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

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

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/