text:
Best-loved books of 2008, #24: Favorite book about giving
Shop Indie Bookstores Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion by Sara Miles (bonus: a smitch of Christianity for Christmas Eve) As she'll tell you from page 1, Sara Miles is not your traditional (American) Christian. Raised by atheists (themselves raised by missionaries, and soured on the whole thing), she had a child as a single mother, came out as a lesbian, found her best mentors in restaurant kitchen work, and was deeply involved in leftist international activism. One day for no explainable reason, she walked into a church in San Francisco, and was blown away by the ritual of Communion. It's pretty strange and powerful stuff if it hits you right: Christ feeding people with his body, people feeding each other, regardless of whether they're handing the holy foodstuff to a lover or friend or enemy or stranger or beggar. "Take this bread," is the command. "Feed my sheep." With years of experience of the power of eating together from her rest
Best-loved books of 2008, #23: Favorite Place-Based Anthology
Shop Indie Bookstores Brooklyn Was Mine edited by by Valerie Steiker and Chris Knutsen (Riverhead) (bonus: giving some love to the local!) If there's anything your Book Nerd loves more than books and indie bookstores, it's my adopted home town of Brooklyn. So of course I snatched up this nonfiction anthology (which, as I mentioned here , benefits the organization Develop Don't Destroy , which opposes what I think is the worst idea in Brooklyn development history.) It could have been hit or miss -- as Colson Whitehead hilariously observed , there's a certain amount of hype around Brooklyn these days, especially as a literary Mecca. Luckily, the mix of authors here offers views and voices beyond literary hipsterdom. The introduction by Pete Hamill offers several decades' perspective on the "sudden emergence" of Brooklyn, and opines that it will probaby remain itself whatever the condo developers or anti-gentrifiers attempt. Lara Vapnyar has an illumi
Best-loved books of 2008, #22: Favorite grown-up novel about a teenager
Shop Indie Bookstores Goldengrove by Francine Prose (Harper) (Bonus: Features an independent bookstore!) This is yet another book that I was motivated to read after hearing the author speak. Francine Prose had the misfortune to be scheduled at McNally Jackson on the same evening as one of the three presidential debates, so the crowd was shockingly sparse for a nationally recognized novelist and essayist. But she was extremely gracious about the situation, and delivered an eloquent talk and reading about her book and surrounding issues. Goldengrove is actually the name of an independent bookstore in the novel -- a sure-fire way to get me to at least pick it up! (It's also a reference to a wonderful poem by Gerard Manly Hopkins, which I actually memorized as a teenager and have returned to with deepening appreciation as an adult.) The store becomes the refuge of the 13-year-old protagonist during the summer after her adored older sister drowns -- it's owned by her p
Best-loved books of 2008, #21: Favorite classic revisited
Shop Indie Bookstores The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (bonus: great Christmas vacation reading!) Okay, I'm totally cheating on this one: not only was it not published this year, but it wasn't even on my original list of favorites. I realized I miscounted and needed one more to push it up to a full Advent calendar 24. Reading Laura Miller's appreciation of Lewis , and especially his association with Christmas, convinced me that it's not totally out of bounds to declare my love for this many-times-read series, especially at this particular season. On a visit to my family in California this summer, I joined them at a Ventura movie theater for a viewing of Prince Caspian , since all of us grew up having the Chronicles read to us until we could read them ourselves. The movie was pretty terrible, at least for us purists -- the directors added a nasty power struggle and an unbelievable romance that are entirely absent from Lewis' pre-adolescent adventures
Best-loved books of 2008, #20: Favorite Novel of New York
Shop Indie Bookstores Netherland by Joseph O'Neill (bonus: most likely to become a classic) You probably don't need me to tell you about this book -- it's made every shortlist and Top 10 list it was eligible for. Critics are comparing it to The Great Gatsby -- which it certainly references -- and its sales show that readers think highly of it as well. As my "bonus" indicates, I'm inclined to the camp that thinks this is a book that will be read for years to come. It's not a perfect book. If you like cricket you probably won't get enough of it, and if you don't care about cricket you'll probably think there's too much, and as a lifetime Brooklynite recently pointed out to me, O'Neill gets some of his geography wrong. And you might feel like you never get to know Chuck, one of the two central characters (though not the narrator). But like Gatsby, Chuck is somewhat inscrutable, and something of an iconic figure of the America
Best-loved books of 2008, #19: Favorite Contemporary Poetry Collection
Shop Indie Bookstores The Kingdom of Ordinary Time by Marie Howe (W. W. Norton) (bonus: star power to make you weepy!) Despite being an English/creative writing major and getting my fair share of poems published in my high school and college literary magazines, I don't write or read poetry much these days. It takes something out of the ordinary to commit to the complex, contemplative pleasures of a poetry collection instead of the narrative through line of fiction. And like most of us, I'm sometimes a little intimidated by the whole thing, and subconsciously avoid revealing my ignorance about the world of poetry by staying out of it. This may be why when Marie Howe read at McNally Jackson earlier this year, I was stunned by the huge crowd that turned out. We do a lot of poetry readings, but mostly with smaller authors who perform their art for friends, family, and a few die-hards -- but Howe packed the house. And she has a presence like an opera diva in the best s
Best-loved books of 2008, #18: Favorite graphic novel completed series
Shop Indie Bookstores Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra (Vertigo, $12.99) (shown here: Volume 1: Unmanned -- I'll spare you all 10 book covers) (bonus: great conversation/argument starter!) Now that the tenth and final book in Vaughan's graphic novel epic has been released in paperback, it's a great time to start with number one. An unknown plague wipes out the male half of humankind, except for escape artist Yorick and his pet monkey, who quickly become hot commodities -- but it's not as fun (for him) as it sounds. I've been working my way through the journey that is Y this year, and it's as worthwhile as I was told. Vaughan is my favorite writer of mainstream/adventure/hero comics, and he knows how to write snappy dialogue as well as a heck of a road trip story. Yes, he is a man writing a world of women (drawn by excellent female artist Pia Guerra), but he does a fair enough job that it's food for thought, even if you take
Best-loved books of 2008, #17: Favorite novel in verse about werewolves
Shop Indie Bookstores Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow (Harper) (bonus: great literary genre writing!) Today is the ALP' s birthday! In honor of the occasion, I'm posting the one book that he and I both read this year, which we also both loved. As I noted here : "My enthusiasm for the book led to a paragraph-long staff pick [the link now busted since we switched names and websites]. The ALP was inspired to write an exploration of experimentation in genre fiction using metaphors from evolutionary theory . I kid you not." I can't find my original staff pick at the moment, but I encourage you to read the ALP's review if you're interested in a meditation on the place of this book in the surging battle lines of literary and genre fiction. Or, you could just read Sharp Teeth . You won't find a more engaging, suspenseful, character-driven novel in verse about werewolf tribes in Los Angeles published this year. Seriously, it's a form perfectly
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #16: Favorite non-annoying novel about annoying hipsters
Shop Indie Bookstores You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem (Random House) (bonus: perfect for winter doldrums!) I pitched this book when it came out in paperback this summer as "the perfect intellectual summer read", but it's also great for a dose of L.A. sunshine in the midst of winter. Sexy, topical, thought-provoking, plot-driven, and light enough to read in a weekend, Lethem's story of aspiring musicians in Los Angeles grapples with the ownership of ideas and the fine line between artistic and pretentious -- but you'll gobble it up for the great party scenes, sexual shenanigans, and sun-soaked hipness. I wrote about the awesome event we did with Lethem and DJ Spooky (and my fan-girl geekout) here -- I bought the book at the event (which is rare), and had the even rarer experience of having the entire book live up to the brief passage the author read. It does engage with some serious issues of creative copyright and authorship, but through t
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #15: Favorite new comics discovery
Shop Indie Bookstores Shop Indie Bookstores Shop Indie Bookstores Shop Indie Bookstores The Scott Pilgrim series by Bryan Lee O'Malley (Oni Press): Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together Thank goodness for the panelists at Book Expo who insisted I read him, and the Bakersfield bookstore that had a copy of Volume 1. I am now totally in love with Scott Pilgrim (as is every girl in Toronto, inexplicably). Bryan Lee O'Malley has metabolized manga, video games, and kung fu movies and created a completely unique comic series about the eponymous hapless, happy-go-lucky Canadian hero, who plays in a band, hangs out with his friends, and falls for the mysterious delivery girl Ramona Flowers -- but to date her he'll have to battle her seven evil ex-boyfriends. What ensues includes (but is not limited to) sword fights, navigating love and friendships, travels through subspac
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #14: Favorite novel of family, race, and religion
Shop Indie Bookstores Home by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) (Bonus: favorite serious reading) This novel is big like an empty church, and intimate like the moment you and your sibling look at each other behind your parent's back. It tells the other side of the story of Robinson's luminous novel Gilead , and lays bare the limitations of good-hearted religious men and the inarguable illogic of despair, through a pair of oddball siblings trying so hard to be kind to each other that they break their own hearts. It's also about racism and alcoholism and America, from way inside. Robinson has a deep, compassionate understanding of those who will never be normal, and her beautiful, sad book is also infused with a kind of hope. I loved Gilead fervently, and found Home a much sadder take on Robinson's themes -- redemption seems like more of a longshot here, when perceived from the perspective of the lonely, odd, and badly behaved, rather than the e
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #13: Favorite graphic novel memoir
Shop Indie Bookstores Freddie and Me: A Coming-of-Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody by Mike Dawson (Bloomsbury) (bonus: up-and-coming author/artist) When Mike Dawson spoke at our store , he opined that, in an era of CGI special effects, superheroes are better on the big screen -- which leaves memoir as the form best suited to comics. Bechdel and Spiegelman prove his point, and Dawson adds a doozy to the ranks of graphic memoir with his dreamy, episodic, gently self-deprecating story of a British kid in America obsessed with the band Queen. It's really a meditation on what we remember from our lives and why. It's also lovely and funny for anyone who was ever a self-dramatizing adolescent (Dawson confessed that much of the dialogue and narration was taken from his own terribly moody teenage diaries), or for anyone who loved a band so much they found it told the narrative of their lives. A great gift for fans of comics, music, or memoir.
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #12: Favorite multigenerational family saga
Shop Indie Bookstores The End of the Jews by Adam Mansbach (Spiegel & Grau) (Bonus: great book design!) This book made me antisocial, keeping me breathless at home in my pajamas for days. I don't know if it was the energy of a Jewish kid from the Bronx in the 1930s; the master-class descriptions of hip hop, photography and Harlem jazz; the drama and suspense of 1990s Eastern Europe; the compassionate depiction of an overshadowed female artist as well as her Great Man husband; or the best party scene I've ever read (start on page 19). Adam Mansbach is a whirlwind, epic talent, not perfect, but full of a cross-pollinated American energy that is well-nigh irresistible. And the cover Spiegel & Grau decided on is even better than the one on the galley I originally read. Great for those with a taste for the epic, the energetic, the cross cultural, the ambitious, the pure story. Buy it, already!
Best-loved Books of 2008, #11: Favorite collection of a long-running work
Shop Indie Bookstores Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Allison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin) (Bonus: mad hipster queer indie cred!) Before she became a literary hero with her memoir Fun Home , Allison Bechdel spent a couple of decades writing a comic strip. But in the hands of someone so talented, a comic strip became a combination of an astute weekly political column and an endless Victorian novel. I spent weeks obsessed with the fates of the hilarious, smart-mouthed queer women and men of all stripes in the world of The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For -- it's a juicy soap opera, smart social commentary, and insight into the mind of a writer. Worth spending some time with, whatever you're watching out for.
Best-loved Books of 2008, #10: Favorite Science Writing
Shop Indie Bookstores Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream: A Day In the Life of Your Body by Jennifer Ackerman (Mariner) (Bonus: killer at cocktail parties!) Did you know that you probably have a single neuron in your brain that corresponds to the face of your grandmother, and one for Jennifer Anniston? Did you know that you're slightly taller when you wake up, or that your alcohol tolerance is highest during happy hour? Ackerman's accessible, irresistible book is chock-full of such fun facts to know and tell, as she outlines human biology and psychology over the course of a single day, and the effect that daily circadian rhythms have on almost everything we do. I don't read a lot of informational nonfiction, so it takes something truly special to pull me in -- this one did it so effectively I was peppering my conversation with tidbits of science for weeks. Read it for sure-fire cocktail party chatter, or if you want to know how to get the biggest kick out of your morning
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #9: Favorite humorous familiar essays:
Shop Indie Bookstores I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley (Riverhead/Penguin) (Bonus: Cake! Er, I mean another author who's a really decent human being!) In observation of my birthday, I'm highlighting fellow befuddled but well-meaning white girl Sloane Crosley; I feel she would understand both the bittersweet moment of growing up (I'm 30 today), and my ravenous need for cake. Ms. Crosley, a publicist at Vintage (whom I've had the pleasure of working with as publicist and as author), has inspired a certain amount of backlash for the crime of having it all: a professional career, a writing career, A-listers like Jonathan Lethem in her Rolodex, and she's cute, too. Strangely enough, she seems to have these things because she actually deserves them: she's talented, professional, and a really nice person. And her essays even deserve the Lethem blurb they bear. From the story of locking herself out of two different apartments in the same day whil
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #8: Favorite Novel in Stories
Shop Indie Bookstores The Size of the World by Joan Silber (W. W. Norton) (Bonus: most under-rated writer in America!) I'll say it again: Joan Silber is one of our truly great writers, and deserves wider recognition. I fell in love with her work in Ideas of Heaven (which was shortlisted for the National Book Award), and her new work takes the novel-in-short-stories to yet another level. The Size of the World is a masterpiece both epic and intimate, quietly straightforward and ambitiously interconnected. Her characters are heartbreakingly human, and her sentences will floor you. This is a great book to read on a trip, or while contemplating the vastness of it all right at home. And check out my lengthier rave about the book from earlier this year. This is one of my must-reads: highly recommended for any reader. And as yet another bonus, Joan is a local author and shops at McNally Jackson; it's always a thrill to see one's heroes in the flesh (and shopping indie to
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #7: Favorite reissued classic
Shop Indie Bookstores The 13 Clocks by James Thurber (New York Review of Books) (Bonus: great for kids, adults, and reading aloud!) "We all have flaws," the Duke said. "Mine is being wicked." As you'd expect from James Thurber, this odd and original fairy tale is only partly for kids, and adults will find themselves cracking up at the one-liners, rooting for the cheeky Prince, shuddering at the horrifying Todal, and utterly satisfied by the reading experience. This is one for the ages, and I'm so glad NYRB had the wisdom to reissue it so I can gloat over its pleasures again.
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #6: Favorite nonfiction collection by a single author
Shop Indie Bookstores Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon (McSweeney's) (Bonus: Top 5 favorite Book Nerd author AND Book design of your wildest dreams!) Some of these essays are mere autobiographical fillips; some are semi-sinister trickster tales that mix truth and lies; some are heady considerations of the successes and failings of contemporary literature. All are written with Chabon's unparalleled wit and richness of language, and engage his favorite themes of genre fiction and Jewishness. Buy it now, if only to posesses the astonishingly complex and beautiful book design by cartoonist Jordan Crane; once this print run is gone it'll be a plain old book again, like magic ending after the stroke of midnight. Also, if you're looking to gift (or for some winter vacation reading of your own), one of my favorite books of last year is a Chabon novel now out in paperback. Gentlemen of the Road is the quintessential boys' adventure tale: mysterious strangers, pitched odds,
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #5: Favorite satire of office life
Shop Indie Bookstores Personal Days by Ed Park (Random House) (Bonus: Terrifyingly timely!) Joshua Ferris' highly acclaimed novel Then We Came To The End demonstrated that actual literature can happen in cubicle land. The funny and charming Ed Park (co-editor of The Believer ) takes it a step further with Personal Days : structural innovation, wordplay, paranoia and misdirection... applied to the realm of random firings, arbitrary protocols, dumb nicknames, and potential romance that define contemporary office life. Kafka, Nabokov, and yes, Dwight Schrute would feel right at home. While I'm not sure which group will be publishing Personal Days after the Black Wednesday shufle in publishing, the terrors of corporate life were never more apparent, nor more in need of a dose of irreverence. Courage and good cheer to our colleagues on the publishing side -- may you be able to laugh, albeit ruefully, at the vagaries of the Company, and not wait until your laptop batter
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #4: Favorite book featuring vampires and teenagers
Shop Indie Bookstores Life Sucks by Jessica Abel (First Second Books) (Bonus: not Twilight !) Far be it from me to knock the biggest moneymaker since Harry Potter , but I guess I prefer my vampires a little less beautiful and a little more clever. Why should vampires, if they existed in the modern world, look like Gothic lotharios? Why couldn't they look like, for example, a hapless all-night convenience store clerk in California, hopelessly infatuated with a non-vampire Goth chick, who's swept away in turn by a surfer jerk (who is also a vampire)? "Buffy meets Clerks" is a pretty good description of this book, which is smart and funny enough to satisfy the smart-ass teen (with a heart of gold) in all of us. The clever Jessica Abel and the talented Warren Pleece make this one of my favorite comics of the year, and a go-to recommendation for YA readers and adults alike.
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #3: Favorite enjoyable sad novel
Shop Indie Bookstores The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer (Bonus: super-nice author!) This novel is the kind of classic tragic romance that immerses you in a beautiful fog, just like the San Francisco of Greer's 1953 story. It's as much about war as about love: about the consequences of opting out, as well as the conflict itself. Like Greer's masterpiece The Confessions of Max Tivoli , it keeps surprising you, with revelations like little explosions along the way. And Greer's power of language and emotional heft are literally second to none. Read this with caution-- you'll emerge as if from a black-and-white movie matinee, blinking in the light. And here's a little book geek-out story: a few years ago I was working at Three Lives bookstore and writing reviews for Publishers Weekly for a little extra cash. One of the books that showed up at my door was The Confessions of Max Tivoli, and knowing nothing about it I fell utterly in love with the
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #2: Favorite post-apocalyptic buddy picture with sociological subtext and Wodehouse-ian humor
Shop Indie Bookstores The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway (Knopf) (Bonus: favorite fun reading) I am so glad Steve and Jenn insisted I would love this book -- as you may recall, I got a little obsessed . I think the pink-and-green fuzzy cover was a poor choice, and I wish this book had had better marketing. But I suspect these mistakes occurred because no one knows quite what to do with Harkaway's genre-bending opus -- it's hard to say whether it's the next Good Omens or the next For Whom The Bell Tolls . What you need to know is that it's about the end of the world, and the terrible danger of people who allow themselves to become cogs in the machines of governments or companies, and the difficulties of growing up into yourself. It also has pirates, ninjas, explosions, young love, longing, conspiracies, politics, monsters, heroes, and British humor at its finest since P.G. Wodehouse. Normal people (not just me) who read this book are getting obsessed with i
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #1: Favorite graphic novel mystery/suspense
Shop Indie Bookstores Incognegro by Mat Johnson (Bonus: December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month ! ) My favorite kind of book is one that both moves and challenges me, taking me on a thrill ride of story and character. Mat Johnon's new graphic novel rides that dangerous edge between heavy issues and heavy-hitting action, with the story of a black man passing for white in the lynching-plagued 1930s South. It pulls it off in the way only a comic can (and a black and white comic at that), and manages to work gender politics, family dynamics, and some darned funny dialogue into a suspenseful mystery. An important (and enjoyable) moment in the history of literary comics. And then there's the bonus: African American author Carleen Brice is hoping to use this month of gift giving to start a movement to get some classics and new favorites out of the "African American Literature" section and into the hands of non-black rea
Best-loved books of 2008, #24: Favorite book about...
Best-loved books of 2008, #23: Favorite Place-Base...
Best-loved books of 2008, #22: Favorite grown-up n...
Best-loved books of 2008, #21: Favorite classic re...
Best-loved books of 2008, #20: Favorite Novel of N...
Best-loved books of 2008, #19: Favorite Contempora...
Best-loved books of 2008, #18: Favorite graphic no...
Best-loved books of 2008, #17: Favorite novel in v...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #16: Favorite non-annoyi...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #15: Favorite new comics...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #14: Favorite novel of f...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #12: Favorite multigener...
Best-loved Books of 2008, #11: Favorite collection...
Best-loved Books of 2008, #10: Favorite Science Wr...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #9: Favorite humorous fa...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #8: Favorite Novel in St...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #7: Favorite reissued cl...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #6: Favorite nonfiction ...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #5: Favorite satire of o...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #4: Favorite book featur...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #3: Favorite enjoyable s...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #2: Favorite post-apocal...
Best-Loved Books of 2008, #1: Favorite graphic nov...


text:
Q: Programmatically capture video of screen I would like to know if it is possible to capture a video of the iphone screen programmatically ? I saw there is an app for that but for jailbreak devices...So I do not know if there is some "legal" way to do it ?

A: Check out ScreenCaptureView, this has video-recording support built-in (see link).
What this does is it saves the contents of a UIView to a UIImage. The author suggests you can save a video of the app in use by passing the frames through AVCaptureSession.
I believe it hasn't been tested with an OpenGL subview, but assuming that it works you might be able to modify it slightly to include audio and then you'd be set.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB
by The Know Desk on May 14, 2021 in Art, Books, Culture, Film, Portraits
Off Paradise is pleased to announce that NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB is being extended through Thursday, May 27, 2021. Its final day will coincide with the launch of a book about the exhibition, published by the gallery and Hassla.
NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB, a group exhibition under the sign of Ray Johnson, curated by Randy Kennedy and Natacha Polaert, featuring works by Matt Connors, Scott Covert, Olivia DiVecchia, John Fahey, Robert Hawkins, Richard Hell, Ray Johnson, Karen Kilimnik, Erik LaPrade (David Hammons), Nicholas Maravell, Marlon Mullen, Peter Nadin, Richard Prince and William S. Wilson.
The show gathers a group of artists who work in Johnson's spirit in wildly different ways, following widely divergent paths in their negotiation of the mainstream art world's machinery — its expectations, needs, tastes and value systems. Among the artists are a multitude of refusals, denials, dropouts, disappearances, evasions, feints, infiltrations and subversions, propelled by what Richard Prince (a special case in this lineup) calls "the unnamable motors and dangerous impulses that occupy our thoughts."
Elephants and Castles
"It was announced that I was an artist, a poet, and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller purchased one of my early paintings. I was suddenly somebody that I hadn't been before. So I decided to play the role of 'Artist in the Art World,' which I never wanted to do, and I've been playing it ever since." — Ray Johnson, Interview magazine, 1972
Ray Johnson elided so many different registers of artmaking — formal, conceptual, performative, linguistic — it's easy to forget that his work was fundamentally narrative. It was narrative because the work was the life and the life the work. Among postwar American artists, barely a handful, Warhol included, managed a separation between living and art-making so vanishingly thin. Ray stories, those told by him and about him, represent part of the fabric of his career and are almost as plentiful as the pieces of mail art that continue to radiate like secret pentacles deep within the closets and desk drawers of his recipients throughout New York City and beyond.
Collage, acrylic, ink jet on paper on stretched canvas
My own favorite Ray story, related by his close friend William S. Wilson, takes place in the late 1960s and concerns Ray and Bill driving to an art party on the Bowery, pulling up to discover that the function, unlike most below 14th Street in those years, had a formal guest list, administered by an efficient-looking woman with a clipboard.
"My heart sank," Bill told me. "I knew there was no way we were on the list. Ray walked right up to the woman and when she asked his name, without missing a beat, said, 'Norman Mailer.' She scanned the list, smiled and waved us in. What this meant was several things: that Ray was sufficiently steeped in the particulars of art society to predict that Mailer would be on the list; that the woman was young enough to have no idea what Norman Mailer looked like because he already didn't mean much for her generation; and that in choosing Mailer's name Ray would be able to enact in real time an absolutely brilliant pun on his own activity as a founder of the school of mail art."
I love the story because it apprehends in the form of a fable Johnson's essential relation to the art world: working by choice and temperament outside the walls of power while possessing the skeleton key to the back gate, allowing him to slip inside at will and wander surreptitiously around. "Insider-outsider" has, in recent years, become a well-worn and dubiously applied descriptor in the art world. But Johnson can be credibly said to have invented the authentic archetype, and since his death in 1995, its example has grown steadily in importance with each year and each passing art-fair cycle that enlarges the inside, bringing the very meaning of an outside into question.
Jackson Pollock Artforum, 1972-86-87-88, 9.14.86 Collage on cardboard panel
NOTHNG OF THE MONTH CLUB gathers a group of artists who work in Johnson's spirit in wildly different ways, following widely divergent paths in their negotiation of the mainstream art world's machinery — its expectations, needs, tastes and value systems. Among the artists are a multitude of refusals, denials, dropouts, disappearances, evasions, feints, infiltrations and subversions, propelled by what Richard Prince (a special case in this lineup) calls "the unnamable motors and dangerous impulses that occupy our thoughts."
In place of a thesis statement, Lucy Lippard's 1999 observation about Johnson could serve as a shibboleth: "… Johnson regarded the center as both attractive and repellent. The enormous energy of his art may well have derived from that tension."
The exhibition is not so much a commentary on the conformities of the center as it is a tribute to the kinds of artists who create and preserve obsessively articulated worlds of their own practically in its teeth. Great art has been made, after all, in the orbit of great political and economic power since long before Thutmose sculpted for Akhenaten or wall painters spun their volute wonder through the palace at Knossos. But, to borrow a metaphor from the painter Peter Nadin — who all but stopped showing in the commercial gallery world for more than two decades — the artists arrayed outside the palace in the huts, working primarily for themselves and their fellow hut- dwellers, have always been far more plentiful and multifarious, which is to say closer to the grain of daily human existence in whatever era they lived.
Robert Hawkins
The Last Dodo, 2020
The critic Manny Farber framed this distinction poetically as a divide between white-elephant art ("anexpensive hunk of well-regulated area, both logical and magical") and what he called termite-tapeworm-fungus- moss art, inching its way "forward eating its own boundaries," leaving "nothing in its path other than the signs of eager, industrious, unkempt activity." In the latter company Farber counted such odd bedfellows as Laurel and Hardy, John Wayne and Paul Klee and down among the white elephants he cast Truffaut, Tony Richardson, Motherwell and even Cezanne.
A few distinct qualities mark the Johnsonian turn of mind. One is (to borrow another Farber adjective) a "squandering-beaverish" intensity toward forming communities —the better for self-protection, perhaps?—an impulse through which, as the painter Matt Connors once described it, "networks of elective affinities are constantly materializing, offscreen, on the ground, in unlikely, but actual places," creating "collaboration, expansion, connection, creation, and love that are not directly tied to big money or the market" but suggest the ethos of the record-store counter and "that enthusiastic guy playing you his favorite new song." (As Richard Prince reminds us: "Certain records sound better when someone on the radio station plays them than when we're home alone and play the same records ourselves.")
Another commonality, delivered with deadpan verve and Duchampian linguistic flair, is humor, too scarce a commodity in contemporary art; to be funny in art requires uncommon confidence. Robert Hawkins' three watercolors depicting the last dodo on earth — each dodo bearing the dignity of the thoroughly doomed — echo Johnson's trademark serial bunnies, which hold themselves out individually as the real McCoy, lampooning the illusion of certitude, like contestants on a surreal version of the game show "To Tell the Truth." ("Will the real last dodo please stand up?") Glenn O'Brien, a benevolent shadow presence in this show, called Hawkins an "initiate in the brotherhood of sacred folly and transcendental schtick … William Blake as Johnny Rotten," an endorsement that could apply just as easily to many of the other artists.
A final bond to be mentioned, especially now, is an almost Buddhist ease in the company of death — a clear-eyed view of mortality not so much death-haunted as death-hospitable, holding the end to be indissoluble from the span. Scott Covert, whose paintings and drawings derive from direct rubbings of gravestones, based on a vast personal necrogeography of the United States and other parts of the world, serves as a something of an ambassador for this disposition, having survived addiction and the AIDS epidemic. "I'm not afraid of death," he likes to say. "It makes life so much more interesting."
Johnson ended his own life at the age of 67 by leaping from a low bridge in Sag Harbor, N.Y., one January evening and backstroking out to sea, having left a scattering of equivocal clues as to this manner of death in his art and correspondence for years, a posthumous hide-and-seek collage, his final work.
"Ray was on his way to drowning when I met him in 1956," wrote Bill Wilson. "It just took 39 years for him to do it."
Twenty-six years after his death, his presence on the periphery remains powerful, exerting what physics calls "spooky action" on the interior, indicating on maps dominated by highways the plenitude of wandering sideroads still available, if one just looks hard enough for the signs.
"Are you an artist?" the critic David Bourdon asked him in 1963.
Johnson demurred.
"I'm a listening, measuring, looking, killing, opening, giving, squooshing, eating flag maker."
— Randy Kennedy, January 2021
Reservations encouraged, but walk-ins are always welcome!
Please kindly contact paradise@offparadise.com with any additional questions or inquiries.
Nicholas Maravell
Ray Framing Himself, excerpt from Ray at Hofstra, January 3, 1987 Video (black and white, sound)
nothing of the month clubOff Paradiseoff paradise galleryray johnson
Cyberpunk 2021 Beauty
Nash Glynn Forever

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Aid-IT Solutions was formed in 2003 by the two principals, Dr Paul Crawford and Lyndon Voigt. Paul brought years of field experience and a PhD in M&E systems; Lyndon brought information systems architecture and software development expertise from both the corporate and humanitarian sectors. They shared a vision for how to improve aid effectiveness, by putting the right information in the right hands, at the right time.
Dr Paul Crawford brings a unique combination of extensive field experience spanning more than 20 years and 44 countries, including several fragile states, and relevant academic qualifications. His doctoral dissertation argued for a portfolio-wide approach to M&E rather than the traditional project-centric perspective, often found to erode learning and strategic insights. He also holds a MBA (majoring in organisational performance) and a degree in rural development. Since becoming the Executive Director of Aid-IT Solutions, Paul has conducted more than 120 international M&E assignments—many for Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). He has either lead or participated in more than 25 major evaluations or reviews. Paul's evaluation products have been showcased by the Australian Government's Office of Development Effectiveness as Good Practice Examples. Paul is an effective communicator. As an evaluation team leader, he has often been required to negotiate sensitive issues with stakeholders. He is known to produce a high standard of written material to publishable standard and has published articles on M&E practice in international peer reviewed scholarly journals. He has delivered formal and informal M&E training; has been a guest lecturer for undergraduate and postgraduate development students; a key note speaker at professional development seminars and conferences; and has provided longer-term M&E mentoring to individuals and teams. Paul was decorated with Australia's Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal in 2000 for work during the 1994 Rwandan genocide humanitarian crisis.
Lyndon Voigt is an expert in Management Information Systems (MIS) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) with a focus on how the related technology and social issues impact on successful ICT4D systems. He has particular expertise in the design, project management and support of MIS solutions to support performance management, program design and M&E arrangements. He has extensive experience in MIS design and operation, programme design, M&E design, training and project management. Training has involved lecturing, workshops, and formal/informal mentoring. Consultancies have included the review and analysis of M&E arrangements and program logic; organisational ICT capacity; strategic ICT planning for government and support agencies; review, design, project management and deployment of MIS software solutions; and analysis of hardware, software and support requirements. As an Executive Director of Aid-IT Solutions, Lyndon is required to keep abreast of current trends in project management, international development, and new innovations in software development methodologies. He has excelled in complex environments that demand an effective communicator with strong analytical and creative capacity. .


In Ezekiel 37, Israel was in a state of captivity and isolation. They had lost their home, their status as a nation, and most disheartening, their relationship with Yahweh. Words used to describe the nation of Israel at that time were desolate, dark, and according to this passage, dry bones. Israel was but a skeleton of its former self. They had inherited the promised land, but wasted it away. They were called to be a light to the world but instead ended up reflecting the darkness around them. And, they were distant from God, who longed to draw near them.
Yet, God told the prophet to prophesy that the bones would rise to life. God would raise those bones to life through the work of his spirit. "Speak to those bones, Ezekiel, and tell them resurrection will happen." The grave will not win, resurrection will happen. You will not be exiles forever, but will return home.
Why the Valley of Dry bones for a state of the church address? Because the valley of dry bones was able to resurrect only because of God's work through the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, I described to HBC what I believe are smart goals and ideas for HBC to pursue in 2016. But, I must be reminded and we must be reminded that we can accomplish nothing as a church without God's guidance through the Holy Spirit. We must be a church in constant prayer and communion in order to understand God's will for His church. If we do not build this church upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the church cannot fulfill its Biblical calling.


Mitigeur Thermostatique Encastr B D Grohtherm 3000 GROHE Avec Parties Chrom C3 A9es Du Mitigeur De Douche Thermostatique Et Colonne Douche Encastr E 35 1500x1500px Colonne Douche Encastr E is one of pictures thet are related with the picture before in the collection gallery. If you would like to see the Mitigeur Thermostatique Encastr B D Grohtherm 3000 GROHE Avec Parties Chrom C3 A9es Du Mitigeur De Douche Thermostatique Et Colonne Douche Encastr E 35 1500x1500px Colonne Douche Encastr E in High Resolution [HD Resolution] version, please press the right click on picures/image then choose "Save as Image" option, and done. You will get Mitigeur Thermostatique Encastr B D Grohtherm 3000 GROHE Avec Parties Chrom C3 A9es Du Mitigeur De Douche Thermostatique Et Colonne Douche Encastr E 35 1500x1500px Colonne Douche Encastr E pictures that you want. The exactly dimension of Mitigeur Thermostatique Encastr B D Grohtherm 3000 GROHE Avec Parties Chrom C3 A9es Du Mitigeur De Douche Thermostatique Et Colonne Douche Encastr E 35 1500x1500px Colonne Douche Encastr E was 1500x1500 pixels. You can also look for some pictures by collection on below this picture. Find the other picture or article about Colonne Douche Encastre here. We hope it can help you to get information of the picture.


And He was also saying to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it turns out. And when you see a south wind blowing, you say, 'It will be a hot day,' and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but why do you not analyze this present time?
Friends, consider our world today. In fact, let's narrow it down…consider the Christian population. Are we like the crowd Jesus addressed in the passage above? Do we know a lot of "stuff," yet fail to know and understand the times in which we live?
It is certainly my desire that we as believers and followers of Jesus Christ would be acutely aware of the season in which we live. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming back to take us to be with Him forever, and we must be ready! The stage is set and the time is near.
Understanding the past – what "set us up" for what we see today?
Understanding the present – is it possible to make sense of today's nonsense?
Understanding the future – what lies ahead?
For directions and more information, click here. The Bible teaches that every believer should know and understand the time and season in which we live. This is an opportunity to do just that!
Please share this and spread the word. See you on April 28!


text:
2019 BMW X5 xDrive40i review
Mike Costello
$102,580 – $121,990 Dealer
ANCAP Rating
5Stars
More BMW X5
Visit our BMW Showroom
The sole petrol BMW X5 offering until the M arrives is an ideal version for urban drivers who crave maximum refinement and acceleration.
Smooth and powerful inline six
High-tech and quality interior
Driver-assistance tech galore
Dynamic handling for the class
Clever boot and split tailgate
Price premium over 30d equivalent
New-fangled voice assistant should be better
Options galore, but some should be standard
While the top-selling BMW X5 remains more popular in diesel-powered xDrive30d form here in Australia, a worldwide move away from this fuel type has driven demand for petrol alternatives such as the xDrive40i.
At a list price of $115,990, it commands a $3000 premium over the aforementioned 30d, and is around $4000 pricier than the newly launched Mercedes-Benz GLE450 petrol – its most obvious competitor.
While the 30d's 3.0-litre turbo-diesel six-cylinder makes 195kW of power and 620Nm of torque, the 40i's 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-scroll turbo petrol produces a brawnier 250kW of power but an inferior 450Nm of torque, between 1500 and 2500rpm.
The petrol model's combined-cycle fuel consumption is 9.2 litres of premium petrol per 100km, which is 22 per cent higher than the more frugal diesel.
However, its sprightly 5.5-second 0–100km/h sprint time is a full second quicker than the 30d. Both are licensed to lug up to 3500kg braked if fitted with the right tow package.
So, you have a ballpark of what fuel use to expect, my 386km combined loop with a mixture of driving and two occupants with weekend bags returned us 11.1L/100km.
The 40i's engine offers plentiful grunt and rolling response, and hints of that sonorous note typical of Bimmer's inline sixes thanks to our car's fitted $1000 M Sport Exhaust.
It's not as 'relaxed' as the 30d, but certainly sharper off the mark. Plus it's quieter – a key issue for urban buyers who perhaps don't need a diesel's longer range and superior towing ability.
While it doesn't offer the 48V onboard electrical system and belt-driven starter-alternator used in the Mercedes GLE rival, the BMW's conventional stop/start system is still so smooth you hardly notice it. The driveline also captures and recycles otherwise wasted brake energy.
News 2nd Oct 2019
Car News Daily podcast: Your daily download…
News Just now
Review 1st Apr 2019
2019 BMW X5 xDrive30d review…
Review 5th Dec 2020
2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge Plug-In Hybrid review…
Yet, it is a little confusing as to why this engine carries a price premium over the diesel. Price parity we would understand better, that way buyers would have a far simpler choice.
As a prospective buyer, are you urban-focused? Opt for the petrol. Are you a regular fan of country sojourns, snow-runs and towing that boat or caravan? It's diesel for you.
The ZF-made eight-speed automatic transmission never puts a foot wrong, and is matched with a permanent rear-biased all-wheel-drive system that BMW calls xDrive, capable of a fully variable torque split between the axles, hill-descent control, and individual-wheel engine torque vectoring.
Without going too far down an engineering-led rabbit hole, the X5 sits upon BMW's new modular 'CLAR' underpinnings largely shared with the G30 5 Series.
The suspension combines a double-wishbone set-up at the front and a five-link set-up at the rear, and comes standard with adaptive damper control that can add or remove stiffness from the ride.
This new X5 is 42mm longer between the wheels than the old one and 36mm longer overall. Additionally, it's 66mm wider, taking it out to a commanding two metres across. The tare mass is 2005kg.
The standard wheel and tyre package comprises 20-inch alloys on tyres measuring 275mm x 45mm at the front and 305mm x 40mm at the rear.
The handling is typically gravity-defying, with the X5 able to carry tremendous cornering speeds. It feels more stable, planted and comfortable on a twisting road than anything this tall and heavy ought to, and that's without the fancy $2250 extra Integral Active (rear-wheel) Steering feature.
The ride quality degrades somewhat over really choppy roads or potholes, down to the stiff and slim tyre sidewalls, though we've come to expect this of any large SUVs sold on big sexy wheels.
You can option alloys as large as 22 inches in diameter, on very low-profile 315/30 rear tyres that we can't imagine would be particularly comfortable.
One option we'd consider is the two-axle air suspension, which costs between $2300 and $3900 depending on what else it's specified with precisely. Such a system adjusts your ride height, auto levels under weight, and typically adds some smoothness to proceedings.
This can be paired with various off-road engine torque and ESC-fettling modes, underbody protection, and high-tech displays that are covered here, but we wouldn't bother. If you're going luxury off-roading, just purchase a Range Rover Sport or Lexus LX.
The X5 is also well specified with driver-assistance features including adaptive cruise control (with a speed-limiter option), cross-traffic alert front and rear, lane-departure assist that steers you between road lines for a limited time before prompting you to concentrate, an evasion aid system built into the AEB, and an automated parking assist function.
You'd battle to find much to complain about regarding the understated interior.
It's beautifully finished with lashings of leather and metallic inlays, sports a huge driver-facing 12.3-inch display with crisp 1920x1080 resolution running BMW's 7.0 operating system, and offers to the driver a gorgeous steering wheel ahead of a fully digital instrument cluster augmented by a head-up display on the windscreen.
The integration of the technology worked really well for the most part, with the resolution and customisation of the screens both outstanding, and the iDrive system as intuitive as ever.
However, the voice-controlled personal assistant is not as intuitive as the Mercedes MBUX alternative, which seamlessly controls almost all non-driving-related auto functions.
More than once the BMW system failed to call the person I'd instructed it to, and failed to enter the suitable navigation endpoint. I tried a few accents, too. Good old Siri on my iPhone ran rings around it, though BMW is promising regular updates to the system as it matures.
There's also the full range of services from BMW ConnectedDrive such as in-car internet, Intelligent Emergency Call, concierge services, real-time traffic updates, and a system that sends car data to your workshop ahead of your service.
One nifty piece of tech expanding on this theme, which is rolling out region by region, is a new digital key that employs Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to allow the vehicle to be locked and unlocked from your Android smartphone.
All the driver has to do to open the vehicle is put their phone to the door handle. Once inside, the engine can be started as soon as the phone has been placed in the Qi wireless charging smartphone tray.
Let's run through some other standard features. You get a 360-degree view camera, 20GB hard drive, satellite navigation with real-world overlays, DAB+, a 10-speaker audio system with 205W amp, adjustable ambient cabin lighting in various colours, a massive panoramic sunroof, 'Vernasca' leather seats with heating, a proximity key fob, climate control, and adaptive LED headlights.
Of course, there are a few other options that look quite appealing. Our test car came with a BMW Individual dark (Anthracite) headliner that costs $800, a gesture control system for $500 (don't bother), wireless phone charger ($900, should be standard), and the $4000 M Sport package with uprated blue-calliper brakes, sportier suspension, special steering wheel and instruments, and an aero package on the outside.
Beyond this you could have a field day. Just a few of the multitude of extra-cost options include ventilated seats ($1500, which is taking the Mickey), front massaging seats ($2000), a Bowers and Wilkins 3D Diamond surround-sound system ($9200), an electric luggage cover and anti-slip rail system ($1200), a Sky Lounge with LED roof lighting ($1600), and heated/cooled cupholders ($500).
The back seats are largely excellent in terms of space for two adults or three kids, though you're lacking some amenities. The rear vents don't have their own digital climate-control adjustment (that's a $900 option), rear seat heating costs $1500, rear sun blinds $600, or HD screens in each seat $4800, though you do get standard USB-C points and mounting points for an iPad holder.
You can also order a third seating row for $3700, though if you want to regularly carry seven occupants, BMW will attempt to woo you into the bigger X7. The third row in most SUVs this size is best for kids.
The tailgate can be opened by a simple kicking motion under the bumper, or conventional button. And unlike some rivals, this hands-free system seems free of bugs. Luggage capacity is 645L and expands to 1860L with the second-row seats folded flat. There's also a neat centre ski port.
As ever, the rear tailgate splits into two sections, with each segment electronically actuated for the first time. The lower portion can either stay in place to hold in your paraphernalia, or come down and act as a makeshift bench. The pull-out cargo cover is also a work of genius, with the fixed beam simply sliding into place and clipping in.
From an ownership perspective, you get a three-year warranty that is starting to look dated, though Mercedes and Audi are no better. Servicing can be paid for in advance, with five-year/80,000km packages priced at $2050 for the basic offer, and $5270 for the 'plus' package that additionally renews brake pads and discs, plus wiper blades.
So, that's a look at the BMW X5 xDrive40i. Should you buy this over the 30d? If you mostly do urban commuting, yes. If you regularly shlep to the snow or tow a trailer, then diesel is probably your better bet. The two options should be priced the same, instead of this one carrying a premium.
Beyond this, the X5 remains a great looking, comfortable, yet dynamic luxury SUV that is one of BMW's very best models. As with any premium brand, you need to go easy on ticking those options boxes, but it's a top-seller for good reason.
MORE: X5 news, reviews, comparisons and videos
Related listening
Our Ratings Breakdown
Ride Quality
Handling & Dynamics
Driver Technology
Interior Comfort & Packaging
Infotainment & Connectivity
2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 review
Review 4th Jun 2020
Seats & a steering wheel
Commented 6th Dec 2020
2019 Lexus RX350 Sports Luxury review
Review 15th Aug 2019
Ben D
Commented 7th Oct 2019
BMW X5, X7 M50d temporarily removed from Australian line-up
News 9th Aug 2019
Hugo Hurley Wellington
Commented 19th Aug 2019
salamOOn
Commented 25th May 2019


A pit bull that attacked one man, ripped into a neighbor�s German shepherd and bit a 9-year-old girl was ordered put to death by selectmen Tuesday night. The decision was one of three dog hearings the board took up.
State law no longer allows boards of selectmen to banish dangerous dogs from towns.
Mr. Chauvin said that in August, Mr. Gauthier was unable to restrain Gino while the dog was pulling his owner on inline roller skates and attacked a man who was taking a walk. The man required medical attention for bites in his hand and stomach.
In April, Gino escaped from a shed while Mr. Gauthier was doing yard work at a relative�s house on Rayburn Drive and attacked a German shepherd being taken for a walk by Michael Muller.
The third incident, in May, resulted in a 9-year-old girl receiving medical treatment for puncture wounds she received when Gino jumped up and bit her when she tried to pet him.
In other dog hearings, selectmen voted unanimously to have the town manager send a letter to Regina Ockalizcski, owner of Nakita, a red husky, to keep the dog restrained and quiet in a run and kennel or face losing the dog. The owner had previously been issued citations for her dog�s excessive barking and roaming.
They also ordered Justin Bristol, owner of a German shepherd, Harley, to restrain the dog in a kennel approved by the animal control officer, keep the dog leashed and muzzled when out for a walk, and get it obedience training. Harley had bit a woman passing by and an 11-year-old boy in the neighborhood.


Melbourne-based artist Rose Wei aka Zhu Ohmu — uses art to explore the connection between human and nature.
For the ceramic 'Plantsukuroi' set, the process of the 3D printer was mimicked by hands, unveiling a unique interpretation of machine procedures.
During the 3D printing process, ceramic vessels are often stacked, folded, pressed and pulled to match programmed measurements. Contrastingly, through the more tactile medium of hand-crafting, Rose managed to make each piece with abnormalities and greater participation in the crafting process.