Monthly Archives: October 2014
Bike Deaths Spiked 16 Percent, Study Finds
Three Old Men
Vintage Dilbert
October 28, 2008
A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard…
She did not recognize them…
She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry…
Please come in and have something to eat”…
“Is the man of the house home?”, they asked.”No”, she said. “He’s out”…
“Then we cannot come in”, they replied…
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened..
Go tell them I am home and invite them in…
The woman went out and invited the men in…
“We don’t go into a house together”, they replied…
“Why is that?” she wanted to know..
One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth…
he said pointing to one of his friends…
and said pointing to another one, “He is Success and I…
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‘Seriously people’: Forest Service says stop taking selfies with bears
A Dublin Legend – Monochrome Madness Challenge
I shot this during my time up in Dublin on Saturday for the Bram Stoker Festival. What started off as a good day, soon fell apart and could have been a disaster, but its all perspective! Philip Parris “Phil” Lynott was a singer, bassist, musician, songwriter and poet whom was probably best known as the front man of one of the greatest Rock bands of all time Thin Lizzy. From the humble beginnings in Dublin with bands such as Skid Row, Philo as he is fondly referred to in Dublin went on to be a true Rock Star right up until his death on 4 January 1986. He was 36 years old. In 2005, a life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled outside Bruxelles Bar on Harry Street, off Grafton Street, Dublin. So if you are into Black & White photography as much as I am, then I highly recommend that you…
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HALLOWEEN
Pre-Halloween Spookiness: Haunting Photos of the Dead Taken in the Victorian Age
The once common fad for taking photos of the dead & having relatives pose alongside bodies of their dearly departed was once a common practice in many places in Europe during the Victorian Age.
Reader Discretion Advised: While all of the photos show those who passed away a generation ago, some may be disturbed by the sight. This post is not to look at the departed with any disrespect or to have a callous look at death. It is merely to show a photographic fad that was common for the times.
Crash Notes:
- The invention of the daguerreotype – the earliest photographic process – in 1839 brought portraiture to the masses
- Enabled the middle classes to have affordable keepsake of their dead family members
- Known as post-mortem photography, some of the dearly departed were photographed in their coffin
- This particular style, often accompanied by funeral attendees, was common in Europe…
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Saturday Reader: New Book on Edinburgh Points of Interest Drops the Ball
A new book points out some of Edinburgh’s top tourist spots, but you may be surprised to learn there’s no mention of the Grassmarket and no elegant New Town. No Royal Mile with its atmospheric closes. The royal Palace of Holyroodhouse and Greyfriars Bobby are both posted missing too.
There’s no Edinburgh Castle No Grassmarket and no elegant New Town. No Royal Mile with its atmospheric closes. The royal Palace of Holyroodhouse and Greyfriars Bobby are both posted missing too.
The bustling tourist haunts and the familiar postcard views, the places recognised the globe over as Edinburgh, are nowhere to be seen.
Instead a new guide to the pick of Scotland’s best 100 places has revealed an alternative – perhaps even controversial – side to the capital city.
Peter “Mr Hogmanay” Irvine – the street party organiser whose fingerprints are on just about every major event in Edinburgh and beyond, and who has even received an honour for his services to the Capital, has unveiled his personal pick of the nation’s most impressive spots.
And the results, he admits, might take a few by surprise.
While Edinburgh Castle is still one of Scotland’s most visited attractions, it’s Murrayfield, the home of Scottish rugby that earns a mention in his latest book. And the Festival and Fringe – “must-do’”events for any arts lover – are nowhere to be seen, unlike the International Book Festival.
Forget too the historic status and splendour of St Giles’ Cathedral – it’s a small church that most Edinburgh folk have probably never heard of, never mind ventured inside, Old St Paul’s, that takes the honours. “I wanted to have a selection of places that I know are uniquely brilliant,” says Peter, below, who created Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party in 1993 and has worked on it ever since.
“Places like Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and so on, are obvious places for people to visit. My selection is entirely subjective. There are perhaps glaring omissions – Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Zoo – but I’m confident that these 100 places are all exceptional.”
Each location – from the Highlands and Islands to the Borders – was chosen either for its sheer magnificent scenery, its spiritual impact or its role as a ‘must do or see’ attraction.
Accompanying each is a stunning photograph and mini guide to visiting it, including places to eat, stay and walk.
Some 19 Lothian places feature – among them Yellowcraigs beach, Gosford House near Longniddry and Rosslyn Chapel.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s missing ‘big name’ attractions shouldn’t complain too much – Scotland The Best 100 Places manages to completely omit Aberdeen and Dundee.
EDINBURGH’S famous castle didn’t make the cut. But then neither did Loch Ness or Loch Lomond. So where, according to Scotland The Best 100 Places author Peter Irvine, is good to go?
DR NEIL’S SECRET GARDEN
Perhaps less secretive now it’s featured in a glossy guide to Scotland’s best places, the pretty garden at the edge of Duddingston Loch was created in the Sixties by doctors Andrew and Nancy Neil on a stretch of wasteland. Today it is a lush pocket of evergreens, shrubs, pretty rockeries, terraced beds and alpine plants which is free to visit and which has the added attraction of a William Playfair structure, Thomson’s Tower, in one corner.
OLD ST PAUL’S
It doesn’t boast the Gothic spires of St Mary’s Cathedral or the historic roots of St Giles’ Cathedral or even the royal seal of approval of Canongate Kirk. But according to Peter Irvine, Old St Paul’s stands above them all for its “tangible air of spirituality”. Built in 1883, he singles out the church, which sits beneath North Bridge on Jeffrey Street, for its vibrant community along with its WW1 memorial and the Martyr’s Cross, on the site of the Grassmarket gallows, which sits alongside a powerful modern painting by Alison Watt.
JUPITER ARTLAND
Who needs the National Gallery of Scotland with its treasures at The Mound? Or, for that matter, the faces of Scotland’s people at the Portrait Gallery and the thought-provoking collection at the Gallery of Modern Art? Jupiter Artland at Bonnington House features for its quirky approach to presenting contemporary art, groves, gardens and lawns are the gallery space for bright and dazzling sculptures and installations.
PRESTONFIELD
So what if Edinburgh has a royal palace fit for a queen? The Palace of Holyroodhouse has been elbowed out of Scotland’s best places by a historic house that enables everyone – with enough money for the five star hotel’s rooms or restaurant – the opportunity to sample regal living. “Sympathetically and meticulously restored from faded grandeur to an almost theatrical exuberance, it is imbued with a heady atmosphere of opulence, romance, even decadence,” explains author Irvine.
MURRAYFIELD
Probably not high on most tourists’ lists of places to visit, the home of Scottish rugby is featured among Scotland’s top 100 places not just for its sporting credentials but for the impact it has on the capital on a big match day. “It transforms the city,” explains Irvine.
“Most of us are never at a rugby match. But over a rugby weekend, Murrayfield changes the city. The crowd is good natured, the pubs are full, the restaurants are lively, the city for a weekend is a different place.”
EDINBURGH GRAVEYARDS
Come to Edinburgh and visit our dead – not a slogan for the Edinburgh Dungeon, but a serious offer for visitors seeking a completely different aspect on city living. The Capital’s old graveyards, in particular Old and New Calton, Greyfriars, Canongate and Warriston are included for their roll call of well-known historical occupants, a reminder of the immense influence Edinburgh had on the world. Warriston is singled out for its “romantic melancholy” created by years of overgrown ivy which drapes itself over its Victorian monuments.
BOOK FESTIVAL
The Edinburgh International Festival and Fringe may be the really big attractions of the summer, but it’s smaller cousin the Book Festival which grabs a spot in the top 100. “For two weeks in August it’s one of the best places to be in the world if you like book festivals,” explains Irvine.
CALTON HILL
Perhaps not a shock addition to the book, but the specific day on which Irvine suggests visiting might be. While he’s best known for planning and organising Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party, he suggests the optimum time to pick a spot overlooking Princes Street is the night before when the Torchlight Procession is in full flow. “From Calton Hill the city – from Arthur’s Seat to Leith and the coast – twinkles below. Look back along Princes Street where a river of torchlight keeps coming. It’s a magical place to be.”
SUMMERHALL
Usher Hall, a century old with its ornate ceiling and copper dome… nope. The Playhouse with its never ending stream of sell out musicals, not there either. Nor is the King’s which every year keeps pantomime fans in stitches. Instead its Summerhall which takes the honours. The former Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is Edinburgh’s newest arts venue and creative hub and earns a spot, according to Pete, as “Scotland’s most eclectic most exciting arts destination.”
OTHERS ON THE LIST
The remaining local attractions are: Arthur’s Seat; The Botanics; The Forth Bridge; Gosford House, East Lothian; Greywalls, East Lothian; The Palm Court at the Balmoral Hotel; Princes Street Gardens; Rosslyn Chapel; St Margaret’s Loch, Holyrood Park; Yellowcraigs.
• Scotland the Best 100 Places by Peter Irvine, published by Collins, £25 – not worth the price tag, given the material or lack thereof. There are so many other books by authors who know Scotland better and have done their homework. This book is the new standard of poorly-conceived guides.
Crash
What Was Lost
Every time an empty place
arrives in Life
something comes along
to fill that very place.
****
And then hindsight comes along
as it always does …
****
You see that what took
the place of what was
is really better then
what was lost.
****
If you had kept your thoughts
on what was lost
****
the NOW
would not have been seen
and THAT would have been
a Greater Loss then the first.
Photography/ “What Was Lost” 2014©AmyRose
Flower courtesy of: Seasonal Nursery 1120 Bullis Rd., Elma, NY 14059
Houdini’s Ultimate Disappearing Act
On the 24th of October 1926, the legendary U.S. magician Harry Houdini (Hungarian-Jewish born Erik Weisz, 1874 – 1926) performed his last show at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. A week later he laid dead in a local hospital. The reasons for his passing away have been subject to numerous urban myths, yet the truth could not be more ordinary and gratuitous.
Houdini was the first superstar escapist known for stunts involving underwater straightjackets, beer barrels, chains, ropes, handcuffs, being buried alive, prison breaks, even escaping from the belly of a beached whale! Throughout his life, he had constantly invited his audiences to find him insurmountable challenges and so, unsurprisingly, his death mystified the public. In Houdini!!!: The Career of Ehrich Weiss (1997), Kenneth Silverman points out the misconception that Houdini died in the famed “Chinese Water Tank trick”, or shortly after being freed from the…
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