The Revenge of Winston O'Boogie Dept.

Havin' a tough day, bunkie? Did your brother make an animal cage out of your erector set and now Grandma can't get out? Did someone open the window while you were sorting stamps and now triangles are flying around the house? You say your mischievous cousin gave you a moose head with the moose still in it? And you just can't seem to piece together your life-size do-it-yourself ranch house? And you just got a splinter under your cuticle? OW? And Aunt Bertie ain't come home from the 7-Eleven yet and it's been six weeks? Is that what's perturbing you, moppets?

Well, then, HAVE A LISTEN TO THIS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=aFjH4ZqwOB4

Where The Land Meets The Sea Dept.

Today's Photo of the Day: one of my personal favorites, and one of the first photos I ever sold. Taken from a stone pier on Achill Island in County Mayo, northwest Ireland. I can remember the fragrant, peaty aroma of the land, the sharp, salty tang of the ocean breeze ... and the sound of the waves gently lapping at the rocky shore. Hope you can summon these from your imagination as you view the image.

Cinemagic Dept.

If you haven't yet seen this excellent short video highlighting some special effects work from the HBO series Game of Thrones, set aside 3 minutes and 27 seconds to be impressed. I felt that the TV series was excellent and the first book in George R.R. Martin's beloved series was incredibly accessible and absorbing.

Now And Zen Dept.

Your Photo of the Day, taken in the Japanese Tea Garden just outside Portland, Oregon.

Ten Years After Dept.

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of September 11, there is much to think about. Certainly, the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden is one event that we think we know more about than we actually do. Submitted for your consideration, a review of those events.

"The sun is slowly fading in the western sky..."

Your random Photo of the Day, taken from the Sutro Heights Park in western San Francisco, CA.

The small dots you may be able to make out in the waves are surfers. Note also the boat on the distant horizon.

Yawohl, Mein Fur-or Dept.

Yes, this is what is has come to, people. A six-week old kitten in a UK shelter has had people decline adoption opportunities ... because it has a black mark under its nose that reminds folks of Hitler's mustache. I Am Not Making This Up. Naturally, the operators of the shelter have nicknamed the kitty "Kitler". God, I love the Internets.

A River Runs Through It

There are many scenes of natural splendor that must be experienced in person to truly feel their impact, something that is easy to forget in today's Hi-Def, IMAX screen, Planet Earth blu-ray existence. The Grand Canyon is positively overwhelming in person. The scope of it simply boggles the mind. I swear that I could feel my brain reduced to a blinking cursor ... "Does Not Compute" ... "Try Again Later" ...

Grand Canyon, from the South Rim looking Northwest, AZ

Am I Right? Or, Am I Right? Dept.

Political cartoon by Matt Carmody, June 2004

Generally speaking, any major political party is comprised of various constituencies, breeding consensus from a disparate group of viewpoints. From time to time though, a party is driven by one of its factions more than any other. The results are often not pretty. Nate Silver, of the FiveThirtyEight blog over at the New York Times, lays out his thoughts on the current constituency ruling the Republican Party.

Blackhawk Downer Dept.

Every now and then, an article on US foreign policy comes across in such chilling detail that it nearly takes your breath away. Hyperbole? I think not.

Knock On Any Door Dept.

Your random door of the day: Kytelers Pub in Kilkenny town, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland.

On the night we wandered into town, Glenn Tillbrook

(formerly of Squeeze) was playing solo at the pub.

Psycho Chicken Piccata, qu'est-ce que c'est?

What to get for that "person who has everything"? Why, an animated cookbook with recipes from Alfred Hitchcock films, of course!

Photo of the Day Dept.

Sunset at Charlottetown, P.E.I., Canada. Hmmmmm ... who belongs to that lovely silhouette?

Times Has Come Today Dept.

An article that begins as a review of the recent documentary on The New York Times newspaper and winds up as a compelling treatise on the state of modern mainstream media. A must-read.

Knock On Any Door Dept.

Well, there's no making sense of it, but I have a photographic fascination with doorways. No matter where I go, camera in hand, I usually come home with more than a couple of new doors to add to the collection. Herewith, the first of many Random Doorways submitted for your consideration:

Taken on the backstreets of St. George, Bermuda.

Not THE Pope, mind you. Just A Pope.

Are You There God? It's Tweet, Margaret.

America's religious are joining social media at a rate that far outstrips the non-believers. What does this mean in less than 140 characters?

Pour Me Another Tequila, Sheila.

Seems like just the right sort of photo to post at the end of a looooooooong day of work.

Choose your weapon, friends! Taken in Costa de Maya, Mexico, in a shop that boasted of "Over 300 Kinds of Tequila!"  I did not count - but I don't think they were stretching the truth by much. Let's see ... where to begin?

Photo of the Day Dept.

Wheeler Peak, 13,161 ft.

The highest peak in New Mexico, located in the 

Taos Mts., a subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mts.,

themselves the southernmost subrange of the Rockies.

More Than Words Can Say Dept.

One last thought as this July 4th draws to a close - perhaps a notion to sleep on. What we say matters, what we do matters more. Years from now, what will be said about what we did or didn't do today? Are "all men ... created equal" and "endowed ... with certain unalienable Rights ... among these... Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"? Adam Winkler, Professor of Law at UCLA, asks these questions of President Obama, and the rest of us, on The Huffington Post.

Forget The Cannolis, Take The Bacon.

And for no apparent reason other than because we can, The Godfather poster, made entirely out of bacon:

Independence Day

  Independence Hall, Philadelphia PA

Happy 4th of July, all. While we celebrate our backyard BBQ's, clambakes and fireworks today, here's a brief thought for the men and women who chose so bravely, so long ago, to think for themselves yet work together to effect meaningful change in the world as they knew it. Yes, they were flawed human beings and acted from self-interest and economic concerns to establish their "liberty" as an "unalienable right" - but without their bold actions there would be no national holiday and perhaps little else to celebrate.

A Human "Liberty Bell"

comprised of 25,000 Officers and Men

at Camp Dix, NJ c. 1918

A few modern takes on the meaning of the day: E.J. Dionne's "What Our Declaration Really Said" on Truthdig, Faheem Younus tells us what it's like "Celebrating the 4th of July as a Muslim" on The Huffington Post, and The Onion reminds us "Last Time Sources Checked This Still America". Remember, y'all: it's Light Fuse THEN Get Away.

A Portrait of George Washington

made entirely of dollar bills.