Spectacular Discovery

Sometimes we have to be reminded of how BIG our little blue planet really is.  Check out the stark, beautiful image above of the Hang Son Doong Cave which can be found in Vietnam.  Believed to be the largest cave in the world; it was only discovered last year.

Photo via the National Geographic site:  www.printsngs.com/natgeo/

http://eheheheh.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/hang-son-doong-cave-vietnam/

Waterfall Ice climbing

Climbing in Provo Canyon, Utah. USA 

http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/mountain-image.icec3478.html 

"Cheating Wife" !!!

PhotoExtreme - Russia's Insane Photo Recreation Meme from Encounter Games

In Russia, people play a game where they reenact and photograph very specific scenarios and enter the photos in a contest for money and prizes. It's like a scavenger hunt, but instead of finding objects you have to dramatize outlandish photos.

http://pul.se/PhotoExtreme-Russias-Insane-Photo-Recreation-Meme-from-Encounter-Games_Oddities-active-urban-games-encounter-jpHgGxdXf6Z,hH3CitPmr0AE

Having Fun !!!

 Supporters happily cheer for their team

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UqwWzgP1V1k/TqKX0Z5OgYI/AAAAAAAAHJw/KIhpn4HgnOk/s400/127856_suporter-piala-dunia-rugby-2011.jpeg

 

"Sand Claws"

This photo was taken on January 1, 2009 in Shorncliffe, Brisbane, QLD, AU, using a Canon EOS 400D Digital byMatthew Stewart, Photographer.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aramisfirefly/3208577019/

This might be more difficult than changing horses in mid stream.

Steer wrestler Sean Thomas of Benton, Arkansas leaps off his horse to tackle a new mount.


http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tom+prettyman+photography&hl=en&client=firefox

 South Bay Magic

The Redondo Beach Pier presents a beautiful image at night

http://torranceartistsguild.org/ARTWORK/Piernight_s_web.gif

Capturing Beauty

Redondo Beach Pier at Sunset by Tom Prettyman

http://www.608north.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/PierSunsetWide.jpg

                           "Off The Lip" - Tom Curren

 

 

Size - 24" x 30" Lithograph
$30.00

Click on surf-art.com

Freedom is worth fighting for . . .

George Washington and his men crossing the Delaware

"Iditarod" -- another word for EXCITEMENT !!

An Iditarod dog-sled team approaching Rainy Pass during a snowstorm on the evening of Monday, March 5, 2012.

 The Iditarod's only five-time champion, Rick Swenson, approaching Rainy Pass on Monday, March 5, 2012.

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/team-olympic-champions-brings-back-iditarod-race-pack

Olympic Park -- 2012 Games

London Olympic venues will host the majority of the sporting events at the 2012 Games. Although there are a few areas outside the city that will be home to preliminary rounds of soccer, for instance, most sports will be in the city, often centered on the new Olympic Park. The games will make use of both temporary and existing facilities, as well as newly built venues, to host the games. Some of the temporary facilities will be located in historic places such as Hyde Park and the Horse Guards Parade in Central London, while new facilities are often part of plans for future public parks and community sports centers. In addition to Olympic Park and the Olympic Stadium in East London, there are several other Olympic venues in London, including the O2 Arena, Greenwich Park, the Lord’s Cricket Ground, and Earl’s Court.

The O2 Arena is a multipurpose dome-shaped indoor facility located in Greenwich, in southeast London. It is mostly known for hosting major concerts, and alongside the Belgrade Arena and the MEN Arena in Manchester, it is one of the largest indoor facilities in Europe, with a seating capacity of 23,000. During the 2012 London Olympics, the O2 Arena will be the venue for the artistic gymnastics competitions and will have a temporary capacity of 16,500, and it will also host the basketball finals, for which there will be 20,000 seats available.

http://www.destination360.com/europe/uk/london/london-venues

Serenity

A boat on Yamuna River in front of Taj Mahal at sunset. Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India 

http://www.terragalleria.com/asia/india/agra/picture.indi39315.html 

The Magic of Iguazu waterfalls in Argentina

A rainbow and the Iguazu waterfalls in Argentina

http://www.world-pictures.nl/image.php?g=17&i=126 

 

 

Icebergs, Grey Glacier, Chile, Patagonia !!!

Beautiful blue icebergs with the Grey Glacier in the background in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile. At the back you can also see the area where you can walk the famous "W" route.   Talk about excitement -- I just can't get enough of Patagonia!

http://www.world-pictures.nl/image.php?g=20&i=71 

 

 

Bathing rituals, Varanasi, India

People taking an early morning dip in the Ganga river near Dasaswamedh ghat in Varanasi, India. 

http://www.world-pictures.nl/image.php?g=12&i=48

Mahout and his elephant cool off in the Yamuna river in India

An Indian mahout washes his elephant in the Yamuna river in New Delhi on May 29.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/29/11936522-mahout-and-his-elephant-cool-off-in-the-yamuna-river-in-india?lite

I Spy ‘Garbo’ on DVD

One of the most intriguing figures from World War II is Juan Pujol García from Spain.

The fascinating documentary Garbo the Spy details the life of this double agent who worked for both the Allies and the Axis, becoming the only person awarded by both sides for service during World War II.

The movie hit DVD ($27.95) April 17 from First Run Features, and I recommend you see this — especially if you’re a history or war buff. The film won Best Documentary Film at the 2010 Goyas.

With no training but a need for a job, Pujol García offered to volunteer for British intelligence during WWII. Though he had noble intentions, the British were unsurprisingly suspicious of this unknown man and declined his offer. He then went to the German embassy, offering the same.

Eventually, he built a web of false agents across Europe, feeding fabricated information to Nazis. British intelligence finally offered him a job after they saw that he already was a freelance spy with information and influence on the German side. They code-named him Garbo.

Though Pujol García never fired a single shot, he helped save thousands of lives on both sides during the war. His most notable deed was giving the Germans bad information regarding the Normandy invasion, which led the Allies to a decisive victory.

Pujol García is an intriguing character, and the film creatively uses old feature film footage as well as historical war footage to illustrate the story. The doc also includes songs from Brian Eno and Sparklehorse in the film’s soundtrack, which I particularly liked.

The DVD extras include an interview with intelligence and espionage expert Nigel West, who was great in the film, as well as Sonic Deception: WWII Training Film.

http://www.homemediamagazine.com/skinny-burrito/i-spy-garbo-dvd

Singapore’s Esplanade

Singapore’s Esplanade neighborhood is home to a 15-acre (six-hectare) performing arts center, the Esplanade Mall, and two outdoor performing venues.

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/singapore-photos-1/

Charter to the Nobility

The reign of Catherine the Great saw the highpoint of the Russian nobility. Catherine had noble estates surveyed and give the possessors title to the land. And so the old service estates became private property. The distinction between votchina and pomestie estates now completely disappeared in law as well as in practice. In 1785 Catherine conferred on the nobility the Charter to the Nobility. For the first time in Russian history a social group had legal rights instead of only duties. The Charter also gave corporate rights to the nobility in each district and province. Each group elected a Marshall of the Nobility who spoke on their behalf to the monarch on issues of concern to them

https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/citd/RussianHeritage/5.NOB/NOB.18.html 

"A Lot of History Here"

A storied Los Angeles theater and office complex built by silent film stars that was later owned by one of the city’s most popular televangelists has been purchased by East Coast investors.

The historic United Artists building at Broadway and Ninth Street in downtown Los Angeles was sold by Wescott Christian Center Inc. to Greenfield Partners for $11 million.

Greenfield, a prominent hotel investor, hasn’t revealed its plans for the property that once sported neon signs proclaiming “Jesus Saves.” Representatives of the South Norwalk, Conn., company did not respond to requests for comment.

Silent film stars Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin were among the founders of United Artists, a movie production company. Pickford, known as “America’s Sweetheart,” posed at the controls of a steam shovel in early 1927 to call attention to the groundbreaking for the United Artists Building, a 13-story movie palace and office complex at 927 S. Broadway.

Construction was rushed with three shifts of workers building around the clock to get the Spanish Gothic-style building done in time for the premiere of Pickford’s film “My Best Girl” just after Christmas. Searchlights were expected to attract a crowd of 100,000 people, who would hear the ceremony from loudspeakers set up on surrounding blocks as far away as Seventh Street, The Times reported. The National Guard was called out in advance to maintain order.

The structure was purchased in 1986 by Glendale-based Westcott Christian Center. One of its founders was Gene Scott, a flamboyant preacher whose broadcasts were heard nationally. He died in 2005.

Downtown Los Angeles has enjoyed a renaissance in the last decade, and some improvements such as condominiums, bars and restaurants have come to the blocks around Broadway and Olympic Boulevard near the United Artists building.

“That area is already starting to form a bona fide neighborhood,” said downtown advocate and blogger Brigham Yen. “Broadway is the most architecturally significant street in downtown L.A., if not all of Los Angeles County.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2011/10/historic-united-artists-building-sold-in-downtown-los-angeles.html

“That Was The Week That Was”

The success of BBC’s satirical current events programme “That Was The Week That Was” didn’t go unnoticed by American television executives, who normally shied away from satire and making fun of public figures--Bob Hope’s good-natured barbs at contemporary presidents notwithstanding. But the mood in the U.S. (thanks in part to the humour of President John F. Kennedy) was changing in the early 1960's, and the idea of poking fun at the nation’s leaders was more acceptable. The time was right for something different, and NBC decided to see if an American version of “TW3" could work. While it lasted for only one and a half seasons, it proved to be influential enough to plant a seed for more satire in prime time. 

On November 10th, 1963, NBC aired a one-hour “TW3" special, hosted by Henry Fonda and television and radio comic Henry Morgan. With a talented supporting cast (including the up-and-coming comedy team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May), the US version poked fun at its political leaders (including Kennedy; Republican Senator Barry Goldwater and former Vice-President Richard Nixon). Critics liked the special and it did well in the ratings, indicating that people were more willing to laugh at current events. NBC quickly decided to produce a weekly version of “TW3" and scheduled the first episode for January 10th, 1964.

But things had changed by that time: The nation (and the world) was still mourning the assassination of President Kennedy. His vice-president Lyndon Johnson was now in the Oval Office; and America was gearing up for a likely presidential election between Johnson and Goldwater. 

A benefit of the BBC’s decision to cancel the British “TW3" (because of the national elections in that country during 1964) was it allowed that show’s host, David Frost, to join the American version as part of the ensemble cast. Originally, Elliott Reid hosted but Frost took over the job in the fall of 1964 and stayed as host until the end of the American version’s run. Morgan was still on hand, as was comic Buck Henry, actor Tom Bosley (years before “Happy Days”) and a pre-'M*A*S*H' Alan Alda. Feminist Gloria Steinem was a “contributor” to the US version, along with satirist Tom Lehrer, whose gift was writing and singing songs on major issues of the day–nuclear war, pesticide use, sex and so forth. Nancy Ames was the “TW3 Girl,” singing the opening theme song that changed every week as she warbled about news headlines of the past seven days. 

And in the first several months, the show had high moments: Alda and comic Sandy Baron portrayed a pair of warbling segregationist plumbers during a time of civil rights strife; and puppeteer Burr Tillstrom of “Kukla and Ollie” fame staged a hand puppet skit atop the Berlin War that won an Emmy award. Even “TW3's” jabs at television itself were effective. In one episode, a real-life ketchup commercial aired, with hamburger buns flipping their tops when they learned the brand of ketchup that would be used. When the show returned, David Frost began addressing the audience–and dozens of hamburger bun tops fell on top of him! 

“TW3” aired on Friday nights and did well enough in the ratings for NBC to renew the show for the fall–even though it was an election year in the States. While the show made fun of President Lyndon Johnson and his vice-presidential choice Hubert Humphrey, it also took aim at Republican challenger Barry Goldwater and his conservative positions (one episode showed a puppet reading Goldwater’s public statements). Ironically, the presidential elections would spell the end of the American “TW3"–in its own way.

For the fall season, “TW3" was moved from its Friday slot to Tuesday nights at 9:30 PM–against the top-ten CBS rural comedy “Petticoat Junction” and ABC’s new serial drama “Peyton Place.” What’s more, Barry Goldwater found a way to get back at the show and its continued jabs at him. According to the authors of the book “Watching Television,” the September 22nd, 1964 season premiere was pre-empted by a 30 minute special paid for by the Goldwater campaign, delaying the show one week. But “TW3" was pre-empted three out of four times during October when the Republicans (and Goldwater) bought the Tuesday at 9:30 slots on NBC. November 3rd was Election Day, so all three networks pre-empted their schedules (including “TW3") to cover the results. On that day, Americans elected Johnson over Goldwater in a landslide. 

“TW3" finally returned to the airwaves November 10th. It opened with a film of Goldwater’s concession speech and an announcer telling viewers “Due to circumstances beyond control, the regularly scheduled political broadcast scheduled for this time is pre-empted.” “TW3" won the battle against Barry, but lost the war. “Peyton Place” and “Petticoat Junction” swamped NBC in the ratings. As a result, the American “TW3" aired its last episode May 4th, 1965. (An album of Tom Lehrer songs performed on “TW3" became a big hit when it was released that fall.) 

Despite its relatively short life in America, “That Was The Week That Was” and its willingness to take aim at current events paved the way for other more successful shows, including “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,” “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In,” “Saturday Night Live,” “SCTV,” “In Living Color,” “Mad TV” and today’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “The Colbert Report”–which owe a debt of thanks to the folks at “TW3". 

http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/tw3usa.htm 

Legends of Broadway

In 1962, Carol Burnett was one of America’s fastest-rising comedy stars, having reigned on Broadway as a brassy princess in Once Upon a Mattress and endeared herself to the rest of America as a regular on The Garry Moore Show. Julie Andrews shared a stage pedigree with Burnett, a performer since childhood and the originator of iconic roles in Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s My Fair Lady and Camelot.  When Andrews teamed with Burnett as a guest on Moore’s program, the chemistry was all too evident.  Burnett told Good Housekeeping in 1963: “In the first five minutes of rehearsal, as eyewitnesses have since reported, it became quite clear to the whole company that one of those things was happening on stage that ‘ardly ever ‘appens between two female performers. There was no jealousy, no upstaging, no competition. Whether it’ sour chemistry or simply that we’re the same kind of nut – as Lou [Wilson, Andrews’ then-manager] said that night – we seem to be at our best in each other’s company.  The next morning everybody was on the phone persuading us to do a one-hour TV special, which eventually (in June, 1962) became Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall.”  The soundtrack to the special was released by Columbia Records, and briefly saw CD issue in 1989.  Come April 3, Masterworks Broadway will celebrate 50 years of the program’s debut with the new release The CBS Television Specials: Live at Carnegie Hall/Live at Lincoln Center, uniting the original 1962 special and the duo’s 1971 follow-up on 2 CDs.

http://theseconddisc.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/julie-andrews-carol-burnett.jpg

Dr. Kildare

Dr. Kildare is an NBC medical drama television series which ran from September 27, 1961 until April 5, 1966, encompassing a total of 190 episodes in five seasons. The show, which premiered at the same time as an ABC medical drama, Ben Casey, quickly achieved success and helped spark a number of new shows dealing with the medical field.

Kildare told the story of a young intern, Dr. James Kildare (Richard Chamberlain, above), working in a fictional large metropolitan hospital (Blair General) while trying to learn his profession, dealing with the problems of the patients, and winning the respect of the senior doctor, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Raymond Massey).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Kildare

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show centered around the life of Rob Petrie, a New York comedy writer who lived with his attractive wife (Mary Tyler Moore) and their young son. This critically acclaimed series debuted on CBS October 3, 1961 and ran until September 7, 1966.

SLK 55 AMG

Mercedes-Benz presents the new SLK 55 AMG, the most powerful SLK roadster of all time. It comes with a brand new 5.5 litre V8 engine, sporting an impressive 422 horsepower. Other stunning features include the 7 Speedshift transmisson and the performance breaking system, all next to great looks of the car of course. The sports version of the SLK sprints from 0-100 km/h in just 4.6 seconds.

 Be careful that you stay ahead of the roof.

http://www.highsnobiety.com/news/2011/08/21/mercedes-benz-slk-55-amg/