Halloween is coming

Witch, originally uploaded by yerffej9.

The Snow White ride at Disneyland. Photo from flickr.

Footlight Parade

A Busby Berkeley extravaganza from the entertaining movie, Footlight Parade, with James Cagney.

Tintype

Why do people from this era look so creepy?

Speaking of hotness

The late Peter Tosh.

Marvin Gaye

God he was sexy!

Annie Oakley

Annie Oakley, originally uploaded by vidalia_11.

From Wikipedia:
(August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) b. Phoebe Ann Mosey was an American sharpshooter and exhibition shooter. Oakley's amazing talent and luck led to a starring role in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, which propelled her to become the first American female superstar. Using a .22 caliber rifle at 90 feet (27 m), Oakley could split a playing card edge-on and put five or six more holes in it before it touched the ground.
...
She also engaged in extensive, albeit quiet, philanthropy for women's rights and other causes, including the support of specific young women that she knew...After her death on Nov. 3, 1926 at age 66, it was discovered that her entire fortune had been spent on her charities.

And now for something completely different

He actually wasn't that great a dancer. And the way he prances around...lol. But I love his Italian male look, the skin-tight clothes, the platform shoes. This is a lot of fun.

Horne, Sutherland, and Pavarotti sing trio from Norma

Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, and Luciano Pavarotti perform the trio from "Norma"
New York City Opera Orchestra
Conducted by Richard Bonynge
Lincoln Center 1981.

Cecilia Bartoli sings Bel Raggio lusinghier

From Rossini's opera Semiramide. I love how triumphant and pleased she is at the end.

Ciao Pavarotti

This article lists some great recordings (click on this post's title):

"I Puritani," Bellini; Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Caminada, Luccardi, Ghiaurov, London Symphony Orchestra (Decca)

"La Fille du Regiment," Donizetti; Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Malas, Sinclair, Orchestra of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden (Decca)

"L'Elisir d'Amor," Donizetti; Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Cossa, Malas, Casula, English Chamber Orchestra (Decca)

"Lucia di Lammermoor," Donizetti; Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, Ghiaurov, Orchestra of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden (Decca)

"La Boheme," Puccini; Karajan; Pavarotti, Freni, Harwood, Panieri, Berlin Philharmonic (Decca)

"Tosca," Puccini; Rescigno; Freni, Pavarotti, Milnes, National Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca)

"Guglielmo Tell," Rossini; Chailly; Pavarotti, Freni, Milnes, Ghiaurov, National Philharmonic Orchestra (Decca)

"Rigoletto," Verdi; Bonynge; Sutherland, Pavarotti, Milnes, London Symphony Orchestra (Decca)

The Library's personal favorite: Bellini - La Sonnambula / Sutherland · Pavarotti · Ghiaurov · NPO · Bonynge.

Chabad Telethon

Chabad Telethon, originally uploaded by vidalia_11.

It's that time of year again!

100 years ago

This fantastic site, http://www.shorpy.com/, has vintage photos of the USA early this century. The images are hi-res and perfect quality. It also lists the photographer and/or collection the photo is from. This one is called "Fifth Avenue Sunday", ca. 1913.

Beautiful classical album

I'm listening to this album of Beethoven piano and violin sonatas. Szeryng and Rubinstein play so beautifully together.

Boney M

Somehow, I missed this group completely during the 1970s. They're the Black ABBA or something. Their songs are really catchy - I especially like the one about Rasputin. I even watched a video of it on YouTube, something I rarely do. (click on post title to go directly to YouTube for the video.)

Victorian etiquette

This is a pretty funny description of some ill-mannered guests. Times haven't changed much.

Obsessed with Photoshop

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. I feel guilty, not that anyone has noticed the blog anyway. The reason is that I've been consumed with cameras, flickr, and learning photoshop techniques. And it's been extremely enjoyable, enough to forget my blog!

Ernst Haeckel - Art Forms in Nature

From the website http://www.mblwhoilibrary.org/haeckel/wall_charts.html:

Ernst Haeckel was the preeminent proponent of Darwinism in Germany. His watercolors and drawings, made during his sojourn in Ceylon (Travel Pictures) and on his scientific journeys (Art Forms in Nature), are landmarks in the field of naturalist illustration, although many would not pass strict scientific muster. Indeed, much of naturalist illustration is not natural at all but permits stylization and distortion for decorative effect. Haeckel aimed Art Forms in Nature at a broad audience rather than specialists. Each of the 100 plates was accompanied by a short, readable commentary that made biological concepts accessible to the public. Moreover Haeckel's use of Art Nouveau techniques made the book even more appealing and "fashionable." The publication was an immediate success and remains a treasure to this day.

Poem by a child - "The Sea"

The Sea


The sun wakes up and rises over the sea,
Shining down and making the sea
Sparkle brighter and brighter,
Until it's almost too bright to look at.
The sea comes alive,
With swaying sea anemones,
Colorful butterfly fish,
And other darting, splashing,
And bubbling creatures.
The wind carries the sea's hearty smell of salt,
For miles around,
And everyone breathes it in,
Has visions of sandy beaches and rowdy pirates.
A reef shark lies low among branches,
Of coral,
Luring in unlucky prey.
A beautiful young mermaid,
With bright, blue eyes,
And long flowing golden hair,
Sits in the bed chamber of her underwater palace,
Admiring smooth gold pieces,
And velvety crowns from a treasure chest.
Enormous waves come roaring towards the beach,
And crash against the rocks.
Seagulls swoop and dive to catch fish,
And along with the fish,
They drink the sea's taste of secrets,
That will never be discovered.
Pieces of a broken bottle,
Wash up on the sand,
Translucent and smooth.
Shimmering pearls, glittering diamonds,
Dazzling emeralds and shining sapphires,
All stolen long ago,
Now rest in a pirate's shipwreck.
Iridescent seashells gleam,
As the sun decides it's time for bed.
The sea glimmers, then changes color,
From red to orange to yellow.
After the sunset is over,
It reflects the light of the stars and moon.

by Miss S, age 10

Nikola Tesla

From Wikipedia:
Nikola Tesla (10 July 1856 - 7 January 1943) was a world-renowned inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. He was born an ethnic Serb subject of the Austrian Empire, and later became an American citizen. Tesla is best known for his many revolutionary contributions to the discipline of electricity and magnetism in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The Wikipedia article is long and I haven't read all of it. But I will. Tesla was brilliant, eccentric, and strange. In 1943 the U.S. Supreme Court credited him with the invention of radio. Most people think Marconi invented it.