Happy Birthday, Sir Duke

NY Daily News audio slideshow here.

Troublemakers

"It is no surprise that talented photographers are 99% pain in the ass to work with. They have strong opinions, are stubborn, reckless, and most of the time have an extremely bad character. But that is simply because they are constantly challenged by a reality that annoys them. Like being assaulted by mosquitoes, all the time. They don’t have an attitude problem, it’s the world that lacks one.

This is the exact reason why we love their work. They disturbed the reality in which they are put in, they challenge it, always demanding more, to see what is behind. They do not want to photograph the yellow brick road, although that might be pretty, they want to photograph the wizard behind the curtains."

--Paul Melcher

Ryan Runs Europe

So, after graduating from Columbia in a month or so, my friend Ryan is going to embark on a several month long run through Europe that will take him from Amsterdam to Athens -- through seven countries and 2,300 miles -- entirely on foot. If you look at the map above, you can see that this is sort of a long trip.

He'll be running 10 to 30 miles a day with little more than an extra set of clothes, his passport, and a phone, and is looking for some new friends who would be willing to host him for a night along the way. He's set up a detailed site here listing most of the major cities in his itinerary, so if you or anyone you know happens to reside in Mailleroncourt-Saint-Pancras or Castiglione della Pescaia, give him a shout at run@ryanlukejohns.com.