[ By Steph in Urban & Street Art. ]

Just looking at these optical illusions by conceptual artist Philippe Ramette might give you a bit of vertigo. Without the use of Photoshop or any other image manipulation, Ramette seems to shift the perspective of the earth, turning it sideways or upside down. In his photos, Ramette dangles from cliffs, walks up stone walls and stands on balconies that jut out, improbably, from the surface of the sea.

But as the artist himself points out, if you look closely, you will see signs that all is not as it appears. “You see a tension in my hands, my red face is far from serene as the blood rushes to it, my suit is ruffled.” Ramette explores themes of gravity and man’s relationship to the landscape in his works, turning the earth into a strange playground where virtually anything is possible.

Of course, it’s more fun to simply enjoy the images and not worry about how they were created, marveling instead at the way they shift us off balance, looking at the world in a new way. But if you just can’t stand not knowing how it’s done, read on.

The perspective of these photos is chosen very carefully for reasons other than aesthetics: the angle must hide Ramette’s metal supports, which he calls “sculpture-structures.” Attached to the surface upon which he appears to stand are bars, seats or metal rings hidden by his suit.

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[ By Steph in Urban & Street Art. ]

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(Via WebUrbanist)

Driving Around With a Tied-Up Naked Woman is Apparently a Crime Even If She Agrees to Do It:

 

Of course, nothing this interesting ever happens when I'm shopping at this New Seasons. But earlier today, cops report, a bunch of shoppers at the store up on North Interstate got an eyeful when a naked lady was spotted tied up—with her mouth duct-taped shut—in the back of a Subaru pulling out of the store's parking lot.

WTF, you might ask? No worries. It was just a couple of goo-goo-eyed lovebirds playing a harmless lover's game. You know. Valentine's Day and shit. And maybe Jackass.

But that didn't stop the law from sending out the cavalry just in case.

 

Today, Tuesday February 14, 2012, at 12:35 p.m., Portland Police officers from North Precinct responded to the New Seasons Market on North Interstate Avenue after the report of a vehicle seen leaving the parking lot with a naked female tied up in the back with duct tape over her mouth.

 

Officers flooded the area to look for the car, described as a blue Subaru Legacy. Washington law enforcement was also alerted to the vehicle description in case the car got onto I-5 North.

A witness told officers that the driver of the car was a white male in his 20s, with a goatee and sunglasses and that the female "seemed hazy." The witness told police that the male stated they "were just having some fun."

The witness provided the license plate to police and officers checked the registered owner's address, which is in the 4300 block of Northeast 11th Avenue. Not finding the vehicle there but learning that the registered owner does live there and does drive a blue Subaru Legacy, officers continued to check the area, concerned for the welfare of the bound and naked female.

At 12:56 p.m., the vehicle was spotted by an officer returning to the registered owner's address. An officer made contact with a male walking away from the car and noticed a bound and naked female in the back of the car.

The male, 31-year-old Nikolas Alexander Harbar, told officers that he and his girlfriend, 26-year-old Stephanie Morgan Pelzner, were doing some Valentine's Day role playing. Officers confirmed the information with Pelzner and that she was voluntarily bound and nude in the back of the Subaru.

At least nine Portland Police cars were tied up for approximately 20 minutes searching for the vehicle related to this call.

Was there a happy ending? Not quite. Because letting everyone go with a warning would have been the equivalent of legal blue balls, Harbar and Pelzer were booked into county jail on a pair of disorderly conduct charges.

Bullshit? TO THE POLLS!

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

 

(Via Blogtown, PDX, Portland Mercury)

What is there to report? Plenty, of course. Davy is sick for the first time in any real way - lethargic, cranky, etc. We just had the 1 year anniversary of our referral which means we're days away from the 7 month mark of bringing her home.

Davy is still great, but has also become a toddler meaning emotions run high around our house.

I added a new continent to my roster this year - Africa. Have, of course, been expecting this to happen, but it was still both great and amazing for it to happen not only once, but twice. For those who don't know the back story, we have been in the process of adopting a baby from Ethiopia for the past 18 months or so. In January of this year, we were finally matched with a beautiful little girl (that story is really told best here). That began the nearly 6 month long breath holding process of waiting for an Ethiopian court date (first trip) then US Embassy date (second trip) which would lead to us eventually bringing her home. That has finally happened and July 2nd, we arrived back in Portland with Davy Beach, our 7.5 month old daughter.
As part of this whole process, we basically spent a month in Ethiopia. We were there for 15 days for our first trip - partially for the court trip and to meet Davy for the first time, then spending a week road tripping around the country seeing what it was like. We were then there for 12 days for our second trip to take custody and have the Embassy appointment. We didn't get to see very much on the second trip, but the first more than made up for that, as we wound up traveling around about 3500 km over the course of the trip.
As with any trip like this, its tough to sum it up - especially one as important to us as this. Suffice it to say we were blown away by what we saw. It was wonderful to see such a different scenery, to meet a gracious, welcoming people, to witness such an ancient culture in person. We loved the places we saw, the food we ate, and the people we met during our travels. And this sentiment is compounded by the fact that we will now forever be tied to region by our child. We want her to understand where she is from and as part of that process we needed to see at least some of it ourselves. You cant "know a place" in such a short period of time, but even the brief glimpse gave us a lot of perspective we hope to someday share. And, of course, we'll someday return there with her to see it (if she wants) but until then, she'll experience her first home through the stories, photos, and things we brought home with us. To see more of the photos from our trip, check out my Flickr account or the albums on facebook.

It deflects spin, propaganda, P.R., B.S., press agents, publicity seekers, hearsay, unnamed sources, and anyone with a hidden agenda.

Skepticism is that little voice that tells you you’ll never be a millionaire with little or no money down.

Skepticism is that sneaking suspicion that all aspirin are alike.

Skepticism is a quality shared by truth seekers, freethinkers, and realists.

Skepticism demands that proof and facts be unsanitized, uncensored, and unembellished.

Skepticism makes the world accountable.

SKEPTICISM IS A VIRTUE.

Lisa and I have been married 10 years this weekend. We decided to take a roadtrip up to Seattle (to see an exhibit at the Seattle Museum of Art) and then on to Vancouver, B.C.
It's been a lovely weekend and a damn fine decade.
Love sweat pea!