Politicians react to budget talks

Discussions aren't going well.

Artbanka Museum of Young Art

Artbanka Museum of Young Art (AMoYA) is housed in a shabby Baroque palace building in Prague, near the very old and beautiful Charles Bridge over the Danube. The staff are all bohemian 20-somethings and the art they champion is all anti-pretty. The last photo is of a David Cerny installation in the museum's courtyard. Cerny is well known in the Czech Republic for his large, politically charged work. The Lord of the Rings personifies the sacrifice required of gymnasts, I guess. Above that, a video shows a woman screaming, setting in motion a whirligig. Another video at the museum shows a woman singing; the description says the woman cannot afford beauty enhancements such as breast implants, so she sings in order not to be beaten.

Tree's up

Oh joy!

The twins will show you around

Don't be afraid. Sold on eBay.

The aha! moment

When you least expect it inspiration strikes.

Crying child tableau

A man who looks like a cop and a woman talk as the child cries. The women's clothing, with those hats, is unusual, to say the least. There's some kind of story going on here about a kid who perhaps did something wrong and got caught.

Shot in the dark

A church group?

Wondering what's ahead

As the sun rose on Day One after the election, the homeowner emerged from his heavily leveraged house and thought for a moment about what the next four years might bring.

The well-traveled suitcase

This leather bag was manufactured by J.H. McNamara Trunk Works in Chicago, but made its way to other side of the world. The stickers that are discernible identify cities in South Africa and Australia. James Henry McNamara was born in Chicago in 1865. McNamara Trunk Works began as C.A. Taylor Trunk Works in 1880. McNamara was incorporated in 1905. The business operated at 138 Monroe and 184 Clark streets, for you Chicagoans. A velvet strap with rhinestones and a 1-cent stamp were found inside the trunk. The owners initials were G.A.W., stenciled on the side.

Graduate's other aspiration: To be a man

A snapshot dated August 1959.