Thumbs and Ammo posits the idea: would it be funny to replace guns with thumbs up in stills from movies?
YES!
NYC Subway Circa 1981 by Christopher Morris
The NYC subway was a very different place in the 70s and 80s. This photoset from Christopher Morris is stark and stunning.
Sculptural Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb from Plumen - Design Wish
The Plumen Designer Light Bulb proves that compact fluorescents can be a design feature, not just a economical/environmental choice.
Beautiful Aerial Shots of São Paulo's 2014 Carnival
We've seen the great aerial photography of Cássio Vasconcellos before (here).
And now here are some beautiful shots he took with a super telephoto lens high above São Paulo's Carnival this year.
His entire body of work is really quite impressive, and I am always waiting for his new shots. See all of his work »
He has some great aerial shots of the World Cup stadiums we are going to feature on our FIFA World Cup section as we get closer to the start of the tournament, so keep an eye out for those.
Also check out City of Samba for a great Carnival tilt-shift video from a few years ago »
Controlled Burn - Lush Photos of Smoke by Kevin Cooley
In his series ‘Controlled Burns’ by Kevin Cooley, captures in static images the lush roiling forms of billowing smoke.
Croatian Football Federation - World Cup Country in Focus
FIFA Ranking: 16
GROUP A: with Brazil, Cameroon and Mexico
- 6/12 v. Brazil
- 6/18 v. Cameroon
- 6/23 v. Mexico
Captain - Darijo Srna
Top Scorer - Eduardo da Silva
114 Croat Players playing abroad
Croatian Poets
Murmuration of Starlings - Photos and Video
This is a murmuration. A flock of starlings in this case that fly in tight, dance-like formations. These amazing photos from murmurations around the world and these two amazing videos aren't even close to the real experience.
Photos by AP Photo/Oded Balilty, David Buimovitch/AFP/Getty Images, Patrick Pleul/AFP/Getty Images, Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images, Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images, Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images, Reuters/Amir Cohen, AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda and AP Photo/Scott Heppell.
Top 30 Goals from the 2010 FIFA World Cup & More
And all the goals by group.
POTD - You Whose Hands Are More Innocent Than Mine by Vesna Parun
You Whose Hands Are More Innocent Than Mine
By Vesna Parun
You whose hands are more innocent than mine
and who is as wise as nonchalance
and who removes slow shadows of doubts
from his face
like the spring wind removes
shadows of clouds floating over the hill.
If your hug gives courage to the heart
and your thighs stop the pain,
if your name gives peace
to his thoughts, and your throat
a shade to his berth
and the night of your voice, an orchard
still untouched by storms.
Then stay beside him
and be more devoted than anyone else
who loved him before you.
Fear the echo approaching
the innocent love nests.
And be gentle with his dream
bellow the invisible mountain
at the edge of the soughing sea.
Walk around his coast. Be seen
by sorrowful dolphins.
Wander around his woods. Kind lizards
wont do you any harm.
And the thirsty snakes that I tamed
will be humble before you.
May the birds that I kept warm sing to you
in the nights of sharp frost.
May the boy that I protected from
stalkers on a deserted road
caress you
May the flowers that I watered with your tears
bring fragrance to you.
I didn't witness the best years
of his manhood. His fertility
I haven't received in my bosom
ravaged by looks
from cattle drivers at fairs
and from greedy thieves.
I will never take care
of his children. And the stories
that I've prepared for them long ago
I might tell, crying,
to little miserable bears
abandoned in black forest.
You whose hands are more innocent than mine
be gentle with his dream
that remained harmless.
But let me see him
his face when strange years start to come down on it.
And tell me sometimes a thing or two about him
so that I don't have to ask strangers
who find me silly, and neighbors
who pity my patience.
You whose hands are more innocent than mine,
stay beside his pillow
and be gentle with his dream!
Vesna Parun
Federación de Fútbol de Chile - World Cup Country in Focus
FIFA Ranking: 14
Federación de Fútbol de Chile
GROUP B: with Australia, The Netherlands and Spain
- 6/13 v. Australia
- 6/18 v. Spain
- 6/23 v. The Netherlands
Captain - Claudio Bravo
Top Scorer - Alexis Sánchez
89 Chileans playing abroad
Chilean Poets
POTD - La Víbora by Nicanor Parra
La Víbora
Durante largos años estuve condenado a adorar a una mujer despreciable
Sacrificarme por ella, sufrir humillaciones y burlas sin cuento,
Trabajar día y noche para alimentarla y vestirla,
Llevar a cabo algunos delitos, cometer algunas faltas,
A la luz de la luna realizar pequeños robos,
Falsificaciones de documentos comprometedores,
So pena de caer en descrédito ante sus ojos fascinantes.
En horas de comprensión solíamos concurrir a los parques
Y retratarnos juntos manejando una lancha a motor,
O nos íbamos a un café danzante
Donde nos entregábamos a un baile desenfrenado
Que se prolongaba hasta altas horas de la madrugada.
Largos años viví prisionero del encanto de aquella mujer
Que solía presentarse a mi oficina completamente desnuda
Ejecutando las contorsiones más difíciles de imaginar
Con el propósito de incorporar mi pobre alma a su órbita
Y, sobre todo, para extorsionarme hasta el último centavo.
Me prohibía estrictamente que me relacionase con mi familia.
Mis amigos eran separados de mí mediante libelos infamantes
Que la víbora hacía publicar en un diario de su propiedad.
Apasionada hasta el delirio no me daba un instante de tregua,
Exigiéndome perentoriamente que besara su boca
Y que contestase sin dilación sus necias preguntas,
Varias de ellas referentes a la eternidad y a la vida futura
Temas que producían en mí un lamentable estado de ánimo,
Zumbidos de oídos, entrecortadas náuseas, desvanecimientos prematuros
Que ella sabía aprovechar con ese espíritu práctico que la caracterizaba
Para vestirse rápidamente sin pérdida de tiempo
Y abandonar mi departamento dejándome con un palmo de narices.
Esta situación se prolongó por más de cinco años.
Por temporadas vivíamos juntos en una pieza redonda
Que pagábamos a medias en un barrio de lujo cerca del cementerio.
(Algunas noches hubimos de interrumpir nuestra luna de miel
Para hacer frente a las ratas que se colaban por la ventana).
Llevaba la víbora un minucioso libro de cuentas
En el que anotaba hasta el más mínimo centavo que yo le pedía en préstamo;
No me permitía usar el cepillo de dientes que yo mismo le había regalado
Y me acusaba de haber arruinado su juventud:
Lanzando llamas por los ojos me emplazaba a comparecer ante el juez
Y pagarle dentro de un plazo prudente parte de la deuda,
Pues ella necesitaba ese dinero para continuar sus estudios
Entonces hube de salir a la calle a vivir de la caridad pública,
Dormir en los bancos de las plazas,
Donde fui encontrado muchas veces moribundo por la policía
Entre las primeras hojas del otoño.
Felizmente aquel estado de cosas no pasó más adelante,
Porque cierta vez en que yo me encontraba en una plaza también
Posando frente a una cámara fotográfica
Unas deliciosas manos femeninas me vendaron de pronto la vista
Mientras una voz amada para mí me preguntaba quién soy yo.
Tú eres mi amor, respondí con serenidad.
¡Ángel mío, dijo ella nerviosamente,
Permite que me siente en tus rodillas una vez más!
Entonces pude percatarme de que ella se presentaba ahora provista de un pequeño taparrabos.
Fue un encuentro memorable, aunque lleno de notas discordantes:
Me he comprado una parcela, no lejos del matadero, exclamó,
Allí pienso construir una especie de pirámide.
En la que podamos pasar los últimos días de nuestra vida.
Ya he terminado mis estudios, me he recibido de abogado,
Dispongo de buen capital;
Dediquémonos a un negocio productivo, los dos, amor mío, agregó
Lejos del mundo construyamos nuestro nido.
Basta de sandeces, repliqué, tus planes me inspiran desconfianza,
Piensa que de un momento a otro mi verdadera mujer
Puede dejarnos a todos en la miseria más espantosa.
Mis hijos han crecido ya, el tiempo ha transcurrido,
Me siento profundamente agotado, déjame reposar un instante,
Tráeme un poco de agua, mujer,
Consígueme algo de comer en alguna parte,
Estoy muerto de hambre,
No puedo trabajar más para ti,
Todo ha terminado entre nosotros.
For years I was doomed to worship a contemptible woman
Sacrifice myself for her, endure endless humiliations and sneers,
Work night and day to feed her and clothe her,
Perform several crimes, commit several misdemeanors,
Practice petty burglary by moonlight,
Forge compromising documents,
For fear of a scornful glance from her bewitching eyes.
During brief phases of understanding we used to meet in parks
And have ourselves photographed together driving a motorboat,
Or we would go to a nightclub
And fling ourselves into an orgy of dancing
That went on until well after dawn.
For years I was under the spell of that woman.
She used to appear in my office completely naked
And perform contortions that defy the imagination,
Simply to draw my poor soul into her orbit
And above all to wring from me my last penny.
She absolutely forbade me to have anything to do with my family.
To get rid of my friends this viper made free with defamatory libels
Which she published in a newspaper she owned.
Passionate to the point of delirium, she never let up for an instant,
Commanding me to kiss her on the mouth
And to reply at once to her silly questions
Concerning, among other things, eternity and the afterlife,
Subjects which upset me terribly,
Producing buzzing in my ears, recurrent nausea, sudden fainting spells
Which she turned to account with that practical turn of mind that distinguished her,
Putting her clothes on without wasting a moment
And clearing out of my apartment, leaving me flat.
This situation dragged on for five years and more.
There were periods when we lived together in a round room
In a plush district near the cemetery, sharing the rent.
(Some nights we had to interrupt our honeymoon
To cope with the rats that streamed in through the window.)
The viper kept a meticulous account book
In which she noted every penny I borrowed from her,
She would not let me use the toothbrush I had given her myself,
And she accused me of having ruined her youth:
With her eyes flashing fire she threatened to take me to court
And make me pay part of the debt within a reasonable period
Since she needed the money to go on with her studies.
Then I had to take to the street and live on public charity,
Sleeping on park benches
Where the police found me time and again, dying,
Among the first leaves of autumn.
Fortunately that state of affairs went no further,
For one time -and again I was in a park,
Posing for a photographer-
A pair of delicious feminine hands suddenly covered my eyes
While a voice that I loved asked me: Who am I.
You are my love, I answered serenely.
My angel! she said nervously.
Let me sit on your knees once again!
It was then that I was able to ponder the fact that she was now wearing brief tights.
It was a memorable meeting, though full of discordant notes.
I have bought a plot of land not far from the slaughterhouse, she exclaimed.
I plan to build a sort of pyramid there
Where we can spend the rest of our days.
I have finished my studies, I have been admitted to the bar,
I have a tidy bit of capital at my disposal;
Let's go into some lucrative business, we two, my love, she added,
Let's build our nest far from the world.
Enough of your foolishness, I answered, I have no confidence in your plans.
Bear in mind that my real wife
Can at any moment leave both of us in the most frightful poverty.
My children are grown up, time has elapsed,
I feel utterly exhausted, let me have a minute's rest,
Get me a little water, woman,
Get me something to eat from somewhere,
I'm starving,
I can't work for you anymore,
It's all over between us.
A Floating Football Pitch in Thailand and the Football Club That Built It
With no access to dry land, the kids on Koh Panyee, an iconic small fishing village built on stilts situated in the Phang Nga Province, decided to build their own floating football pitch after watching the 1986 World Cup.
Panyee FC is one of the most successful youth football clubs in Southern Thailand.
We first covered this amazing story in Episode 10 of Season 3 (video below).
All 12 Stadiums for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil
With just 100 days until the start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, it's time I start taking this seriously. Here are all 12 stadiums (click in to see the name and details of each). It is the first of the pieces we are adding to our FIFA World Cup section.
Look for more on the countries (and their cultures), their players, their kits.
Shakespeare's Tragedies
Subtitle: Everybody dies. This is how Shakespeare rolls, no?
Croatia - Dalmatian
Dogs of the World Cup
Life on White, an animal stock photography site put together their ‘Soccer Nations Dogs’ project in the lead up to the FIFA World Cup in June.
Brazil - Brazilian Mastiff
US - American Staffordshire Terrier
Mexico - Chihuahua
France - French Bulldog
Portugal - Portuguese Water Dog
England - English Bulldog
Germany - German Shepherd
Argentina - Dogo Argentino
The Netherlands - Kooikerhondje
Spain - Spanish Galgo
Japan - Shibu Inu
Guest Post - Devereau Chumrau - Inventive African Masks Made of Recycle Gasoline Containers
This guest post is from actor Devereau Chumrau.
Devereau Chumrau in LOVECRAFT: Nightmare Suite
Devereau may be a native of Los Angeles, but it is also the time she spent in Ghana, in Europe and the UK, and largely as a student of the Asolo Conservatory in Florida, that has shaped her vision as an actor and as an artist. She has, all along the way, worked to develop her interest and experience in acting for the stage and for the screen.
Catch her show LOVECRAFT: Nightmare Suite closing March 2 at the Visceral Company in Hollywood.
Devereau:
I've seen some really interesting masks, but these are so innovative and resourceful, from African artist Romulad Hazoumé who uses salvaged materials for masks that resemble those used in traditional African culture and ceremonies.
Hazoumé' said, “I send back to the West that which belongs to them, that is to say, the refuse of consumer society that invades us everyday.”
High Concept Infinite Loop Animated GIFs from Kota Iguchi
Such a dizzing array of spatial animated GIFs by artist Kota Iguchi.
Stunning High Speed Photos of Burning Alcohol Vapors
Fabian Oefner has created these stunning high-speed photos of burning alcohol vapors that resemble organic forms more than they resemble fire.
Star-trail Photos by Evgeniy Zaytsev
Russian photographer Evgeniy Zaytsev has created these gorgeous star-trail long-exposure photos.
Guest Post - Gabriel Hernandez - Every Frame of a Movie on a Single Canvas
This guest post is by Gabriel Hernandez is photographer, post-production specialist and a sucker for thoughtful things.
"[MovieDNA] is an interesting concept, seeing an entire film as a photograph when usually it's the other way around."
The Kickstarter project just has a few days left as of this post, and already exceed its £350 goal. The video at the end of this post breaks it all down.
Gabriel Hernandez - Photo by Alex Stafford Photography
