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Once Were Dragons

Edgar Mitchell, Sixth Astronaut to Walk on the Moon, Dies at 85
5 FEBRUARY 2016       SPACE.COM       ROBERT Z PEARLMAN

Edgar Mitchell, who 45 years ago became the sixth man to walk on the moon, died on Thursday (Feb. 4), the day before the anniversary of his lunar landing.  He was 85.

... "He was a hero in the clasical sense," Karlyn Mitchell, the astronaut's oldest daughter, said in statement.  "Though he fulfilled  his childhood dreams while still a young man, he managed to sustain an aura of excitement by evolving and reinventing himself.  He never tired of encouraging others to strive and explore." 

"My brother and sisters consider ourselves so blessed to have had the Dad we did," added Kimberly Mitchell, oldest of his adopted children.  "He was incredibly generous with his heart and his brain, making each of us a better person because we knew him and were shaped by him."  Read More

Apollo 14 moonwalker Ed Mitchell poses next to the 

American flag that he and Alan Shepard planted on the 

moon in February 1971.  NASA

U.S. labor market on solid ground as jobless rate hits eight-year low

5 FEBRUARY 2016       REUTERS       LUCIA MUTIKANI

U.S. employment gains slowed more than expected in January as the boost to hiring from unseasonably mild weather faded, but rising wages and an unemployment rate at an eight-year low suggested the labor market recovery remains firm.

... "The fact that payroll gains fell back to earth is not necessarily a bad sign.  Most indications are that the job market in the U.S. is on solid footing and improving," said Nariman Behravieh, chief economist at IHS in Lexington, Massachusetts. 

Economists had forcast employment increasing by 190,000 in January and the jobless rate steady at 5 percent.  The economy added 2,000 fewer jobs in November and December than previously reported. 

On top of a 0.5 percent jump in average hourly earnings, which was the biggest gain in a year, employers increased hours for workers.  Manufacturing, which has been undermined by a strong dollar and weak global demand, added the most jobs since August 2013. 

... The dollar rose against a basket of six major currenies on the data after hitting a roughly 15-week low on Thursday. Prices for U.S. government debt initially fell, but pared losses as stocks on Wall Street extended their decline. 

"The lower unemployment rate and rising wages further support the view that the labor market is doing nothing but tightening," said Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors in Holland, Pennsylvania.  "Clearly, there are more uncertainties today than when the Fed raised rated in December and hinted that there could be four increases this year.  But the labor market is absolutely not one of them."  

... The economy, especially voters' perceptions of their job prospects, will likely be an issue in the November elections. President Barak Obama lauded the labor market progress. 

"This progress is finally starting to translate into bigger paychecks.  The United States of America right now has the strongest, most durable economy in the world," Obama told reporters at the White House."  Read More

Apple given New York preservation award for repurposing historic buildings
5 FEBRUARY 2016       DEZEEN       ALAN G BRAKE

... "Apple is being honoured for their contribution to preserving, restoring, and repurposing notable historic structures in New York City," the Conservancy said.  "The company has placed four stores in historic buildings -- marrying high tech and distinguished architecture."

The award "recognises exceptional individuals, organisations, and businesses that have demonstrated their dedication to pretecting New York's rich architectural legacy," according to the Conservancy. 

...  The New York Landmarks Conservancy works to preserve architecturally significant buildings through advocacy and education and by providing financial and technical assistance to building owners and neighborhood groups.  Read More

Grand Central Station, New York City

Magnum Opus

Review/Fashion; Images of Man, Labeled Armani

21 DECEMBER 1990     NEW YORK TIMES     WOODY HOCHSWENDER

When one thinks of Giorgio Armani, many images come to mind; the actor Richard Gere rifling through an enormous closet of Armani suits and shirts in "American Gigolo," or the earnest double-breasted G-men in "The Untouchables."

... The institute show spans 15 years of the designer's career in men's wear, from the unconstructed jackets of the 1975 to the pile-driver shoulders of the 80's to the new soft sack suits of the 1990 -- a complete circle. The one-room exhibition of the 204 advertising photographs, taken by Aldo Fallai and Norman Watson, was underwritten by the Giorgio Armani Fashion Corporation. 

... Clearly, the exhibition is only partly about clothes. And so is Armani. The name is magic. To the extent that clothing performs surplus functions -- conferring status, seductiveness, authority -- the Armani name has great contemporary resonance. If clothing has magical functions, akin to the mystic powers of tribal vestments and jewelry, the Armani label is talismanic. What are you wearing? An Armani. Not a double-breasted suit with a strange weave of tan and gray, but an Armani. Like Polo, the name stands for quality and integrity of design. But also something else. 

... [The] Armani influence, is bound up with important currents in society. In the last half-century, as population shifted from the city to the suburbs, men found themselves with more leisure time and considerably wider contexts for dressing. Sport clothing of all kinds was required -- from the golf course to the tennis court to the mall -- and men have had to learn to cope with different degrees of casual. 

... As the Armani look developed, it also came to bridge the gap between the anti-Establishment 60's and the money-gathering 80's. It made the wearer seem simultaneously more at ease and more powerful. In the post-Vietnam era, an Armani suit, with its enhanced silhouette -- wide shoulders, shaped waist, elongated lapels -- was right for a new generation of men slipping back into the office routine after a decade of countercultural copping out. 

... Never mind that an Armani suit announced itself. Or that the cultural antecedents were suspect. The wide-shouldered double-breasted Armani suits recalled an earlier era, but in many cases it was the ill taste of one's grandparents that was being mimicked. Not Henry Cabot Lodge but Al Capone.But the Armani influence has been undeniable and enduring. In any large men's clothing department, imitators abound, most notably Hugo Boss, which retains the aggressive linebacker look even as Armani has moved on...  Read More

Vintage Art Deco High Tea Fashion Tile

Welcome Every-Time

"Foxglove speakeasy"

Friezas continue their yearly tradition of cheering on runners in Japan's New Year relay race

It seems we can't ring in the New Year without this cheering squad of Friezas!  Is the Dragon Ball Z overlord actually . . .benevolent!?

6 JANUARY 2016     ROCKETNEWS24     KRISTA ROGERS

... A more modern New Year's tradition is the appearance of a certain group of fans at the race cosplaying as Frieza, one of the main and instantly recognizable villains of anime Dragon Ball Z.  The group has become a sort of yearly fixture at the marathon, and viewers look forward to seeing their (slightly disconcerting) efforts to cheer on runners in the frigid temperatures.

Unlike past years where all of the mystery supporters have chosen to dress in the style of Frieza's fourth form, this year one member of the group appears to be cosplaying as Frieza's incomplete and cumbersome third form, two members as his forth form, and one member in the new shining golden form introduced in the 2015's Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' theatrical feature.  Read More

Tweets too short?  Twitter mulling 10,000 characters:  report

6 JANUARY 2016    AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Twitter's 140 character limit o tweets has long frustrated and challenged its most verbose users.

Now the company could offer a solution, according to tech news website re/code: the 10,000 character tweet, which could be available as soon as March. 

... The company is testing a version that would still only display 140 characters in a message, but carry much more, and a reader would have to click on the tweet to see the rest. 

...  In his own tweet, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey did not confirm the plan for a 10,000 character capacity, but said the company is "not going to be shy about building more utility and power into Twitter." 

...  "As long as it's consistent with what people want to do, we're going to explore it."  Read More

"Katya"

By Georgy Chernyadyev

Beautiful World

Amaterasu emerging out of a cave

三代豊国,歌川国貞(Utagawa Toyokuni III,Kunisada) - Unknown

Blue Jays jolt Rangers in wild Game 5

15 OCTOBER 2015     THE JAPAN NEWS     

TORONTO (Associated Press) -- Jose Bautista wiped out the need for protests or umpire reviews with the Toronto Blue Jays'biggest home run since Joe Carterś historic shot.

"... Itś the most emotionally charged game that I've ever played," Bautista said.

The Blue Jays became the third team to win a best-of-five series after loosing the first two games at home.  The 2001 Yankees also did it against Oakland, and the 2012 Giants did it against Cincinnati.  Both of those teams went on to reach the World Series.

"The odds were against us but I don't think these guys ever thought we were out of it," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said.

Bautist's homer capped an event-filled, 53-minute seventh inning that took a turn when Toronto catcher Russell Martin's seemingly routine throw back to the pitcher deflected off batter Choo Shin Soo and allowed the tiebreaking to score.

"That was crazy," Blue Jays starter Marcus Stroman said.  "With all that happened, we did a good job of keeping our emotions in check." Read More

The Dizzy Gillespie All Star Big Band -- "Things To Come"

"Beat" Takeshi Kitano's : "Yakuza 6"

Yakuza 6 film to feature baddest yakuza film dude of all time:  Japanese actor Beat Takeshi [Video]

29 SEPTEMBER 2015     ROCKET NEWS 24     EVIE LUND
Japanese actor and director "Beat" Takeshi Kitano is an instantly recognisable face over here in Japan, but westerners might be more familiar with him inhis role as sadistic homeroom teacher Kitao i nBattle Royale, or perhaps as the host of the madcap 1980s Japanese game show Takeshi's Castle.

But it turns out that ol' Beat is no longer just the face of Japanese TV and gritty movies, as he has recently joined a long line of celebrities lending their voices and miages to video games.  Check out Beat Takeshi's appearance in the upcoming Sega game, Yakuza 6, in the following trailer.  Read More

Axis Mundi Matter

"Snicker-snack!"

"Man is a mystery. If you spend your entire life trying to puzzle it out do not say that you’ve wasted your time. I occupy myself with this mystery because I want to be a man." ― Fyodor Dostoevsky

On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families Paperback – August 12, 2014

by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Ten years after Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s death, a commemorative edition with a new introduction and updated resources section of her beloved groundbreaking classic on the five stages of grief.

One of the most important psychological studies of the late twentieth century, On Death and Dying grew out of Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s famous interdisciplinary seminar on death, life, and transition. In this remarkable book, Dr. Kübler-Ross first explored the now-famous five stages of death: denial and isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Through sample interviews and conversations, she gives readers a better understanding of how imminent death affects the patient, the professionals who serve that patient, and the patient's family, bringing hope to all who are involved.

This edition includes an elegant, enlightening introduction by Dr. Ira Byock, a prominent palliative care physican and the author of Dying Well. Read More