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Friday, September 30, 2011

Hemingway's Letters

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception



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His early life in letters.

A trove of literary treasure discoverd on Hemingway's estate in Cuba - spanned the first World War through the 1920s.

Hottest Day Since 1895

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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IN the UK it hasn't been this hot in September since 1895 - the glaring difference is folks strip off now and remained dressed then ... on the beach.

Marilyn Monroe

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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The metamorphosis of madame MM

before the icon
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2064256/Pictures-Marilyn-Monroes-professional-photoshoot-auction.html

Rapper's Delight

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception



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The grande dame of cool - hip hop impressario Sylvia Robinson dies.

http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/09/remembering-sylvia-robinson--1936-2011---co-founder-of-sugar-hil

Founded Sugar Hill Records in 1979 and launched the first ever rap hit Rappers Delight and the mega myth that was the birth of rap on a record label.

Bad ass lady ... RIP

...and the rest is ... history
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diiL9bqvalo&feature=player_embedded

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Father Hannan

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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As members of the greatest generation that ever lived continue to slip away ... we salute former Archbishop Phillip Hannan who famously eulogized President John F. Kennedy.  For 40 years he stood by the Kennedys and had laid to rest two infant babies for the couple.

He passed away today at the creditable age of 98!

Reincarnation et deux

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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First Nicholas Cage has old world look-alike, now John Travolta!  Pretty striking likeness I'd say.

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Best selling phenom.

A book published in 1936 that out sold Gone With the Wind! my all time favourite - shocker.  Its plot, background and words on its author Lew Wallace at the link.

We love great books.

Ben Hur on Blu-ray

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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On its 50th anniversary the huge 1959 blockbuster Ben Hur is re-released on DVD Blu-ray.

The Plot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben-Hur_(1959_film)

Frankenstein's Bright & Shining Moon

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Science debunks history.  Mary Shelley's bright and shining moon that inspired her 1816 "Frankenstein" tale has been proven by a scientist who also changed the historic record on the date of Julius Caesar's invasion of Britain in 55BC and when Van Gogh made his famous "Moonrise" painting.

5 Banned Books

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Five books banned for incendiary content ... always watch so-called "regimes of truth."

Striking Town Squares

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Some of the most strikingly beautiful structures are landmarks of fame bathed in historic lore.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Jackie O. Flirtatiousness

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


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Jackie O. on the cover of People magazine for an exploration of her secret life and flirtatious wiles, sometimes in service of her husband's diplomatic intent.

Accomplished flirt
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2043399/Private-world-Jackie-O-revealed-people-knew-best.html

WWII in the Pacific Islands

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More photos of WWII ... in the Pacific Islands.

1940s Barnum & Bailey

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Pictures at the link.

Vanity Fair Mag Covers

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At the link are Vanity Fair magazine covers during the American great depression of the 1930s.

The Eastern Front

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Known as the "Great Patriotic War" in which 27 million Russian soldiers and civilians died along with almost 4 million German troops.

Compelling photos at the link show the lines of war at the Eastern Front of WWII.

History's Living Pictures

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Living photograghs that recreate moments in history ... tableaux vivants ... if pictures could have been taken then, they may have appeared thus.

The Squalor of War

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Hunger, violence, disease, misery ... destruction of whole cities and their way of life. 

Civilians suffered losses in equal tragedy to soldiers on the front lines. 

The ravages of World War II will haunt human history ... always.

1940s in New York City

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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A slew of coloured images of New York city in the 1940s ... wonderful collection you gotta see!

Rare Hitler Images

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Rare coloured photographs of the man who popularised hate.

E (equals) mc2 equation

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A hundred years ago Einstein declared the fastest speed in nature was the speed of light.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2011/09/28/140839445/is-einstein-wrong?ps=cprs

Recently scientists uncovered particles that move faster than light - the neutrinos or ghost particles.

Einstein's 1905 paper recognized light not as a wave but a particle, the photon.  Space and time are not absolute - only light is. It is a mass with immense energy.  Molecules are real and not figments of imagination.

His theory of relativity pondered that matter and energy can bend space and and influence time.

We get closer to God in the universe every few hundred years - the unknown force that science hasn't isolated - real science troops on.

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Bill O'Reilly's book on Lincoln is being touted a masterpeice.

Although I am rarely a fan apparently his book is great and The View's Elisabeth Hasslebeck of whom I am definately not a fan declared his book capable of making anyone who reads it to fall in love with history.

Wonderful endorsement and well received by someone already in love with history.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Mayan Excavation

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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A trove of 2000 year old treasure has been uncovered including a Mayan Queen's skeletal remains.

It is believed the Mayans lived in the period 500 BC - 900 AD in Central and Southern America.

World's Oldest Car

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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The world's oldest car - the 127 year old 1884 De Dion Bouton Et Trepardoux Dos-A-Dos Steam Runabout is a one-of-a-kind steam powered vehicle built in France. 

It will be auctioned to a lucky bidder next month.

Beautiful Marilyn

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Click topic for LINK to young MM at her first photo shoot

Friday, September 23, 2011

Taylor Display

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All that is beautiful ...

Elizabeth Taylor's gems and gowns now on display ahead of auction and what a wonderous display it is - 300 pieces worth millions and gowns to die for for.

A legacy of beauty that will raise funds for her beloved charities - a just end to a beautiful life.

Fontainebleu Murder Mystery

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Miami's glamorous 1950s icon of wealth, fame and mobsters meant the Fontainebleu Hotel's famous ballroom was often under FBI surveillance. 

A place where the well heeled met for a quintessential good time became the scene of murder and suspicion in 2009 when Fontainebleu heir Ben Novack's brutal killing left a shadow of suspicion on his widow Narcy - who discovered the body.

A recent ruling in probate court has brought this mystery back in the headlines.

Scandi-NO-vian

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A thousand years ago marauding Vikings from Scandinavia conquered Northern Europe spreading their genes which included red-hair and athletic physicality but now demands at sperm banks from would-be mothers have evolved and mere Scandinavian virility is no longer the premium.

Characteristics in keeping with a personality, such as ... is he a nice guy? have taken precedence.

Rock n' Roll Myths

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Check out these Rock n' Roll myths!

A Dangerous Method

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A new film begins with a consternating medical case in 1907.

The plot explores the legend, Carl Gustav Jung - considered one of the founding fathers of psychoanalysis and his mentor Sigmund Freud, who were great friends and collaborators until Jung's disillusionment with Freud's theory that sex and sexual repression lay at the heart of all hysteria and neurosis.

A box discovered in 1977 contained letters and a diary of a young woman Sabina Spielrein who had been a patient of Jung and also his illicit lover that led to the undoing of the bond between both men.

The unraveling relationship of Freud, Jung and Spielrein is unvieled in A Dangerous Method adapted from the book by clinical psychologist John Kerr.

Another period piece ... love tham!

Hysteria

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception



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Trundling its way to a theatre near you ... a movie on the history of vibrators.

In an age when doctors pleasured their female patients!

 ... an electrical contraption revolutionises medical treatment that stimulates the nervous system, "it is the duty of every doctor to give his patients relief."

Now that's what I call exquisite ignorance - very funny stuff.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

The Death of Common Sense

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


HERE LIES THE DEPARTED ...

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense,
who has been with us for many years.
No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as: - Knowing when to come in out of the rain; - Why the early bird gets the worm; ... - Life isn't always fair; - And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies,
don't spend more than you can earn and adults, not children, are in charge.

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;
teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch;
and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student;
but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims.
Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust,
by his wife Discretion, his daughter Responsibility, and his son, Reason.
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers - I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, do nothing.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Is Wall Street Driving World Hunger? - The Atlantic

Is Wall Street Driving World Hunger? - The Atlantic

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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DO BANKS CAUSE WORLD HUNGER? OF COURSE THEY DO ALONG WITH SPECULATORS AND OTHER SHORT SIGHTED, SHORT TERM SELFISH THINKING LEECHES IN OUR RACE ... USUALLY CALLED CAPITALISTS, ENTREPRENEURS OR BUSINESS MAJORS.

The Liberal Lion

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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If only ...

people of integrity and intellect were in government today.

Senator Charles H. Percy of Chicago - an unwavering moderate, the Foreign Relations Committe chairman, who pushed for an independent enquiry into the Watergate Scandal, a critic of the Vietnam War, an even-handed politician and classic example of what a public servant should be who avoided the politics of the polarized.

and he WAS REPUBLICAN! A moderate Republican? a dead breed.

RIP to another of an extinct breed - a human being who actually thinks ...

Monday, September 19, 2011

Victorian Kitchen

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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A Victorian kitchen uncovered was untouched for 60 years!

Hidden under a generation of dust and basement junk, a fully outfitted kitchen with utensils, a complete range and all its items had sat undisturbed since 1830.

Incredible.

Old School Games

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Nintendo and Atari are old-school games but there were arcade games as long ago as the 1800s - have a gander at the link its a fun time exploring them.

A Biscuit Frozen in Time

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A 104 year old biscuit from the Shackleton expedition to Antartica in 1907 survived the return trip in one piece - unlikely since they staved off starvation on the return leg.  They were specially designed for the trip having neen fortified with concentrated milk protein.

In the hands of a private collecter the biscuit will be auctioned.  Believe it or not, museums, collectors and institutions are eager to acquire the sole snack!

Titanic Theft

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A necklace recovered from the tragic Titanic has been stolen from an exhibition at Copenhagen's Tivoli Amusement Park.

Its not the diamond heart-of-the-sea - I jest -buts its historic value is priceless

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Cage gag

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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Nicholas Cage plays an undead renegade in his next film but is this 1870s photograph a gag or is it a photograph of a man who looked eerily like Cage?


http://www.timesnews.net/blogger.php?id=10239&postid=7209

Records show there was a prisoner of war during the American Civil War who fashioned a camera in the prison attic and it has been claimed, took this photograph of Cage's 1870 look-a-like.

What do you think?

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/now/is-nicolas-cage-a-vampire/216

How Emmy Got Her Name

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The Academy was founded in 1946 - Cyd Cassyd wanted to call the award Ike - a shortened version of iconoscope - however the President's name was Ike.  As a result the male Immy became the female symbol known as an Emmy.

.... so many iconic names follow similarly ambivalent and strange routes.

Click through to link for more Emmy trivia.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Vintage Tragedy

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception


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A world war two era plane plows into spectators at the annual Reno National Championship Air Races today.

Galloping Ghost experienced mechanical difficulties which led to this terrible scene of death and sorrow. 

It seems airshows are ending this way more frequently.

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/seconds_to_doom_m8rfGofgXE39dg4QseRXFP

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Carl Oglesby

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

MLK
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Carl Oglesby

Sixties activist,
President of the Students for a Democratic Society, 
dynamic orator, 
who worked hard for a life of comfort and safety then gave it away to save the world but gained his father's anger instead.

The sixties was an unfulfilled dream that ended with the deaths of King and Kennedy as Vietnam raged on - he never recovered. 

His obsession with Kennedy's assassination in recent years were followed by the books he penned on the subject.

"The 60s will never level out. It's a corkscrew. It's a tailspin. It's a joy ride on a rollercoaster. It's a never-ending mystery."

RIP to the heart who dared to dive for that horizon's light, the hope of change.

MY FELLOW AMERICAN

MY FELLOW AMERICAN

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception

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While honouring the beloved victims of 9/11 on Sunday last, let's also remember the deadly ideologies nurtured in the hearts of some among our race that manifested into this anniversary of death born of hate.

Blessed are we, with another opportunity to take responsibility for our individual minds.  To forgive our trespassers, be determidly tolerant and own the consequences of our opinions whatever they may be.

Only then will we know our consciousness, take responsibility for our role in the world and cease to hide behind prejudices popular this year.

Islam is beautiful.  Send love their way.

The Great One speaks

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"All the great things are simple,
and many can be expressed in a single word:
freedom;
justice;
honour;
duty;
mercy;
hope."

           Winston Churchill

Pop Icon Passes

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hee hee can you see it!
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 British artist Richard Hamilton is hailed as the father of pop art and the inspiration of Andy Warhol and Joseph Beuys in the 1960s.  His famous collages include his most famous work, the 1956  'Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?'  that select historians recognize as the beginning of the pop art movement. 

Forever associated with the swinging sixties, he designed the Beatles, 'White Album' - a plain white sleeve with the band's name embossed on it. 

Thought

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"Today's shocks are tomorrow's conventions."

                         Carolyn Heilburn

Supermodels of 60s and 70s

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Bet you had forgotten some of those uber famous ladies?

Monday, September 12, 2011

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

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 Life.com celebrates Jackie O. at her most elegant.

Amelia Earhart

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Amelia Earhart's goggles and photographed images have successfully sold at auction.