Althouse: At the Clarity Café...

December 5, 2010

At the Clarity Café...

... you can sharpen your perceptions...

... or melt into bliss.

ADDED: Enlargements: #1 and #2.

33 comments:

Anonymous said...: Helen Thomas - the doyenne of White House Correspondents, who sat center-front for 30 some-odd years and was given the first question at many news conferences and Presidential appearances, came into sharp focus today.

CNN reports she's made another anti-Semetic rant. She claimed that "Congress, the White House and Hollywood, Wall Street are owned by the Zionists. No question."

As a result, her alma-mater has decided maybe they shouldn't be handing out a Spirit of Diversity award in the name of a the committed Nazi sympathizer.

The rest of the Washington Press Corps, which held Thomas out as their standard-bearer for 30 years, were remarkably silent about whether or not the Congress, Barack Obama, and Hollywood, are - in fact - being run out of Jerusalem.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/12/04/helen.thomas.award/; 12/5/10, 4:51 PM
Unknown said...: A little bliss is always welcome, especially these days.

The pics, each in its own way, are absolutely beautiful. Thank you, Madame, for holding them back for such a day as this.; 12/5/10, 4:58 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: I'll stop the world and melt with you.; 12/5/10, 5:09 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Can we be more clear:

CURTIS GOT SLAPPED BY A WHITE TEACHER!!!

I checked - it wasn't Ann.; 12/5/10, 5:12 PM
jungatheart said...: Crack that's a funny story in its way, but it reminds me of this story from 13 years ago. How that teacher wasn't fired on the spot, I'll never know.

http://www.thegrio.com/news/glasses-controversy.php; 12/5/10, 5:24 PM
Big Mike said...: On the other hand, Crack, somebody's wonderful black son got rescued from possible injury by a white dude when I was on my business trip last week.

The boy was pulling a normal-sized carry-on and he and his parents got on an escalator on our way to the gates after we cleared security. He was lagging behind his parents, and he hadn't laced up his shoes. One lace got caught in the moving stairs and he was yanked off his feet. The white guy reacted quickly, yelling to the boy's parents that the child was snagged and then pulling the boy's foot out his shoe.

It's not clear that the boy would have been injured, because the escalator jammed and stopped as it sucked the shoelace, into the comb plate, and the boy's father was able to pull the shoelace free with only minor effort. But there have been numerous instances of children being injured on escalators (see snopes.com) and sometimes pretty seriously so, so I know for a fact that the white guy was pretty happy to have been in a position to be helpful.

Though in all the excitement I don't recall the boy's parents thanking me.; 12/5/10, 5:44 PM
jungatheart said...: When I was three, my grandmother flew with me from Ohio to California to rejoin my parents, after having visited with my Ohio relatives. In the airport, at the top of the escalator, I told my mom that I wanted to go down by myself. But I was too scared to take that first step. As I hesitated, a nice lady offered to to help, and she held my hand on the way down.; 12/5/10, 5:59 PM
jungatheart said...: Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie.; 12/5/10, 6:05 PM
Joel C Anatoli said...: they're beautiful..; 12/5/10, 6:13 PM
Anonymous said...: "Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie."

He's only appeared in two movies:

* Raising Arizona
* Guarding Tess

Rest of them are videos.

Going to go have to go with Raising Arizona (but that was mostly the Coen Bros).

(I just can't bring myself to recommend Leaving Las Vegas. It's just too goddamned depressing.); 12/5/10, 6:17 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie."

Peggy Sue Got Married.; 12/5/10, 6:25 PM
Anonymous said...: Just wanted to say what I'm sure many, many others have said to you before: your photos are exquisite.
Thank you.; 12/5/10, 6:37 PM
Deb said...: favorite nicolas cage movie:

Matchstick Men; 12/5/10, 6:38 PM
Trooper York said...: "Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie."

"The Tax Defiant Ones" where is he is handcuffed to Wesley Snipes and they try to escape from IRS prison.

Special guest appearance by Charley Rangel as Wesley's father.; 12/5/10, 6:40 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie.

Wild at Heart.; 12/5/10, 6:41 PM
MadisonMan said...: Green and gold on the bottom for the Packers? Except they were Blue Orange and Brown today -- pretty ugly uniforms, but a great day at Lambeau.

My favorite Nicholas Cage movie? National Treasure 2 -- because it had Helen Mirren in it.; 12/5/10, 6:51 PM
Trooper York said...: "Please name your favorite Nick Cage movie."

“Not a National Treasure”

Where Benjamin Franklin Gates finds out that the original translation of the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was first printed on Helen Thomas’s diaphragm.; 12/5/10, 6:55 PM
Ricardo said...: The Rock, Face/Off, and Guarding Tess.; 12/5/10, 6:57 PM
MamaM said...: The energy flowing in and out of those two photos feels amazing. Real, present and beyond new age.
Inspiring, like breath.
Beautifully captured and released.

#1 Dance in Red,
Twirling, swirling curves
Swishy snappy turns,
A flourish of life
Poised on pointe
Waiting to be seen

#2 Shower Head
Light bursting like water
Cleansing, refreshing, energizing
A free fall of golden growth
Flowing greenly,
Out, up and away; 12/5/10, 7:01 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "Green and gold on the bottom for the Packers? Except they were Blue Orange and Brown today -- pretty ugly uniforms, but a great day at Lambeau."

What was the deal with those uniforms? We started watching in the middle. Was it a historical tribute of some kind.; 12/5/10, 7:20 PM
MadisonMan said...: They were supposed to be old Acme Packers uniforms from the 20s. They were handing out pennants and pompoms as you went in today, and I think it said 1921-1922 on the pennants.; 12/5/10, 7:24 PM
sunsong said...: Beautiful Pics!

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. ~ Emily Dickinson; 12/5/10, 7:24 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Noice. That bottom pic wants to be animated, so DO IT!

I ran out of my personalized gift chocolate boxes so I tempered a new batch. Turns out, I now have twice as many boxes as chocolate so I must now temper another batch.

Omelet lunch photo essay that took longer to write than to make and consume.; 12/5/10, 8:25 PM
MadisonMan said...: Chip, do you have my address so you can send me chocolate?

(laugh); 12/5/10, 8:31 PM
kjbe said...: They were 1929 ACME Packers throwbacks. It took me a full quarter to get used to.; 12/5/10, 9:04 PM
Misty said...: Nicholas Cage movie -

City of Angels

Lord of War

Beautiful pictures, Ann.; 12/5/10, 9:14 PM
jungatheart said...: Thanks for the answers, peeps.

I'll say Guarding Tess. I like Gone in Sixty Seconds just for fun. Adaptation was simply bizarre. I don't know if it was a 'great' or not. (Paging Blake.); 12/5/10, 10:46 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: MM, email me with your mailing address and I'll send you a couple boxes for free. Will not abuse address in any way. Promise. my email in profile; 12/5/10, 10:54 PM
jungatheart said...: @ RalphL: that took long enough. :) Great movie.; 12/6/10, 1:50 AM
BJM said...: City of Angels; 12/6/10, 2:13 AM
MadisonMan said...: Chip, that's very kind of you. I was joking. I'm sure your chocolate is delightful, and I'd enjoy showing it to my sister in law who works for a huge chocolate company, and I'm touched you'd send it to me. But I'll pass.; 12/6/10, 8:53 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: MadisonMan said...

...But I'll pass.

Probably wise. I've bought those 'Chip Ahoy' cookies at the grocery store, and they always seem to use inferior quality chocolate for their chips.; 12/6/10, 9:42 AM
jungatheart said...: Er, uh, Chipster, old buddy, if you have an extra box lying about...

(full disclosure: this is part of my nefarious plot to one day receive a pop-up card from you-know-who.); 12/6/10, 1:12 PM