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

Eros' Crucible

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark in the hopeless swamps of the not-quite, the not-yet, and the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish in lonely frustration for the life you deserved and have never been able to reach. The world you desire can be won. It exists.. it is real.. it is possible.. it's yours." 

― Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged

"Athena Giustiniani"

Roman copy of a Greek statue of Pallas

Athena with her serpent, Erichthonius

Geneva orchestra at Kennedy Center shines with Debussy, Stravinsky

22 FEBRUARY 2015   WASHINGTON POST   CHARLES T DOWNEY

When Charles Dutoit filled the leadership void at the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2008, he came to Washington for four consecutive years with that ensemble, always to great acclaim. On Saturday afternoon, Washington Performing Arts presented him again, this time with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, in a blockbuster concert at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

The orchestra from Geneva, which last visited Washington in 1989, shone immediately in Debussy’s "Ibéria," with glimmering washes of string sound and polished contributions from the woodwind section. Dutoit shaped the perfumed second movement with its murky, incense-heavy sighs of sound and guided the orchestra seamlessly into the third movement. The ensemble traded on its history by performing Stravinsky’s "Song of the Nightingale," which was premiered by Ernest Ansermet and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in 1919. With top-notch solo work from celesta and principal flute, the musicians revealed this sensationally colored music in all of its riotous variety. The brass, plenty boisterous and full-bodied, only occasionally overstepped in their enthusiasm, including one rare trumpet slip. 

The vast orchestra — such an indulgence on an international tour — played its advantages to the hilt in Ravel’s "La Valse," with swooning portamenti in the strings and chromatic runs in the winds creating a boozy, smoke-filled atmosphere. The rubato was so cohesive, the entire ensemble following Dutoit’s every gesture, but the effect was less about virtuosity than subtle coloristic effects. Pianist Nikolai Lugansky was a mercurial soloist in Rachmaninoff’s "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," sometimes leaving the orchestra in the dust, with technical fortitude matched by a lovely sense of restraint, not wallowing at all in the famous 18th variation. Before waving good-bye, Dutoit launched the musicians into a dizzying, perfectly choreographed encore of the "Danse générale" from the end of the second suite from Ravel’s "Daphnis et Chloé." Read

"Perseus with the head of Medusa"

Benvenuto Cellini 

(1554)

Aeon Embrace

                 10

maggie and milly and molly and may
went down to the beach(to play one day) 

and maggie discovered a shell that sang
so sweetly she couldn't remember her troubles,and 

milly befriended a stranded star
whose rays five languid fingers were; 

and molly was chased by a horrible thing
which raced sideways while blowing bubbles:and 

may came home with a smooth round stone
as small as a world and as large as alone. 

For whatever we lose(like a you or a me)
it's always ourselves we find in the sea 

― E. E. Cummings, 1894 - 1962

Icaro
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
15 FEBRUARY 2015 (VIEWED)   WIKIPEDIA

An icaro (or ikaro) is a song sung in Shipibo healing ceremonies, or by vegetalistas. The word icaro is believed to be derived from the Quechua verb ikaray, which means "to blow smoke in order to heal".

... Icaros are either whistled or sung, and can be expressed in any language. The shamans generally sing in a spirit dialect that is a mixture of their native language (i.e. Quechua, Shipibo-Conibo, Asháninka, etc.), Spanish, and different evocative sounds or vocables. Icaros represent a system of communication between the shaman and the spirits, and the shaman and the participants in the ceremony. The shamans believe that every living thing has an icaro and that these icaros can be learned. Read More

Cinnamon Bun Centers = The New Muffin Tops

2 APRIL 2010   LOAVES AND WISHES   ERIKA

Do you remember that Seinfeld episode where Elaine goes crazy for muffin tops? They are crunchy, explosive and, without a doubt, the best part of the muffin. She inspires her boss to open a bakery that sells only muffin tops, and he's left with loads and loads of "muffin stumps." No one wants the stumps, so Elaine tries all sorts of crazy schemes to get rid of them. Hilarity and legal consequences ensue.

Well, just as Elaine fell for the muffin top, I am in love with the cinnamon bun center. The heart of the cinnamon bun is really the only reason to bake them, imho... 

The cinnamon bun center reveals its true magic only with the passing of time. When cinnamon buns first come out of the oven,

they are warm and springy, and universally awesome. Sadly, as the day goes on, the edges get stale and the glaze hardens over the top. But, as you uncoil the cinnamon roll, you find that the center has becomes magically more delicious. The glaze has dripped down between the swirls and mingled with the cinnamon and dough in a kind of alchemy. What you find is something halfway between liquid and solid, a state of matter which science has yet to classify. Dare I call it "goo"? 

Wouldn't it be great if we could just bake cinnamon roll centers without the edges? Alas, there is likely some sort of philosophical conundrum or law of physics that makes that dream impossible. But what about those brownie pans that only turn out crispy "brownie edges"?  

... Until then, I will just have to find a way to illicitly dispose of the outskirts of my cinnamon buns. Read More

Jennifer Lawrence 

Vanity Fair - March 2015

Photo Patrick Demarchelier

Lover Earth

"The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed."

― Jiddu Krishnamurti

Katrin Olina bends steel pipes into products for reading

13 FEBRUARY 2015   DEZEEN   KATIE TREGGIDEN

Stockholm 2015: Icelandic designer Katrin Olina has created a set of home products made by shaping steel tubes with an old exhaust pipe bending machine.

Katrin Olina's collaboration with local metal workshop Stuðlaberg resulted in a portable bookshelf, a small lamp and a bookshelf with an integrated reading lamp. 

Small Reading Horse is the portable, mini-bookshelf, made from two 35-millimetre bent steel tubes held together by two bars. The storage rack stands on wooden feet with oak plugs, to mimic hoofs. 

... The Bright Small Reading Horse also includes a reading lamp. "Reading horse" is the Icelandic equivalent of the English term "book worm". 

"The project celebrates reading," Olina told Dezeen. "In my country someone who loves to read is called a Reading Horse. Books are gateways into other worlds." 

The collection was developed as part of Vernacular Iceland, a project that aims to find new uses for out-dated parts and machinery. 

... Olina visited Stuðlaberg and started to investigate potential uses for the machine with Gunnlaugur, the workshop owner and metal master. 

"The project plays with two aesthetic opposites and a clash of styles; the industrial aesthetics of the tubular steel against the decorative metal parts in forgotten styles that emulate nature," said the designer. 

"It pays homage to vernacular creativity, where found objects are freely put together," Olina added. "This was the way of doing things in Iceland where in the past, resources were scarce. The goal is to investigate alternatives with the skills and machinery in the metal shop at Stuðlaberg and offer a new addition to Icelandic furniture production." Read More

How to dress for work when it's freezing outside

2 FEBRUARY 2015   ECONOMIC TIMES   JACQUELYN SMITH

(Business Insider) -- Dressing for work when it's freezing outside can be tricky. You want to be warm and comfortable - but also professional. 

"Doing both isn't easy, but it is possible," says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job."  

"When it's cold out, you feel inclined to wear as much bulk as possible from head to toe. You're tempted to pull out your full-on ski gear, especially in the Northeast this week. But you can accomplish both goals of staying comfortable and professional, no matter how frosty it is outside."  

Here are six tips for dressing professionally when it's freezing out... Read More

Japanese People Wear Even Surgical Masks For Daily Use & The Variety of Masks For Fashion  

13 FEBRUARY 2015   TOKYO GIRLS' UPDATE   IKUMI

Especially during winter times, lots of people are wearing masks here in Japan, but don’t get overwhelmed! In general (in global standard), people wear masks for covering a nose and mouth hygienically. But here in Japan, we do even when we don’t have a cold. We wear masks for hiding face with no make-up, prevention of dry air especially when you are sleeping, and protection against cold.

There are masks made for children, ladies, men, in addition special masks for pollen prevention, and lipstick resistant. When it comes to mask, it’s normally white, but one of the masks which especially getting attention is "black mask." This can be kind of sign to find people in the crowd. Because of bamboo charcoal powder, it causes negative ion that is effective for sterilization and deodorization, so Japanese seem to use mask by their purpose. 

Recently, especially among young girls, masks designed like animal, character’s mouth are popular; bear, dog, cat, beard, devil, character masks like Doraemon, Sanrio characters and anime Chibimaruko. Some artists such as AAA and Cheeky Parade produced collaboration mask mask brand "gonoturn." People copy their favorite model, idol wearing mask, wear as a Coplay! It seems that masks are becoming one of the fashion items. Read More

Sony unveils smart headset for smarter jogs

13 FEBRUARY 2015   NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW

TOKYO -- Sony will soon begin selling headphones that go beyond playing music by recording data and offering tracking functions to runners.

The Smart B-Trainer logs a variety of data on the move, including heart rate and route traveled. If the heart rate misses the target, a built-in feature can change the music to faster songs as an encouragement to pick up the pace. 

The user also has access to expert advice from a renowned marathon commentator. 

The 43-gram device boasts six sensors, including an accelerometer, a barometer and a GPS system. It can measure and record 11 types of running data, such as calories burned, distance and pace. The 16 gigabytes of memory holds up to 3,900 songs, and the battery lasts about five and a half hours. The product will debut March 7 and sell for around 27,000 yen ($220) in stores. 

After a training session, data on the Smart B-Trainer is transmitted to the user's smartphone via Bluetooth. Accumulated data can be viewed on a specialized smartphone app that helps users decide on training regimens. 

Athletic equipment manufacturer Asics will provide a training app. 

Sony is already in the wearables market, having released watch and wristband devices. It plans to soon launch glasses and a detachable device that attaches to goggles. The company appears to be trying to cover all the bases by putting out an array of wearables for various parts of the body. 

"This is a time for trying different things because we don't know what would resonate the most with consumers right now," President Kazuo Hirai said. Read More

Let them make cake!

"Oh, it can't be a reference to the fact Harry's a great Seeker, that's way too obvious. There must be a secret message from Dumbledore hidden in the icing!" 

― J.K. Rowling

Ace of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes by Duff Goldman, Willie Goldman

6 FEBRUARY 2015 (VIEWED)   GOOD READS

When Duff Goldman, Food Network's "Ace of Cakes," envisioned Charm City Cakes in Baltimore nearly a decade ago, his goal was to make wonderful cakes for friends and family. As word spread about his fabulous creations, his dream grew into a nationally renowned business staffed by a team of talented professionals, including musicians, artists, and creative souls with experience in architectural modeling, graphic design, deejaying, coffee making, performance art, dog walking, sculpture, painting and more.

Hubble Telescope & Jupiter Cake 

Aces of Cakes: Inside the World of Charm City Cakes is a celebration of the bakery that started it all. This colorful scrapbook is loaded with stories about Duff's early days as a graffiti artist turned young chef, his successes and hilarious disasters, and the amazing team he built step-by-step. Through candid interviews and profiles and hundreds of photographs, illustrations, and collages, the book shows how energy, inspiration, collaboration, and a bit of luck can conspire to help anyone achieve their creative vision. Read More

Ron Ben-Israel Cakes

6 FEBRUARY 2015 (VIEWED)   NEW YORK MAGAZINE   NANCY DAVIDSON

Ron Ben-Israel has been called the Manolo Blahnik of cakes, both because of his creative styling and because he’s beloved by fashion editors. He could also be called the Fragonard of confections for his lifelike floral reproductions in butter and sugar—each petal, stamen, leaf, and stem an exact replica of the real deal. But what ultimately makes his cakes so special is that no two
creations are completely alike. For weddings, bat mitzvahs, society galas, or silver anniversaries, Ben-Israel begins with a consultation that may find its inspirations in a bridal gown, an honoree’s interests, or a classic piece of art. He has also made cakes in the form of shoeboxes, shopping bags, footballs, baseballs, and cars. Some may seem to be precariously balanced, but all are architecture sound, impressively crafted, and unquestionably edible. Kosher cakes (with rabbinic certification) are also available for an additional cost. Read More

New York's pastry master reveals his secrets
28 APRIL 2012   BBC NEWS MAGAZINE   REGGIE NADELSON

SOHO, NYC -- ... His cheery cheeky charm belies a stainless steel discipline. Before he was a baker, Ben-Israel was a dancer. "After I quit dancing, I tried a lot of jobs. But I could always bake," he says. And it was cake, gorgeous, fanciful, cake (glorious cake) that was his destiny.

"He has done cakes as Chanel bags and Manolo shoes" 

"It is a lot like dancing," he says. "It is very time-consuming. Repetitiveness and discipline are the secrets of cake decorating. The art comes from the meticulous technique, the way it does for a dancer." 

At a table in the work area, as focused as watchmakers, four young apprentices create and paint sugar flowers; exquisite, edible exacting copies of the real thing. Most of the decorations for Ben-Israel's extraordinary wedding cakes are bespoke, but it's always useful to have flowers at the ready. And so these young people work. 

"They write to say, 'this is my dream.' I want to do what you do,'" he says. 

... He shows me one of his masterpieces, a sky-high creation that makes your jaw drop. 

Four tiers of pale blue fondant on top of a multi-tier cake, covered in exquisite gold curlicues and flowers, all edible, and topped with the couples' initials in edible jewelled letters. 

This is a wedding cake for a Catherine the Great, an imperial cake. I think, isn't it a pity to cut into this beautiful thing and destroy it? (I'd probably keep mine forever, like some crazed Miss Havisham.) 

"Oh, not at all," says Ron Ben-Israel. "That's the beauty, that's the fun of it. Make it, look at it, then eat it. The beauty of the ephemeral." Read More