No question, the eyes have it—here’s to Bette (born one hundred years ago) and those enduringly penetrating gazes. Catch Kim Carnes’ memetic 1980s hit tune on YouTube here.

…and she’ll tease you

she’ll unease you

all the better just to please you

she’s precocious, and she knows

just what it takes to make a pro blush

all the boys think she’s a spy

she’s got Bette Davis eyes…

An endearing little message full of love and tenderness… (found here).

…in 1911, Orville Wright (watched anxiously by his older and heavier brother Wilbur) achieves the first powered flight.

Notably, neither had a pilot’s license…

Churchill, Manitoba

It’s that time of year again… and seasonal greetings are pouring in by the hour. This lovely photo of two Churchill polar bears is from good friend and client Mike Grandmaison, just back from a northern photo shoot. Quoting his e-card (and apropos to the season): “Sometimes I just don’t know whether I’m coming or going.” Cheers, Mike… and stay warm!

Basel, Switzerland

I’ve felt privileged to be able to once again spend this weekend “back home” in my childhood stomping grounds in and around Basel. En route from the Zurich airport I drove by Reinach (where I lived for 5 years, from age 7 through 12) and the neighboring village of Dornach (in Canton Solothurn), where I visited the Goethanum (world center for the anthroposophical movement) and the castellated remains of Dornach Ruine on the hill above (a destination I used to bike to Saturdays with childhood chums—also a family favorite for picnics). There I was greeted with an enchanting 30cm snow-dump, spectacular back-lit ice-fog, and the delight of locals digging out (just hearing Schweizerdeutsch brings back floods of memories).

Then, off to Basel, and several hours walking the familiar downtown streets—of course with the multi-sensory (and admittedly indulgent) delights of roasted chestnuts, Glühwein, alpine cheese, Bündnerfleisch, and the best (I swear) pretzels in the world. At 16:30 I met my younger brother Phil at the Historisches Museum on the Barfüsserplatz, then on to a Raclette dinner and evening reminiscences with bro’s brood in the wee village of Holzen (bei Kandern).

Sunday morning it was off to the medieval Black Forest city of Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany’s quintessential “Green” city) for a Stadtbummel with friend Silvie Engel (thanks for the superb tour, angel)—then a tasty organic dinner at a nearby village Straussi (a winery licensed to serve home-grown produce and meats).

Ah… Heimweh mitigated once again (48 hours can make a world of a difference), and back to the “new world” (replete with -40 degree windchill upon landing in the ‘Peg)… oh well, fine fun while it lasted.

Images: snow in Dorneck; sledding down to the Goethanum; the kinetic Tinguely sculpture outside the Basel Theater; angel-encrusted booths of the Christmas market in Basel’s Barfüsserplatz; the home of Basler Läckerli (drool); one of the city gates in Freiburg; outside ‘The Red Bear,’ purportedly Germany’s oldest Gasthof (since the year 1120).

I’m heading back to Europe for the next few days… and I suspect this “message on a T-shirt” will once again ring all too true…

Washington, D.C.

Since The Story of Stuff was launched online a year ago, the site has been visited by millions of people in over 224 countries and territories around the world. Its creators have now launched an international site, which includes translated versions of the films with subtitles as well as the contact information for the organizations around the world that did the translations.

I posted on The Story of Stuff when it first launched, here.

Geneva, Switzerland

Today is Human Rights Day. The theme for 2008, “Dignity and justice for all of us,” reinforces the vision of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a commitment to universal dignity and justice. It is not a luxury or a wish-list. The UDHR and its core values—inherent human dignity, non-discrimination, equality, fairness and universality—apply to everyone, everywhere and always.

The Declaration is universal, enduring and vibrant, and it concerns us all. Since its adoption in 1948, the Declaration has been and continues to be a source of inspiration for national and international efforts to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. (A month ago, I posted re: an engaging type-based video on the UDHR here).

Images: received today from Zimbabwean ex-pat Chaz Maviyane-Davies.

Freiburg, Germany

This diagram is meant to demonstrate the difference between a man and a woman when asked by their respective partner, “Shall we go for a drink?” Makes me glad that I’m a man… (most days, at least). On further reflection though, might this also imply that men prefer to drink naked?

Thanks, Silvie :-)

Frankfurt, Germany

It truly seems that time flies… here’s a family photo taken exactly a half century ago. Everybody’s smiling except me—I’m told I caught an incurable case of Weltschmerz early on (and being the middle child may not have helped either). At least I’ve got hair… and I’m not wearing a silly bow-tie.