Photos from the Collosal Olmec sculpture show at LA's LACMA

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Faces No. 188 - 16 Lagunites

click to enlarge - scratchboard, and digitally reversed scratchboard

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The Roman gladiatorial stadium at Aphrodesias in Turkey

The gladiator stadium at Aphrodesia in Turkey has to be probably my favorite ruin ever (and we've seen them on several continents).  It was massive and very well-preserved.  My sons had a gas leaping around, darting out of the warrior tunnelts.  You could somehow sense the thousands who battled and died there--like the scene in the movie Patton where Gen Patton says to Gen. Omar Bradley, "I was here Brad.  I was here with the Carthaginians two thousand years ago.".  While we were there, we met the guy who was revisiting the place for lonely planet.  He was the only person we saw at these magnificent ruins. We saw a handful of people at the great museum there, but out among the temples and stadiums and theatres, we saw no one.

click to enlarge

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Ex-Governor Palin: "This Is Our Morning In America...and it may take some renegades going rogue to get us there!"

By Pablo Fanque
All This Is That National Affairs Editor

From Sarah Palin's Facebook page:  "Congratulations, America! And thank you, voters!"

The ex-Governor sends her thanks to The Voters.  If the leaks are kosher, and what I've been hearing is true, the process of the GOP distancing themselves from her begins.  Right. Now.  

They Republicans, besides repealing the health care bill, axing spending (aside from the military), and lowering taxes, now have 2012 to focus on.  The race for POTUS really does begin this January.  Now, the big question is whether or not Sarah's fervent supporters can be so easily shunted aside. . .I'm hoping not.  Keep them in the mix, GOP!

Ms. Palin, in her Facebook post, also included a link to this inspirational YouTube video her staff put together:


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The Soprano Borgata, Poll-watching on election day

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Cop rolls out the welcome wagon for "Germany-boy"

By Jack Brummet
Social Mores Editor

I do have to give the cop a little credit—a) he didn’t appear to give Fritz a ticket, and b) he didn’t bring up either Hitler or sauerkraut.

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Get out there and vote!

click to enlarge

Ned Ludd and The Luddites

This illustration of Ned Ludd is from a book published in 1812, called Rage Against The Machine.  Ned Ludd is *probably* a person who really existed.  His actions were the inspiration for the folkloric character of "Captain Ludd", or "King Ludd," the Luddites' imagined leader and founder.

The Ludd legend is that inspired Ned Ludd's transformation from an 18th century common man to a 19th century hero began when he broke two textile frames in a fit of rage around 1780.  After that, industrial problem or sabotage was often explained with the phrase "Ned Ludd did that."

The Austin band The Gourds refer to Ned Ludd as "Uncle Ned" in the song "Luddite Juice" off their 2009 release, Haymaker.

The great Edward Abbey novel The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) is dedicated to Ned Ludd.

Stephen King's The Dark Tower series contains a metropolis called Lud (city).

Robert Calvert wrote and recorded another song "Ned Ludd," which appeared on his 1985 album Freq; and includes the lyrics::

They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy

That all he could do was wreck and destroy, and

He turned to his workmates and said: Death to Machines

They tread on our future and they stamp on our dreams.

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired.  This applies to the United States, Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
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War of the Worlds: In 1938, Orson Welles scared the bejesus out of your grandparents.

Five years ago on all this is that.  we published an article on War of the Worlds, with a link to the broadcast...and since it's Halloween, the link still works, and mostly because it's some of the best radio Eve, here is an ATIT retread.

The restrictions on this collection expired in 1986, and the Library of Congress

believes this image is in the public domain.  The photograph is by Carl Van Vechten.

Jump to the link below to download an MP3/Podcast of the entire War of the Worlds broadcast by Mercury Theatre.  This is the piece that propelled Orson Welles to fame, Listen to it and celebrate that great actor, writer, director, and Madison Avenue pitchman, who spooked a large part of America 72 years ago, on October 30, 1938.  And it's plenty spooky, in honor of the day.

http://www.mercurytheatre.info/

The image was distributed as a promotional photograph in the U.S. in 1941 for use

by the general media, satisfying the definition of "publication." There is no evidence

that it was distributed with copyright notice, as then required for copyright protection.

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Learn from the masters: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams show how mud should be slung

By Pablo Fanque
National Affairs Editor

Do you think the attack ads we've seen this political season are the nastiest ever?  They're not even close.  Check out the mud Thomas Jefferson and John Adams flung at each other in 1800...


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Video mash-up --> Beatles/Zombies: A Hard Day's Night of the Living Dead

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The Monkey and The Engineer by Jesse Fuller

The Monkey and The Engineer, by Jesse Fuller

Once upon a time there was an engineer.
Drove a locomotive both far and near.
Accompanied by a monkey that would sit on a stool
Watching everything the engineer would move

One day the engineer wanted a bite to eat,
He left the monkey sitting on the driver's seat,
The monkey pulled the throttle, the locomotive jumped the gun
And did 90 miles an hour down the mainline run.

Big locomotive right on time, big locomotive coming down the line.
Big locomotive No. 99, left the engineer with a worried mind.

The engineer called up the dispatcher on the phone,
To tell him all about his locomotive was gone.
Get on the wire, switch operator to the right,
Cause the monkey's got the main line sewed up tight.

The switch operator got the message on time,
Said there's a Northbound limited on the same main line,
Open up the switch I'm gonna let him through the hole,
Cause the monkey's got the locomotive under control.

Big locomotive right on time, big locomotive coming down the line.
Big locomotive No. 99, left the engineer with a worried mind.
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