Russian Sledges

Following on Neko Case's latest solo album, the excellent "The Worse Things Get...," she's reunited with her supergroup bandmates in The New Pornographers to record Brill Bruisers, coming out August 26. Check out the infectious first track and play with the album art below! Read the rest

In our pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee (and tea), we’ve had some great experiences with specialty cocktails along the way. The careful consideration and attention to detail paid by top baristas is much like the passion and creativity displayed by top mixologists. We reached out to several of our good friends in both the specialty coffee and cocktail industries to learn how they were inspired to combine the two pursuits. We are proud to present this cocktail guide that features our favorite submissions from a very talented group of people. We hope you enjoy!

We all know how hard it is to get your hands around the past. So why not put the past around your neck?

That’s possible in theory in the case of six bow ties once worn by the celebrated architect Walter Gropius (1883-1969). The half-dozen slender cravats are housed in a segmented archival box at the Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Frances Loeb Library. “It was the architecture gear of a certain era,” said Benjamin Prosky, GSD’s assistant dean for communications (and a tie-free, open-shirt kind of guy).

Gropius, founder of the Bauhaus school and a visionary with nonconformist views, fled his native Germany in 1934 after receiving threats when the Nazis took control. Following a sojourn in London, he began teaching at Harvard in 1937.

Photographs show that he favored bow ties, in earth tones or daringly bright prints. This sartorial habit was less Gropius’ personal taste and more a fixture of the era in which he lived. Men wore hats, suit jackets, and ties, often of the bow variety.

“These brilliant little butterflies were Grope’s only vanity,” wrote his wife Ise in 1969, using his nickname in a note written a few months after he died. She had written to Gropius friend and collaborator Chester Nagel, and gave him the six ties for Christmas that year, “as a small token,” she wrote, “of the friendship that united the two of you.”

The ties indicate that Gropius preferred natural materials (in this case, cotton) and straight bow ties rather than varieties with ends that resemble “bat wings” or “thistles,” and that he liked ties with a dash of color. Perhaps that last illustrates the architect’s desire “to make beauty a basic requirement of life,” as Nagel wrote in an essay on Gropius, “to make of living a joy.”

Bow ties today, in a cinematic context, denote the well-turned rake, the professor, or sometimes the skinny-necked nerd. In an earlier age, they signified the architect, the professor (again), the well-educated man with a streak of rebellion, or the well-dressed archconservative.

But bow ties, first worn by 17th-century Croatian mercenaries, had martial origins. Appropriate for Gropius: This man of peace and collaboration was also a four-year combat veteran of World War I who won the Iron Cross (“when it still meant something,” he confided to Nagel). Gropius escaped death many times, once fleeing machinegun fire on horseback, but not before taking bullets through a shoe heel, a coat pocket, and his hat.

Gropius went on to help make architecture modern, to become an influential educator, and to define design in terms of joy. “It brings inert materials to life by relating them to the human being,” he said of architecture. “Thus conceived, its creation is an act of love.”

In a final written testament before his death, he repeated only one sentiment twice: “Love is of the essence.” Gropius also left this final wish: “Wear no signs of mourning.”

International ad agency @Ogilvy ripped off my "Creative Process" comic: https://twitter.com/Ogilvy/status/476435753145479168 … original from 2012: http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/103012/the-creative-process.gif

Whaddayaknow, the MBTA still operates out of the Everett Yard just off Route 99 in Everett, Massachusetts, where David Wilson took this June 1967 photo of (presumably) the yard’s employee parking lot next to several railcars and buses. Of course, the preferred mode of public transportation has changed, just as the preferred modes of private transportation have changed over the decades. What do you see here?

Last month, MassDOT Secretary Richard Davey said he was thinking about bringing musical acts onto MBTA train cars to perform for riders. This week, he will deliver that promise. On Saturday, toward the tail end of Boston Idea Week, a five-day celebration of creative thinking that will feature panel discussions and exhibits challenging “the everyday normal,” passengers making use of the new late-night weekend train services will be greeted by performing artists as they travel between stops.

And U.S. cheese makers are not happy.

As gay marriage gains momentum across the country, Texas Republicans’ decision to endorse quack ‘reparative therapy’ will have ripple effects far beyond the Lone Star State.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, trying to increase ~brand e n g a g e m e n t ~

Conductor Edward Elwyn Jones and Grand Harmonie present a concert performance of Mozart's serenata Il Re Pastore. The internationally acclaimed cast has graced the stages of the world's most famous opera houses; all established Mozart singers, they are local favorites who will delight in this charming work, full of elegant vocal writing. Mozart's operatic works have delighted audiences for centuries, but even the most avid Mozart lover may not be familiar with Il Re Pastore. We aim to change that by bringing this lesser-known work back into the repertoire, and showing how Mozart's talents for vocal and instrumental writing shine through in a historically-informed performance. In particular, Mozart's inspired use of four natural horns in two different keys and two English horns is an orchestral color which is impossible to duplicate on modern instruments!

This program brings to light the music of the turbulent era surrounding the English Civil War. Some of the works are directly influenced by historical circumstances, such as Jenkins's Newark Seidge and Tomkins's Sad Pavan, while other are more abstract. The composers represented were among the most respected of the era. Though they had very different careers, all were loyal to the crown and were deeply affected by the events leading up to King Charles's death. Composers of the previous generation, most notably John Coprario, integrated Italian influences into the English viol consort tradition, including strong chromaticism, writing for the violin, and the use of continuo. The composers featured in this program took that language to another level of expressivity, virtuosity and frequent oddness. Through music the composers expressed the trouble and turmoil of their “distracted times”. Karen Burciaga & Emily Dahl (violins), James Williamson & David Hunt (viols), Alastair Thompson (keyboards). TUESDAY at St. Peter's Church, 320 Boston Post Rd, Weston WEDNESDAY at The Chapel at West Parish, 129 Reservation Rd, Andover THURSDAY at Lindsey Chapel, 15 Newbury St, Boston

Dave Brat, the Virginia college professor who shockingly beat House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican congressional primary, is a pretty solid teacher by most accounts.

According to comments left by former students on RateMyProfessors.com, he’s extremely helpful and conveys his ideas clearly, even if he’s not the easiest grader. Some more critical Randolph-Macon College students said he often strayed from the syllabus, but there’s one thing they seem to agree on: he’s really good-looking.

“He’s total eye candy!!” reads one review.

“At least he’s hot!!” goes another.

“Brat changes assignments all the time, but he is so charming, you forget to be mad at him,” says one more.

At press time, his hotness rating was a glowing red chili pepper, which is the site’s second best hotness rating after the combusting chili pepper.

Brat’s win is said to be a major victory for the tea party movement in the state. At the very least, it is a major victory for beautiful people everywhere.

HOLLYWOODLAND's voice was not alone. Other hillsides also spoke. Across Los Angeles in the 1920s, signs announced new real-estate subdivisions in big block letters perched high above the city. BEVERLY CREST. BRYN MAWR. TRYON RIDGE.

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He gets high marks for handsomeness.

“Neighbourhood Watch“, ou quand le street artist canadien Andrew Lamb s’amuse à détourner les panneaux de surveillance du voisinage de la ville de Toronto avec des collages des icônes des années 80 issues des films, des séries ou des dessins animés et des jeux vidéo… De Robocop à X-Files en passant par la famille Ingalls ou encore Mario et Ghosbusters, qui appellerez vous ?

Images © Andrew Lamb

Fashionable travel is tough. Trousers get wrinkled, temperatures are unpredictable, and for overnight international flights, comfort is of the essence. But Italy’s national soccer team still managed to pull off a stylish arrival in Rio de Janeiro last week.

Shortly after 4am, team Italy stepped off the plane sporting their official three-piece navy wool Dolce & Gabbana off-duty suits. The English team, on the other hand, opted for warmup-ready shorts, polo-style shirts, and sneakers, in spite of being similarly provided with charcoal mohair blend suits by the department store Marks & Spencer.

Apparently, England’s cheaper (£264) Marks & Spencer suits—not unlike the slightly frumpy suits (link in Italian) they wore in 2012—were selected to give fans something they could actually buy, should they want to dress like players off-duty.

But despite the perception of Italian sartorial superiority, the British are no slouches when it comes to suiting. Perhaps if England had paired up with a swankier Savile Row tailor or a designer like Paul Smith to make them nicer suits, the team would have been inspired to change before landing.

In a stunning upset, Eric Cantor of Virginia, the House majority leader, has lost the Republican primary to Dave Brat, a Richmond-area college professor who ran to Mr. Cantor’s right. Mr. Cantor was expected to cruise to victory, although he had been pushed to portray himself as a hard-liner, especially on immigration. The results were foreshadowed at a district convention last month in Henrico County, Mr. Cantor’s home base, when conservatives ousted one of his loyalists as chairman while he looked on.

Nothing certain yet. But Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader, appears to be in the process of losing his seat in the House tonight, going down to defeat in a primary barely anyone was watching.

7:41 PM: As of this moment, Cantor is losing to David Brat 56.9% to 43.1%, with 60.2% of the vote in. More notably, the folks who really know where the votes are, what counties to watch and so forth, are saying this is over.

I've seen enough, it's over. Sitting Majority Leader of the House, Rep. Eric Cantor (R), has lost his primary to Prof. Dave Brat (R) #VA07

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) June 10, 2014

7:47 PM: It would be wrong to say that no one saw that Cantor had a real primary challenge on his hands. But virtually everyone was seeing this as a 'how big a margin does he need' type of race - one that was a test of his hold on the district and discontent on the right - rather than one anyone thought he could lose.

To prepare citizens for an atomic bomb disaster, the Soviet government prepared these helpful (but creepy) graphic posters and books. They explain everything from blast shielding and radiation wound care, to how to stand in a calm, single-file line as your city is being vaporized.

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Everybody hates everyone, World Cup

“I think she’s really into it. Another set?”

“Yeah, she’s definitely really into it. Let’s play another set.”

“Heyyyy.”

“Hi.”

“What are you doing?”

“Writing a letter.”

“Haha, yeah, I can see that, awesome, that’s awesome…who are you writing to?”

“My mother.”

“Right on, right on…” [stretches] “So what’s new?”

“I’m actually going to be busy for a while, writing this letter.”

“Sure, for sure.”

“Can’t really talk right now.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, I can wait.”

“Oh, my God, is he still there?”

“I don’t know, but — oh my God, don’t look up, don’t look at him, he’s going to start playing again. Christ.”

“Okay, but did you like, really hear the difference between the two versions?”

“No, I definitely did, I totally see what you mean –”

“I’ll play it again.”

“Oh, my God, Tess, don’t encourage him. You’re terrrrrible.”

“No, I’m serious! That was so good! Can you play another one? You’re, like, really good at this.”

maybe if I pretend to fall asleep he’ll get the hint

“What? No, I’m just — it’s really good flauting. I’m just so impressed by how good it is, your flauting. Flaut some more.”

“I would love to go out tonight but I’m…I’m dying.” [coughs weakly into handkerchief]

“Oh, my God.”

“Yeah. It’s consumption, so.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“I will stay and nurse you.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Hi, I just wanted to tell you, I thought you looked really beautiful out there tonight.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you that before, but I really felt like there was a sadness to your performance that maybe not everyone noticed, but I noticed it.”

“Thank you!…Sorry, how did you get backstage?”

“I just wanted to tell you, in case you thought nobody had noticed.”

“Okay, well, thank you — sorry, I think that’s my dress — I have to go finish dancing now.”

“Right, of course.”

“So maybe you should go back to your seat.”

“Oh, I’m fine right here.” 

“I’m so sorry, I no speak ze English.”

“Ah! That is no problem to me, I also speak French.”

“I speak no French.”

“But I just heard you –”

“I speak no French, monsieur. Good day to you.”

“Hey. Hey. Hi. Hey. Yellow. Girl in the yellow dress. Can you hear me? Hey. Hey. I’m talking to you.”

“Yes?”

“So do you come to court a lot or what”

“Hi, sorry, this is a women-only balcony.”

“Women’s balcony, sorry.”

“Male balcony’s over there, this balcony is all-women, sorry!”

okay just look like you’re listening and look at his eyebrows

Read more Western Art History: 500 Years of Women Ignoring Men at The Toast.

Watch David Lynch interview the dead Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) for the Twin Peaks box set above and see a restoration comparison below:

See the full details on the set here.

stellamaya:

Nicolas Winding Refn and Alejandro Jodorowsky, photographed by Sébastien Vincent

Read our interview with Jodorowsky, where he discusses Refn.

My wife and I got into an argument last night over a dead man. His name was Joseph Robert Wilcox. He was 31 on Sunday, the day he tried to stop cop-killer Jerad Miller in a Las Vegas Walmart and was shot by Miller's wife Amanda. Wilcox was a good guy with a gun. It cost him his life.

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Mario Maker is really for real ⊟

And so much better than expected! The “interactive course builder” coming in the first half of 2015 lets you instantly switch between Super Mario Bros. and NSMB U visual styles! AND it has Mario Paint elements including the flyswatter minigame???? Trailer after the break:

PREORDER Mario Maker, upcoming releases

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California-based glass artist Loren Stump specializes in a form of glasswork called murrine, where rods of glass are melted together and then sliced to reveal elaborate patterns and forms. While the murrina process appeared in the Mideast some 4,000 years ago, Stump has perfected his own technique over the past 35 years to the point where he can now layer entire portraits and paintings in glass before slicing them to see the final results. His most complex piece to date is a detailed interpretation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks, which involved hundreds of glass components that were melted into a final piece. You can see more of Stump’s 2D and 3D work over on his website. (via Lost at E Minor)