Snippets:
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Philosophy: Bhagavad Gita. Text and MP3 audio, with translations.
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Religion: Ganesha: One of the most popular deities in the Hindism. One of the five prime Hindu deities (next to Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga). Lord of success. Remover of obstacles. Son of Shiva and Parvati. Elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om. More info.
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Video: Trouble in Mind (1985). 111 min. Director: Alan Rudolph. w/ Kris Kristofferson (Hawk), Keith Carradine (Coop), Lori Singer (Georgia), Genevieve Bujold (Wanda). Music by Marianne Faithful. Ex-cop, just released from prison, tries to build a new life. Tries to win over woman who is married to a crook. Depicts atmosphere of crude survival well. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Music: Pink Floyd RoIO Database. Contains collection of 'Records of Illegitimate/Indeterminate Origin'. Track listings. Some explanantions. Great resource. Site currently not actively maintained.
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DVD: The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (L' Uccello dalle piume di cristallo, 1970). 96 min. Director: Dario Argento. w/ Tony Musante (Sam Dalmas), Suzy Kendall (Julia), Enrico Maria Salerno (Inspector Morosini). A writer and an inspector are trying to solve the mystery of a series of murders of young women. Has some gripping moments. Suspense enhanced by and erie soundtrack. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Music: Caravan: Progressive rock group from the 60s and 70s. Song: A hunting we shall go (Live), from the album 'Caravan & The New Symphonia'
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Music: Garth Stevenson Group on Friday, October 26, 2007, 9 PM at The Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village, 269Bleecker St, NYC. Garth Stevenson, bass; John Lockwood, bass; George Garzone, sax; Ted Poor, drums. Great line up with two upright bass players; creative tenor sax and drums. Part of 'Jazz Underground'.
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DVD: Quadrophenia (1979). Director: Franc Roddam. w/ Phil Daniels (James Michael 'Jimmy' Cooper), Leslie Ash (Steph), Sting (Ace Face). Member of a 'Mod' gang in London and Brighton in 1963 tries to find his identity and way through life. When the girl he fancies turns to another guy, he spirals downward. Music by The Who, who produced the film. Movie inspired by their concept album from 1973. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Music: Tiff Jimber. Singer-songwriter from San Diego. Reminds of Vanessa Carlton. MySpace.
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DVD: The Passanger (Professione: reporter; 1975). 126 min. Director: Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow Up). w/ Jack Nicholson (David Locke), Maria Schneider (Girl; from Last Tango in Paris). Slow pace, some good dialogs. Good cinematography. Story sometimes to sluggish. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: Performance (1970). 105 min. Directors: Donald Cammell, Nicolas Roeg (Bad Timing). w/ James Fox (Chas), Mick Jagger (Turner), Anita Pallenberg (Pherber), Michele Breton (Lucy). Gangster on the run finds a quiet, bohemian place to hide in an East London mansion with trippy beatniks. Not much content, but plenty of 60s spirit. Many references to the culture of the time. Violence, sex, drugs, Rock'n Roll. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Movies: Filmsite. Info about history of film.
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Life: John Maeda: The Laws of Simplicity: Law #2: Organization makes a system of many appear fewer. Maeda is currently Associate Director of Research, The Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Photography: Jean Guichard. Born 1952. Famous French photographer of lighthouses.
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DVD: Blade Runner (1982). 117 min. Director: Ridley Scott. w/ Harrison Ford (Rick Deckard), Rutger Hauer (Roy Batty), Sean Young (Rachael), Daryl Hannah (Pris). After the novel ("Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?") by Philip K. Dick. In the year 2019, technology allows the cloning of human-like so-called replicas that are used to conduct lowly work on other planets. A retired cop gets the task to 'retire' (kill) 4 replicas seeking their freedom. Great special effects for the time; however the plot has lost its excitement over the years. Boring stretches. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Life: 10/3/07: Touring the East Village: 1.) The Stone 2.) Casa Adela 3.) Nublu 4.) Alphabet Lounge 5.) Lava Gina 6.) Uncle Ming's 7.) Hummus Place 8.) Jules 9.) Cachaca
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DVD: Minority Report (2002). 145 min. Director: Steven Spielberg. After the short story by Philip K. Dick (1928-1982; also Blade Runner, Total Recall). w/ Tom Cruise (Chief John Anderton), Max von Sydow (Director Lamar Burgess), Samantha Morton (Agatha, a Precog), Colin Farrell (Danny Witwer). In the year 2054, murders are prevented through a technology that allows to observe them before they are committed. At the heart of thee system, three humans with visionary capabilities are held captive. Everything is stirred up when the chief of the department is predicted to commit a murder. He sets out to unravel who set him up. Plot and dialogue often lack realism. Some inconsistencies. Overdone. Schmaltzy at times. Not inspiring. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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Theater: The Exonerated. By Jessica Blank and Eric Jensen. The Red Fern Theater Company, 78th St Theater Lab, 236 W 78th St @ Broadway. A play about people who were wrongfully put on death row but later released. One of the characters tells the story of Kerry Max Cook who was imprisoned for 22 years for a crime that he did not commit. Cook was finally exonerated and then wrote the book 'Chasing Justice'. Moving stories. Touches on racial issues.
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DVD: Beyond the Clouds (Al di là delle nuvole, 1995). 112 min. Directors: Michelangelo Antonioni, Wim Wenders. w/ Fanny Ardant (Patricia), Chiara Caselli (Mistress), Irene Jacob (The Girl), John Malkovich (The Director), Sophie Marceau (The Girl; also in The World Is Not Enough), Vincent Perez (Niccolo), Jean Reno (Carlo), Kim Rossi Stuart (Silvano), Ines Sastre (Carmen), Peter Weller (Husband). Four episodes of unusual relationships between men and women, woven together by a director who shooting a movie. Some parallels between individual stories. Mysterious. Sparse dialogues increase the tension.Overall rating: 7 out of 10. DVD also contains a portrait of Michelangelo Antonioni as a filmmaker.
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DVD: Pandora's Box (Die Büchse der Pandora, 1929). Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst. w/ Louise Brooks (Lulu), Fritz Kortner (Dr. Ludwig Schön), Francis Lederer (Alwa Schön), Carl Goetz (Schigolch), Alice Roberts (Gräfin Geschwitz). After the plays "Erdgeist" and "Die Büchse der Pandora" by Frank Wedekind. Life of a young impulsive woman in the late 20s. Movie is notorious for its frank treatment of modern sexuality, including the first screen portrayal of a lesbian. Overal rating 8 out of 10. Website on the silent movie star Louise Brooks.
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Science: 'Baertierchen im All'; Tardigrada; engl. Tardigrade (water bear): small, segmented animals; 1000 species of tardigrades have been described; most frequently found on lichens and mosses; able to survive in extreme environments; currently testing survival in space (unprotected); can reversibly suspend their metabolism; cryptobiosis(anhydrobiosis i.e. through desiccation).
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Poetry: William Wordsworth (1770-1850): Complete works. Prelude (1885): autobiographical, "philosophical" poem in blank verse.
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Travel: Wequassett Resort and Golf Club , Cape Cod, Chatham, MA. Located on the water. Adjacent to the beach.
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Food: Cabot's "Famous" Cape Cod Fudge & Salt Water Taffy. 276 Commercial St, Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA.
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Snippets:
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Patents: Peer to Patent: Novel patent review system that includes the public. Project in cooperation with USPTO.
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Travel: SeatGuru: Info about airplanes and airline seats for all airlines.
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Computer: Prevent Expanding "User" Folder When Opening Windows Explorer in Windows XP and Vista: Change shortcut target to '%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:' or see here.
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DVD: Ringu: Anthology of Terror: 1.) Ringu (1998): Director: Hideo Nakata 2.) Rasen (1998) 3.) Ringu 0: Basudei (2000): Prequel to Ringu 4.) Ringu 2 (1999). The films that inspired the American version 'The Ring'. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Short Circuit (1986).98 min. Director: John Badham. w/ Ally Sheedy (Stephanie Speck), Steve Guttenberg (Newton Crosby). The robot Number 5 is struck by lighting escapes and evolves into an intelligent being with the help of a young woman. While one of his creators tries to retrieve and deactivate Number 5, he falls in love. Cute but some amateur acting. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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DVD: Last Tango in Paris (Ultimo tango a Parigi). 129 min. Director: Bernardo Bertolucci. w/ lon Brando (Paul), Maria Schneider (Jeanne). Stormy love affair between a beautiful French woman and a depressed American. Weird, disturbing movie. Partly explcit. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Computer: Yugma: Free web conferencing, online meetings and web collaboration services. However, slow at times.
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DVD (Airline): Easy Rider (1969). 95 min. Director: Dennis Hopper w/ Peter Fonda (Wyatt); Dennis Hopper (Billy). Two hippies make a trip from L.A. to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. On their journey they are searching for America. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Troy (2004). 163 min. w/ Brad Pitt (Achilles), Diane Kruger (Helen) , Eric Bana (Hector), Orlando Bloom (Paris). Director: Wolfgang Petersen (The Perfect Storm, Outbreak, Das Boot, Die Unendliche Geschichte). Adaptation of Homer's great epic. Some good special effects. Entertaining. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: The Grapes of Wrath (1940). 128 min. B/W. Director: John Ford. Afterr the novel by John Steinbeck. w/ Henry Fonda (Tom Joad), John Carradine (Casy). Poor Oklahoma family is displaced from their land and makes a journey to California in hope of a better future. Gripping story. Superb cinematorgaphy, reminds of pictures by Dorothea Lange. Overall rating: 8 out of 10.
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Music: The Pink Floyd album 'Animals' showed Battersea Power Station, a defunct power plant near London on its cover.
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Music: Douglas Spotted Eagle: combines Native American flute with synthesizer. Also records movie and TV soundtracks.
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DVD: Bad Timing (1980). Director: Nicolas Roeg. w/ Art Garfunkel (Alex Linden), Theresa Russell (Milena Flaherty), Harvey Keitel (Inspector Netusil). After a woman is rushed to the hospital with an overdose of pills, her lover is interrogated by the police, slowly dissecting the course of their affair. Inter-cutting is predominant, ie not chronological. Starts benign, then spirals downward. Disturbing ending. Sexually explicit. Mediocre acting by Art Garfunkel. Was originally named 'Illusions', but then renamed before release due to conflict with the book of the same name by Richard Bach. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Cities: Bangalore (officially Bengaluru), India: Capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Estimated metropolitan population of 6.5 million. Sights: 1.) Vidhana Soudha: Legislative House of the State of Karnataka 2.) Karnataka High Court 3.) Bangalore Palace 4.) Lal Bagh: Botanical garden w/ lotus ponds, fountains, glass houses and stone formations that date back over 3.0 billion years 5.) MG Road and Brigade Road. Also to visit: Iskcon Temple (ISCON = International Society for Krishna Consciousness), 'Hare Krishna'; built to promote vedic culture and spiritual learning); Indian Institute of Science; Mysore (2 h drive; famous for its palace and sandalwood).
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Music: London '66-'67 (London 1966-1967): An EP w/ two "lost" tracks, a longer version of "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Nick's Boogie". Tracks were originally recorded for "Tonite Let's All Make Love In London" on January 11 and 12, 1967, a film by Peter Lorrimer Whitehead, an English filmmaker who documented the counterculture in London and New York in the late 1960s.
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Cities: Amsterdam, NL: 1.) Avenue Hotel, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 33 2.) ACH Leidse Square Hotel, Tesselschadestraat 23 3.) Rijksmuseum 4.) Van Gogh Museum 4.) Maurya: An Indian Cuisine, Korte Leidsedwarssraat 49A.
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Art: Ten Dreams. Galleries cover galleries cover the works of more than 180 master artists during the last 200 years. Includes Balthus, Tamara de Lempicka, Maxfield Parrish, Max Beckmann, Paul Gauguin, Edward Hopper etc.
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Photography: Eugene Atget (1857-1927): French photographer. Made photographs documenting the architecture and street scenes of Paris. Neighbour of Man Ray at Montparnasse. Photographs at the George Eastman House.
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Photography: Bruno Bisang (b. 1952). Swiss photogapher. Advertisement, magazines, fine art.
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Life: Angie's List: Info and ratings for contractors in your area. Requires sign-up. One year free service.
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Science: Otto Hahn (1879-1968): German chemist; Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1944; discovered nuclear fission together with his assistant Fritz Strassmann and Lise Meitner. Meitner needed to escape from Germany in 1938 because of her Jewish heritage and was later overlooked for the Nobel Prize.
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DVD: 11:14 (2003). w/ Hilary Swank (Buzzy), Patrick Swayze (Frank), Rachael Leigh Cook (Cheri), Henry Thomas (Jack). Director: Greg Marcks. Five more or less parallel events intertwine the lives of residents in a small American town. A dead body lands on the hood of drunk man who passes under a bridge on the highway. At the same time, a young woman is hit by a car carrying three rambunctious juveniles. The story and sequence of events slowly unravels. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Thunderball (1965). 130 min. w/ Sean Connery (James Bond), Claudine Auger (Dominique 'Domino' Derval). Director: Terence Young. James Bond is on a mission in Bermuda to recover two stolen atomic bombs. Many diving scenes. Bond in macho style. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
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DVD: Pink Floyd --- Live at Pompeii (1972). The Director's Cut (2003). 92 min. Director: Adrian Maben. Original film contained mainly music from the Pompeii event. In later versions, studio recordings from 'Dark Side of the Moon' and interview footage was added. DVD also contains interview with director with some insights into the project. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Astronomy: BLAST (Balloon-borne Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope: submillimeter telescope held by andd launched using a high altitude balloon. 2 meter primary mirror. Apparently, BLAST was destroyed during its last mission in Jan. 2007.
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Literature: Ricarda Huch (1864-1947): German writer, poet, and historian. Wrote three volumes about German history (Deutsche Geschichte) during the Nazi regime (which she opposed) and about German romanticism (Die Romanik).
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DVD: The Devil Wears Prada (2006). 109 min. w/ Meryl Streep (Miranda Priestly), Anne Hathaway (Andy Sachs), Emily Blunt (Emily), Stanley Tucci (Nigel). Young aspiring journalist gets introduced to the world of fashion through her new job with the arrogant chief ('the devil') of a fashion magazine. At first she resents the people, but her desire forr a career makes her one of them while destroying her personal life. Life is full of choices... Streep plays her role as the red dragon well. Some scenes rather comical and exaggerated. Slightly superficial. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Snippets:
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Real Estate: Realtor.com
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Art: Frick Collection, NYC. Sunday, June 3, 2007, 12:25 PM (pay as you wish).
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Mathematics: Gerolamo Cardano (Girolamo Cardano; Engl.: Jerome Cardan; Lat.: Hieronymus Cardanus), 1501-1576, celebrated Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer, and gambler. Greatest achievements in algebra. Cardan shaft (automotive driveshaft). More info at Engines of our Ingenuity #1950. Biography by William George Waters.
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Art: Montclair Art Museum, Montclair, NJ.
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DVD: Thir13en Ghosts (2001). 91 min. w/ Tony Shalhoub (Arthur Kriticos), Embeth Davidtz (Kalina Oretzia), Matthew Lillard (Dennis Rafkin), Shannon Elizabeth (Kathy Kriticos). Director: Steve Beck. Arthur inherits house from his uncle who happend to collect ghosts to open the gate to hell. When Arthur, his two kids, and a nanny see the house for the first time they get trapped. Horror movie with some good special effects, but very poor story and some bad acting. Overall rating: 3 out of 10.
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Life: Background checks at Sterling Testing
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Psychology: Cognitive Dissonance: Uncomfortable tension that may result from holding two conflicting thoughts or from engaging in behavior that conflicts with one's beliefs. Dissonance increases with the importance of the subject to us, how strongly the dissonant thoughts conflict, and our inability to rationalize and explain away the conflict.
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Jazz: Friday, August 3, 2007, Smalls, NYC: 10:00 PM: Harry Whitaker Group feat Claudia Acuna, Abe Burton, Joe Magnarelli. w/ Harry Whitaker, piano. 12:00 AM: Ralph Lalama Trio w/ Ralph Lalama, tenor saxophone.
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Jazz: Velvet Lounge, 67 E Cermak Rd, Chicago, IL 60616. Owner: Fred Anderson, tenor saxophonist.
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Computer: Gotta Be Mobile: Articles, news and forums on Tablet PCs and Ultra-Mobile PCs.
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DVD: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). 157 min. w/ Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley). Director: Mike Newell Writers: Steve Kloves (screenplay), J.K. Rowling (novel). Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts. He participates unwillingly in the 'Triwizard Tournament' while continuing his struggle against Lord Voldemort. Story overall too flat and predictable. Some good special effects. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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Computer: CCleaner. Freeware system optimization. Deletes junk and cleans registry.
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DVD: The Da Vinci Code (2006). 149 min. w/ Tom Hanks (Dr. Robert Langdon), Audrey Tautou (Agent Sophie Neveu; from Amelie). Director: Ron Howard. Langdon and Neveu try to find the Holy Grail. Too flat at times. Reasonable acting. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). 104 min. Director: Mel Brooks. Cary Elwes (Robin Hood), Amy Yasbeck (Maid Marian). Comedy retelling the story of Robin Hood. Funny. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Snippets:
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Thought: Life is a constant experiment. We try things out every day, analyze, evaluate results, and make plans for doing it better or different. (Carl Sagan, Demon Haunted World)
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DVD: Blow (2001). 124 min. w/ Johnny Depp (George Jung), Penelope Cruz (Mirtha Jung), Franka Potente (Barbara Buckley), Paul Reubens (Pee Wee Herman; Derek Foreal). Director: Ted Demme. The story of George Jacob Jung (Boston George), a major player in cocaine importation in the United States in the 1970s and early 80s and a part of the Medellin Cartel in Colombia. Some fun, some touching moments. Age/appearance of actors does not always match up with the scenes. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Thought: Happiness: Feels right. Belong. This is it. (Blow)
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DVD: Casino Royale (2006). 144 min. w/ Daniel Craig (James Bond), Eva Green (Vesper Lynd). Director: Martin Campbell. Bond fights terrorist and plays poker. Overpromised. Overall rating: 6 out of 10
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DVD: Dial M for Murder (1954). 104 min. Director: Alfred Hitchcock. w/ Ray Milland (Tony Wendice), Grace Kelly (Margot Mary Wendice), Robert Cummings (Mark Halliday). Man who want to murder his wife comes up with an (almost) ingenious plan. Too static at times. Was originally written by Frederick Knott as a play. Overall rating: 6 out of 10
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Art: 6/2/07: Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. 1.) New Greek and Roman Galleries. Opened April 20, 2007. 2.) Poiret: King of Fashion. 3.) Neo Rauch at the Met: para. 4.) Frank Stella on the Roof.
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DVD: Chinatown (1974) w/ Jack Nicholson (J.J. 'Jake' Gittes), Faye Dunaway (Evelyn Cross Mulwray), John Huston (Noah Cross). Director: Roman Polanski. Private investigator Gittes is hired by a woman to spy upon an enginer and his extra-marital affairs. When he is murdered, Gittes slowly uncoves a vast conspiracy centering on water management, state and municipal corruption, land use and real estate. Great acting, but story too slow at times. Cameo appearance by Polanski himself as 'Man with Knife'. Overall rating: 5 out of 10.
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DVD: The World is not Enough (1999). w/ Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Sophie Marceau (Elektra), Denise Richards (Christmas Jones) . Full of one-liners. Better story than other Bond movies. Many humorous scenes. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Ran (1985). 160 min. Director: Akira Kurosawa. w/ Tatsuya Nakadai (Lord Hidetora Ichimonji), Akira Terao (Taro Takatora Ichimonji), Jinpachi Nezu (Jiro Masatora Ichimonji), Daisuke Ryu (Saburo Naotora Ichimonji). Japanese Lord steps aside and determines his succession, but learns that greed is strongerr than family ties. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Astronomy: Astro Viewer: Interactive star map (in German); can be customized.
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Food: Numi: Tea brand. Has Simply Mint / Maroccan Mint, said to have a "bright vibrant flavor that tastes like a fresh picked leaf."
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DVD: Syriana (2005). 126 min. w/ George Clooney (Bob Barnes), Jeffrey Wright (Bennett Holiday). Several parallel stories about oil, money, and corruption. Story too complicated. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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DVD: Les Biches (Bad Girls, 1968). 104 min. Director: Claude Chabrol. w/ Jacqueline Sassard (Why), Stephane Audran (Frederique), Jean-Louis Trintignant (Paul Thomas). Rich woman meets street artist and invites her to her home. They fall in love with the same man. Liberal for its time. French 60s feeling. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Kim (TV, 1984). 150 min. After the novel by Rudyard Kipling. w/ Peter O'Toole (Lama), Bryan Brown (Mahbub Ali), Ravi Sheth (Kim). Director: John Howard Davies. In colonial India, an Indian boy with an Irish father lives a life between a Tibetan lama and the British Secret Service. Good story. Some of the acting leaves room for improvement. O'Toole appears a bit too shaky. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Astronomy: Hyperion: Very porous moon of Saturn. Approx. 120 km in diameter and 10 km deep. Rotates caotically. Picture taken by Cassini spacecraft.


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Medicine: Aristolochic acid may be responsible for etiology of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy. Contamination of bread (flour) with seeds of Aristolochia clematitis. A. clematitis is native to the endemic region and often grows in cultivated fields where its seeds comingle with wheat grain during the annual harvest. PNAS, July 17, 2007, Vol. 104, No. 29, p. 12129-12134.
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Snippets:
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Art: Giclée, pronounced "zhee-clay": High-quality ink-jet print
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Art: Create your own Jackson Pollock -like painting on screen.
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Art: The famous violinist Joshua Bell played more or less unrecognized in the subway in Washington D.C. and earned $32.17 in 43 minutes, as described by the Washington Post. Art seems to determined by its statement, claim, and frame. Deutschlandfunk: "Seit rund hundert Jahren wissen wir, dass Kunst zu einem wesentlichen Teil in ihrer Behauptung besteht. Die Konzertkarte ist der Garantieschein für das Musikerlebnis, das Museum macht die ausgestellten Werke erst bedeutsam. Daraus folgt umgekehrt, Dass große Kunst zur Straßenmusik wird, wenn sie auf der Straße oder in einer U-Bahn-Station dargeboten wird."
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Philosophy: Rhetoric (from Greek rhetor, orator, teacher) is generally understood to be the art or technique of persuasion through the use of oral and/or written language. Classical rhetoric can be defined as the art, technique or practice of persuasion. Derived from Pre-Socratic philosophers known as Sophists. Later taught as one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (next to dialectic and grammar) in Western culture.
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Art: Discover Islamic Art: Online museum on Islamic art. Numerous photos with explanations.
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Humor: Says-it: Generator for stickers and refrigerator magnets. Church signs, badges, cassette labels etc. Can be customized.
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Music: Alan Ferber Nonet, Saturday, May 5, 2007 at The Neighborhood Church of Greenwich Village, 269 Bleecker St, NYC, 8:00 PM; w/ David Smith / TRUMPET, Alan Ferber / TROMBONE, Jon Gordon / ALTO SAX, Jason Rigby / TENOR SAX, Douglas Yates / BASS CLARINET, Nate Radley / GUITAR, Bryn Roberts / PIANO, Gary Wang / BASS, Mark Ferber / DRUMS. New CD: The Compass.
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DVD: The Living Daylights (1987). 130 min. w/ Timothy Dalton (James Bond), Maryam d'Abo (Kara Milovy). Director: John Glen. Story: Ian Fleming. James Bond falls in love with one woman while fighting arms dealers and other evil. Standard Bond movie with good action sceenes. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: Kingdom of Heaven (2005). 145 min. w/ Orlando Bloom (Balian; Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Carribean), Eva Green (Sibylla; Casino Royale), Jeremy Irons (Tiberias), Liam Neeson (Godfrey). During the time of the 3rd Crusade, a man follows his father to the Holy Land to find forgiveness for his sins. As he is drawn into war, hemerges as a leader and defends Jerusalem from the Arabs. Colorful epic, but overall flat story. Great cast. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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DVD: An Inconvenient Truth (2006). 100 min. Director: Davis Guggenheim. w/ Al Gore. Documentary by Ex-Vice President on causes and consequences of global warming. Eye-opener. Contains some impressive long-term statistics. Must see. The entertaining autobiographical notes are expendable. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Belle De Jour (1967). 101 min. Director: Luis Bunuel. w/ Catherine Deneuve (Séverine Serizy aka Belle de Jour), Jean Sorel (Pierre Serizy). Frigid wife of a wealthy man fullfills her fantasies by working as a prostitute. Dream and reality alternate, but eventually become indistinguishable. Daring for its time. Overall rating: 7 out off 10.
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Literature: Tolkien Gateway. J.R.R. Tolkien encyclopedia in Wiki form. Good source of information on characters from 'Lord of the Rings'
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DVD: La Strada (1954). 108 min. Director: Federico Fellini. w/ Anthony Quinn (Zampano), Giulietta Masina (Gelsomina), Richard Basehart (Il 'Matto', The 'Fool'). Girl (Masina) is sold by her poor mother to a street artist (Quinn). Together, they go on the road, but he treats her badly. She falls in love with him, but looses her mind when Zampano kills a handsome tightrope artist, 'The Fool'. Poetic fable of love and cruelty. A classic Fellini film. Masina was Fellinis wife. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Rashomon (1950). 88 min. Director: Akira Kurosawa. w/ Toshiro Mifune (Tajômaru). In 12th century Japan, a samurai and his wife are attacked in the woods, the woman raped and the man killed. The notorious bandit Tajomaru is captured and brought to trial. But the defendant and each witness give completely different accounts of what they saw. Which version, if any, is the truth?. Great plot despite the simple story. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, 1988): Director: Pedro Almodovar. w/ Carmen Maura (Pepa Antonio), Antonio Banderas (Carlos). Woman is left by her lover, and while trying to find him finds out that he is married, has a son and another girlfriend. At the same time, one of her friends flees from the police because she got involved with terrorists. In the end, all stories come together. Turbulent comedy, partly grotesque. Characteristic faces. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Food: Gazpacho soup (gazpacho): cold, Spanish soup, popular in warmer areas and during the summer. Contains tomato juice and bell peppers. Also: stale bread, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt and vinegar.
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DVD: The Departed (2006). Director: Martin Scorsese. w/ Leonardo DiCaprio (Billy), Matt Damon (Colin), Jack Nicholson (Costello), Vera Farmiga (Madolyn). Nicholson is great, Damon and DiCaprio mediocre. Farmiga too shallow. Story too superficial and ending disappointing. Makes little sense. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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DVD: North by Northwest (1959). 136 min. Director: Alfred Hitchcock. Cary Grant (Roger O. Thornhill), Eva Marie Saint (Eve Kendall), James Mason (Phillip Vandamm). New York advertising executive is kidnapped because he is taken to be a secret agent. While on the run and trying to find the real man, he falls in love with a double agent. Ahead of his time regarding sexual directness. Famous scene on top of Mt. Rushmoore (although actually filmed in a back lot). Good story. Good pace. Good acting. Overall rating 8 out of 10.
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Cars: Used Car Dealer on WWW: Carmax. Makes written offer good for 7 days.
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Snippets:
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Music: Fri., 3/23/07(Late Show), 55 Bar, NYC: Brian Mitchell Trio: Brian Mitchell: Keyboards and Vocals. Far out funk and rock 'n roll. Blues.
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Art: Jeff Wall. Exhibition at the MoMA, NYC, Feb 15-May 25, 2007.
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Art: Octavio Ocampo: Paintings with optical illusions.

Octavio Ocampo: Buddha

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Snippets:
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NYC: Free NYC. Calendar of free events in the City.
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Restaurants: Restaurant Row. All over the U.S. Various search options. Hardly any reviews though.
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Music: List of live music venues in the NYC area.
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Literature: Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung (in German; engl.: The Metamorphosis). HoerGut Klassik. One morning the traveling saleman Gregor wakes up being turned into a giant bug. While he does not seem affected much by this change, his family is first shocked, then tries to cope with the new situation, but finally neglects and abandons him. Bizarre, but full of metaphors. Kafkaesque: of, relating to, or suggestive of Franz Kafka or his writings; especially: having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or illogical quality.
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Snippets:
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Fort Apache (1948). B/W. 128 min. Directed by John Ford. w/ John Wayne (Capt. Kirby York), Henry Fonda (Lt. Col. Owen Thursday), Shirley Temple (Philadelphia Thursday), John Agar (2nd Lt. Michael Shannon O'Rourke). Colonel, unfamiliar with the West, is transferred to the frontier and gets into conflict with Indians, while his pretty daughter finds a husband. Simple story. Some funny elements. The DVD featurette 'Monument Valley: John Ford Country' explains how Ford came to shooting in Monument Valley, UT, and about the Monument Valley trader Harry Goulding, whose lodge and trading post provided housing for the crew, and who was a pivotal contact between Ford and the Navajo Indians. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
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Photography: Histroric Photo Archive maintained by Thomas Robinson, Portland, OR.

Elevated Railroad, NYC, 1890s

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Snippets:
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Music: 2/21/07, 10 PM: 55 Bar, NYC: Mike Stern, Contemporary Jazz Guitar (Mike Stern - Guitar, Kim Thompson - Drums, Janek Gwizdala - Bass). Funky jazz. Stern has played with Miles Davis in 1981-83 and 1985. Toured with Jaco Pastorious. Currentt album: 'Who Let the Cats Out'. Thompson is more of a rock drummer, but fits the band well. Always comes up with another new rhythm.
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DVD: Fight Club (1999). 139 min. w/ Edward Norton (The Narrator) Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden), Helena Bonham Carter (Marla Singer), Meat Loaf (Robert 'Bob' Paulson; as Meat Loaf Aday). Directed by David Fincher (Se7en). Insomniac meets anarchist. Together they start a fight club. Bizarre. Violent moments. Disturbing at times. Some good lines. Need to pay attention to detail. Explores the human psyche in full depth. Strange twist toward the end. Q's: How would a fight club ever start if the narrator has fought himself? How does the narrator know where to go, i.e. where Tyler 'lives' after his apartment is destroyed? Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Photography: Sally Mann (b. 1951): American photographer. Portraits. Often B/W photos of young women or children.
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Art: Hans Baldung Grien (c. 1480-1545). German (Alsatian) Renaissance painter and printer. Joined Albrecht Dürer's Nuremberg workshop in 1503. Many of his works.
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Music: The shenai is a double-reed, oboe-like instrument best known from the work of the great Indian virtuoso, Bismallah Khan. Also played by the jazz musician Yusef Lateef in the song 'Sister Mamie' on the album 'Live at Pep's'.
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People :

Around 1300:

• Dante Alighieri Florence, (1265-1321)
• Marco Polo, Venice (1254-1324).
• Giovanni Boccaccio, Florence (1313-1375)

Around 1400:

• Geoffrey Chaucer, London (c.1343-1400)
• Jeanne d'Arc. France (c.1412-1431)

Around 1500:

• Leonardo da Vinci, Vinci (1452-1519)
• Niccolo Machiavelli, Florence (1469-1527)
• Raphael, Florence (1483-1520)
• Christopher Columbus, Italy and Spain (1451(?)-1506)

Around 1600:

• William Shakespeare, London (baptised 1564, d.1616)
• Galileo Galilei, Pisa (1564-1642)
• René Descartes, France (1596-1650)
• Pierre Gassendi, France (1592-1655)

Around 1700:

• Isaac Newton, England (1643-1727).

Snippets:
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Music: 8/13/06: Caffe Vivaldi, 32 Jones St (Off Bleecker Street Near Seventh Ave) NYC: 1.) Brianne Chasanoff. Singer. Rather quiet. 2.) Amy Laber. Folk singer. Quiet.
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Weather: National Weather Service and National Snow Analysis.
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Philosophy: Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655): French philosopher, scientist, astronomer/astrologer, and mathematician. Disputes with Descartes.
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Movie: Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others, 2006) . Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. w/ Sebastian Koch (Georg Dreyman), Ulrich Mühe (Captain Gerd Wiesler), Martina Gedeck (Christa-Maria Sieland). in the GDR around 1985, a successful writer and his girlfriend, a popular actress, are wire-tapped by the secret police because he is suspected to oppose the regime. But the officer in charge of the operation becomes infatuated with their lives. Clearly defined roles for each character, which sometimes makes the movie too static. Devastatingly realistic though. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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DVD: Bird (1988). Directed by Clint Eastwood. w/ Forest Whitaker (Charlie 'Bird' Parker), Diane Venora (Chan Parker), Michael Zelniker (Red Rodney). Life of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker (1920-1955), his creativity, drug addiction, family (common-law wife Chan Parker) and the music of his time. Great music! In 1945, Bird was about 10 years ahead of his time. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Jazz: Baroness Pannonica (Nica) de Koenigswarter (1913-1988). Considered one of the most important patrons and friends of modern jazz musicians in NYC in the 1950s and 1960s. Charlie Parker died in her suite at the Stanhope (995 Fifth Avenue, across from the Metrolopitan Museum) in 1955. Was also close to Thelonious Monk and his family. In October 2006 the French company Buchet Chastel published Nica's book 'Les musiciens de jazz et leurs trois vœux' (The Jazz Musicians and their Three Wishes). Compiled between 1961 and 1966, it is a book of interviews with 300 musicians in which she asked each for their "three wishes", and is accompanied by her Polaroid photographs. The book was edited for publication by her granddaughter Nadine de Koenigswarter.
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Photography: Joe Brown. Includes a guide to Zion National Park with photos.
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Art: Bauhaus: Art and architecture school in Germany, 1919-1933 (U.S 1937-1938). Existed in four different cities: Weimar 1919-1925, Dessau 1926-1932, Berlin 1932-1933, Chicago from 1937 to 1938). Important members: Walter Gropius, Hannes Meyer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Henry van de Velde, Lyonel Feininger, Johannes Itten, Josef Albers, Paul Klee (starting 1921), Wassily Kandinsky (starting 1922) und Oskar Schlemmer (staring 1921). Wanted to emancipate the arts from industrialism and revieve crafts, opposing the aesthetics of Historism ('an organic succession of developments') of the late 19th century in which various styles were mixed and crafted ornaments were simply repeated by industrial manufacturing. The Bauhaus Dessau is a building designed by Gropius that housed the school. Partly destroyed in 1945. Reconstructed in 1976.
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Art: Albert von Keller (1844-1920). Swiss painter. Worked in Munich. Society painter. Known for painting elegantly clothed ladies. Can be viewed at the Neue Pinakothek, Munich, Germany.

Albert von Keller-Die Frau des Kuenstlers, 1900

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Art: Online Exhibition: Gothic Nightmares. Fuseli, Blake, and the Romantic Imagination (at the Tate Britain Feb 15 - May 1, 2006). Explores the work of Henry Fuseli and William Blake in the context of the Gothic – the taste for fantastic and supernatural themes which dominated British culture from around 1770 to 1830.
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Snippets:
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Shopping: DealTime. Prince engine like Froogle.
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Video: Brainstorm (1983). 106 min. Directed by Douglas Trumbull. w/ Christopher Walken (Dr. Michael Anthony Brace), Natalie Wood (Karen Brace; The Searchers, Rebel without a cause), Louise Fletcher (Dr. Lillian Reynolds; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). A team of researchers has developed a method to record thoughts and emotions. The government quickly becomes interested to use the technology for military purposes including torture and brain washing. After the project leader Lillian dies from a heart attack and records her death, he colleague Michael almost dies when he watches it. The tape is locked away and Michael becomes obsessed with finishing to watch the tape as well as to destroy the technology. He gets help from his wife Karen. Great idea for a movie. Some scenes are B-movie-like, however. The production almost stalled when Natalie Wood (wife of Robert Wagner) drowned in an accident in 1981. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Travel: Motel.com: Search engine for motels. Allows Map Search.
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Music: Alice Coltrane: Journey in Satchitananda (1971). Satchitanada is a devanagari compound of three Sanskrit words, Sat, Chit, and Ananda, meaning True Being, Pure Consciousness and Bliss, respectively. The expression is used in Yoga and other schools of Indian philosophy to describe the nature of Brahman. Satcidananda is also a monastic name for a number of Hindu gurus, sadhus and ascetics of different Hindu philosophical schools and lineages, e.g., Swami Satchidananda (1914-2002), 'father' of Integral Yoga.
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Life: Bits and pieces of 'smart' conversations: Overheard in NY, Overheard in the Office and Overheard on the Beach. As funny as real life can be!
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Travel: Public Routes. Directions for using public transportation. Has many ads and is not very user friendly at this point. UPDATE 6/14/08: Interface improved.
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Philosophy: tai chi - do: free resource related to tai chi. Includes a tai chi netguide with explanations of forms.
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DVD: Rebel Without A Cause (1955). 111 min. w/ James Dean (Jim Stark), Natalie Wood (Judy), Sal Mineo (John 'Plato' Crawford). Directed by Nicholas Ray. Rebellious young man seeks friends in his new home town and falls in love with rebellious young woman. Film has typical 50s feel. Probably important for its generation, but no real surprises. Sometimes pseudo dramatic. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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Art: MoMA, NYC, 2/10/07: 1.) Doug Aitken (b. 1968): Sleepwalkers. Featuring Tilda Swinton, Donald Sutherland, Chan Marshall (Cat Power), Seu Jorge, and Ryan Donowho. The artist's first large scale exhibition in the U.S. 2.) Josiah McElheny (b. 1966): Projects 84: Alpine Cathedral and City-Crown. Model-scale landscape of two abstract, crystalline structures, comprised of hollow glass modules. Follows the theme of Paul Scheerbart (1863-1915) and Bruno Taut (1880-1938), who believed in the spiritual qualities of glass and envisioned a brave and perfect new world of glass buildings illuminated in color. Scheerbart was a visionary Expressionist architectural writer and inventor engaged in avant-garde circles, Taut was an architect. 3.) Vik Muniz (b. 1961): Narcissus, after Caravaggio, 2005. Photograph. New MoMA acquisition. Arrangement of pieces of junk to mimic a painting by Caravaggio.

Vik Muniz: Individuals, 1998
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Snippets:
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Philosophy: Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) wanted knowledge for practical purposes ('Knowledge is power'). He also advocated to make knowledge public.
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DVD: Ninotschka (1939). w/ Greta Garbo (Nina Ivanovna 'Ninotchka' Yakushova), Melvyn Douglas (Count Leon d'Algout). Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Prude Russian envoy is sent to Paris to arrange for the sale of jewels, but falls in love and begins to fancy Western life. Praised for Garbo's performance in the transition from 'poor' communist comrad to a lady with a sense of humor. Film was probably important in its time, but seems schmaltzy, obvious and predictable today. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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DVD: United 93 (2006). Directed by Paul Greengrass. Real time account of the flight that was hijacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. When passangers became aware via phone contact with relatives on the ground that the plane might be targeted to fly into the building, they decided to regain control and attempted to land it. In the course of the struggle, the plane crahed into a field in Pennsylvania. Important movie, realistic, but therefore also has stretches of little activity. Overall rating 7 out of 10.
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Literature: Laurence Sterne (1713-1768). English novelist, best known for his novels 'The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman', a book that in its style and humor was far ahead of its time, and influenced many subsequent writers. Also wrote 'A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy'.
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Art: Exhibition: Spanish Painting from El Greco to Picasso. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Nov. 17, 2006 - March 28, 2007. Paintings arranged not by time period, but by subject, allowing comparisons of the various periods.
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Life: New Years Eve Cruise with Atlantica NY Yacht Cruises. Royal Princess: 3-deck yacht, up to 200 people for sit-down, open-air deck.
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Life: New York City Blog: Gothamist.
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Life: Placeblogger: Directory of local blogs around the world. E.g. Blogs in NYC and Hoboken, NJ.
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Maps: 1.) Microsoft Live Maps. Analogous to Google Earth. Includes locations of businesses and live traffic. Has 3D feature. 2.) Wikimapia. Can link personal events to a map.
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Web: Open Culture Podcast Portal: Includes listings from universities.
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DVD: The Searchers (1956). 119 min. John Wayne (Ethan Edwards), Jeffrey Hunter (Martin Pawley), Natalie Wood (Debbie Edwards, older; Brainstorm). Directed by John Ford. 10-year search of a lone racist war veteran for his little nice who was kidnapped by Comanches in 1868. Typical John Wayne movie. Filmed in Monument Valley, UT, that was discovered for movies by Ford. Commentary gives hints on Ford's signature, such as moving the camera and designing beautiful shots of the landscape. Need to pay attention to detail, especially in non-dialogue scenes to appreciate the work. Overall rating 6 out of 10.
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Video: The Big Trail (1930). w/ John Wayne (Breck Coleman), Marguerite Churchill (Ruth Cameron). Directed by Raoul Walsh. Scout, who is friends with the Indians, leads the wagon trail to Oregon, falls in love with a girl on the way, and avenges the murder of a couple of old friends. Story is straightforward. Some of the scenes remind of the times of silent movies. Some spectacular scenes for the time, e.g. when wagons are lowered over a cliff or river crossings. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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History: George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876). First a soldier in the Civil War, later an officer in the fight against Indians in the Northern Plains. Died at the hands of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors at the Battle of the Little Bighorn (today southeast part of Montana), after attacking an Indian village. It seems that overall he was a mediocre military man, but a myth created around his persona made him a well-known figure in American history. Little Bighorn was the pinnacle of the Indians' power and their greatest victory. Custer is also a town in the Black Hills in soutwest North Dakota (population 1860 in year 2000), near Mount Rushmore.
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History: Ghost Towns in the U.S. amd Canada. Catalog of deserted human settlements Includes photos and directions.
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Physics: Satyendra Nath Bose (1894-1974): Bengali Indian physicist, specializing in mathematical physics. Quantum mechanics in the early 1920s. Provided foundation for Bose-Einstein statistics and the theory of the Bose-Einstein condensate.
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Psychology: Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931). French social psychologist, sociologist, and amateur physicist. Studies, among others, herd behaviour and crowd psychology. Book: 'The Crowd: Study of the popular mind' (1896)
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DVD: My Darling Clementine (1946). 96 min. w/ Henry Fonda (Wyatt Earp), Victor Mature (Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday), Cathy Downs (Clementine Carter). Directed by John Ford. Earp takes a job as a sherrif in Tombstone to find the murderer of his little brother, and falls in love with the former girlfriend of Doc Holiday. Movie culminates in the shootout at the O.K. Corral. Partly filmed in Monument Valley. Film has multiple factual errors (e.g. dates; Doc Holiday did not die at the O.K. Corral). Some errors (e.g., year on James Earp's grave) were introduced when producer Darryl F. Zanuck edited, re-cut and re-shot certain scenes of the film in the absence of John Ford to improve quality. An Alternate Pre-Release Version (work-in-progress version) of the movie and explanations to changed scenes is available on the DVD. Sometimes amusing, but a classic. Overall rating: 7 out of 10.
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Francis Parkman (1823-1893): The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life. Text at Project Gutenberg. HTML-Version. Parkman was an American historian who followed on the trail in 1846.
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History: National Register of Historic Places: List of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Administered by the National Park Service, which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The National Register Information System (NRIS) is a database that contains information on places listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
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Video: The Oregon Trail. (1992). 120 min. Includes: Beginnings; Across the Plains; Through the Rockies; Final Steps. By Mike Trinklein and Steve Boettcher. PBS documentary about the history of the Oregon trail. Relates the experiences of its travellers using live action re-creations, archival materials and visits to important sites along the trails (including Scott's Bluff, Fort Laramie, and the nearby trail ruts). Also contains discussion of the rigors and dangers of the journey west. Shows the trail today and also uses interviews with historians, still photos, maps, drawings, and excerpts from emigrant diaries. Tells, among others, the story of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, who were probably the first emigrants to make the journey in 1836. The origin of the name 'Oregon' is still controversial today. More info on the Oregon Trail from Idaho State University. Some good historic facts, but sometimes confusing. Reenactment is partly repetitious. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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