Venice in Black & White & November

At the mere mention that high winds are expected later today, the power is starting to go in & out. I'm serious--the wind has not kicked up yet. So here are three photographs by an old friend from Strasbourg days. He took these on a trip to Venice in a November. The little boy's name is unknown. Trying to think how old he'd be now is making my head hurt. Ahem. The photographer & friend (it's not me but I've not asked her permission yet so I'm not showing a third that focuses on her) are very sporting about the pigeons. Bernd claims that he remained unscathed during this shoot. I called him a liar (on Facebook!) & as usual he took massive teasing with equanimity.

Bernd was prescient about taking photos in Venice (& France, Germany, Switzerland) that many of us would value so much later. I hereby apologize publicly for all the times I rolled my eyes when asked to stand still...for a second. Or two. I am now painfully aware of how obnoxious I look when exasperated. See here for explanation...or I'll just tell you. I unwittingly took a video of myself trying to figure out the web camera. It's excruciating but I saved it as a reminder. (Here's a link to a digital library of World War II photographs, including Venice.)

As black & white as these are, I think they are very warm. I like that they are not super-sharp. They are much, much larger in their original print. (Venice in November by Bernd Krause)

Chimes of Freedom

The Nobel Peace Prize 2010 was awarded to Liu Xiaobo "for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China".

Note: It's not you, I've turned off comments on this post. Reason at bottom in italics.

Liu Xiaobo was sentenced on 25 December 2009, the day after a two-hour trial and more than a year after he was first detained. Articles he wrote about the June 1989 pro-democracy movement were also cited in his verdict as evidence of “inciting subversion”.

Amnesty International has campaigned for his release, along with that of other activists who signed Charter 08 including Liu Xianbin, who was arrested in June.

Several other signatories of Charter 08 have asked to share the responsibility with Liu Xiaobo and a group of senior Communist Party members have questioned the legality of Liu Xiaobo's sentence.

Former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Price Laureate the Dalai Lama were among those who supported the nomination of Liu Xiaobo for the 2010 award. Vaclav Havel co-wrote Charter 77, the 1977 document calling for respect of human rights in Czechoslovakia on which Charter 08 was modeled. (Amnesty International website)

Note: Comments are turned off for this post, as they are permanently on Julie's innocent leetle blog. The spam level reaches heights of absurdity whenever something like this appears. Yes, even on theese leetle blog. I'm still searching for photography attribution; I have had it in a file for months & did not save with info. It's just perfect, to me, though & so I dug it off a CD of pix. (Update - photograph by Ricardson Williams via flickr)

Swan Alone

It relieves people of all that blathering below. Now, I must go make dinner. Fresh produce waits for no one. (Especially when purchased last week. Eek. This is where French cooking knowledge comes in handy. Thanks, Julia!) Natalie Portman in Black Swan via mariakochetkova (dot) com. A landing in the Ill River by somebody3121 on deviantArt. (seriously, 'somebody')

This Bird Has Flown

These are the days when Birds come back—
A very few—a Bird or two—
To take a backward look.

These are the days when skies resume
The old—old sophistries of June—
A blue and gold mistake...Emily Dickinson.

[images via Holga {Paint with your and shoot from the heart}; close your eyes, open your mind tumblr; without melissa tumblr; olivewoodgift(dot)com]

Taking Off

A Great egret taking off. I'd like to grab hold & go with him. Alas, eh. I'm running late. I thought today was Thursday until late last night. If that makes any sense. Friend awaits, I'm wearing a new Liberty of London via Target top & worry that I look like an over-sized cupcake (or a chubby peacock). Here's Naomi Watts wearing it in Elle & here's the link to order if any are left. I await one more item; I ordered in early March but they've just restocked.

Update: GOAL! South Africa scored the first goal of the World Cup a few moments ago. I care, that's who. And Univision is coming in clearly, learning sports Spanish, excellent. (No cable.)
So, real stuff later. [image via Birds of Assateague.]

Tempest

A great storm is on the way. Exciting if, big IF, we don't lose power for a week+. Julie is causing/having a mini-tempest; off to see to HRH's latest complaint about the service. Go to the link to see the original size of this very cool photograph by Giampaolo. All those punctuation marks are birds... ciao

Tales of the Islander

Got to feel it all/No time for sleep/No time at all...

The paintings of Walter Anderson, especially The Cottage Murals, inspired this beautiful song by Caroline Herring. Caroline gave a stunning performance on A Prairie Home Companion last Saturday night. As she sang, all I could think of was the ongoing BP-Gulf disaster (you'll see why). The David Byrne-directed video is terrific & interspersed with more Anderson images & information about him, a true eccentric & treasure. A huge part of me is relieved that he's not here to see this, it would surely kill him. Update two minutes later--the Gulf disaster; I doubt the video would kill him.

I hope you will visit your favorite music site & download Caroline's music. Here's her website; the songs change two at a time so you can sample them. If you need further recommendation, Julie is a huge fan & cat-gallops to the source upon hearing the opening of Tales of the Islander. (She really does.)

PS: There's some sort of trouble with the YouTube video--I dis-enabled cookies & now it doesn't seem to want to play. Pls click through to the link to Caroline's website. It's really worth it.

[Horn Island by Walter Anderson via Smithsonian American Art Museum; roseate spoonbills in flight by Kerri Oddeni via From the Bay to the Bayou; Caroline Herring by Jeffrey Fasano (on CH website)]

Egrets

All types of egrets--I love them & associate them with Chincoteague/Assateague*. Here's a link to Birds of Assateague. That's where the little ponies hang out...you might remember Misty of Chincoteague. The link has some terrific videos of the scenery, birds, & sea. You just haven't lived, I think, unless you see the wild ponies running on the beach. My favorite place on the East Coast, perhaps in the States (outside of a few cities/towns). Unfortunately, it has been invaded by something worse & more obnoxious than kudzu. More on that another day...not in the mood to be sued.

*This barrier island, along with nearby islands and lagoons, is important for migrating birds. It's a World Biosphere Reserve of the United Nations because of its great ecological value.

[real bird photo via Birds of Assateague; girl-egret via bomehian punk tumblr; coincidentally also the tumblr for today's automatism post (right sidebar)]

Week's End - Beneath the Sun

When you see me
Fly away without you
Shadow on the things you know
Feathers fall around you
And show you the way to go
It's over, it's over.-Birds, After the Gold Rush

Yes, I will stop with the songs & photographs that don't seem to go at all. Soon. It's a self-imposed pressure. And another gust of wind (metaphorically) just about blew me over. Back with silliness (I hope) on the weekend.

[Beautiful photograph by English writer/photographer Susannah Conway. Visit her at Ink on My Fingers.]

Walking the Old City

In Jerusalem, and I mean within the ancient walls,

I walk from one epoch to another without a memory

to guide me...-by Mahmoud Darwish

[photograph via we heart it, unattributed from an unidentified tumblr acct. Let me know if it's yours; I'd love a dove hair ornament]

Three Little Birds

I really do not spend all day & night on YouTube. I've finally rid myself of 300+ cassette tapes (!) with no clear time in sight to replace the music, so...mimph. I can accept only Bob Marley telling me "Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be all right, " since he knew how bad things can be. Anyone else? Like Oprah (sorry, Opster) & I can fly into a hissy. Usually on behalf of put-upon & suffering populations...anywhere. I think I'll have to download this song today. Health care vote tonight. Eep. [Update, early Monday, Hoorah. Now don't want to jinx Tuesday Senate vote, so back to bed. Still. Hoorah.]

Lovely birds; top two from Marrakesh by a fave only alice; the third with cool green sky is via Happy Up Here (trilla.blogg.se) via we heart it. I can't find it on the blog. So sorry, Swedish ladies who compile HUH. I tried. (I actually have some photographs of three white, Italian birds walking in front of me - a good omen in Roman times. But I posted it some time ago.)

(Note: The HD video here is superior in quality than the myriad of others available. Annoyingly, it has this dumb "flirt here" thingy that pops up. For this I am sincerely sorry. Ignore it or click it off. I have disabled the cookie.)

Week's End - Bird in Jerusalem

From the landscape of endless argument* The neck ribbon diverts one's attention from those talons. Someone needs a manicure. Forgive the pedestrian nature of titles, no words. Perhaps I've used this photograph in another post here. Seem to have wrenched something (not just my brain). Ouch.

Cheers from snowy DC. I wonder what everyone is up to...I shall visit after watching Georgetown v. Duke. (Yes, I watch college basketball.)

*I'm quoting myself (!) & I can't find magazine to scan. Yes, this is called self-sabotage, though it hardly seems important. Today.

Update on Tuesday, 2 February - hibernating but will post suitable photograph when I have energy to find it. Meanwhile, happy groundhog day.

A Pity, We Were Such a Good Invention*

"We even flew a little."* Yehuda Amichai

Still not up & about much but I'm tiring of the cute lamb. Sorry little lamb. Trying to ignore all the pundits who are pre-judging the SOTUS tonight. Plus bizarro tea-baggers are acting up nearby. Ugh. Should have put up something about birds of prey. (Though the poem, which is not linked here due to copyright, is not about birds. You know what poets are like. So irritating.)

Please vote for Liberty London Girl in the Tenth Annual Weblog Awards. She's the only one I nominated who made the finals. I nominated many blogs on my list/links in the side-bar & am mightily peeved that Being Ruby (Australia), The Clever Pup, & automatism (both Canadian) did not make final nominations. Fume. Must seize power, somehow, for next year. [Update: also neglected, Cycle Chic from Copenhagen.]

These photographs are from The Real Israel on Blogger. It was discontinued some years ago with little to no explanation; there's another blog of the same title on Wordpress, but I don't see a connection yet. The photographer's name eludes but I am working to find it; there are several photographs of interest (to me). I'm not linking because I don't want (some) of the commenters to come over here. Anything to do with Israel/Palestine brings out, um, passion. And also, might I add, people attribute views to me which are not mine--at all. I'm no apologist for one side or the other. That's putting it mildly.

Ciao

[birds in Ramat Gan preserve, Israel]

Haiti

It seems there was an earthquake that/ Left nothin' but a Panama hat/ And a pair of old Greek shoes./ Didn't seem like much was happenin',/ So I turned it off and went to grab another beer./ Seems like every time you turn around/ There's another hard-luck story that you're gonna hear/ And there's really nothin' anyone can say/ And I never did plan to go anyway/ To Black Diamond Bay.

Determined to put something in about Haiti. Plus, it means something to me. Some years ago, as a reply to my plea to help in another disaster, a friend played this song. I have to say, it was a unique way of saying no & he received style points (from me) for it.

Whether you were planning to go or not. Let's not turn our backs. Like my former friend.

There are postings everywhere with suggestions for donations. I made mine to the Red Cross & World Vision. There are links on Giulia Geranium (or scads of other places). Plus every country has their Red Cross chapter. Upate: I see that Wyclef Jean's Yéle Haiti Foundation has its donation site up, now. He donates 100% to relief, too.

Another update on Thursday: Received this wonderful message just now in a Red Cross e-card:

Ciao Susanna and Giulia,
I was inspired by your posting and have made a donation for the relief effort. I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!
xoxo

[photograph of Haitian bird in a cage by John Leonard/LIFE archives]

Black Ruffles

Unwell...so not a swan song but a little break. ciao.

[monochrome photograph of black swan via animalphotos]

Bird On The Wire

When I wrote don't-endanger-bloggers-in-Iran message to well-meaning FB/Twittering birdies, I did not mean/nor say 'cork it' when people have been arrested. I said 'be careful. It's so easy to feel brave & live vicariously from where most of us sit. You don't get medals of bravery for clicking 'pooh on [insert cause]' on FB, etc. Wow, nuance is a lost art. So in case any confusion...go to right sidebar, or to GG blog. Re: missing bloggers & assorted.

Like a bird on the wire,/
Like a drunk in a midnight choir/
I have tried in my way to be free.../-L. Cohen

Fume.

[Nina Leen photographs from LIFE archives; undated]

Paestum in Violet

In a hurry & it's raining--bring out the sun, Apollo. Maybe this photograph of the Temple of Athena from Paestum in southern Italy will be propitious. One of my friends pointed out the three white birds crossing our path: good luck in Roman times. The sky was a weird violet color (yes, I enhanced it)...then sunny, then odd violet again. I'll leave the 'clickability' html in so maybe those three birds can be seen. In the large scan, they are visible.

Three large extant Greek temples are here, in southern Italy.Three of 'em...plus other stuff. And usually deserted, it's strange because it's so gorgeous. More on that later. No one was at Paestum that day...except the watchman. Can scarcely believe that it was the same as when I'd been there at 17 or 18. Here is a pretty good link with photos. Paestum is somewhat of a mystery, still. I love that. As a trained ancient historian & half-way trained archaeologist that should drive me crazy. It does not. So I guess it wasn't meant to be (my chosen profession).

Buon giorno...

A cold wind...

So tiny, so tough. By Tom Grim, bird photographer extraordinaire.

Pretty Purple Finch

So far behind this week (typical for une bricoleuse). One can do much worse than go look at Tom Grim's gorgeous flickrstream.

Cardinals on Icy Branch

From Pennsylvanian Tom Grim's beautiful flickrstream.