Friday Photography Blog No.6 (Special Edition)

by In Wales
Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 11:30:06 AM EST

Well, it's overdose time with the Wednesday photography blog moving to Friday, giving us all two chances to post our photos in the space of three days.



Since it is a slow day and people are still chatting here, I shall promote my own diary... well, it's a joint venture I feel! Please feel free to keep adding new photos and dicussing ones already there - In Wales


The blog is in two parts - one for "What Is It?" where we can all tease each other with obscure photos for people to give their best guess at.

The second part is for "Photos As Usual", whatever you want to post.

Please try to keep to 600 pixels width and less than 100kb in file size and take a look at Wednesday Photography Blog No.2 for the technical bits on how to post.

Please enjoy!

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Display:
"WHAT IS IT?"

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 02:53:06 AM EST
An easy one to start you off!





Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 02:55:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Mmmmhhhh! reminds me of someone! :-)
by Fran (fran at eurotrib dot com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 02:59:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You got in there quick, Fran!

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:03:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like someone's hair.

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:18:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
That'll teach me to keep hitting the Refresh button on Recent Comments ... :-)

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:21:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's my HAIR! It's MY hair!!
by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:27:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It is! I cropped it. Mwah ha hahaaaa.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:28:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not what, but where??
by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:24:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Can I? Can I?

Where: Amsterdam (you can tell from the sky we're in the Netherlands)

I thought that used to be part of the Salvation's Army... but could be wrong.

The core of evil is a lack of empathy

by Nomad on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 04:58:08 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Indeed! You are correct.
by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:03:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Given the big slogans GOD ROEPT U - JESUS LOVES YOU, you're no doubt right about the Salvation Army!

When locusts move on, they leave nothing behind
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:05:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Building is to the left when you exit Central Station towards the Damrak.
by nanne (zwaerdenmaecker@gmail.com) on Tue Oct 9th, 2007 at 08:13:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
From estHer.



I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:43:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
How did she do that? Shining light through a shape?
Hmmmm.

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 07:21:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't really know. When she comes home tonight I'll ask her to post the recipe.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 07:44:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's a starfish made of plaster, no?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:56:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
EstHer is too busy talking to her friends on MSN so I'll post her explanation. She had this keychain holder made of metal with a hole in it shaped like a star in the photo above. She then photographed the keychain holder, in front of a white wall, several centimeters from the camera. The result, the white star you see is the white wall in the shape of the hole and the dark part is the solid keychain holder.
It took my two kids  20 minutes to explain this to me. They said I was slow; I said they were not skillful communicators and that they had to work harder in school.

s

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:12:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ingenious!
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 01:43:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Ah haaaa, smart work indeed.  So she focused on the wall through the hole in the keychain?  Who won the argument of slow vs poor communicator?

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:06:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Who do you think? They do not take me very seriously.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:13:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I blame schools!

Ad astra per aspera
by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:23:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]



I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:59:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird ( US spyplane)

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 04:14:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I was going to say in the title: "this one's for Elco B>"

Elco B, have you been to the Dulles Air and Space Museum? If not, I took a lot of photos there a year ago with my old Kodak, and I can put them in a folder at Picassa for you to look at.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 04:25:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I never was in the USA. I know they have huge aviation museums, so yes, I'm very curious to see your pictures.
That first picture is very impressive(original angle).Thanks!

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:48:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It will take me some time to get them up on Picassa. I'll let you know on the open thread when they're up.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:53:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
OK...thanks very much.

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)
by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:55:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]
When I was in the U S(ure) A(re) F(ucked) the SR-71 flew out of our base.  Very impressive machine-at the time no one was allowed to get close.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
by NearlyNormal on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:20:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

What it is...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:08:59 AM EST
[ Parent ]
well looking at the pattern I'd say Celtic Knot maze, but the characters at the top make me think more Sumerian than Celtic.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:24:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
First guess incorrect, second guess is right on...

But what is it?

Hint: It's anatomical...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:39:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]
intestines or Womb

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:49:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Okay, close enough, it's a sheep's colon.

At least thats what the caption at the Pergamon Museum said.

I think they must have used it as a tool for fortune telling. Maybe they recorded it because it was a particularly good or bad one...

6 out of 10 points...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:01:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmmm...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:21:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Rocks!

Looks like slate to me. (The English definition for slate.) Slate tiles... on a roof?

The core of evil is a lack of empathy

by Nomad on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:59:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's a crop from a slate roof. The corner by a window dormer where the work got tricky. I love the craftsmanship.
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 09:16:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

#1...???...

#2...???...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:54:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]
First is a dam water output?

The concept that socialisation has to be linked to business relationships is a great victory for business relationships, not for socialisation...
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:13:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep, and according to the blurb on the signage it's a hydro-electric dam...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 01:45:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]
the second is a variant of the BMW GG quad with the optional side paniers.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:21:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Sweet, I didn't know exactly what it was but it's very slick...

Thanks for solving the mystery!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 01:47:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
search engines were my helpers. The engine is obviously a BMW bike engine from the bits you can see, so I just went hunting for a BMW quad bike.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 06:01:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]


As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:54:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ancient parking lot?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 09:23:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
it's more for movement than being stationary.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 09:26:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Aqueduct?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:54:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Mayan football court?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:10:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]
that's closer,

Hint If I told you the name of the place where it is it would be obvious what it was.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:15:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It looks like a giant Bocci ball field.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:21:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
OK last clue, if you look backat my earlier photos, you'll find something taken at the same place.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:28:29 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It's all Greek to me... ; )
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:43:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]
yes, but what is it? ;-)

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:07:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The ruins of a stable?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:09:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The square hole in the foreground looks to have held a timber framing member... and I can see others along the "wall" periodically.

Is this the fabled stable that Hercules had to clean as one of his labors?

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:15:39 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nope

but it is linked to Hercules (or in other versions Pelops)

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:31:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Is it the Olympic stadium or the Tomb of Pelops?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:41:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
WE HAVE A WINNER.

it is the running track at Olympus.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:45:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

???...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 08:59:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Stumped. Have been staring at this for the fifth time now.

The core of evil is a lack of empathy
by Nomad on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:43:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It's some compound bend conduit work that I did on this solar installation in Napa, CA

Conduits feeding solar string disconnects

Another view...

An overview with valley backround...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:20:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
That's impressive.

What's the total power output of an installation like that?

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 10:54:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]
This install was 125 kW, if my memory serves me correctly.

The modules are 220w, manufactured by SunPower Corporation.

PDF spec sheet

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sun Oct 7th, 2007 at 02:05:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Maybe part of an irrigator or the distributor of a crop duster?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 10:14:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]
See above...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:20:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Know what it is and you will know where it is...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 09:11:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]
More rocks.

This one I don't know, but it reminds me of the pictures I've seen about Yosemite.

Wants to be there, sun on face, smell cliff of rock face.

Rocks smell nice, you know. Earthy. Whole. Full. Like a good merlot.

The core of evil is a lack of empathy

by Nomad on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:04:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yessss, it's a zoomed in picture of El Capitan and Halfdome from about 15 kilometers or so out, looking up the valley...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:42:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]
half dome?

"I said, 'Wait a minute, Chester, You know I'm a peaceful man...'" Robbie Robertson
by NearlyNormal on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:21:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yep and El Capitan from way outside the valley...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:22:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]


I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:07:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like a drugstore in the one if the following areas:
Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia or Delaware

And yes I did use Google (don't touch it, it's evil) but CVS didn't tell me where they are...

Ten bonus points for anyone who can tell me where the evil quote is from!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:52:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It is a CVS drugstore in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. But, what's important is not what it is now but what it was before it became a drugstore. Hint: I spent almost 30 years in that building. My office was in the windowed part upper left.
Let's see if anyone can guess what it was. Another hint: It was quite well known throughout the U.S. to people who were familiar with its specialty.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:10:26 AM EST
[ Parent ]
OMG, is that the Biograph?
by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:13:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
WE HAVE A WINNER! How do you know the Biograph?

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:15:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What IS the Biograph?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:17:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
It was a movie theater, like THE place for art and indie movies in DC for something like 30 years.

It's very sorely missed, by me and many others I know.

Biograph, RIP.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:21:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
The Biograph was an old fashioned single screen art film house that opened in 1967. I was one of the founders and worked in it almost all my working life. It's safe to say that it became an institution in Washington and it is still written about in the Washington Post 11 years after its closing. It became very well known nationally in its niche industry because of its unique programming. My partner was the programmer and I was the business manager- we had other theatres also but the Biograph was the famous one and our love. The others were just for making money.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:26:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Very cool, thank you for your service to the community!
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:31:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
You just went all the way to 11 on my cool-o-meter.

"This is nothing compared to how Putin rigged Eurovision."
by poemless on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:46:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I used to go see movies there when I was in high school.  I have some very fond memories of that place.

What did you do there?

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:19:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Whoa!  LEP, I just figured out that you OWNED IT!  I feel like I've just found out that I've been blogging with, I dunno, some kind of celebrity all this time.

The Biograph.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:28:33 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was one of the founders and owner-managers. See previous post.
You must have gone to the midnight shows. Where did you live? It sure is a small world.
And I've always wanted to ask you, how did you wind up in Egypt?

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:30:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I lived waaaaay out in the sticks in NoVa, way outside the Beltway.  The Biograph (and Georgetown in general) was kind of a refuge from the suburban hell where I spent my teenage years.  It's kind of sad to go back there now and look at what's happened to the place.  It's like a giant shopping mall now.

I ended up in Egypt because I got a job here, that's all. The company I work for transferred me here a few years ago.  I really dunno how long I'll stay, or where I'll go next....

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:37:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Here's the link to the Post Article. The Biograph is mentioned 5 paragraphs from the bottom. I have to pick up my kid now so I'll see you later.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/20/AR2007092002633.html

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:49:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This feels like "old home" week.
My son, who still live in the D.C. area sent me an article last week about the closing of the Dupont Theatres which mentions th Biograph. He sent me the whole article but I'll see if I can dig up the link.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:42:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I was actually thinking about the Biograph recently because I saw that same article in the Post.  There are no more art theaters in DC, it seems.

Were you involved with the Biograph in Richmond, too?

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:55:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I still have one business interest left in D.C. and in my office there is this water color of The Biograph.



I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:50:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
There are a couple of large multiplex theatres, run by Landmark, one downtown and one uptown, near Bethesda, that specialize in art films. I haven't seen them but they're big and modern. The Biograph had character, the seat were uncomfortable, your feet stuck to the floor because of all the spilt cokes but everyone loved it; it was like a reliable old shoe where you'd always get your money's worth. I'll have to stop now before I tear up.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 04:56:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll have to stop now before I tear up.

Yeah, me too, actually.

I've been thinking all night about the diary I have to write expressing my gratitude to you for that theater.  Maybe you've heard this a thousand times before, but it was really important to me.  Really.

So if I ever meet you in person, LEP, dinner's on me.

by the stormy present (stormypresent aaaaaaat gmail etc) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:10:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, I hope you can make it to the next meet up in Paris. I would be most honored to meet you; I admire your sensitive writings. And it's not necessary to express any gratitude. Your contributions here, along with everyone else's have helped me to keep hope and to keep my brain young.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 05:26:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Here's something that might interest you that was sent to me recently from Counterpunch.org.

When Good Drugs Happen to Bad People
Karl Rove, Pothead

By FRED GARDNER
Among the 78,000 pages of Nixon Administration documents recently released by the National Archives was a memo from young Karl Rove to Anne Armstrong, counselor to the President. Rove aspired to head the College Republicans. His memo proposes, among other things, that college Republican clubs show "nonpolitical films for fundraising (e.g. John Wayne flicks, 'Reefer Madness')..." The New York Times asked Rove for a comment and then reported: "The 56-year-old Mr. Rove pleaded forgetfulness. 'God, this is 1973,' he said. 'You work the math. I don't remember it all.'"

What math? The heavy subtraction? 1973 was 34 years ago. Who but potheads thought Reefer Madness was worth watching, let alone showing? Instead of pleading memory loss Rove could have denied to the Times that he, personally, had been into pot. His response reveals an awareness of the essential lightness of the subject. He probably remembers quite well sitting in the old Biograph Theater on M Street in Georgetown, laughing superciliously with the other pot-smoking young Republicans, feeling insightful, maybe not so unattractive, getting the munchies, infatuated with the crowd in power, wondering if he could get close to George Bush's inadequate son and somehow become his advisor...

I think the writer was confusing us with the Key Theatre. We didn't let Republicans in the Biograph.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.

by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:25:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Do you think that at some point you actually had the pleasure of ejecting a young Carl Rove?

(Perhaps he decided to get even and the last few years have been his revenge on evil lefty cinema managers) ;-)

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.

by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:40:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I feel guilty now.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:45:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well it could have been worse, you could have let him in and spoiled a good seat by contact.

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 08:55:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The Biograph in Richmond was ours too. It was always a money loser; Richmond was just too small a town to support an art house. Eventually we gave it to our manager who lasted a few years and then went out of business.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 03:41:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Post Office, specializing in collector stamps?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:03:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nope! Someone who lived in the D.C. area between 1967 and 1996 might recognize it.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:12:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hey, isn't this supposed to be the European Tribune? ; )
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:18:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I am a European now. That has to do with my American past.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:26:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I know, I'm a USie too, transplanted to D, but I am stymied so I'm changing the subject...

No fair, that's too hard! Waaahh!

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:36:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
If you didn't live in the D.C. area it's very  hard.

I told Bush; don't play chess with the freakin' Russians.
by LEP (rafifoon@yahoo.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:43:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]
rg's diary?

Lobbyists are people too...
by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 07:21:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]
OK, I've got beer now, back to the fun...

Sure is pretty isn't it?

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 11:06:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like Venus flytrap

won't wonders never cease? _ Snuffy Smith
by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 10:10:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Thai purple basil flowers, so tasty and, in my opinion, beatiful...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:25:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmmm???

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:01:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Some extremely determined but short-sighted pigeons ? :-)

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice. Blog - Nice Experience
by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:13:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:16:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]
More specifically, what could have caused this?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:13:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I take it that this is in Berlin?

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:38:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes, that's correct...
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 07:05:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]
so it's gunfire damage on the side of the reichstag?

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 07:43:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Something of higher caliber, I'd guess. Budapest is still full of 1944/5 and 1956 gunfire damage, but that's mostly holes of a few centimetres.

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 10:28:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
probably large Tank main gun, either that or artillery dragged in and fired directly

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 11:18:39 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Tank main gun, maybe that's too much. Grenade from launcher?

*Traitor*, n.
A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
by DoDo on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 11:24:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Yeah, something like that... shell or something large.

On the side of the Pergamon Museum here in Berlin...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Sat Oct 6th, 2007 at 02:27:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Lobbyists are people too...
by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:07:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Looks like a stylized man/lion of some sort...

Beyond that I'm stumped.

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:12:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]
i think you're right...i snapped it in citta di castello, carved into a wall...

looks well-weathered!

it's got a funny louche leer that cracks me up, makes me want to stick a gitane in its gob-

Lobbyists are people too...

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:02:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]
ISn't it a guttering spout on a medieval building?

As we journey through life, we should keep an iron grip, to the very end, on the capacity for silliness. It preserves the soul from dessication.
by ceebs (bunchofwankers (at) gmail (dot) com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 01:39:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]
it looks like it should be, but isn't.

maybe he/she was practicing...

i have seen a bunch that spit out water though, and very loverly they were.

Lobbyists are people too...

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 07:08:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Very obscure - I'll be amazed if anyone gets this:

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:13:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Bubbles!

Very cool bubbles...

by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:19:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Nope. :)
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:23:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Is it a kite or a type of wind-sock or something made of cellophane?
by gioele (gioele(daught)sandler(aaaattttt)gmail(daught)kom) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:37:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Getting closer with the cellophane.
by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Fri Oct 5th, 2007 at 12:41:28 PM EST
[