Untitled

[anthonybourdain]

Americans love Mexican food. We consume nachos, tacos, burritos, tortas, enchiladas, tamales and anything resembling Mexican in enormous quantities. We love Mexican beverages, happily knocking back huge amounts of tequila, mezcal and Mexican beer every year. We love Mexican people—as we sure...

[gregorysbrown]

"The islands off the coast are on fire"

[latimes]

L.A.’s skyline lit up by a nuclear explosion

Above: Los Angeles City Hall is backlit by nuclear weapon test in Yucca Flat, Nev., 300 miles away on May 7, 1952.

From the Times’ story on the detonations:

The first predawn atomic flash since early 1951 over the Nevada proving ground was visible clearly from Los Angeles yesterday morning.

Despite a cloudy sky, the intense brilliance carried 300 miles between here and the atomic test site to fringe downtown buildings in a brief aura of fierce light.

Photographs taken from Civic Center show the northeastern sky luminous from a man-made sunrise. The detonation was at 5:15 a.m. — 43 minutes before dawn.

The five experimental nuclear explosions early last year all occurred in morning darkness. The 12 others which followed, with the exception of yesterday’s, came in bright sunlight….

Read more over at Framework.

Photos: Los Angeles Times archives

[latimespast]

Here are Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke with their acting Emmys for “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in 1964.

You can see more Emmy winners, 1949 to the present, in our timeline, and get the full list of tonight’s winners and nominees over at The Envelope.

Photo: Los Angeles Times file / UCLA Library

[natgeofound]

Aerial view of harbor created to supply the invasion of Normandy, June 1944. Photograph courtesy U.S. War Department

[myheartisontheocean]

[gregorysbrown]

A few weeks ago we told you about Bhaval Shah Bell's incredible cartographic paintings. It's come to our attention the artist has a tumblr page that you should follow: bhavalshahbell.tumblr.com

Also you can find the surprisingly affordable prints at bhavalshahbell.com and cartoloji.com If you can't find a map of your favorite island, beach, city, or country you can arrange a commission. You know we're going to put some of these paintings up in the sea lab cartography library.

[gregorysbrown]

Houses, Mexico

Photograph of a Mexico City suburb by Oscar Ruiz

National Geographic

[mexicanfoodporn]

Chilaquiles al chipotle con huevo estrellado 

Chipotle Chilaquiles with refried eggs 

Recipe

[asakiyume]

Esther Gerston and Gloria Ruth Gordon, early programmers working on the ENIAC computer in 1946. Photo from the US Army, via NPR, in:

Laura Sydell, “Blazing the Trail for Female Programmers,” a story about Sarah Allen, leader of the team that created Flash animation.

[gregorysbrown]

February 1978 St. Barts

Jimmy Buffett and crew are recovering aboard the sailboat Euphoria II after a night at Le Select. Three children row over to the Jimmy's  boat delivering much needed croissants and coffee. Buffett wrote a song about the kids called Chanson Pour Les Petit Enfant.

Things come full circle. One of those children grew up to be reggae performer Mishka. Mishka and Buffett recently collaborated on a song called Ocean is My Potion.

You can see a video of the two songwriters talking about the caribbean in the 1970s here

[gregorysbrown]

Sponges grow in the ocean. That just kills me. I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be if that didn't happen.

Steven Wright

[natgeofound]

Three British sailors drape themselves with their soccer jerseys in Trinidad, June 1942. Photograph by Luis Marden, National Geographic

[vuvuvital-blog]

[gregorysbrown]

Pretty good read.

[gregorysbrown]

Pulled off next to the beach to finish a book before driving home from LAX.

[orangieporangiepuddingpie]

[gregorysbrown]

U.S. Navy to Scrap Vessel Stuck on Philippine Reef

The United States Navy has decided to scrap the $277 million minesweeper stuck on an environmentally sensitive Philippine reef, a spokesman said on Thursday, while Philippine officials examined potential legal violations and fines to be levied against the United States. -NYTimes.com

USS Guardian sits aground on the Tubbataha Reef. by Official U.S. Navy Imagery on Flickr.

Via Flickr: SULU SEA, Philippines (Jan. 22, 2013) The mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian (MCM 5) sits aground on the Tubbataha Reef. Operations to safely recover the ship while minimizing environmental effects are being conducted in close cooperation with allied Philippines Coast Guard and Navy. (U.S. Navy photo by Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 3rd Class Geoffrey Trudell/Released) 130122-N-ZZ999-061 Join the conversation www.facebook.com/USNavy www.twitter.com/USNavy navylive.dodlive.mil

[dailymovement]

Paris In Motion [Part I]

Shot by Mayeul Akpovi

Click here for Part II

[gregorysbrown]

"The first time I went overseas I went to Paris, and it struck my heart as it does to most romantics and now with this cheap ass airfare there's no excuse for anybody not to go to Paris.  Do yourself a favor."  -Jimmy Buffett