SUNRISE OVER SOUTH AMERICA

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On Sat., Aug. 27, 2011, International Space Station Astronaut Ron Garan pointed an HD camera out a window of the Cupola to film one of the sixteen sunrises astronauts see each day. This sunrise image shows the rising sun as the International Space Station flew along a path between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Image Credit: NASA

MENDACITY

Randy Roberts Gibbs tells of his life in the shadow
of his grandfather Oral Roberts and the truths that
are hidden and denied by religion. I heard a lot of
my own story in his, especially the weight on my
shoulders and fear of God's wrath instilled in me
by the Catholic church. I unconsciously have carried
it around like a cross all my life. The 1/2 hour talk
is worth every single minute!

MY O MY

When America Was New and Rape Looked Like Job Creation....

THOSE CRAZY EYES

FOR MUCH MORE CLICK HERE:  http://bachmanneyezed.com/

1972 classic

MESMERIZING FUN

You may want to watch this more 
than once and maybe even try to 
dance along. Make sure to enlarge 
it too!

GOPRODIGIOUS ELEPHANTITIS

LIKE FLYING

BEFORE SWEARING ON A BIBLE WAS KOOL

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Vehmic Court Oath Skull

Europe
Circa 16th-17th century
Utilized during the tumultuous post-Middle Age Europe, this oath skull was used in the legendary Vehmic courts of present-day Germany to "swear in" the accused who were brought before the court to answer for their crimes. The skull symbolized life and death and the accused were required to take a sacred oath of truth of their testimony with his or her hand placed atop the skull.

Known as the Vehmgerichte, or criminal tribunals, this system of courts arose from the need to curb the rampant crime and warfare that sprung from feudalism, which often resulted in those with power taking advantage of innocent citizens. When the Holy Roman emperors were unable to control these often heinous offenses, they were brought to the Vehmic courts. These courts handled capital crimes, with the only possible verdicts being either acquittal or death. Accusations were made by a summons to the accused that was either nailed to his door, or to some convenient place where he was certain to pass. Six weeks and three days' grace were allowed, according to the old Saxon law, during which the summons was repeated a maximum of three times. If the accused appeared as directed, the accuser stated the case, and the investigation proceeded by the examination of witnesses as in an ordinary court of law.

Failure to appear for trial resulted in an automatic guilty verdict. If the court officials could not find the fugitive, the punishment of death could be exacted by any freeman who confronted them. The order brought by the system earned it the sanction of the Holy Roman emperors and it spread across Germany. The courts rose to their height of power in the 15th century and became increasingly secret with members sworn to complete secrecy under penalty of death. Changing political forces and pressure brought on by corruption diminished the court's power, eventually resulting in the last Vehmic trial being held in Dortmund, Germany on January 6, 1806.

This fascinating skull is protected by its 19th century wood and glass display case. It is engraved with a cross and the letters "INRI," theacronymof theLatininscriptionIESVS · NAZARENVS · REX · IVDÆORVM(Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum), or "Jesusthe Nazarene(Galilean),King of the Jews(Judeans)."

Price
$19,850

Condition*
Excellent

Measurements
height: 5.25 in.
depth: 6.75 in.
width/length: 5.25 in.

Specifications
Number of items: 1
Creator: unknown

Photography
provided by MS Rau Antiques

Location
MS Rau Antiques
630 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA, 70130
Phone: 877-315-8652
E-Mail: info@rauantiques.com

Dealer Ref. : 29-6592
Ref. : U1108048911193

IRENE'S COMING

THE BIGOTRY PLEDGE

Pledges allegiance
to Maggie Gallagher.

Texas governor and GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry joinsSen. Rick Santorum, Rep. Michele Bachmann and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in signing the National Organizations for Marriage’s anti-gay pledge. The pledge requires candidates to:

• Support the Federal Marriage Amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman,
• Defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court,
• Apply a marriage litmus test for judges and the attorney general,
• Appoint a presidential commission to investigate so-called “harassment” of traditional marriage supporters,
• Demand that marriage be put to a vote in the District of Columbia.

DRINK TO THE MUSIC?

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PATRICK COX : DISCO BAR

UK
C. 2008
'The Disco Bar by Patrick Cox' was originally auctioned at the Première of Grey Goose Character & Cocktails in October of 2008 to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. “My inspiration was Justin Timberlake’s videos, this bar is inspired by disco mania with programmable lights and an in-built sound system.” stated Patrick Cox about his design. Partial proceeds of the sale of bar through Highland Park Antique and Contemporary Furnishings will again be donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

The Disco Bar has a timber frame construction with a heat curved mirror-effect high-pressure laminate. It has a fully programmable, tricolor Pulsar LED lighting system, operating on show CAD software - allowing an infinite number of possible colors, patterns and intensities. There are 12 control units each operating 12 LEDs, 144 custom glass spheres house the LEDs with 560 meters (1,840 ft) of cable, glass shelving and glass sides to protect the light bulbs. The opaque glass spheres measure 100 mm (3.93") in diameter, there is 110 mm (4.33") spacing horizontally and vertically on back bar, 110 mm (4.33") spacing horizontally on the bar, 110 mm (4.33") spacing vertically on the bar. The Disco bar is currently located in the UK and will ship directly from London.

The Disco Bar by Patrick Cox was also recently featured on 'Four Rooms' -- a new UK series where four of Britain's top dealers in art, antiques and collectibles wait in four separate rooms in which each dealer offers their own cash for items brought in by members of the public.

(Provenance : Property of Howard Roberts)

(Literature: The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 by Sir Elton John. EJAF's U.S. office is located in New York City. In 1993, Sir Elton also established the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF-UK) in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. These two organizations function as separate entities with their own distinct grant-making portfolios, but both pursue similar missions - to support innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS. Collectively, the two organizations have raised over $220 million since inception in support of projects in 55 countries around the world, including significant funding dedicated to programs in their respective home countries.

EJAF-US awards grants to community-based projects in the Americas and the Caribbean. EJAF-UK focuses its grant-making on programs in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Please visit click here for further information on the UK organization.)

Price
$125,000

Condition*
excellent condition

Measurements
height: 43.30 (front bar)
second height: 102.36 (back wall of bar)
depth: 74.60 (total)
width/length: 6 ft. 6.7 in.

Specifications
Number of items: 1
Materials/Techniques: see item description
Creator: PATRICK COX

Photography
provided by Highland Park

Location
Highland Park
Opening Hours:

Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30

(July-August)


(212) 680-0175



1stdibs@NYDC

200 Lexington Avenue

Ste. 1039 (10th Floor)
New York, NY, 10016
Phone: 212-680-0175
E-Mail: highlandpark20@aol.com

Dealer Ref. : 15 / 20
Ref. : U1108168633285

DRAINSPOTTING

A manhole cover at Disneyland in Tokyo 

Plain manhole covers are typically used in the street. Brightly colored versions cost more and are reserved for sidewalk use 

One of the favorite book discoveries this summer is Drainspotting by Remo Camerota. The book celebrates an array of fascinating manhole cover designs from Japan. According to Camerota, nearly 95% of the 1,780 municipalities in Japan have their very own customized manhole covers. The country has elevated this humble, practical object to its own art form. The designs depict everything from local landmarks and folk tales to flora and fauna and images created by school children. Camerota explains the evolution of these custom covers in Drainspotting:

“In the 1980s as communities outside of Japan’s major cities were slated to receive new sewer systems these public works projects were met with resistance, until one dedicated bureaucrat solved the problem by devising a way to make these mostly invisible systems aesthetically appreciated aboveground: customized manhole covers.”

AMPHIBIOUS CHEST

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 A Three Drawer Commode by Christian Maas
France
2011
A Three Drawer Commode by Christian Maas Surmounted by Cast Aluminium Snakes and Iguanas 2011

Price
$27,189

Condition*
Excellent Condition

Measurements
height: 34 in.
depth: 19 in.
width/length: 4 ft. 2 in.

Specifications
Number of items: 1
Materials/Techniques: Aluminium
Creator: Christian Maas

Photography
provided by Talisman

Location
Talisman
79-91 New Kings Road
London, SW64SQ
Phone: +44 (0) 20-7731-4686
E-Mail: shop@talismanlondon.com

Dealer Ref. : L8812
Ref. : U11082284072068

BREATHTAKING

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Here's a picture that will blow your mind. And yes, it's real.

Photographer Juan Carlos Casado, who's currently on a photographic expedition in Greenland, captured this unbelievable image of the aurora borealis over the weekend.

Casado took the photo, which was Tuesday's Astronomy Picture of the Day from NASA, from a campsite in southern Greenland.

The image shows the aurora stretching across the entire horizon, with the moon in the upper right portion of the picture, according to the description from NASA. Jupiter is visible to the right of the moon, and if you look closely, you can see the Big Dipper right in the middle of the aurora.

According to the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, an aurora is caused by the collision of electrons from space with atoms and molecules of gasses (like oxygen and nitrogen) from the earth's atmosphere. This collision results in a transfer of energy to the oxygen's electrons, and, as a result, quick bursts of light are emitted. A great number of these collisions create the light that's visible to the naked eye.

Casado, who's a coordinator of the Tierras y Estrellas project, was able to capture the entire horizon because he took multiple photos and stitched them together digitally.

Want to see more of the aurora borealis? Check out this collection of videos of the northern lights.

LOOK: Aurora Over Greenland by Juan Carlos Casado.

Photo courtesy of Juan Carlos Casado/TWAN

THE RED PLANET

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Daybreak at Gale Crater

This computer-generated images depicts part of Mars 
at the boundary between darkness and daylight, with 
an area including Gale Crater, beginning to catch 
morning light.

Northward is to the left. Gale is the crater with a 
mound inside it near the center of the image. NASA 
selected Gale Crater as the landing site for Curiosity, 
the Mars Science Laboratory. The mission's rover will 
be placed on the ground in a northern portion of 
Gale crater in August 2012.

Gale Crater is 96 miles (154 kilometers) in diameter 
and holds a layered mountain rising about 3 miles 
(5 kilometers) above the crater floor. The intended 
landing site is at 4.5 degrees south latitude, 137.4 
degrees east longitude.

This view was created using three-dimensional 
information from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter, 
which flew on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. 
The vertical dimension is not exaggerated. Color
information is based on general Mars color 
characteristics.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

"HEY GUYS, CHECK THIS OUT"

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Three Polar bears approach the starboard bow of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Honolulu (SSN 718)while surfaced 280 miles from the North Pole. Sighted by a lookout from the bridge (sail) of the submarine, the bears investigated the boat for almost 2 hours before leaving. Commanded by Cmdr. Charles Harris, USS Honolulu while conducting otherwise classified operations in the Arctic, collected scientific data and water samples for U.S. and Canadian Universities as part of an agreement with the Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).  (photo/text: Chief Yeoman Alphonso Braggs, US-Navy)

ONE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD?

TRICKY RICK?

HERE COMES "RENIE"

Click to Enlarge

Hurricane Irene

High above the Earth from aboard the International 
Space Station, astronaut Ron Garan snapped this 
image of Hurricane Irene as it passed over the Carib-
bean on Aug. 22, 2011.

The National Hurricane Center noted on Aug. 22 that 
Irene is expected to produce total rainfall accumu-
lations of 5 to 10 inches across Puerto Rico, The Virgin 
Islands, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, the South-
eastern Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands. 
Isolated maximum amounts of rainfall may reach 
up to 20 inches.

Image Credit: NASA

SWIMMING WITH THE JELLIES

JELLYFISH LAKE from Sarosh Jacob on Vimeo
“Jellyfish Lake is located on Eli Malk island in the Republic of Palau. Twelve thousand years ago these jellyfish became trapped in a natural basin on the island when the ocean receded. With no predators amongst them for thousands of years, they evolved into a new species that lost most of their stinging ability as they no longer had to protect themselves. They are pretty much harmless to humans although some people with very sensitive skin may get a minor sting from them.”

ROVE'S MONSTER

HOLY FLYING LIZARD

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 There is an amazing species of gliding lizard which looks like a miniature dragon. They breed in the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia and look like mini versions of flying Toruks from Avatar – if you have seen the film.

They spread out the skin attached to their ribs (“wings”) to glide from one tree to another. Although they can not sustain powered flights like all modern reptiles, they can glide over 8 meters.

The crazy part is that those lines you see running through the wings like veins are actually its ribs! Evolution did a number on these guys. They can expand and contract their chests at will to glide great distances. We were only able to catch females as they were laying their eggs. All we could do is watch as the males soared overhead.

WHAT IS REALLY SIGNIFICANT?

Click to enlarge

MOLLY WAS RIGHT, BRENDA AGREES

ABSOLUTLY FABULOUS!

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 Spectacular Hollywood Producer Art Deco Desk 1930's Harry Cohn
USA
1930's
This is a great business! Every now and then something totally unique comes my way. Not always as it is presented. I am so excited to have completed this desk. It has been a project we've been working on now for well over 7 months. This desk was sold to me in January. It made its way to me from Seattle. This is the story I was told. This desk owned by the one of the most famous Hollywood producers from the 1930's Harry Cohn, part owner of Columbia pictures. The person I purchased it from had been given a photo but at last could not find the original photo showing Mr. Cohn at this desk. He did not want to do the research and figured I'd be a better custodian for a desk like this. If you check out all the photos enclosed, you can see the original desk I bought. It was an oval shaped racetrack executive desk! I liked the shape so I bought even without any really proof. (click on this link to see photos of the restoration) click here 

The desk arrived and to my dismay, the sides, which I thought were wood, had been added at a later date. They were metal with a covering made to look like wood. We took the side panels off and found a treasure hiding behind them, something I could not have imagined.

The desk you see here has been restored, repaired, enhanced and designed to correspond with the design we believe was originally intended from its inception in 1930 (the date is also inscribed in one of the drawers: 2-18-30, additionally there are names: Mad-5, 19105-F.N.P. and Sunset). Maybe some Hollywood historian might be able to shed some light as to what these names, and numbers truly mean (stock numbers/movie sets)? Looking through the book "Screen Deco" I did find a desk that could possibly be this piece, from a movie called, " Crimes Without Passion 1934 Claude Rains and Esther Dale). If this is the desk, It appears to have been re-fitted, the outside "bones" had been shaved down in order to accommodate a more modest looking design. As you can see from our interpretation of the restoration, this desk had to originally be very modernistic, edgy and a bit "over the top". During this period of Hollywood movie making, the films using the new "Art Deco" sets were probably the most spectacular interpretations of high style art deco anywhere in the world and some might even say this was The Golden Age of Hollywood.

In any event, we know it was built in 1930 and the design was originally black in most parts, since we found a lot of black over-spray when we took the top off to analyze the piece helping to determine how to restore it. We are kind of like archeologists, taking our ideas from the clues that were left behind. We did not change anything in the shape, the nicely carved black slats on the side or all original. Additionally, the top and the repeated wood base is also original. We did add the silver bands, which I assume were removed originally in order to accommodate the metal shell that was installed sometime later. We located some original art deco/bakelite handles and kept the top black which is now finished with a new piece of tempered glass including polished pencil edge. Maybe the desk was in the back lot and Harry asked his people for a desk, so the decided to make something a little more suitable for a Hollywood executive. In any case, this is our interpretation of what it could have been originally, we spent an awful lot of time on this piece and I have to say it is one of the most spectacular desks I've seen in all my "deco days"! It will take your breath away. It certainly does belong to the Hollywood era and I can certainly imagine that is how its life most likely began.

The lucky person who will purchase this piece, having the right environment will no doubt inherit the history and "mojo" that I know lives inside this piece. 

Measurements:

83" W x 35" D x 32" T

Price
$18,000

Condition*
excellent, just restored

Measurements
height: 32 in.
depth: 35 in.
width/length: 6 ft. 11 in.

Specifications
Number of items: 1
Materials/Techniques: wood/metal/bakelite
Creator: unknown

Photography
provided by Art Deco Collection

Location
Art Deco Collection
1632 Market Street Suite A
San Francisco, CA, 94102
Phone: 415 255 1902
E-Mail: info@artdecocollection.com

Dealer Ref. : 1543
Ref. : U1108138714350