fresh adj. (frěsh) New to one’s experience; not encountered before. Novel; different. Recently made, produced, or harvested; not stale or spoiled. [Middle English, from Old English fersc, pure, not salty, and from Old French freis (feminine fresche), new, recent, of Germanic origin.]
The Passing of an Era. I just saw Cory Aquino’s funeral procession pass through the Ayala/Buendia intersection from our condo at the Ayala Columns. The remains of the former president were taken from La Salle Greenhills (my high school) to Manila Cathedral, where it will stay until burial on Wednesday (5 Aug). My mom, as usual, had to be in the front row just as she was when Ninoy Aquino was buried after being assassinated by Marcos’ henchmen back in 1983.
These pictures were taken in real time (about 12:30 p.m. U.S. Central) while making a Skype call to my dad. The little girl is my 8-month old niece, Francesca, in Cory’s emblematic yellow color.
Red Hot Rod: Giant Quasar, circa 1980s. I looove my new bike! Vintage. Red and shiny. 10-speed (who needs more?). Notice the well-preserved decals.
Finally got the real deal. No more Wallmart/Target clunkers, and none of those slick carbon fiber or alloy gizmos either. You can’t see the spot welds on this baby. Very old-school!
Moving notice: Now residing in Champaign/Urbana, IL. Drove from Gainesville, FL to Houston, TX to pick up/drop off some of my stuff with friends, then from there to Champaign, IL. Illinois is flat all around, with rows of corn crop as far as your eyes could see. It looked beautiful under the gathering thunderheads.
Stumbled upon: Henry Darger. Outsider Artist. Famously described by biographer/critic John M. MacGregor as “psychologically a serial killer”.
To sum up an oeuvre of hundreds of illustrations, scores of which are reproduced here: The naked Vivian Girls, and all female children, are generally depicted with little-boy penises, although this interesting detail seems never to be mentioned or explained in Darger’s text. Darger couldn’t draw, and usually didn’t try, instead tracing, arranging and coloring images clipped from magazines. His compositional gifts and skill as a colorist approached genius. Many of his paintings are rather charming and even childlike, while some are tableaux of tortures, massacres and mutilated bodies.
Sounds like he formed the basis for that eccentric North Carolina painter in the movie Junebug. Sinister imagination beneath the veneer of childlike innocence.
Stumbled upon: Green Porno. Sex education with Isabella Rossellini, at (where else?) the Sundance Channel.
Stumbled-upon: World center of liberalism and libertarian political theory in (of all places?) Auburn, Alabama.
The Ludwig von Mises Institute was founded in 1982 as the research and educational center of classical liberalism, libertarian political theory, and the Austrian School of economics. It serves as the world’s leading provider of educational materials, conferences, media, and literature in support of the tradition of thought represented by Ludwig von Mises and the school of thought he enlivened and carried forward during the 20th century, which has now blossomed into a massive international movement of students, professors, professionals, and people in all walks of life. It seeks a radical shift in the intellectual climate as the foundation for a renewal of the free and prosperous commonwealth
“How does a world-class think tank end up in east Alabama?” asked Kyle Wingfield of the Wall Street Journal (8/4/2006). “Having such an outfit so far away from the country’s usual hubs is in itself a rejection of the central planning and authority Mises spent his life fighting. He might never have visited Auburn, but something tells me he wouldn’t have put this institute any other place.”
“Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders,” wrote Ludwig von Mises, “no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle.”
Road trip: 8 days; 4,040 miles; 129 gallons; -282 to 14505 feet elevation; 7 states. Check out my Flickr photos of the US Southwest.
Now available as a Slide Show from Slide.com
ORBIS is now audible! Check out these cool widgets from Grooveshark–a Gainesville, FL-based company started by UF undergrads.
Check out my latest Flickr uploads from San Francisco (Jan 2008):
Now also available as a Slide Show from Slide.com
