29 Washington Square
November 22, 2021

Maid
November 21, 2021

2021
Crossing To Jerusalem
November 20, 2021
This is our great migration
Our mountain and our stone
Turning ourselves inside-out
To find we're already home
This is our deal with the sinners and saints
The law and up above
We'll be crossing to Jerusalem
With nothing but our love
Our mountain and our stone
Turning ourselves inside-out
To find we're already home
This is our deal with the sinners and saints
The law and up above
We'll be crossing to Jerusalem
With nothing but our love
Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal
Performed by Rosanne Cash
From the album She Remembers Everything
From the album She Remembers Everything
2018
Rittenhouse As Hero
November 20, 2021

For years now, the so-called "alt-right" — or what one would traditionally call the fascist right — has been casting around desperately for some hero to rally around, a figurehead to tempt more people to transition from just being generic right-wing trolls to people who are ready for open violence. Nothing has really taken.
The problem for fascists is that their recruitment and publicity strategy depends on being able to successfully portray themselves not as the aggressors, but as reactors. Authoritarian propaganda always relies on a narrative that casts the right as acting in "self-defense" or out of "chivalrous" intent, whether it's Nazis portraying the Holocaust as a corrective to a supposed Jewish conspiracy or the KKK defending lynching as necessary to protect white womanhood.
What the fascist movement needed was a situation where there's some wiggle room to say the violence was defensible, and in Rittenhouse, it appears they have a live one.
There's a reason this case captured the public imagination. It's the reason why so many on the right are so ready and eager to turn this adolescent weirdo into a folk hero. The authoritarian right clearly sees him as useful to tell the story they want to tell, one where the nation is under threat not from rising fascism or an ongoing pandemic, but from out-of-control "woke" leftists who need to be put down with violence. It's a lie, but one that they need very badly. Rittenhouse, they clearly believe, is the key to selling that lie.
The problem for fascists is that their recruitment and publicity strategy depends on being able to successfully portray themselves not as the aggressors, but as reactors. Authoritarian propaganda always relies on a narrative that casts the right as acting in "self-defense" or out of "chivalrous" intent, whether it's Nazis portraying the Holocaust as a corrective to a supposed Jewish conspiracy or the KKK defending lynching as necessary to protect white womanhood.
What the fascist movement needed was a situation where there's some wiggle room to say the violence was defensible, and in Rittenhouse, it appears they have a live one.
There's a reason this case captured the public imagination. It's the reason why so many on the right are so ready and eager to turn this adolescent weirdo into a folk hero. The authoritarian right clearly sees him as useful to tell the story they want to tell, one where the nation is under threat not from rising fascism or an ongoing pandemic, but from out-of-control "woke" leftists who need to be put down with violence. It's a lie, but one that they need very badly. Rittenhouse, they clearly believe, is the key to selling that lie.
Love Is A Game
November 19, 2021
Lay It All On Me
November 18, 2021
Free As A Bird
November 17, 2021
0:07 - portraits of Beatles as children on mantle (from left to right, John, George, Paul. Ringo in front)
0:14 - more portraits (left to right, Paul, John, Ringo, George)
0:38 - Beatles walk through dock workers
0:48 - Cavern Club (club where Beatles played many shows before becoming famous)
0:52 - Beatles performing at Cavern Club
1:06 - Strawberry Field ("Strawberry Fields Forever") 1:18 - Eggman appears ("I Am the Walrus")
1:27 - Beatles begin to walk off curb behind eggman
1:33 - Pretty nurse selling poppies from tray ("Penny Lane")
1:42 - Barber shop, with pictures of every head he's had the pleasure to know, including the Fab Four ("Penny Lane")
1:47 - Sign on wall reads "Help" ("Help!")
1:49 - Boy holds up hand to whisper to girl ("Do You Want to Know a Secret?")
1:50 - Ringo jumps from doorway
1:54 - Beatles stand by car
1:56 - Window has Beatles montage. First third looks like Anthology 1 cover. Other panels may be covers of other two volumes. [They Are, ed.]
2:02 - Birthday cake ("Birthday")
2:02 - Cake has a 6 and a 4 on it ("When I'm Sixty-Four")
2:07 - George appears on street
2:13 - George walks into office (In reality, Apple headquarters) with sign that reads "Dr. Robert" ("Dr. Robert")
2:18 - Ringo runs by
2:22 - John in crowd scene at car wreck, craning neck while others turn away ("A Day in the Life")
2:26 - Car wreck ("A Day in the Life" definitely, "Don't Pass Me By" possibly)
2:27 - Fire engine ("Penny Lane")
2:29 - Policemen in a row ("I Am the Walrus")
2:32 - Fireman ("Penny Lane")
2:38 - Helter Skelter slide (It looks like a lighthouse, but you can see the slide circling the building. "Helter Skelter," of course.)
2:38 - Kite ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite")
2:42 - Children run by in pig masks ("Piggies")
2:43 - Someone enters house through window from ladder ("She Came in Through the Bathroom Window")
2:51 - Writer working at desk ("Paperback Writer")
2:54 - Beatles walk behind children in pig masks (It's small, but it's obvious it's them)
3:00 - Sir Walter Raleigh portrait ("I'm So Tired")
3:05 - Beatles on TV
3:06 - John sitting in chair
3:08 - Copy of Daily Mail on table ("Paperback Writer") which reads 'Ten Thousand Holes in Blackburn, Lancashire' ("A Day in the Life")
3:08 - Bowl of green apples (reference to Apple Corps, Ltd.)
3:08 - Box of Savoy Truffles sits on table (kind of hard to make out, but that's what it says: "Savoy Truffle")
3:10 - Picture of Chairman Mao in window ("Revolution")
3:13 - Workers repairing hole in roof ("Fixing a Hole")
3:13 - Blue Meanie pops his head through hole (the film "Yellow Submarine")
3:18 - Newspaper taxi appears ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
3:22 - Woman leaves home ("She's Leaving Home") 3:22 - Picture of Mao being carried across street ("Revolution" definitely, "Carry That Weight" possibly)
3:22 - John and Yoko waltz by (taken from film "Let It Be" and probably representing "The Ballad of John and Yoko.")
3:23 - Blue Meanie pops head up from out of sewer (the film "Yellow Submarine")
3:25 - Magical Mystery Tour bus passes in far background (Hard to see, but it's there)
3:31 - Big game hunter leads procession, including elderly lady and elephant, out of party ("The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow Bill," who always went hunting with his elephant and gun and always took his mum.)
3:33 - Ringo at table near door
3:45 - Brian Epstein begins to put on his scarf
3:47 - Head of Stu Sutcliffe on body of James Dean from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:48 - Flowers, drum and tuba from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:49 - H.G. Wells and Lawrence of Arabia from "Sgt Pepper" cover chat (I know other guests are supposed to be rest of people on the cover, but they aren't as clearly identifiable as these two)
3:58 - Eleanor Rigby headstone ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:00 - Priest walks from grave ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:01 - Sheepdog runs through cemetery ("Martha My Dear" definitely, "Hey Bulldog" possibly)
4:04 - Long and winding road in background ("The Long and Winding Road")
4:05 - Paul romps on hill ("The Fool on the Hill")
4:12 - Zebra-crossing from the cover of "Abbey Road"
4:14 - Meter maid with bag across her shoulder steps onto curb ("Lovely Rita." She's definitely wearing a uniform and carrying a little white book.)
4:30 - Beatles walk into theater (taken from "A Hard Days Night")
0:14 - more portraits (left to right, Paul, John, Ringo, George)
0:38 - Beatles walk through dock workers
0:48 - Cavern Club (club where Beatles played many shows before becoming famous)
0:52 - Beatles performing at Cavern Club
1:06 - Strawberry Field ("Strawberry Fields Forever") 1:18 - Eggman appears ("I Am the Walrus")
1:27 - Beatles begin to walk off curb behind eggman
1:33 - Pretty nurse selling poppies from tray ("Penny Lane")
1:42 - Barber shop, with pictures of every head he's had the pleasure to know, including the Fab Four ("Penny Lane")
1:47 - Sign on wall reads "Help" ("Help!")
1:49 - Boy holds up hand to whisper to girl ("Do You Want to Know a Secret?")
1:50 - Ringo jumps from doorway
1:54 - Beatles stand by car
1:56 - Window has Beatles montage. First third looks like Anthology 1 cover. Other panels may be covers of other two volumes. [They Are, ed.]
2:02 - Birthday cake ("Birthday")
2:02 - Cake has a 6 and a 4 on it ("When I'm Sixty-Four")
2:07 - George appears on street
2:13 - George walks into office (In reality, Apple headquarters) with sign that reads "Dr. Robert" ("Dr. Robert")
2:18 - Ringo runs by
2:22 - John in crowd scene at car wreck, craning neck while others turn away ("A Day in the Life")
2:26 - Car wreck ("A Day in the Life" definitely, "Don't Pass Me By" possibly)
2:27 - Fire engine ("Penny Lane")
2:29 - Policemen in a row ("I Am the Walrus")
2:32 - Fireman ("Penny Lane")
2:38 - Helter Skelter slide (It looks like a lighthouse, but you can see the slide circling the building. "Helter Skelter," of course.)
2:38 - Kite ("Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite")
2:42 - Children run by in pig masks ("Piggies")
2:43 - Someone enters house through window from ladder ("She Came in Through the Bathroom Window")
2:51 - Writer working at desk ("Paperback Writer")
2:54 - Beatles walk behind children in pig masks (It's small, but it's obvious it's them)
3:00 - Sir Walter Raleigh portrait ("I'm So Tired")
3:05 - Beatles on TV
3:06 - John sitting in chair
3:08 - Copy of Daily Mail on table ("Paperback Writer") which reads 'Ten Thousand Holes in Blackburn, Lancashire' ("A Day in the Life")
3:08 - Bowl of green apples (reference to Apple Corps, Ltd.)
3:08 - Box of Savoy Truffles sits on table (kind of hard to make out, but that's what it says: "Savoy Truffle")
3:10 - Picture of Chairman Mao in window ("Revolution")
3:13 - Workers repairing hole in roof ("Fixing a Hole")
3:13 - Blue Meanie pops his head through hole (the film "Yellow Submarine")
3:18 - Newspaper taxi appears ("Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds")
3:22 - Woman leaves home ("She's Leaving Home") 3:22 - Picture of Mao being carried across street ("Revolution" definitely, "Carry That Weight" possibly)
3:22 - John and Yoko waltz by (taken from film "Let It Be" and probably representing "The Ballad of John and Yoko.")
3:23 - Blue Meanie pops head up from out of sewer (the film "Yellow Submarine")
3:25 - Magical Mystery Tour bus passes in far background (Hard to see, but it's there)
3:31 - Big game hunter leads procession, including elderly lady and elephant, out of party ("The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow Bill," who always went hunting with his elephant and gun and always took his mum.)
3:33 - Ringo at table near door
3:45 - Brian Epstein begins to put on his scarf
3:47 - Head of Stu Sutcliffe on body of James Dean from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:48 - Flowers, drum and tuba from "Sgt Pepper" cover
3:49 - H.G. Wells and Lawrence of Arabia from "Sgt Pepper" cover chat (I know other guests are supposed to be rest of people on the cover, but they aren't as clearly identifiable as these two)
3:58 - Eleanor Rigby headstone ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:00 - Priest walks from grave ("Eleanor Rigby")
4:01 - Sheepdog runs through cemetery ("Martha My Dear" definitely, "Hey Bulldog" possibly)
4:04 - Long and winding road in background ("The Long and Winding Road")
4:05 - Paul romps on hill ("The Fool on the Hill")
4:12 - Zebra-crossing from the cover of "Abbey Road"
4:14 - Meter maid with bag across her shoulder steps onto curb ("Lovely Rita." She's definitely wearing a uniform and carrying a little white book.)
4:30 - Beatles walk into theater (taken from "A Hard Days Night")
The Betrothed And Eiffel Tower
November 16, 2021

Gone For Christmas
November 15, 2021
Why Tokyo Works
November 14, 2021

While trains have long been part of Japanese daily life after most of Tokyo was leveled during World War II, Japan had to make a post-war decision to either adopt the American automobile-focused city or to rely on public transportation. Of course, they chose public transportation, likely because of Japan’s lack of natural resources like oil. Thus, small towns outside of Tokyo could connect with the denser downtown areas, turning these peripheral areas into liveable, well-connected hubs. This is why Tokyo today is so sprawling, yet so connected. The system was so effective that Tokyo currently has an incredibly low car-ownership rate — 0.54 cars per household — while San Francisco’s rate is 1.10 and London’s is 0.74.
“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation,” says Colombian politician Gustavo Petro. His quote rings especially true when considering Tokyo’s trains. Its rail system is an equalizer between rich and poor. It’s usually the fastest way to get from A to B within the city, it’s affordable and everyone uses it. There is no stigma attached to riding the train, it’s simply the standard.
Easy Times
November 13, 2021
Easy times come hard for me and oh, my darling
Time again to dream that you are coming home
Time again to dream that you are coming home
Faces #12
November 12, 2021

Photo by Emad Kolahi on Unsplash
Sienna
November 11, 2021

On The Beach
November 10, 2021

Orphan Street, Berlin
November 9, 2021

Hans Baluschek
1927
Bahnhofshalle
November 8, 2021

Hans Baluschek
1929
Corner Of The Big City
November 7, 2021

Medley
November 6, 2021
Close to You
Knowing When to Leave
Make It Easy on Yourself
Always Something There to Remind Me
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
Walk on By
Do You Know the Way to San Jose
Knowing When to Leave
Make It Easy on Yourself
Always Something There to Remind Me
I'll Never Fall in Love Again
Walk on By
Do You Know the Way to San Jose
Burt Bacharach and Hal David
Performed by The Carpenters
Recorded at Walter Reed Medical Center, November 8, 1970
Recorded at Walter Reed Medical Center, November 8, 1970
1970
Fallen Fruit
November 5, 2021
To the ones who came before us
All the golden ones who were lifted on a wing
We had no idea the dreams we had were far too big
Far too big
All the golden ones who were lifted on a wing
We had no idea the dreams we had were far too big
Far too big
No Firm Views On Climate Change
November 5, 2021
"I've read things about climate change. I would not say I have firm views on it." - sitting Supreme Court justice Amy Coney Barrett pic.twitter.com/Q0tldPDpQ8
— John Lundin 🌊 (@johnlundin) November 1, 2021
2021