All That Glitters...

While Paris is for lovers and New York is for dreamers, Dubai is for slaves. Behind the shiny, nasty, brand new facade of this growing-like-a-cancer manufactured town (home to Dick Cheney's Halliburton) there are the slaves who've built it. Don't let the gorgeous glitter bookcloth on Joel Sternfeld's book of photography trick you - it's fool's gold and everything within these glimmering covers is proof of the lie that is Dubai. If you don't believe me or Joel, look to the fine investigative reporting of the BBC's Ben Anderson. While Vice's Shane Smith looks a little monkey-ish in his suit n tie (maybe he wore it for irony's sake?) their commentary adds nicely to this short (take the few minutes to watch it - well worth your time and attention) Dubai documentary, in part featured here. But I still love glitter, unapologetically.

Man at milk teat and poor sad falcon in the mall

Fake winter to go with fake enjoyment of fake times at fake mall.

Thanks, Joel Sternfeld, for including this one. Is this what happens to the falcon once it's lived in the mall for a while?

The real Dubai, built by slaves.

Fascinating Womanhood, indeed! My advice? Read it NAKED!

The year: 1963. The place: Southern California. The attitude: Make Him No. 1!

Are you, like me, past your prime and still single? Perhaps there's a good explanation for that. Have you been wearing brown bags a lot? Have you been roaring with laughter and slapping knees and backs in unbridled expressions of joy? Have you been using your hands in a strong manner? Have you been behaving capably or - gasp - looking matronly??

Well, stop! There's an answer to your lonely nights and heavy blankets and it lies here within the pages of the aptly titled "Fascinating Womanhood" by Helen Andelin. Enjoy a sampling of some of the rip-roaring, knee-slapping, open-mouth laugh inducing tips on how to attract and keep a man - but beware you don't roar with laughter, slap your knees or laugh heartily with an open mouth - he will surely run.

Note the last few images - photographed as-is upon receipt in Book Repair - complete with what appears to be none other than hair from the nether-regions of the previous reader. While Helen Andelin never mentions it, reading books while naked and in view of your man is very likely to keep him interested. Take note.

DON'T!!

Isn't it an interesting beginning?!

ga ga goo goo. Baby talk should be outlawed by anyone over the age of ten.

sauciness and a soft voice

Eeeewwwwww!!!! Yes, that's right. Pubes in a book. Easy, breezy reading...

Man of Steel and Velvet and Pubes

Hello, Stranger!

Uh oh. Is that a ship? Is it a front porch? No matter, if you've got a great white polar bear climbing a wooden wall to greet you, it's not likely he's come for a cup of tea. I hope these winter hunters know that polar bear livers are poisonous. Inside, this charming book is filled with charcoal drawings of men in furry hats who may or may not have gotten this close to polar fauna. And why the axe? Why not the shotgun? If it were me...

Nice sticker placement, library.

Angry looking dude. 'Mornar' is slovak for sailor or mariner or shipman, etc. you get the idea. So I guess it's a boat after all.

These guys (twins?) look scared! And is that blood in the bears mouth??

Queen of Swastika

Shortly before so-and-so gave the swastika a bad name, here we see its' lovely queen smiling proudly as it's representative. Photographed by the hugely talented James Van Der Zee.

Bug Invasion!!!

Like the Grand Canyon carved by raging waters way back when, so have these book pages been carved by some raging insect of the past. Perhaps he was looking for a way out, and taking full advantage of his miserable page-bound existence decided to munch his way to an exit. It is unclear whether or not he made it out alive. I hope it was a good read.