There have been murals on walls throughout the world for as long as there have been people on Earth. People scratched them, carved them, etched them and painted them.
Infant in the Bulb of a Plant (Detroit Industry east wall), 1932, by Diego Rivera
The history of murals and mural painting is rich and varied, from the prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux, France, to the celebratory and ceremonial murals of ancient Egypt, Rome, Mesopotamia, Greece and India. They are presumed to be the oldest human art form, as cave paintings at numerous ancient human settlements suggest, and can be found all over the world. A wide variety of artistic styles are used in mural painting, and some incorporate the use of techniques which create a sense of dramatic scale and amazing depth.
Diego Rivera (the Mexican painter who was married to Frida Kahlo) is a perfect example. One of his most significant murals, his 1933 Detroit Industry (see below) is brimming with assembly line workers, blast-furnace scenes, fertility figures, and even a portrait of Edsel Ford, who commissioned it. Come September 6 through January 4, 2014 it’s the subject of an exhibition at the neighboring Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Curated by Jens Hoffman.
“The Past is Present” will showcase murals by 14 artists invited to respond to events that have shaped Detroit in the 80 years since Rivera completed his masterpiece. The far-ranging themes include the 1937 Ford Motor Company strike, the history of Motor City music, and Detroit’s urban farmingrevolution. “My idea is that you wander from one mural to another, so it’s almost like walking through the city, if you could travel in time,” says Hoffman.
Vaccination (Detroit Industry north wall), (1932) by Diego Rivera
There can be few works of art so closely associated with America’s great industrial age than Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals. These large-scale frescos that adorn the city’s Institute of Arts were created in 1932 and 1933 by the left-wing Mexican artist, and focus on the workers at the city’s Ford car plant. Yet their subject and scope is actually far wider, taking in medical production, race, weaponry, faith, and the predominant managerial structure of the day. Upon their unveiling, the works were thought of in some quarters as anti-American; today they’re regarded as one of the masterpieces of 20th Century public art.
Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry (partial view) 1933
THE DOG NEXT DOOR……what can I say – I was drawn to this book
In the perfect follow-up to A Prince among Dogs, Callie Smith Grant compiles a delightful collection of true stories that celebrate the dogs in our lives. These stories will touch our hearts, renew our spirits, and show us how God made these wonderful creatures for unique purposes.
Readers will love these uplifting glimpses into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary dogs and the people who love them. The stories are warm, captivating, and ideal for a good curl-up-and-read or a perfect gift for any dog lover.
Little healthful tidbits that go a long way – what to do when it comes to your pup’s extra poundage & what you need to know to help Rover get back in shape.
From time to time I will include a health section for pet owners – because a fluffy little friend who is also healthy will make you feel good too – and we all know that feeling good is a healthy thing for us humans too.
I would love to receive a basket like this
When that wagging tail greets us at the front door after a long day, stress fades away in a slobbery instant. And all the love we get from our loyal companions makes us want to reciprocate – often with food. But showing affection with bones or biscuits can lead to extra weight gain – and extra pounds pose weighty issues. “Dogs may suffer many of the same diseases as humans as a result of too much weight,” says Ernie Ward, a veterinarian and senior veterinary editor of the Pet Health Network (pethealthnetwork.com) – think arthritis, joint damage, blown knee ligaments, high blood pressure, breathing problems, and, in some cases, type 2 diabetes. The following is a road map for keeping your dog at a healthy weight.
Weigh In – Getting an accurate scale reading requires a trip to the vet, but there are indicators that you can check for at home. “You should be able to feel but not see your dog’s ribs; if you can’t, it’s likely over-weight,” says Louise Murray, a veterinary internal-medicine specialist and vice president of the ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, in New York City. Chubby dogs may also have a saggy belly, visible from the side. If your dog shows any of these warning signs, schedule an appointment with the vet.
Treat Lightly – People tend to blame canine weight gain on lack of exercise, but over-feeding, particularly of treats, is usually the culprit. “Treats are silent saboteurs of good health, and account for a tremendous amount of calories, salt and fat,” says Ward. He recommends nutrient-rich alternatives like small pieces of veggies (broccoli, green beans, carrots) or lean cooked meat, which taste better than processed treats. Single-ingredient store-bought treats, like salmon flakes or freeze-dried fruits and meats, are also good options. Treat within reason. If you notice weight gain, scale back.
Chat about Chow – how much to feed at mealtime depends on the type of food, the dog’s metabolism, and other variables like activity level, age and gender. (Note: spaying and neutering can slow metabolism). Portion guidelines on dog-food labels may be unreliable – they’re calculated to meet the most demanding canine lifestyles of active unspayed or un-neutered dogs. As a result, people are over feeding their dogs by 25 to 50 percent each day. Check with your vet to see what kind of food your specific dog needs and how much.
Get Moving – Dogs, like humans, may benefit from daily aerobic exercise. Half an hour each day is recommended.
I DON’T UNDERSTAND why some women pay good money to look like she gave herself a BAD HAIRCUT!
Eva Herzigova in Prada Ad from last Spring.
I don’t know about everyone else but I’m thinking that when you go to the hairdresser you should leave feeling better than when you first walked in. For me that means taking off an inch or two to help tidy up split ends, some layers that fall nicely around the face and a blow dry that lasts for a minimum of three days. A good haircut should make you feel sexier don’t you agree? Well as it so happens not everyone’s idea of sexy is the same….
THE BAD BANG THEORY:
Herzigova is beautiful but maybe she wants to distract people with bangs that look like they were cut with safety scissors in the dark.
Weirdly enough, there seems to be a lot of deliberately bad hair around these days. Uneven bangs, lopsided looks, scissor marks & seemingly haphazard haircuts. Case in point: a stylist who created a cut for a story in W magazine of a model wearing a Dior Haute Couture dress. She may have been wearing haute couture but the effect the hair stylist (Malcolm Edwards) was going for with his zigzag coif was that of a kid who cut her hair with the kitchen scissors. But of course for that shoot, the model wore a wig. However the idea is for the reader to deliberately witness a crazy cut. As if Dior needs something to distract you from a beautiful dress?
Lena Durham in Girls – season finale
Also, in the dramatic season finale of Girls, Lena Dunham hacks away recklessly at her tresses but in the end miraculously ends up with a sassy, cute little pixie cut – which suits her quirky style.
Lena Durham’s cute pixie cut.
No longer is cutting your own hair considered a desperate cry for help (Britney??)
Erin Anderson has handled the hair of Mila Jovovich and Chloë Sevigny. She works out of Woodley & Bunny in the Williamsburg neighbourhood of Brooklyn (a part of town where the girls who look like they cut their hair themselves probably live). “The DIY haircut has been around for some time,” insists Anderson. She recalls a time when a client of hers went so far as to ask her to cut his hair with her eyes closed. Anderson’s strict rule: Never cut your own hair while under the influence of alcohol or marijuana. “Everything tends to look good if you’re drunk or stoned,” she says.
A hairdresser who goes by the name of Duffy (he’s also a classically trained stylist from the Vidal Sassoon school) has a request for a bad haircut…..he understands exactly what the customer is asking for. “We have a painting at home by an artist called Alistair Frost – a canvas with a squiggle in it,” he says. “The kid was 26 and had the confidence to make this gesture and turn around and say, ‘This is my work.’ That’s what this haircut is about. The uninfluenced gesture.” Still, it’s a hell of a lot easier said than done. “For me to forget all I’ve learned and cut your hair like a kid did it is 10 times harder than if I were just to simply give you a graduated bob,” Duffy says. He tells this customer that if she had fine blonde hair, he could make her hair look like it was chewed by a rat in six minutes but with her curly hair even if he hacked the crap out of it, it would be hard to see the damage. So the good & bad news for this customer is that it would be difficult to give her a bad haircut.
As seen in W Magazine
Lesson – a GOOD STYLIST trying to give you a bad haircut is different from a BAD STYLIST trying to give you a good haircut.
What do you think? Is the Hatchet Haircut for you?
This post comes a bit after the fact because unless you’ve been living under a rock (or you’re a man) you might still be confused over which of the supposedly one-step wonder BEAUTY BALMS really works.
Never mind the new crop of “CC” creams which claims to offer color & correction to boot – we’ll get to them another time. I haven’t even finished sampling the multitudes of BB creams yet, so give me another year & hopefully by that time they will not have introduced a ‘DD’ cream too. After all, how much can one tube really offer? Unless you’re 12 years old or have a perfectly perfect complexion my opinion is that none will put the beauty company face primers, powders or foundations out of business anytime soon. In the meantime they will help cover up a few skin concerns.
Here’s what the buzz is all about:
The “it” beauty product has everyone from MAC to Maybelline adding one to their line – nobody wants to miss out. But why all the fuss over these quirky named creams? Two words – quick and easy. A BB cream works as a moisturizer, foundation, and sunscreen all in one. Yes, that’s right! A good one will do all that. They deliver the lightweight feel of a tinted moisturizer with the complexion-evening powers of a foundation and help to conceal oiliness. These creams might be new to us but they actually originated in Germany in the 60’s and then became a Korean phenomenon. There, women used BBs to give their skin a smooth, porcelain-like quality. However those formulas were too heavy and their shade range too limiting for North American women, so they were slightly re-worked for the U.S./Cdn market, with an emphasis on sheerness, shade variety & SPF.
They are regarded as an ultimate multi-tasker. For now, the bounty of BBs out there means lots of options, but subtleties of formulations can be the difference between a product that’s your new skin saviour and just another tube hogging space on your bathroom shelf.
So to help, here are a few recommended for different skin types:
Combination – Garnier Skin Renew BB Miracle Skin Perfector (SPF 15) is an all-in-one skin care that hydrates, corrects imperfections, protects, evens and brightens skin tone. It offers anti-shine, minimizes pores & evens skin tone. Comes in 2 shades, light/medium, and medium/dark. For the price you can’t beat this one.
Sensitive – Clinique Age Defense BB cream (SPF 30) with skin calming ingredients like caffeine and a licorice extract to help minimize redness and inflammation. If you’re susceptible to rosacea it could be your salve-ation.
Oily – Smashbox camera ready (SFP 35) contains silica which helps absorb oil throughout the day. It has a cream-to-powder finish which creates a beautiful soft-focus effect.
Mature – Hydroxatone Anti-Aging BB (SPF 40) contains ceramides & glycerine to keep complexion hydrated through the day. It contains peptides to help promote collagen production. **Side note: I tried this one & honestly as nice as it was, the Garnier (with less SPF – but good for winter) & less money worked out just as well for me.
Young (I also refer to this category as ‘Normal’) – Maybelline Dream Fresh BB (SPF 30) is more of a gel than cream. It has subtle coverage but is also oil-free, making it excellent for teens and 20-somethings prone to blemishes.
Dark Skin – IMAN Cosmetics Skin Tone Evener BB (SPF 15) has a luminous quality which keeps complexions from looking ashy. Because dark skin is prone to hyper-pigmentation, this cream packs ascorbic acid, which improves texture, and licorice-root extracts to suppress melanin production.
Dry Skin – Estee Lauder Day Wear Antioxidant BB (SPF 35) is a combo of intense hydrators which keep complexion from flaking. Contains hyaluronic acid to draw water to skin and glycerine to prevent moisture from escaping. It’s featherweight & soothing. Comes in 2 shades so you may need to layer on something else over it.
What can we say about the Motorcycle jacket that’s new?
Hardly a trend but the Fall runway introduced fresh colors and feminine touches. This season’s versions haven’t lost an ounce of coolness with their intricate network of zippers, still keeping the bad-ass vibe.
Even though, the look is more deliberate than in the past. You can toss one over a silky dress, casual denim or even pair them with coordinating bottoms (often made of leather) for a dressier feel. Jackets were also worn zipped, functioning more as a top.
Olivia Wilde
A big trend this Fall is contrasting sleeves and to mix it with luxurious fabrics like brocade or velvet for a different take.
This can almost suffice as a meal on its own, but giant portabello mushrooms are terrific as a side dish for grilled fish or steak, or as a vegetarian main dish because they have that meaty ‘steak like’ texture. They’re healthy, filling and so satisfying. Here is a recipe that’s not really a recipe.
How-to:
Remove stems from mushrooms and reserve for another use, such as stock. Hollow out a bit of the mushroom taking care not to cut through the whole thing – just scoop out some of the flesh to make room for stuffing. Brush mushrooms all over with oil.
Prepare quinoa or rice (I recommend wild rice if you don’t want to use quinoa) ahead of time. Wash 1 ½ cups of quinoa or rice & place in pot with 3 cups of water/stock (I like chicken or veggie ‘better than’ bouillon). You’ll have more than enough – but more is always better.
In a separate pan with a bit of extra-virgin olive oil sauté the following vegetables (although you can improvise using whatever veggies you prefer).
I used what was on hand:
1 chopped onion, 1 chopped red pepper, french-cut green beans, sundried tomatoes & a few mushrooms (you can also use the stems which you must remove from the Portabello). Just sauté with s+p (plus other spices) until tender but still slightly crisp. I then added cuban-style black beans, corn, peas & quinoa (you decide how much) to the mix.
Place mushrooms, cut side down, on greased cookie sheet (or pyrex) in a 350F oven just until juices start to release, about 4 minutes. Take out of oven.
Turn mushrooms and spoon filling. At this point I added sliced green onions & feta on top (although parmesan would be nice too), drizzle with a bit more olive oil and cook mushrooms until tender, about 15 more minutes.
It may have rained all weekend long but it certainly didn’t dampen our spirits.
Overall View – from imagesRoom with a View – from my balcony
I enjoyed a fabulous girls weekend with my sister & a friend where we stayed at the Pan Pacific Village Centre (right in the heart), a sponsor for the Whistler Spirit Run.
Nothing wrong with a little relaxation, a little shopping, lots of laughs, fabulous food, wine, live music & finishing off with a relay run on Sunday afternoon which took place at Whistler Olympic Park, the real reason we went up in the first place.
That’s the Spirit!
Since its inception 6 years ago, The Whistler Spirit Run has attracted people of all ages and built strong relationships. The run, part of the Vancouver Sun Run Series and Lower Mainland Cross Country Series, is a Cross Country and Trail running event featuring something for everyone. It is the realization of the late coach Frank Reynolds’ vision to have a mass participation cross country event while encouraging and supporting British Columbia high school and University athletesthrough charitable donations and scholarship programs.
It consists of cross country events of various distances for school and club teams, a fun 4x2KM team relay and individual competitive races with substantial prize money.
Sign me up again next year!
Dee, Lisa, Deb, Tamara
Rogers Radio was also a sponsor so I ran as part of my sisters JackFM team – hence the vibrant orange t + jacket.
I must recommend Sushi Sen in Squamish for the most delicious, fresh + unique rolls.Two cone heads – at Sushi Sen
Your dresses should be tight enough to show you’re a woman and loose enough to show you’re a lady. – Edith Head, legendary costume designer
2chicevents.com
Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress. – Coco Chanel
“A woman’s dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.” – Sophia Loren
“What I really love about them…is the fact that they contain someone’s personal history…I find myself wondering about their lives. I can never look at a garment…without thinking about the woman who owned it. How old was she? Did she work? Was she married? Was she happy? When you buy a piece of vintage clothing you’re not just buying a fabric and thread – you’re buying a piece of someone’s past.” – Isabel Wolff, A Vintage Affair
Little healthful tidbits that go a long way…the good, the bad & the plain ugly truth:
Don’t we know it by now! While carbs tend to get a lot of bad press (think the Atkins diet), they are an essential part of any diet if you expect to have energy and function at an optimal level. “Your body definitely needs carbs,” says nutritionist Kelly Aronica, who believes that they should make up at least 50-60% of the calories you consume daily. Why? Because glucose, the simplest type of carbohydrate, is the only thing that can be used to meet the energy needs of the body, support the brain and nervous system, and maintain a well-functioning digestive system.
How Carbs Can Help You Lose Weight
Though the body has a backup plan if no carbohydrates are eaten, it’s not perfect (hence why it’s meant as a backup plan). As Aronica explains it, if there’s a lack of carbohydrates, the body essentially converts protein and fat into glucose, which is what the body converts into fuel so we have energy. The problem is that this system is less efficient and slower than just consuming carbohydrates and, depending on your sensitivity level, it often leads to low energy and light-headedness. But that’s not the only reason to eat carbs.
As Aronica puts it, carbs are also needed because their presence lets the body know to release insulin, which is necessary to use the glucose to build muscle, energy storage, and even fat (if you have excess glucose). Now if the mention of fat made you start to believe all those anti-carb rants, then you need to remember that there’s a big difference between carbs that provide fiber, nutrients, and vitamins and ones that only supply sugar. Don’t believe us? Aronica points out that a recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine “showed that eating refined potato products, sweetened drinks, sweets and desserts, fruit juice, and other refined grains were linked to weight gain where high-fiber carbs were linked to long term weight loss.” So instead of banishing carbs from your diet, be more particular about the ones you eat.
Avoid refined carbohydrates (like white bread) and opt for the carbs that have high-fiber levels and a bounty of nutrients and vitamins, like folate and heart healthy omega-3’s. While most of the fibers in food aren’t actually digestible, they provide a lot of other important health benefits to keep you operating at your best and are a necessary part of any diet. To help you make better choices, we put together a list of the carbs that are best for your body.
Don’t miss listening to “Transforming Health” with host Brad King for the most evocative and informative up-to-the-minute interviews with leading health professionals – Live every Wednesday @ 12PM-PST/3PM-EST on VoiceAmerica.com – #1 internet radio station in North America.
They are presumed to be the oldest human art form, as cave paintings at numerous ancient human settlements suggest, and can be found all over the world. A wide variety of artistic styles are used in mural painting, and some incorporate the use of techniques which create a sense of dramatic scale and amazing depth.
“The Past is Present” will showcase murals by 14 artists invited to respond to events that have shaped Detroit in the 80 years since Rivera completed his masterpiece. The far-ranging themes include the 1937 Ford Motor Company strike, the history of Motor City music, and Detroit’s urban farming revolution. “My idea is that you wander from one mural to another, so it’s almost like walking through the city, if you could travel in time,” says Hoffman.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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