth Radio Hour. He discusses instance messaging, and his relationship with his teenage son.

Other segments are available on The Moth YouTube Channel.

Gang & Abumrad

My last post had a picture of Jeanne Gang's Aqua building in Chicago, in recognition of her MacArthur Genius Award. The MacArthur Foundation has videos of this year's winners, so here are the videos for Gang and Jad Abumrad, two of my three favorite 2011 genius winners.

On Saturday night I am going to see the third one live, and in person, so maybe I will do another post after that.

Jeanne Gang - Genius

I did a post last year when the Aqua Building, in Chicago, was named Skyscraper of the Year. Well now the architect of the building, Jeanne Gang, has been named one of this year's MacArthur Genius Winners. You can listen to her on NPR earlier today Here

Here is a photograph I took of the Aqua a year or two ago.

Sen. Percy & the Georgetown Waterfront

Sen. Charles Percy died this morning, just days after the opening of the final section of the Georgetown Waterfront Park. Going back to the 1970's, Percy was one of the primary promoters of the creation of the park.

Percy was a Republican senator back in the day when the term liberal Republican was not an oxymoron. I also I remember him fondly, because I wrote a paper about him in college that I got an A on.

Here is a photo of the plaque honoring him in the park, as well as a photo I took of the fountain at dusk tonight.





Georgetown Waterfront Park - 2011

Anish Kapoor

Video from an Anish Kapoor exhibition. Kapoor created The Bean in Chicago's Millennium Park.

Georgetown Waterfront Park

Today was the opening of the last section of the Georgetown Water Front. This culminated efforts that started in the 1970's to turn the industrial waterfront on the Potomac RIver into a public park. The completion of the final section was delayed when tons of concrete rubble was found buried in the ground, and had to be removed and trucked off.

It was a somewhat sad occasion. Former Senator Charles Percy, who lives in Georgetown, was one of the longtime backers of development of the Park. Percy, now 91, was supposed to speak, but it was announced that he could not make it, because he is gravely ill in the hospital. His daughter, Sharon Percy Rockefeller, spoke in his place.

Here are some photographs that I took. The fountain is at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue.



Georgetown Waterfront Park - 9/13/11

Dumbarton Buffalo

This is one of four buffalo, sculptured by Alexander Phimister Proctor, residing on the ends of the Dumbarton Bridge that carries Q Street from Georgetown to Dupont Circle, and across Rock Creek Park. This is the one on the North West corner of the bridge.


Sculpture - 2011

United States Institute of Peace Building

Some photographs I took last week of the United States Institute of Peace Building, 2301 Constitution Avenue NW, D.C. A LEED-certified building, designed by Moshe Safdie Architects, it opened in March 2011.


United States Institute of Peace Building

Falling Water

From Slate, Witold Rybczynski's photo essay on Falling Water.

Falling for Fallingwater

Tree Cutter's Stimulus

I think maybe we should look at the hurricane as a tree cutter's stimulus package. Certainly there are enough of them employed in my neighborhood now. I think this tree just got tired, and needed to rest against this row house. It was soon cut up anyway. The first photo was at 8:30 this morning, the second one at 12:30 this afternoon.


Earthquake\Hurricane Irene

Earthquake/Hurricane Irene

Some photos I took today showing the aftermath of the earthquake and Hurricane Irene. Many leaves and sticks down, but not many whole trees, other than the three included in these photographs.

The only visible earthquake damage that I could see on the Cathedral was to the pinnacles of the central tower. The Cathedral is still closed, and fenced off. They are trying to reopen for the 9/11 Services that are planned there, but I don't think they are certain yet that will be possible.

Click Show Info in the upper right of the slide show to see photo descriptions. Also the dates on these photos are all wrong, because my new camera did not have the date set properly.


Earthquake\Hurricane Irene

Lessons Learned

The flood walls raised at Washington Harbor to keep out Hurricane Irene.


Canal/River - 2011

Under Construction

This is the site of the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It is currently being reconstructed, which is why all you see is dirt.


Monuments - 2011

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

A set of photographs I took earlier tonight of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial by the tidal basin. The evening on a sunny day is not the right time to take photographs here, since the sun sets behind the Memorial. Maybe some time I will make it down there in the morning, and get better pictures.

The sculpture of King is by Lei Yixin.

The last photograph in this set is not part of the Memorial, but is the Marker on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where King gave his "I Have a Dream Speech".


Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Demise of the Chelsea Hotel

My third post on the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. My 11/29/10 post included a photograph I took of the Hotel last year. My 12/19/10 post included a link to the Guardian's "Top 10 Chelsea Hotel Moments".

Now an article from the Daily Mail on what may be the Hotel's final demise. The article contains an extensive account of the Chelsea's notorious history.


The world's most decadent hotel

Philip Levine

A PBS profile of Philip Levine, the new U.S. Poet Laureate.

Justice Douglas with Hat

A new photograph added to my Monuments set. This bust of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas is located near the C&O Canal terminus in Georgetown. The sculpture is by Wendy Ross, but the straw hat was added by someone last weekend. This bust is normally hatless.

Douglas is memorialized here because of his effort in the 1950's to preserve the canal. If not for Douglas the canal would probably have been obliterated, and replaced by a highway.


Monuments - 2011

Canalworthy?

I posted a photography of the Georgetown canal boat a couple weeks back. Since then things for the boat have taken a turn for the worse. It has been removed from the water after tests determined that the wood inside has rotted. Further tests are planned to determine if it is salvageable. Here is what it looks like now.


Canal/River - 2011

Babar at 80

An interview with Laurent de Brunhoff, the current writer and illustrator of the Babar the elephant books.

The Berlin Wall

Today marks 50 years since the Berlin Wall went up. Until it's opening in 1989, the wall separated East Germans, and West Germans. Today several sections of the wall are in the Newseum, in Washington, D.C. It is a very interesting exhibit. I saw it a couple weeks ago. Maybe I will go back some time with my camera, and take photographs to post. Here is a video from the Newseum that includes the sections of the Wall they have.

I will also use this as an excuse to plug one of my favorite films, The Lives of Others. Set behind the Wall in 1984, I did a July 10, 2010 post on this film.

Gulp

'Gulp' is a short film created by Sumo Science at Aardman, depicting a fisherman going about his daily catch. Shot on location at Pendine Beach in South Wales, every frame of this stop-motion animation was shot using a Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics. The film has broken a world record for the 'largest stop-motion animation set', with the largest scene stretching over 11,000 square feet.

First the making of video, followed by the actual film.

Films About Trees

Two films about Trees, or at least that have the word Tree in the title.

There seems to be a very sharp divide on Terrence Malick's latest film, The Tree of Life. According to a poll in The Guardian, 57% thought is was a "Profound Masterpiece", while the other 43% thought is was "Pretentious nonsense". Malick directed one of my all time favorite films, Days of Heaven, so I was really hoping to like this film. (See my 5/14/11 post)

The Tree of Life tries to take on the meaning of life. I would not say that is pretentious nonsense. One the other hand, it may be just plain pretentious to think you can do that in film—even a long film.

Days of Heaven was not considered a success when it was released. It was criticized, because the narrative is a bit murky, and there are many sequences in the film that are visually stunning, but have little to do with advancing the plot. i.e. wheat fields. In that film, which has a relatively simple plot line, I thought all that helped to set the tone of the film.

The Tree of Life is similar in a lot of ways. But when you have a plot that is not presented chronologically, and then you include long sequences of the galaxies evolving, and then some more sequences of dinosaurs, to me it just becomes a jumbled mess. The core of the story, which involves a family with three young boys growing up in the fifties, is very well acted. It was just a little too disjointed for me to appreciate.

The father and mother in film are play by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, and I can't criticize their performances. In general though, when two people are married in a film, even if they no longer love, or even like, each other, I would like to see some evidence that at one time they had a reason to be together. I find it tiresome to watch a couple on film, and the whole time to be thinking "what possible reason could these two people have ever had for being together". I don't see how you can ever understand what went wrong with a relationship, unless you have some idea why it started in the first place.

That being said, you may be one of the 53% who would think this is a masterpiece, so don't let me stop you from seeing it.



The Tree, a film from Australia, is the second film. This film starts out with a generally happy family in semi-rural Australia, but things turn bad when the father has a heart attack, and smashes the truck he is driving into a massive tree growing in front of their house. He dies, and the family is left bereft. The middle daughter comes to believe that her father's spirit has been transferred into the tree. In due course, the massive roots of the tree begin to create problems, for both the family, and their neighbors. This then leads to a conflict over whether or not the tree should be cut down.

Unlike the sweeping scope of The Tree of Life, this film is tightly focused on the family involved, and their personal attempts to deal with a traumatic situation. Much like The Tree of Life, The Tree uses landscape to enhance the tone of the film, but in this case that use is integrated into the narrative of the film, and not added in as interruptions to the narrative.

The Tree has a rather languid pace, which is appropriate for a film focused on dealing with loss. It does, however, have a very dramatic ending, so that when the film is over you do feel like something has happened.

All this to say, I liked The Tree better than The Tree of Life.



As I final note, I would add that both films contain strong performances from very young actors, and are probably worth seeing just for that.

Patrick Dougherty

A few weeks back I posted some pictures from Dumbarton Oaks. A couple of those photographs contained mysterious stick structures. Here is an article from the Washington Post about Patrick Dougherty, the artist who created them. And here is a video of Dougherty discussing his work.

Lucy

A tribute to Lucille Ball on the 100th Anniversary of here birth.

Andrew Wyeth Paintings

Nice images of some Andrew Wyeth paintings, set to the music of Duke Ellington's song "In a Sentimental Mood". I have a copy of the painting that appears at 2:45 hanging in my bedroom.

Ramadan

A set a photographs from The Guardian to mark the start of Ramadan.

First day of Ramadan – pictures

Samuel Pepys & the Debt

Under the category of some things never really change, a quote from Samuel Pepys' Diary of February 26, 1666. At this time England was at war with the Dutch and the a French. Pepys was responsible for "victualing" the Navy, and Parliament was not very agreeable to actually appropriating funds to do this. So here was the situation:

went into the Parke, and meeting Sir Ph. Warwick took a turne with him in the Pell Mall, talking of the melancholy posture of affairs, where every body is snarling one at another, and all things put together looke ominously. This new Act too putting us out of a power of raising money. So that he fears as I do, but is fearfull of enlarging in that discourse of an ill condition in every thing, and the State and all.

The good news is that England survived this, and almost 350 years later still survives. So there may be hope yet.

The Old Stone House

I have added a couple photographs to my Georgetown photo set, including this one of the Old Stone House. Normally there is a set of stairs up to the door on the second floor. They have recently been torn down, so I guess they are being replaced.

Georgetown 2011

The Origins of Pleasure

A TED video of Paul Bloom discussing The Origins of Pleasure.

Royal Faberge Collection

The Royal Faberge collection is exhibited at Buckingham Palace. Curator Caroline De Guitaut talks about the items in the collection and how it was put together.

Rowing on the River

A photograph of rowing on the Potomac, off Georgetown, earlier this evening.

Canal/River - 2011

Sisters of Fortune

A video of Jehanne Wake discussing her recent book, Sisters of Fortune: America's Caton Sisters at Home and Abroad. An interesting account of the granddaughters of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and once the wealthiest man in Maryland. Initially raised in Maryland, three of the four sisters spent most of their adult lives in England. Despite the fact that they were from primitive America, they soon integrated into the upper reaches of British society. On a more parochial note, Catonsville is located on the estate that Charles Carroll bought for their parents.

National Archives Sculpture

I have added two photographs of sculpture from the National Archives Building to my Sculpture photo set, including Adolph Alexander Weinman's pediment sculpture "Destiny. Below is a detail of the central section of the pediment.

Sculpture - 2011

Alex Steinweiss

Alex Steinweiss, the originator of record cover art, has died at 94 years old. (New York Times Obituary) In addition to having created the first art work done for a record cover, he also designed, and held the patent on, the standard record cover used for LPs, as the covers used for 78 r.p.m. records did not work for newfangled 33 1/3 r.p.m. LPs when they came along.

You can see a selection of his cover art on his website, linked to below.

Alex Steinweiss: Covers

Rybczynski on Memorials

From Slate, Witold Rybczynski's musings on the proposed Eisenhower Memorial, and memorials in general.

A Memorial for Ike

Gordon Parks' Photographs

The Lens blog, from The New York Times, has a selection of Gordon Parks' photographs from the new book, "Fields of Vision: The Photographs of Gordon Parks".

Empathetic Portraits of a Segregated Nation

Buildings

I have added several photographs to a photo set of DC building, including this one of the north facade of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, next to the White House.

DC Buildings - 2011

Dumbarton Rock

A video of Dumbarton Rock in Scotland.

In the 1703 Ninian Beall was granted 795 acres on the hill over looking Rock Creek, and the Potomac River. He named this estate the Rock of Dumbarton, presumably because the view of river from this hill reminded him of the view of the Clyde River from Dumbarton Rock, in his native Scotland.

Beall had an adventurous journey from his homeland to what was then Maryland. In Scotland he fought for the Royalist forces against Oliver Cromwell. He fell prisoner to Cromwell's Army in 1650, was sentenced to five years servitude, and shipped to Barbadoes. In 1652 he was then shipped on to Maryland, to finish his sentence. From here he went on to acquire 1,000's of acres, including a large chunk of what is now Washington, DC. Much of the land was granted to him in return for his services fighting the Indians. More Information here

My apartment building stands on ground that was once part of the Rock of Dumbarton Estate. So here is where it all started.

The Problem We All Live With

Norman Rockwell's painting, "The Problem We All Live With", is currently hanging in the White House. Here is a video of the President talking with Ruby Bridges, the young girl, depicted in the painting, being escorted into a newly desegregated school.

The St Cuthbert Gospel

A video on the British Library's purchase of the St. Cuthbert Gospel of St. John. Dating from the 7th century, it is the oldest known European book still totally intact with the original binding. I doubt that anyone will ever pay millions of dollars for a 1,000 year old ebook, in fact I doubt that any ebooks last 1,000 years.

Temperance Fountain

This is the latest photograph added to my Monuments photo set, the Temperance Fountain. Erected by dentist, Henry D. Cogswell, in hopes that providing cool water to drink would divert people from drinking more enjoyable beverages. The fountain no longer dispenses water, and so now the fountain is dry, even if the rest of the country isn't.

Monuments - 2011

Khipu

A very interesting article from Slate about Khipu, the ancient Peruvian system of "writing" with knotted strings.

Questioning the Inca Paradox

Happy Birthday St. Basil's

Today is the 450th anniversary of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, having withstood Napoleon's onslaught, and the Communist Party. Named for St. Basil, an eccentric religious fanatic, who was one of the very few Muscovites who dared criticize Czar Ivan the Terrible. To mark the occasion here is a video with exterior and interior shots of the Cathedral.

Pre-Digital Technology

This is a campanion post to go with my Just Music post of songs off Gillian Welch's new album, The Harrow & The Harvest. It is nice to see that pre-digital technology still gets used once in a while. This video is about the printing of the jacket for the new CD. I normally buy all my music on line these days, but I may have to go out and buy this one just so I have the jacket.



How to coffee stain your CD cover.

GAR Memorial

I have added some photographs of the Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Monument to my Monuments photo set. Located at Indiana Plaza, on 7th & C Streets, NW. Washington, DC, the monument is dedicated to the Grand Army of the Republic, and it's founder, Benjamin Franklin Stephenson. In addition to a bust of Stephenson, the monument contains three base relief sculptures by John Massey Rhind, representing Fraternity, Loyalty and Charity.

Monuments - 2011

Rabbit & Tree

I have created a new photo set for sculpture, and have added photographs of these two sculptures to it.

Graft (2009) by Roxy Paine



Thinker on a Rock (1997) by Barry Flanagan

The Great Silence

I recently read The Great Silence: Britain from the Shadow of the First World War to the Dawn of the Jazz Age by Juliet Nicolson. The book covers the impact that WWI had on British culture and society, through the stories of individuals from many different walks of life. A lot of the stories deal with changes in the status of women and the servant class, as well as threats to the Monarchy, and the importation of Jazz music from America.

Of course the overriding theme is the tremendous amount of grief that everyone had to deal with after the death or disfigurement of 100,000's of men.

The book concludes on November 11 ,1920—two years after the armistice—with the burial of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey. Below is a film of that actual event.

Films About Gospel Music

From Ebert Presents, reviews of two great films about Gospel Music.

[Note: These videos may not play with Firefox, the do seem to play in IE.]

"Rejoice and Shout" - the clip of Clara Ward from this film is in this post.



"Say Amen, Somebody" - a clip from this film of the O'Neal Twins in this post

The Olson House

A story from boston.com. The Interior Department announced that the Olson House has been named a National Historic Landmark. The house is known from one of the most recognizable paintings of the 20th Century, Andrew Wyeth's work Christina's World.

Wyeth touch puts site in pantheon

150 Years Ago in Baltimore

Today marks 150 years since four Baltimore Police Commissioners were arrested, and the city put under Federal Control, in order to suppress seditious activity by the always unruly citizens of Mobtown.

From Abraham Lincoln's papers:

Balto July 1st 1861.

Major Gen'l Banks this morning caused to be arrested Howard Gatchell Hinks and Davis four of the Police Commissioners and they are now confined in Fort McHenry-- The cause of their arrest as stated in proclamation just issued is that the Head Quarters under the charge of the Board when abandoned by the officers resembled in some respects a concealed arsenal. They continued their sessions daily after public recognition and protest against the suspension of their functions. After a forced and unwarrantable construction of former proclamation they declared the Police law suspended and the Police officers put off duty intending to leave the City without any police protection. Refused to recognize the officers appointed by the Provost Marshal and held subject to their orders the old police armed for same some purpose not known to the Government and in consistinconsistent with its peace and security. The military were ordered into the City and now occupy some of the most prominent points. The ordinary municipal affairs are not to be interfered with. The news from Fortress Monroe is unimportant four secession pickets were arrested and are detained at the Fort.

Marriot Boswell

This eventually resulted in the federal occupation of Federal Hill with cannons trained on the city, as shown in this photograph.

Supernovas

From The Christian Science Monitor, a selection of photographs of supernovas.

Supernovas

Billy the Kid for $2.3 Million

A tintype of Billy the Kid, has sold for $2.3 Million, including seller's fee. This is the only authenticated photographic image of him.

Here is an article on the sale, and below is a video of the auction.

Indian\Settler Conflicts

A post on two books I have recently read about the conflict between white settlers and native Americans.

Peaceable Kingdom Lost: The Paxton Boys and the Destruction of William Penn's Holy Experiment, by Kevin Kenny, covers the conflicts that finally pushed the Indians out of Pennsylvania. Penn, a Quaker, was determined to live peaceably with the native Americans. He would only allow settlement on land that he had previously purchased from the Indians. This was partially to prevent conflicts, and partially so he could control the growth of settlements. Penn's heirs rejected his Quakerism, and over the years Quaker influence waned as many Scotch-Irish Presbyterians migrated into Pennsylvania. Prompted by the belief that the land was being "wasted" by the native American, and that it should rightfully be taken by Christians, the Indians were brutally dispossessed, and eventually pushed out of Pennsylvania.

The book also covers one of the most intriguing incidents in American History, the war between Connecticut and Pennsylvania in the last half of the 1700's. Deciding that Connecticut was running out of room, a group of men from that state decided that they should just take part of northern Pennsylvania. The conflict that ensued lasted for years, and was not settled until after the American Revolution.

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne, is set in Texas, and the Great Plains. The book is structured around the events that resulted from the 1836 Commanche kidnapping of nine year old Cynthia Ann Parker in a raid on her families Texas settlement. Parker assimilated into the Commanche tribe, married a prominent leader and bore three children, before she was then kidnapped back by the whites. (These events were the real life inspiration for the John Wayne's 1956 film, The Searchers.)

Parker's eldest son Quanah was left behind during her second kidnapping, and he went on to become one of the most influential Commanches, leading resistance to white take over of the Plains. Quanah retained his influence after the Commanches were settled to a reservation, but by this time his mother had died, so he was never to see her again.

Here is clip of the author discussing the book.

Vivian Maier - Self Portraits

I did a previous post on the street photographer Vivian Maier. There is new set of self portraits up on her website, including this one. I did not know that images like this existed before mobile phones with cameras.

Vivian Meier - Self Portraits.

Ai Weiwei released from prison

After several months in a Chinese prison, the artist Ai Weiwei has been released.

Moon photographs

From Slate a selection of moon photographs.

Hello, Moon