r.i.p. fabulous moolah

here is the official wwe statement on the passing of the fabulous moolah:

WWE is saddened by the passing of Lillian Ellison, who was known to sports-entertainment fans as Hall of Famer Fabulous Moolah. She passed away last night in Columbia, S.C.

In the world of women’s wrestling, there will always be one irrefutable legend that stands head and shoulders above the rest: The Fabulous Moolah. She was the longest reigning champion in the history of her chosen sport, or any sport for that matter. And with more than 50 years in the business to her credit, she established a legacy that will never be forgotten, making her name synonymous with female wrestling.

check out photographs of the fabulous moolah here.
the baltimore sun article about her here.
wrestling museum hall of fame article here.
wikipedia article here.

check out the fabulous moolah in a little tag team action.

new blog: ubiquitous archivist

my amiga courtney recently started a new blog on the pop culture views and representations of archivists. says courtney:

"Based on a discussion on the A&A list serve this morning, I totally started a new blog, dedicated to representations of archives and archivists in pop culture. Y'all are encouraged to check it out and comment/email me your own ideas. I am totally open to reps of librarians too, which is why I've included my library peeps in this email. "

check out the ubiquitous archivist here.

art/works - american labor graphics by lincoln cushing and timothy w. drescher

Art/Works - American Labor GraphicsLincoln Cushing and Timothy W. Drescherto be published by Cornell University Press in 2008.

Despite the existence of labor images going back to some of the earliest examples of representational art, very little has been done in this country to acknowledge the contribution labor graphics have made to our national culture. Other countries, including Germany, England, and Australia, take this genre seriously, but ironically it has been up to foreign scholars to produce some of the best research and successful publications on our own culture. The few books that treat these posters are either broader art exhibit catalogs or illustrated sections of books on specific labor themes, such as the history of the Industrial Workers of the World. No single U.S.-published title exists which offers a broad survey of this specific art form. The graphics themselves have experienced the general fate of other “oppositional” cultural documents, where low social status has resulted in public neglect.

Art/Works - American Labor Graphics, by Lincoln Cushing and Timothy W. Drescher, to be published by Cornell University Press in 2008, will begin to fill this void. Art/Works will include over 100 full-color images and roughly 10,000 words, plus a bibliography and index. The book will feature many important labor archives and special collections such as those listed here.

Images will be clustered into annotated subject areas, such as “Culture,” “Strikes, Sit-downs, and Shutouts,” and “Civil Rights.” For each image the historical background will be supplemented with aesthetic analysisthat will help readers understand the social forces represented in the graphics as well as the cultural origins and design strategies. This will be presented through both narrative text and visual examples of iconographic sources and derivations. Although a few of the graphics are by well-known artists such as Ben Shahn or Rockwell Kent, most are by less-known professional artists and amateurs. These works deal with abroad swath of social issues, such as multi-cultural unity, health and safety, class-consciousness, patriotism, civil rights, and the dignity of work. The scope includes historical and contemporary examples. Now is our chance to talk about them.

In order to keep this book affordable (expected retail price should be around $25) so it gets into the hands of the working people that will appreciate it most, Cornell University Press needs a subsidy (known in the publishing industry as “subvention”) of $20,000. The Fund for Labor Culture and History has graciously agreed to serve as nonprofit fiscal agent.

We need your help to spread the word about this project and to raise the subvention funds. Please ask your union local, international, or labor-support organization to help us bring these important works before the public by contributing to the fundraising or placing advance bulk orders.

And, unlike almost every other full color art book published these days, at the authors’ request this will be printed at a North American union shop.

In order to keep this book affordable (expected retail price should be around $25) so it gets into the hands of the working people that will appreciate it most, Cornell University Press needs a subsidy (known in the publishing industry as “subvention”) of $20,000. The Fund for Labor Culture and History has graciously agreed to serve as nonprofit fiscal agent.

We need your help to spread the word about this project and to raise the subvention funds. Please ask your union local, international, or labor-support organization to help us bring these important works before the public by contributing to the fundraising or placing advance bulk orders. All donations are tax-deductible – please make checks out to “Art/Works c/o Fund for Labor Culture and History.”

Thank you.
In solidarity,
Lincoln Cushing and Tim Drescher

Art/Works
www.docspopuli.com/ArtWorks.html
822 Santa Barbara Road
Berkeley, CA 94707
(510) 418-5193

for more information and to view selected posters, visit american labor graphics on the web. the database of american labor graphics can be found here.

newsworthy: troops issued deck of cards with ace of artifacts

FORT COLLINS, Colorado (AP) -- American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan may soon be playing cards with the ace of artifacts or the king of archaeological digs.

Each suit in the deck has a theme for its messages: hearts for "winning hearts and minds."

Nearly 50,000 decks of cards meant to help troops avoid unnecessary damage to ancient sites and curb the illegal trade of stolen artifacts will be shipped to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as training sites in the United States.

The cards were developed by a Colorado State University researcher and graphic artist working with the Defense Department.

Each card displays an artifact or site and gives a tip on how to avoid damaging historic treasures.

Each suit has a theme: diamonds for artifacts and treasures, spades for historic sites and archaeological digs, hearts for "winning hearts and minds" and clubs for heritage preservation.

CSU says none of the decks will be sold commercially.

Linkety-link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/31/iraq.archaeology.cards.ap/index.html

newsworthy: ancient salamander-like creatures found embedded in rock

DENVER, Colorado (AP) -- A rock that sat untouched in a Pennsylvania museum's fossil collection for years has rare full-body imprints of not just one, but three, ancient amphibians.

Full-body imprints of ancient amphibians that were found by researchers in a rock collected in eastern Pennsylvania.

Researchers found the imprints in sandstone rocks collected in eastern Pennsylvania decades ago and stored in the museum in Reading, Pennsylvania. The body impressions of the salamander-like creatures are estimated to be 330 million years old, or about 100 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared.

Many ancient footprints have been found, but a full-body animal impression is unusual. The three impressions show the foot-long temnospondyls had webbed feet and smooth skin similar to modern-day amphibians, rather than armored bodies.

"The most remarkable thing about these is they exist at all. This is a very rare preservation," said John Bolt, curator of fossil amphibians and reptiles at The Field Museum in Chicago.

Details were being presented Tuesday in Denver at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America.

"They're really some of the oldest body imprints of land-living amphibians," said Spencer G. Lucas of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, who was making the presentation.

"They show you what the shape of the body was, they show you what the texture of the skin was like," Lucas said. "These are things we don't know from bones. They're giving us new information about the anatomy of these long-extinct amphibians."

The fossil could indicate social behavior or even courtship, Lucas speculated, or the impressions also could have been made at different times.

"The real question is why do you have three close together on a rock," he said.

David Fillmore, who was doing postgraduate work with Kutztown University geology professor Edward Simpson, found the impressions two years ago when the two were studying Mauch Chunk Formation footprints in a fossil collection at Pennsylvania's Reading Public Museum.

"We looked at each other and were speechless. It's way beyond anything we could imagine finding," Fillmore said. E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Linkety-link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/10/31/ancient.amphibians.ap/index.html

Happy Halloween

ooh la la is updated

my other blog (ooh la la), which was created for my trip to paris, but which i have decided should be an all-purpose travel blog, has been updated. please head on over, if you like, and check it out. more updates forthcoming (promise).

i may re-name it at some point, but i haven't though of a better name than ooh la la. additionally, the site is having some display issues on my computer, but these may be temporary. if you see anything wonky, let me know so that i can look into fixing it.

this photo is from a recent trip to savannah. i went there for a conference, and spent a lot of time in the hotel, taking my own picture. this is what you have to look forward to over at the other blog. enjoy. mundacity awaits you.

dailylit

dailylit is great. it's an online book service that sends you a little bit of an out-of-copyright book every day. my friend kristy kay turned me on to this site, and i have to say, i love it. i was a bit overambitious at first, getting three books. i found the adventures of huckleberry finn to be boring (don't judge, bitches), and while i love sojourner truth, her biography was written in a style that does not appeal to me. as an aside, i will tell you that reading her "ain't i a woman" speech when i was in 4th grade or something had a huge impact on me, not only in terms of planting a seed about women's rights and equality, but also in the idea of a woman that worked hard with little help from men, which reminded me of my mother and my grandmother, and how strong they are (or were, in the case of my grandmother). anyway, i have never forgotten that speech, and it still gives me chills to read it 25 years later. you can read it in its entirety here, if you are interested.

so now i am reading up from slavery, the autobiography of booker t. washington, in little bits every day. i am on part 36 of 82.

check out dailylit and see if youdon't love it as much as me and my friend kristy kay. and like she said (and i paraphrase), if you have time to check your e-mail, you have time to read a good book.

common and q-tip

another fabulous show at the tabernacle, positive crowd, great djs and two fan-fucking-tastic mcs.

i have loved a tribe called quest for many years and have resigned myself to the fact that i will probably never get to see them live. they have reunited several times in the past, but usually for shows that i was nowhere near. seeing q-tip live wasn't quite the experience that seeing tribe would be, but it was damn near close. he played some solo stuff, and "vivrant thing," which was his big solo hit, but he also did quite a few tribe songs - well, at least his part from the songs. a highlight of his set was seeing his dj work the turntables - so good! and another was q-tip picking an audience member to perform "check the rhime" with him. the kid was awesome, and did all of fife's rhymes perfectly, and you could tell he had been waiting for this moment since he was 13. everybody enjoyed it because it was great and because i think it fulfilled the tribe called quest jones for a lot of fans.

common, in addition to being a secret boyfriend of mine, is a great mc. i wasn't sure if i would like his set as much as tip's, but i did. his rhymes are so tight and he is a great performer. like tip, he had a great dj, too. i really haven't heard a lot of common's stuff, i've only got one of his albums and have heard a few other things here and there, but he was stunning, and i am definitely going to get more of his music.

additionally, there is a rumor about q-tip and common getting together and making a record when this tour is over. from this blog to god's ears!

queens of the stone age

i love queens of the stone age. many of you know this, and will not be surprised when i tell you that i went to see them recently, making this my 8th queens of the stone age show. yay. they are currently touring in support of their latest album, era vulgaris. if you like to jam out with your clam out (or rock out with your cock out), then check out this record. i like it better than the last two, which were great, and which i love, but don't pack the donkey punch this record does.

they played the tabernacle, which i have already been to several times since i returned to atlanta, and were mind-blowingly awesome! they played songs from all of their records, but my favorite song of the night, during the encore, was "i think i lost my headache," which i have never heard live. it's the last track on rated r. and it was so good.

anyway, i'm not one with words, but i know what i like, and i like to rock. and era vulgaris rocks. check it out!

viva atlanta!: el azteca mexican restaurante

this was the worst mexican i've had so far. to illustrate it's terribleness, i will tell you of only two things:

1) the queso flameado was a pile of (admittedly good) chorizo with a ladle of nast cheeze dip poured over it. that's right. cheeze with a "z". and i had to pay extra for the pinche tortillas they brought out with it.

2) the chiles rellenos were so overcooked, it was like having two giant pieces of boiled okra on my plate. have you ever eaten boiled okra? it's slimy and foul.

never again.

addy will know: a new song for the modern librarian

the band SNMNMNM have written an fun little diddy about my friend addy, who is an awesome librarian. you can here the song (and participate in their contest) by going to this site: http://addywillknow.pbwiki.com/

viva mexico!: el toro (open sundays)

el toro is the second mexican restaurant courtney and i tried in our search for good mexican food. we were pleasantly surprised with the bull.

i liked the casual interior with the imported seats (mini leather-covered loveseats) and the tejano music that was playing. also, we were greeted by a plump, kindly mexican man who laughed at me when i wasn't sure where to sit.

the menu was full of quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, and burritos, but there were other, more unexpected food choices hidden here and there, like flautas and chiles rellenos.

courtney and i went with the specials , the #2 and the #3 respectively. the #2 had a taco, a chile relleno and an enchilada in red sauce. the #3 was essentially the same, just substitute a chlaupa compuesta for the chile relleno.

i enjoyed the #3, especailly the picadillo in the taco and the enchilada. there was a bit too much cheese on the taco, but it was good. the red sauce on the enchilada tasted like it was from a can, but the tortilla had good texture and flavor. the chalupa had beans and no meat, and was also good. overall, the #3 was much better than the meal i had at mexico city gourmet (and was better than i expected).

courtney and i also shared an order of queso, which, in georgia, is often made with a mild, light yellow cheese and has no peppers, meat, or salsa added. i liked the flavor and texture, and courtney wasn't adverse to it but thought it was a little weird. overall, i liked el toro (especially that they nailed the flavor and texture of the picadillo), and will happily go back for a tex-mex fix whenever i need one.

i can't believe that i've only had mexican food twice in the last 2 months. so sad.

huge clear red vagina

evidently, some bored kid(s) rearranged some letters. i congratulate him/her/them.

newsworthy: monster spider web spun in texas

WILLS POINT, Texas (AP) -- Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park.

Lake Tawokoni State Park rangers Mike McCord, left, and Freddie Gowin check out a giant spider web at the park.

Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park say the massive mosquito trap is a big attraction for some visitors, while others won't go anywhere near it.

"At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland," said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. "Now it's filled with so many mosquitoes that it's turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs."

Spider experts say the web may have been constructed by social cobweb spiders, which work together, or could be the result of a mass dispersal in which the arachnids spin webs to spread out from one another.

"I've been hearing from entomologists from Ohio, Kansas, British Columbia -- all over the place," said Mike Quinn, an invertebrate biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department who first posted photos online.

Herbert A. "Joe" Pase, a Texas Forest Service entomologist, said the massive web is very unusual.

"From what I'm hearing it could be a once-in-a-lifetime event," he said.

But John Jackman, a professor and extension entomologist for Texas A&M University, said he hears reports of similar webs every couple of years.

"There are a lot of folks that don't realize spiders do that," said Jackman, author of "A Field Guide to the Spiders and Scorpions of Texas."

"Until we get some samples sent to us, we really won't know what species of spider we're talking about," Jackman said.

Garde invited the entomologists out to the park to get a firsthand look at the giant web.
"Somebody needs to come out that's an expert. I would love to see some entomology intern come out and study this," she said.

Park rangers said they expect the web to last until fall, when the spiders will start dying off.

For images and the source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/30/spider.web.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch