Here's a pic from my last trip down there a couple of years ago. This is Hollywood Boulevard looking west from Las Palmas Ave. If you click on the image to enlarge, you'll be able to make out some stars embedded in the sidewalk (though not well enough to read the names). I'm looking forward to having some free time away from the archive to stroll these streets again. Here's another place I hope to also visit, the Santa Monica Pier (mainly I'd like to see someone surfing as I've never seen that in person):
With any luck (and it looks like my schedule will allow this) I may also be able to catch an Angels game in Anaheim and add another stadium to the list of those I've visited (unfortunately, the Dodgers are out of town that week). I also need to restock my file of favorite paintings, so the Getty Center and Los Angeles Museum of Art are also on the agenda. If you have other suggestions for things I ought to check out (or things you'd like to see a picture of here at the Journal), let me know in comments and I'll do my best to accommodate you (maybe even including some favorite celebrity's star on the Walk of Fame, though I'm not sure how patient I'll be in hunting up specific names-- there's a lot of those suckers!).
Joan Miro, Self Portrait 1937-38
"Freedom is an indivisible word. If we want
"Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest 
This seems pretty reasonable, again given the various visual clues, but I'm still troubled by a couple of points. One is that in the narrative flow of certain episodes, one is given to understand that the broadcast studio is somehow adjacent to the door in the bullpen that, in this rendering, is around at least two corners. Also, the closet is a fabrication-- I have no way of knowing it exists, but without it, I'm left with a major void either in that spot or where I have the storeroom located. Another point: an additional wall of the building is visible out the bullpen window, and I can't account for it in any satisfactory way. I know, I know, it's just a TV show, but when I'm on my morning ride (on the stationary bike), I need something to occupy my mind, and at least for a little while longer, this is it. If you have any advice or ideas I should consider, please pass them along.
"A creative work of art is, by its very novelty,
Yesterday I wrote a post about visiting the Idaho Falls History Museum where they had a traveling exhibit of artifacts from teh Titanic. I wanted to mention that one of the elements that made it really interesting, and in a weird way personalized the effect of the tragedy, was that every ticket came a long with a card identifying one specific passenger from the original voyage. Here's a copy of the card I received:
As I walked through the exhibit, I could kind of wonder how much of what I was seeing was originally experienced by Colonel Weir. Just before exiting the exhibit, they had a series of large posters listing both the survivors and those who didn't make it, broken down by their class of ticket. On a quick glance, I didn't see Colonel Weir among those who died, and started to feel kind of glad; but then I couldn't find him on the survivor's list either. Looking back at the first list, I spotted his name and it gave me a little shiver. I wonder how many people awaiting word of loved ones on the ship had some kind of similar momentary false hope, and it really brought home the impact of something like this among family and friends. I guess I'll always feel a little bad that Colonel Weir was among those lost; and all of a sudden some historically distant event was brought into much sharper focus, and on a human scale that's too often missed when we look at big events of the past. Just one of the reasons to applaud the curators of this exhibit.
"Much of our failure to understand human nature
You often hear people complaining about musical performers whose last hit was twenty, thirty, forty or more years earlier, clutching to past glories as they try to ring a few more bucks out of yet another tour. The Rolling Stones are often mentioned in this context-- a band that had real relevance in the 1960s and '70's, but who, for many, now seem a mere parody of their earlier selves. My response to that charge is, who are we (or anyone besides the artists themselves) to say that they should not make a living at something they do well, and that other people want to pay to see? They are, after all, professional musicians, so why-- because of some arbitrary verdict that they are no longer "hip"-- should anyone mind if they continue to go about their business to the best of their ability? Sure, it's a little sad sometimes when a great band is reduced to a single original member (and often not a seemingly critical member) touring with a bunch of youngsters that had no connection to the group in its glory years. But that hardly means they are incapable of entertaining a crowd, even if said crowd doesn't match the dimensions of those drawn in the band's heyday.
Albert Bierstadt, Sunrise, Yosemite Valley, n.d
While in Idaho Falls yesterday, I also went to the local historical museum, which had a special exhibit on artifacts from the Titanic (which will make my nephew Ben very envious, I bet!). It's a traveling show, so if it comes to a spot near you, be sure to check it out. It includes a lot of displays of items that have been retrieved from the wreck at the bottom of the ocean, and it's remarkable both for what remained intact in some cases, and in others the effects of sitting at the bottom of the ocean for 90+ years (in part from the long interaction with salt water and various microorganisms, but also from the incredible pressure at that depth). There were also recreations of some of the staterooms, which looked incredible elegant, and massive photographs of many of the other features of the ship, which really conveyed the sense of size and opulence that of course contribute to the reason why the story continues to interest us. It was a good show, made all the better by stumbling across it unexpectedly when I had some time to enjoy it (the same show was in Las Vegas when I was there last month, but I didn't find out until we were about to leave). There's another point I want to make about the exhibit, but I'll hold off until I get the chance to scan a couple more items I want to make reference to-- so look for a sequel to this post tomorrow or the next day.
With a day off and sunny skies, I decided to take a little ride yesterday and drove down to Idaho Falls, about two hours south of Dillon. If you're as familiar with Niagara Falls as I am, you may be inclined to dismiss the Idaho version as little more than some rapids (see above), but nevermind. I had a really good time-- did some shopping, saw a movie, went to a museum, and even spent a little time sitting by the Snake River and reading for awhile. I like Idaho Falls, mainly because it seems like kind of a throw-back place, but not so far back as places like Bozeman or Butte (which celebrate their frontier and early industrial roots, respectively). Idaho Falls instead seems firmly rooted in the 1950s/60s, at least in terms of the dominant architectural styles for both commercial buildings (lots of modernistic touches attached to functional spaces) and in the residential neighborhoods (dominated by suburban ranch style houses). One of the places that I find endlessly fascinating, because it seems so resonant of that period when I was a kid, is the KIDK Broadcast Park, which is a fifties era TV station plopped down in the middle of a bunch of baseball diamonds. I can practically picture the advertisement for the station that must've appeared in Broadcasting magazine fifty years ago (I did a lot of my dissertation research in that periodical, and it reflected a particular design style I'll always associate with that era). Anyway, I didn't get a picture of the Broadcast Park, but hereis another of the falls:
While there, I also lucked into a treasure trove of used classic DVDs (mostly James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson flicks from the 1930s, but also a Criterion Edition of Luchiano Visconti's The Leopard and Lindsay Anderson's O Happy Man-- for about four bucks apiece) so it looks like I'm set for any free time that pops up over the coming weeks.
"When a true genius appears in this world
"Every law which originated in ignorance and 
I finally got through the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati on DVD, and I'm still working on how the various rooms in the station fit together. I'm starting to think the Flem (Phlem?) Building was some kind of futuristic sci-fi edifice, as the placement of windows that we see on-screen suggest a kind of omni-dimensional layout that my 20th century brain (yes, 20th century) can't seem to wrap itself around. But I will post what I have in a day or two, just in case you were waiting.
Okay, here's another picture from the summer of 2006, of Ben and Nicky at the Niagara River, looking at who knows what (and that's not the question). What I want to know is, what flavor of ice cream cone did each of the two order when we crossed the street over to Mississippi Mudd's for a snack later that afternoon? Put your guesses in the comments section.
This picture of Maria has been doctored slightly (can you tell how?).
Here's one from the Niagara Falls Air Force base, when Nick was heading overseas for a stint in Qatar (That was the place, wasn't it Nick?).
Finally, little Nicky enjoying a beach-ball sprinkler. They didn't have those when I was a kid!
First up is a picture of Ben and Thomas and an example of their engineering skills (or anyway, the beginning of something demonstrating those skills).
Next up is Gerik on a tiny bike-- good training for a career in the circus, right?
And last, Natalie, Joseph and Sara. I don't know what to make of Joseph's moves here, except to say they don't seem to be impressing the girls.
"Political language-- and with variations this is 
Cliff Sterrett's Polly and Her Pals is probably second only to George Herriman's Krazy Kat in using the comic strip form to create great modern art. The simplicity of the design and unspoken but forceful narrative of the example above demonstrates how creative a soul Sterrett was, and to think he turned out stuff like this on a daily basis for some forty odd years (okay, maybe not every individual strip was a masterpiece, but his batting average was pretty high). The key cahracter is not, as you might think Polly (herself a kind of pedestrian flapper/career girl common to strips with their roots in the 1920s), but rather her put-upon Paw, whose constant travails in dealing with an exasperatingly complex (or in some cases, exasperatingly simplistic) world inevitably led to the kind of explosive outburst that only made the situation worse.
Sterrett's genius was only partly in his characterizations and story-telling. He was also a master draftsman, whose images suggest a foundation for the more modernistic style adopted by comic strips and cartoons after World War II. But his impulse was not economic (as was true later, as strips shrunk in size, and cartoons became more expensice to produce); rather it appears to be a real affinity with the surrealistic movement unfolding in "serious" art circles at the time he was working. It's not too much of a stretch to see elements of Dali or Miro in Sterrett's panel compositions and layouts, and his flare for bringing inanimate items to life on the static page is every bit as striking as those inhabiting the canvases of the aforementioned artists. Check out the stairs, for example, in this strip (click on the image to blow it up):
I don't believe there's ever been a comprehensive collection of Sterrett's work available (as there are for such contemporaries as Herriman, Winsor McCay and E.C. Segar), which is a shame. Let's hope that someone rectifies that situation in the near future.
Peter Blume, The Eternal City 1934-1937
"So very difficult a matter is it to trace and find out the 
I imagine anyone who knows Helen understands the heading above. I thought I'd post this picture because it seems to me it was taken when Helen was about the same age that Emma is now. Since I haven't seen Emma (or Helen) for a few months, I was hoping that some of you might be willing to comment on any resemblance you might note between the two sisters at a similar age. Feel free to fill up the comments section with your observations.
"Deny human rights, and however little you may
"There is nothing more subject to rapid change 
"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital.
Here you can see, first of all, the crowds wandering through the place (which was also true on my subsequent visit), but more to the point, the incredible ceiling. The Sistine Chapel (where no photos were allowed) is the famous place for ceiling art, but it appears throughout the halls and galleries of the Vatican Museum.
Here's a slightly more visible view of one of those ceilings.
And here's even more of a closeup on one corner. This is one of those museums that wears you out, in that there is ultimately more to see than you can properly process without feeling a sense of overload. That's not a criticism, just an implicit suggestion to take your time and not feel that you need to absorb everything if you should visit.
This one has nothing to do with the Vatican. In a comment to a previous post, mention was made of a "Dancing John" picture. This is the one I think was referred to, but maybe not (it wasn't taken in Pompei). If there's another one extant, and anyone reading this has a copy, I hope they'll send it to me (since the original comment sparked several demands to see it).
Charles Burchfield, Rainy Night 1929-1930
"I give culture this meaning: exercise of 
"...the paradox is the source of the thinker's
That of course is Natalie, star of last week's quiz as well (but I'm in a hurry and this picture is handy, so that's just the way it is). The question is, what is the name of the restaurant where this picture was taken? Bonus points if you can say where the restaurant is located. Leave your answers in the comments section.
This shot of Nick is one of my favorites, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't take it. Does anyone know who the shutterbug was? Oh, and check out Emma's elbow-- that little girl sure has cute elbows ;-)
Here's one of Ben hiding behind a lacy leaf. Not much cover there, fella! And if you look real close, you can see Emma's legs dangling in front of her Mom in the background. Which prompts my obligatory, bi-weekly query-- is Emma walking yet?
Today it's the Hollywood edition of Friday Family Blogging, at least figuratively speaking. This wasn't actually taken in Hollywood; I think it was taken in East Aurora (and believe me, no one would ever mistake the two), in the parking lot behind Vidler's 5 & 10. I don't think I've posted this before (I never realized I'd be doing this long enough to forget something like that), but even if I did, it's definitely worthy of a second look.
"In every child who is born, under no matter what
"All wars are civil wars, because all men are 
"Every new truth which has ever been propounded has,
"Reading furnishes the mind with 
George Caleb Bingham, Fur Traders Descending the Missouri, 1845
"Security is mostly a superstition.
Say wasn't I a dapper youngster? This is me from my snap-brim, ring-a-ding-ding days (along with Sally and Liz in their white gloves phase). You know, when you're wearing a red, crested jacket like this one, you feel like you've got the world on a string. So, does anyone need any insurance, or maybe some aluminum siding?
"The function of the human, rational soul is the 
The first I thought I'd mention is Fever Pitch by Nick Hornby (which I didn't assign, but thinking back, wish I had). It's a wonderful memoir of Hornby's growing up a fan of the Arsenal football club in London (that's football in the European sense, i.e. soccer). He paints a vivid portrait of the ups and downs of fandom, and you'll never read a better description of the elation that comes when your team finally, after years of frustration, breaks through with a championship win. If this were only about sports, it wouldn't really be all that special, but Hornby's genius (also evident in his more famous novels) is to capture the complex road to maturity traversed by contemporary males for whom popular culture-- including sports-- defines a pretty narrow road map for the journey. Hornby is enough of an intellectual to see through the illusions, even as he finds himself often wallowing in them, finding their often banal but occasionally transcendent familiarity reassuring in the face of the more sinister elements of real life (that is, relationships, parenthood, the working life, etc.). There have been a couple of halfway decent movies made based on the book (the Hollywood version translating the football setting to Fenway Park and the Red Sox), but they lack the book's depth and a lot of its humor. Do yourself a favor, and seek out the original. You won't be sorry.
"Freethinkers are those willing to use their minds
Here's another "where was it taken" deal. What is the setting for this sweet mother and daughter tableau? As always, put your guesses in the comments section. Maybe this time it'll take more than one or two guesses.
Roy Lichtenstein, Okay Hotshot 1963
It's dinner time at the children's table. Who among us was never exiled to the folding table set up in the family or living room while the adults consumed their Thanksgiving/Christmas/[insert other holiday here] repast in the comparative luxury of the dining room? Yet, it doesn't seem to have dampened this crew's bonhomie.
What say we start off with a picture of Nick and Raechelle. Evidently, they were just back from the Renaissance Fair; Raechelle resembles the children I saw in 16th century paintings in Florence!
"There seems to be but three ways for a nation to
The problem is, I know this can't be right. Windows are one of the prime features I use to orient the different rooms to one another, and although this is close, it does not, for example, accommodate the window clearly seen in shots of Andy's office (which in this configuration would look into the bullpen). Also, in the window looking out of the bullpen, we clearly see another side of the building, suggesting it sits inside an L-shaped wing, which seems impossible in relation to this layout when one considers there is an open sky outside the window of the broadcast studio. Another anomaly: there's a sign in the hallway of the left doorway in the reception area with an arrow pointing to the left labeled "Studio;" but if that is accurate, then it implies the studio is behind Carlson's office , which we know can't be right from the episode in which Les climbs out on the ledge threatening to commit suicide.
Franz Kline, New York, NY 1953
"Civilization, a much abused word, stands for a high 
There continues to be considerable debate about exactly what role the federal government should play with respect to the current economic crisis. The details of all that is going on is frankly far outside my area of expertise, but I thought I would mention one historical point that may provide some context for at least one part of the discussion, relating to the government rescue of faltering companies in the form of bailout funds. Way back in the earliest days of the Republic, shortly after the Revolutionary War and even more shortly after the ratification of the Constitution, the first Secretary of the Treasury was a guy named Alexander Hamilton (who you may recognize as the face on the ten dollar bill). Hamilton was convinced that the viability of the new nation hinged on establishing a stable economic base, and proposed a number of policies to bring that about. One of the most controversial, but ultimately hugely successful, policies was the federal assumption of state debts. Over the course of time from the start of the revolution through the early stages of the Washington administration, individual states had racked up considerable debts to fund the war effort and to establish themselves in independence (at a time when the concept of the "united" states was much more loosely understood). The idea of paying off someone else's debts (which ended up costing about $21 million), didn't sit too well with all members of Congress, but eventually a compromise was reached and Hamilton got his way. By insuring that all those old debts would be honored and paid, Hamilton's plan went a long way towards putting the country onto firm financial footing during a critical period when it's long-term existence remained very much a question.
Let's see if I can slip one by you all. That's Pilgrim of course with the big grin; who's the liitle kid giving out pointers?
"In a democracy dissent is an act of faith....
Possibly the greatest comic book of all time was The Spirit, created by Will Eisner. It was unique in a lot of ways, including the fact that it originally appeared as a supplement in Sunday newspapers and not on a spinner rack in the corner store. But much more than its singular system of distribution, it was quite possibly the most imaginatively drawn strip from the Golden Age (the 1940s), very cinematic in its layout and story-telling. The Spirit was no superhero, though he wore a mask and fought crime; his adventures took him all over the globe and even once into space (during the sci-fi craze of the fifties). What really strikes me about those stories is how funny they could be in parodying certain conventions of the crime-fighting genre-- oh yeah, and Eisner also drew these really exotic and beautiful femmes fatale. I first discovered the character in Jules Feiffer's wonderful collection The Great Comic Book Heroes, but really got a chance to relish Eisner's creation when the old stories were collected in a series published by Warren in the 1970s. Over at this web-site, you can find full versions of a couple of stories that were reprinted in the first Warren issue. Enjoy.
I'm getting ready to teach a class on Africa and the Middle East next block, and thought I'd pass along a suggestion for any of you are interested in gaining a little better insight about Islamic culture. Naguib Mahfouz is an Egyptian novelist whose works have often been included in my course reading list (though not this time as I'm trying something a little different). The one that has generally been best received by students is pictured above. It's a picaresque account of the title character's travels through several different societies, each a slightly-veiled version of some recognizably real place, where Qindil Ibn Fattouma ("son of Fattouma") has his core beliefs and expectations (religious and otherwise) challenged by the prevailing customs. The story unfolds as a fable, but is rich in human drama and, I think, offers a western reader ample opportunity to empathize with a perspective that is definitely Muslim, but more to the point, eminently human. That's not an opportunity that's all that common in American media and popular culture these days, despite the obvious need for that level of understanding, given our country's heavy involvement in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a great book, and I bet you can find a copy at your local library.
"The remedy in the United States is not less liberty 
"The less men reason, the more wicked they are.
George Bellows, Stag at Sharkeys 1909
I don't know if you recognize the portly individual above, but that is President William Howard taft tossing out the first ball to launch the 1910 baseball season (on the other end of the throw was future hall of famer Walter Johnson).
What does this have to do with the last movie I saw? The film was Adventureland, directed by Greg Mottola and starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Martin Starr (the first two seen in the picture above). It's an example of the "coming-of-age" genre, which is why it made me think of Huck Finn (perhaps the quintessential American coming-of-age story), though the two have virtually nothing in common beyond their mutual residence in that broad category. I should mention that I found Adventureland fairly entertaining, even pretty good, not too cutesy with fine performances, plenty of nice comic touches, and a soundtrack riddled with classic Replacements and Lou Reed. Plus, I have to admit a mild fascination with low-budget amusement parks and carny shows, which is the summer-job setting of the film; and, I can also identify with the main characters desire to move to New York City, which is what I did right out of college. So, the following comments, though sparked by the film, are not intended as an argument against seeing it.
"He that never compares his notions with those of 
As you all know, a lot of traditional print media are struggling to remain viable in these tough times, and only some of their problems are related to the overall economic climate. I never bought a copy of Blender, but it's recent shut-down is just another in a long line of music-oriented magazines folding, including just in the past year or so No Depression (which I bought regularly), Harp, and ICE (each of which I read occasionally). I'm probably forgetting some (and this isn't even to mention that Rolling Stone has shrunk in size, and Magnet has reduced its frequency of publication). I know that virtually all of the same material found in the pages of these magazines can be found somewhere on teh Web, but to me surfing isn't anywhere near as satisfying as scoping out a well-stocked magazine rack to see what you want to read next. The real tragedy of Blender's demise is that it was where Robert Christgau (perhaps the pre-eminent rock critic of all-time) when he was booted by the Village Voice a couple years ago. Even though I never bought a copy of Blender (it seemed too focused on celebrity and mainstream pop), I was not above perusing its review section to find the Christgau pieces; but then maybe that's just evidence that I too want my info for free (though that never stopped me from buying No Depression, for example, which had a lot more than a single writer to keep me coming back). It's still sad to see the ranks further thinned, but as long as Mojo and The Big Takeover are still around, I ought to be able to get my regular fix of good writing on pop music 
"The fact is that liberty, in any true sense, is a concept
Okay, hotshots, I'm sure many of you recognize the four little munchkins pictured above (for those who don't, they are Sara, Thomas, Joseph & Maria Banning). The question for you to consider: What is the name of the comic book being read (or at least held) by Sara at the far left? And, for bonus points: how is the greeting at the start of this post related to the first question (and also to one of my posts from yesterday)? Put your guesses in the comments section.
Here's one of Helen showing off her early propensity for walking in other people's shoes. Let's hope that's an "ability" she retains as she grows older, in the figurative sense):
This next picture was taken shortly after Nicky's graduation from pre-school, which inspired him to "rock out" even if it was only an inflatable guitar:
And lastly, here's one of Emma and Dan. I'm not sure why Emma looks so surprised; I was poking my camera in her face pretty regularly at this point ;-)
By the way Theresa (or anyone else who wants to answer), I haven't asked this in a couple of weeks, so, is Emma walking yet?
Next is another from those taken on a cross-country jaunt a few years back with Sally (and partly) with Nick. This is from our stopover at the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington:
Here's one of Theresa holding a baby (anyone recognize the baby? It isn't Emma, though there's a bit of a resemblance):
I hope you have a great day Theresa, and I wish I could be there to help you celebrate!
"Impartiality is either a delusion of the 
Ben Shahn, Handball 1939
"The effectiveness of political and religious propaganda
I like these geography quizzes, because I get to show off some of the places I've visited across this great country of ours. So, anyone want to take a guess at where the above image was snapped? One hint: it was taken in 2006. Leave your guesses in the comments.
"The principle effect of the power of custom is to seize
