Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
1958 Edsel Corsair ( Ford Motor Company )
1958 Edsel Corsair
Ford went hunting for a market niche that wasn't
there with a redecorated Mercury that had been beaten with an ugly
stick. The legendary flop of all automotive flops.
Superman and Wonder Woman kiss in new Justice League comic
Their simmering relationship has been the subject of much speculation over the past few months, and it becomes official when Justice League #12 hits comic-book stores on Wednesday (Aug. 29). The issue's cover depicts the two iconic DC heroes in an embrace, their lips nearly touching. Inside, they reveal it's not a tease: That looks like one pretty passionate kiss.
http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2012/08/superman-and-wonder-woman-kiss-in-new-justice-league-comic-retire-their-matchcom-profiles.html
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Energetic 'Hermano' scores
Director Marcel Rasquin's debut feature, which he wrote with Rohan Jones, introduces us to soccer-playing youths Julio (Eliu Armas) — tall, tough and captain of his barrio's team — and his more withdrawn younger sib Daniel (Fernando Moreno). Adopted as a wailing baby after being abandoned in a pile of garbage, Daniel's grown into a serious-minded 16-year-old field phenom.
When a Caracas Football Club scout offers a life-changing tryout to the brothers, the trappings of their lives come into sharp focus, especially when violent tragedy befalls the family at the same time and threatens to split apart Julio and Daniel.
What exacerbates the strain is both Julio's fealty to a local criminal boss, and the shaky peace Daniel tries to keep long enough to make their professional soccer dreams come true.
Rasquin's approach is simple and kinetic, tied emotionally to the pleasures of close bonds and the anguish of goals derailed, but expansive enough visually to capture barrio life in both its claustrophobia and its communal openness. The acting, largely naturalistic, is also a plus.
"Hermano" is well-trod acreage, but there's a vitality here that's easy to appreciate.
—Robert Abele
Shown above: Eliu Armas and Fernando Moreno in "Hermano." (Music Box Films / August 23, 2012)
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-hermano-review-20120824,0,1486630.story
Of Two Minds - The Film
http://www.facebook.com/Of2Minds
$64-million performance hall coming to Orange's Chapman University
The new space will have a capacity of 1,050 seats and will be built to accommodate various types of performances, including theater and classical music. The private university has hired famed acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, who also worked on Walt Disney Concert Hall.
Shown above is a rendering of the exterior of the planned Center for the Arts at Chapman University.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Manhattan Beach Centennial Group Photograph
Manhattan Beach Centennial Coin
http://www.manhattanbeachcentennialbook.com/group_photo.htm
"I told them the offer was
quite irregular"
The ancient Gnostic texts, which had been hidden in a jar buried by monks hoping to preserve them from destruction, provided alternative perspectives on Jesus that were hailed as significant additions to the understanding of the formative years of Christianity.
Robinson went on to become one of the world's great New Testament experts, and railed against scholars who tried to restrict access to biblical texts. Meyer received his doctorate and soon established himself as one of the foremost experts on Gnosticism and early Christianity.
In June 2005, he was tapped by representatives of the National Geographic Society to help translate what it said was an important Gnostic text. But Meyer had to sign a confidentiality oath before they would even say what it was.
"I told them the offer was quite irregular," Meyer recalled in an interview. "They said, 'You won't be disappointed.' So I signed."
Meyer learned that the society had the only known copy of the Gospel of Judas, a Coptic translation from the original Greek that had been the subject of tantalizing rumors but had never surfaced publicly.
He helped the society's team translate the Coptic into English, then traveled to Egypt to film a made-for-TV documentary about the discovery. He was prepped for a publicity tour that would have him for the first time traveling by limousine and staying in ritzy hotels.
"We used to laugh about all that because he was just as happy flopping out in flea-bag hotels in remote corners of the world," his wife recalled. "But he was excited about the opportunities that being on a world stage provided in terms of sharing his work on a scale that he never thought possible."
In Meyer's view, the gospel portrayed Judas as a hero, not a villain, for betraying Jesus. Instead, Judas acted on Jesus' orders and betrayed him to set in motion the Crucifixion. In the gospel, Jesus confides to Judas: "Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom. It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal."
In September 2005, Meyer let it slip to Robinson that he knew a lot about the long-rumored Gospel of Judas but couldn't talk about it. After Robinson demanded to know more, Meyer responded in a terse e-mail: "I'm sorry, but I must say, no comment. Marv."
As the publication of Meyer's "The Gospel of Judas" neared in 2006, Robinson was asked by a publisher to write his own Judas book, which he finished in a month. Rushed to print, Robinson's "The Secrets of Judas" criticized the National Geographic Society for withholding the gospel from other scholars.
Meyer, however, argued that publishing the gospel through National Geographic brought an important obscure text to the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time.
Through it all, the mentor and protege remained friends.
http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-marvin-meyer-20120823,0,5018796.story
Michael J. Fox turns his life into sitcom
Fox will star in a comedy that draws inspiration from his own life. He’ll play a husband and father of three in New York City dealing with family, career and Parkinson’s. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991.
No word yet on the cast. The show is set to premiere next fall.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/22/3773966/stargazing-michael-j-fox-turns.html
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Operation Death Trains
Wounded but safe ... bloodied survivor checks
his mobile phone after Atocha blast yesterday
his mobile phone after Atocha blast yesterday
By NEIL SYSON
in Madrid and MIKE DARVILL
ISLAMIC terrorists last night
claimed they launched “Operation Death Trains” in which 199 people died
and 1,421 were injured in Madrid.
Ten bombs hidden in backpacks tore apart four packed commuter trains at breakfast time yesterday.Suspicion was mounting that Osama Bin Laden’s al-Qaeda network was behind the horrific attack as TWO Islamic groups claimed responsibility.
And one warned that BRITAIN was among countries next on its hit-list — and an imminent attack on America was “90 PER CENT READY”.
Three of the Spanish capital’s railway stations were devastated by massive blasts in the space of a few minutes.
Bombs planted in carriages left platforms littered with bloodied bodies and limbs.
Icons Legend of the Week #5: Ryan Giggs
In a glittering career that has spanned two decades at the very top; the Manchester United
winger-turned-playmaker has won just about every trophy going in club
football. I mean talk about staying power, back when Giggs won his first
trophy it was known as the Rumbelows Cup.
He turns 38 in November, and he is now entering his 21st
season with Manchester United. Since that League Cup win in 1992, the
Welsh Wizard has added 12 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, and two
Champions League medals to his bourgeoning CV. Throw in eight Community
Shields, three more League Cups and a FIFA Club World Cup and you still
haven't covered it. Icons.com
America's foremost crusader against hate crimes
In 1981, when Klan members lynched a black man in Mobile, Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center sued the Klan for inciting violence and won a $7-million judgment. The importance of this victory cannot be overstated. The precedent was established that criminals cannot hide behind organizations. Membership in groups that espouse and encourage crime makes the member liable for damages caused.
Dees also successfully prosecuted and won a $12-million judgment against Tom Metzger, racist leader of the hate group known as "White Aryan Resistance". Metzger had encouraged some skinheads in Portland, Oregon to "defend the Aryan race" by violence. Later that day, when Metzger was far away, the young men beat and stomped an innocent Ethiopian man named Mulugeta Seraw, to death. Dees established Metzger as the proximate cause of the crime and make him accountable. In these two cases, Dees was able to attribute the murders to the hateful beliefs of a larger organization, thus "holding accountable once and for all" groups that advocate violence as a means for advancing their ideas, he said.
Dees' life has been threatened on many occasions, and the vicious hate group known as "The Order" actually planned to kidnap and torture him prior to their capture by the authorities. Yet he continues to crusade against hatred, racial injustice and the abuse of the desperately poor. He denies any status as a hero, but his quiet determination that evil will not go unremarked or unchallenged marks Morris Dees as a great man, and is what makes him one of our heroes.
http://users.erols.com/nolan/heroes.htm
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Two Legends: Phyllis Diller and Buddy Hackett
‘‘She died peacefully in her sleep and with a smile on her face,’’ said her longtime manager, Milton Suchin.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/obituaries/2012/08/20/legendary-comic-phyllis-diller-dies-los-angeles/CxrRu8aD3MNjr2qxu1m5NM/story.html
The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a crown jewel of Los Angeles' southern port cities.
Named after California assemblyman Vincent Thomas of San Pedro, the span is a 1,500-foot-long suspension bridge, the fourth longest such structure in California.
Built in 1963, the bridge was built to replace the ferries that connected the port cities of San Pedro and Terminal Island to mainland Los Angeles.
For years, the VT Bridge, as it became known, was derided as a bridge to
nowhere, but that changed in the 1970s when Los Angeles and Long Beach began to supplant San Francisco Bay cities as the state's principal port areas.
I wonder if this "Tony Bennett" can sing? He seems to be able to do everything else ???
http://thesummitleague.org/sports/mbkb/2011-12/releases/20120522dfgws9
Self Portrait by Tony Bennett
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=uIL&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=800&bih=461&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsol&tbnid=-Ggb_iAN4q8gNM:&imgrefurl=http://www.poplifeart.com/&docid=OLmG3xJ32ol3mM&imgurl=http://www.poplifeart.com/self_portrait_by_tony_bennett.jpg&w=246&h=320&ei=aTA0UPmmHOeRiAKou4H4CA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=505&vpy=69&dur=11917&hovh=256&hovw=196&tx=149&ty=67&sig=100459831468384048200&page=5&tbnh=138&tbnw=101&start=47&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:47,i:340
The Jonas Brothers
http://us.mc1108.mail.yahoo.com/mc/welcome?.tm=1324504059#_pg=showMessage;_ylc=X3oDMTBvZ2VoZGRnBF9TAzM5ODMwMTAyNwRhYwNuZXh0TWVzZw--&pSize=200&sMid=1&fid=Inbox&mid=2_0_0_1_13181365_AOcNw0MAAOHyUDQdLQCj%2BDPIcLs&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&.rand=2042108651&filterBy=&m=2_0_0_1_13181365_AOcNw0MAAOHyUDQdLQCj%2BDPIcLs%2C2_0_0_1_13180287_AOYNw0MAAOLKUDQR8wC3Mj6nbOI%2C2_0_0_1_13179218_AO4Nw0MAATdhUDQJUQTbyEDjCzw%2C2_0_0_1_13178016_AOINw0MAAU6eUDPV6gCUNnILGxQ%2C2_0_0_1_13177345_AOwNw0MAADTSUDPIpwURiTBozns%2C&hash=472e54dad2eade997a05ff64b35de985&.jsrand=742410
Monday, August 20, 2012
Waverider X-51A
“It is unfortunate that a problem with this subsystem caused a termination before we could light the Scramjet engine,” said X-51A Program Manager Charlie Brink via a news release Wednesday. “All our data showed we had created the right conditions for engine ignition and we were very hopeful to meet our test objectives.”
The test is a blow to the Waverider program, but also a setback for the development of hypersonic flight, since the control subsystem responsible for the failure had proven “reliable” in past flights.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/hypersonic-craft-x-51a-put-to-the-test/2012/08/14/40697b0c-e61e-11e1-936a-b801f1abab19_blog.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/hypersonic-craft-x-51a-put-to-the-test/2012/08/14/40697b0c-e61e-11e1-936a-b801f1abab19_blog.html
Michaels of Los Feliz.
http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2010/11/eric-s-blog/los-feliz-the-mideast-side-s-pill-hill-.html
1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster
A prized 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster, one of a handful of such cars by the German automaker left from prewar Nazi Germany, was sold Sunday for $11.77 million at an auction in Pebble Beach, Calif.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Where the rooftops are HOME in Zhuzhou, Hunan province
The buildings, which have electricity and water pipes already installed, will be offices for the shopping mall developer's 160 real estate management employees, said Li Li from the Zhuzhou city planning bureau.
The bureau conducted an on-site investigation after media reports voiced concern over alleged safety Whazards and the legal status of the four buildings.
The developer, Zhuzhou Jiutian Real Estate, used modern designs and landscape decorations to make the buildings look like villas, but never intended to sell them, Li said.
The construction of the shopping mall — including the rooftop buildings in the mall’s four corners — obtained authorities' approval, he said
http://english.sina.com/business/p/2012/0815/496989.html
Futuristic supercar inspired by 1960s space race goes on sale at a stratospheric $950,000
The Chrysler Plymouth XNR was built in 1960 and is the only model in
existence. It is due to be sold at auction in Monterey, California, this
weekend.
200th anniversary of French invasion of Russia
24 June marked the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812. He entered Russia with half a million soldiers and left after defeat with only a few thousand stragglers. Russians literally chased him out, killing his troops as what was left of his Grand Armee retreated.
http://russianreport.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/napoleon-1812.jpg
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Vintage Los Angeles, circa 1940"s
http://s3.amazonaws.com/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-08-07/cAGvcwBqBqiqcoheDxHJIBCqvylkhHaHJBcvkixtEvHdEFcpjcEGiEFJjeCj/16_philips_apt_view_-_I_Magnin_Tower_and_Town_House_on_Wilshire_Blvd_viewed_across_Lafayette_park_1930_-40.png.scaled1000.png?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJFZAE65UYRT34AOQ&Expires=1345075822&Signature=zTTe%2FReknLp4zDyAVcm2pCpZw%2Bk%3D
The Carlyle Residences on Wilshire Blvd
The Carlyle Residences on Wilshire Blvd - 10776 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
From the developers of the Plaza Hotel in New York (Elad Properties) comes The Carlyle, 78 Luxury condos in a new 24-story tower on the Wilshire Corridor in Los Angeles.
Five units have been listed on The MLS from $2.8 Million for a 2-Bed 3.5-Bath condo to over $13 Million for a 3-Bed 4.5-Bath penthouse.
Prices range from $1000 - $2500 per square foot.
Amenities of this luxurious new development include a fitness center designed by Sport Club LA, 24hr valet, security & concierge services.
The Carlyle is ideally situated in Westwood on the Wilshire Corridor, close to Beverly Hills and Century City.
The Carlyse Residences are listed by Alan Perry Mark of The Mark Company and Valerie Fitzgerald of Coldwell Banker Beverly Hills North.
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1588923/the-carlyle-residences-on-wilshire-blvd-10776-wilshire-blvd-los-angeles
Rose Bowl Renovation Plans
Proposed Concourse Plan - Your time is valuable to us; The concourse will be expanded from 2.5 to 4.5 sf per person, concession points of sale will be increased from 92 to 225, restroom fixtures will be increased from 733 to 1000, while exiting time from the stadium will be decreased from 35+ minutes down to approximately 12-14 minutes.
http://www.rosebowlstadium.com/RoseBowl-Renovations.php
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
2012 OLYMPICS: "The Agony of Defeat"
Damien Hopper of
Australia looks back at the staggered Marcus Browne of United States.
Hopper won their light heavyweight boxing match.
( Scott Heavey / Getty Images / July 30, 2012 )
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-oly-day-three-best-pictures-20120730,0,2032794.photogallery
( Scott Heavey / Getty Images / July 30, 2012 )
http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-oly-day-three-best-pictures-20120730,0,2032794.photogallery
Monday, August 13, 2012
Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonny prove that work ethic and attention to detail can reap Olympic rewards
Alistair and Jonny Brownlee made their mum and dad the proudest parents in Britain today when they won gold and bronze in the triathlon.
The Brownlees would have liked to cross the line together, arm in arm, to
celebrate their togetherness, the fact they live and train together. But
such familial sentiment is frowned upon by the Olympic
movement who insist on the continuous display of effort.
So, with a couple of laps to go, Alistair moved out in front, ahead of the
silver medallist Javier Gomez of Spain. It was a remarkable run of power and
pace, breaking all competition with its relentlessness.
The result had barely been in doubt from the moment the brothers dived into
the grey, choppy waters of the Serpentine.
Together with 46 other athletes, they were performing in front of the biggest
ever gathering in their sport’s history. Hyde Park was rammed with
spectators, 200,000 of them taking the opportunity to engage with these
incredible Olympics for free without a ticket.
Everyone was invited, but the park seemed particularly populated by wiry
middle-aged men in Lycra, triathlon’s natural constituency. And they were to
witness an astonishing show of strength by the young Yorkshire pair.
After 16 minutes of thrash and splash, the brothers emerged just behind the
leader Richard Varga from the water and galloped into the transition area to
climb aboard their bikes. Jonny got on his a touch too quickly and was
punished with a 15-second penalty he was obliged to serve during the run.
Abetted by their team-mate Stuart Hayes, whose role was to act as domestique
to the brothers.
He did his job brilliantly, guiding Alistair round Buckingham Palace, through Hyde Park corner and round the lake seven times. So successful were they that they arrived first to change into their favoured pursuit, the run.
And then Alistair took control. He eased away, his stride fluid and certain. Jonny, after serving his penalty on the second lap, dropped back, obliged to run for third.
Alistair’s final running lap was that of a triumphal coronation, the Union flags flying in his honour. So comfortable was he in victory he grabbed a flag off a spectator and ambled over the line, draped in glory in an Olympic record time of one hour 46 minutes, 25 seconds. When Jonathan arrived, 30 seconds behind him the pair hugged in delight, the happiest siblings in the country.
He did his job brilliantly, guiding Alistair round Buckingham Palace, through Hyde Park corner and round the lake seven times. So successful were they that they arrived first to change into their favoured pursuit, the run.
And then Alistair took control. He eased away, his stride fluid and certain. Jonny, after serving his penalty on the second lap, dropped back, obliged to run for third.
Alistair’s final running lap was that of a triumphal coronation, the Union flags flying in his honour. So comfortable was he in victory he grabbed a flag off a spectator and ambled over the line, draped in glory in an Olympic record time of one hour 46 minutes, 25 seconds. When Jonathan arrived, 30 seconds behind him the pair hugged in delight, the happiest siblings in the country.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/triathlon/9458806/Brownlee-brothers-Alistair-and-Jonny-prove-that-work-ethic-and-attention-to-detail-can-reap-Olympic-rewards.html
Saturday, August 11, 2012
She used to be big but it's the "pictures that got small."
Inspired Decadence From Early Days
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5086614
"I call it
Late Wicked Witch"
http://www.latimes.com/features/home/articles/la-lh-wonderland-near-silver-lake-photos-20120807,0,941349.photogallery
Thursday, August 09, 2012
The Olympic spirit continues to swell throughout London invoking a
frenzy of fan activity at this year’s Summer Games. Wigs, posters, hats,
kangaroos, face paint, and for some, butt paint, adorn these super fans
as they cheer their champions on to victory.
(David Gray/Reuters)
http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/REU-OLY-SWIM-DAY6.jpg
Charis Tsevis has just released
some of his most fantastic work
Who better to represent the graceful and energetic movements of the Olympic athletes than Tsevis? His incredible, color bursting illustrations seem to jump off the screen.
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/charis-tsevis-olympic-illustrations
http://ffffound.com/image/e80c306a12552d469488aee7891f9b7a13110329
Judo at the London 2012 Olympics
http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=jqx&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=800&bih=461&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnsu&tbnid=CF3a-4mNGbNDmM:&imgrefurl=http://www.upi.com/News_Photos/2012-Olympics/Judo-at-the-London-2012-Olympics/6927/&docid=Ly_ilChWBIngZM&imgurl=http://cdn.ph.upi.com/collection/pv/upi/6927/bc69c649e9d3b03cac415a399e35c477/Judo-at-the-London-2012-Olympics_1_1.jpg&w=439&h=400&ei=gEQkUJrRL-fg2wXz2oGgAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=195&vpy=87&dur=4756&hovh=214&hovw=235&tx=95&ty=98&sig=109530010751482586793&page=6&tbnh=131&tbnw=143&start=51&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:51,i:353
"World Number
One in his Category"
Cook was overlooked for the taekwondo team despite being world number one in his category, and there has been criticism about the lack of transparency surrounding the sport's selection policy.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/olympics/taekwondo/2012/0704/327818-cook-gb-taekwondo-row-to-spark-reform/
Tuesday, August 07, 2012
Michael Phelps Makes History with 19th Olympic Medal!
The 27-year-old swimmer became the most decorated Olympian of all time with a record 19 medals when his team picked up the gold medal for the relay.
http://www.justjared.com/2012/07/31/michael-phelps-makes-history-with-19th-olympic-medal/
"We've only just begun"
http://www.tmz.com/2012/08/04/olympics-polls/