• Old Photos: Soyuz – Apollo

    Yesterday marked 35 years (very old I am) from the launch of the Soviet-American joint space mission Souyz-Apollo.

    TIME cover 07-21-1975 "Space Spectacular" US-Soviet space Link-up. ©Time
    (L-R) American astronaut Deke Slayton and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov frolicking during US-Soviet Apollo Soyuz linkup.©Time
    US Astronaut Thomas Stafford (L) w. cosmonaut Alexei Leonov meeting in padded hatchway of the docking module that connects their spacecrafts (Apollo/Soyuz) during joint mission by US & Soviet Union.©Time
    Amer. astronauts Tom Stafford (R) & Donald "Deke" Slayton w. bottle of Russian vodka, aboard Apollo spacecraft orbiting Earth during 9-day joint US/USSR space mission.©Time
    Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov displaying sketch he made of American astronaut Tom Stafford whom he encountered during historic rendezvous and link up of Apollo and Soyuz spacecraft.©Time

    And now we dance: “We will leave our footprints on the dusty trails of far-away planets”

    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KM_rhyqE40

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  • Come Ride With Me, Lets Ride, Lets Ride Away

    Recently Shane wrote about his ride to work and how it makes him wish for the public transit system. I’ve been driving my everyday 20.5 miles (one way) for close to ten years now and while it’s not my favorite pastime I think a lot depends on the soundtrack you use for your drive. Since my hectic schedule and refusal to tolerate people other than me farting in my vehicle prevent me from sharing the ride, I grabbed my new camera so I can invite you for a few minutes of virtual carpooling on my morning drive to work.  See for yourself how easy and fun it is.

    (I placed the camera slightly lower than I should have, I will try better next time)

    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwLV-smsXZ4

    See Also: Adding the Benny Hill Theme to Anything Makes it Funny.

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  • Every Question I’ve Ever Been Asked About Russia…

    …is covered in this video.

    Russian and Ukrainian dancing, Siberia, drinking, cold, snow, vodka, Hammer and Sickle, Lenin, Stalin, balalaikas, dancing bears, tanks, ushanka-hats, and more.

    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p32JwYNMe9s

    If there is something else you wanted to know that is not covered in my groundbreaking Behind The Iron Curtain series, this would be a good time to ask. I might even cover your question in an upcoming post.

    On an unrelated note, I added a Google+1 button, just in case you feel like clicking on things.

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  • Super-Putin

    This seems to be old news, but the news doesn’t always travel fast; I thought it was a catchy tune and a funny video.

    httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rhg1Ngz7y4

    Putin The Superhero Banished From Ukrainian Airwaves.*
    “Vova”, commonly known as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, is a superhero according to Ukrainian band Dress Code, who have released a song devoted to the merits of the James Bond-defying, child-saving, universally adored Russian. Banned in Ukraine, the video is causing quite a stir.
    The band behind the controversial homage is certainly profiting from its prohibition. Since the song “And Vova Rules” was taken off air for “political reasons”, the illustrated music video has become a huge online hit in both Ukraine and Russia, where, incidentally, it was never shown on TV in the first place. Putin propaganda, a big joke, or a publicity stunt? Whatever it is, the video’s already been viewed over 350,000 times.
    The illustrations are pretty self-explanatory, but here are a few of the lyrics:
    “James Bond isn’t fit to shine his shoes. He’s a superman, he’s adored by the rich, by celebrities, by professors, by village folk and the West. He’ll always be there in your time of need. He’ll always protect you. If necessary he’ll whack bad guys, even in a toilet. Indeed, Vova rules, and, surely, he rules just the way it should be done.”

    * the part about being banned is likely B.S. that’s why I am linking to the source.

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  • Reliefs On The City Hall In Kansas City

    The City Hall was built in 1937, under the influence of Tom Pendergast (who owned a concrete company that built the city hall), the “political boss” of Kansas City at the time. It was built to “counter” the effects of the great depression on Kansas City, and was part of a series of other government buildings, which include the Jackson County Courthouse. Both buildings were designed by Wight and Wight.

    If you’ve ever squinted trying to see the reliefs on the City Hall building in Kansas City,MO you are not alone. So I thought I’d present to you some close-ups of all four sides of the building, brought to you by my lunch walks and short attention span. Some scenes I could interpret, probably incorrectly, other ones seemed more mysterious. If you know what they mean, fell free to comment.

    Major episodes in the city’s history are depicted in a frieze of 16 panels directly above the sixth story. Sculptures on the building’s exterior were done by C. P. Jennewein, Ulric H. Ellerhusen, and Walker Hancock.

    *it was sunny, I had to make photos a little darker to make detail more visible.

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