Short film BE MY BROTHER. Beautiful performances

Great short film.....Be My Brother. The accents are the best.

BEN HARPER'S A Better Way. Couldn't agree with this dude more

This is an astonishingly powerful song from a very beautiful dude. Hold on cause this is something else.

The First Duke & Duchess of Windsor Society Conference.....

Is only a memory now for those who attended. But it is a wonderful memory. Here I am with the conference's featured speaker, Hugo Vickers.

Too bad the city of San Diego is so lame, though.

Duke and Duchess of Windsor

It's been a while since I last blogged.

I've been completely enmeshed in organizing the Duke & Duchess of Windsor Society First conference in San Diego at the Hotel del Coronado. The conference starts tomorrow, October 16 and runs through October 19.

The Duke & Duchess of Windsor Society is an international organization of individuals interested in recognizing and recording the historical significance of the lives of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor.

We're celebrating our twentieth birthday this year.

The conference features well-known British historian/biographer, Hugo Vickers, author of The Private Lives of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor and the upcoming new Duchess biography, Behind Close Doors.

I'm going to be posting blogs periodically from the conference in San Diego. So stay tuned over the next few days.

You can visit the Society's website at www.ddows.org (you can register to attend the conference at the same location).

In the meantime, check out the article about the conference which appears in today's edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Wonderful book-THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS with a gorgeous cover

I just finished one of the best books I've read this year. It is The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. The author is best known for his Charlie Parker-series of crime novels. I haven't read any of them as I must confess I'm not a big fan of that genre.

This is just a remarkably well-realized book. The book is about a young boy, David, who at 12 suffers the death of his mother to cancer. The novel is set in England in World War II. Although it is really a fairy tale or fable it is ultimately a coming of age/adolescent story and is the classic Odyssey in literature history.

David loves books. He loves reading (which of course is why I love this book...and the character). Following his mother's death, his father remarries. David cannot accept his new mother, Rose, and his new half-brother, George. (For fellow WE-philes reading this I am tempted to contact the author to find out if these names were deliberately used as oblique reference to David, King Edward VIII and the younger to whom he abdicated his throne, King George VI in 1936.)

David begins to suffer spells and is sent to a psychiatrist who is rather hopeless. Eventually David begins to hear all of his beloved books speaking to him. (Wouldn't that be fabulous....to hear nothing but your books talking to you). He also begins to have very strange visitations by odd creatures. One night the young boy goes out late at night to chase one of the visitors and finds himself falling through a rabbit hole so to speak. Only in the case of this book, David falls into a tree trunk and is transported to a other-land.

And so begins David's classic odyssey where he must face and defend himself from monsters, dragons, demons, wolves, witches, etc. Initially, he is befriended by "Woodman" and is rescued from the attack of half wolves/half men, who bedevil the lad throughout the novel. Woodman advises David that the only way that he can return home is to visit the King of this "other-land" (it has no name) who supposedly has a book that is very important, filled with "lost things" which perhaps has an answer for lost-David. David's journey to the king is so similar to Dorothy's journey to Oz to visit the wizard to return to Kansas (Woodman sort of reminded me of the Scarecrow or the Tin Man).

What is absolutely fascinating about the book and David's journey, and this fairy tale, is that along the way he encounters along the way other famous fairy tales of yore. Although slightly different, David encounters a witch who lives in a delicious tasting cottage. The witch lures children into the house and then boils and eats them (our hero David hears about a brother and sister). David encounters another strange character, a huntress, who takes children and splices them with animals (for example, one poor victim was a little girl who was spliced with the bottom half of a deer. The huntress by the way was somewhat evocative, for me, of the giant in Jack and the Beanstalk). All along the way though David must destroy these evil characters in order to continue on his journey to the castle where the king lives (there isn't a yellow brick road).

On his odyssey, David encounters other protagonists who help him face battles and occasionally save his life. One character is the a possibly-"gay" knight who arrives on a white horse. The boy is also abetted at one point by seven dwarfs who are Marxist and live in complete terror of a morbidly obese bitch shrew, Snow White.

Along the way David grows from a boy into a young man.

I won't spoil the story for you. You must read this book. Although it is a "fable" and deals with an adolescent, this is a very dark and adult novel which is quite graphically violent (although not gratuitously) and at times borders on "horror". So this isn't just a childrens book.

I wept frequently throughout the book. There are paragraphs of such astonishing beauty and wisdom that I found myself reading them over and over again. Perhaps my most favorite is at the beginning of the book. As David's mother is dying she shares with him as a gift, her love of reading:

"After school each day, he would sit by her bedside, sometimes talking with her if she was feeling strong enough, but at other times merely watching her sleep, counting ever labored, wheezing breath that emerged, willing her to remain with him. Often he would bring a book with him to read, and if his mother was awake and her head did not hurt too much, she would ask him to read aloud to her. She had books of her own--romances and mysteries and thick, black-garbed novels with tiny letters--but she preferred him to read to her as much older stories: myths and legends and fairy tales, stories of castles and quests and dangerous, talking animals......

Before she became ill, David's mother would often tell him that stories were alive. They weren't alive in the way that people were alive, or even dogs or cats. People were alive whether you chose to notice them or not, while dogs tended to make you notice them if they decided that you weren't paying them enough attention. Cats, meanwhile, were very good at pretending people didn't exist at all when it suited them, but that was another matter entirely.

Stories were different, though: they came alive in the telling. Without a human voice to read them aloud, or a pair of wide eyes following them by flashlight beneath a blanket, they had no real existence in our world. They were like seeds in the beak of a bird, waiting to fall to earth, or the notes of a song laid out on a sheet, yearning for an instrument to bring their music into being. They lay dormant, hoping for the chance to emerge. Once someone started to read them, they could begin to change. They could take root in the imagination, and transform the reader. Stories wanted to be read, David's mother would whisper. They needed it. It was the reason they forced themselves from their world into ours. They wanted us to give them life."

Is that not just exquisitely beautiful prose? Enjoy this beautiful (it is a very dark beauty though) novel.

Elaine Stritch--LADIES WHO LUNCH--Stephen Sondheim, speaking of beauty

Okay, I admit it. I am crazy for Stephen Sondheim's work. So for those theater people, or otherwise, who find this to be uninteresting then you should move on to the next post. There is, after all, something for everyone on this blog.

Elaine Stritch originated this song on Broadway in Sondheim's musical Company. The song is Ladies Who Lunch. Streisand recorded it later and really did a disservice to the song.......Ladies Who Lunch isn't supposed to be a pretty song. It's beauty is in its anger and its grit. And no one ever sang the song more perfectly realized than Elaine Stritch. She originated the song/role on Broadway. And no one has ever come close to her original interpretation.

Here's a clip of Stritch doing the song in at the turn of the century 99/00 (many years since the she originated the song on Broadway).




I urge you to watch the following youtube excerpt which excerpts a documentary about the original cast recording of Sondheim's Company. This documentary film was done in the last few years and includes Stritch's narration of her own personal crisis during the making of the original cast recording.

Shelly Mullen and Patricia Bradley.....you must watch this clip. And pay particular attention to Stritch's statement about quitting. She's right you know.

I can't embed the video in this in this blog but you can go watch the excerpt of Stritch's recording for the original cast album of this song by clicking here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf52APstI0A

GORGEOUS new building in China--what a wonderful structure

No, this is not a new dirigible! It's a new building. There's some really interesting architecture coming out China these days, particularly in preparation for the Olympics. This is a gorgeous structure, no?

Jason Lee / Reuters

People's Theater

The National Grand Theater in central Beijing, is lit by colored lights in readiness for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China in October. (TIME Today in Pictures Thursday, September 17, 2009)

Dubai--the MOST amazing city on the planet.

I'm endlessly fascinated with Dubai. A city with a huge skyline that just a few decades ago was a vast desert wasteland.

This great video was posted on CNN and shows the opening of the Dubia metro line. So take a ride and see this amazingly vibrant city that is growing at an astonishing rate. As you watch, just think about the fact that NONE of this was here 30 or 40 years ago.

Another cool photo

TIME Magazine Picture of the Week--Tuesday, September 6, 2007

HAN CHUANHAO / XINHUA /LANDOV

Out of This World
This unique geological phenomenon, known as a Danxia Landform, can be seen in several places in China. This example is located in Zhangye, Gansu Province. The color is a result of millions of years of accumulated red sandstone and other sediments which have dried and oxidized.

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Cool photo!

TIME Magazine Today in Pictures, August 21, 2009
Whitehotpix / ZUMA

Rough Housing

A cub takes a playful bite of a relative's swishing tail in the African plains.

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RUFUS WAINWRIGHT-- covers the brilliant Leonard Cohen's HALLELUJAH

Cute dude, classic song and I don't know.........almost as good as Cohen's. I love Leonard Cohen! and I REALLY worship Rufus. Quite a hottie. In this youtube clip, Rufus gives a live performance of "Hallelujah" for an Irish program.



This dude's voice is like velvet. Someday I hope I can see him live and in concert. Some of my favorite Rufus songs: Old Whore's Diet, Oh What a World, The Art Teacher, Grey Gardens and Gay Messiah, to name just a few.

This dude has the biggest cajones......he actually performed Judy Garland's Carnegie concert in its entirety. Now that is ambition. You go, Rufus!

YUM! Remembrance of vacations past--in BRITISH COLUMBIA--part 3

Continuing my reminicenses of vacations (click here for all of these postings) in past years spent in British Columbia I have to talk about another memory:

Nanaimo Bars (named for the city on Vancouver Island where they originated).

What I wouldn't give for one of these right now...and the cool weather of British Columbia

A type of chocolate no-bake square, it is named after the West-Coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. It consists of a wafer crumb-based layer, topped by a layer of light custard or vanilla butter icing, which is covered in chocolate made from melted chocolate squares.^[1] Many varieties are possible by using different types of crumb, flavours of custard or icing (e.g. mint, peanut butter), and types of chocolate. Two popular variations on the traditional Nanaimo bar involve mint flavoured custard or mocha flavoured custard.



Here's the recipe:

Nanaimo Bar Recipe

Bottom Layer
½ cup unsalted butter (European style cultured)
¼ cup sugar
5 tbsp. cocoa
1 egg beaten
1 ¼ cups graham wafer crumbs
½ c. finely chopped almonds
1 cup coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, coconut, and nuts. Press firmly into an ungreased 8" x 8" pan.

Second Layer
½ cup unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. and 2 Tsp. cream
2 Tbsp. vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and icing sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

Third Layer
4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter overlow heat. Cool. Once cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in refrigerator.

From http://www.nanaimo.ca/EN/main/visitors/NanaimoBars.html

Just finished a GREAT book--I SURVIVED SWISS BOARDING SCHOOLS by Richard Rene Silvin

I just finished this remarkable book last night, weeping right up to the end. What a wonderful book about triumph despite extreme adversity. Richard Rene Silvin's excellent account of matriculation through the prestigious Swiss boarding school Le Rosey is remarkable not just because of issues Silvin faces (homophobia, sexual and physical abuse) but Silvin's ability to treat each of his (for the most part) perpetrators with compassion which they don't really deserve.

This book was a work of catharsis, I suspect. And yet it is a book about redemption and even perhaps forgiveness.

Silvin, the son of a wealthy father, is sent early (his aunt says too early) to La Clairiere, a Swiss boarding school in the early sixties, a holding place for the young lad until he attains the age that he can go to Le Rosey, in Gstaad. This first school is a nightmare, with the head master and his wife truly fiendish villains of Dickinsian proportions. Silvin is eventually removed from the school after suffering both physical and sexual abuse which leaves him scarred (after parents of boys from the school discover the extent of abuse that is going on).

Silvin's heartless father immediately starts the boy in Le Rosey following his departure at La Clairiere. It is a few months later that the father learns that Silvin is about to be expelled from the school because of poor grades. It seems that in addition to be on the receiving end of abuse at his previous school he also had received a limited education. Pere Silvin strikes a deal with the militaristic head master of Le Rosey, Monsieur Johannot, that if after returning from summer break the boy is able to pass all of his tests he will be allowed to stay at the school. Pere Silvin then sends Richard to daily tutorials during the summer and in his typical fashion returns the boy to his fate at Le Rosey with these parting words: "'I need not tell you that you have no options here. You will pass these tests. Think of the embarrassment you have been to me. So just stop causing all this trouble!' he exclaimed as we drove along the lake road from Geneva and approached Rolle." (the author is shown in this 1966 photo at left which is from Silvin's website).

What is remarkable about the young boy Silvin despite the bleakest odds and saddled with sizable emotional baggage, goes on not only to pass the tests but to succeed wildly at Le Rosey.


Le Rosey, located in the fashionable ski resort of Gstaad, is a Swiss boarding school for the children (boys only at the time that Silvin attended) of wealthy and/or famous parents from around the world. Its students and their parents, since 1880, have included royalty, billionaires, movie stars, captains of industry, politicians and diplomats. It is an interesting learning experience which is open to children from all cultures, which Silvin talks about in the book. Le Rosey's website today contains the following description: "A friendly international atmosphere where differences are respected, where daily life is shared between adults and youngsters in a family atmosphere, and where social life aims to build independence and self-reliance against the backdrop of a harmonious community." (Visit the Le Rosey's website: http://www.rosey.ch/en/htmlRosey/esprit.html.) Alas, this isn't the same philosophy that was wielded by Monsier Johannot during Silvin's stay at the school.


Le Rosey is the exact opposite experience from Silvin's previous school, La Clairiere. The boys have maid service, their clothes and shoes are cleaned, they are treated by the staff with the utmost respect. But the school, despite its opulence, has its own failings. And our hero, Silvin, triumphs even when faced with very unsupportive father and initially an unsupportive head master, Johannot. Silvin, who suffers sexual abuse from an older student who eventually outs the boy as a "fairy," finds himself faced again with possible expulsion because of the homophobic Johannot. Tragicially, Silvin is again punished by his father for circumstances far beyond his control (the older boy was the sexual predator, just as Silvin's lack of education when he enters Le Rosey was the result of his father's decision to send him to La Clairiere). Most people could never overcome such psychological and spiritual challenges.

But Richard does that and proves to himself, as well as his readers, that in the end he can win. I won't spoil the wonderful circumstances that occur and the various ways Silvin triumphs, but suffice it to say that the story is reminiscent of the film Chariots of Fire (the book, according to Silvin, has been described as: "Jane Eyre meets Chariots of Fire.")

Along the way you meet some of 20th century's most interesting figures: Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Rockefellers, the Shah of Iran, among just a few as Silvin and his fellow classmates grow into young men, amidst the rarefied world of the rich and powerful.

This is your classic "odyssey" as Silvin's lifelong friend and fellow classmate, Ahmed Yehia, writes on the book's back wrapper notes: "In world mythology, the archetype for greatness is the hero finding a way to extricate himself from the depths of abuse, despair, humiliation, etc. He challenges his monsters and comes out triumphant. This is as true of Ulysses as it is true of you [Silvin]."

In the end, though, I was astonished at Silvin's lack of bitterness or even retaliation to several villainous individuals. His triumphs are truly remarkable but what is most remarkable about the book is its authors ability to find a way to a better future.

Bravo! This book needs to be made into a film.

Read this great, uplifting and beautiful memoir!

For more information about the author, the book, or to order a copy visit: http://www.rrsilvin.com/. Silvin (shown below at his home in NC) is also the author of Walking the Rainbow: An Arc to Triumph, which is about the AIDS crisis in the 80's and 90's. Silvin lives in North Carolina and Palm Beach, Florida. He is currently writing another memoir titled Noblesse Oblige which is about his time as administrator at the American Hospital of Paris and his friendship with the Duchess of Windsor which will be published in 2010.



The photos above of Le Rosey are by Life Magazine © Time Inc., photography by Carlo Bavagnoli.

I love this gal--this just makes me laugh hysterically

Most of you don't even know me. Or rather, you've never met me in person which I assure you is a blessing. One of my most distinctive qualities though is my laugh. I don't know why but it is a laugh that makes others laugh and I always have people tell me that I should provide a laugh track for television studios. Some people probably consider it obnoxious. But it is my laugh and I'm sticking with it.

My former boss used to do impressions of my laugh at work happy hours. Once, I was at the off-Broadway play Hedwig and the Angry Inch and "Hedwig" stopped the show and said directly to me: "that is the most wicked laugh I have ever heard."

Another time, in a Chicago cabaret, the performer stopped the show and commented that I had the best laugh ever. Coincidentally, I was sitting next to a gal who had her own version of a unique laugh and he finally suggested the two of us pair up and sell our laughs to studios for sitcoms.

I wish my laugh could make some income for me. Does anyone out there know of any agents in Hollywood/NY who represent people with distinctive laughs?

Well, anyway, I guess the essence of my laugh, besides its infectiousness, is that I LOVE to laugh. When I laugh (which is fairly frequently), I'm usually laughing down to my toenails.

As does this great gal at her own wedding as her fiance flubs his lines. She utterly charms and beguiles me in this. Some of the best moments in life have been when something funny happens and you just literally lose it, and it usually occurs at the most inopportune moments. (for some reason whenever I see somebody fall, even if it is bad, I become hysterical). Like this chick who is so cracked up at her fiances line flub. I just love it when she starts guffawing (I love this word, guffaw, just as much as I love doing it: guffawing, that is)

The cutey little husband is a pretty damn good sport too, with the "pancakey" comment. I love this gal. She won my heart. You'll want to watch this several times because it is just priceless. Have a happy day! "My waffley wedded wife": sounds like Roger Rabbit or Elmer Fudd, no? I just know that is what Melissa is thinking.

JULIE & JULIA -- it was one of my favorite books and now is one of my favorite movies

The Bug lady and I went to see JULIE & JULIA a couple of weeks ago. Another perfect example of a perfect book and a perfect movie. The book was one of my top 3 favorite books in 2007. I absolutely relished its humor (Also the fact that the heroine, Julie, says the word "fuck" a lot. I know that some might blanch at this word but it is one of my favorite words).

I was very eager to see the movie particularly of the goddess, la Streep! And the movie was just AS GOOD as the book I think because of the two actresses.

There were slight differences......I don't think that "Julie" in the movie was nearly as funny as in the book. I've even seen a few reviews that called her character "whiny". But I think Amy Adams is brilliant in the film. And the other GREAT thing about the movie are the two "J's" spouses. The actor who plays Julie's husband is a total hottie (Chris Messina). And Julia's husband, played by Stanley Tucci, is equally as appealing.

The film is just a wonderful confection and most notably Streep's version of Julia Child. This actress just never does anything but brilliant and this role illustrates this. She captures the essence of Julia Child without become a caricature, a very difficult mission because Julia Child was really WAS a caricature in real life.

I'm going to go see this movie again this weekend. It is, like Cheri (see my previous post about the movie Cheri starring another godesss Michelle Pfeiffer), just so nuanced and such a work of art that multiple viewings is essential.

But I'd suggest reading the book first. It will make the film a little more interesting, I think. The book has a lot of biographical material about Julie Childs but I think they incorporate much more in the movie.

Go see this film! and READ this book. You can order it at my website: www.jmvintage.com.

Here's the movie's trailer (see how totally cute and adorable Chris Messina is!)

I love ELEPHANTS.....and other endangered species and reincarnation

Isn't it tragic that these magnificent animals (Pygmy elephant, Sumatra tiger, polar bear, giant panda) are species on the brink of nonexistence? I love elephants and if I HAD to return to this pathetic planet again because of reincarnation, I would come back as an elephant.

Except if they are going to be extinct (thanks to our pathetic worthless species) then I suppose I'd have to make another choice. Maybe a hummingbird or a dolphin (dolphin and elephants are my favorite).

Or maybe a great white shark who could eat up mankind and make that species extinct :)

It is so very sad to look at these photos and think of their extinction. They are all such beautiful creatures. For more information read this great Time article at http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1888702_1863797,00.html or visit the world endangered species website

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Sorry! I haven't been posting

But for some reason blogger is not working correctly. Some of my photos are missing from previous blogs and I can't reload them. I've tried posting the issue on the boards but haven't had any help. I'll try something today but if anyone reading this can help me I would appreciate it.

Inspiring videos on youtube--these will brighten your life

The three videos below were in my very first blog entry....but I wanted to listen to them again.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq6b9bMBXpg



2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM


3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cbk980jV7Ao

My ongoing Quest for the perfect Carbonara--THE PERFECT MEAL

Spaghetti alla Carbonara: How to make a real CARBONARA

As I mentioned in a previous blog (http://markgsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/carbonara-sauce-my-favorite-italian.html), I love Carbonara Sauce. I've spent years searching for the perfect recipe. My favorite carbonara meal was at a restaurant in Rome. The reason I loved it so much was because it was prepared the way I prefer--NO cream. It was just eggs, pancetta, cheese, pepper. I found this video of an Italian chef making "real" carbonara and I think this may be the recipe I've been seeking for years. REAL, perfect, carbonara. Unfortunately you can't embed the video but have I put a hyperlink so that you can visit youtube and watch:

Click here to visit youtube to watch the video

Here's the recipe from the video, but you should really watch the video to see his technique. Particularly the frequent use water to "amalgamate"

http://www.italianfoodnet.com - ITALIAN CARBONARA, the real one!!!

Ingredients for 4 persons
360 gr. (12.69 oz.) Spaghetti
60 gr. (2.11 oz.) Guanciale (Pork cheek) if you don't find it use bacon
80 gr. (2.82 oz.) Parmesan cheese
80 gr. (2.82 oz.) Pecorino cheese
4 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Buon Appetito!!

The recipe is from the youtube site

Those Dubai dudes are really amazing--check out this BEAUTIFUL and TALL planned building

Not only do they have now the tallest building in the world (see my previous blogs about Burj Dubai here) and one of the most ambitiously growing skylines, but they're planning this amazing architectural landmark.

This building will truly advance architecture into a new realm. The planned 80-story building will have independent units on each floor that will constantly rotate. Each floor will rotate at varying speeds creating a constantly changing "dynamic" structure. Isn't this the coolest most beautiful concept.





What is even more revolutionary about this building is the way it will be constructed. Each unit will be constructed at a pre-fab factory which will reduce the amount of people needed to build this massive structure. Each unit will then be hoisted up to its proper floor, starting at the top and working down. So essentially it be a core tube in the center with detached individual units.

You'll be able to drive your car into the elevator, ride up to your home, park your car at your front door (let's say you have the penthouse on the 80th floor).

The Dynamic Tower will be the first 100% self-powered Green building with the ability to generate electricity for itself through the use of horizontal wind turbines and solar panels.

The architecture firm, Dynamic Architecture, talks about what living will be like in this constantly changing "sculpture":

"Luxury penthouse villas, at over 1,000 square meters (11,000 square feet), are completely custom-made to fulfill individual buyer's personal needs and wants and include all selected finishes from floor to ceiling, including bathrooms, kitchens, lighting and even furniture. The luxury Italian marble bathrooms are pre-assembled at the Leonardo da Vinci factory in Italy, part of the Dynamic Group, and include a sauna, Turkish bath, and are further enhanced by the pleasures of color and sound therapy.

Equipped with the latest in Smart Home technologies for seamless living, all Dynamic Villa residents have voice- and touch-activated control of their Villa's rotation speed and direction, plus control of entry, security, surveillance, climate, lighting, multi-media home entertainment, and even the temperature of their indoor swimming pool.

Villa residents are also able to drive immediately into a special elevator that safely transports their car to their floor to park directly at the entrance to their Villas, providing the luxury of convenience coupled with the necessity of security.

Presenting every resident with the brilliance of constantly changing views, effortless living powered by sophisticated electronic devices, and the extravagance of high-quality design details each Dynamic Tower throughout the world will be unique, becoming an iconic structure wherever it's built. Collectively, the Dynamic Towers will represent an era of a new architecture that will change the look of our cities and herald a new era of Dynamic Living. "

Another similar building, although not as tall :(, is planned for Moscow.

You can see more at http://www.dynamicarchitecture.net/home.html

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GREAT photo

TIME Picture of the Week August 4, 2009
NASA/Reuters

Ready for Lift Off
The space shuttle Discovery prepares to launch at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

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REGINA SPECTOR-- Samson -- a beautiful song

This is a remarkably poised young lady and haunting a song.

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COOL photos--strange curious architecture

I love architecture. When I was a kid I wanted to become an architect. That was before I flunked my way through algebra, etc.

Here are some really cool photos...you may not even think they are real. But they are REAL buildings

The Basket Building (Ohio, United States)
The Longaberger Basket Company building in Newark, Ohio might just be a strangest office building in the world. The 180,000-square-foot building, a replica of the company’s famous market basket, cost $30 million and took two years to complete. Many experts tried to persuade Dave Longaberger to alter his plans, but he wanted an exact replica of the real thing

Kansas City Public Library (Missouri, United States)
(this is my favorite!! books!!)

This project, located in the heart of Kansas City, represents one of the pioneer projects behind the revitalization of downtown.

The people of Kansas City were asked to help pick highly influential books that represent Kansas City. Those titles were included as ‘bookbindings’ in the innovative design of the parking garage exterior, to inspire people to utilize the downtown Central Library.

The Mushroom House aka Tree House (Cincinnati, Ohio, USA)



Modern Igloo (Alaska)

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To see more interesting and unusual structures, visit: http://villageofjoy.com/50-strange-buildings-of-the-world/

I just LOVE elephants--more cool photos

TIME Pictures of the Week: Wednesday, Jul 29, 2009

Boris Roessler/DPA/Landov

Just Your Average Day in the Park
A sunbather and an elephant enjoy the sunshine in Frankfurt, Germany.

http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1913801_1916774,00.html

(Remember you can click on photos to enlarge)

TIME Pictures of the Week: Tuesday, Aug 04, 2009
Caters News/Zuma Press

All Aboard
A doting mother swan takes her brood of six under her wing at Bicton Park
Botanical Gardens, in Devon, England.

http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1915076_1919057,00.html

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the goddess BARBARA COOK--the best cover of Janis Ian's heartbreaking & beautiful STARS

This is a very hard song to top. Janis Ian's song is a masterpiece. But somehow I think Barbara Cook bests Ian. Maybe it's Cook's own story that informs the song and imbues it with such power. Whatever the case this is another example of a brilliant cover song that just slightly bests the original. This singer is like Meryl Streep......she just never does anything less than perfect.

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INCUNABULA--beautiful word

in⋅cu⋅nab⋅u⋅la

[in-kyoo-nab-yuh-luh, ing-]

–plural noun, singular -lum

1. extant copies of books produced in the earliest stages (before 1501) of printing from movable type.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/INCUNABULA

Isn't that a great word! I was in Colorado Springs last week attending the Colorado Antiquarian Bookseller Seminar which is for booksellers, librarians, collectors. It was a most amazing experience. We were literally immersed for a week learning everything about books. If you're interested in the seminar visit their website at: CABS

Here's some examples of incunabula (see also my previous blog Poet & artist WILLIAM BLAKE-Colorado Springs-Thomas Jefferson and the Library of Congress-cool temperatures)\

click on images to enlarge

Cool photo--BURJ DUBAI--world's tallest building

Here's a cool photo of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world. See my previous posting on this at: http://markgsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/06/hello-gorgeous-burj-dubai-tallest.html.

I love tall buildings....the taller the better:)
This photo really gives you a sense of the height of this beautiful building

Click on the photo to enlarge to really see how dizzyingly high this gorgeous structure is.

This is my kind of tall! Is it not exquisite? Is there hope for our species?

Poet & artist WILLIAM BLAKE-Colorado Springs-Thomas Jefferson and the Library of Congress-cool temperatures

I've been in Colorado Springs all week attending the Colorado Antiquarian Bookseller Seminar. I arrived last Sunday and have absolutely relished the cooler weather. The temperature for me has been so perfect with slight cool breezes. We've even had two rainstorms. Eat your heart out Palm Desert (home)! I dread going back home to the inferno.

This conference has been absolutely the most amazing experience. It is a complete immersion into the world of books, not just bookselling. We have studied the history of printing. We even learned to fold and cut books, just as they were done in Guttenberg's time. We've covered bibliographic terms and collation formulas. (What the hell is a collation formula you say? Here's an example of one: 2°: π 1 a-b² A-2L² 2M1; 74 leaves. This is NOT a calculus formula but it is a formula which tells how a book was assembled when it was printed using a hand-press).

Sunday evening's Keynote Speech was perhaps one of the most electrifying and amazing moments in my life (I do mean this). The speaker was Mark Dimunation who is Chief of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of Library of Congress. It was such a revelation and a beautiful one at that. What I learned that night was that Thomas Jefferson was responsible for the Library of Congress' existence. He was a voracious book collector, in addition to all of his other genius qualities. Thomas Jefferson and his book passion burned quite bright, literally: in a strange series of fires that cursed his book collections. “The nucleus of the Library of Congress was forged in fire,” Mr. Dimunation said in his retelling of the Jefferson library story, a story that begins with a 1770 fire that burned Jefferson’s family home in Shadwell, Va., and consumed most of his first library consisting of some 200 volumes, including his law books and 40 books he had inherited from his father.

In the years after this fire, Jefferson went on a passionate global book buying quest. By 1789, when he returned home after living in Paris for several years, he had already doubled the size of the original collection which had been destroyed.

Fire again played a significant role in Jefferson's collection when in 1814 a fire destroyed the entire collection of the Library of Congress, an institution Jefferson was responsible for originating. The fire which burned at the US Capitol was set by the British.

Jefferson offered to sell his entire collection of books, which now comprised 6,487 volumes, to reestablish the nation's Library. Following a rancorous bi-partisan debate, Congress approved the purchase. (alas, some things will not ever change).

The interesting thing about the collection is that it wasn't a typical gentleman's book collection of the period. According to Mr. Dimunation, “He was not buying first editions, the best editions, or the best copies,” Dimunation said. “He wanted working texts, ordinary books for the 18th century. He was not building a gentleman’s library for show. He was building a scholar’s library to meet his needs as a philosopher, statesman, diplomat, scientist, planter, architect, musician and scholar.”

He read and collected, in their original languages, Greek and Latin classics, books of contemporary 18th-century European philosophers and thinkers who influenced his thoughts on the rights of man. Jefferson also bought and used books on politics, law and history, books on art, architecture and music, books and pamphlets on all branches of science. (from Library of Congress website, see reference at the bottom of this posting).

“He truly is the American enlightenment,” Dimunation said. “He embodied the philosophy of the entire 18th century. He believed concerted rational thought focused on a problem would produce a reasonable solution. He studied the classics in order to construct his understanding of democracy and the republic in very much the same way he would approach a problem with his crops or a scientific question.”

In a bizarre twist of fate fire once again became a part of Jefferson's history, when a fire at the US Capitol in 1851 burned almost two-thirds of the original Jefferson collection that was purchased by the government.

Mr. Dimunation and his staff have been on a quest to replace all of the original collection volumes that were burned. They have narrowed the missing volumes to just under 200. Which is quite remarkable.

When he finished his keynote speech, our speaker received a fervent round of applause. I wanted to scream "Encore! Bravo! Encore!" it was just such a remarkable story about books and the Library Congress and Thomas Jefferson. That fine institution will be my first stop when next I am in DC.

Okay, so what does this have to do with William Blake, the poet and the artist, you say?

Mark Dimunation, the keynote speaker, had attended our seminar here in Colorado Springs at the request of one of his staff, Dan DeSimone, who also is one of the faculty members for Colorado Antiquarian Bookseller Seminar. Mr. DeSimone is Curator of the Library of Congress' Rosenwald Collection. He also has been one of my favorite of the faculty members, perhaps because he has given some optional lectures at lunchtime which have been quite fascinating and fun and illuminating for me. The two that he's done so far featured topics from the Rosenwald Collection. Which brings me to William Blake. The Rosenwald Collection includes a number of books published by Blake. I cannot wait to read more about this amazing human. First of all Blake was considered a lunatic in his time and wasn't really appreciated by his peers. There is a Caravaggio-esque quality to his story that has me hooked (see my previous post on my Caravaggio fascination http://markgsmusings.blogspot.com/2009/07/lost-painting-fantastic-book-about.html).

Blake introduced what is known as "relief" printing or what is also sometimes known as "illumination" or "illuminated books." Which yet again is reminiscent of Carravagio: "illumination." Light. Here is one of the most exquisite pieces of art that I've ever beheld:

This is Blake's Ancient of Days. The "Ancient of Days is described in Chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel, which is in the Rosenwald Collection. I haven't had much time to learn much more, although I spent a couple of hours reading last night about Blake.

And that's how William Blake, cool temperatures, Colorado Springs, Thomas Jefferson and the Library of Congress all were in common this week.

The quotes from Mr. Dimunation above as well as the photo of the Library of Congress are from the following link at the Library of Congress website. It is an interesting story so read more about it at: http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/0806/jefferson.html.

About The Rosenwald Collection: "The Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection stands out among the distinguished resources of the Rare Book and Special Collections Division. Taking the illustrated book as its central theme and containing books from the last six centuries and manuscripts from the three preceding, the collection's greatest strengths are in the fifteenth century woodcut books, early sixteenth-century illustrated books, William Blake, and twentieth-century livres des peintres. Within this grand design the late Mr. Rosenwald sought books produced by the earliest printers and outstanding presses of later periods, and books on the following subjects: science, calligraphy, botany, and chess. The catalog describing the collection published in 1978 contains 2,653 entries, many for books represented by more than one copy."
(http://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/coll/211.html )

To see more of Blake's amazing artwork visit: http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/.




Have a wonderful cool day. I will!