Leatherback sea turtles are enjoying a jellyfish feast off the central California coast. The endangered turtles have been spotted by researchers amongst vast swaths of jellyfish, who are in turn enjoying an abundance of krill and plankton.
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This past weekend Macy’s brought the Philadephia Orchestra and the 28,482 pipe Wanamaker Organ together in the store's Center City Philadelphia grand court to perform Joseph Jongen’s “Symphonie Concertante.” The piece, composed for that specific organ, was originally scheduled to debut in 1928 but various things got in the way of each concert (one of which was the Great Depression). The organ is played for shoppers every day, but a symphony orchestra concert is a rare event. The concert, which also included a Fanfare commissioned by Macy's from Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings), was a benefit for the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ and a celebration for Macy's 150th birthday. (bonus YouTube link: the Star Wars Theme on the Wanamaker Organ)
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Friday, September 26, 2008

As Mets fans gear up for their goodbyes to Shea Stadium, the N.Y. Times notes that airline pilots will also miss their La Guardia Airport landmark. The stadium is a guidepost for a visual approach to the runway. The airplane noise is a notorious Shea characteristic and it seems some pilots liked hearing their own planes on the local game broadcasts when radios were still used in cockpits: “There were guys who would goose the throttles to make a louder noise so they could hear themselves on the radio.” Gee, thanks for that extra noise.
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Three years ago I posted about the cats at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum. The museum has had an ongoing battle with the U.S. Department of Agriculture since 2003 about the 50 cats on the property. The USDA took issue with the museum not having an animal exhibition license but wouldn't issue one since they cats weren't in an enclosure. And they threatened a hefty fine. An independent animal behaviorist (a vet from the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine) was called in to take a look at the situation. A fence has been put around the property so the cats are enclosed and the vet confirmed that they were well-cared for. The museum has reluctantly agreed to operate under an exhibitor's license so the cats can stay, but intends to fight that necessity in court.
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Thursday, September 25, 2008

"Twelve little girls in two straight lines...the smallest one was Madeline." John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of the author-illustrator of the Madeline books, has written a new book featuring the little French girl. "Madeline and the Cats of Rome" is the first new full-length story in almost 50 years. Marciano studied his grandfather's drawings carefully before attempting his recreations.
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Studio Ghibli (Miyazaki's animation studio) will provide the animation for a Nintendo DS game from game developer Level 5. Scheduled for release in Japan next year, the game is called Ninokuni and will have a bundled book essential to the gameplay. English-speakers will probably have to wait a while longer.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The United States Mint will commemorate Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday year in 2009 with four new penny designs. The familiar front will remain the same and four different designs on the reverse will depict four stages of Lincoln's life. The first design will enter circulation on February 12, 2009 with subsequent ones released in 3 month intervals. The Lincoln penny was originally created in 1909 at Lincoln's centennial.
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A 478 carat diamond has been discovered at a mine in Lesotho. Said to be the 20th largest rough diamond ever found, the stone is of remarkable clarity and color. It could likely yield a 150 carat cut stone.
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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A lovely N.Y. Times obituary for John Peragallo Jr., president of the Peragallo Pipe Organ Company and keeper of the organs at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Building an organ "combines the skills of a musician (Mr. Peragallo was a good organist himself) with those of a woodworker (organs can have elaborate cabinetry), leatherworker (the valves that let air into the pipes are made of leather), electrical engineer (most organs’ inner workings are now controlled electronically) and game warden (Mr. Peragallo sometimes had to flush nesting birds from the forest of pipes before he could begin his work)."
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Jerry Traunfeld (longtime Herbfarm chef) has opened his own restaurant Poppy on Broadway in Seattle. Positive reviews are trickling in on blogs and Seattle Magazine got a full scoop, following his journey over several months.
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I don't know if it's a reality television influence or perhaps this isn't a new trend at all, but the N.Y. Times has recently "embedded" reporters as a flight attendant on American Airlines and as a nail polish technician at Fashion Week. Both reporters underwent training for their roles and spent time on the job without telling their customers. The flight attendant had the harder job of course, dealing with air rage and long shifts, but the nail tech did have to deal with the widely varying conditions of toenails on fashion models.
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Ice cream substitutes for those allergic to both diary and soy are limited. Rice Dream's version is unpalatable enough to make sorbet and fruit bars the yummiest alternative. Recently a parent at our son's preschool (they deal with so many food allergies that they've restricted birthday treats to a sanctioned list) made ice cream from coconut milk to celebrate their child's birthday. An Internet search turned up not only recipes but two companies that sell coconut ice cream, both available at our local Whole Foods: Coconut Bliss and Purely Decadent from Turtle Mountain. Both are vegan, made from organic ingredients, and sweetened with agave syrup. Both companies are in Eugene, Oregon. Several flavors are available, but all have a distinct coconut flavor, so if you're not a coconut fan that may be offputting. But that essential ice cream texture is all there. Turtle Mountain has also just launched a coconut milk yogurt. (thanks for the unintentional twitter nudge, mathowie)
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The San Diego Zoo has two locations, the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park which is a typical zoo (plus pandas!) and the Wild Animal Park which is a large, open preserve with animals roaming "free." The Wild Animal Park used to have a monorail ride call the Wgasa Bush Line (it's been replaced with a driving tour). The origin of the word Wgasa has been been passed down as a zoo legend which Snopes has confirmed as truth. Tired of trying to come up with an appropriate African sounding name for the monorail, chief designer Chuck Faust scribbled down "WGASA" on the plans. The name, an acronym for "Who Gives a Shit Anyway," took off amongst the project team and soon spread to the press who were told that it stood for "World's Greatest Animal Show Anywhere."
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Monday, September 15, 2008

Keeping Your Shoes Shipshape, a very useful and tip-full Ask Martha column. A few years ago I decided I'd rather pay more and have fewer, longer-lasting, better quality shoes. But I'm still taking care of them like they were $15 Shoe Barn specials, so I may not be getting my full money's worth on the "longer-lasting" part.
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It's sad that the town of Duluth, Minnesota has decided to sell a Tiffany stained glass window located in their cultural center, which used to be a Union Railrod Depot. Duluth has a $6.5 million budget shortfall and appraisers have estimated the window's value at $2.9 million. If a local buyer cannot be found soon, the window will be put up for auction. (via Luxist)
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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Kennedy Center Honors for 2008 will go to Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, and Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.
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Maurice Sendak ponders his life and legacy at 80 (N.Y. Times). Is he a "mere illustrator" or artist? And is he truly joking when he laments that his triple bypass made him feel like such a failure because it wasn't a quadruple? His heroes: Mozart, Keats, Blake, Melville and Dickinson.
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Jeremy Mayer 's typewriter sculptures. Very cool and, hey, recycling! (artist's Flash site)
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Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Northwest Women's Surf Camps provides "an opportunity for women of all ages to learn how to surf in a supportive, progressive, learning environment." They run day and weekend camps, plus longer retreats. Seattle Times columnist Nicole Brodeur gave a weekend camp a try and found camaraderie in the shared new challenge.
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Two Russian sumo wrestlers were banned for life from the sport after testing positive for marijuana use. The Chairman of the Sumo Association took responsibility for the scandal by resigning. The Sumo Association tested all of its wrestlers recently after another Russian wrestler was arrested for marijuana possession.
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Monday, September 08, 2008

The decorum and stiffness of the modern classical music performance began with the rise of the bourgeoisie, says The New Yorker's Alex Ross in a history of the classical concert. When the aristocracy was in charge before the 1900s, the audience would converse during the performances, the program was a mix of portions of longer compositions, and, horror of horrors, people applauded whenever they felt like it. Pianist Franz Liszt took requests and improvised. The evolution into the modern program of complete works and an attentive audience gave more respect to the artists and composers, but resulted from status symbols the rising bourgeoisie wanted to keep hold of. That strict status is restrictive and Ross is all for continued evolution into flexible programming and fresh interpretations. And for loosening up: "The overarching problem of classical music is the tuxedo."
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I ordered a copy of The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge for our son since our local library doesn't have a copy. This book introduced me to lighthouses and what they do and the George Washington Bridge was a central landmark in my childhood that we looked for whenever we drove into the city. Each time I read about a lighthouse in disrepair I'm concerned about the cost of upkeep. Lighthouses add so much character to the landscape but they are by nature in very harsh environments. The Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Oregon coast is the latest to come across the newswire. It's on the National Register of Historic Places so repairs, estimated at $1.45 million, need to be of a certain standard. The lighthouse is in working order but it is leaking, cracking, and rusting. The keeper's house is a bed & breakfast.
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Friday, September 05, 2008

Friday's Seattle Mariners game will be an ongoing commercial for Nintendo's Mario Super Sluggers game. Mario will throw out the first pitch and at every inning a Wii will be given away along with a free copy of the game. Nintendo of America owns the Mariners and has done several cross-promotions.
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A tollbooth from the old money-taking days of the 520 bridge has been living a second life as an espresso stand. It was reportedly purchased at auction for $500 after spending 1963 to 1979 in service a few miles south on the east side of Lake Washington. The booth is getting new attention now that toll collecting is on the horizon again to fund a new bridge, but it will of course continue serving up beverages.
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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

It's time to get postcards in for the Fall ZooDoo purchases at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo. Send in a card for a random drawing for "anything from a garbage bag to a full-size pick-up truck load." It's the "most exotic compost in the Pacific Northwest."
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Green building may be a new trend, but flooring manufacturer EcoTimber has been championing sustainable wood practices since 1992. The company was an early supporter of the Forest Stewardship Council, a non-profit that sets standards for sustainable forest management. With 24 kinds of hardwood and 6 kinds of bamboo flooring, EcoTimber commits to 100% FSC certified wood, not the mix that some of their competitors use. EcoTimber's riding the green movement with plans to grow both in sales and in even more environmental awareness, looking at their transportation methods and the end of life story for their flooring.
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Time for a check on the yearly economic indicator: September Vogue ad pages. 2008's hefty issue comes in at 674 ad pages, down 7% from last year. At 798 total pages (840 last year) some clever Conde Naste publicists decided to spike interest by sending some special people their copy with a special clear sleeve and fashionable carrying handles (along with a "Caution: Heavy" sticker on the box).
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In a cute N.Y. Times Vows column this week, Amy Dickinson, better known as syndicated advice columnist "Ask Amy," gets remarried despite her feeling that “I’m an advice columnist, and I see how people do marriage and I see how badly they do marriage.” I'm sure she knows the true marriage advice: it's not about wanting to get married and finding a spouse, but the other way around.
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Word on the 'street' is that Hotel Dusk: Room 215, my favorite Nintendo DS game is being re-released in a couple weeks. Amazon shows an in-stock date of Sept 11. I'd rather it was a sequel, but maybe more people will get hooked and fund one.
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