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[hobie16]

Nizar Qabbani’s 93rd birthday

[hobie16]

Alda Merini’s 85th birthday



Today's Doodle honors Alda Merini, beloved Italian writer and poet. From an early age, she was recognized as a literary phenomenon: the truth, passion, and intensity of her words shook her readers to the core. Living in a mental health institution for 20 years had a profound effect on Merini’s work. She unflinchingly documented her emotional and mental journey through life, with ‘otherness’ appearing as a frequent theme.

Because of her powerful and unique perspective, Merini received widespread recognition during her lifetime. She was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was also honored by the Italian Republic for Poetry.

[hobie16]

Doodle 4 Google 2016 - US winner



Now in its 8th year, the Doodle 4 Google Competition challenges young artists to create their own Doodle. This year’s competition called for submissions around the theme: “What Makes Me… Me.” Kids worked in their medium of choice, delivering uniquely personal and one-of-a-kind submissions.

Of 100,000 participants coming from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington D.C., five national finalists were chosen to spend the day at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California for the award ceremony. At 10 am PST, this year’s national winner Akilah Johnson from Washington, D.C. saw her artwork go live on Google’s U.S. homepage for millions to see.

Thank you to all the finalists for sharing your creativity with us. And a hearty congratulations to our national winner, Akilah Johnson.

[hobie16]

Holika Festival 2016

[felinefan]

In addition to a couple of double posts, I noticed some problems with the images; jumping, flickering, and stalling. I tried to log onto the site earlier today, but got "SQL error [mysql4], connection refused (2002), An SQL error occurred while fetching this page, please contact an administrator if this problem persists." Just wanted to let you know. Such beautiful Google images--keep it up!

[ktulu]

In addition to a couple of double posts, I noticed some problems with the images; jumping, flickering, and stalling. I tried to log onto the site earlier today, but got "SQL error [mysql4], connection refused (2002), An SQL error occurred while fetching this page, please contact an administrator if this problem persists." Just wanted to let you know. Such beautiful Google images--keep it up!

The jumping/flickering/stalling isn't the site. The SQL Error was something wrong on the server. It was fixed :)

[hobie16]

The Back Story

Doodle 4 Google 2016 - US winner



Now in its 8th year, the Doodle 4 Google Competition challenges young artists to create their own Doodle. This year’s competition called for submissions around the theme: “What Makes Me… Me.” Kids worked in their medium of choice, delivering uniquely personal and one-of-a-kind submissions.

Of 100,000 participants coming from all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and Washington D.C., five national finalists were chosen to spend the day at Google Headquarters in Mountain View, California for the award ceremony. At 10 am PST, this year’s national winner Akilah Johnson from Washington, D.C. saw her artwork go live on Google’s U.S. homepage for millions to see.

Thank you to all the finalists for sharing your creativity with us. And a hearty congratulations to our national winner, Akilah Johnson.

[felinefan]

Thanks for the info! Dumb server.

[hobie16]

Klavdiya Shulzhenko’s 110th birthday



In July 1942, the city of Leningrad was under siege. The front, manned by hardscrabble soldiers, was bleak and brutal. But one bright voice emerged, bringing hope and harmony to the blockade. Actress and singer Klavdiya Shulzhenko co-founded a jazz band and volunteered her talents to the Red Army as they defended Leningrad. She became legendary in the trenches, singing hundreds of times as the siege went on. And at her 500th wartime performance in 1942, she was awarded the Order of the Red Star — the rarest of honors for a Soviet artist.

[hobie16]

William Morris’ 182nd birthday



It's nearly impossible to sum up William Morris' contributions to British design, arts, and aesthetics. A true prodigy, Morris dove deeply into each of his many interests, leaving us a rich legacy in multiple fields.

Starting with graphic art, Morris' detailed drawings paved the way for modern surface design. His intricate patterns flow across pages, walls, and fabric with a seamless effect. But Morris didn't stop there — he believed that quality production was the essence of great craftsmanship: from patterning to type design to furniture to bookbinding.

A relentless creative, Morris played with patterns in words as well. In 1856, he founded the Oxford and Cambridge Magazine, writing and publishing many of his early poems there. He lectured publicly on socialism, art, architecture, and founded or held titles in multiple artists groups, such as the Hammersmith Socialist Society and the Art Workers Guild.

Morris, along with other figures in the Arts and Crafts Movement, believed the success of a society was based on providing useful and meaningful work. By focusing on the end-to-end production of goods by passionate artisans instead of machines, he built a powerful political case for worker's rights. His advocacy left an indelible mark on British culture in the face of rapid industrialization.

In many ways, Morris' life's work is reflected in his prints: a lush journey through interrelated pursuits. To highlight his iconic style, Doodler Lydia Nichols recreated five different Morris designs. Each appears randomly as the page is refreshed. May these designs honour the distinct and varied ways in which Morris' point of view shaped our world.