Category: Culture

These videos make my knees weak. This time the crazy Russian climbers are in Shanghai.

Yes, I love Engrenages, The Fall, Borgen and other European television series but damn, True Detective is the shit. Half way though its 8 episode season, it just keeps getting better.

I normally stay away from politics on this blog but WTF? Schools denying food to children and throwing out lunches because parents are behind in payments?

Nice. What a legacy. These people should be ashamed of themselves.

Some stunning examples of modern home design from the UK architecture firm Hyde + Hyde .

I especially appreciate the calm esthetics of The Photographers Home.

A tragedy that highlights the fact that mental illness knows no bounds. At some point I will post my portraits from East Hastings in Vancouver but each time I look at them I just get sad. Not much else to say.

Here is a photo essay from the 1960s looking at heroin addicts and their addiction.

Amusing from the streets of Paris. This guerrilla artist replaces advertising with classical art. Thank god there are still people that reject the corporate materialism that we are forced to consume.

I love these two especially:

Keichu, the great Zen teacher of the Meiji era, was the head of Tofuku, a cathedral in Kyoto. One day the governor of Kyoto called upon him for the first time.

His attendant presented the card of the governor, which read: Kitagaki, Governor of Kyoto.

“I have no business with such a fellow,” said Keichu to his attendant. “Tell him to get out of here.”

The attendant carried the card back with apologies. “That was my error,” said the governor, and with a pencil he scratched out the words Governor of Kyoto. “Ask your teacher again.”

“Oh, is that Kitagaki?” exclaimed the teacher when he saw the card. “I want to see that fellow.”

And my other favorite:

A Zen student came to Bankei and complained: “Master, I have an ungovernable temper. How can I cure it?”

“You have something very strange,” replied Bankei. “Let me see what you have.”

“Just now I cannot show it to you,” replied the other.

“When can you show it to me?” asked Bankei.

“It arises unexpectedly,” replied the student.

“Then,” concluded Bankei, “it must not be your own true nature. If it were, you could show it to me at any time. When you were born you did not have it, and your parents did not give it to you. Think that over.”

So after binge watching the amazing third season after yoga on Sunday, I was told that a fourth season had also already aired.

I’m watching episode 1 now. Looks like Breaking Bad season 2 is on hold. 🙂

Wow. Check this out.

I’m guessing that it is using artificial cameras (After Effects?), layer selections, and blending techniques in Photoshop (Smudge/warp tool?) on amazing works of classical western art to create an affective moment of beauty. Impressive enough to watch twice.

I just finished season 1 of Borgen. I really enjoyed the French series Engrenages and this was recommended as another foreign language gem.

Essentially the Danish version of The West Wing, this one hour drama is some damn good tv! There are three seasons and I just got back from hot yoga and may just start the second season and stay on my couch. The weather outside is truly frightful: slippery and wet, trending toward freezing rain.