Billie Jean King

I think I remember this news story and being impressed that the world of tennis did this. But, 50 years ago? Just one more thing that makes me feel old :)

BY JAMES MARTINEZ Updated 9:28 PM PDT, August 28, 2023 Share NEW YORK (AP) — After a rousing tribute from former first lady Michelle Obama, Billie Jean King on Monday celebrated the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Open becoming the first sporting event to offer equal prize money to female and male competitors, promising never to stop fighting to maintain that hard-won progress. “While we celebrate today, our work is far from done,” King said in a speech to a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd between night matches. Echoing a quote from Coretta Scott King, she said: “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won. You earn it and you win it in every generation.” Obama introduced the 79-year-old tennis legend by recalling how King, the U.S. Open champion in 1972, rallied her fellow women players to threaten a boycott of the next year’s tournament unless women got the same pay as men. It was announced that summer that the women’s champion’s paycheck would increase $15,000 so that both men’s and women’s champions would each receive $25,000.

Oxford University

I knew Oxford was old but I didn't realize it was this old.

From Interesting Facts "Oxford University is older than the Inca empire. While you might associate the development of modern universities with intellectual movements like the Renaissance or the Enlightenment, the first universities predate those major periods in history — not by years but by centuries. One of the oldest universities in the world is Oxford University, where teaching began back in 1096. That’s much older than Harvard (established in 1636) or Yale (1701), and it’s even older than some well-known Indigenous civilizations in the Americas, including the Incas, who lived in the Andean region of South America from around the 13th century CE to the mid-16th century. (Other groups and empires have occupied the Andes since at least 10,000 BCE.) The first universities were not like the sprawling campuses of today. Instead, they were more like guilds devoted to certain subjects or crafts. Slowly, the influence of these schools grew throughout the High Middle Ages (1000–1300), and many of them became hot spots during future intellectual movements. Meanwhile, as Europe was busy cementing the importance of its universities (and fighting in half-a-dozen Crusades), the Incas were building sprawling road networks and reliable postal systems — they even had highly skilled brain surgeons."

Eiffel designed the Statue of Liberty

This came up in "Interesting Facts" and I found it quite surprising that this doesn't seem to be well known. I certainly wasn't aware of it. "Even prior to the building of his namesake tower in Paris, Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel was already one of France's leading structural engineers in the 19th century. Thus, he was a natural choice for New York Harbor's Statue of Liberty, especially after the statue's original designer died unexpectedly. Thanks to Eiffel, the statue's interior boasts a more contemporary design. Eiffel came up with the idea of a central spine in the statue, which functions as a connector for the various asymmetrical metal girders that give the statue its shape. This innovative technique not only provides the framework for the statue but also creates a kind of suspension system that allows the monument to withstand winds and other harsh weather conditions."

Sunday dinner

A lovely evening with Jan and Myra and Donna. Thanks so much!

Cool art in Penn Station

There just can't be enough art in public places. From The Art Newspaper: "The future of Penn Station, Manhattan’s infamously dispiriting train hub beneath the Madison Square Garden arena, remains uncertain as politicians, real estate developers and community groups debate the merits of competing modernisation schemes. In the meantime, national rail company Amtrak is enlivening its spaces in the subterranean complex with new public art commissions and expanding its public art programme to other stations. Installations by New Jersey-based artists Shoshanna Weinberger and David Rios Ferreira, organised by curator Debra Simon under the Art at Amtrak initiative, were unveiled in early August and will remain on view until January 2024. Rios Ferreira’s Get Carried Away, You Have the Right (2023) spans four double-height columns, two friezes and a central mural in a large rotunda, melding ancient and futuristic imagery. Each of the columns features a towering, hybrid figure whose elements draw from Indigenous and pre-Hispanic traditions, as well as sources including comic books and imagery the artist found in Amtrak’s archives."

More interesting art

I'm always attracted to simplicity in art. Sally Michel Avery Dunes by the Sea $85,000

Cats

This photo came up on "Why you should have a cat". Some pretty nice looking cats here. Well, all cats look great in their own way.

These little guys are so cute

From The Daily Record: "An Edinburgh cafe where you can enjoy cake and coffee surrounded by chihuahuas looks perfect for the dog lovers out there. The Edinburgh Chihuahua Cafe is an interactive coffee shop where eight adorable small dogs roam freely among guests. Visitors can pet, cuddle, play with, and take photos with the Chihuahuas, or simply watch them while sipping on a loose leaf tea or hot chocolate. As Chihuahuas are a low-energy breed of dog, they can often be seen lying peacefully on guests' laps. However, they also frequently engage in games such as fetch or tug of war. Anyone bored of typical coffee spots and looking for something a bit different can currently book a trip for two to the Edinburgh Chihuahua Cafe for £40 through Virgin Experience Days."

Let's hope storm Hilary has done its worst

"The entire region was knocked off kilter by Tropical Storm Hilary. So it's only appropriate for the valley's airport — or at least the sign for it — to be a bit out of sorts, too. One of the major signs for Palm Springs International Airport, at Gene Autry Trail and Ramon Road, was slumped to one side Monday. Flooding had apparently shifted a large amount of the earth under the right side of its supports."

Flooding in Palm Springs

Wildfires in B.C. and flooding in Palm Springs. So sad to see these tragic events especially in places we know and love. We're usually hearing about wildfires in Palm Springs around this time. Just hope everybody we know is safe. And they had a 5.1 earthquake in the area.

Cats watching TV

Well, why not?

B.C. wildfires make The Washington Post

Praying and hoping for all those affected.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/19/canada-wildfires-british-columbia-kelowna-emergency/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

The University Golf Club

We split a fish and chips and enjoyed the sunshine Friday. Very depressing listening to the news and all the havoc with the wild fires.Just hoping everyone gets a safe place to be.

Cadillac Ranch

"A short detour off Interstate 40 west of Amarillo, Cadillac Ranch is a colorful art installation created in 1974 by a group of bohemian artists from San Francisco known as Ant Farm. Backed by millionaire Stanley Marsh, the artists drove 10 Cadillacs off the side of the dusty highway (which follows the historic Route 66) and partially buried them nose down in the sand at a 60-degree angle (matching the sides of Egypt’s Great Pyramid of Giza). The purpose of the unique display was to showcase the evolution of the Cadillac’s tail fin — and perhaps simply to bewilder anyone who came across them. Over time, visitors took it upon themselves to “decorate” the Cadillacs with graffiti, designs, and murals — making Cadillac Ranch one of the most dynamic roadside attractions in the country. " from "Daily Passport"

The history of Lego

From Interesting Facts: I found this quite fascinating. I wonder how many hundreds of Lego bricks I stepped on over the years:) "In October 1929, the U.S. plunged into financial despair as the crash of the New York Stock Exchange prompted the onset of the Great Depression. It wasn’t just Americans who were affected, however; the economically crippled U.S. put restrictions on European imports, causing an agricultural downturn overseas. This impact extended to the small Danish town of Billund, the home of Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen. Christiansen was a local carpenter whose farmer-heavy clientele dried up in the early 1930s, forcing him to cut his workforce by 1932. Given the lack of demand for intricate carpentry work, Christiansen pivoted into producing cheap wooden goods including toys, which stood a greater chance of selling despite the poor economic conditions. At first, this decision failed to salvage the business, and Christiansen was forced to declare bankruptcy. Despite this, he maintained a childlike sense of optimism and pressed on. In 1934, Christiansen came up with a new company name, Lego, based on the Danish words “leg godt,” which translate to “play well.” Though the materials were cheap, Christiansen’s carpentry work cut no corners, producing wooden ducks and car models that became highly popular throughout Denmark. The company later discontinued wooden toy production in 1960 after a fire destroyed its carpentry workshops, but not before Lego embraced a company-wide pivot into the world of plastics. In the late 1940s, Lego purchased a plastic molding machine, allowing the company to produce the very first plastic Lego brick in 1949. In 1953, it began producing entire sets made of plastic, and later shifted away from wooden toys. Lego was able to weather the bleak financial times, and grew into a successful global company that continues to brighten lives today."

A lovely Tuesday afternoon

It was so nice to sit in the sunshine and chat with our old friends, Susan and Dick. Thanks, guys!

"Slay Around All Day"" artwork

Another painting that attracted me. A cat, a rainbow, what's not to like. Todd James Slay around All Day, 2021 Gouache and graphite on paper in white painted oak frame with Ultravue glass 15 3/5 × 11 3/5 in | 39.5 × 29.5 cm Frame included Unique work US$4,700

And more cool painted shoes

Very cool shoes!

From The Times Colonist "Doreen Carscadden has only to look down at her feet to see what her artistic vision can accomplish. The Sooke woman has two new pairs of bespoke Birkenstock sandals, made in Georgia in the U.S., that sport images of her own abstract art work — Summer Breeze and Sunny Daze. She had seen a call for art from the Michael Grey Sandal Factory on social media last year and then again a few months ago. Accepted art would be used on limited-edition Birkenstocks, a type of sandal she has loved since she was a teenager. The artist chosen would be a “lucky person to get to do that,” she thought. Carscadden and her husband looked through her works to find two to submit, choosing two which are colourful combinations of watercolours, acrylic paint and collage. Images of the art were sent to Grey, who replied in just a couple of hours that he would love to collaborate. The Michael Grey factory is a certified manufacturer of Birkenstocks, which have their origins in Germany in 1774 when cobbler Johann Adam Birkenstock lived in Langen-Bergheim. “I was in disbelief. I really couldn’t believe it.” Carscadden even gets goosebumps now while recounting how the project came to be. “It was such a special thing for me. It was pretty cool.”

Lunch at the University Golf Club yesterday

Lunch again at our old favourite. We split a two piece fish and chips. A cheap but satisfying meal for us these days.

Pet Comedy Finalists Awards

These always bring a smile.

The Eiffel Tower

From Interesting Facts" "Originally known as “The 300-Meter Iron Tower,” Paris’ (and possibly the world’s) best-known landmark was the masterpiece of civil engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the wrought iron tower for the 1889 World’s Fair. Although the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, its characterization as a woman came in the century to follow. By the 1930s, the media had begun coining nicknames for the Eiffel Tower, including the “Tall Lady,” the “Tall Beautiful Lady,” the “Tall Iron Lady,” and even the “Old Iron Lady.” Today, Parisiennes affectionately know the tower as La Dame de Fer, which translates to “The Iron Lady.” It’s not hard to imagine that the tower’s base, where the four pillars begin, is covered with an intricate mesh skirt, and it certainly helps that tour, meaning “tower,” is a feminine word in the French language." I'm always fascinated by anything Eiffel Tower. As I'm sure I've said more than once there is nothing quite like being there seeing it in Paris. It does cast a spell even though it is so familiar. This black and white photo captures her spirit rather well I think.

Creative Mailboxes

I was somewhat surprised the Postal Service allows these. I think they're quite wonderful...what ingenuity some people have!

"In picturesque Bainbridge Island, Washington, a small town just a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle, lush forest flora and ocean sunsets aren’t the only scenic vistas residents and visitors enjoy. More than 100 quirky, artistic, and often deeply meaningful mailboxes line the neighborhoods’ streets. Brothers Jim and Dick Strom turned a 1948 Packard sedan into a massive family mailbox for the three generations that live on their sprawling property. A married couple whose home is directly across from the shoreline erected a miniature lighthouse. The one-of-a-kind boxes do much more than add levity to morning walks, according to resident Denise Stoughton — they’re part of the fabric of the community. In a recent special for The Seattle Times, Stoughton shared that she’s been so captivated by the mailboxes’ “expressiveness, individuality, and cultural contribution” that she’s in the process of writing a book about them. And she’s not the only one they’ve inspired. Local artist Sandy Haight began seeing the mailboxes in a new light during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though she typically paints emotive watercolor portraits of flowers, she found herself painting mailboxes during quarantine. She told Stoughton: “Mailboxes were evidence that people were still at the other end of the driveway.”

Good on Choboter

We do need the bees.

"He's been inline skating around Stanley Park dressed as a bee since 6 p.m. the previous day (July 25) - with no sleep - and still has over six hours to go before he's reached his 24-hour target. Choboter has a non-profit called Blading for Bees and as out-there as his most recent adventure may sound, it's just one of several crazy feats he's embarked upon in the name of pollinators. During the school year, Blading for Bees, which is partnered with other pollinator protection non-profits, works with the education system, but in the summer, Choboter straps on his skates (the fancy efficient kind with larger wheels that are more like speed skates) and thinks of "badass things" to do to raise awareness. “We do crazy inline skating adventures to raise awareness and educate people about bees and how we’re all connected,” he tells V.I.A. over the phone."

Truffle chips

These came free with a bottle of wine we bought. An interesting taste but not sure I would buy them. I can't remember ever having truffles but we may have had them when in France. Perhaps more likely a sauce with that flavour.

Lost dog

I thought this was rather funny.

Paris without the bouquinistes

We had such fun perusing the stock of the bouquinistes on our trips to Paris. I do understand how they could be a security risk. I would love to see a solution and one that might help the owners of these wonderful bookshops. Perhaps images could be projected and customers could buy online. From "The Monocle Minute" "On different pages No trip to Paris is complete without perusing the book stalls that line the Seine – but next year’s Olympics have put the iconic stands in danger. There are about 230 booksellers along a 3km stretch of the river, making it Europe’s largest open-air book market. These bouquinistes have been told that, as a result of security issues, about 170 of the stalls will be required to dismantle and potentially move for at least two weeks during next year’s event. It is not just a loss of income that will affect the riverfront kiosks; some are worried that moving could cause permanent damage. “Not only will their bookcases crumble like dust as soon as they are removed but many Parisians also worry that the bouquinistes won’t be able to recover,” Agnès Poirier, a journalist and the author of Notre-Dame: The Soul of France, tells The Monocle Minute. Some vendors have vowed to resist, even threatening to barricade themselves in front of their stalls. Now that would be one for the books."

Getting the French to slow down

It's worth a try. We did find driving in France pretty crazy and then we drove in Italy...even crazier. "In the village of Bauné, drivers confronted a series of crisscrossed white road lines at a main intersection this month, which the mayor argues has made them slow down. A small village in western France has a surprising new series of crisscrossing white lines at an intersection of several main roads. The mayor says it’s a way of encouraging drivers to slow down in an area where the speed limit is supposed to be 20 kph but where drivers can sometimes top 50. “It is a town of 1,700 inhabitants which is crossed by three main county roads and specifically at this area, there are two. People drive fast and it's complicated to get people to slow down and to have roads signs that work,” said Jean-Charles Prono, the mayor of Loire-Authion, a group of seven villages including Bauné where the intersection is."

I didn't know this about Amazon

When Amazon.com first launched in the 1990s, the company focused on books. Its initial logo had an image of the Amazon river, with a tagline saying, "Earth's biggest bookstore." Of course, it's been quite a while since Amazon sold only books. The company’s current logo debuted in 2000 and contains a message that reflects the company's wide range of business interests. In the logo, which originally had “.com” appended to the end, an arrow swoops from the first "a" to the "z" to demonstrate that the company sells everything from A to Z. The arrow also looks like a smile to symbolize the ease and happiness the company wants customers to associate with shopping on Amazon.

Good news for Venice

It is such an amazing place. The world just can't lose this wonderful place. Mass tourism is certainly one of the major problems but how to you make this wonder of the world available to everyone without ruining it in the process.

"Unesco has announced that it will be asking for Venice to be put on its World Heritage Sites in Danger list when its World Heritage Committee meets in Riyadh on 10-25 September. The fact that Unesco seems to have given up its reluctance to blacklist Venice (most recently last year under pressure from the Italian government), is a huge symbolic concession that may at last lead to national or international action. The reasons given by Unesco for its change of heart is that the government has failed to produce a coordinated plan for the environmental protection of the city and the management of its tourism. “The effects of the continuing deterioration due to human intervention, including continuing development, the impacts of climate change and mass tourism threaten to cause irreversible changes to the outstanding universal value of the property….Moreover, the combined effects of human-induced and natural changes are causing deterioration and damage to build structures and urban areas.” In reality, none of these problems is new. Unesco has known about the threat posed by climate change to the city for over a decade. Scientists have proven that the relative sea level of the Mediterranean will rise at the same rate as the oceans, and in 2011, in a report commissioned by Unesco itself, the scientists of CNR-ISMAR, the leading Italian maritime research institute concluded that there was no doubt that the sea level would eventually rise to a value that would not be sustainable for the Venice lagoon and the city. Then, in 2019, fellows of one of Italy’s most distinguished learned bodies, the Istituto Veneto delle Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, made up of scientists, historians and writers, appealed to the then premier, Mario Draghi, to create a new authority for the protection of Venice from sea-level rise, copying in Unesco, which failed to react. It is now a near certainty that if there is no plan and sustained action for the long-term protection of Venice, the city will not survive the lifespan of the next generation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2021 regional projections foresees a rise in the relative sea level by the end of the century of 28-55cm in their most optimistic estimate of global warming; 63-101cm in their most pessimistic, and in their intermediate estimate—considered the most likely—of an increase in temperature of 2.1-3.5 degrees, the rise in relative sea level is projected to be 44-76cm. The intermediate scenario would mean that the mobile barriers generally known as Mose would need to be closed more than 260 times a year, which would do unsustainable damage to the lagoon ecosystem and the city. The fact that the Italian government has not included the protection of Venice or, indeed, any of its other coastal towns at risk, in its plans for spending the exceptional €191bn of the Recovery and Resilience Plan voted by the EU, is a sign of how little the future impact of climate change has influenced official thinking in Italy. So far as tourist management is concerned, critics say the current mayor Luigi Brugnaro has achieved nothing, all his attempts to control visitor numbers by a system of ticketing having proven unworkable, while his council has been selling off public housing, which would have allowed more ordinary Venetians to continue living in the city, for commercial development."

Running shoes don't have to be boring

What a cool idea!

"The recent re-opening of the Adidas Originals location in Downtown Vancouver was "extra special" for Carson Ting. The illustrator and co-founder of local artist and design studio, Chairman Ting, helped create five designs linking five Adidas shoes with different Vancouver neighbourhoods; Downtown, Gastown, Chinatown, Yaletown, and East Vancouver."