OneBrownGirl.com®’s Best & Worst List of 2009

BEST DISPLAY OF GRACE UNDER FIRE

The Honorable Justice Sonia Sotomayor

“She faced a lot of controversy on past rulings as a judge during the confirmation hearings.”

-Temecka Sandifer

"In spite of the opposition using her own words against her,

 she remained graceful and humble.”

-Dee Johnson

“Judge Sotomayor could have turned the tables on a lot of her critics,

but she maintained the high road at all times.”

–Juanita Harris-Braxton

Runner Up

Lou Jing of Go! Oriental Angel

"I think I'm the same as all the girls here, except for my skin color. We share the same stage and the same dream. I've tried my best, so no matter what happens, I'll hold onto my dream."

To see the rest of OBG's Best & Worst List of 2009, please click here.

BEST SPEECH / BEST MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN'S BOOK / BEST CORPORATE COMEBACK / BEST SONG OF TOLERANCE / BEST CAMPAIGN / BEST REPRESENTATION OF CLASS & STYLE / BEST BREAKOUT STAR IN FILM / BEST REPORTER OF THE NEWS &/OR CURRENT EVENTS / BEST FEMALE PHILANTHROPIST / WORST PRODUCT / WORST DISPLAY OF CHARACTER / WORST JUDGES' DECISION / WORST TREATMENT OF A HUMAN BEING / WORST BOOK, STUDY OR REPORT

Thanks go out to OBG's Facebook Advisory Board:

Juanita Harris-Braxton, Dee Johnson, Tangelia Plazz & Temecka Sandifer.  Special thanks to Andrew Morrison.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I've coveted his amazing Veuve Clicquot scarf, that has hung in the window of our local liquor store, for years. Thanks to eBay, I now own one! It's going to be a great decade. I just know it ...

New Year Fireworks Around the World - Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year. May 2010 be so much better than this past year. Here are some images of celebrations throughout the World. We will update this post with current fireworks displays for 2010 beginning with Sydney who goes all out every time as being one of the first celebrants of the New Year. Usher on 2010!    By the way did you know that Fireworks were invented accidentally 2000 years ago by a chinese cook during the Song Dynasty and were fires used for New Years Celebrations to scare away evil spirits!

Sydney Australlia the 1st to go!

Taipei on Tallest Building in the World!




Hong Kong!




Dubai!





London!




New York City




Honolulu!

upon a New Year-Little Augury turns 1.

in thinking about a post for this day- I stopped. What could I say that I did not say last year? Little.

the real voyage of discovery
consists not in seeking new landscapes 

but in having new eyes.

Proust

Here is the first post of little augury written last December 31st. Much is the same with me, along with an afterward.

What moves us to reach out to others with our thoughts, opinions- our suppositions? For me- I have been continually inspired by one particular blog all year- An Aesthete's Lament. Thank you.

I also begin with an ending of sorts- a dear friend and sometimes mentor died on December 15th and I made a promise to keep just a bit of his wit and wisdom alive by sharing it whenever possible. Hopefully this Little Augury will do that and more. Surely it will evolve- follow along if you'd like to see just how.

a toast to S.Peele and you...
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne? ~rabbie burns (1759-96)

afterward-
I read several blogs in 2008 before I began my own- I never commented on a post before I started writing my own.

TOASTS to, Jason Clark, Pamela Terry & Edward, PVE, An Aesthete's Lament, House of Beauty and Culture,Rosie, Elizabeth Avedon,Lauren Hutton, Kelly Smith,Elizabeth Floyd, Architect Design-Stefan, Agnes, le style et la matiere, masion 21,balsam fir, rurritable, meg at pigtown designs, Home Before Dark, Paul Pincus, LBG, Jezebel, Mrs.Blandings, Topsy Turvy,Cote de Texas, The Peak of Chic, Emily Evans Erdmans, Debra, Janet of JCB, Maison Bleu, Jesma, StyleCourt, B.Cushwa, Pooka, Hels, mamacita, Vicki Archer, laura-what I like, Ulla of Model's Own,Sanity Fair,Penelope Bianchi, LIZZIE, Martha, Columnist, tartanscot, Hill Country House Girl, Denise of a Swelle Life, Clarity.
These Lovelies commented on posts the first 6 Months of 2009-& for that my gratitude.

I didn't do any Counting of Visitors on little augury until the end of OCTOBER- and my advice to anyone starting a blog is-Don't. Unless you have a wonderful Entre into that world, focus on what You want to say and Others may want to read-Not what you think other Bloggers want to read.

Do you have resolutions?

I do.

I will.

I want to focus more attention on design in my postings. I have a great series of posts planned - the Most Devastating Beauties of the Last Century. Look for these posts to begin in early January.

I asked Fabulous Augurs for their lists:An Aesthete's Lament,Emily Evans Eerdmans, Rose C'est La Vie, A Bloomsbury Life, Architect Design, Houseof Beauty and Culture, Paris Originals, Le Style et le Matiere, Elizabeth Avedon, Model's Own, InDecorous Taste, The Blushing Hostess Entertains, Lucindaville, and perhaps a few surprises. No?

(I ask them to submit up to 10 Names for compiled List of 10 Devastating Beauties. Ask 10 people and get 10 unique answers- YES! There is some small consensus- But mostly an INTRIGUING MIX. I hope you will stay in touch.

winter 1670.
.

2010 NICHE Awards are announced by Niche Magazine

2010 NICHE Awards

Celebrating Excellence and Innovation in American and Canadian Fine Craft

Lotus by Lilach Lotan from Nanaimo, BC ...Category Lamps and Lighting

Until Next Year by James Sagui, West Palm Beach, Fl...Category Furniture

Niche Magazine is the exclusive trade publication for retailers of American Craft and Canadian Craft. For the 2010 NICHE Awards program, jurors selected 161 finalists out of nearly 1000 entries in 36 categories. Here's a link to the Complete List.

Ladies and Gentleman

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I wrote "Though it matters Not a wit to me!I was sure you were a distinguished gentleman.I would be a little disappointed to have missed the mark so widely-Please confirm or deny-A man or A woman? Whichever you might be inclined to be & I will adjust accordingly!"
to which this eloquent reply came:

"A man yes, A gentleman~ I hope."

& this comment on Tuesday from a reader:
I sometimes do not know why someone out there seems to think you are a Man? It is posted that you are Female! Can you clarify?
to which I reply

"A woman yes, A lady~Lord knows my mother tried!"

& I add:
I don't think people always actually READ blogs- though I am glad they stop in to see the pictures. Perhaps they read my COMMENTS on other posts- which are cloaked in mystery!?
or
Perhaps it is the posted picture alongside my Profile-Some have queried it is- a man- in drag, I think not. Though It is not Me-there is nothing unattractive with the lady in question- No? Remember-Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder & some just are not as lovely as others. I rather like her looks. Whatever the case~
I remain

A lady~

I try.

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Favourite Post TOPIC for 2009, more please.

My own personal favourite post topic for 2009 was?
- guess?

Yes,
DV.
Diana Vreeland.


I made DV my post topic 5 times. (6 as of today)
Bloggers-please consider taking a look at DV her work, her life, her style often in 2010. A never ending source of inspiration and entertainment.

DV

and my posting friends ?

the great Aesthete posted about DV 3 times here

Mrs B-3.  here

lovely Lisa of bloomsbury 2 here

an English Rose posted on DV 2 times here

gorgeous Ulla here

my dog ear pages here

lady Emily posted about DV just once here, 

oh
and here too.

Judith in her studio posted about DV here

and my favourite DV here . this post  from Lisa of A Bloomsbury Life, combines everything I like best when I read a blog story and when I try to write something of interest.

attention.
did you dish about DV in 2009? I would love to know, please leave me a note and link if it's handy.

additions to DV-follow...

Stefan resident DC- AD  here

& Daniel of hh here

& I knew that LucindaV. had to have posted on DV,alas NO, and now I KNOW! today it's here

some interesting other sites -
Johnny Edward Heys DV here
.

iHockney

If you haven't yet seen David Hockney's iPhone paintings ...





Read/hear/see more at the New York Review of Books in the article by Lawrence Weschler.

Gatecrashers

How does it go now, “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?”

About a month ago, Michaele and Tareq Salahi sauntered, in plain sight, past gatekeepers at the White House. They had no invitation and were not on the guest list, yet they managed to attend the State Dinner hosted by the Obamas. It was shocking, but provided good juicy headlines, with great visuals. And everyone was relieved that it was just a party crash.

Now, we have a terrorist with a bomb, successfully boarding a plane headed to the U.S., without a passport. Hello? Security "gap", they say. I'd say it's more like a security Grand Canyon.

Let’s see …
—His father informs the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria that his son has become radicalized, might have traveled to Yemen, and could be a possible security risk
—He pays for his ticket in cash
—He checks no luggage
—Witnesses at the gate for the flight from Amsterdam, reported that he did not have a passport.

And if all of that did not raise a red flag, then just what, pray tell, does?

Janet Napolitano says they are looking into new technology. Experts talk about algorithms.

Do you really need an algorithm to identify this man as suspicious? How much technology do you need to connect the dots in this case? Searching for hidden liquids is great, but it seems to have prevented the recognition of obvious signs. How about something low tech--LIKE A CHECKLIST!

Margaret Russell a love letter

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Margaret Russell's ELLE DECOR editor's page in the January 2010 issue is a love letter to bloggers and their readers of sorts.
Read the letter here at pointclickhome

Margaret Russell with TOP DESIGN cast of judges

Bravo season2

 

Ms. Russell reads blogs. Bloggers are "our treasured partners." She says she is "completely absorbed by design-blog postings regarding interiors magazines; the deep attachment people have for beloved publications is so heartening to see." She misses them too. (I for one wish she would immerse herself in the House and Garden archives)

She promises to pick up some of the now defunct Met Home's contemporary vibe. (Oh, please not too much-don't. Elle Decor already feels very modern and that is enough for me) What happens to Metropolitan Homes subscribers? read here

She also promises a stronger online presence for the magazine- "a new and improved elledecor.com" a great discussion on the topic is in the works at decorno here

all quotes from ELLE DECOR Jan 2010
the elledecor pointclickhome site here
elledecor blogs here
.

The Green Rush

night plane - blue I feel (when I'm feeling down)

After the Gold Rush, the Green Rush

In honor of Avatar's profound hues of true blue, here's a little night plane jam, its vocals clipped from a certain lost soul gem by the three degrees. You'll find it as well in the midst of my latest mix, "signs in the sky."

But although Cameron's epic may be steeped in blue, were you to puncture its gargantuan heart, green would be the color on your hands. Green, the color of cash in North America, and the color used as cultural short-hand for anything deemed remotely environmentally-conscious, is a fitting color to apply to Avatar, which will certainly see plenty of dollars as it disseminates its utopian eco-fairy tale.

While the value of Avatar may seem to lie largely in its contribution to digital cinema production, and not in its relatively heavy-handed narrative, there is actually a subtle plot point in the depiction of the indigenous Na'vi tribe. It's not a movie about technology versus nature, it's a movie about low-tech vs. high tech. And guess what? It's actually the stone-arrow firing Na'vi who are the high-tech team, not the missile-launching humans. Dr. Grace Augustine, played by Sigourney Weaver, points out that the planet Pandora functions on a biological level like a huge labyrinthine network, everything is connected to everything else. It's like if the internet were a whole biosphere. The name Pandora also refers not only to the Greek myth but to pandora.com, the online music portal which generates music stations based on your preferences.

The green valley of Pandora is also silicon valley. Advances in digital and nano technology will, in the near future, more and more resemble the kind of lessons taught by Gaia spirit-mother myths: everything is connected. Human technology will continue to infiltrate the biosphere on a cellular level. Very very high-tech will more and more resemble no-tech, that is, it will trend towards resembling nature.

- - - - -

Included here is a live performance by Thom Yorke of Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" at Electric Lady Studios in 2003. The lyrics of the final verse reflect a sci-fi eco-utopianism not dissimilar from Avatar's:

"Well, I dreamed I saw the silver spaceships flying

In the yellow haze of the sun
There were children crying and colors flying
All around the chosen ones
All in a dream, all in a dream
The loading had begun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed
To a new home in the sun
Flyin' mother nature's silver seed
To a new home in the sun"

Fans of Neil will remember of course that the first verse contains the line "Look at mother nature on the run, in the nineteen seventies."

After the gold rush, the green rush. After the rush to tear precious elements out of the earth, the rush that possesses the villains of Avatar, the rush to immerse again in nature, like Avatar's protagonist.

The green rush is on for 2010: this means broader dissemination of environmental concerns and awarenesses. It's green for a second reason though, because of how capitalism works. The more that consumers and clients display concern for the environment, the more that businesses will mirror this concern for the sake of profit. The green rush is also a gold rush.

The green rush also means: the chance to profit off the increased de-criminalization of marijuana. This is the double green: the green dollar bill, and the green pot leaf. They will continue to befriend and get each other high. It is only a matter of time before you will have psychedelic suburbia: living rooms with gadgets and accessories more befitting the medicinal and recreational consumption of THC. Imagine the Skymall (tm) catalog of the near future, replete with unnecessarily inventive pot gadgets. Of all narcotics, pot is the easiest for capitalism to embrace, because not only is it comparatively harmless and friendly, but pot culture involves tons of cannabis device-making: everyone knows your stoner friend is by default also a great DIY carpenter.

Finally, green is also the color of the growing resistance movement in Iran. In 2010, green thus is the color for emergent democratic trends in the Muslim world and the Middle East, the color for eco-conscious capitalism, and for commercial developments in de-criminalized substances.

seven swans a swimming, one lord a leaping,1 lady being~ DiVine

.
Some of the most wonderful things about the world we live in today is that we can look back, actually thanks to the incomparable Diana Vreeland, we can look back to these wonderful things. Is there much that inspires you in today's publications?

The goddess of Vogue from the late 60's of course was Diana Vreeland- after her reign there-
does anything compare?

Inspiration from her editorial skills and innate sense of style and beauty gave us the great Valentine Lawford-Pauline de Rothschild pairing, & the Richard Avedon-Verushka sojourn to Japan.

In Eleanor Dwight's DIANA VREELAND, an all encompassing book about the Great One, DV's fascination with the novel MOBY DICK, the great white whale, led to a  photography shoot with Lord Snowdon and white whales for the December 1968 Christmas issue. Other WHITES were white horses and white swans. According the Eleanor Dwight book, " Tony dahling", drew the line at photographing white tigers in India...


DV "They are so aristocratic, so ravishing."
TS  " But Deeanna there's a war going on between Palistan and India. All my photographer friends are going to shoot that. I can't take white tigers."

Here- are the Snowdon Royal Swans from Vogue December 1965-thus ending the holiday posts from collected House and Gardens and Vogue magazines of the era-a swan song of sorts.

The swans Snowdon photographed in 1965 belonged to Lady Galway whose family had kept a swannery for over 300 years at the time. Today the Galway Swannery at Abbotsbury in Dorset is owned by the only surviving daughter of the 9th Viscount Galway,Charlotte Townsend. She is the only person in Britain other than the Queen entitled to own swans. (read more here in the Daily mail)

The royal swans were marked on the bills of the birds to indicate ownership- This Swan-Roll around 1603-the Cantley is from the Broadland region and illustrates the beak mark indicators and the names of the owners.

from the article~ 

DV photograph by Bill King 1977 for Blackglama

read more about Swan Upping on the River Thames here
read the Errant Aesthete's the fashionably Elegant Mats Gustafson here
.

Night Plane - Signs in the Sky mix

Night Plane - Signs in the Sky

Intro: Let the Haters Hate

1. Norway Light Spiral

2. Kremlin Pyramid

3. Cava Scura

4. Blue I Feel (When I'm Feeling Down)

5. Don't Come Running

6. Here On Earth

Night Plane brings you "Signs in the Sky," a 23-minute mix of new and unreleased original material - afro/beardo/deepo styles - in honor of two recent aerial mysteries. Within twenty-four hours of one another, two strange phenomena recently occurred in the night skies of the Northern Hemisphere. The first, a swirling abyss of blue light, shone above Oslo. The second, a hovering pyramid, thought to be much as one mile long, menaced the airspace over Moscow's Red Square. Numerous eyewitness and video testimonies for both events exist. The light spiral is confirmed to have occurred on Dec 9th, and some accounts place the Kremlin pyramid around the same time. Russia's Pravda news agency, however, did not report the pyramid until Dec 18th - possibly since the spiral was announced as the result of a failed Russian missile launch, the Russian authorities did not want the event of the still-unexplained pyramid to be associated with the Norwegian light display. Some conspiracy theorists read both spiral and pyramid as related in some way to Obama's Nobel Peace prize speech given on Dec 10th. Are the spiral and pyramid related? Is one or both of extraterrestrial origin? I mean, holy shit, that's a goddamn pyramid floating over the Kremlin. Enjoy.

2009-2010 Youth of the Year

The Boys and Girls Club of America named Carolina Correa its 2009-2010 Youth of the Year, the first Latina to be named in 63 years.  Click here to see the full story.

my Top Five INTERIOR Design Books of 2009

 .
My TOP 5 Best INTERIOR DESIGN BOOKS for 2009 in NO particular order-

JACQUES GRANGE INTERIORS

IN HOUSE

THE PRIVATE WORLD OF YVES SAINT LAURENT AND PIERRE BERGE

French Interiors: The Art of Elegance

Michael Taylor: Interior Design

Your picks?

& anticipating

The Great Lady Decorators: Lessons from the Women who Invented Interior Design

Flights of the Night Plane

Refinery29 hosts their best-of 2009 playlist, mixed by Night Plane

In the UK, Converse Music has the Night Plane remix of The Detachments "Circles" for free download

Night Plane remix of "Situation" by The Dark Esquire now up on Myspace, digital release on January 25th

The Dark Esquire - Situation 12"

The spectacle is real.

The situation is real.

Available January 25th, The Dark Esquire's much-anticipated debut 12" for THISISNOTANEXIT, hand-printed silkscreen cover, 300 copies. Night Plane remix on the digital release.

Here's the vid:

Happy Kwanzaa!

Filmmaker M.K. Asante, Jr. discusses The Black Candle narrated by Dr. Maya Angelou

and Winner / Best Documentary Africa World Documentary Film Festival on the CBS Early Show.

Kwanzaa is a non-religious African American holiday which celebrates family, community, and culture. It is celebrated for seven days from December 26 - January 1.  Each evening, a family member (usually the youngest child) lights candles in a special candleholder (kinara) and discusses one of the seven principles of Kwanzaa. On the sixth day, which falls on New Years Eve, family and friends get together to enjoy a large feast and to celebrate their history, culture, and the upcoming new year.  Kwanzaa was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, during the period of US history in which African Americans were involved in struggles for their civil rights.  Dr. Karenga wanted to create a holiday that would bring African Americans together in celebration of their black culture. He was inspired by the "first fruit" or harvest festivals that were celebrated throughout Africa.  In fact the name he gave to the holiday, "Kwanzaa," comes from the Kiswahili phrase for "first fruit" - matunda ya kwanza. (Kiswahili, or Swahili, is the largest spoken language on the African continent and thus the language of Kwanzaa).  The Seven Principles (Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa are: Umoja (oo-MOH-jah): Unity.  Success starts with Unity. Unity of family, community, nation and race.  Kujichagulia (koo-jee-chah-goo-LEE-ah): Self-Determination.  To be responsible for ourselves. To create your own destiny.  Ujima (oo-JEE-mah): Collective work and responsibility.  To build and maintain your community together. To work together to help one another within your community.  Ujamaa (oo-jah-MAH): Collective economics.  To build, maintain, and support our own stores, establishments, and businesses.  Nia (NEE-ah): Purpose.  To restore African American people to their traditional greatness. To be responsible to Those Who Came Before (our ancestors) and to Those Who Will Follow (our descendants).  Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah): Creativity.  Using creativity and imagination to make your communities better than what you inherited.  Imani (ee-MAH-nee): Faith.  Believing in our people, our families, our educators, our leaders, and the righteousness of the African American struggle.  [Source: Holidays.net]

familiar?

.

.

Merry Christmas from OneBrownGirl.com®

The Color of Luxury

Some say it's purple, the color historically associated with royalty. Some say jewel tones. Others swear by black and still others go with gold.

When it comes to an instantaneous communication of affluence however, the colors of these boxes speak their message loud and clear. What's inside? It hardly matters. As for the outside, no need to wrap, a ribbon is just fine.

Didn't they look smashing piled up together under your tree this morning?

Christmas in Bethlehem

Greek Orthodox procession in the Church of the Nativity. Photo © Damon Lynch.

As one might imagine, Christmas in Bethlehem, the city where Jesus was [said to have been] born, is a major event. Some of Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations would be familiar to Europeans and North Americans [as] the streets are strung with Christmas lights, there is a Christmas market and Christmas plays are performed.  But other events, which are the most important religiously, are special to Bethlehem and in keeping with the traditions of the Holy Land. These consist of multiple services and processions led by many different Christian denominations, including Catholic, Protestant, Greek Orthodox, Ethiopian, Armenian and more. Most Christmas processions pass through Manger Square, the plaza outside the Basilica of the Nativity, which stands on the traditional site of Jesus' birth. Catholic services take place in St. Catherine's Church and Protestants often hold services at the Shepherds' Fields.  Bethlehem Christmas celebrations stretch for a long period, as different denominations celebrate Christmas on different days. Roman Catholics and Protestants celebrate Christmas on December 25; Greek, Syrian and other Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 6; and Armenian Christians celebrate Christmas on January 18.  [Source: Sacred-destinations]

Springtime of the Spirit

.

realize that Christmas is a pause.

The word is beautiful and the idea

behind it more beautiful.

Christmas is not just for children.

To believe that it is to believe that innocence

without knowledge is better than

understanding and faith and grace.

To be clever about Christmas

is to be profoundly stupid.

The early springtime of the spirit,

Christmas is renewal and joy.*

*from Vogue dec 1965, author unknown.
.

Merry Christmas

Do You See What I See?

Some random images of the season.














From top: 57th St. and Fifth Ave.; needlepoint nativity found on eBay; Apple store; polar bear(two views of same bear) in the window of Bergdorf Goodman. I love this guy, you can tell that he's a real people-bear. He looks like he's running for office and greeting folks on the campaign trail; Lladro figure and vintage gift box; Toys-R-Us--what's the opposite of uplifting?; snow covered statues at Columbus Circle.