j'accuse | Category Archive

Last Kiss (snapshots)

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by jacques in Rubriques, Travel

On our first walkabout in NY still fresh from the transatlantic flight led us straight to the glimmering lights of Times Square at around four in the afternoon. The sun was out in all its splendour and the square was readying for an invasion of the “Beautiful Game” with many of the lit screens and panels illuminated with details of forthcoming matches and other details of the football festival. We walked gently to what we thought would be the central point of the square and then just stood back and took it all in. The long queues of crowds searching for the bargain Broadway tickets criss-crossed trigger happy tourists capturing this or that moment on SLRs.

A makeshift football stand had been set up in the middle of the square and when you climbed to the top you could absorb all the atmosphere around you from a bird’s eye view. Just before going up the temporary structure we came across a wedding photoshoot. Bride and groom in full wedding regalia were posing against the magnificent metropolitan backdrop when all of a sudden they were joined by an unusual character. A promoter of the Cage aux Folles spectacle had pranced onto the “stage” intent on getting his photo moment with the happy couple while promoting his spectacle. I caught two great shots of the next few moments and had been playing around with them with the new photoshopping program (Lightroom) when I came across this news item.

Apparently one of the two protagonists of an historic snapshot taken in Times Square on 14th August 1945 had just passed away. The photo snapped by Alfred Eisenstaed pictures a sailor embracing and kissing a lovely damsel right in the middle of New York’s most famous crossroads. Edith Shain, the damsel in question, passed away last Sunday aged 91. I found the similarities between my two treasured shots and the context of this historic photo curiously coincidental. Go figure.

The Original Photo

Promoter Walks On

Promises Promises

Edith Shain, 91, Dies; Claimed to Be Subject of Famous V-J Day Photo (nytimes.com)
Nurse in Famous WWII Times Square Kiss Photo Dies at 91 (laist.com)
Edith Shain, nurse from iconic Times Square kiss photo, dies at 91 (inquisitr.com)
Kissing Nurse: Edith Shain dies at age 91 (atomiurl.com)
Edith Shain, Nurse In Iconic VJ Kiss, Dies at 91 (cbsnews.com)

The Banana Republic

Posted on 24. Jun, 2010 by jacques in Notices, Travel

: Image via Wikipedia

Ten days (and a bit) out of action meant a good deal of recovery. By recovery I mean refocusing and redefining the perspectives. It helps to take a step back from the daily grind and there is no place like the US of A to hit you hard with the hammer of ginormous perspective. Heavy dinners, long long treks and an immersion into the hustle and bustle of the world’s great metropolis all served to recharge the J’accuse mental and physical batteries. Back on the island of milk, honey and power cuts we only had time to notice that MediaToday have a snazzy new portal for their main paper that promises to cut huge inroads on the Times monopoly of the online MSM fora. We like both the online version (well done Matthew) as well as the pay-per-view version of the paper from the stands. The theme for the next few months of summer posting will be “The Banana Republic” – viewed from a global, social networking scale and hopefully from outside the tiny box. Stuck (delayed) in JFK airport I browsed the bookstands at Barnes & Noble and I was sorely tempted to buy a copy of D.H. Lawrence’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” (screw the librarian and buy it now for 1.99)- if only to cook a snook at the imbecility I had left back at home. I opted not to – because some actions can be as useful as punching the wall when angry. Instead I bought an extremely engaging book called “Soccernomics” that has not let down my expectations until now. Yes we did visit an Apple store while in the Big Apple and I walked away without spending a penny. Discipline? Maybe. But I might be saving up for a bit of the iPhone OS4. I have not been brainwashed – only slightly readjusted the fulcrum of my mental perspectives. Which is why I cheered when Dempsey (of the 4-0 Fulham rout fame) scored the last minute goal for the US to pull through (ahead of the Old Enemy/Ally) and why I do believe there may be some truth in the American Dream.

Good night and good luck from j’accuse:thebananarepublic.

A packing manifesto: 10 essentials for men (theglobeandmail.com)
Layered Utilitarian Fashions – The Banana Republic Fall 2010 Collection is Stylishly Practical (GALLERY) (trendhunter.com)

Back

Posted on 23. Jun, 2010 by jacques in Notices, Travel

It’s not thanks to Delta Airlines but I’m back in Europe. Yes. Europe. There’s nothing better than a trip to the States to make “European” feel like more than a catchword. Where are you from? I’m European. That became my standard answer after giving up on explaining that Malta is not really that close to Papua New Guinea. (If you are wondering how it is that they know about Papua but not about Malta then join the club). I’m still sleeping off the jet lag after an extraordinarily long return trip (made long because we were “bumped” onto the next plane after some sorry excuse by the overbooking Delta guys – at least we got a first class upgrade for the hassle). “J’accuse – the banana republic” will be back by tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Hiatus

Posted on 10. Jun, 2010 by jacques in Arts, Travel

You’d have thought (like Chris) that J’accuse would be gearing up for the orgy of football over the coming month. We are. There is however something else that is distracting us from the main world event. We are off to NY city baby! Departure is 6am tomorrow Lux time and for the duration of our stay in the city that never speaks blogging will be rather sporadic. We will fly the Brasilian flag in any case and will try to keep in touch over twitter (jacqueszammit).

Be good. And be nice to each other.

Dear Long Weekend

Posted on 25. May, 2010 by jacques in Travel

J’accuse is anything but a personal diary but sometimes we do take a little snapshot of the j’accuse life out of a mere desire to experiment with the more conventional way of blogging (as well as an indirect justification
as to why j’accuse has not been so engaging over the weekend). In short it’s just been sunny, sunny, sunny.

Saturday was BXL day. A quick scappatella into the bowels of the city of stink. Walking along a sun drenched Place Stephanie and Avenue Louise we played a game of teaser window shopping. It’s NOT ok to only look – not for shopaholics like myself but I had to find a way of avoiding monetary dispensation since the NY trip is now only weeks away. A weird exhibition was to be found in a square bang in the middle of Avenue Louise. It represents all the things that have not been said… ever and is an itinerant Mexican exhibition that is also commemorating some jubilee anniversary of La Rivolucion!

Muted on Avenue Louise

Just after the muted giants we discovered the newly refurbished Toison d’Or shopping centre complete with Scotch & Soda and all the brands that make your shopping euros tingle. The pièce de resistance was the Desigual (yep, Desigual… we still love it on the ladies notwithstanding the recent bad publicity it might have got) store (ladies only for now but mens will be open in a few weeks time). Embargos on purchases were thrown out of the “It’s not the same” window and we walked out of there a couple of euros poorer (thank Haysus for the fidelity discount).

Back in LUX there were two splendid sunlit days to kill. Sunday began with the downer of no Brit papers delivered. Shock. Horror. Survival without the Independent would require some inventive creativity. No worries. Shorts, tee and sunroof open – one hour drive of pure greenery to the idyllic surroundings of Vianden and the piscine communale. The tanning began in earnest and with sundown a banquet fit for kings on the mosellan riviere (cote allemande) with a festival of spare ribs and scampi washed down with copious amounts of Riesling. Hot. Scrumptious. Relaxing.

Vianden, Piscine with view of Castle

Monday. Pentecost. Public holiday and all shops are firmly fermées. Which only leaves us with one thing to do. A second trip to the Vianden castle for a second coating of the by now Mediterranean tan (with the soleil des ardennes). Olive skinned and well coated we return to the Duchy in the evening for a terrrace mixed grill overlooking the Parc de Merl and its menagerie of singing volatids. Tuesday (aujourd’hui) is a day when we return back to work with the laid-back goodwill of a Mediterranean bon vivant. Even the Court of Justice can spare a smile….