’60s Redux

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Inspired by the ongoing national crisis triggered by the election of a neo-Fascist national government, Chicago-based illustrators Clay Hickson and Liana Jegers have launched The Smudge . With its bubbled typeface masthead and old school feel, the new monthly paper aims to take on all topics from a political perspective. Although it’s currently only available by subscription, the goal is to have “newsstand” distribution eventually. We can only hope that this is the start of a trend towards underground papers once again. You can connect digitally right here.

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How to get a free flight upgrade

Thanks to the folks at the travel site Globe Hunters for this helpful infographic. I have had little luck getting upgraded until the past few years. I’m not sure what has helped, maybe it’s just sympathy for an old guy traveling economy. Based on recent free upgrades, I would venture a guess that springing for premium economy seats may be the key to more frequent upgrades to business class. I also concur with the suggestions below to check-in early, join the airline’s frequent flyer program, and be extra friendly to the airline agents and desk staff.

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Posted in Air Travel, Public Transport, Tourism | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Saint Petersburg Is Packed With Surprises

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When I was in Saint Petersburg, Russia this Fall, I did my due diligence as a tourist and visited as many museums, palaces, cathedrals, and attractions as I could manage in a week. Unfortunately, I was a few months too early to see the newly opened Book Chapel. The neo-Gothic library/museum/bookstore, situated just up the Pochtamatskya Ul. from the glorious Saint Isaac’s Cathedral, is a unique—an extraordinarily expensive—diversion for bibliophiles.

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Admission to the privately owned “library” is by appointment only and comes with a hefty minimum charge of 7,000 Rubles for a four hour visit. That works out to nearly $30 per hour to access the facility. For that princely sum, book lovers, collectors, and researchers can visit thematic rooms that have titles such as “Books of Travel” and “Books of War”. The facility offers more than 5,000 volumes, manuscripts, and atlases from the 16th through 19th century, as well as pre-Revolution periodicals.

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The Book Chapel was founded and is operated by the high-end publishing house Alfaret, which prints facsimile editions of collectible Russian books.

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Posted in Architecture, Books, Bookstore Tourism, Europe, Libraries, Museums, Tourism | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Iceland Is Calling

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I know that it may seem as though I am obsessed with Iceland; it’s just because I am. So, if you are not interested in magnificent scenery and natural wonders, look away now. Otherwise, watch this stunning short film titled “Dramatic Iceland” shot by the very talented German photographer Anneliese Possberg.

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Deconstructing Books

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The wonderful short animated video below features the creation of a fantastic book sculpture by the British artist Kerry Miller. Even though it reveals her process, it preserves the magic of her incredible work.

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Posted in Animation, Art, Books | Tagged , | 3 Comments

You have to read this book

h/t to the marvelous Spanish cartoonist Laura Pecheco  (and you really do need to read Station 11 by Emily St.John Mandel.

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Posted in Animation, Art, Books, Europe, Writing | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Little Free Libraries

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In thousands of neighborhoods, in 70 countries around the world, book lovers have taken the initiative to create Little Free Library book exchanges in public spaces. If you don’t have one near you, maybe you should consider starting your own.

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Last fall, the American Institute of Architects, the Little Free Library organization, and the publisher Chronicle Books launched a challenge that solicited original designs for Little Free Libraries. With hundreds of entries from more than forty countries, the judges picked a winner based on style, functionality and responsiveness to the needs of users.

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The judges’s choice for overall winner was “owlie” by Bartosz Bochynski of London, England. While the Chronicle Books creative team chose a separate winner based on production potential, ability to be flat-packed, and weight of less than 19 kg, using environmentally conscious materials. Their pick (see below) was submitted by Rachel Murdaugh and Clark Nexsen of Asheville, North Carolina.

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Posted in Architecture, Art, Books, Libraries | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The World At Night

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French photographer Genaro Bardy travels to great cities to capture them devoid of inhabitants. His single-minded project, Desert in the City, is chronicled in an upcoming book of the same name that he hopes to fund on Kickstarter. He manages to get the otherworldly images by visiting cities like Paris, Rome, London, and New York on major local holidays. If you’d like to support the Kickstarter initiative click here.

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Roadtripping

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Most of us love a good old-fashioned roadtrip, so why not an old-school print magazine dedicated to the pleasures of “soulful driving”. Curves is a beautifully crafted bi-lingual (German-English) publication packed with terrific maps, photos, and travel itineraries for drivers, bikers, and cyclists. The destination issues published so far cover California, Scotland, Sicily, Switzerland, Austria, the Pyrenees, Northern Italy, and the Alps. Learn more about this outstanding magazine from the website and start planning your next roadtrip.

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Hands Off Our Revolution

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Hands Off Our Revolution is a new organization of artists, writers and musicians who have come together for a series of art exhibitions and actions to confront head-on the rise of reactionary right-wing populism in Europe, the U.S., and around the world. Launched by London-based South African artist Adam Broomberg, members include Anish Kapoor —who recently donate his $1 million Genesis Prize to Syrian refugees—Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Ed Ruscha, and Olafur Eliasson, along with more than 200 others. You can find out more at their new website, meanwhile here’s the group’s message:

“We are a global coalition affirming the radical nature of art. We believe that art can help counter the rising rhetoric of right-wing populism, fascism and the increasingly stark expressions of xenophobia, racism, sexism, homophobia and unapologetic intolerance.

We know that freedom is never granted—it is won. Justice is never given—it is exacted. Both must be fought for and protected, yet their promise has seldom been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp, as at this moment.

As artists, it is our job and our duty to reimagine and reinvent social relations threatened by right-wing populist rule. It is our responsibility to stand together in solidarity. We will not go quietly. It is our role and our opportunity, using our own particular forms, private and public spaces, to engage people in thinking together and debating ideas, with clarity, openness and resilience.”

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