New Year Coming

United States Calendar for year 2013  .  Weather around the World  .  When year 2013 starts around the world  .  Facts and trivia  

Let go of what is no longer needed. Manifest what is to come…Bud Ruff 

Driving up 154 yesterday Patti Gutshall saw some Figueroa Mountain snow.

La Cumbre Peak Snow Jack Elliott 

Thoughts on the Eve of a New Year

Timothy Henry Gray, a homeless long-lost relative of the reclusive and eccentric heiress Huguette Clark, was found dead under a Union Pacific Railroad overpass in Wyoming.  He stood to inherit $19 million of her $300 million fortune.

Fiscal cliff deadline looms as talks on a deal continue – live updates 

 No agreement between White House and Republicans
 Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell in early morning talks
Latest deal to raise taxes on incomes over $450,000
Harry Reid: 'We really are running out of time
TIME IS ON OUR SIDE?
Free child, time is on our side
Free child, where's the freedom we will ride
As time child, runs to make a stand
Time child, cos destiny is in my hand

The door was open I was seething
Your mother burst in it was freezing
She said it looks like it's trying to rain

Father Time

“There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.'
No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster.” ― Dalai Lama XIV
 Time to drink champagne and dance on the table....

Don't forget your Black Eyed Peas!

G.A. Smith's 'Santa Claus' 1898

Made in 1898, G.A. Smith's 'Santa Claus' is a film of considerable technical ambition and accomplishment for its period. It uses pioneering visual effects in its depiction of a visit from St. Nicholas.
A former magic lanternist and hypnotist, Smith was one of the first British film-makers to make extensive use of special effects to create fantastical scenes. It comes as little surprise that Smith corresponded with the French pioneer Georges Méliès at about this time, as the two men shared a common goal in terms of creating an authentic cinema of illusion.

At last! A real film! George Albert Smith’s “Santa Claus” is the most magical, creative short yet.

George Albert Smith  (1864–1959)

Short video clips

Dave Brubeck Legendary Jazz Pianist and Composer RIP

Dave Brubeck    Who Helped Put Jazz Back in Vogue, Dies at 91

DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET - Take Five

Official site for the jazz pianist and composer. 

Offers complete biography, itinerary, news, gallery, and streaming audio.

Dave Brubeck, a jazz musician who attained pop-star acclaim with recordings such as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo a la Turk," died Wednesday morning at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., said his longtime manager-producer-conductor Russell Gloyd.
Brubeck was one day short of his 92nd birthday. He died of heart failure, en route to "a regular treatment with his cardiologist,” said Gloyd.

"Born out of a post-adolescent loathing and hatred of all things disco, I discovered an album at my local record store that I still have to this day: "Adventures in Time," a sort-of greatest hits two-record album with the Dave Brubeck Quartet that absolutely floored me when I listened to it. And listen to it I did, over and over again. Thanks to Maestro Brubeck and the amazing music he wrote, I discovered his amazing saxophonist, Paul Desmond, and subsequently Stan Getz, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass, Duke Ellington (one of America's greatest composers, by the way), Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, and the rest of the pantheon of jazz gods that I've come to love as much as my beloved classical music.

Thanks, Dave, for lighting the fire in me. Godspeed and may you rest in peace."  By George Moneo

The seminal album "Time Out," released by the quartet in 1959, was the first ever million-selling jazz LP, and is still among the best-selling jazz albums of all time.

Kennedy Center honoree Dave Brubeck stands for the National Anthem at the Kennedy Center Honors gala in Washington in 2009.

Ambassador of jazz.

Les Misérables

Les Misérables

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France, in which a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean seeks redemption.

Thanksgiving

Bill Smith (nice guy!) has answered thusly:
Thank you for your email. Yes- I know the details of that picture. It was taken Thanksgiving morning 1962 in NYC on West 77th Street. The year of the debut of the Donald Duck balloon. It was a cold, rainy "duck day".
He is netted, kept secure by sandbags awaiting his handlers to report. The other balloons that year included The Woman On The Flying Trapeeze, Happy Dragon, Popeye and Bullwinkle Moose.
Glad you enjoyed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade book by Robert M. Grippo. Watch in February for another new book about Macys 150th illustrated store history by Grippo. He promises yet more parade images and facts will be included.
I am also in the process of writing (finishing) my own book on the history of Parade Figure Balloons. This will come out in October 2009.
Thank you once again. Hope that this information helps.
Bill Smith

Thanksgiving Maskers, 1911

Mickey Mouse at the 1934 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving Dinner Edition

FELIX: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Thanksgiving 
Thursday, November 25, 2010  Sassy Sanctuary

AT YOUR SERVICE

Less Than $3500

 In a town where the median home price is over half a million dollars, Jenine Alexander decided to build her own. "It's a house that's mobile… 

For me it just made sense because I don't own any land yet. Land is so expensive around here like I don't have access to that kind of opportunity. What do I have access to, the dump, to craigslist."


visit to jenine alexander tiny house building workplace - healdsburg, CA

FORGE AHEAD

PINTEREST

Lulu’s Shipping Container Home

$5,500 DIY Tiny House on a Trailer  

Hundreds of houses too damaged to repair will be bulldozed in hardest hit areas of 

Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn  

Amy Greene, on Her House Guest Marilyn Monroe

(V i d e o)  The widow of Monroe's favorite photographer-turned-business partner talks about the actress, who lived with her and her husband in Connecticut for four years.

For The Last Time: What Size Was Marilyn Monroe?

OFFICIAL WEBSITE    I M D b    Wikipedia Marilyn Monroe  

Marilyn by Tom Kelly 1949   Marilyn Red Velvet   

Memo from La-La Land  

Vintage Marilyn Monroe nude serving trays    

This is Marilyn       

Black and white Marilyn Monroe photographs sell for $750,000

Oh What a Beautiful Morning

Inside The Actors Studio - Hugh Jackman




About Hugh Jackman

Filmography


Hugh Michael Jackman

Oklahoma!

Wolverine

THIS AND THAT

Scary Halloween

GRETA GARBO

There is no one who would have me - I can't cook. ~ Greta Garbo

Kick it up in the kitchen!

Talk shows, movie roles, and a flourishing social life: Meet Cynthia

REMODEL YOUR KITCHEN

HOW TO COOK RICE IN A SLOW COOKER

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
How to make perfect brown rice everytime.

BROWN RICE           . 

Wouldn't you like to MODERNIZE YOUR KITCHEN?

COCONUT WATER & WEIGHT LOSS
Save money without sacrificing health benefits when you add these nutrient-dense edibles to your grocery list.

If you simply must have a French fry, then make them at home in your oven. Use sweet potatoes, as these are a more complex carbohydrate. Cut into matchsticks, drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil along with a dash of salt, then place in your oven on broil. Turn every five minutes until the fries are tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.

We're having a heat wave and the slow cooker keeps it cool.
Cindy’s Restaurant  At  Eagle Rock, California

‘Romney And Bain’

James Taylor Parody At The DNC

Clint Eastwood Chair

Did Janna Ryan Borrow Ann Romney’s Shoes?

 

Cleaning Windows

LABOR DAY
All wealth is the product of labor. – John Locke

Live tribute

"All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and 

should be undertaken with painstaking excellence." 

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

HOW MUCH DOES MITT ROMNEY MAKE?  Mitt Romney makes $894,999.81 while watching The Sopranos

20 Reasons to Thank Labor Unions

This Day in Labor History: A Digest

Child Labor in America 1908 to 1912

thumbnails  +   PHOTOSTREAM 

Child labor in the beginning of the last century

did you have a tough, hard and difficult youth???

Child Labor Lessons

Child labour  +  Capitalism child labor
The first union in America was formed in 1833, back in the days of child labor, horrendous working conditions, debtor prisons, and all those other unpleasant societal outrages found in the novels of
Charles Dicken.

“We’re an anarcho-syndicalist commune” – Dennis, Monty Python and the Holy Grail

WORK SONGS

Cannonball Adderley Sextet

You can take this job and shove it

TOP TEN LABOR DAY SONGS
Labor Day 2012
..................Art of Labor....................
"Of course they do"
Long-term unemployed workers’ invisible struggle

Once in a blue moon

August 31st Is A Blue Moon…Or Is It?

August 31, 2012 will see a second full moon for the calendar month, commonly referred to as a Blue Moon. The first full moon for the month was seen on the night of August 1.

There are three different circumstances in popular culture in which a moon can be called “blue:” when the moon actually appears blue, when there are three full moons in a season, or like tonight, when there are two full moons in a calendar month.

The question is, are these definitions right? Let’s look at each one.

Watch Out For The Blue Moon Tonight

*************
Santa Barbara Blue Moon

Cowboy Junkies Blue Moon revisited for Elvis 

Elvis 1956 Blue Moon                          .

 

40 MILES FROM NEW ORLEANS

Isaac, downgraded to tropical storm, still spews wrath

August 29th, 2012  3:04 PM ET  Isaac weakens to tropical storm status  Isaac's maximum sustained winds slip to 70 mph
Report: Storm could cause $1.5 billion in insured losses
iReporter finds two homes collapsed in New Orleans
More than 725,000 without power across five states

HURRICANE ISAAC 2012

MSNBC ISAAC

ISAAC LOSES STEAM, BUT BRINGS FLOODING, POWER OUTAGES

Crisis Map  
Hurricane Isaac  Bourbon Street Cam

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE 

7:43 am pst  Flash Flood Warning in Southeastern \Louisiana
Results for #Isaac
Related: #isaac #nola, #hurricaneisaac, #hurricane, #nola

MSNBC Host Melissa Harris-Perry’s House Destroyed By Isaac  

Isaac delayed the Republican National Convention in Tampa.  SHADOW CONVENTIONS: Poverty In America.

Live at Farm Aid 1987 Arlo Guthrie, Willie Nelson, Neil Young & More -

Douce France

Liza Minnelli 1969

Life really is a cabaret!

 Liza Minnelli surprises flamboyant fans

 by hopping on stage during a bar drag queen competition

cabaret

RIP MARVIN HAMLISCH: Liza Minnelli lead mourners at 'people's composer' Marvin Hamlisch's funeral

Maybe it’s true that life begins at fifty.. but everything else starts to wear out, fall out, or spread out.

Comedian Phyllis Diller dies 'with a smile on her face'

 Legendary comic Phyllis Diller — who Joan Rivers says “broke the way for every woman comedian” — died today in her sleep.
She was 95 and had been in a hospice care since a recent fall. 

Actress, Comedian Phyllis Diller Dies At 95

Phyliss Diller ~ wikipedia ~ July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012

Her memoir Like A Lampshade In A Whorehouse

Groundbreaking comedienne

Barbra Streisand and Phyllis Diller

FROM HOUSEWIFE TO COMIC

Comedian Phyllis Diller, known for her trademark cackle and bizzare looks

“it will be all right by and by”
Anna Piaggi Italian fashion editor who died in Milan on Aug. 7 at age 81.

Helen Gurley Brown  February 18, 1922 – August 13, 2012
RIP Helen Gurley Brown: The Cosmo Editor’s Sassiest Quotes
Welcome Back, Kotter star Ron Palillo dies at 63 ‘after suffering heart attack’

William Windom  September 28, 1923 _ August 16, 2012

Tony Scott  21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012

This will put the sunshine back in your step!

We only said goodbye with words

Amy Winehouse Live At Glastonbury Festival 2008

September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011 London

Amy Winehouse - The Official Website

Amy Winehouse - Wikipedia   Looks like we’ll finally get to hear some new Amy Winehouse.

The album, Lioness: Hidden Treasures, drops December 6th and it will have previously unreleased songs and collaborations with the hitmaking producers Salaam Remi and Mark Ronson.   

Back To Black

Writer, critic, bon vivant and television personality Gore Vidal has shuffled off this decaying mortal coil.

If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger,  There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats

Read the New York Times obituary here.

Flashback: Gore Vidal Nearly Comes To Blows With ‘Crypto-Nazi’ 

William F. Buckley In 1968

Gore Vidal, the elegant, acerbic all-around man of letters who presided with a certain relish over what he declared to be the end of American civilization, died on Tuesday at his home in the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles, where he moved in 2003 after years of living in Ravello, Italy. He was 86.

Gore Vidal Memorial to be Held August 23rd at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre

born Eugene Louis Vidal in West Point, New York, 
October 3, 1925 – July 31, 2012

WIKIPEDIA

Gore Vidal

Grandfather, Thomas Gore  (December 10, 1870 – March 16, 1949).  He was blind and

 served as a United States Senator from Oklahoma from 1907 until 1921 and from 1931

 until 1937.  Oklahoma History

Dances of Vice, Horror, and Ecstasy

Anita Berber (1899 ~ 1928) was a German dancer, actress, and writer who was the subject of an Otto Dix painting. She lived during the Weimar period.

"Oh, Those Beautiful Weimar Girls"

WEIMAR REPUBLIC

HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT

The character of Sally Bowles, which first appeared in Christopher Isherwood’s The Berlin Stories, is based on the popular cabaret artist Anita Berber, painted in this picture by Otto Dix. Otto Friedrich says about Berber: “Nobody remembers her now, but in her time, she seemed to epitomize the spirit of the Berlin cabaret… The daughter of a violinist in the Leipzig orchestra, and originally a serious student of ballet, she took several husbands and many lovers; she was also a Lesbian. She was an alcoholic, and addicted to both morphine and cocaine. She appeared at every major prizefight and bicycle race, often accompanied by a band of thugs”. Anita Berber died at the age of twenty-nine.  READ MORE HERE..

Anita Berber was the daughter of a professor of the violin virtuoso 

Felix Berber and cabaret artist and singer Lucie Berber.

SIEGFRIED FOLLIES    ...   CABARET  ..    

"Keep on Truckin' "

Official Crumb Site 

 8 1/2 Minutes With Robert Crumb

 Mr. and Mrs. Crumb

 Robert Crumb at his home in the south of France

 Robert Crumb 

Memorial Day

Dick Chaney

Dogs of war

George Bush

Bush Administration Admits It Committed War Crimes In Leaked Memo

Dick Cheney 'Fears Being Tried' For War Crimes 

An American Disgrace

Maison LeMonnier in the French Quarter

I lived for years across from the first skyscraper in New Orleans French Quarter. 

Some pix and history.

Dr. LeMonnier’s home, on Royal St. in the French Quarter in New Orleans, referred to as “New Orleans’ first skyscraper” which towers three stories high. In the foreground are the elaborate cast-iron gallery railings of LaBranche House. It is one of the most photographed residences in New Orleans.  
( MERIDAN STUDIOS )

"Ring of Fire" eclipse

The amazing image was spotted over Los Angeles during

 a rare "Ring of Fire" eclipse overnight

Santa Monica, California May 20, 2012
~

The first annular solar eclipse in 18 years.

~~

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day

Mother of a President: Ann Dunham Obama Soetoro 

Obama's great-grandparents laid to rest in Winfield.
Rolla Charles and Leona McCurry Payne moved from Peru, in Chautauqua, where her family lived, to Augusta in 1925, just three years after the birth of Obama's maternal grandmother, Madelyn.

A Lady Found a Culture in its Cloth: Barack Obama's Mother and Indonesian Batiks
August 9 - August 23, 2009

THE BEAUTY OF INDONESIA

Batik Process

Video

Ikat book


Batik Tua / Ancient Batik

collected in Sulawesi 

Java, Indonesia, 19th century

Cinco de Mayo and Derby Day

Cinco de Mayo is more widely celebrated in USA than Mexico.

~

The first Cinco de Mayo celebration took place in southern California in 1863.
Literally "the Fifth of May," Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday celebrating the Battle of Puebla, which took place on May 5, 1862 [wiki].

It's Time To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo [The Nevada Observer ~ history]

Battle of Puebla

The Holy Enchilada:  The State and city of Puebla however, are more interesting than just one battle.Puebla has amazing gastronomy, the mixture of Indigenous and European influences. The culinary delights of the city of Puebla are far from tacky "Mexican" restaurants, frat boys wearing sombreros and clever marketing inviting people to drink. In honor of this city I present you Arroz Poblano, a classic recipe from Puebla. The roasted Poblanos give this rice a nice bite that is actually quite tolerable, even by those not fond of spicy foods.

10 Fun Facts About Cinco De Mayo

10 FUN FACTS ABOUT TEQUILA FOR CINCO DE MAYO

meridian studios

Cinco De Mayo Festival Cancelled in Santa Barbara

Annual event called off due to lack of sponsors.  Santa Barbara's annual Cinco De Mayo event has been cancelled. Organizers say there were not enough sponsors or donations to put together the two day festival that is usually held in De La Guerra Plaza.

It would have taken place this Saturday and Sunday.

138 years of horsing around                                                                       Dressing Derby

Kentucky Derby [wiki]

In 1872, Col. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traveled to England, visiting the Epsom Derby, a famous race that had been running annually since 1780. From there, Clark went on to Paris, France, where in 1863, a group of racing enthusiasts had formed the French Jockey Club and had organized the Grand Prix de Paris, which at the time was the greatest race in France.

Derby History [museum]  +  Derby History [party history]  +  Forde on the majestic Derby  +

  VIDEO:  Where Kentucky Derby winners are born  +  Belle Meade Plantation  +  HORSES  +

Derby Box History.  Kentucky Derby -  held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on the first Saturday in May

Cinco De Mayo & Kentucky Derby Weekend Party Guide – Part 1 – – Part 2

CELEBRATING THE KENTUCKY DERBY        
       

Party Guide   +   KENTUCKY DERBY PARTY IDEAS

Chocolate Cheesecake Pecan Pie
  

What’s for Dinner? The Perfect Meal for the Kentucky Derby Weekend!

Daddy Long Legs! Daddy Long Legs!
  I’ve decided to let you in on my horse racing secret.

You can't rain on our parade! Storms fail to dampen spirits of the ladies with weird and wonderful hats as they flock to Kentucky Derby
Morning training for world-famous Derby cancelled due to a wet track
Race not scheduled until early evening; forecast calls for 50% chance of rain
Derby-goers didn't let weather dampen their spirits and showed up in traditionally extravagant head-wear.
ooops! a little more than rain  5/6/12 UPDATE:   Kentucky Derby murder mystery ...  the victim was an unidentified Hispanic male.  Police opened a homicide investigation in Louisville, Kentucky, on Sunday after a man's body was found in a barn behind Churchill Downs, just hours after the Kentucky Derby was run at the track.

~~~

Richard Bona au Martinique Jazz Festival 2010

~

Governor William Judson Holloway

HOLLOWAY, WILLIAM JUDSON (1888-1970)

William Judson Holloway, Democrat. Served from 1929 to 1931. He succeeded Gov. Johnston in office and completed the term. He was a native of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, born December 15, 1888. After graduation from Quachita College in 1910, he attended the University of Chicago for a time. While he was living in Hugo and working as a high school principal he began to read law. He later completed his course at Cumberland University and was admitted to the practice of law at Hugo. He was elected county attorney in 1916; was a State Senator from 1920 to 1926, serving as President Pro Tempore. In 1926, he was elected Lieutenant Governor and advanced to the Governor's office upon the impeachment and removal of Gov. Johnston. He practiced law in Oklahoma City until his death January 28, 1970, and is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Oklahoma

Second Floor: Hall of Governors    

*   William J. Holloway*   Map of Oklahoma    *    Who succeeded Governor Johnston in office and completed the term to January 12, 1931, was a native of Arkadelphia. Arkansas. After graduation from Ouachita College in 1910. he attended the University of Chicago for a time. While he was living in Hugo and working as a high school principal he began to read law. He later completed his course at Cumberland University and was admitted to the practice of law at Hugo He was elected County Attorney in 1916 

*  Oklahoma Timeline 1541 to 1940  *  Enid Ok  *  William Holloway  * Grandson  *  

Tribute to Range Riders - Oklahoma City, OK

Scheduled for May 30, 1930, the initial dedication led by Governor William J. Holloway and Oklahoma Supreme Court justice Albert C. Hunt was postponed due to Will Roger’s inability to attend.

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara

Film credits list Judy and her sisters as "The Garland Sisters."

l-r: Judy, Jimmy and Suzy Garland, Irvin S. Cobb.

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara

La Fiesta De Santa Barbara

La Fiesta de Santa Barbara (1935) 1/2  
MGM, 1935 (Color, 19 minutes)

A festival event celebrating the Spanish heritage of California. Narrated by Pete Smith (of "Pete Smith's Specialties" fame), the film features a number of song and dance numbers with many cameo appearances. Andy Devine and Buster Keaton perform a bull-fight skit, Irvin S. Cobb and Ted Healy (of Three Stooges fame) each perform a short comedy number and Joe Morrison sings his recent hit song, "The Last Round-Up". Leo Carrillo plays emcee to the latter half of the short, with the Garland Sisters singing "La Cucaracha".

This is the best recording of Judy singing with her sisters that I know of. They sing three-part harmony, blending quite nicely, with each sister performing short solos. Twelve-year-old Judy is definitely the standout, with a powerful voice that is unmistakably Garland. The Garland Sisters are definitely the high-point of the film.

It seems rather odd that the Garland Sisters appear in this MGM film, yet Judy was not "discovered" by MGM until one month later, especially since the Garland Sisters are listed fourth in the opening credits. Obviously, someone at MGM was aware of Judy's talent before her audition for L.B. Mayer in September 1935. This was the Garland (Gumm) Sister's last film together.

LONG VERSION  
___