Anyone who has experienced a wet book will appreciate this primer on rescuing water damaged books. The video from Syracuse University Library provides a practical action plan to rescue that paperback you dropped in the tub or your rain-drenched textbook. With back-to-back hurricanes here in North America, it’s particularly timely.
As I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport is one of my favorites in Europe. The international gateway is not only well-equipped and conveniently located, it’s also home to a wonderful branch of the world-famous Rijksmuseum.
The mini-museum, which is situated on “Holland Boulevard” beyond security, is free and open 24 hours daily. This past week, they launched an all new exhibition of landscapes, still lifes, and portraits from the 17th century.
Schiphol also has an excellent mini-branch of the NEMO Science Museum and its own library. Who could ask for more for a long layover?
In 1952, J.R.R. Tolkien stopped by to visit a friend and to pick-up a manuscript. While he was there, the friend persuaded the author to record a bit of his novel The Hobbit. The 30-minute recording session wasn’t filmed, but these two Youtube videos were created with visuals and music to accompany the audio recordings.
Peripatetic French street artist JR has just completed a moving work on the Mexican side of the U.S./Mexico border. The timely piece—a large-scale photograph of a child looking over the border wall—is a dramatic rebuke to Trump’s anti-immigrant policies.
Nessie on the Net livestream from Loch Ness:
The Mural Arts Philadelphia project recently commissioned this challenging work, which is located in the heart of the city on South Broad Street at the University of the Arts. The piece is by Brooklyn-based street artist Tatyana Fazlalizadeh who is known internationally for her “Stop Telling Women To Smile” posters, which attack street harassment.
Here’s what she had to say about the new mural:
“Questioning Whiteness is a public installation that is asking a white audience to find its role in the workings of racism and white supremacy. The questions posed here are attempting to point out whiteness, to name it, to look at, to see how it is complicit.”
Everyone seems to be jumping on the Lisbon bandwagon this summer—with good reason. If you haven’t been to Portugal’s capital, get there before it’s swamped by the tourist onslaught. A wonderful place to take a breather from sightseeing is the lovely Jardim da Estrella near the Basilica of the same name.
In the heart of the park, you’ll discover a sweet pond-side café, sculpture gardens, and a beautiful little lending library. Grab a book and stretch-out in the shade of an old tree.
It seems that every day we hear about a new travel scam or digital threat to worry about when we are away from home. This infographic from the security consulting group Envista Forensics does a good job explaining many common threats and raises so new ones for the wary traveler. Personally, I never knew about the ribbon trick, although I certainly wouldn’t share my password with a stranger.
This month, Philadelphia is launching a year-long+ celebration of the creation of our own version of the Champs Elysees—the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. While it may never be as grand as Paris’ great boulevard, it is a mile-long artery lined with superb cultural institutions and the site of many local celebratory events each year. The tree-lined boulevard is home to the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Sciences, the historic Free Library, and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. All topped off by the amazing Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The Parkway celebration, which will run from September 8, 2017 to November 16, 2018, will begin with a parade of illuminated pedi-cabs created by artist Cai Guo-Qiang. The people-powered cabs will be decorated with hundreds of colrful Chinese lanterns in the form of animals, emojis, rockets, vehicles, and food. The pedi-cabs will provide free rides along the Parkway four nights per week between September 14 and October 8, 2017.
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