Harm City Herald

Roman bust of Gaia, originally used as decoration for a vessel

1st century CE

Golly Gosh, She’s Hot - this is a rare 1930s European porcelain kinetic sculpture, which has a detachable left leg that can be used as a smoking pipe. The empty seat next to her would be where one placed the tobacco or herb of choice to pack into the pipe.

Astra Lumina

Abington Art Center, Jenkintown, Pennsylvania

"You mean you locked up a pack of curious, highly competitive persistence predators with NO enrichment in the enclosure? You FOOLS! If you had bothered to throw a basketball or half a box of Legos in there, KE-X9 would still be alive!

The guy's name is Joel Kaplan and he and his cellmate escaped via helicopter in 1971. The guards were busy with movie time!, and when they heard the chopper they thought it was an unannounced VIP visit so they scrambled to get into formation. They were so busy looking Official that Kaplan and his buddy just. Ran right past them. Whole thing took less than 2 minutes.

They got away with it because:

Kaplan owned the helicopter outright so no rental/leasing agency could claim improper use;

He and the pilot gave their real names when they crossed the border (idk if they didn't ask for anyone else's or...?);

Most importantly, it was a non-violent escape. Nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged.

Turns out that escaping prison is not, by itself, a crime in Mexico. "The person who tries to escape is seeking liberty . . . The basic desire for freedom is implicit inside everyone." Apparently a lot of countries hold that view. Felt some kinda ways, as an American, learning that.

Spiny Turtle (Heosemys spinosa), juvenile, family Geoemydidae, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, Singapore

ENDANGERED.

As the juvenile turtle ages, the point serration of the shell becomes less pointy and pronounced.

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry This easy pork and cabbage stir fry is a 25-minute dinner I make with thinly sliced marinated pork tenderloin, sweet and buttery Taiwanese flat cabbage, garlic, ginger, and a savory light and dark soy sauce that ties everything together. I know you’ll be surprised by how something so simple can be so satisfying!

Smithsonian Folklife Festival, National Mall, Washington, DC, 2002.

In a spirit of anger at what could have been, I am posting a view of an enormously popular event on the National Mall. Beginning at about the time of the 1976 Bicentennial, the Smithsonian staged annual Folklife Festivals on the Mall. Usually each year those featured several US states and territories along with countries from some other part of the world. With arts and crafts demonstrations, music and dance, and regional foods, the events were crowded with summer, or sometimes early autumn, visitors enjoying the Festival and the Mall itself. If I remember correctly the foreign area in 2002 was South Asia with a focus on Pakistan. The 2002 Festival, and the ones which preceded and followed it, proved the Smithsonian staff genius organizers and presenters of folklife events. What that staff could have done with the 250th anniversary focus, the state fair theme and the budget the current tawdry event has burned through is amazing to contemplate - exhibits to enthrall and long lines for fascinating foods being enjoyed by elbow to elbow crowds. The National Mall could be crawling with people honoring the 250 year history of the US as they learned a bit about the variety of the country and enjoyed its products and folklife. Instead there is an almost deserted "fairgrounds," and the only notable event/exhibit is a cheap above ground swimming pool being used, or so I am told. for "born again" baptisms by some hate-mongering religious cult.