Afghanistan from the Air

A selection of photographs from the Denver Post's Photo Blog. These pictures of Afghanistan are mostly taken from U.S. Transport and Medivac Aircraft.

Captured: Afghanistan from the Air

Cumberland Road Turns 200

Today marks 200 years since the contract was let to begin construction of the Cumberland Road. Later to become known as the National Road, and then part of U.S. Route 40, this is usually consider the first significant public works project undertaken by the U.S. Government. Starting in Cumberland, MD, the road finally made it to Vandalia, Illinois, in 1838.

The road generated much controversy when it was first proposed, as the Tea Partiers of the day did not believe that the Federal government should do things like build roads. Thomas Jefferson's push for an "Act to Regulate the Laying Out and Making a Road From Cumberland, in the State Of Maryland, to the State of Ohio" was successful, and 200 years later we have an entire Interstate Highway System—for better or worse.

This road has it's own web site, The Cumberland Road Project, with a complete gallery of photographs. Of course none of the photographs go back to 1811, but they are still interesting. Here is one of the photographs of the Toll House west of Cumberland. I am not sure what it is about the photo, but the people in it look amazingly small to me. Also, I don't think the original travelers rode a trolley.

The Cumberland Road Project
Photo Gallery

Circo

If a movie about the circus is what you are after. skip Water for Elephants, and go see Circo instead. In this documentary about a family owned circus in rural Mexico riven with personal and financial pressures, the scenery is a colorful as the family members. Watch as 100 years of family tradition may or may not come to an end.

Jane Eyre

The new film of Jane Eyre may be the best adaptation of the book ever made. Not that I have seen all of the previous adaptations, or even read the book, but this is a very good film. Mia Wasikowska, who was Alice in Tim Burton's recent adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, really does transform herself into Jane. Michael Fassbender is Mr. Rochester, and Judi Dench is Mrs. Fairfax.

Any film with these three actors would have to be good. Add to that, this film has a great script. The cinematography is done mostly with muted colors, but that really works with the tone of the story. I liked the score so much that I went home and bought a copy of the soundtrack. Something I rarely do. Scored by Dario Marinelli, who won an Academy Award for his score for Atonement, it is mostly done with sparse and haunting orchestration.

Here is a featurette. I would say that the scenes included in the trailer are all of the most melodramatic of the film. Most of the rest of the film is a lot more restrained.

The Conspirator

I saw The Conspirator on Tuesday. This is the film about the trial of Mary Surratt for the assassination of President Lincoln. Directed by Robert Redford, the film is a bit didactic, so I am not sure how much the story was skewed to make Redford's case on the injustice of military tribunals. I think it is mostly fact based though. I was bothered by a scene near the end where Secretary of War Stanton and the military prosecutor have a discussion about influencing the military jury to change their decision from life in prison to hanging. The film then proceeds to the delivery of the verdict. There seemed to me to be a big gap here concerning whether Stanton did intervene with the jury, and I am no sure why that was left out. The implication of the film is that he did, but that is never represented in the film.

That being said, the film is worth seeing, if for no other reason than Robin Wright's performance as Mary Surratt. The entire cast, including James McAvoy, Kevin Kline, Tom Wilkinson, Evan Rachel Wood, all give great performances.

Canal Boat Returns

After being dry docked for the winter, the Canal Boat has returned to the water in Georgetown. I took this photograph tonight.

Canal/River - 2011

To End All Wars

Next up on my reading list To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild. Published today, the book explores the conflict between pacifists and those supporting Britain's entry into WW I.

Hochschild's 1999 book, King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa, covers the little known history of the Belgium Congo. The story in that book is so gruesome, it is hard to believe it actually happened. In 2005 he published Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves, about the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. I would say the Hochschild is one of the best non-fiction writers today, so I am anxious to read his new book.

The Great Exhibition

As memorialized in today's Google Doodle, May 1st is the 160th anniversary of the opening of the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations. Often considered the model of all worlds fairs that have followed, the exhibition was primarily sponsored by Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, in order to promote modern technology and design.

The Crystal Palace, a 1848 feet by 454 feet wide, glass and cast iron structure, was build in Hyde Park, London to enclose the event. At the time many people considered it a folly to attempt such a large glass building, and predicted that the building Joseph Paxton had designed would never stand up. It did, in fact, remain standing as 6 million people visited during the fair's 5 ½ month run. At the end of the Exhibition, the Crystal Palace was moved to Sydenham in south London, where it remained standing until destroyed by a fire in 1936. In a sense, this building was the precursor to all of the glass enclosed building that exist around the world today.

Here is a video with some images of the Crystal Place.

Aerial Photography

Aerial photography goes back 150 years. From Slate, here is a set of historic aerial photographs.

From National Geographic here is a video of one of their latest contraptions designed to take aerial photographs.

The Wordy Shipmates

Sarah Vowell talking about her book on the early years of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Titled The Wordy Shipmates, the book focuses on the writings of the early settlers, including John Winthrop's sermon "A Model of Christian Charity". 17th Century New Englanders argued about justification by grace, the way people today argue about a balance budget. The subject may change, but the argument remains the same.

No matter what topic Vowell decides to write about, she can always make it engaging.This book was published a couple years ago, but I just got around to reading it.

Vivienne Westwood Speaks

A clip of a Vivienne Westwood interview from the guardian.uk.co.

Dumbarton Oaks

I was going to title this post "If you need a picture of wisteria, I'm your man", but decided that was too long. Anyway, here is a set of photographs I took today at Dumbarton Oaks.

Dumbarton Oaks - 2011

Happy Easter

For Easter, some pictures I took this morning of the courtyard of my building. I have added these to the spring flowers photo set.

Spring Flowers - 2011

Huge Disappointment

I saw Water For Elephants, and it was a huge disappointment. I might say that taking such a visceral book, and turning it into such a bland screenplay probably took a great deal of work. Add to that an overbearing and overwrought soundtrack, and you are off to a pretty bad start.

The animals have great acting skills, but Robert Pattinson does not. Reese Witherspoon is good, although her role was not that demanding. No one can beat Christoph Waltz when it comes to playing sophisticated, but diabolical characters, so it was not all bad.

There is a lot a tension created in the book, because at beginning you know, or think you know, what is going to happen in the end. That structure was not used in the film. Recreating that structure in the film was probably beyond the ability of the screen writer and director here, but I do think that something was lost by dropping this. It is always a shame to see so much money wasted on a such a mediocre script.

So I don't end on such a negative note, the cinematography was pretty good, and I also enjoyed the scene, near the end, when the wild animals got loose and chase everyone through the circus tent.

If you are interested, I posted the trailer in my March 8, 2011 post.

Symmetry

This is the second video from Radio Lab that I have posted. My August 16, 2010 post included their video "Words".

This striking Radiolab video made by Everynone was inspired by Radiolab's Desperately Seeking Symmetry episode. Filmmakers Will Hoffman, Daniel Mercadante, and Julius Metoyer III play with our yearning for balance, and reveal how beautiful imperfect matches can be.

"Symmetry"

Photographs for Earth Day

From http://www.smashingapps.com, a selection of photographs for Earth Day.

28 Beautiful And Inspiring Photographs
Dedicated To Earth Day

Kinetic Typography

From Rogers Creations, a video of a Stephen Fry polemic on language.

Milch und Musik

What could go together better than cows and classical music.

Pratt Street Riot

I know that there were some deaths at Fort Sumter due to misfiring of cannons and such, but, as anyone from Baltimore knows, the first blood shed of the Civil War happened 150 years ago today at the Pratt Street Riot. During the riot, which took place at the Inner Harbor around where the Power Plant is today, four soldiers and twelve civilians where killed. Here are a couple videos to commemorate the event.

I think Baltimore may have been referred to as "Mobtown" even before this Riot, but this event nailed that epithet down for good.





Here is another video. The Baltimore Sun put this up today.

 

Abandoned Movie Theaters

From BuzzFeed, photographs of seventy-five abandoned movie theaters from across the U.S. Included is this picture of Baltimore's Mayfair. One of the worst films I ever saw was shown in this theater. The sight of Richard Gere dancing around in a diaper, in the film King David, is definitely one of those movie moments that I could have done without. The only film about royalty that could possibly have been worse than this one was Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette.

As is obvious from this photograph, the theater has since suffered the wrath of God.

75 Abandoned Theaters From Around The USA

On War

Confederate batteries opened fire on federal troops defending Fort Sumter on South Carolina’s seacoast 150 years ago today. From the Denver Post's PLOG, a collection of Civil War Photographs. Included is this photograph of the destroyed railroad bridge at Harpers Ferry. This Bridge was destroyed, and rebuilt several times during the war.

On War: The 150th Anniversary of the Civil War

The Beatnik Riot

Fifty years ago today the New York City Police clashed with a bunch of kids singing folks songs in Washington Square Park. I don't remember knowing about this before, but NPR had a segment on it this morning. At the time a permit was required to sing or play music in the park, and the Park Commission—after previously granting a permit—decided to deny the permit to the singers. The resulting scuffle was captured in a short documentary by filmmaker Dan Drasin. Titled Sunday, you can watch the film at the link below.

What strikes me, watching this film 50 years later, is how unthreatening these protesters look. Whereas today everyone has a look that they are defined by, back then everyone does seem to have looked about the same. I cannot even image what would have happened if these police officers had been confronted by punk rockers from the 80's. They might have thought they were aliens from another planet.

Sunday

Flower Power

A great set of photographs from the boston.com's photo blog, The Big Picture. The picture below is from the set, but here I have turned it upside down, which makes it a bit disconcerting.

Flower Power

More Spring Flowers

A bunch of photographs I took today have been added to the photo set I created for Spring Flowers. One of the photos included is the one below, which is just around the corner from me, on P Street.

Spring Flowers - 2011

Sandhill Crane Migration

From The Christian Science Monitor, a selection of photographs documenting the sandhill crane migration.

Also don't miss out on the daily excitement over on the Eagle Cam—live eagle action. Right now they are looking a bit bedraggled from the rain.

Sandhill crane migration

The Cremation of Sam McGee

An interesting article from The Vancouver Sun about phonograph records recovered from a ship that sank almost 110 years ago—Phonograph records recovered from Gold Rush wreck. So what song did Gold Rushers listen to as to as they cruised up the Yukon River? Seems like "Ma Onliest One", "The Harp that Once thro' Tara's Halls" and "Rendez Vous Waltz".

The ship was actually found at the bottom of Lake Laberge—the setting of Robert W. Service's grisly poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee". So after you read the article, you can listen to Johnny Cash's reading of Service's poem below.

NYC Subway as Stringed Instrument

Artist Alexander Chen has turned New York City's subway map into a digital work of musical art. As trains cross paths on Massimo Vignelli's 1972 subway map they strum the lines. Go to Chen's interactive site, and you can also play the lines, or just watch the video below. An article, including an interview with Chen, is available here.

Conductor: www.mta.me from Alexander Chen on Vimeo.

Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, probably the most important figure in modern architecture, was born 125 years ago today in Aachen, Germany. The BBC produced a show about him a couple years ago. The program recognizes what a towering figure he was, but, at the same time, it is not hagiographic. I am posting a playlist will the entire program below.

I have some pictures of Crown Hall, one of his buildings on the campus of IIT, in this set of photographs I took last summers. The first three photographs in the set are Crown Hall, and the ones of Lego City at the end are inside Crown Hall.

Tennessee Williams @ 100

Tennessee Williams was born 100 years ago today.

To mark his birthday excerpts from an American Theatre Wing seminar, "Interpreting Tennessee Williams," a remarkable one-time-only meeting of cast members from two concurrent Williams revivals on Broadway (2005) -- Natasha Richardson, John C. Reilly and Chris Bauer of "A Streetcar Named Desire" and Jessica Lange and Christian Slater of "The Glass Menagerie."

Maurice Sendak & The Hobbit

Here is an essay from the LA Times' blog "Hero Complex" about an attempt, in the 1960's, to have Maurice Sendak create a set of illustrations for The Hobbit.

The Hobbit illustrated by Maurice Sendak?

Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

One hundred years ago, on March 25, 1911, one of the worst workplace disasters in U.S. history took place when the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City burned killing 146 people, mostly girls and young women. Among the many New Yorkers who watched in horror as young women jumped to their death from the burning building was Francis Perkins. Perkins, later Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, became one of the most important figures behind the New Deal and reform of labor laws.

In the aftermath of the disaster, fire codes across the country were strengthened, undoubtedly saving many since then.



[Added 3/26/11: A video from the memorial held yesterday for the victims of the fire.]

EPA Headquarters Buildings

Photographs I took last weekend of the four buildings that make up the current Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters.

Three of the buildings face Constitution Avenue, between 12th and 14th Street. These buildings were designed as a group by Arthur Brown, Jr., and constructed in the early 1930's as part of a plan to develop the area between Constitution and Pennsylvania Avenues, now known as the Federal Triangle.

• The Environmental Protection Agency, West Building - Originally the U.S. Customs Service Building.


• Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium - Originally the Departmental Auditorium. This building was the location of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty which created NATO.
  


• The Environmental Protection Agency, East Building - Originally the Interstate Commerce Commission Building.
  

The fourth building was originally constructed as the New Post Office, but is now called the Ariel Rios Federal Building. This building has a semi-circular portico that faces 12th Street, with a Post Office entrance on Pennsylvania Avenue. Also constructed in the early 1930's, the Architects were William A. Delano and Chester H. Aldrich.

EPA Headquarter Buildings

Holi Pictures

For some color, a set of Holi photographs from The Big Picture blog.

Holi: Festival of Colors

The Daguerre Monument

Considering what a large part of this blog is devoted to photographs, I would be remiss if I failed to include this picture of the Daguerre Monument.

The French artist Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre (1787-1851) became interested in the 1820s in trying to capture images photographically. In August 1839 his "Daguerreotype" technique--fixing an image on a light-sensitive, polished silver plate--was announced to the public. This was the first photographic process to be used widely in Europe and the United States.

In 1890 the Professional Photographers of America donated this monument to Daguerre, by the American sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley, to the American people. The bronze figure was cast by the Henry-Bonnard Bronze Company of New York. Placed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum Building (now know as the Arts and Industries Building) to the celebrate the first half-century of photography, the monument was displayed on the Mall from 1897 to 1969.

Monuments & Sculptures - 2011

National Christmas Tree 2.0

Following the toppling of the National Christmas tree in a wind storm a few weeks ago, a new National Christmas Tree was planted on the Ellipse last Saturday. A 26 1/2 foot Colorado blue spruce, it comes from a nursery in New Jersey. While not a little tree, it has some growing to do before it can match the 42 foot height of the tree that toppled over.

I have included a picture of it that I took on Sunday in a new set of pictures of trees.

Trees - 2011

The Marble Faun

For the first day of spring, a quote from The Marble Faun.

The advance of vegetation, in this softer climate, is less abrupt than the inhabitant of the cold North is accustomed to observe. Beginning earlier,—even in February,—Spring is not compelled to burst into Summer with such headlong haste; there is time to dwell upon each opening beauty, and to enjoy the budding leaf, the tender green, the sweet youth and freshness of the year; it gives us its maiden charm, before, settling into the married Summer, which, again, does not so soon sober itself into matronly Autumn. In our own country, the virgin Spring hastens to its bridal too abruptly. But here, after a month or two of kindly growth, the leaves of the young trees, which cover that portion of the Borghese grounds nearest the city wall, were still in their tender half-development.

— The Marble Faun, Chapter 12, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Spring Flowers

A new set of photographs with spring flowers. So far these pictures are all from Georgetown, including the one below of the Cherry Blossoms at Washington Harbor.

Spring Flowers - 2011

Canal/River Photographs

I have started a set of photographs of the Canal and the Potomac River, and add three pictures that I took today.

Canal/River - 2011

Chinese Scroll Painting

A video from the New York Times on ancient Chinese Scroll Painting.

A Brief History of Title Design

Great video of film titles.

A Brief History of Title Design from Ian Albinson on Vimeo.

FLW - The Early Years

A video on the early career of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Water for Elephants - Trailer

The trailer for Water for Elephants, opening in the US on April 22.

Gatsby Mansion to be Razed

Lands End—thought to be the inspiration for Daisy Buchanan's home in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby—is schedule to be razed. Off course, it will be replaced by several mcmansion's which will probably never inspire anything..

[Added 3/9/11 - I have included a post on my music blog to accompany this post.]

Gatsby-Linked Long Island Mansion to Be Razed
to Make Way for Subdivision

[Added 4/20/11 - Alas, it has been turn down.]

Alberto Granado

A post to mark the death, on March 5, of Alberto Granado. In 1952, Granado and Che Guevara took a motorcycle trip across Latin America which lead to Guevara's political awakening, and the rest, as they say, is history. More information about Granado in the Washington Post's obituary.

In 2004, the motorcycle trip was recreated in the film The Motorcycle Dairies, with Gael García Bernal portraying Guevara, and Rodrigo De la Serna as Alberto Granado. Here is the trailer for that film.

1922 Kodachrome

Following up on my earlier post about the Brighton exhibition on color film, here is a video reproduced from a 1922 Kodachrome Film Test. More information about this film, and the actresses appearing in it can be found at this A Thousand Words blog post.

Rev. Peter Gomes

Rev. Peter Gomes died earlier this week. A professor, minister and successful author, he is one of the characters that Anna Deavere Smith recreates in her current show Let Me Down Easy. (See previous blog post) Here is part of an interview with Gomes. You can click on the link to see the entire interview.

Capturing Color

A video on an exhibition at the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery covering the development of color film, Capturing Colour: Film, Invention and Wonder. For those of us who will not be in Sussex in the next couple weeks, this video is the next best thing to being there.

Guangzhou Opera House

A link to the Guardian's Video on Zaha Hadid's Guangzhou Opera House, which just opened last year.

Zaha Hadid on song

End of an Era

Frank Buckles, the last living veteran of WWI, died yesterday at 110.

Dale Dickey

One more movie related post before the Oscars tonight. In Winter's Bone there is a performance in a fairly small role that really struck me. I was not able figure out who the actress was from the credits, because I could not remember the characters name. I now see that I was not the only person impressed by the performance of Dale Dickey as Merab. She won the Independent Spirit Award for best supporting supporting actress. She only makes a fleeting appearance in the trailer. IMBd does have a short clip of one of her scenes Here.

Here is a video of Dickey after she won the award. I hope she gets a lot more film work.

Astor Place Riot

Tonight are the Oscars. We will find out who is allegedly the best. Despite the fact that our political disputes have become so nasty, in the last 150 years we seem to have become a bit more civilized in the way we determine who is the best actor. In 1849 the Astor Place Riot broke out in New York City, killing at least 25 and injuring over 100. The riot was brought on by a dispute over who was the best Shakespearean actor, Edwin Forrest, an American or William Charles Macready, an Englishman. There were deeper underlying reasons for riots, like relations between the US and Britain, and class conflicts. Still I trust that no one will be killed at the Academy Awards tonight, unless someone gets trampled to death trying to get a glimpse of the Red Carpet.

Astor Place Riot

Bombshells

From Slate, the great Magnum photos of glamorous Hollywood actresses. I am including a link to this set of photos, because—unlike the LA Times' list of Fifty Most Beautiful Women in Films—Slate did not overlook Ingrid Bergman. They have included this photograph of Bergman filming my favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie, Notorious.

Bombshells

Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Pt. 2

Earlier I posted a video of Werner Herzog discussing his upcoming 3D film, "Cave of Forgotten Dreams". Filmed in the Chauvet Cave near Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, France, it will travel through one of the earliest palaeolithic rock art galleries know to exist. Here is a trailer for the film.

This Year's Oscars

I have seen all of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar this year except Toy Story III. I am going to rank them roughly in the order that I liked them. I am dividing them into three groups. The first four are my favorites, and I could go for anyone of these to win. The second four I liked, but I wouldn't pick them for best picture. The last one is the only one that I would not have nominated.

Group I

1. Black Swan - I put off going to see this film, because from the previews I was not sure that I would like it. When a film is billed as a psycho-sexual drama, you can't be sure what you are going to get. But it is in fact a very intense psycho-sexual drama, and Natalie Portman does give an Oscar worthy performance. As did Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey and Mila Kunis, who I have liked since she was on That 70's Show. I think what I liked best about the film is that even when the film is over you still don't know what was supposed to have really happened, what was drug induced hallucinations, and what was just plain insanity.



2. True Grit - This film was just plain enjoyable to watch. I don't think the Coen Brothers could make a bad film. Using a soundtrack that was based on old hymns really set the right tone for the film, and how could you end a film any better that with Iris Dement singing "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms".



3. The Social Network - It may well be that this film does not give a totally accurate depiction of how Facebook was created. That does not detract from the fact that it is a great script, with excellent acting. Some people thought that Mark Zuckerberg was portrayed as an ass in the film, but I thought the character come off as very human.



4. Inception - I do think that Christopher Nolan deserves the Best Director award for taking such a complicated and convoluted story, and making a comprehensible film out of it. Alas, this is not to be, since he was not even nominated for Best Director. You have to work to follow what is happening in the film, but it is worth it. I think this is a film that you would have to see at least twice to fully appreciate.



Group II

5. The Kids are All Right - This film is too silly to be considered a drama, and too serious to be considered a comedy. Still it has an amazingly well written script, and who would have guessed that Annette Bening would have made such a great lesbian? Probably not Warren Beatty.



6. 127 Hours - Making a film about someone stuck in the middle of no where for days does not, on the face of it, seem like a great idea, but this film works. James Franco carries off the long parts of the film that he does alone. I would give this film the Best Editing Oscar. The way the sequences of the film were put together really helps to make the film interesting. Most of the buzz about the film centered on the number of people who passed out when Franco's character cuts his arm off with a very dull pen knife. I have to say there are parts of the film that are uncomfortable to watch, and someone did apparently pass out in the screening I attended. At least there was a big commotion in the theater about something, shortly after the critical scene, and there was an ambulance outside when I left. That aside it's a great film with beautiful scenery.



7. The King's Speech - I liked this film. Both Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush do give two of the best performances of the year, as King George and his speech therapist. Who else but Helena Bonham Carter could play both Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland and the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mum, before she was the Queen Mum. I would not give it Best Picture because the story is a little too focused on the King's speech impediment, which is not a criticism, but I think Best Picture should go to a Big Picture.



8. Winter's Bone - The story of a young girl trying to save her family from a drug ravaged society in the Ozark Mountains, this is probably the least commercial film nominated this year. Probably one of the least commercial films ever nominated. Peopled with a cast of unpleasant characters, it still tells a compelling story. This is probably a film that no one from the Ozarks would want to see, because the society it portrays is so unpleasant. All the same, it has some of the best acting of the year, and deserves the nomination just for that.



Group III

9 The Fighter - This is the only film nominated that I had trouble with. I do think the acting was good, but taken as a whole I think it went over the top. I had trouble seeing how Mark Wahlberg's character could possibly have come out of the dysfunctional family created by Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and the six harpy sisters from hell. I wouldn't want to believe that one family could have so many self-centered, screwed up people in it. Of course, I say that having just said that Winter's Bone was a good film, and on this account it was not far behind.

Wellcome Image Awards

A set of photographs containing the 2011 Wellcome Image Award winners.

Wellcome Image Awards 2011

Street Photography

A selection of pictures from the Museum of London's exhibition of street photography from 1860 to the present.

London Street Photography

Happy Birthday George Ferris

Today is the 152th anniversary of George Ferris' birth. Here is a short video on his invention of the Ferris Wheel.



And here is the photograph I took last summer of the place in middle of the Midway Plaisance in Chicago where Ferris' original Wheel was built.

EO Hoppé

A set of photographs by the early 20th Century photographer EO Hoppé. These accompany this Guardian review of an exhibition of his work. More of his photographs here.

EO Hoppé’s portraits - in pictures

The Cripple of Inishmaan

A trailer for the Druid's production of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan. I saw it last night at the Kennedy Center. It is a serious play, but this trailer does not capture how funny it is.

Long Exposure

A set of long exposure photographs from The Christian Science Monitor.

Long exposures

Camouflage

A video of some amazing marine camouflage.

The Fifty Most Beautiful Women in Film

The LA Times has a poll of what they claim are the 50 Most Beautiful Women in Film. I am guessing that the voters so far are skewing young, because Jennifer Lopez and Farrah Fawcett are neck and neck right now with, all of the rest being left in the dust. I am not voting since my first choice is not included in their top fifty. So, even though she is not on the list, I am making Ingrid Bergman the image on my link to the poll.

The Fifty Most Beautiful Women in Film

Frost

Yesterday's post was an image of the sun. To the other extreme today. Here is a set of photographs from guardian.co.uk all with a frost theme.

Frost - In Pictures

Sun - 360

A BBC video on NASA's new panoramic images of the sun.

The Pillars of the Earth

For anyone lamenting the end of Masterpiece's Downton Abbey, The Pillars of the Earth offers a view of the grittier side of English history. The story is set in the 11th Century, before the English became quite so refined, during the struggle for the crown of England between two of William the Conqueror's grandchildren, Stephen and Maud. At this time religious orders where amassing great estates, and this makes up another one of the subplots in the series. In the arc of history these religious estates would eventually be expropriated by Henry VIII, and handed out to become the foundation of many of the vast private estates in England. Thus the source of the name Downton Abbey, which by the early 20th century was a private home, but would have originally start out as the seat of a religious order.

Best of January

Nat Geo's best photographs of January.

Best of January 2011

Viking Ship

A video about efforts to restore a Viking Ship that was built in Norway, and sailed to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Not very much survives from that Fair, so it would be nice if this ship can be restored.

Who needs a Groundhog

Who needs a groundhog when you have an elephant?

National Museum of American Illustration

A nice video from the National Museum of American Illustration.

Let Me Down Easy

Last week I went to the Arena Stage to see Anna Deavere Smith's one woman play, Let Me Down Easy. This is s great show. It deals with Health care in this country, but it also deals a lot with death

Here is Smith discussing the show with Bill Moyers.

Neo Aztec Calendar

From The Architects Newspaper, an article about a calendar designed by Mexican artist Ricardo Cid. Image of the full calendar here.

Graphic> Neo Aztec Calendar

Aurora Borealis

Some new photographs from Nat Geo of the aurora borealis.

New Aurora Pictures: First Big Show of 2011

Eudora Welty - Photographer

I previously posted a video of Eudora Welty discussing her short story "The Worn Path", but Welty was also a very accomplished photographer. Here, from Smithsonian Magazine, is a video of her photographs.

JFK's Inauguration

John F. Kennedy became President 50 year ago today. Here is his inaugural address.

Beatrice and Virgil

So I final read Beatrice and Virgil, and I liked it probably even more than Life of Pi. I like the fact that Yann Martel always tries to write something totally different than what he has written before. A lot of authors just try to do the same thing over and over.

My favorite part of the book would have to be Virgil's attempt to explain to Beatrice what a pear is. After you read this you will never look at a pear the same again.

There is also a lot of brutality in the book, but at the same time the relationship between Beatrice—a donkey— and Virgil—a howler monkey— is quite moving.

I already have posted two video of Martel discussing this book, so you can go back and look at them for more on this book. (April 14, 2010 and May 24,2010)

1640 Luthern Bible

A news story on a 1640 Lutheran Bible that was discovered in a school in Bondeul, Wisconsin.

WLUK Story: 340-Year-Old Bible Found @ Yahoo! Video

Man in a Blizzard

I have cribbed this from Roger Ebert's post here. Jamie Stuart's short film "Man in a Blizzard" was shot during the New York City snow storm back in December.

This film is a homage to the great 1929 Ukrainian film "Man with a Movie Camera". Ebert's post also contains a YouTube version of the 1929 film, although watching the YouTube video does not compare to seeing that film on the big screen. I saw "Man with a Movie Camera" about two years ago with live musical accompaniment by the Alloy Orchestra, and that was quite an experience.

Happy Birthday KJV

This year is the 400th anniversary of the completion of the King James version of the Bible. Though many now use trendier translations of the Bible, the KJV is still one of the most important influences on the English language.

Two good books that deal with the English translation of the Bible are: God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible by Adam Nicolson, and Wide as the Waters: The Story of the English Bible and the Revolution It Inspired by Benson Bobrick.

To mark this anniversary here is a list of 78 phrases that passed into the English language from English translations of the Bible.

78 everyday phrases that have a biblical origin

Oak Hill Cemetery

Some photographs I took this afternoon at Oak Hill Cemetery. Established in the 1840's as part of the rural cemetery movement, the cemetery is just a couple blocks from my apartment. It runs down the hill towards Rock Creek.

Oak Hill Cemetery - 01/09/11

Tusheti Mountains

A pictorial romp through Georgia's Tusheti Mountains + life and death adventure. What more could you ask for?

Riding on the edge in Georgia

Vivian Maier

Quite a sensation has surrounded the discovery of the street photography taken by Chicago nanny Vivian Maier. Maier died in 2009, so she did not live to see the recognition of her work. Examples of here work can be seen on the blog Vivian Maier - Her Discovered Work, and on this New York Times blog post. Here is a video about her.

Best Nature Photographs

I have been disconnected for a while because of my move, but I am back on now. Here is the Nature Conservancy's Best Nature Photographs from 2010.

Best Nature Photos of 2010