Happy New Year

Jerusalem of Gold
Originally uploaded by lapidim.

Shana Tova everyone!

Bizarre news story

From San Diego Union-Tribune. Edited for space.

Couple arrested in rock-throwing siege
By Kristina Davis
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
September 20, 2006

SAN MARCOS – Nearly every night for a month, fist-sized rocks and pieces of brick rained down on three homes along Via Camellia.

The barrage shattered windows, dented family cars and chipped stucco, not to mention scaring residents who were afraid of getting pelted by just stepping outside.
...

A married couple who had repeatedly complained to deputies about damage to their home and who claimed to have been hit by a rock were not victims after all, authorities say.

Jesus Maldonado, 25, and his wife, Krystal Maldonado, 23, were taken into custody after deputies caught a man and woman launching rocks at their neighbors' homes from their backyard, detective Sgt. Tom Bulow said.
...

Neighbors, including the Maldonados, would help walk the streets in the middle of the night looking for the vandals, residents said.

“But then Jesus would say he had to go inside and check on his kids, and it would be when he was gone that they'd get hit again,” George Torres said yesterday.

It wasn't until Deputy Victor David began to notice that the Maldonados didn't seem as concerned as their neighbors about their vehicles being struck that his suspicions were aroused.

On Sunday, during a surveillance of the home, the deputy's hunch was validated, Bulow said.

“We were really shocked,” Heather Groom said about the Maldonados' arrests. “When we'd get hit at night, they'd come running over and ask, 'Did you get hit?' We would've never suspected them.”

The motivation behind the attacks is unclear, and theories abound.

Jesus Maldonado told investigators that a neighbor made an inappropriate sexual comment about his wife, Bulow said.
...

Kristina Davis: (760) 476-8233; kristina.davis@uniontrib.com

Coney Island of the Mind

I've never been to Coney Island. An American, noir, surreal place. The names of the amusements parks are evocative: "Dreamland", "Luna Park", "Steeplechase". There was once a PBS special on Coney Island that I've never seen repeated. Did I imagine it?

Magical Places - El Escorial, Spain

IMG_1236
Originally uploaded by Mike Connelly.

Royal monastery...photo blogged from flickr. Click on link to see the photographer's other photos.

Jacob van Ruisdael

These paintings can be viewed very large at the Rijksmuseum website. They are gorgeous. http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/index.jsp

Art of the Congo

Pwo Mask, pre 1950, Chokwe; Democratic Republic of Congo, wood, cloth, raffia, glass beads, cowries. At Orlando Museum of Art, Florida. http://www.omart.org

Edouard Duval-Carrié

He is a contemporary Haitian artist. I know nothing about him, to tell the truth. http://www.edouard-duval-carrie.com

Why isn't Get Smart on DVD yet??

Emergency!

I don't remember if I already put Randy Mantooth aka Johnny Gage on here. It doesn't matter because I will probably have to include him more than once.

Adrienne Segur

Another beautiful illustration. http://segur.artpassions.net/

Republished!

This book I remember from childhood has been published again and is available at amazon.com. Hurrah!! My older cousin owned it and I envied it greatly. Golden Book of Fairy Tales, translated by Marie Ponsot and illustrated by Adrienne Segur.

The Diary of a Nobody

From Wikipedia: The diary is that of Mr Charles Pooter, a lower middle-class man, a city clerk, with modest social pretensions. Other characters include his wife Carrie (Caroline), his son Lupin, his friends Mr Cummings and Mr Gowing, and Lupin's unsuitable fiancée, Daisy. The humour comes from Pooter's unconscious gaffes and self-importance, as well as the snubs he receives from his supposed betters. This is a very funny book, originally serialized in Punch in 1888-89. I didn't want it to end, but unfortunately, it did. It is also free as an audiobook from Librivox.org, very entertainingly narrated by Martin Clifton.

Alfred Rethel

This is from a wonderful series of woodcuts done in the old Germanic style of the 1500's. This is Der Tod als Erwurger, ca. 1885. It can be seen larger at the Fine Arts of San Francisco ImageBase. http://famsf.org/

Not much to say, we all know Dylan is cool.

Mrs Caudle's Curtain Lectures

"Curtain Lectures delivered in the course of Thirty Years by Mrs. Margaret Caudle, and suffered by Job, her Husband." The curtain refers to curtains hanging around the bed as Mrs Caudle nags and scolds her downtrodden husband. This is a satirical work from 1846 by Douglas William Jerrold, published in Punch magazine. It is public domain and available on the web to read. It is hysterical. http://www.hereweare.net/CAUDLE/CAUDLEHOME.htm

Clifton Webb

Clifton Webb often played sophisticated, urbane, sardonic, characters who jousted verbally and never lost a battle of wits. He was a queen, yet dignified. He played Mr. Belvedere in several hilarious movies and he had an unforgettable part in the noir classic, "Laura".

Food loves - Spaghetti

Spaghet.
Originally uploaded by vidalia_11.

I could probably eat spaghetti every day, no problem. Especially with meat sauce or meatballs...

Peaceful

Peaceful
Originally uploaded by vidalia_11.

I am absolutely luxuriating in the peace and quiet! Happy Labor Day!

Toots Hibbert

Toots and the Maytals are a classic reggae band. Toots has to be pushing 60-something by now. His performances are soulful, gospel-tinged and very danceable. I saw Toots and the Maytals one time - it was impossible to remain seated during their performance.

Bizarre news story

Omeed Aziz Popal's family, worried about his recent mental breakdowns and erratic behavior, tried to keep an eye on him all the time.

But Tuesday morning, relatives and authorities say, the automotive worker from Fremont slipped away -- pulling a trick on his mother and sister that got them out of his sport utility vehicle, then speeding off on a hit-and-run rampage that killed one man in Fremont and injured at least 19 people in San Francisco.

On Wednesday, San Francisco prosecutors charged Popal with 18 counts of attempted murder for crimes that police said he committed because he "just wanted to."

This guy was paranoid schizophrenic and had been hospitalized several times - the family admitted that they never left him alone. However, his mother and sister were easily tricked into leaving the vehicle, so that he was able to bolt back into it and go on a rampage. His family, knowing of his mental illness, also arranged for his marriage to some unsuspecting woman in Afghanistan! What were they thinking?!

He was very angry that the family wasn't allowing him to visit Afghanistan alone to see his bride. Basically, he was a two-year-old in an adult body, who had a deadly tantrum.

See full story at San Francisco Chronicle: www.sfgate.com