lovely

Us vs. sweden: we have vloggers and so do they!

“this is my very first vlog EVER!” says alissa violet, making the world a better place one video at a time

and here’s the swedish equivalent, elin ersson, who was being trashed by haters for doing all of this for some fame and attention!! oh really? refugee deportation from gothenburg to Afghanistan the perfect topic for teenage fame.

I mean how horrible can people be to look past the brave efforts of this young girl, risking financial and physical damage to save a strangers life she believes is at risk. these horrible people consider her action to be fueled by self promotion? if this is how people do self promotion, and chase after their 5 minutes of fame, then be it… how fantastic that would be. yuuuuuge respects for swedish lioness elin ersson, so impressed with your bravery and conviction the world needs more of you. aside from the julian assange incident, i think i simply love sweden and even more now. we love you erin xx. by kt

CATEGORIES: clips, earth related, history, lovely

mlk: i’ve been to the mountain top

“i am in no way even attempting to assume that i know anything about the political/social realities at play in the world at the moment, but at quick glance it seems as though violence breeds more violence. the people who changed the world, were the ones who laid down their arms – chose to forgive – to restore – to love – people like jesus, mandela, gandhi, martin luther king.

just before he was assassinated on april 3rd, 1968, martin luther king preached the sermon ‘i’ve been to the mountaintop’. it’s a profound account of hope, amidst despair – where he considers the significance of being born into the turmoil and unrest of the twentieth century. his outlook provides unique context for pain and suffering as he says ‘only when it is dark enough can you see the stars’.

he goes on to say; ‘men for years now have been talking about war and peace. but now no longer can they just talk about it. it is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence. that is where we are today.’

he modeled a way of non-violence – and it cost him his life.

inspired by his words one night i cut together this clip using old archive footage from the prelinger archives – those words are as poignant today as they were back when he first spoke them – if not more (for me personally at least).”- Salomon Ligthelm

by dd

CATEGORIES: lovely, musings

written on the wind

rock hudson lauren bacall written on the wind

all this talk about films and we haven’t said a word about the recent passing of perhaps the last surviving old hollywood starlet, lauren bacall. known to her friends as betty, ms. bacall’s career spanned decades. a tough, no-nonsense, downright lady with that immersing, smoky voice and carnal gaze. going through the archives, i finally watched written on the wind, douglas sirk’s film starring bacall and rock hudson, the satirically pleasing look at big business and the destructive families oftentimes behind them. the film is playing at the museum of the moving image’s see it big!: hollywood melodrama series tonight, if you’re in the new york city area. if not, you can read more about it here. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, must be considered films

the old woman

THE OLD WOMAN

the old woman bam 001

this past sunday i sat anxiously with my fellow new yorkers (including steve buscemi) in the howard gilman opera house at BAM. we were anticipating the old woman, a beckettian and at times vaudevillian play starring the hysterically strange duo, willem dafoe and mikhail baryshnikov. i say hysterically in the comical sense, their almost slapstick outbursts and alternating shrieks are toxically delightful. the duo could be brothers, with our without the deranged kabuki makeup–and as the show demonstrated, their synchronicity is magnificent. there is an old woman’s corpse, is it in the trapezoidal bed? have several other old women fallen out of the window? are our protagonists, A and B merely halves of the same convoluted mind? perhaps all of these things. the play is based on the novella by daniil kharms, an absurdist soviet poet and writer, and certainly shines with glimpses of mayakovsky and other members of the futurist movement. even days later, i am still captivated by the folkloric animals and the suspenseful, oftentimes menacing lighting by aj weissband. the play runs through the end of the week, if you get a chance to be mesmerized by this angular and engaging pantomime circus. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, mind candy, ny places

camus on happiness and love

albert camus drawing on happiness and love

an excerpt taken from the 1951-1959 installment of his journals, illustrated by the multitalented wendy macnaughton for one of my favorite websites (hell–probably my favorite), brain pickings. camus’ journals are illustrious and have provided me with insight for many years. you can purchase the print here, and half of the proceedings will go to a room of her own, a foundation that supports women artists and writers. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, mind candy

a poem for poe

to poe love virginia clemm

Ever with thee I wish to roam–

Dearest my life is thine.

Give me a cottage for my home

And a rich old cypress vine,

Removed from the world with its sin and care

And the tattling of many tongues.

Love alone shall guide us when we are there–

Love shall heal my weakened lungs;

And Oh, the tranquil hours we’ll spend,

Never wishing that others may see!

Perfect ease we’ll enjoy, without thinking to lend

Ourselves to the world and its glee–

Ever peaceful and blissful we’ll be.

for edgar allan poe, from his wife (and cousin!) virginia clemm. penned on valentine’s day, 1846. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, mind candy

ahoy, sailor!

anna karina and jean paul belmondo sailor

because our little lil sailed way across the pond, and i miss her so. anna karina and jean-paul belmondo are missing her as well. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely

quote of the day: gena on john

gena rowlands and john cassavetes

“i was a woman with a plan. i knew the only thing, that could’ve really stopped me, in my opinion, was to fall in love.

i went in, at lunch, to put my books in the locker and i got to the doorway and … i saw john cassavetes, and i thought : oh, oh damn! no, no, no. no!

that’s just exactly what i don’t want.”

-gena rowlands on meeting her husband, john cassavetes

and the most important happens when you least expect it. for h. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, quote of the day

marquez by avedon

richard avedon gabriel garcia marquez

here is the second session richard avedon and gabriel garcia marquez shared in 2004. the first attempt was in 1976, but the photographer considered the portrait a “failure” according to the new yorker. this failure, however, emerged in avedon as a desire–he sought to photograph the late author again; finally getting his wish nearly thirty years later. and what a success it turned out to be that time around. goodnight, sweet prince. by sv

CATEGORIES: lovely, photography