Tag: Art

Friday Bullets For The Golden Age Of Orange

It was 1:22 am when the game ended. I only made it to about four overtimes listening on UConn’s radio AM 1080 out of Hartford but Syracuse won. So that was good. I thought I was staying up late to watch Cramer on John Stewart but that was a fold. I kept waiting for Cramer to say “but you don’t exactly treat your subject matter with full seriousness.” Nada. He rolled over and asked to have his tummy rubbed.

  • Dalek For Sale Update: “once. i. built. an. evil. em. pire. made. it. run. made. it. run. against. time…“
  • “Why Doesn’t The PM Understand?” Update: Apparently PM Harper takes the wrong road and blames consumers for the economic collapse…but then refuses to confirm that is what the secret speech was all about. Not the finance industry and certainly not economists. Average people. Nice.
  • I love this photo. It’s like Zep cross the space time continuum and left messages in the Italian sky of 1527.
  • Speaking of Cramer and who is to blame, I think these people are to blame. Blame the eggheads.
  • For all the gloating about new media, note how many papers are in trouble because of debt. And often debt that was incurred by non-news-people taking on newspapers. Blame convergence as much as anything.
  • Nice to see Joe grew up. But is this the biggest loser of a guy taking a “personal day” ever?
  • All of Charlie Brown is now online. Rejoice.

Gotta run. Up way too late.

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One Man Burning Man Crime Wave!

So at Burning Man it is a crime to…burn the man. You know the free collective spirit of the communal community (that is and then is not – like the wind) can’t work without a schedule, people! Not to mention the need to do what you are told by the leadership. This is up there with that Ayn Rand Society or organization or whatever.

And always a nice touch when libertarians and anarchists call in the cops.

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London’s Logo For The 2012 Olympics

So if that is the logo of the 2012 Olympics, what will the slogan be: “London 2012 – Bljezjef Braznats!!!” ???

That has to be the stupidest thing I have ever seen. And here is what some twits associated with the choice say:

“The new emblem is dynamic, modern and flexible, reflecting a brand-savvy world where people, especially young people, no longer relate to static logos but respond to a dynamic brand that works with new technology and across traditional and new media networks,” London 2012 organizers said in a statement. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge described the logo as “truly innovative.”

When the hell did I loose the ability to relate to a static logo? And what the hell is a static logo anyway? You want a real Olympic logo? Look at that Moscow 1980 logo, lighting up the twilight sky like the ICBM packing the warhead that was going to destroy your hometown! Now that was a frikkin’ Olympic logo. Look at Barcelona 1992, the greatest Olympics ever by all accounts. What a logo! Abstract but not something that looks like it would please someone in a home for the criminally insane. Not something that looks like it broke, fell down the stairs and someone kicked it. Not like something that you know depends on string to stay together. What does London 2012’s logo say? “Come to London – we are nuts!” “Come to London – we know the value of nothing!” Crazy people are in charge:

“It’s vital that we reach out to those young people in a language that they understand and in technology that’s familiar to them,” London organizing chief Sebastian Coe said. “This brand is absolutely the world they live in.”

For the first time in my life, then, I can honestly say that if that is what the young understand they are nuts, too. In fact, I would be glum now if I were young knowing that this is what their baby boomer parents in charge of things think of them. That is awful. Way to go. The most God awful thing I have ever seen. Makes me embarrassed for the colour red.

One Hitter

It was a pitchers’ duel last night between the Sox and the Mariners. Dice K was really good but Seattle’s Felix Hernandez was an entire class better. It was quite the thing to see screw ball action pitches in the top of an inning being followed by 99 mile an hour fastballs in the bottom. Hernandez’s calm no-hitter was broken in the eighth. He’s had only four hits against him this year and at 21 may be the real phenomenon of the next couple of decades.

Matt Campbell’s photo above (European Pressphoto Agency) was in The New York Times this morning and continues the paper’s dedication to great baseball photography. The interesting thing for me is how it captures how the green of Fenway acts as sympathetically to highlight the colour of the grass and the red dirt. A classic shot, given the location of the ball and Ichiro’s foot.

Friday Bullet Point Chat…No “-a-ramas” Or Nuttin’

How many ways can you write the same thing week after week before there is any coffee on the desk in front of you?

  • It’s the Kingston Brew Pub’s Wellie Toss tomorrow afternoon at 2 pm. We are talking the kids as this is the closest thing we have to a good cheese roll around here. Wellie Boot Hurling seems to be a legitimate Highland Games activity so maybe I will have a wee nippy sweetie while we are at it. Definitely a KSPC sanctioned event.
  • The Flea and others point out the decision to raise the right flag at the 90th anniversary of Vimy Ridge this summer. I added my two cents to remind that Newfoundland had its own flag of its own Dominion and that should be added, too. I even let my mole know. I have a mole again now. A mole with ambition as well.
  • Besides that good move, it was a tough week but was it as tough as the Prime Minister’s? He showed his dopey mean side, practically offering the nation the wisdom of the person who asks the question “are you still hitting the bottle?” while politicizing the troops in Afghanistan for his own purposes. Nice. He may have guaranteed the separatists win in Quebec. Brilliant. He seems to be cooking the books of the electoral reform review. Perfect. Oh yes, and the transparent intention budget leading to the fastest Federal-Provincial tax break transfer in history. I will be so happy to think of that and the other “special interest placation through tax break” aspects the NuGov National Vision as I prepare my own taxes this year.
  • Best Blue Jay’s slag of the week:

    Who else is ready for another season of Jamie Campbell starting his home run call for pop-ups that get caught by the shortstop?

    Days to go now.

  • Rita Joe passed away, too. One of the good things about growing up in Nova Scotia with a cohesive people like the Mi’kmaq in the community, with neat aspects like creation stories mentioning things you take school bus trips to see like Glooscap’s canoe, is you hear about people like Rita Joe when you are a kid and you get fed some respect. Not really enough but some.

That is it for now. Thanks for all the kind thoughts about the Frobster.

And Now A Word From Our Potter

I am quite pleased to have the only blog with its own Potter Laureate, Gary Rith. [Ed.: click that link for a picture of a tea pot.] Recently there has been some interested talk in knowing more about his work. So Gary sent along this:

Alan says I should really have everything together before posting an ad at gen x. Well, he has a point. I am never really all that together, but let’s put it this way: you people are the test cases.

OK, so there is a little interest in my work, maybe some shoppers here, maybe just a preview of an open studio sale? There are pictures sent seperately, all look a little bluish for some reason, but are pretty good. I have to look at my Paypal acct. to remember how that works. So, although I make a lot of stuff, this is the standard list. Ask about teapots, pitchers, vases, plain items without animals:

Glazes: lemon, grape, super celedon, turtle celedon, speckly celedon, strawberry, baby blue, slate blue, blue jeans, green beans.

Glaze combos: yellow w/ a little green and blue accenting;blue jeans 1/2 and 1/2 with any celedon;
grape, speckly celedon or baby blue with green and blue swirls.

Prices:

  • Small sitting piggy bank $20 US postpaid
  • Mugs: Large, postpaid $22 US dollars

    1) straight sided with swirly spiral cuts: animal on bottom or handle
    2) fancy foot with textured sides, animal only on handle

  • Steins (enormous!) $26 US postpaid
    -animal on handle above or below

  • Bowls:

    med. cereal/ice cream/salad size $22 US postpaid
    -med. large serving $32 postpaid
    -large $36 postpaid
    all with one animal on edge, add another for 3 more bucks (like 3 piggies or a pig on one side, cow on the other

Animals available: piggy, cow, elephant, bunny, frog, dog (beagle mutt), dog (Spike), dog (springer spaniel), dog (black lab) cat, fish, turtle, rhino, hippo, (human )baby or clown

Everything is cute, microwaveable, dishwasher safe, LEAD FREE non-toxic glaze and guarenteed to arrive in good shape or replaced. You are welcome to submit an order subject to viewing, and I will make it if I don’t have one, picture it, and you can say yes or no. I also reserve the right to make suggestions: for example, no blue elephants on a blue mug.

Lastly, I would need your address, and if they have to, prices subject to change.

So there you go. We are going to likely set up a page for Gary’s works after I get back from special assignment. I get nothing out of the deal. All money goes to Gary and he spends it on chips and soda pop. Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

News From Gary

It was pot-a-cide apparently. Gary sent me an email with the sad story from the potter’s perspective.

I got a call from the Wolfeboro, NH League gallery. A drunken teenager, his 2 friends, and his father’s NEW 32,000 pickup truck drove through the front of the gallery! And guess whose work was prominently featured in the nice big window at the front of the store??????????? Yes, Gary’s! My whole stock, worth hundreds, except four tough little mugs, and items from one other person’s stock, pulverized. Just us 2, out of the many artists there (isn’t it nice to be a featured artist in the window?) The little cretin was caught and charged with a variety of offenses, the store hopes to reopen this weekend. As for me, I will receive payment for the ruined work….nice way to sell a few pieces, yes? And the front page article with photos, good advertising for the store.

Crimes against art in New Hampshire. Who knew?

Shakespeare Image

Seeing as I am up now, I might as well take a swing at those who say this picture is not Shakespeare – because you know I know plenty about this stuff. You know I do. Auntie Beeb reports:

Dr Tarnya Cooper, 16th Century curator at the National Portrait Gallery, said: “We believe that Shakespeare left Stratford-upon-Avon following the birth of twins in 1585. One possibility is that he joined a travelling theatre troupe and it is very unlikely that in 1588, Shakespeare would have been able to afford a costume of this type.” She said the painting has not been looked at in a systematic way before. “But the painting has fuelled the kind of Shakespeare in Love theories of the 21st Century, of a beautiful young man with a sensitive and passionate face, of a character with an incredible emotional range,” she said.

Because you know actors never use costumes and painters always paint the financial truth about their subjects. Look – I know there are a lot of 16th century textile experts among you so I don’t want to cause a flame war over this. I’m just saying.