10,000 Maniacs - Because the Night

Music Appreciation (A Retrospect)

In 1993, Natalie Merchant and 10,000 Maniacs recorded a live performance on MTV Unplugged. I was about 17 years old working at U.S. Shoes in McAllen's SteinMart at that time.

I recall first listening to this album at a girl's place.  She was a Maniac's fan, and she made me one too.  She also introduced me to cigarettes and liquor, but that's a whole other story. 

Born in Jamestown, NY, Natalie Merchant joined the 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left to explore her solo career in 1993--soon after her performance on MTV Unplugged.  

Photography: Picking cotton

Photo Appreciation

Picking cotton, Eden, Texas, Southern Methodist University,
Central University Libraries, DeGolyer Library

Source: SMU Central University Libraries

Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

New Order - Blue Monday

Music Appreciation

Something is wrong with my TV?  I see a CNN playing on my MTV!!!  Oh wait.  It's New Order's Blue Monday. 

Originally released in the UK in 1983, the song became widely accepted in dance clubs. Several others have tried to replicate or improve the song, but to my own personal opinion have failed to do so; although, Orgy did come close.

So when did I first hear this song?  It was the sitter who also introduced me to Hitchcock, Van Halen, and Sixteen Candles. 



Sources:  Wikipedia

Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

The Linden Murders

Linden, New York is found a drive up from the Old Genesee County Poorhouse, which is a few minutes south of the City of Batavia.  From the poorhouse, Linden Road leads to a community surrounded by trees and along the Little Tonawanda Creek.

The community has an interesting history.  Ninety years ago, a handful of murders happened in this little community.  An unidentified lady was found dead in the woods, another lady was found murdered in her basement, and three were found burned dead.

No one was arrested for the murders.  The cases were unsolved.

Below are some pictures I took when visiting Linden, New York, this past winter.







Sources: http://www.hollandlandoffice.com/the_unsolved_Linden_murders.htm; http://www.examiner.com/crime-history-in-rochester/the-linden-murders

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Gordon Parks: "American Gothic, Washington, D.C."

Photography Appreciation
Gordon Parks, renowned photographer and film maker, took this photo of Ms. Ella Watson while working at the Farm Security Administration in Washington, DC.  The young African American photographer became a fashion photographer for Vogue and Life magazines.  Some of his subjects included Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.  He later went into film and directed Shaft, starring Richard Roundtree.


Sources: Flickr: Library of Congress; Wikipedia

Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

Erasure - Love to Hate You

I don't remember exactly when I became a fan of Erasure.  I do know that it was partially due to an old girlfriend's sister who listened to them.  The girlfriend was a fan, and I soon became one too. 

Andy Bell and Vince Clarke make up the 80's legend pop band, Erasure.  They were well known for Billboard hits such as A Little Respect, Chains of Love and Always. 

My personal favorite of them all was Love to Hate You, which was written by both Clarke and Bell and released in 1991. 

Probably the best parts of the video, which deserves a chuckle, are when Clarke is "floating" over the rainbow colored crowd and when Bell is walking down what looks like a shopping center clapping off-beat with gypsies holding sparklers.

Sources: Wikipedia

Megacities

It's absolutely breathtaking when flying into New York City, especially at night when the lights can be seen for miles and miles. 

New York City is considered a megacity.  The Big Apple is the seventh largest megacity in the world, according to citypopulation.de.  Megacities are metropolitan areas with more than 10 million people.

Imagine all the people that live in megacities, such as New York City.  The things that are sometimes overlooked or just taken for granted.  What makes a megacity function?

From a public administration standpoint, there are countless challenges these megacities face--primarily focused on infrastructure such as roads, water, wastewater, etc.

Freelance business writer Sarah Fister Gale explores this challenge in her article, which appeared in PM Network, a project management magazine.  The challenge is that many megacities don't have the infrastructure budget to keep up with urban sprawl.    

The article can be found here.

Below are megacities ranked by size as provided by citypopulation.de:

1.  Tokyo, Japan (34 million)

2.  Canton, China (24.2 million)

3.  Seoul, South Korea (24.2 million)

4.  Mexico City (23.4 million)
5.  Delhi, India (23.2 million)
6.  Bombay, India (22.8 million)
7.  New York City, USA (22.2 million)
8.  Sao Paulo, Brazil (20.9 million)
9.  Manila, Philippines (19.6 million)
10. Shanghai, China (18.4 million)

Sources: Sarah Fister Gale, "Urban Overload," PM Network, August 2010, p.8-9
Thomas Brinkloff, The Principle Agglomerations of the World, http://www.citypopulation.de/


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http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/

Nina Paley's creative work challenges copyright

Cartoonist Nina Paley questions when "derivative works" infringes upon copyrighted material with the video below of works exhibited at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.

You can read more of her argument here.  You can also visit her blog here.



Visit my blog at http://photographywritingandmore.blogspot.com/.

The Old Genesee County Poorhouse

Established in 1826, the Genesee County Poorhouse provided residence to paupers and the mentally ill.  

Over 1,200 residents died while at the asylum, including young orphans and elders. Their bodies are buried around the property in unmarked graves.  A memorial site was created recently by Genesee County to honor those who died at the home. 

The facility was closed in 1974 and unoccupied for over two decades.  In 2002, the property was purchased by Jeff and Lori Carlson and renamed Rolling Hills.  Recently, Sharon Coyle became the owners of the property (you can listen to the audio interview here).

Supposedly, the former asylum is haunted.  Several sources say they have seen shadows or felt presence while visiting the home.  Syfy's Ghost Hunters as well as the Travel Channel's Ghost Adventures (a must watch) have recently visited the old poorhouse.   Others such as the New Jersey Paranormal Research group have visited this place and recorded their findings.

As mentioned in Ghost Adventures, a power substation across the street from the old asylum may explain the paranormal activities at the home--spirits feed off energy.

Sources: Wikipedia; Genesee County website; Hubpages

Lipps Inc. - Funkytown

Released March 1980, Lipps Inc's Funkytown made Number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. 

I was four years old, and according to my parents, really digging this song.  Supposedly, I would make silly faces while singing "talk about it, talk about it, talk about it..."  Oh yes, the simple repetitive lyrics were probably addictive at that young age.      





I thought I would include this from Malcolm in the Middle, where Bryan Cranston skates to Funkytown.

Anne Frank's tree

I love reading the inflight magazines.  You know, the ones found in the pouch in front of your seat when flying somewhere.  They are the magazines that usually have stories of CEOs and such.  Sometimes, they can be a bit boring and a last-resort reading.

I came across an interesting story, however, about a tree Anne Frank wrote about in her diary.  Recently, the horse-chestnut tree saw its demise after a storm.  The article talked about how this new owner, Henric Pomes, purchased the Amsterdam home not knowing that the horse-chestnut tree was that written by Anne Frank.  The article further stated that Pomes had since taken an active role in preserving the tree.

Unfortunately, the tree died this past summer (August 2010); however, it was reported that a sprout was soon growing out of the stump.

Sources: Wikipedia; Hemispheres Inflight Magazine, December 2010

Tears for Fears - Mad World

Music Appreciation (A Retrospect)

Released in the UK in November 1982, Mad World introduced Tears for Fears to the world.  Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith formed Tears for Fears in the early 1980s and were influenced by great music artists such as Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel, and Brian Eno.

I remember watching Tears for Fears music videos on MTV and even skating along with it at the local skating ring.  Almost every girl liked Tears for Fears, so us boys made it a point to like it as well.

It wasn't until the 90s when I purchased the Tears Roll Down: Greatest Hits when I first heard Mad World.  When I purchased the CD, I was on the verge of being classified as a juvenile delinquent.  I was 16 and my life-choices were screwed up. 

The songs' lyrics of life being insignificant contributed to my frustration and anger. 

"I find it hard to tell you, cause I find it hard to take, when people run in circles, it's a very, very, mad world."

Was I naive. 



Source: Wikipedia, metrolyrics.com

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