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March 2004 Archive
28 March
Now that the weather is more spring-like, the Circle cats are hanging out more - much scampering and daring tree-climbing is observed. Peake, one of the Washington Grove Pacer Farm farmcats, is one of the main scamperers one may observe on the Pacer Farm Circle Cam. Or keep an eye on several Grove locations through the Groveland Security Network, a public service of the Pacer Farm. That's how Max and Maxine, the Janus Museum kittens, keep informed of Grove feline activities, being strictly indoor cats - they also use powerful binoculars.
26 March
Many thanks to Friend of the Museum Mario Rups who lent (via Friend of the Museum Barb Weitbrecht - Sealwyf) me the fabulous The Living Corpse (Zinda Laash, 1967), the recently re-released Lollywood classic - Pakistan's first vampire movie. Jeez, I loved this movie. Above, Rehan as the Vampire Professor Tabani about to go into the Subcontinent's first neck-bite. According to the DVD's included documentaries, vampire fangs were unavailable in Pakistan at the time, so the movie's fangs were especially imported from Germany - fact! Rehan modestly confessed that before the film, he had never seen any vampire movie - hard to believe.
The Professor, in full Teutonic fang, with Aqib (Asad Bukhari), who has been nipped by the Professor's sultry protogé; the Prof tosses her the bundle he's holding here - a baby - yum! - and finishes off Aquib himself. Also featured in the film are Ala-Ud-In, Deeba, Habib, Sheela, and the darling Baby Najmi.
The lovely dancer Cham Cham in the First Nightclub Scene. Not being used to song and dance numbers in western vampire movies, I was initially taken aback. But I like it, now - will certainly insist on having production numbers in future vampire movies I go to.
The film's soundtrack is kind of amazing, too - some interesting choices of library music were made. For example, during an extended scene of a character driving his car to the vampire's lair, one hears a very bouncy version of La Cucaracha. Another car scene features Rossini's Thieving Magpie overture.
The screenplay hews pretty closely to the Bram Stoker original, with some regional differences - no one attempts to discourage vampires by brandishing a cross, of course. The wooden stake is unknown - one uses a big knife to carve open one's vampire to "drain all of the bad blood". No garlic is used. But like all the world over, if you're a vampire, light hurts:
Ouch!
24 March - Spring Sights in DC
Had to go downtown today - took some snaps. The blossoms are beginning to open on Independence Avenue.
A young gentleman is taken into custody on 3rd Street, at the edge of the US Capitol grounds.
Sigmund, a Great Dane, romping near Louisiana Avenue.
The Saxman, a frequent presence at Columbus Circle.
Tiger Lady, found outside Union Station most days, paints herself with exotic tiger stripes.
21 March
Bruce McCall
Last week's New Yorker featured a cover, "Manhattan Mirage", by Bruce McCall, a particular favorite in the Fellow's Lounge, where we keep a copy of his Zany Afternoons handy at all times. I have his latest, All Meat Looks Like South America on order. The specials advertised on the blackboard are Venison Burger, Wild Boar Sub, Rabbit Hoagie, and Paté on a Bun. Also advertised - "Best Haggis in NYC".
17 March
Last year around this time, I posted a squib by the great Flann O'Brien, AKA Myles na gCopaleen - it's worth another look, I think.
14 March - Another Forgotten Photograph
Here's another image from Rodger Kingston's wonderful collection of vernacular photographs - a rare example of man/chicken mind-meld.
13 March
If you're curious to see a Bollywood take on all that is best in both Ben-Hur and The Merchant of Venice, then Bimal Roy's Yahudi (1958) is the movie for you. It's a bit surprising to see an Indian movie, set in ancient Rome, dealing with the oppression of the Jewish people - is it a metaphor for the oppression of the British Raj, or a plea for secularization in Indian society? Beats me - good singing and dancing, though. And real Hebrew blessings are uttered in Hebrew (according to our intern Zoe) during the big Sabbath scene.
Roman soldiers cruelly oppress a Jew.
Ezra, played by Sohrab Modi, in the movie's "Hath not a Jew Eyes?" speech. I would dearly love to see Modi's portrayal of Hamlet in Khoon Ka Khoon (1935).
Sohrab Modi's "pound of flesh" moment during the thrilling climax, with Governor Brutus, the cruel Roman oppressor (Nasir Hussain), left, and Ezra's beautiful daughter Hannah (the great Meena Kumari), right. Meena Kumari also appeared as Niloufer in Halaku.
11 March
Wonderfully odd Indian safety posters on Retrocrush from An Ideal Boy: Charts from India - I have to get this book. Update - got it.
I'm a bit less sympathetic to the distress of the Republicans at being called lying crooks by Senator Kerry yesterday, after reading this.
9 March
An old Friend of the Museum, Rodger Kingston, emailed me this photo, a Bertillon card of a young malefactor who stopped one hell of a punch in New York in 1908; a recent acquisition to Rodger's amazing collection of Forgotten Photographs. Rodger is a photographer of note - his images are in a multitude of museum and private collections - the Janus Museum has several fine Kingston images. In the Vernacular: Everyday Photographs from the Rodger Kingston Collection
will be on view at the Boston University Art Gallery starting in November - there'll also be a conference on vernacular photography - and watch for the book of the collection from the MIT Press. And we hope to show more examples from Rodger's collection here in the future, too. By the way, it's a platinum Bertillon card.
Update - Rodger's site, thought to have been lost when his old web host went out of business, has been found through the Internet Archives' Way Back Machine.
6 March - Good News, Bad News
The Agony and the Ecstasy - a new Krispy Kreme doughnut store has opened up just up Shady Grove Road from the Museum. Heard about it yesterday, so I went this morning - just to have a look, you see.
How beautiful they looked, bobbing about in their hot fat bath. After taking my snaps and mooning about, I couldn't leave without trying one, or two, could I? It wouldn't be polite. The classic plain glazed and a chocolate malt-filled - they were wonderful, of course. I am very afraid.
Oh, how I'd like one of these:
It's a digital camera replica - much smaller - of the classic Rolleiflex twin lens reflex camera. According to this article in dottucommu, it should cost Y39,800, which I make out to be about $350. If anyone has thoughts on ordering one from Japan, please to let me know. Via engadget.
Had another letter from Emerson Chu, our Chinese airship correspondent. He included a snap of his living room:
Elegant, if slightly cluttered. But I noticed something interesting in the lower right corner:
It's a Luger, or the Parabellum, if you prefer. Is it in the snap for a purpose? What subtle message is Emerson sending me? Is it for sale? Emerson also sent some of his philosophical-geopolitical musings - here's one of them:
If America can operate its survival strategies like (a precision) Gyros
mechanics device your stability and economic deployments would enjoy a
better degree of large smooth successes than otherwise? Don't do things
"Top Heavy".
2 March
I was tempted to call this shot Why We Fight, but that seemed a bit too pat, even for me. It's in a parking area for Senate staff.
1 March
Yulia Solntseva as Aelita, with the captain of the Palace Guard, played by an unknown but well-toothed actor.
Putting aside Phantom Empire (see below) for an evening, I watched Aelita, Queen of Mars (1924), another great early science fiction film with excellent hats, this time in the Soviet Constructivist mode. I bet Aelita's hat spines are really early Post-Revolution Soviet Pockies.
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