National Poetry Month Is Here

Posted on April 19, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

LETTER TO SOMEONE LIVING FIFTY YEARS FROM NOW

Matthew Olzmann

Most likely, you think we hated the elephant,
the golden toad, the thylacine and all variations
of whale harpooned or hacked into extinction.

It must seem like we sought to leave you nothing
but benzene, mercury, the stomachs
of seagulls rippled with jet fuel and plastic.

You probably doubt that we were capable of joy,
but I assure you we were.

We still had the night sky back then,
and like our ancestors, we admired
its illuminated doodles
of scorpion outlines and upside-down ladles.

Absolutely, there were some forests left!
Absolutely, we still had some lakes!

I’m saying, it wasn’t all lead paint and sulfur dioxide.
There were bees back then, and they pollinated
a euphoria of flowers so we might
contemplate the great mysteries and finally ask,
“Hey guys, what’s transcendence?”

And then all the bees were dead.

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Of course 4/20 is opening day

Posted on April 18, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

On 4/20/17, a former Lutheran church in Denver, Colorado will officially open as The International Church of Cannabis. The 113-year-old church building, which was decorated by renowned Spanish “ecclesiastical” street artist Okuda San Miguel and Kenny Scharf, is the new headquarters for a group called the Elevationist Ministries. The non-denominational order has no religious hierarchy or theology, just a belief in the spiritual power of marijuana.

Although public consumption of cannabis is still illegal in Colorado, and the Elevationists won’t be selling any weed at their church, the group is invoking constitutional freedom of religion to permit use on site. The Elevationists have legal permits to operate the church, but no one is certain how state and local authorities will react when congregants light up.

DENVER, CO – APRIL 12: This is a photo of the exterior of the International Church of Cannabis at 400 south Logan street on April 12, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. The graffiti style murals on the outside of the church were done by well-known graffiti artist Kenny Scharf. The members of this new church call themselves Elevationists and say that the use of cannabis helps elevate people to a higher form of themselves. They plan to open their doors to the public on April 20th and have a weekend of events planned for the neighborhood to introduce people to this new and unique concept for a church. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

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Pop Up Museum

Posted on April 17, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the country’s finest museums. Since we live nearby, I get to visit often. When I stopped by to see the current special exhibition and to see the model for Frank Gehry’s $150 million museum expansion, I spotted the PMA’s clever way to cover the construction work.

Throughout the  building and renovation project, the museum plans to transform the ugly fencing into an outdoor gallery. Over the three year-long construction period they plan to display copies of some of the most popular works inside. With the institution’s enormous collection, I think that they will be able to cover the 100 meters of plywood fencing with no problem.

Posted in Architecture, Art, Museums, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

That Old Book Smell

Posted on April 16, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

As a life-long book collector and a long-time bookseller, I have always loved that special woody, floral, dusky aroma that only emanates from books with age. But what precisely is “that old book smell”? The journal Heritage Science has published an article on research that aims to answer the question.

“The Historic Book Odour Wheel, a novel tool representing the first step towards documenting and archiving historic smells” divides the old book aroma into eight catagories—Chemical/Hydrocarbons, Earthy/Musty/Mouldy, Fishy/Rancid, Fragrant/Vegetable/Fruit/Flowers, Grassy/Woody, Medicinal, Smokey/Burnt, and Sweet/Spicy.

The research,conducted by the University of London’s Institute for Sustainable Heritage, hoped to assist archivists in identifying which books were most in need of protection and preservation. Scientists have long understood that the old book smell is created by the degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the binding, paper, ink, and glue of antiquarian books, but a systematic classification of the odors has been absent.

The project researchers developed the “Historic Book Odour Wheel” using descriptors provided by volunteer subjects at the Birmingham Museum. Other participants evaluated book smells at the Library of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London.

Posted in Books, History, Libraries, Museums, Tech | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Is Terry Gilliam the Father of the Gif ?

Posted on April 15, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

h/t to Adam Koszary and the Bodleian Libraries.

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Save Our National Parks

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Over the years, I have shared a few posts that featured images from the original iconic 1930s WPA poster series that promoted the amazing U.S. National Park Service and American tourism. Inspired by the classic posters and the ongoing shitstorm that is America these days, Berkeley California-based multi-media artist Hannah Rothstein has created a scary new set of posters for a series called “National Parks 2050”.

Rothstein’s posters are a call for the nation’s Resistance Movement to stand up for our precious natural resources in the face of the tRump administration’s plans to trash the environment in the name of capitalist greed and anti-science ignorance. You can see more of the project and purchase posters at the artist’s website. A portion of the proceeds will benefit climate action groups.

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Words Have Power

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Each year, the American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom calculates the Top Ten Most Challenged Books. Here’s the just released list for 2016:

  1. This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
    This young adult graphic novel, winner of both a Printz and a Caldecott Honor Award, was restricted, relocated, and banned because it includes LGBT characters, drug use, and profanity, and it was considered sexually explicit with mature themes.
  2. Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
    Parents, librarians, and administrators banned this Stonewall Honor Award-winning graphic novel for young adults because it includes LGBT characters, was deemed sexually explicit, and was considered to have an offensive political viewpoint.
  3. George written by Alex Gino
    Despite winning a Stonewall Award and a Lambda Literary Award, administrators removed this children’s novel because it includes a transgender child, and the “sexuality was not appropriate at elementary levels.”
  4. I Am Jazz written by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, and illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
    This children’s picture book memoir was challenged and removed because it portrays a transgender child and because of language, sex education, and offensive viewpoints.
  5. Two Boys Kissing written by David Levithan
    Included on the National Book Award longlist and designated a Stonewall Honor Book, this young adult novel was challenged because its cover has an image of two boys kissing, and it was considered to include sexually explicit LGBT content.
  6. Looking for Alaska written by John Green
    This 2006 Printz Award winner is a young adult novel that was challenged and restricted for a sexually explicit scene that may lead a student to “sexual experimentation.”
  7. Big Hard Sex Criminals written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Chip Zdarsky
    Considered to be sexually explicit by library staff and administrators, this compilation of adult comic books by two prolific award-winning artists was banned and challenged.
  8. Make Something Up: Stories You Can’t Unread written by Chuck Palahniuk
    This collection of adult short stories, which received positive reviews from Newsweek and the New York Times, was challenged for profanity, sexual explicitness, and being “disgusting and all around offensive.”
  9. Little Bill (series) written by Bill Cosby and illustrated by Varnette P. Honeywood
    This children’s book series was challenged because of criminal sexual allegations against the author.
  10. Eleanor & Park written by Rainbow Rowell
    One of seven New York Times Notable Children’s Books and a Printz Honor recipient, this young adult novel was challenged for offensive language.

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Don’t Get Bumped ( Unless You Want To)

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Unless you’ve been on a digital detox for the last 48 hours, you’ve seen the horrible images of a United Airlines passenger being brutally removed from a flight after refusing to be bumped. It should be shocking that a major air carrier would treat a paying customer in this manner, but these days it seems par for the course.

In all of my many years flying, I’ve only been bumped once and that was voluntarily with a substantial bribe for relinquishing my seat. But Federal regulations and U.S. airlines’ policies on bumping can be confusing at best. It’s easy to make a rookie mistake when dealing with airline gate agents in a pressured bumping situation. The infographic below explains some of this complicated process:

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What It Says On The Tin

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

Last week, Karabük University in Karabük, Turkey inaugurated the new Kamil Gūlec Library. The impressive facade is composed of fifteen books up to 20 meters high. H/t to Ahmet Yildirim for the post.

 

Posted in Asia, Books, Libraries | Tagged | 2 Comments

More Than Polar Bears

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Brian D. Butler

 Berlin-based German illustrator Christoph Niemann has created a charming visual diary of a seafaring expedition to the Arctic for National Geographic, told as an interactive story with illustrations, animation, photos and videos along with handwritten text.

North: An Illustrated Travelogue is a click-through storybook on National Geographic’s website that documents Niemann’s excursion to Norway’s Fjords and Arctic Svalbard. Each page of the online journal is different: some are a hybrid of photography and illustration, with the illustrator’s recognizable pen drawings, depicting his illustrated self, interacting with photos of the landscape. Others are entirely watercolor painted scenes, whimsically charming and capturing the magic of the rugged region of the world.Some pages purely feature Niemann’s handwritten notes, or annotated maps, while a few mix hand-drawn animation and video.

North: An Illustrated Travelogue is part of a campaign for National Geographic Expeditions, the travel agency arm of the National Geographic Society that sells tours and guided trips around the world. You can follow the journey right here.

Posted in Animation, Art, Europe, Photography, Tourism, Travel Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment