Drawing: Faces #821

By Jack Brummet

---o0o---

Four poems

By Jack Brummet

A touch of evil

Darkness, after having been eliminated,
furtively obtrudes again.

Does the wind blow over the earth
or does it blow under heaven?
---o0o---

Mission Statement

You don't need to see
A discounted cash flow analysis.

You only need to know
If the right people are in your pocket,

And, if not, whom should be bought off,
Scared off, or bumped off?
---o0o---

"I contain multitudes"

We all have a platoon
Of partly-contained

Spooky and multiple personalities
Ready to burst

From the confines
Of our clown car.
---o0o---

We need to put our fingers in the dike

I mostly believe otherwise,
But on a bad news day,

It's like we're not all in this together,

That we are just the latest revision

Of a complex species
Drawn together in a social order 

That masks our genetic disposition
And puts the lie to any notion

Of compassion, altruism, and love.
---o0o---

Fidel Castro lays a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial (with footnote on Guerrillero Heroico)

By Jack Brummet, Latin America Ed.

In April 1959, Alfredo Korda [1]  shot this photograph of Fidel Castro, the new leader of Cuba, laying a wreath at the Lincoln Memorial.

This image is copyrighted. The copyright holder allows anyone to use it, provided it is not used to denigrate the Cuban revolution

Castro admired Abraham Lincoln and kept a bust of him in his office.  He once wrote about Lincoln's devotion “to the just idea that all citizens are born free and equal."

____________________________________________________________

[1] Korda also shot one of the most famous images of all time—Guerrillero Heroico—the shot of Ernesto Che Guevara at a memorial.  According to the Wikipedia page about this photo, "To take the photo, Korda used a Leica M2 with a 90 mm lens, loaded with Kodak Plus-X pan film. In speaking about the method, Korda humbly remarked that  'this photograph is not the product of knowledge or technique. It was really coincidence, pure luck.' "

---o0o---

An air kiss from Mayor Rob Ford

By Mona Goldwater, Gestures Ed.

It's Friday! Blow someone a kiss. Hey, if Mayor Ford can do it. . . 

---o0o---

ATIT Reheated (from 2008): The Roman stadium at Aphrodisias, a/k/a Ἀφροδισιάς a/k/a Afrodesia, Turkey

By Jack Brummet, Eur-Asia Travel Ed.



Afrodite in all her glory, but minus her cabeza,
in the museum at Afrodesia - click to enlarge


Del runs out from the gladiator's entrance to the stadium - click to enlarge


another section of seats - click to enlarge

Aphrodisias, a/k/a Ἀφροδισιάς a/k/a Afrodesia, is in Asia Minor, about 230 km from İzmir.

Aphrodisias was named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of Love (and if you've seen her sculptures, you'd believe it), and at this site there once existed her cult image, Aphrodite of Aphrodisias. The city was built near a marble deposit that that was heavily quarried during the Roman period, and the marble sculptors from Aphrodisias became famous in Rome. See Keelin Curran's post about Turkey in Ruins for more information and Afrodesia photos.


A long shot of the stadium - click to enlarge

The Temple of Aphrodite is a focus of the ruins, and restoration is ongoing. However, what really knocked me out most about Aphrodesias was the stadium. But so did the temple, the statuary, the fantastic relief friezes, The absolutely amazing Bouleuterion (Council House) is on the north side of the North Agora, and is fantastically reconstructed, and on a more human scale. But it was the stadium that enchanted us most--partly because it was used for gladiatorial and wild beast exhibitions (e.g., slaughters), but mostly because of the grand scale. You could feel those 30,000 citizens filling the marble seats.

Can you imagine charging out here to fight your fellow

gladiator with a trident? Click to enlarge


another long shot of the stadium - click to enlarge

The stadium is thought to be the best preserved of its kind except for the Sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi (which we didn't get to see...yes, we did miss a few ruins!). I would love to see a rock show there one day.

A section of seats at the top of the stadium - click to enlarge

---o0o---

Eight twisted photographs, context and photographers unknown

By Jack Brummet, Photography Ed.

this one is certainly a "hillbilly fake"

---o0o---

Middle fingers of the month - including Paul McCartney, Elisha Cuthbert, Jimmy Hoffa, Dave Grohl and Joan Rivers

By Mona Goldwater, Gestures Ed.

Our irregular roundup of middle fingers, some belonging to celebs, and some to just regular folk.  Sent in by readers and found in random corners of the Internet. . .

some celeb, but not sure who

Junior gesturer

Joan Rivers

Elisha Cuthbert

Banana Guy

Bumper Sticker

Dave Grohl

Jimmy Hoffa gesturing to Robert F. Kennedy in a Senate hearing

Grandpa

X-ray

Paul McCartney to reporters

---o0o---

Photograph: a quick snort

by Jack B

[Context/date/photographer unknown]

---o0o---

Drawing: Faces No. 811

By Jack Brummet

---o0o---

Drawing No. 812 - The sales, marketing, back-office, advertising, and accounting teams

By Jack Brummet

click to enlarge

---o0o---

Poem: the dragon and the blue turtle

By Jack Brummet

1
The dragon stays below the surface
Because the time to act is not now
Water pours down from heaven and fire rises up

2
From the center of the earth
Earth sucks in lightning to electrify itself
Like Dr. Frankenstein's monster

3
Let the blue turtle go
Train your eyes
Like a bobcat

4
Leave the knife beneath your cloak
Let things pass

Because all things must pass

5
Awareness of danger
Brings good fortune

As you cross the cold cold sea.
       ---o0o---

Narcissism/Narcissistic Personality Disorder

By Jack Brummet, Words Ed.

The more I learn about narcissism, the more I realize that just about every creepy person I've ever met or worked with had at least a touch, if not a full blown dose of it.

A standard reference work on psychiatric disorders—The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 1980)—describes Narcissistic Personality Disorder as:

. . .a Personality Disorder... in which there are a grandiose sense of self-importance or uniqueness; preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited success; exhibitionistic need for constant attention and admiration; characteristic responses to threats to self-esteem; and characteristic disturbances in interpersonal relationships, such as feelings of entitlement, interpersonal exploitativeness, relationships that alternate between the extremes of overidealization and devaluation, and lack of empathy....

...In response to criticism, defeat or disappointment, there is either a cool indifference or marked feelings of rage, inferiority, shame, humiliation, or emptiness.... Entitlement, the expectation of special favors without assuming reciprocal responsibilities, is usually present. For example, surprise and anger are felt because others will not do what is wanted; more is expected from people than is reasonable.

---o0o---