Month: December 2017

Masatsugu

Masatsugu, ‘Carved Ivory Okimono Boar’, 19th Century, Signed, Japan

An Okimono may be a small Japanese carving, similar to, but larger than netsuke. Unlike netsuke which had a specific purpose, okimono were purely decorative and were displayed in the tokonoma, a small recessed display area in the house. An okimono can be made out of wood, ivory, ceramic or metal. They were normally not larger than a few centimetres and depicted all sorts of animals, mythological beasts, humans, gods, fruit, vegetables and objects, sometimes combined with each other, in all sorts of positions.

Masatsugu was the name of one of the most famous artist carvers in Osaka, Japan.

The Men in Black

The Men in Black

In popular culture and UFO conspiracy, men in black or MIB are supposed men dressed in black suits who claim to be government agents who harass or threaten witnesses to keep them quiet about what they have seen. It is sometimes implied that they may be aliens themselves.

The term is also frequently used to describe mysterious men working for unknown organizations, as well as various branches of government allegedly designed to protect secrets or perform other strange activities. The term is generic, used for any unusual, threatening or strangely behaved individual whose appearance on the scene can be linked in some fashion with a UFO sighting.

Folklorist  James R Lewis compares accounts of men in black with tales of people encountering the Devil and speculates that they can be considered a kind of “psychological drama”.

Palazzo Davia Bargellini

Palazzo Davia Bargellini, Bologna, italy

Construction of the palace was commissioned in 1638 by Camillo Bargellini of a Bolognese Senatorial family. The architect was Bartolomeo Provaglia, and building was directed byAntonio Uri. A notable feature of the palace entrance are the two flanking telamons, locally called giganti or giants. These were sculpted in 1658 by Gabriele Brunelli and francesco Agnesini.

Land of Oz

Photographer Unknown, Abandoned “Land of Oz” Theme Park, North Carolina

“Imagination has brought mankind through the Dark Ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams – day dreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain-machinery whizzing – are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to create, to invent, and therefore to foster civilization.”

― L. Frank Baum, The Lost Princess of Oz