Must Have: The Perfect Spot For A Halloween Party

I've never made a secret of the fact that I am not one of those Halloween Queens. It's not a holiday, I particularly enjoy, but, whilst surfing this here web thingy I stumbled upon the perfect place for Halloween Balls.

Balls. Hee hee.

The Castle Mesen, or, as locals call it, Kasteel van Mesen, in Lede, Belgium. Sure, that's quite a hike for a soiree but, judging by the pictures, you may not need that return flight.

The Castle Mesen has quite the history. It was destroyed and rebuilt several times, and the current building dates to around 1628; almost 500 years ago. It was, originally, a major stronghold, though it ceased to be a royal house after 1796.  Since then it has been everything from a gin distillery--Hello Maddie!--to a sugar and potash refinery, tobacco factory and, finally, a boarding school.

Lots of history in those halls, and , judging from its past, not all so rosy.

After the First World War the castle became a school for girls, with tough classes and rigorous discipline exercised in a strict Victorian manner.  The 150 pupils were reportedly allowed one visit per month and could only return home for one month of the year.  The youngest girls were just 5-years-old.

The school was financed by the Belgian aristocracy and days began early, with Mass at 7 in the morning. On top of their academic lessons, the girls received a thorough grounding in society’s highest standards, from impeccable etiquette to managing employees and being able to perform housework expertly. The process took 13 years to complete, with girls of 5-years-olds eventually leaving the school as 18-year-old ambassadors of high society.

Again, Hello Maddie. This could, with a little scrubbing and some fresh paint, become Mistress Maddie's Home For Grande Dames, no?

Once the Ministry of Defence took possession of the castle, which left it to rot for decades while the cost of restoration spiralled to the point that it was considered uneconomical. The powers that be refused to list the castle as a historic monument and so it sits........

Ready for its close-up.

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Miscellaneous Mittsy

That's Our Nikki: She Doesn’t Care About The Poor, The Elderly and The Disabled

Nikki Haley so wants to be like Mitt that she has made it clear that she will not expand Medicaid, thereby punishing the poor, the elderly and the disabled of South Carolina.

She says: “South Carolina will NOT expand Medicaid, or participate in any health exchanges. We will not support Pres. Obama’s tax increase or job killing agenda. I WILL do everything I can to get Mitt Romney elected and work to strengthen our Senate so that we can repeal this unAmerican policy aimed at moving our country in the wrong direction.”

So, Haley, like a good GOP lapdog, wants to snub President Obama. That's nothing new; Nikki is one of the lead Goosesteppers in The Party Of No, but the people of South Carolina, especially the poor, elderly and disabled, ought to know what she means by that.

By not expanding Medicaid, some people will be left to die.

According to a new study published in the New England Journal of medicine, residents of states that expand coverage will probably live longer, be healthier and have better access to medical care: 

'Medicaid expansions were associated with a significant reduction in adjusted all-cause mortality....Mortality reductions were greatest among older adults, nonwhites, and residents of poorer counties. Expansions increased Medicaid coverage....decreased rates of uninsurance....decreased rates of delayed care because of costs....and increased rates of self-reported health status of “excellent” or “very good”.'

So, you go, Nikki. Get Romney elected and let the people of South Carolina suffer, and perhaps, die for it.

How transparent can you get?

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Architect Wednesday: Maison de Bromont

So, while I am visiting Dad in Washington, and literally a stone's throw from Canada--seriously, I threw a rock and hit a Canadian, and he said, 'Big stone, eh?'--I thought I'd pick a Canadian house for this week's architectural love.
This house, located near Bromont, Québec, is on six acres, and completely surrounded by woods, in a natural clearing atop a rocky outcrop. The site offers beautiful views of the forest and, in winter, when the leaves have fallen, the Appalachian Mountains are visible in the distance.
The architect deigned the house into 2 volumes, a day block and a night block.
The day block is a U-shaped volume set on a plateau at the top of the outcrop. It houses the shared living spaces, including the kitchen, the dining room, the living room and a reading nook, which is tucked behind the fireplace. The facades on the outside of this U-shape are clad in natural stone and pierced by openings that frame prime views. Floor to ceiling windows line the inside of the U and define a sheltered inner courtyard.
The night block, which includes the master bedroom, consists of a 2-storey stone block that extends over the slope. Here, too, openings have been oriented and sized as a function of the vistas and the sun’s path. A generous window wraps around the southeast corner, for instance, to afford a stunning diagonal view over the woods.
These 2 volumes are connected by a veranda and a fully glazed passageway.
A large roof with an exposed timber frame of Douglas fir covers the entire house. Inside, the sense of a single volume is reinforced by the open space beneath the ceiling, with no partition extending to full height. Rooms that require privacy, like the bathroom in the day block, are capped by low ceilings that set them off as cubes within the space. The bathroom wall, which faces the inner courtyard, is a pivoting screen of frosted glass and steel. This feature ensures the optimal use of natural light and reinforces the notion of a fluid relationship between the spaces.
The inside/outside boundary is blurred in various ways. Openings allow sight lines that cross through the building. Structural elements like the wood roof, stone walls and galvanized steel columns pass unchanged from the interior to the exterior. Large sliding glass panels ensure an easy flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. Depending on conditions, one can even move from one area of the house to another via the outdoors. Outdoor spaces are also embraced by the design of the house, creating the impression of an outdoor room.
The inner courtyard, with its floor-to-ceiling windows and cloister-like colonnade of steel posts, serves as an outdoor room in summer. On 3 sides, glazed walls open to make the courtyard an extension of the living areas. A wooden terrace is laid out in this space, while the forest around the home has been left in its natural state.
The veranda is the space between the day block and the night block. It is protected by the roof, which bridges the two sections. Its sheltered dining area provides a beautiful view of the woods and is oriented east to benefit from the morning sun. The veranda has a glazed corridor that creates a feeling of being outdoors, even in winter, when going from the day block to the night block. Awareness of the natural environment is always a part of life inside this home.
Window and door openings are positioned and sized as a function of the viewer’s position and the landscape elements they frame. Because the house turns in on itself, several sight lines cross through the structure, looking inward at other areas of the home and outside at the same time.
Any season, any block, it's all beautiful.

by Paul Bernier, Architect, via HomeDSGN

Must Have Car: 1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Cabriolet

from the Coolist*:
In a world of plastic cars with hybrid heartbeats, the joy of driving is a dying art.  
This 1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III “Vutotal” Cabriolet by Labourdette recalls an era when driving was always an artful experience.  Yet this is not your standard Rolls Royce Phantom III, this is the result of a complete rebuild by the Parisian designer Henri Labourdette. 
Labourdette tore the Phantom III down to the bones, adorning its body with gold plating and brass fixtures on a shape that stretched sensually from bumper to bumper.  The “vutotal” term comes from that heavy slice of glass that rests above the instrument panel, a sharply-squared windshield that sits in a welcome contrast to the curves below.
Must.Have.

Will The Haters Ever Learn?

Poor Chick-Fil-Antigay.

See, once you admit to donating your customer’s money to homophobia and bigotry and intolerance, well, people start to think maybe you aren’t so nice.

Go figure.

The fast food company's perception with fast food eaters nationwide has taken a significant hit in most regions of the US, including the South where most of its restaurants are located, since president and COO Dan Cathy made his ‘we like everybody but we don’t want equality for The Gays’ remarks a couple of weeks ago.

Now, in the Midwest, sadly, right after Cathy spoke, Chick-Fil-Antigay's perception jumped up for a week, though it has since returned to where it was before the bigot spoke. But, as the controversy grows, and mayors of major cities, like Boston and Chicago, and politicians, like Nancy Pelosi, speak out about the company, Chick-fil-Antigay’s overall consumer brand health with fast food eaters has dropped to its lowest levels since mid-August 2010. And it also marks the first time Chick-Fil-Antigay has sunk below the fast food consumer perception average of the top QSR restaurant chains.

Let’s review: on July 16^th the day the Baptist Press published its Dan Cathy interview, Chick-Fil-Antigay's Index score was 65—about 19 points above the average score that day of 46. But, just four days later, Chick-Fil-Antigay had fallen to 47 score, three points below the average score that day of 50. Last week, Chick-Fil-Antigay had a 39 score compared to the average score of 43.

Just goes to show you that homophobia, while it is covered under Free Speech, isn’t really good business.

Too bad Dan Cathy didn’t know that before he opened his yap.

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Mississippi: It's 1963 All Over Again

I've had one of those nasty summer colds for the past few days and, for me, the only way to feel better is to get some sleep. So, to that end, I have been dosing myself with Nyquil--which tops the cough and the stuffiness--and sleeping like a baby. The only side effect for me is the odd dreams I have in a Nyquil-induced stupor.

Take last night's dream, for instance. I dreamt there was a Black president! Can you believe that? And it was 2012! That's some crazy shiz. Luckily, when I woke up, everything was back to normal and it was 1963 again, which makes this story seem, well, still bad, but not out of 'normal,' for the South....in the 60s

There was a couple in Jackson, Mississippi, who had planned a wedding; it was the biggest day of their lives and they wanted everything to be perfect. But, the church where they wanted to hold their ceremony turned them away because they're Black.

Well, duh. It's 1963, dontcha know. I mean, at least it must be in Mississippi.

Charles and Te'Andrea Wilson fell in love, he proposed, and they set a date. They found a church--the predominantly white First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs--bought a dress, rented a tux, sent out some invitations, and were all set to go, until the day before the wedding the pastor of the church, Dr. Stan Weatherford, told the couple he'd gotten some bad news from the congregation.

Charles Wilson: "The church congregation had decided no black could be married at that church, and that if [Weatherford] went on to marry her, then they would vote him out the church." 

How Christ-like. No black people can marry in the church, and if the pastor dares to break that rule he's out of a job. What is even nuttier is that Charles and Te'Andrea often attend services at this church, though they are not members.

Dr. Weatherford was stunned by the announcement from, what he calls, a small minority against the black marriage at the church: "This had never been done before here, so it was setting a new precedent, and there are those who reacted to that because of that."

He went on to perform the wedding at a nearby church.

For their part, Charles and Te'Andrea don't understand why the church suddenly turned them down and wonder about the “Christianity” of the congregation: "I blame the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs, I blame those members who knew and call themselves Christians and didn't stand up," said Charles Wilson.

Church officials are now saying they welcome any race into their congregation and will hold internal meetings on how to move forward, should this situation occur again.

Here's how that goes down: you believe in God, God isn't racist, perform the damned wedding.

Don't make me think this is 1963 again.

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Must Have: A Colorful Vacation Spot .... But First ....

A Programming Note:

After taking the trip up to Washington DC last week to participate in the Keep The Promise March on Washington, now I am headed to that other Washington--in the PNW, The Dog's Mother's neck of the woods--to participate, along with my brother and sister, in celebrating my father's birthday in Sumas. It may not be as vibrant as these spots, but time with my wackadoo family--and I mean that with love--it's bound to be quite colorful

So, while I'm away, play nice, and enjoyed some pre-planned stuff. New posts will appear sometime next Monday.

Now we resume our scheduled blogging, a Must Have, Colorful Vacation spot.....

Riomaggiore, Italy

The eye often wearies of red brick, gray steel and beige stone. For this, the solution is house paint. When an entire neighborhood assumes the colors of the rainbow, even the front gardens pale in comparison. Throughout the world, there are ten particularly stunning towns that resemble freshly opened packages of crayons – offering a respite from our dismal urban surroundings and reminding us that our personal environments need not be so bland.

Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles

Developed in the mid 17th century, the stunning Dutch-inspired colonial architecture of the capital of the Netherlands Antilles reflects all the colors of a tropical ambiance.

La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The most colorful barrio of Argentina's capital, La Boca is a neighborhood settled by Italian immigrants and modeled after the seaside city of Genoa; its architecture, therefore, is strongly European.

Wroclaw, Poland

Wroclaw, located in the south-west, is Poland's most charming city. The town square dates back to the 12th century, and its 14th century brick Gothic architecture is particularly inspiring. Like most of the country, it has a strong Roman Catholic affiliation. Thus, cathedrals of celebratory hues line the streets.

Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

When a town is situated on an island in the icy white Arctic, a little color is much appreciated. The brightly painted homes of Longyearbyen are illuminated by a backdrop of snow-dotted imposing mountains. For an archipelago hostile to the growth of flowers and trees, a colorful town reminds visitors that life still thrives.

Nyhavn, Copenhagen, Denmark

This 17th century waterfront is situated on a picturesque canal; wooden ships sleeping lazily on its gentle waves.

Guanajuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Founded in 1554, Guanajuato is a small city with a wealth of Spanish colonial architecture. Translated, its name means “Hill of Frogs,” because frog is the Mexican symbol of wisdom, but the green buildings inject a more obvious meaning.

Lima, Peru

Unlike many of the tourist-driven towns on this list, Lima is very much a working city. Unique in its mixture of poverty, native and imported cultures and varied development, Lima is especially noted for its different architectural styles. Spanish baroque, French neoclassicism and art nouveau buildings make the city an arena of colors and art.

Bryggen, Bergen, Norway

The Bergen waterfront, which locals call Bryggen, meaning wharf or quay, dates back 900 years to the Middle Ages. During this time, Bryggen in Bergen was a thriving port for international trade. Today, the parallel wooden buildings lining the harbor are popular restaurants located adjacent to a fish market.

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Though not multicolored, Jaipur explore shades of pink. Nicknamed the “pink city,” Jaipur, the capital city of the desert state of Rajasthan, features architecture of pink sandstone – from grand structures and forts to tiny markets. The town looks even more surreal with elephants, camels and cows strolling past the pink buildings.

Painting a building a vivid color contributes greatly to the beautification of a town. A colorful facade has the power to turn an ordinary town into one bucolic and charming. If not quite ready to throw a bucket of purple paint on your home, visit these pretty towns and brave seeing the world in brighter color.

via Environmental Graffiti

That's Our Nikki: She Has One Of Her Friends Give Her Daughter A State job

Our beloved [?] Guv’nah, the dishonorable Nikki Haley has seen to it that at least one South Carolinian has gotten a job in these tough economic times.

Her 14-year-old daughter is working in the State House gift shop, which is run by the S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, a state agency whose director, Duane Parrish, is appointed by Haley.

She appoints a man who hires her children.

That’s our Nikki, working for all of South Carolina, starting first with her friends and family.

Parks, Recreation and Tourism officials have referred all questions by South Carolina newspaper, The State, about the teen’s job, including whether or not it was in the agency’s budget, to the governor’s office, but, not so surprisingly, Nikki Haley isn’t talking about it.

Instead, her office is chastising the newspaper for even asking the question: “The State newspaper ... should be ashamed for printing details of a 14 year old’s life and whereabouts, against the wishes of her parents and the request of the chief of SLED, who is ultimately responsible for her security. We have nothing more to say.”

Foot stomp. Head snap.

But then, because even her own party wondered WTF she was doing, Nikki pulled a Mittsy and did The Step back, giving some of the information requested; although she didn’t speak to The State, she gave her tidbits of uselessness to The Post and Courier of Charleston

Haley’s spokesbot, Rob Godfrey, told the paper that Haley’s daughter usually works 20 to 25 hours a week and is paid $8 an hour, the same as all entry-level workers at the gift shop. He also said the hours of other gift shop workers were not cut to accommodate the daughter’s position.

A Parks, Recreation and Tourism spokesman says that Haley’s daughter is one of seven to 12 workers who clean and stock shelves, and admits that the job was never advertised, calling that standard procedure for seasonal positions.

How do you hire folks unless you advertise the availability of a position? Or, do you just send a list to Nikki and she finds someone she knows to fill the space?

Haley’s office has not responded to questions about nepotism.

State law prohibits public officials from causing the employment of a family member to a position they supervise or manage, but, and here’s the glitch, while Haley does not supervise the gift shop, she does supervises the agency that operates it.

Dick Harpootlian, chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party says the issue isn’t about the daughter it’s about Nikki’s continued lack of judgment and being a complete moron.

Okay, maybe that last bit was just me.

Harpootlian said: “You don’t use your position to get your daughter a job. It’s not about the daughter. It’s about lack of judgment by the governor [and the] appearance of impropriety doesn’t seem to bother the governor.”

Of course not, because she doesn’t believe in accountability. Or transparency.

And yet, in South Carolina—where we are blessed with the nation’s fourth-highest unemployment rate and a governor who boasts of cutting state spending—Nikki’s hiring of her own daughter does raise questions of favoritism.

And, when, during an impromptu press conference last week, Robert Kittle, a WSPA-TV reporter from Spartanburg, asked Haley about her daughter working at the gift shop, and she snapped back, “Y’all are not allowed to talk about my children.”

But Kittle pressed on, asking Haley if the story really wasn’t about nepotism and she snapped, again: “None of that is true,” Nikki whined. “That’s what makes me angry. Not only is this a story about my daughter, it’s a story that is based on false facts and none of that is true. Do not attack my children. Do not even talk about my children.”

Kittle said the issue wasn’t about the daughter but about what Nikki had done.

 “I’m not going to talk about it anymore,” Haley said. “My children are off limits.”

Unless they need a job, apparently, but….

That’s our Nikki!

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A Mass Exodus Over The Firing Of Gay Scout Member

Although I was born in Mississippi, we left when I was about six months old, and I grew up in Sacramento, California, so I feel a strong bond with my home town, which makes this story all the more special.

This week, responding to the continued homophobia, discrimination, and bigotry of the Boy Scouts of America [BSA], 10 members of a Sacramento area summer camp staff walked out after Tim Griffin, a gay staff member, was fired.

Naturally, the BSA is denying that Griffin was fired for being gay. Their “official” story is that he was let go because he failed to heed repeated requests to dress appropriately for camp.

Oh, Tim had painted his fingernails and wore an earring.

How, um, gay?

But one Senior official also said there were complaints about his mannerisms and behavior.

You know, gay mannerisms, I guess.

Griffin, a 22-year-old Eagle Scout, believes he was fired for being gay: "I definitely think that the reaffirmation of the anti-gay policy played a role in my termination."

But his wasn’t the only vacancy at camp. After that week’s campers left, 10 members of the 30 member staff resigned in support of Griffin. And, while decision to fire Griffin came from the Golden Empire Council—program director, Glen Goddard said, "What it came down to was his failure to comply with management regarding a uniform issue. We gave him plenty of warnings"—those fellow staffers all say Griffin was fired simply because he was gay.

"It was absolutely about his sexual orientation, no question about it," said Graham Littlejohn, an Eagle Scout and the third-ranking staff member at camp until he joined Saturday's walkout.

Griffin is considering his legal options, but he may not find any help in California's anti-discrimination statutes because a 2000 U.S. Supreme Court decision found that the BSA was able to successfully argue that their anti-gay stance is an essential part of the membership; the BSA also bans atheists and agnostics.

Griffin said most people at the camp have known for years that he is gay, and it only became an issue this summer when an adult leader him aside to tell him he was being too gay.

Too gay. Oh, yeah. The nail polish, cuz nail polish is gay.

At first, Griffin said camp director Joel Adema had stood up for him, but over the summer Adema also asked him to stop wearing the nail polish. Right after that request, more than half the staff, male and female, joined Griffin in wearing nail polish in a display of solidarity.

But visiting adult leaders followed up with complaints to Sacramento-based Scouting leaders, and Scout Executive Jim Martin said the council received four separate complaints. The tension over the firing of Griffin–the longest tenured staff member–peaked at a Friday night campfire when the camp program director gave a speech ablaut tolerance. He resigned the following morning over Griffin’s firing.

Griffin admits that he knew when he first joined the Scouts that he was gay, and he knew of their anti-gay policies. But, he said, counselors at summer camp had a different message: “The thing that really kept me going was Camp Winton. It was full of enthusiastic role models … the staff taught me it was OK to be who I was."

It’s a shame that those in power at the BSA don’t get that message.

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