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24
2011
Via my (also Finnish-American) friend Linea, today’s video, wherein the Porkka Playboys cover Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” entirely IN THEIR CAR. Brilliant, funny, and I’ve coined a new Finnglish word to describe these guys: goofalainen. They are obviously from the Land of Goof.
Jun
23
2011
New blog added to the Invisible Histories blogroll: My Daguerreotype Boyfriend – “Where early photography meets extreme hotness.”
I don’t have much to say about this one, other than: hilarious! And gazing upon the fine men on this new blog makes for a most welcome break from the hundreds of hours I’ve by now spent scanning, squinting at and researching old family photos in the hopes of identifying yet one more. Because the bulk of the family photos were taken during times when the subject had to sit still for long periods, the expressions are often stiff and dour. Yet the photos on the MDB blog are – as they say – quite easy on the eyes. And the writing both excellent and entertaining.
Photographer Robert Cornelius, abt 1839. Photo courtesy the Library of Congress
Go. You won’t regret it.
For more daguerreotype browsing fun, check out the Library of Congress’s website “America’s First Look Into the Camera: Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864.”
Jun
17
2011
This choice was easy: Österbotten, where one set of my great-grandparents immigrated from; violin (which my older son plays); cello (younger son plays) and accordion (which my great uncle Charlie Koskela may have played or only played at playing). A catchy folk tune, nonetheless.
Jun
16
2011
Recent news items of potential interest to Finland DNA Project members.
FamilyTreeDNA sale
FinnFest
As of today, the Finland DNA Project is the third largest hosted by FamilyTreeDNA, and includes 2365 project members from multiple countries around the world tracing their roots as well as seeking to connect with known and previously unknown DNA cousins. Online, many of us have been getting to know each other better through a Finland DNA Project group hosted by facebook. Please come join us! Whether you are already in the project or simply interested in what it’s about, all are welcome.
Jun
10
2011
I finally saw Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams and it was, in many respects, an extraordinary experience. I’m drafting a post on the film and on cave art in general but in the meantime, here’s the trailer.
Jun
7
2011
Tomorrow the Unclaimed Persons organization – a group consisting of hundreds of volunteer researchers working with Medical Examiners’ and Coroners’ offices around the country to find living family members of unclaimed persons – will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary; since their founding, they have helped solve over 200 cases. Essentially, it’s basic genealogy work picking up where basic detective work has hit a brick wall.
Whether you’re simply interested in what they do or would like to get involved, please do not miss the video on unclaimedpersons.org’s homepage of founder Megan Smolenyak describing how Unclaimed Persons got its start and how the process works.
A recent article “Mysterious Remains Returned to Family: What Was a Family Branch, Now a Family Tree” highlights one of the successful outcomes of their work.
The organization is in a transitional period as they move from communication via a private facebook group to an interactive website so for now, follow them via Unclaimed Persons’ facebook “fan” page for current news.
Jun
2
2011
Finland DNA Project member CeCe Moore’s company StudioINTV has won a 2011 Telly award for their FamilyTreeDNA commercial.
The Tellies “honor the very best local, regional, and cable television commercials and programs, as well as the finest video and film productions, and work created for the Web.”
Onnittelut!
Provided they become available, I will update this post later with any clips of the commercial.
Updated Friday, 6.3.2011, just in time for Friday Video: here’s an earlier and shorter version of the final commercial, for those of you who hadn’t seen it before (as it turns out, I’d posted this version last year).
May
27
2011
“Greener Grass” is an 18-minute video exploring immigration from Finland to America, as well as touching upon the larger issues and questions involved in immigration in general. Some of those addressed include:
Due to economic necessity, the majority of those immigrating from Finland to America did so roughly around the turn of the century; two sets of my great-grandparents did so in the late 1890s.
If nothing else, please see Finland DNA Project member Dan Karvonen’s comments starting at about 13:53 in the video. Echoing what another interviewee said earlier on, “all of us are immigrants.” This is a critical point that we here in America either too easily forget or ignore.
Mar
25
2011
Background on the show:
“For decades, streetcars rattled throughout the region, and the nation, until they disappeared in favor of the car. Today, they are making a comeback.
In 2001, Portland introduced the first modern streetcar in North America, becoming a model for cities all over the country. But the idea is far from new.
More than a century ago, Oregon boasted an extensive network of streetcars. There were trolley cars in towns like Eugene, Salem, Astoria and Klamath Falls. Horsecars traveled over tracks in Corvallis and Baker City. Cable cars traveled up to Portland Heights and steam dummies reached out to Mt Tabor.
Portland had the third largest streetcar system of its kind in the United States. Its cable car line was steeper than anything in San Francisco. And the nation’s first interurban electric rail service stretched from Portland to Oregon City.
In Portland, outlying neighborhoods formed around lines, changing the layout of the city and spurring the development of nearby towns and tourist attractions.
Most of the streetcar companies were privately run operations that were also involved in real estate and electrical power. Some even built amusement parks, known as “Trolley Parks,” to attract riders on weekends and off hours. Oaks Park in Portland remains one of the nation’s last trolley parks.
Today, nearly fifty years after Oregon’s last lines closed, streetcars are enjoying a resurgence.”
Wonderful footage and photographs, many of which I’d never seen before. I’ve long been familiar with the remnants of streetcar tracks in the downtown and close-in area but had no idea how far they’d spread out during their initial run. It’s an interesting look at our transit-friendly city (current options include the thorough Tri-Met bus and new streetcar system, MAX light rail, and plenty of bike lanes for those who commute by bike).
Feb
18
2011
It’s been way, way too long since I posted a Friday video; this one courtesy of a dear friend.
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