the collected musings of ms. rachel b. doyle

The Avett Brothers - Will You Return?

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:55:21 -0800

The Avett Brothers - Will You Return?

A 32-meter (or 105-foot) statue of a youthful Chairman Mao is...

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 03:31:56 -0800

A 32-meter (or 105-foot) statue of a youthful Chairman Mao is under construction in Hunan province.

A Hypnotizing Hunt Leaves Russians Bewildered

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:40:07 -0800

A Hypnotizing Hunt Leaves Russians Bewildered

A hysterically funny oversized man-bat (Rémi Gaillard) hangs out...

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:37:23 -0800

A hysterically funny oversized man-bat (Rémi Gaillard) hangs out around cash machines, parking garages, toilets and elevators, surprising French people going about their daily business – and joyfully frolicking to the Ghostbusters theme song. A few respond angrily, others scream, and some get the joke. Gaillard “occasionally ran into some trouble while shooting his videos”, but his issues were “never of the legal kind.” Most of the time, the maddening bat just flapped its wings and sped away.

When the skies are endlessly gray, I listen to Fleet Foxes -...

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:58:12 -0700

When the skies are endlessly gray, I listen to Fleet Foxes - Mykonos on repeat, during my lunch break. Hypnotic songs about escaping just feel so appropriate.

Blonde Ambition photography by Paula Parrish

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:45:17 -0700

Blonde Ambition photography by Paula Parrish

"I am the best prime minister ever,” said Berlusconi, who is embroiled in corruption and..."

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:35:13 -0700

““I am the best prime minister ever,” said Berlusconi, who is embroiled in corruption and bribery scandals. “I am absolutely the politician most persecuted by prosecutors in the entire history of the world throughout the ages.” He added that he had spent “200 million euros on judges…”

- Silvio Berlusconi, via Harper’s Weekly

The Onion: Struggling Museum Now Allowing Patrons To Touch Paintings

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:37:00 -0700

The Onion: Struggling Museum Now Allowing Patrons To Touch Paintings

Wire - Kidney Bingos, recorded at Preussen Tonstudio Berlin,...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:36:00 -0700

Wire - Kidney Bingos, recorded at Preussen Tonstudio Berlin, 1988

xxyyzz: This is how Berlin is choosing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin...

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:44:00 -0700

xxyyzz: This is how Berlin is choosing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the 19 years since its first day of German reunification on October 3rd, 1990.

Giant Dolls. WTF? Whoever pitched this Gulliver’s Travels parade was unfortunately way off, and frankly, downright sinister. It gives me the creeps. Also, obviously I will go see it tomorrow.

"The widespread support for Polanski shows the liberal cultural elite at its preening, fatuous worst...."

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 05:26:14 -0700

“The widespread support for Polanski shows the liberal cultural elite at its preening, fatuous worst. They may make great movies, write great books, and design beautiful things, they may have lots of noble humanitarian ideas and care, in the abstract, about all the right principles: equality under the law, for example. But in this case, they’re just the white culture-class counterpart of hip-hop fans who stood by R. Kelly and Chris Brown and of sports fans who automatically support their favorite athletes when they’re accused of beating their wives and raping hotel workers.”

- Katha Pollitt in The Nation. Also read: Marcia Clark’s “The Lost Polanski Transcripts” in the Daily Beast.

Boston Globe: Thinking Literally

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:03:50 -0700

Boston Globe: Thinking Literally:

“To the extent that metaphors reveal how we think, they also suggest ways that physical manipulation might be used to shape our thought.” (via jingc)

“A nanny supervising a baby suspended in a wire cage...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 07:13:00 -0700

“A nanny supervising a baby suspended in a wire cage attached to the outside of a high tenement block window. The cages were distributed to members of the Chelsea Baby Club in London who have no gardens, or qualms about putting a child in a box dangling over a busy street.” Baby Cage, 1937 by Reg Speller via Life magazine’s hilarious 30 Dumb Inventions feature.

Marina and the Diamonds - The Outsider

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:01:00 -0700

Marina and the Diamonds - The Outsider

NYT video: The Grillwalker takes Berlin

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:40:17 -0700

NYT video: The Grillwalker takes Berlin

From the Judaica archive: Woman riding an emu in Australia

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:43:48 -0700

From the Judaica archive: Woman riding an emu in Australia

Yura Yura Teikoku - Ohayo Mada Yaro

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:30:10 -0700

Yura Yura Teikoku - Ohayo Mada Yaro

"Nigella’s mum gave her an invaluable insight into nice behaviour. Her advice went something..."

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:17:00 -0700

“Nigella’s mum gave her an invaluable insight into nice behaviour. Her advice went something like this: “It is better to be charmed than to charm.” What makes people feel good about themselves is feeling as if they have been charming, interesting; in short, have been listened to. For her, the notion that one should oneself be riveting or aim to be quite the most fascinating person in the room was a vulgarity and just sheer, misplaced vanity. Trying to be charming is self-indulgent; allowing oneself to be charmed is simply good manners.”

- Gallerist Charles Saatchi answering the question: “What advice do you and your wife give your children?”

WSJ: They're No Bodice Rippers, But Amish Romances Are Hot

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:10:32 -0700

WSJ: They're No Bodice Rippers, But Amish Romances Are Hot

24-year-old artist Kseniya Simonova telling stories by...

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:48:00 -0700

24-year-old artist Kseniya Simonova telling stories by incredible, real-time sand animation on Ukraine’s Got Talent. From the Guardian: “Here, she recounts Germany conquering Ukraine in the second world war. She brings calm, then conflict. A couple on a bench become a woman’s face; a peaceful walkway becomes a conflagration; a weeping widow morphs into an obelisk for an unknown soldier. Simonova looks like some vengeful Old Testament deity as she destroys then recreates her scenes - with deft strokes, sprinkles and sweeps she keeps the narrative going. She moves the judges to tears as she subtitles the final scene “you are always near”.