Saturday, August 10, 2024

A Mystery With Hair


Here are a couple of random images from that box of slides I just purchased. As you know from my earlier posts, most of the box contained slides taken by a photographer named Joan Tubbs. Her slides are almost all carefully labeled and dated, and many bear her name or a mark of some organizing system she used -- a letter or a colored dot.

These slides, though, have no such markings and they don't look like the others. So I'm not sure these are Joan's. They could have just been in the box.

That one above is clearly some kind of abstraction featuring pink lights and human hair. I would think it was just an accident, except that there are also two similar slides with green lights. Maybe someone was taking photos through their hair? Very strange.


I also have 24 exposures of this event, whatever it is. They could be Joan's, but they're from 1972 and most of Joan's slides from that time period have labeling. These say nothing, and unlike most of Joan's pictures, they're not very well-done. The vintage cars are all blurry and/or too far away, though I kind of like the shot above because of the ghostly faces of all the people on the bus whizzing past. If I had to guess, I'd say someone else took these.

Photographic mysteries!

I spent most of yesterday in the garden, reading. I am within striking distance of the end of "The Woman Who Lost Her Soul," which I consider a major achievement. I swear I'm going to make a martini when I finish this book, even if it's 9 a.m. It did get much better after I complained about it, when the action switched from Haiti and jumped back in time to Croatia and Turkey. But now, near the end, we're back in Haiti and I'm finding it a bit of a struggle once again. The overall theme is man's inhumanity to man, I suppose, as well as the nefarious tentacles of United States government policy and how they extend into the lives of people all around the globe.

Speaking of government, it cracks me up that the Republicans, who have spent years criticizing Joe Biden and bedeviling him about his age and supposed "dementia," have suddenly become his greatest defenders, talking about how Harris and a shadowy cabal of party leadership usurped Biden's opportunity to run for a second term. A "coup," they're calling it. Oh, waah-waah. They're children, angry because they were prepared for Biden and now they face a whole new opponent with different energy and more enthusiastic backing.

And this whole "stolen valor" thing regarding Walz's military record? A manufactured scandal. A tempest in a teacup. Considering Donald Trump's gymnastic gyrations to keep himself out of the military, Republicans have no room to talk.

(I've noticed that while Dave is away I am much more likely to engage with politics on my blog. This must be because he's not here and we can't vent to each other!)

Apparently we're due to get a little heat wave here in the UK tomorrow and Monday, thanks to...wait for it...Tropical Storm Debby! She is truly the gift that keeps on giving. Having wreaked havoc in the USA, her remnants are now crawling across the Atlantic and affecting the Jet Stream, giving us rain and temperatures that could hit 90º F (32º C) or thereabouts. Fun!

52 comments:

  1. London to Brighton vintage and veteran run for the slide with the car?

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  2. No idea about the slides. I hope Tropical Debby runs out of steam before she gets to your shores.

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  3. Yes, I thought it might be the London to Brighton veteran car run.
    I was worried about our blog pals in Florida and S. Carolina when Debby was over there.....never thought I would have to worry about her here !! I don't cope very well with too much heat.

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    1. I know -- I never expected her to disrupt our weather, especially since she was a rather minor tropical storm (in terms of wind speed).

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  4. The nefarious testicles of United States government policy have never touched me! As for the photo experiment at the top of the blogpost, why not try to replicate it yourself?

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    1. I bet they've touched you in ways you've never imagined. :D

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  5. YP beat me to it. I was going to suggest you use a camera for similar hair shots.
    I like it when you talk politics to me.
    32? You'll die. Actually 32 in London is like 44 in Melbourne.

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    1. Even when I had hair, I didn't have THAT much hair!

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  6. So strange to think of Debbie making it to your shores. There’s something interesting about the bus and vintage car image. The hair and lights is somehow creepy (the hair part, for me). I find myself obsessed with American politics again. And, yes, Republicans’ current mental gyrations are even more absurd.

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    1. I know, the hair is a little gross, but it was such a strange image that I had to have it scanned. I think someone was experimenting. If they'd been shooting digitally it would be easier to understand, but they were using valuable film!

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  7. Debby certainly stayed around our house longer than we expected, but luckily all we got was the rain.

    I, too, get annoyed at the GOP going after Tim Walz when their guy avoided service at all because his feet hurt.

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    1. It's really inexplicable, this tendency to forgive Trump all his misdeeds but hammer his opponents for every little (invented) thing.

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  8. I'm voting for London to Brighton, too. I think the pink blob slide is an accident turned to good use.

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    1. Yeah, I think you're both right on the London-to-Brighton guess!

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  9. Yesterday as I was driving on a back country road, I saw a campaign sign for Dole/Kemp. I cannot remember when they were the Republican ticket, but I think it was running against Clinton. I was going to look it up when I got home, but I forgot. When I saw that campaign sign, my mind drifted back to the "old" Republican party. A party where I usually didn't agree, but I had no fear or repulsion if they won an election. My how times have changed. One of my Facebook "friends" posted something about Walz and how he was deplorable for lying about his military service. When I saw that I started to look at it and realized she was just going by what Shad-y Vance was saying. I watched the comments flow in from her post agreeing with her, etc. I got discouraged. The day after, I checked to post again, and saw the comments shift to basically saying that Walz was indeed an honorable veteran, and also discussing how opportunistic Vance was. She eventually took the post down. There's hope that maybe things are finally moving away from the orange menace! Sorry, didn't mean to write so much, but politics are beginning to fire me up!

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    1. Michael:
      I just happened to read your comment. 1996! Can you believe Dole/Kemp was nearly 30 years ago?!?

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    2. Michael-- How funny to see a Dole/Kemp sign after all these years. Dole was the nominee when Clinton won his second term. I'm originally from Kansas and met Bob Dole a couple of times. He was very nice and quick witted with compliments to me and my daughter, which I ate up and loved. I also enjoy it when someone shares a lie on FB and people step in with the truth.

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    3. It's amazing there's still a Dole/Kemp sign out there! Maybe that's a statement of allegiance to old-style Republicans, as opposed to the newer breed. I think Newt Gingrich did a lot to change the "climate" of the Republican party. That guy was (is) a nightmare.

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    4. Thanks for letting me know when he was running for president. Yes, I think Newt Gingrich did a lot of damage. As did Nixon.

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  10. Here I sit, looking at the downed branches in my yard that Debby left behind and it's so odd to think that now it is going to affect you almost exactly a week after she visited here.
    All is one.
    Finding anything to criticize about Walz seems like a fool's errand. The man seems like the nicest man in the world and everything new I read makes me love him more.

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    1. It just goes to show that people who are pre-disposed to believe something will believe it, no matter how unlikely or outlandish it is.

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  11. DonOLD and his campaign is desperate, desperately looking for anything to derail Harris/Walz. and where it might have worked in 2016, people are tired of the constant lies and projection, of Trump's constant grievances. He's a one trick pony. did they really think this attempt at swiftboating Walz would work especially comparing his 24 years of honorable service to Vance's 4 and Trump's lies to get out of serving at all?

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    1. I certainly HOPE the Swiftboating thing doesn't work. It was effective once! But then again, Kerry wasn't the most likable candidate. I don't understand how they turn a blind eye to Trump's many malfeasances.

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  12. "Oh, waah-waah" ... Steve, that sums up the MAGAs and the Orange Lump!
    Harris/Walz has everyone excited about this election, even some of the Republicans who are stating they will be voting for our ticket!

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    1. They ARE very whiny, aren't they?! I love the fact that the Democrats have such renewed vigor.

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  13. It seems really hard to make that "stolen valor" claim stick when Walz served for 24 years. Those folks seem desperate, but I'm still pretty worried about the election because of so much unrest about Gaza (which I share, but will still vote blue).

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    1. The latest polls I saw in the NYT have Kamala leading in Michigan, which is an Arab-American stronghold. So that's a good sign!

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  14. At least you and Dave can vent to each other. When does he get home? Has Olga been looking for him?

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    1. He gets home Monday morning. Olga looks at the front door now and then like she expects him to walk through it!

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  15. I don't know how I missed your bowls post yesterday but I love your bowls and those collections! I want one if you ever want to get rid of them!
    Once when my son was a toddler, he got hold of my camera at a family party. When we got the photos, there where some odd blurry ones of his head has he was leaning down to play with the buttons on the camera and that is what that hair photo reminds me of! And yes I saved that photo and wrote the story on the back, tho.
    I'm happy with Kamala and Tim and am glad the other side is imploding! ;)

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    1. Sometimes accidents make the best photos! Thanks for the compliment on the bowls. :)

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  16. Two interesting and totally different photos. My first thought on that first one is that it was an accident but if there are similar ones maybe it was an experiment. I do like the blurred people on the bus.
    I think the Republican campaign was totally unprepared for the switch in candidates. I would have thought a good political consultant would have seen that possibility coming. I love seeing the poles start to swing in another direction.

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    1. Yeah, the fact that there are three similar photos make it clear it's not an accident. Someone was trying to do something -- but maybe not quite THAT.

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  17. Debbie reaching England is astounding to me. We had rain with some wind the last few days and thankfully experienced no damage. Harris/Walz are taking things by storm and this has some in attack mode. Cheap shots are being thrown.

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    1. The Republicans just don't know what to do and I love it.

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  18. I was thinking the same thing about the Republicans re: Biden and Harris! They'll change their words to affect their mood/candidate/whatever. Running scared, perhaps? I won't relax till it's over, though. We're getting Debby remnants today -- 60 degrees, rain, wind. Not August weather!

    On another note, with you being so close to Swiss Cottage, maybe we can connect in October. I'll keep you posted!

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    1. Yes, I hope we can connect! That would be great!

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  19. I love the faces on the bus! I'm glad you pointed that out. I didn't even notice it at first. One of the things I miss the most about the former boyfriend is talking politics with him.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. It definitely helps to have someone around of a similar political persuasion!

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  20. The hypocrisy an outright lying by the GOP continue to astound me. Yet people believe them! Argggh. I'm hoping their attempt to Swift Boat Walz doesn't get any traction. From a few comments I've read on social media, there are some believers in the propaganda. :( Stay cool!

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    1. There are always some believers. People who are predisposed to believe Trump will believe him, no matter how outlandish his claims.

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  21. Re the Walz issue. It's important to know that the people spreading the BS about him are being paid to do it. He served 24 years, he did NOT "abandon his troops", it takes 5 to 9 months for retirement papers to process. He wanted to run for Congress, he and his wife were trying to have a child via IVF and he wanted to be home for that, not deployed and put in his retirement papers so he could. One of the guys spreading the crap was passed over for the promotion to Command Sergeant Major for Walz, lot of sour grapes there. And the guy that took over for Walz after he retired had 10 months to prepare his soldiers for deployment, if there were casualties in Iraq they were on him , not Walz. And the fact that this crap is being spread by the campaign of Cadet Bone Spurs and Corporal Press release makes it all the more despicable.

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    1. Thanks for all the clarifications! From what I've read it seems like it's mostly one guy raising a stink.

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  22. Trump is completely crazy. He is confused about issues. He continually repeats things that are wrong. Where are the things that he is going to do for the country?

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    1. It's astonishing that anyone listens to him and thinks, "THAT's the man I want to vote for!"

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  23. I think Trump is beside himself trying to figure out how to run against this vibrant YOUNG woman and her cheerleader V.P. candidate. It seems to be driving him to distraction. It makes me happy as I read of her opening up a 4 to 6 point lead in states she'll need. I just hope it keeps on keepin' on.

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    1. I think he's beside himself too. He's terrified.

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  24. Ewwww 90 and Humid in Gt. Britain will not be comfortable. We're having record breaking Heat here in the Desert, but, it's typical, just Hotter every Year and so we try not to spontaneously combust. I'm enthused by the new Dem Ticket, so Positive and great Energy, Optimism and Hope. I hope it brings the Young Voters out in force, it's their Future to Inherit, and they deserve a brighter one. DonOld is Doom, Gloom, Negative Energy and Chaos, just a Big Grift Scam, he was not all there in his first Term, and just has devolved much further... he should FOAD already.

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    1. Yes, absolutely -- I hope young people turn out and vote as if their lives depend on it. Which they do!

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  25. I guess from my seat, I think nearly everything any politician says, left or right, is self serving and tailored to meet the situation at hand, even if it doesn't jive with their past narratives. As the saying goes, constituents have short memories.

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