Snow Day

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge



And so we remained till the red of the dawn began to fall through the snow gloom. I was desolate and afraid, and full of woe and terror. But when that beautiful sun began to climb the horizon life was to me again. - Bram Stoker



As soon go kindle fire with snow, as seek to quench the fire of love with words. - William Shakespeare



Blondes make the best victims. They're like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints. - Alfred Hitchcock



Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring. - William Alexander



I used to be Snow White, but I drifted. - Mae West

Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill makes it to Obama's desk!

Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill makes it to Obama's desk!

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Response From Senator Michael Bennet

Dear Shannon:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. I appreciate hearing from you.

Current federal hate crimes law protects individuals from violence based on race, gender, religion or nationality. As you may know, this legislation would expand this protection to individuals who suffer violence based on sexual orientation and give local law enforcement officials the tools they need to vigorously prosecute alleged hate crime offenders. Furthermore, it would expand the authority of the federal government to prosecute alleged hate crime offenders when local officials are unable or unwilling to do so. The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act was offered as an amendment to National Defense Authorization Act (S.AMDT.1511 to S.1390) and agreed to by the Senate on July 16, 2009. The National Defense Authorization Act was passed by the Senate on July 23, 2009. I was a cosponsor to the Matthew Sheppard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act when it was originally introduced by Senator Kennedy (S.909), and I was proud to join a bipartisan majority of my colleagues in supporting this amendment.

The murder of Angie Zapata in Greeley in 2008 and the recent conviction of her murderer under Colorado hate crimes law underscore the importance of providing law enforcement and prosecutors the necessary tools to combat these crimes. Hate crimes instill fear in members of minority groups and undermine the great American ideal of a tolerant, diverse society. I supported this legislation because I believe we must take proactive steps toward preventing and prosecuting these terrible acts of violence.

Despite provisions in the bill that explicitly reaffirm religious liberty and freedom of speech, I know that some are concerned that this legislation would restrict these fundamental American rights. Let me be clear: this legislation will have no effect on the faiths or individual conscience of law-abiding citizens. Rather, it strengthens the ability to prosecute those who have committed violence against another person. Protecting the dignity of every person in our country is a fundamental American interest.

I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.

For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.


Sincerely,

Michael Bennet
United States Senator

Back in February of 2000, I co-chaired the annual Human Rights Campaign dinner in Denver. Being involved with HRC was an amazing experience and I will always feel humbled and honored to have been a part of an organization that works so tirelessly to champion the rights of the LGBT community. What rights might these be? Special rights? No. Equal rights - the same rights that every single heterosexual person is automatically entitled to under our country's constitution. Yet, somehow, these rights don't apply to gay people and there's not one single person on this planet who can explain to me why.

Judy Shepard was seated at my table for the dinner that evening; with her was Shane Meier, the young actor who played her son in The Matthew Shepard Story. Matthew had only been gone 16 months so the pain was still so clearly and understandably evident on Judy's face.

I don't really feel like getting into this - it's too painful - another time, maybe. All I know is that these crimes have to stop. But if they continue, and they will, then the consequences of the perpetrators should match the crime. Enough is enough.

Only You Can Stop Hate Crimes

"Last Thursday, 49-year-old Jack Price, an openly gay man, was attacked right outside of his home by two individuals yelling anti-gay slurs. Price suffered a broken jaw, fractured ribs, collapsed lungs, a lacerated spleen, and had to be placed in a medically induced coma.

This brutal hate crime, caught on a surveillance video, comes just as the Senate prepares to cast the final vote on the inclusive hate crimes bill. We can't afford to wait a single day more for this law.

Tell your Senators to watch the video before they cast their vote on the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act."

Click HERE to send the pre-written letter and video of the horrific beating to your senators; it takes less than 30 seconds.

Thank you.

Ralph Lauren Model Fired For Being "Too Fat"

Things appear to be tanking quickly for Ralph Lauren. Last week we saw the digitally altered photograph of Filippa Hamilton which rendered her a physical impossibility. Now I've just found out that Ralph Lauren fired the 5'10" model back in April for being too fat - at 120 pounds (see above). The New York Daily News published this story a few minutes ago (click here to go there).

Of course Lauren is doing a lot of back-pedaling on the altered photo while claiming that it wasn't supposed to be released blah, blah, blah. Will anything good come from this? Who knows (even if it does it won't last because we'll move onto shinier things), but maybe for a few minutes people in the fashion industry will take a moment and reflect on - oh, what's that? OMG those Fendi Spat-Boots are to die for! (Yeah, pretty much nothing will change.)

Speaking of Fendi, I was watching, "The Day Before" last night. This ep featured Karl Lagerfeld and the Italian fashion house as they prepped for the Fall 2009 RTW fashion show in Milan. One of the models was 6' and weighed 116. Oy.

You know, models are thin (though 6' and 116 is scary thin). They always have been and they always will be. Circus performers are limber, firefighters are strong, and news anchors talk funny. For a model, being thin is a job requirement - they're supposed to resemble clothes hangers, after all. It doesn't make it right and of course it pisses "real" women off. It is what it is - get over it. Or fight it, whatever.

I've said this before, but I'll say it again - if you don't like the fashion world and the images of women it projects - then quit buying the magazines, the make-up, the hair products, the clothes, the shoes - all of it. Only when you deprive that industry of your hard-earned money will you get their attention.

I've never really wanted to get into that ugly part of the fashion world because I only really care about the shoes, clothes, bags and accessories (I'm easily distracted by shiny things). Few models are interesting looking or really stand out when they're modeling (in person, I'm sure they are insanely gorgeous). For fashion shows, they're purposely made up to look exactly like one another so it looks like the same girl over and over again walking down the runway; this numbs the audience to the model so they focus on the clothes instead. And, in magazines, they're photoshopped to the point of looking unreal so, yawn.

Anyway, there are plenty of people out there fighting the weight fight. My issue was with the photoshopping and how ridonculous that picture looked.

So, Filippa got fired for being too fat. That should be a reflection on what a jackass Ralph Lauren is; Filippa is a gorgeous girl - I'm sure she'll be juuuust fine.

Now - about those Fendi Spat-Boots...



Yum.

"Psycho-logic" By Christian Louboutin

Ralph Lauren Promotes Anorexia?

Who at Ralph Lauren thought that photoshopping an already thin model to make her look anorexic was a good idea?

Are we wise to the ways of photoshop yet or do we willingly (foolishly) suspend reality and let ourselves believe that what we see is real?

I think it's time to make "Photoshop" a mandatory class for all middle-schoolers so that they can understand the truth about "beauty" and that perfection is still - as it always has been - an unrealistic farce.

In any event, here's the Boing Boing article that came out with guns blazing when Ralph Lauren's attorneys cried "image infringement" after one of their staffers initially posted the disturbing image on September 29. I'm with Boing Boing on this one: Image infringement, or no, I feel like there's some level of responsibility to post it, call BS on it, and hold Ralph Lauren (the company, the man, or both) accountable for the kinds of images they're putting out there.

With that, here's a Lauren ad featuring a very healthy-looking Filippa Hamilton (yup, this one's been photoshopped, too, but at least she looks like a viable human being)...



And here she is again - well, what's left of her anyway...



Thoughts?

Just so we're clear, every single image that goes into a magazine gets photoshopped. Every. Single. One. Even the most "beautiful" specimens in the world get photoshopped by click-happy mad scientists who sit in front of their computer monitors shoveling Doritos in their mouths.

I'd love to go on and on about the injustices that take place in Advertising Land, but I'm pretty sure you get the picture.

So to speak.

Irving Penn 1917 - 2009

Relative to the marriage of fashion and photography, no one had a greater impact on me than Irving Penn. There's no need to wax poetic; one word suffices...

Perfection.

Five Dials (or what I refer to as My New Crack)

"On 25 September the staff of Hamish Hamilton (as well as one of our indispensable copyeditors) passed through security at King’s Cross and embarked on the Eurostar on our way to Paris. Thankfully we were given seats around a table with enough room to spread out copies of the Five Dials Paris issue, which was in need of a few last-minute changes, installed with pencil as the Kent countryside sped by, flooded by the kind of rare autumnal sunlight that only got stronger when we arrived at Gare du Nord. After a quick lunch (quick for Paris; languorous for London) we changed into our performance clothes, which included a dashing, English scarf for Simon, and made our way to Shakespeare and Co, where we adorned the bookshop’s windows with Five Dials posters and then sat at Le Petit Châtelet next door to finish the copyedits. In most cases, copyediting under the influence of French wine is not recommended. Friday was the exception..."



"Hamish Hamilton is one of London’s oldest publishing houses, founded by Jamie Hamilton in 1931. Home to authors such as J.D. Salinger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, W.G. Sebald and Truman Capote, our aim remains to publish the very best literary writers from around the world, from Alain de Botton to Zadie Smith.

At this site you can read more about us, learn what’s new, meet our authors, read about McSweeney’s, browse our titles and download our monthly literary magazine, Five Dials. Please subscribe. It’s free."

Considering the fact that The Paris Review collections barely budge from our shelves (oh, people have no idea what they're missing!), I can't imagine that the general public will be as enthralled by the news of yet another wonderful literary magazine. A polished and precious jewel amidst a murky sea of churn and burn writing (writing, by the way, that somehow seems to acquire far more attention and acclaim than it could ever hope to deserve); and it's free?!

I, for one, am thrilled - and grateful.

So - I'll shout the news and sing the praises of Five Dials from the rooftops with the hope that up an ear or two will prick and discover the magic of real writing within the pages of magazines such as this. Be warned, though, once you read writing of this ilk you'll be utterly spoiled for anything else.

(Click here for the source, the rest of the story and to download all eight issues - for free.)

"Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?"

You may not know it yet (unless by some bizarre chance you're reading this blog as fast as I'm posting things), but there's a whole stretch of cemetery stuff below. I didn't really explain my interest in them at the time, but I find cemeteries to be quite beautiful and, well, peaceful. The really old ones, anyway (I can't stand to go near new cemeteries - all that barren symmetry just creeps me out).

Each of the three cemeteries we visited last week hadn't had new 'guests' in quite some time. Where the earth in active cemeteries is constantly shifting, the inactive ones have finally been given the chance to settle. It's in that stillness that I sense a peace for those who've long since gone on to wherever it is they've gone. Or not gone.

I'll write more about that another time; for now, though, I thought I'd post a big ol' heapin' helpin' o' pink to balance things out a bit...



We're having an author event at The Nook next Saturday morning and we're giving out princess wands (that swirling mass above) with the book, "Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots?". It's funny, I keep wanting to call it, "Do Princesses Wear Combat Boots?" - I have to say the title verrrry slowly.

Anyhoo...it's a super-cute book (great message!) and the event is going to be lots of fun.

And pink.



Pink. Pink. Pink.

First Friday Fun

Let me just start out by saying that First Friday at The Bookery Nook was mostly fun. I'd love to share the gory details - and believe me, the details are gory - but I won't. Hey, look at me - I have a filter!

Anyhoo... the beginning of the night was fun and I was super happy that we got an accordion player to come and hang out for a bit. She's shy, so I won't say her name, but I will say that she's in a band called Tarantella and that they have an album called "Esqueletos" and it's freaking awesome (available on iTunes, BTW).





Thanks, mystery accordion player; can't wait to have you back again!

Riverside Cemetery

"Riverside Cemetery, founded in 1876, is Denver’s oldest operating cemetery and is designated as a national historic district. Located just two miles north of downtown in the center of an industrial area, Riverside is truly a unique cultural treasure that has been widely ignored for many years.

Many of Colorado’s most famous pioneers found their final resting place at Riverside, including Augusta Tabor, Barney and Julia Ford, Silas Soule, three territorial governors – John Evans, Samuel Elbert, and John Routt – and numerous mayors, entrepreneurs, and civic figures."

SOURCE

We didn't have much time here given the expanse of the cemetery, but we did find a few interesting things to photograph during our visit. For instance, I really liked the small statue of Mary we came across as we began our journey (the photo at the top of this post); she's about 18 inches tall and sits at the opposite end of the cemetery from all the "notables" who have been buried at Riverside. Her sadness sort of set the tone as we set off to see the rest of the cemetery.

The baseball and baseball bat look pretty old, though it's hard to tell since exposure to the elements have no doubt accelerated the aging process. The grave belongs to John Bass (1850-1888); apparently he was a major league baseball player in 1871. If you Google "John Bass 1871 baseball" it says that he was born in 1848. His headstone says 1850. Weird.

All the birds in the trees, a heartbroken Mary clutching the legs of her dying son, the ghostly stairwell leading to who-knows-where underneath the Evans' mausoleum (though not the John Evans; he's about 50 yards away from this Evans) - all good cemetery fare, indeed.

Golden Hill Cemetery

We decided to check out Golden Hill Cemetery at the last minute one afternoon this week. The section up on the hill where we went is quite small. This is a no-nonsense cemetery - nothing but modest modest markers and a few headstones scattered throughout. This makes sense after doing a little research on Golden Hill and finding out that this section of the cemetery was for less affluent folks (there's another, larger part down the hill and across the road).



"The Hill Section of Golden Hill Cemetery is located near the intersection of W. Colfax Ave. and Union St., on a hill that slopes downward from W. Colfax Ave.

The West Side Benevolent Society purchased the Golden Hill Cemetery in 1908. It basically served as a burial ground for the many Jewish tuberculosis patients who came to Colorado for a cure. Most were patients from the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society (JCRS) which was located near Colfax and Pierce Streets. The Hill section was set aside for indigents whose families were unable to afford proper burials."

SOURCE

We were curious about the rocks sitting atop many of the headstones at this particular cemetery so I did a little research and found out that the rocks are a calling card of sorts. Folks leave a rock each time they visit a loved one so that subsequent visitors can see how many times the grave has been visited.

The Sartorialist

I hungrily devour Scott Schuman's blog every day and, thanks to the generosity of a stranger, I've been able to lose myself in his new book, "The Sartorialist".

Schuman's urban-rooted snapshots are so disarming and lovely, I really don't know what else to say other than I love them. I love them all.

Especially this one...



My heart actually skipped a beat when I came across this one on his blog.

Of course there's only one thing I'd change (with all respect)...



Oh. Yes.

Photo by Scott Schuman
To visit The Sartorialist blog, click HERE.

Film Footage Of Anne Frank

Wow...



The footage, from 1941, is the only time Anne has been captured on film. The 20-second footage uploaded to the museum's recently launched Anne Frank Channel shows Anne's neighbour on her wedding day. A 13-year-old Anne is seen nine seconds into the video, leaning out of a second-floor window to get a better look at the bride and groom. At the time of the wedding the bride-to-be lived at No 37 Merwedeplein, next door to the Franks at No 39.

The scene was filmed on 22 July 1941, just under a year before the Frank family went into hiding above the family business. The family were discovered in August 1944 and Anne died in a Nazi concentration camp in March 1945.

(SOURCE)

Memory Lane

So, last night I had a dream about an ex of mine. As with most of my dreams, I can't recall the details but I can usually remember who's in them. (I also dreamt that I got to be part of a flash mob, but that's for another post).

Anyhoo... I'm going about my day in the usual manner today (in real life, not my dream), when in walks a regular customer with her mother who happens to visiting from Germany. The southern part of Germany, it turns out, and not far from a place where said ex and I traveled to in 2000 (good grief, time flies).

I had a flashback to all the gorgeous places we visited and felt compelled to surf the Google for some cool photographs of all the places we saw on that amazing trip. BTW - this is one of those entries that's more for posterity than the passing interest of anyone who frequents Venus. So, thanks for humoring me.

With that, I give you other people's photographs of my first trip to Europe:

London


Paris


Brussels


Donaueschingen (this is the fountain in Germany where the Danube River orginates)


The Black Forest


Luxembourg


Florence


Rome


Vatican City


Each of these places were special and beautiful and unique, but only one of them captured my heart.