Peace

Peace
Originally uploaded by MBK.

Today is World AIDS Day

Originally uploaded by shadowplay.

WorldAIDSday.org

little red building

little red building
Originally uploaded by hotmedia.

D. Marsh from Beaconsfield, Canada , has a nice set of photos that she took of her oil paintings. You can check out her Paintings photo set on flickr.com . She also has a photo set of her Sketches. Very nice stuff.

Fairy

Hailey Fairy 02
Originally uploaded by David Dee.

Day of the Dead

IMG_6632
Originally uploaded by Vidalia.

from the photoset Dia de los Muertos - Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Flickr.com

Happy Halloween...

Attack Now
Originally uploaded by CarlosBravo.

House of the Dead photo set by CarlosBravo from Mexico.

Happy Halloween (October Moon)

lune d'Octobre
Originally uploaded by Dom10.

Don't forget, if you are on Daylight Saving Time now, tonight is the night to set your clocks back one hour. So we get an extra hour of sleep tonight.

Gateway Arch - 40 years

Flared Arch
Originally uploaded by Phinzup.

40 years ago today, the final piece was inserted into the top of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

Though the Gateway Arch quickly became one of the nation’s most recognizable symbols, it is still “Papa’s Arch” to the children and grandchildren of Bill Quigley, the crane operator who placed the final section that day. Quigley, who died in 2003, used to joke that if he had dropped that 10-ton section, everyone would have remembered his name, says his wife, Mary Ann Quigley of O’Fallon, Mo.

from the Post-Dispatch article by Mary Delach Leonard

Eero Saarinen, the Arch's architect, died before the first foundations were poured. His daughter Susan Saarinen, a landscape architect in Colorado, plans to attend the anniversary ceremonies today in St. Louis.

Read about the Arch's history and ways to celebrate in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

The Work of the Master Pumpkin Carver

The Work of the Master Pumpkin Carver
Originally uploaded by musicmuse_ca.

Bay Area Pumpkin Festival photoset on Flickr.com

The photographer says:

Many of the traditions we follow in the USA for Halloween come straight from Celtic beliefs and practices handed down from ancient times to today.

The Celts believed that the veil between this world and the "other world" was thinnest during the festival of Samhain, now known as Halloween. It was a fire festival, and sacred bonfires were lit on the top of high hills, like Arthur's Seat, during this time.

The Celts believed that the souls of the dead could return to this world during Samhain, because the border between life and death became permeable at this dark time of year.

The Celtic tradition of carving scary images into turnips was an effort to ward off any evil spirits travelling the land when the veil was lifted. In the United States, the pumpkin was substituted for the traditional Celtic turnip.

Zombies get tired, too

B&W: Everyone's Favourite Zombie (1)
Originally uploaded by donzie.

Vancouver Zombies on Flickr

red-headed zombie

fork_neck_5260
Originally uploaded by doviende.

Vancouver Zombie Walk photo set

zombies

IMGP8522
Originally uploaded by Roskylde.

Zombie March photo set on Flickr.com

Living Statues

World Statues IX
Originally uploaded by zjootsuite.

The photographer says:

Living Statues, which have roots deep in the european street theater
tradition, add a sophisticated and magical twist to any event. Yesterday
there were the Open Dutch Championship in Arnhem. With Living Statues from
Spain, France, Germany, The UK and of course The Netherlands.

See his entire Living Statues photoset on flickr.com

Never forget

Never forget, Vol. 2
Originally uploaded by hbomb1947.

The New York Times from September 12, 2001

Hurricane Survivor is reunited with his pet, Miss Kitty

MSNBC's Mike Brunker and Andrew Locke have a heartwarming story on their Katrina blog about Bill Harris, who was trapped by Katrina for three days. Bill found out later that his cat, Miss Kitty, had also survived the storm. Read more about it.

Dirty Water

Dirty Water
Originally uploaded by Uncle Greggy.

Check out this photographer's photos and story about Hurricane Katrina - One Week in New Orleans.

Peter Jennings dead at age 67

I will really miss Peter Jennings. He had great wit and humor.

A True Jersey Girl: Women, Had Too Much To Drink?

A True Jersey Girl has a hilarious list of "20 ways for women to tell that they've had a little too much to drink"

#6. I start crying and telling everyone I see that I love them sooooo much.

#14. I think I'm in bed, but my pillow feels strangely like the kitchen floor.

For good advice, and lots of laughs, check out her entire list.

"Every Voice Counts, Even the Voice of an Alto Sax"

from the article in The Vital Voice:

Healing Pride -- Despite controversy, our community celebrates

by Colin Murphy, Senior Staff Writer

Dr. Lee Borrine, Director of Fruit Jam Jazz and member of the GLBT musical band "BandTogether" has attended every PrideFest since moving to St. Louis in 1984. Borrine was enjoying watching the parade following BandTogether’s finishing the parade when he heard the hate speech from the loudspeaker of Rev. Philip "Flip" Benham, Director of Operation Rescue/Operation America.

"I thought, ‘no, it couldn’t be, not in this day and age, that guy is preaching hate,’” recalled Borrine. "He’s raining on our parade."

Immediately wanting to do something, Borrine gathered a handful of members of BandTogether, some reluctant, who were still in the area. The alto saxophone player then led the band of about 15 members to the tune of "Tilt at Windmills’ and drowned out the North Carolina clergyman until he was asked to leave by St. Louis police.

"When he was silent, we were silent; when he spoke, we played; when he spoke louder, we played louder," explained Borrine. "The moral of the story: Nonviolent action can make a difference. I had been depressed since the presidential election last November. This one small victory went a long way toward reinstating my hope. It proved that every voice counts, even the voice of an alto sax."

Colin Murphy also reports on other aspects of the June 2005 PrideFest in St. Louis, including other controversies and the extreme heat.

Old Courthouse, Gateway Arch, and Fireworks

svga2350 Pick your favorite
Originally uploaded by creativity+.

A nice time-lapse photo by Tim H.

Happy Fourth of July from South Saint Louis

happy 4th from so st louis
Originally uploaded by MBK.

I worked today from 7 AM until 4 PM. This cheery display caught my eye as I was driving home, so I went back to take a photo. It rained earlier today, but now the weather is fine for all the scheduled Independence Day activities.

What Cures Your Anxiety?

My "blog buddy" SJ has tagged me for this meme. She's into a ten item list thing, but the original meme was for five things. I came up with seven.

First, why I call SJ my blog buddy: She was one of the first people to notice my blog and to comment on it. She also generously offered me the use of the name "Blogasm" which she came up with, and figured I needed it since "MB's Blog" sounded too boring. And since she and I have never met in person or spoken on the phone, but only in the blogosphere (so far), I am affectionately referring to her as a blog buddy.

Second, even though I was happy to be "tagged" by SJ for this, I am just not gonna tag anyone else. But if you are reading this and wish to participate, I'd be thrilled to read about it in the comment section. I think I have the comments set up now so that anyone may comment here.

Third, here is the meme:

"List five things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play. What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level? Make a list, post it on your journal, then tag five friends and ask them to post it to theirs."

Here are my de-stressors:

1. Walk around the neighborhood with or without my dog, sometimes with my camera. I enjoy looking at the various details of the neighborhood, like architectural features, gardens, people and their pets, and cool-looking automobiles. It's a more interesting form of exercise than just walking on a track somewhere.

2. Get a professional massage. (My friend Patty does a great one.) The smells of the massage oils, the relaxing music (the type of ambient sounds that I usually get bored with, but that seem to fit perfectly with the whole massage experience) and the feeling that the masseuse is totally focused on getting the kinks out of my aching body. Some of my favorite parts to have massaged are my feet, my hands, and my scalp.

3. Watch an old movie that I've seen bunches of times just to see the scenes that I know will make me cry. I can't just skip to the scene, there has to be that build up throughout the entire movie. Some scenes that always bring tears: It's A Wonderful Life when Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey says, "Clarence, get me back"; Miracle on 34th Street (the original one with Natalie Wood as the little kid) when the post office guys start bringing all that mail for Santa Claus into the courtroom; Terms of Endearment (when Debra Winger is telling her two sons goodbye in the hospital room); and Dumbo (yes, the animated Walt Disney film) in the scene where Dumbo's mother has to be locked up and little Dumbo comes to visit her. Even though they play a kind of sappy song, Baby Mine, the expressions on the elephant's faces make me choke up and cry real tears. I cannot explain this. I also cry at the end when Dumbo is in the act with the circus clowns and finally gets up the courage to fly even though he dropped the magic feather. This kind of movie watching crying is very cathartic.

4. Put on some really funky music and DANCE!

5. Call my friend Mark S. He always makes me laugh with his corny jokes. I can't repeat any of the jokes here because they are mostly in-jokes about people we know, or they are non-PC and extremely tasteless. But Mark invariably comes up with something so funny that I laugh out loud. Repeatedly. And then I feel much better.

6. Cool soothing Ice cream or pudding, or a coffee malt, makes me feel like a carefree kid again.

7. Singing. In the shower, or along with a CD, or at choir practice. It's exercise for the soul.

Some really fantastic photos

Originally uploaded by deborah lattimore.

Gallery photoset by Deborah Lattimore. All sorts of photos, all sorts of subjects. Check them out and see which ones are your favorites. I've been adding them right and left to my flickr favorites.

caddy fin - high contrast

caddy fin - high contrast
Originally uploaded by MBK.

I took this picture at the St. Louis PrideFest in Tower Grove Park.

More of PrideFest. Click on the post's title to see cars photos.

Acoustic Dreaming (Nashville)

Acoustic Dreaming
Originally uploaded by StudioMobile.

from the Funky Olde Neighbourhood photo pool

long way home: Flagstaff, Arizona sky

long way home
Originally uploaded by girl inchoate.

Arizona Discovery pool

New Windsor Motel, Phoenix, Arizona USA

New Windsor
Originally uploaded by Capital I.

part of the Arizona Discovery photo pool

Bikes and Sunset

Bikes and Sunset
Originally uploaded by riccorman.

from the New Mexico photo set on Flickr.

Perspective: Brasilia

Perspective
Originally uploaded by MrPixel.

MrPixel in Brasilia, Brazil, has a whole set of photos called The Built Form, architecture in Brasilia.

Out My Window: 18 June 2005, Brasilia

18/06/05
Originally uploaded by MrPixel.

MrPixel, located in Brasilia, Brasil, has a beautiful series of photos on Flickr called Out My Window which demonstrates that Brasilia must be the next best thing to Paradise in the beauty department. You may want to bookmark it and check back, as he promises us a photo a day.

Green Stairs

Green Stairs
Originally uploaded by phonezilla.

The photographer, phonezilla, says:

"The green staircase of an otherwise yellow and white house."

Here's a set of his Favorites of the photos he took.

Might As Well Face It, I'm Addicted To Flickr

If you click the title of this post, it will take you to my favorites page on flickr.com. Mind you, these are other people's photos that I have viewed and then clicked the button to mark as a favorite. I don't do this for every photo that I like, because on my iMac it takes several seconds for the thing to work.

It turns out that I have done this 1609 times at the time I'm writing this. Yes, I have sixteen HUNDRED and nine favorite photos on the Flickr.com website. I wonder how many hours of looking at photos I spent to end up with that many favorites. Many, many photos I only look at in the thumbnails on the pages of people's photostream, sets, and group pools. The ones that I click to view in a larger size, for a few I leave comments, or decide to "blog this photo" here or on my other blog, MB's Blogalicious on Live Journal, which since it has no sidebar, I have it set up to insert the photos in a larger size than here on Blogasm.

In the past, I've also used the Buzznet.com site to blog photos, but lately it doesn't seem to work for blogging.

I can't wait until I get my scanner to working and/or get a digital camera from my friend who decided she's ready to upgrade and will give me her old one to use. Then I'll start putting photos of my own on my blogs. So far, the photos under my name on flickr are all photos that someone else took, and I put them up there just to have a place to store them.

-SaloN- three (shades of yellow gold)

-SaloN- three
Originally uploaded by -ScarlettveinZ-.

The photographer says: "this gives me goosebumps.."

I like the contrast of the dark hair and the golden floor. The hair does seem somehow alive, which contributes to an eerie feeling, even with the sunny color predominating.

Saying Goodbye! (photo from a kid's perspective)

Saying Goodbye!
Originally uploaded by Blueskygirl.

The photographer, Blueskygirl, says: "Jewel (my three year old) took this."

I think it's a nice family photo.

entrance (the perception of doors)

entrance
Originally uploaded by mjutabor.

from the perception of doors photo set

The Many Faces of Marilyn Monroe

The Many Faces of Marilyn Monroe (12 June 2005)
Originally uploaded by alephnaught.

From the Praise and Curse of the City photo pool. The photographer says:

The Many Faces of Marilyn Monroe (12 June 2005)

Part of series of photos taken during the opening of the West End Festival in Glasgow, Scotland.

This photograph was taken with a digital camera, and processed in Photoshop.

Killer Asian Longhorned Beetles (I heard it on NPR)

Morning Edition, June 17, 2005 - In the treetops of Central Park, western smoke jumpers, the folks whose regular job is to parachute into wildfires, are propelling themselves into maples and elms in an attempt to stop the killer Asian longhorned beetle.

In order to stop the Asian Longhorn Beetles, the entire tree must be destroyed, roots and all. The beetles have been found in New York, New Jersey, Chicago and other places in the US.

More about the beetles here, here, and here.

High Heels and Handbag (red & blue on white)

High Heels and Handbag
Originally uploaded by Reggio.

I like this photo. What else can I say?

Part of the Shoes photo pool on flickr.

Going higher and higher... (red, white & blue)

Going higher and higher...
Originally uploaded by Esther17.

Esther17, the photographer, says:

"I had forgotten how much fun this was. I'm sure I looked like a lunatic, but who cares?"

She's obviously on a swing. Either that, or she's rising upside down into the air through telekinesis.

moon, sky, brick

Originally uploaded by joto25.

Included in the Background Sky photo set.

Unbridled versus Restrained

Unbridled versus Restrained
Originally uploaded by bikeracer.

The photographer says:

"Originally entered into DPChallenge Opposites and earned 1st place!

This was one horrific storm. I drove through it for roughly 40 miles and there were hundreds if not thousands of strikes during my drive. Lightning was hitting in front of me, to either side, behind me and above me, I honestly thought I might die that night.

Anyway, after what seemed like hours I managed to get out from under the storm. I pulled over in a rest stop and set up. At first I did it hand held, figuring it would be a cool effect. Those didn't look to great, so I set up the tripod.

So, was I lucky? To come out alive, for sure! To get the shot that won? Definitely. But, I was luckiest to get to experience that storm and have the luxury of pointing my camera where ever I pleased and to know I would capture lightning in a bottle."

Easter Sunset photo

eastersunset1
Originally uploaded by swardraws.

Part of the Sunsets photo set by Nancy Ward on flickr.
For more of this photographer's work, see Best of swardraws.com, Buildings and Catchy Colors. Here's the link to all her wonderful photosets.

A rock with legs? A salamander?

P1000826
Originally uploaded by bubblemonkey.

From the Aquarium Adventure photo set by bubblemonkey on flickr.

I don't know what this creature is, but it's interesting. Bubblemonkey says nothing about it.

Very First Triathlon (The Journey)

Janine just finished doing her first triathlon! Give the girl some props!

Can I Get Some Change? (Laundromat Story)

Be The Boy has a touching story about laundromats and reading. He writes well. Check him out.

American Flag Roof

AmericanFlagRoof_onHill
Originally uploaded by cottergarage.

Here's what the photographer, Carol Cotter, says about this photo:

"The roof my husband made on the neighbors garage. this is not painted. all 50 stars were cut out and tared on."

In Missouri photo set.

Old Glory for Flag Day

Old Glory
Originally uploaded by Duo de Hale.

More American Flag Photos

Is it patriotic to wear a flag shirt? To sit in a flag chair? To drape a flag over your shoulders like a shawl?

These and other flag related things are discussed on NPR's All Things Considered for Flag Day in an interview with Mark Leepson, author of Flag: an American Biography. He and NPR correspondent Melissa Block talk about wearing flag shirts, both in the time of the Vietnam War and now; about the commercialization of the flag back in the 1880s, and how people protested the use of the flag on beer bottles; how the "flag code" is just a set of guidelines and is not legally enforceable; and much more.

Waterfalling (part of the colorific and waterful photo sets)

Waterfalling
Originally uploaded by formerly TaGurit.

The photographer, Tiffany, describes her photo this way:

"Photo of water cascading down into a baby tub. I really liked the way this one came out with the bubbles and ripples and everything so clearly defined. Plus the color...I love color! "

And I say ... "what she said!" The Waterful set has more high speed photos of water. And the Colorific set is exactly what it says.

Photo: macrointelligence 015 (see through)

macrointelligence 015
Originally uploaded by Culinarynovice.

See Through photo set by Amber Pasquali on flickr.

Let the Finder Beware: A Language of My Own

Let the Finder Beware's blog writer Paul says:

"When I was 13 years old, in eighth grade, I started constructing my own language. We're not talking a short word list or a few limited pieces of jargon, we're talking an entire functioning language. With its own grammar, its own vocabulary, its own idioms, and its own meanings which are often hard to translate into English. I kept on working on this language for years. I'm still working on it today, 35 years later."

I've never heard of this type of thing before, but Paul found out years later that there are others like him:

"...until just over two years ago, I thought that we language-makers must be an exceedingly rare and almost unheard-of phenomenon. Then I stumbled across the website of Sally Caves, an English professor who had begun creating her own language, Teonaht, when she was only nine years old. And through her site I found all sorts of other sites of people who had their own 'constructed languages' or 'conlangs'."

To read more about Paul's created language, click on the title of this post.

Books are our friends

The blogger over at Sporked has too many books and only one bookshelf. I have a similar problem, too many books for too few shelves, but I have lots of bookcases. I still have books on the table, books on the floor, books on top of the wardrobe, and (confession time) I still buy more books. Not as many as I used to buy, and I do give some away (which I never used to do) but the collection is growing rather than shrinking.

I'm always reading more than one book at a time. Currently:

• Lewis Thomas: The Medusa and the Snail
• Emily Bernard, editor: Some of My Best Friends - Writings on Interracial Friendships
• Barbara Kingsolver: Small Wonder - essays
• Anna Quindlen: Loud and Clear - essays
• Christine Hunsicker, editor: A Dog's World - true stories of man's best friend on the road

The most recent book I purchased is Ann Patchett: Truth & Beauty - a Friendship which I've not heard anything about, but bought at the supermarket because I liked the cover. It's got a drawing of a flying insect and an ant on the front cover, and the back cover blurb describes the book as "at once a grief-haunted eulogy and a larger meditation on the solace and limitations of friendship." - Washington Post

So how could I resist? I may start reading it before I finish any of the others.

Walk the piazza

Walk the piazza
Originally uploaded by ale2000.

This photo makes me feel like Alice after she fell down the rabbit hole into Wonderland (not the Michael Jackson Wonderland, but the original one made famous in the Lewis Carroll novel). She kept growing and shrinking.

The Supervisor (shades of blue and beige)

The Supervisor
Originally uploaded by Niemster.

The photographer, Niemster (Matt Niemi) , says:

"She watched his every move."

And here is Matt's photo set of Pittsburgh walls.

Gathering Storm (from Before Ground Zero)

Gathering Storm
Originally uploaded by *syzygynick.

Before Ground Zero photo set

More of his photos: People, NYC and Buildings, NYC are just some of Gary's photo sets.

Strange Mural

#2 Strange Mural in my Neighborhood (closer look & story)
Originally uploaded by buglugs.

Click on the photo to see what the photographer says about this mural. Here's an excerpt:

"...many years ago this same building had a small fire on the upper floor and a little girl died up there. The bar employees said that over the years... some nights when it's quiet allround they can hear the little girl upstairs in that room crying. The big round circle beside the upper middle window is supposed to represent her spirit looking out..."

A shot before parting

A shot before parting
Originally uploaded by carpeicthus.

The photographer says:

"This was taken in Bryant Park seconds before the cop kicked us out of THERE. And *he* was nasty about it."

The leaves are so green and the sky is so deep blue and the sycamore trunk is just amazing. I'm glad carpeicthus got this photo.

Part of the flickr photo pool
You can't take pictures here! and the *vanishing points* pool. (click on this post's title to see his photo set My NYC.)

structured space

structured space
Originally uploaded by Permanent Identity Crisis.

I have no clue whether I'm looking up, down or sideways at this structure. But I like it. The photographer calls him/herself "Permanent Identity Crisis".

laundramats can be scary places

laundramats can be scary places
Originally uploaded by Walsh.

The photographer, Walsh, says:

this isn't the floor of the laundramat. it's the counter. all surfaces have this pattern in the laundramat.

I wish my laundramat (laundromat?) had this black and white color scheme. Mine is all orange and yellow, but really quite cheery. But the warm colors make me feel hot in the summer with all the dryers going. I think this looks like a cooler environment for doing the wash. But perhaps the pattern makes you dizzy.

blackened in the light

blackened in the light
Originally uploaded by Viper1911R.

Another photo in the *Vanishing Points* photo pool.

Parallax photo pool on flickr

F
Originally uploaded by fabianmohr.

Here are a bunch of cool photos from the group *Vanishing Points* on Flickr.

Steel City Graffiti

Steel City Graffiti
Originally uploaded by Niemster.

Here are some more photos by this photographer, Niemster, of his home town of Pittsburgh.