Author: Donald Goines
Title: Dopefiend
Genre: African American Literature
Publication Date: 2004 (orig. 1971)
Number of Pages: 319
Geographical Setting: Detroit, Michigan
Time Period: Present Day (at the time that it was published – 1970s)
Series: No
Plot Summary: Goines shows us what desperation truly is when addicted to dope and living on the mean streets of Detroit. We first meet a young couple, Teddy and Terry. Teddy is already bordering on addiction in the beginning of the story, while Terry is an occasional user who comes from a good family holds a good job, and maintains her own car. We also meet Porky, who runs the dope house located in the slums. This character makes it his mission to  hook people into “the lifestyle” using his drugs to wield control over them– especially women. We watch as Teddy and Terry fall deeper into their habits, doing things they never thought that they would do and losing so much in order to feed their addictions.

Subject headings: Drug addicts – Fiction. | Drug abuse – Fiction. | African Americans – Drug use – Fiction.
Appeal: Bleak, dark, dramatic, hard-edged, conversational, direct, unembellished, vivid, fast-paced, engaging, explicitly violent, issue-oriented, linear, plot-centered, sexually explicit, strong language, tragic, urban.

Three terms that best describe this book:  poignant, coarse, graphic.

Relevant Fiction Works and Authors:
Pimp: The Story of my Life by Robert Beck (AKA Iceberg Slim) (Like Goines’, Beck also writes about street life (Chicago), urban problems, and falls under the subgenre of African American literature. This is a story based on the real life of the former pimp, Iceberg Slim).

The End of a Primitive (or If He Hollers, Let him go?) by Chester Himes (Similar to Dopefiend because of its theme of addiction and illustration of how it affects the love relationship of the interracial couple in this story. Set in 1950s New York.).

The Scene by Clarence Cooper Jr. (This book contains themes of street life, drug abuse, prostitutes and pimps. A specific city is not mentioned).

Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors:
Out of the Madness: From the Projects to a Life of Hope by Jerrold Ladd (A real-life story about one African American man’s life experiences in the projects with a heroin-addicted mother. The author ultimately beats the odds and reaches his goals of escaping and creating a new life for himself).
Parallel time: Growing up in Black and White by Brent Staples (Staples, a black journalist, writes about growing up in Chester, Pennsylvania. He highlights his father’s drinking problem, the family’s financial problems, constant moves, his drug dealer brother and his murder, and shoddy education. Staples beats the odds by going on to college and landing a professional job. After he leaves, his family life becomes even grimmer.).
Low Road: The Life and Legacy of Donald Goines by Eddie B. Allen Jr. (Allen writes Donald Goines’ biography. He details his life of hustling, pimping, felony, incarceration, and drug addiction. In the end, (which is placed at the beginning of this book) Goines’ fast life catches up with him when he is murdered in his Highland Park apartment in 1974.).

Name: Susan

I updated itunes a few days ago and found there was a option to make the grid view black like it was in the older version of itunes. Apple listening to people complain? In that case there hardware is to expensive, I guess in a week we will be seeing cheap macs now.

To change the grid view back to black go to edit, then preferences.

and in the general tab there you will see the option for light or dark grid view.

(You need to update itunes if you have not done so already or this option will not be there)

I love books that are embroiled in fantasy – supernatural creatures, other worlds, you name it, I love it. One of the best authors in this genre (In my opinion, of course) is Laurell K. Hamilton. 

Laurell has written a massive series about a vampire slayer called Anita Blake (17 and counting) This is no Buffy wannabe series. Anita is a short, impatient necromancer (raises the dead) who also works for the police. She carries a gun, she hates girly things and she is absolutely against dating men of other “species.” She goes on to fall for both a powerful vampire and an alpha werewolf. Life isn’t simple for Anita. She fights for her life, bones are broken, scars are earned and friends are lost. Every book leads her dangerously into a world she can never escape from. 

Thats one series by Laurell K Hamilton. The other, is about a woman named Meredith Gentry. She works for a fey detective agency in the human world. In this series, there are also faeries. The Fey, the Sidhe, the Seelie. The world knows of them, treats them like royalty, like celebrities. There is the Dark Court and the Light Court. Meredith is a Princess from the Dark Court, and ran away to the human world to escape the vicious full-powered fey from her court. Meredith’s powers are little and few, and she finds her life threatened in her mythical world. But then she is hunted down by both courts and is dragged back, given the opportunity to become Queen of the Dark Court if she can get pregnant and finally give the Fey fresh blood.

These books are gorgeously dark, violent and filled with sex. This is a series about a people who have been around for thousands and thousands of years – with histories unlike any we could ever imagine. There is beauty and horror, love and betrayal, pain (Lot’s of pain) and pleasure (Lots of that too!). Eight books in this series so far, and not ONCE do you get bored. Not once do you think “Oh this has been done”. This is so amazingly different, so well written and so powerfully character driven that I hop up and down with excitement whenever I hear a new installment is coming out. I never know which direction Meredith is going to go in this story. She isn’t perfect, and with so much threatening her, things get confused and change quickly. But you just can’t help but read on to find out what happens next. Will she live or die? Will she get pregnant before her sadistic cousin Cel knocks up someone else and kills Meredith just for kicks? Who is more evil? Meredith’s Aunt, the Queen of the Dark Court or Meredith’s Uncle, the King of the Light Court? Who should she trust? Who should she help?

Absolutely wonderful, beautiful, enthralling writing that changed my literary life. I advise anyone who enjoys reading, especially this genre, to give it a go.

Laurell K Hamilton's Books

I can only remember half of this dream. I was in town somewhere at night and I was cosplaying. Some guy ran up to me and tried to pull my wig off my head and steal it. I wouldn’t let him and I held it on my head as he was pulling out of it. I started shouting to passers by to help me when I saw my old Irish and German teacher walking by. I called her name to help me but when she turned to face me, the guy fled.

I knew that he was still going to be after me though so I went into a nearby shop (I know it sold food, but I’m not sure what…could’ve been a butcher’s). For some reason I started saying that they’d given me the wrong order the previous day and I wanted a replacement. He handed me a blue box supposedly filled with the replacement. I went through town quickly because I thought that the guy was chasing me. I decided to set a trap for him with the stuff I’d gotten from the shop.

I reached a small park and placed the box, which was now the size of a crate, in the middle of a clearing. Suddenly a guy came up and started looking through the box. I thought he was the guy who had tried to steal my wig but before I could confront him, I realised it was Chris. I was completely confused until I looked in the box and saw that it was full of books on anthropology and stuff. I thought to myself that I’d need something different to catch a thief with. I told Chris he could keep the books, they weren’t what I needed.

Weird dream.

Dreamer xxx

Happy Monday! As you are sitting at your desk, on your couch or just meandering around the world in a daze due to your liquid weekend, I would like you to turn on your radio. Yes, turn it on. Music is writing and it is getting a bad rap on your local radio.

The current radio sensations are all deprived of creativity and have resorted to sick lyrics littered with sexual innuendo and sour metaphors. Who is the biggest felon? The poorly flamboyantly theatrical Lady Gaga. Her music is enormous, a hit, so it must be falling on deaf ears, correct? How could anyone possibly accept this poor attempt for creativity?

Let’s not just bash her on the surface. One must look deeper to get a true sense of the “artist”. Love Game, the radio hit with the ever-popular line, “I wanna take a ride on your disco stick.” Lady Gaga, what is a disco stick? According to Urban Dictionary this is the thing you so desire:

2. A sex move – a man snaps glow sticks of various colors and pours the liquid on his genitals, producing a ‘psychedelic’ effect during intercourse in the dark.

Do your creative reaches only go that far? Whatever happened to expressing your love through the beauty of a summer’s day? Was that not enough? Obviously not since you have come to pour over the radio your disgusting attempts of sexual innuendo. No, Lady Gaga, you will not be riding on anyone’s disco stick tonight or anytime in the near future.

It is disheartening to know that all over the United States, people’s ears are being subjected to the poor writing of pathetic “artists” looking only to capitalize on the ability to fill our heads with annoying tunes. Lady Gaga, 3OH!3, and the band with that poisonous firefly song. They all do it, yet they all fail to have the writing talent or the musical talent to have received the fame they carry with them. Their writing is not what writing should be known as; boycott it before your ears begin to bleed and become a faithful listener to the harmonious and captivating music and lyrics of the talented.

Helmut J – Grey Area 2

This mix represents the second part to an older mix I did in February 2007, which represented my darkest & most favorite tracks. This one is no different. I have also included my first finished production which I think sits nicely between Discipline & Side Fx.

A dark, twisted journey through my newer darker minimal techno & progressive collection.

Compiled & Mixed in November 2009.

http://www.listenup.za.net/2009/11/16/helmut-j-grey-area-2/

Tracklisting – Grey Area Part 2 Mixed by Helmut J.
01) Sascha Funke – Vanish Remix (Original Mix)
02) Brendon Moeller – Pink Noise (Original Mix)
03) Zhao – Second Step (From Karaoke To Stardom Remix)
04) Sei A – My Era (Original Mix)
05) Silent Servant – Discipline (Original Mix)
06) Helmut J – Geist (Original)
07) Chelonis R. Jones, Marc Romboy – Side FX (Konrad Black Remix)
08) BCR Boys – Soundshield (Sinisa Lukic Remix)
09) Robert Babicz – White Series (Original Mix)
10) Boris Brejcha -Magic Gum (Original Mix)
11) Extrawelt – Trummerfeld (Oliver Huntemann Remix)
12) Ludovic Vendi – Ending (Robert Babicz Remix)

When i open my eyes…
I see you running away…

When i open my heart…
I know i will give you away…

When i open my soul…
i sense it all slipping away…

Why do they have to go away???
Why cant i make them stop and stay???

Why do i live as if there’s no day…
And why is it i who has to pay???

because its in my heart…
and because its a need to stay apart…

Its the wind out there…
That calls me to and so i must prepare…

Its time to leave again…
And so i must, even if i despair…

Walk walk and WALK i shall do…
One is what i was meant to be n never should i try to be two…

The rain keeps splashing my face with no mercy…
with leisure i walk because i have no urgency…

It hurts at heart to be alone all the while…
But i know its my fate there’s nothing that can change my file

The wisdom and knowledge,all virtues occult…
Are in vain with no-one to share this Sacred cult…

I weep in the dark but no ears hear me sob…
Its my smile,that someone has been able to rob…

Its always a fog that surronds my life…
I only wonder how much longer till i will collapse and finally die…

when will it all end???

goodbye o world o world of god…
full of hatred and thriving on my blood…

goodbye o world o world of liars…
promising to love and fulfill all desires…

goodbye to all those moochers that say…
“need” is my virtue…give me my share…

goodbye to the pain of the day…
and goodbye to the nights that slay…(me)

goodbye to those promises unfulfilled…
and goodbye to the world i couldnt build…

for years and years i thought and i thought…
till tonight for them i fought…

not any more do i wish to change…
not any more is happiness in my range…

yes i spoke of self belief, strength and rebuilding…
but i am only a promising politician no good at executing…

goodbye to all those who destroy under the pretext of virtue…
i declare my death and my no confidence for you…

goodbye to all those that say the connection between love and reason is completely absurd…
goodbye o world…coz the atlas in me…has FINALLY shrugged…

dreams are built with hope and wonder
they are not for anybody to invade or plunder

so i hid mine deep within my mind’s soil…
so that this world and particularly god wouldnt make it spoil…

but in my haste, vanity and pretence…
i forgot that it was the Almighty i seeked to challenge…

my mind and my heart,my soul…was his giving…
my dreams too, were subject to his pillaging…

it wasn’t something extraordinary i dreamt of…
a wee-bit of affection from here and there was all i ever craved for…

but that alone was what my master had no wish of me to give…
all he wanted was for me to be blind…and believe…

believe i did…with as much reverance and faith as i could offer…
in return he met my faith with a strange reward…pain and torture…

i seeked to fight him and force him to bless my worthy soul
but all i managed was to decorate my faith with a few more holes…

i want some light to guide me through this nightmare…
i want some shelter to save me from his glare…

for a moment i saw an image…an oasis across my desert of dread…
but it was only a momentary glaze and gone by the time i could turn it into bread…

i dont know what to do anymore of a mass of flesh and bones…
coz neither alive nor dead is the way you count my bagful of moans…

standing at the guillotine, i await the fall of the hatchet across my neck…
so that i can quit and enter a separate hell…the making of my own thoughts…evil and fake…

let me tell you bout a tale of a young man
who lost his way and encountered quite an ancient clan…

a species of not man…but a wonderful beast…
it was indeed quite scary to say in the least…

he had taken flight from the unending problems that he faced…
and he somehow reached these woods perhaps which for him…had been specially placed…

harrowed by sorrow and hunger unbearable
the boy sat down unaware of the nearby trouble…

soon he heard a wierd beating of drums and clarinets…
so very enchanting that he couldnt resist its zest…

off he went in search of the source of this wonderful sound…
that seemed to dimish his pain and make him spellbound…

and lo! there it was right in the centre of a clearing in the foliage…
a beast drumming a congo with his horns long like the sword of a pirate…

surrounded by men of odd colours and clothing who held the clarinets…
the beast danced and pranced like the leader of this wierd tribe of a hidden forest…

suddenly the beast turned his head and saw our hero witnessing their ancient rite…
it screamed with anger and passion which in itself could have potentially killed…

and then the beast saw right into his bloodshot eyes…
and soon the lad’s consciousness was pulverized…

he joined the men in their trance and their prance…
the beast led them on towards a fire quite extravagant at a glance…

the men walked right through the fire and out…
not one was hurt if you looked you would have found out…

the guy was fascinated and yet scared as hell…
it was the fear that brought him out of the beast’s shell…

and then he realized the grave danger by which he was surrounded…
for this was the legendary tribe that folklore always spoke of with dread…

thousands of men had wandered into their cult before…
not one walked out with his limbs and legs as afore…

by grace a skirmish started and took the attention away from him…
he saw his moment and fled praying that he would never follow such a crazy whim…

he didnt have the guts to glance back upon the predators…
he raced away till he was pretty sure no beast was running him after…

and then he realized he was perhaps the first one…
to have been there…and returned in no more pieces than one…

the number of the beast

Hi folks!

A lot’s going on over here these days, so the weekly portrait hasn’t been all that weekly lately… sorry for that.

And what if I told you that on top of that, it’s not even really a portrait this time? Well let’s see how you like it anyway

There’s a bunch of guys in this country who (apart from being a bit crazy) are so much into rugby that even nighttime, ice and snow can’t keep them from playing. One cold and foggy winter night, I saw the floodlights on again in the distance and decided to go have a closer look. Within seconds, I was deep frozen, walking into the dark woods of the park surrounding the field. I could hear yelling as I got closer… this had to be it… and there they were…

Hope you like it!

Coming up next, another superb contribution from the group!

All images © Frederic Mancosu

Chester Cathedral at night, originally uploaded by Zardoz67.

Right then. Short blog post today as a) I am very busy and b) I think the photograph speaks for itself. Went out Saturday afternoon just as it was going dark – during what is known in photography circles as ‘the magic hour’ – to try and get some long exposures using a tripod and a timed shutter release. By sheer luck (it’s that serendipity again) I took this shot of Chester cathedral just at that point when the last light was vanishing from the night sky. This image has not been digitally enhanced in any way and that wonderful purple/pink sky is 100% natural capturing all the light over a 30 second exposure. Because it was early evening, the lights were still on in the cathedral itself as it was still open and this highlights the stained glass. It’s also pictures like this that make the investment in a wide angle lens worth all the money – without it I would not have been able to get all the cathedral in shot.

Spent about 3 hours drafting a post the other day, only for my computer to crash.  Shame.  Jammed packed with my usual high brow wit, side-splitting humour and some rather clever social commentary, it was definitely the best thing you’ll never read.  Definitely.  I attempted to give it another crack but to be honest it was just making me angry going back over it all again.  I’m over it now.  Let’s just move on.

On with this one.

Finally got round to booking a last-minute get away.  Off to Egypt on Thursday.  Never really had much of a desire to go, but in mid-November it’s one of the few places you can guarantee warm weather without spending too much dough.  Got to watch the penny’s what with Xmas around the corner and a very demanding girlfriend in tow.

I always recall the booking of a holiday being quite fun when I was younger.  Used to kind of make a day of it.  Book an appointment with the travel agent, go down with all your mates, get it booked and then off to the pub to talk about who was going to pull the most slags in Magaluf.  Now you just end up sat in front of your computer for about 12 hours getting a headache.

 

Nah mate you wanna go for 3 weeks innit. Lemme check. Allo.....allo

No-one uses travel agents anymore do they…..well…..no-one under the age of 50.  I think my Mum’s head would implode if left to her own devices trying to sort out something on-line bless her.  She’s still figuring out how to text after 10 years of having a mobile.  Travel agents are like the lawful equivalent of those blokes who pretend to be gas men and force their way into old dears homes and won’t leave until they’ve had handed over their life savings.  No-one comes out with what they went in for.  Christ knows what 65-year-old Mary is going to do for 3 weeks in Cancun during spring break.  Still keeps Tracey in fake tan for another six months, so not all bad.

There’s too many ways to book a holiday now days.  Too many web-sites.  Too much information.  You always think you could be getting a better deal somewhere else.  It’s like looking at porn.  You start off looking for something relatively tame and some how end up looking at some dead eyed old tart going at it in a mock classroom with 9 blokes.  Well.  So I’ve been told.  They just make everything look so appalling appealing.  The bastards.

Cross referenced everything with Trip Advisor.  That’s a great read that is.  I spent 4 days after booking the holiday still doing random searches and looking at what some of the nutters had written.  We looked at so many hotels and so many reviews that we kind of took our eye off the ball.  This is one review of where we’re staying:

“DO NOT” have a massage at the Mexicana. My girlfriend had a massage as a treat on the last day. She was promised a women to it but she apparenlty she went home ill (a scam as we found out). The boss (male) did it and was arroused whilst perfroming the massage. After the message was completed he then offered the service for free if she agreed to have sex.
I will be complaining to the managment and the tour operator.
Shame really as the place is quite nice and the overall staff are friendly.
The food ok (6 out fo 10) even we all did come down with a touch of food poisening.
Would i go back…?
With the boys YES, with an attractive female definately NO

Sounds amazing right?  Jealous?  You should be!

You want massage? I do good massage. I have strong hand.

Sounds like some elaborate story made up by the fella’s missus after she got busted shagging the manager to me.  Love the fact he still gave it 6 of 10 even after food poisoning and an erection massage.  On the plus side, if after all that he’d still go back the hotel must be nice.  Although I get the impression he’s a bit of a fucking lunatic.  We’ll see.

Looking forward to it anyway.  Hopefully I’ll be able to avoid the over eager salesmen and the pissed, rude, brick shit house Russians and get a different sort of RnR for a week.  Chill and get nicely prepared for the festive fun upon my return.  Be nice to spend a bit of time away with the girlfriend as well.  She’s been pretty busy lately so I’m going to do my best to make sure she has a lovely time. 

I’ve called ahead and arranged for a champagne reception and a rather pricey bouquet for when we arrive.  I spent a fair bit so the manager very kindly chucked in a free massage as well.  I know she’ll be chuffed with that.  Hopefully it’ll sort her right out and we can have a wonderful week.

Maa al salama….for now.

RnR!

Négy dal új dal letölthető az Autumn Twilight honlapjáról. Több mint ígéretes az anyag. Remek! Várom az albumot. http://www.autumntwilight.hu

Proverbs 7:24-27                      The Moral to the Story

     The story told by Dad in chapter 7 is a parable – a story that teaches a lesson. Jesus used parables to teach his disciples and the people who followed Him. Aesop’s Fables are the same type of stories. Even though the characters are imaginary, the life lessons are real and this method of teaching holds the interest of the listener to the end.

     Verses 24 – 27 are a summary of the lesson taught in this story. The summary begins with a command to listen and be attentive because the next words are important. So, if you have been daydreaming through the story, pay attention now!

How can one’s heart turn aside to the ways of sin?

What are the two commands in verse 25?

What happens to those who follow temptation?

This lesson ends with the place of the dead. How does this portray the consequence of

destruction?

Give an example from your world of this type of personal destruction?

      What is God telling you about Himself and how should you respond?

      Glorify and enjoy God today as you faithfully serve Him.

 HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

“In the midst of my creative journey composing The Fame Monster, there came an exciting revelation that this was in fact my sophomore album. I would not add, nor take away any songs from this EP. It is a complete conceptual and musical body of work that can stand on its own two feet.” ~Lady GaGa

Lady GaGa – The Fame Monster (Full Album)

This dramatic ringtone is dark and beautiful…I guess. It has a violin and a deep metal guitar and a scream “RING!”. I don’t know how loud it is, but it’s dark and cool, so you know, doctor’s office, group therapy session, interrupting a lecture from yourparents…all those scenes would be great for this ring. Oh, and if you own a black umbrella and paint your lips black…even better.

—

Running time: 31 seconds

File size: 248K

[download mp3] (right-click and Save Link As)

[view the whole ringtone archive at once]

Visit the WAP site on your phone at: http://tagtag.com/weeklyringtone

Jorge

I just read Jake’s post about humans fearing the dark and the unknown. I agree to this argument only to a certain extent, but I don’t believe that we are spoiled by light. I think light and darkness are complements to each other. For example, lets relate to an event that will happen in the next 2 or so days. The Leonid Meteor Shower of 2009 will peak on November 17th at around 1:00 AM. So many people around (half) the world are waiting to see this natural phenomenon occur. Yet, in order to see it, we have to embrace the darkness. As we look up to the mostly empty sky, filled with tiny specks of light here and there, we await that wishful slither of light. I recount some of my past summers when I went on night hikes during meteor shower days. We were not allowed to bring flashlights or any sources of light. The reason is light ruins our night vision, inhibiting us from seeing the meteor in the sky. But once that meteor crosses the sky, the entire crowd is captured in awe, exclaiming with a respectful “Ohhh!”

My point is that we need both darkness and light. Neither spoils us because both are essential for each other. I cannot help but bring back the Yin and Yang example again. Both light and dark, good and evil, balance each other out and create harmony. We need the darkness of the night sky in order to see that anticipated meteor. We must embrace to darkness to appreciate the light.

P.S. Everyone should come watch the Leonid Meteor Shower at school at 9:00 PM on Tuesday.

Everything I did today-

I thank my God for, and I pray-

He’ll hold me in these waters rough,

As treading sometimes seems so tough.

He’ll help me be my strongest self-

in love and righteousness and health.

He’ll lead me through the darkest nights,

And bring peace to my toughest fights.

He’ll show me that he’s always right,

And that he keeps me in plain sight.

My problems rise from doubt and fear,

From questioning and lonely tears,

From filling voids I think are there-

With carelessness and costly fare.

I assure you, my dear friend,

You’ll find your way; Your God shall mend-

Your lacerated head and heart,

He’ll gather the fray and piece the parts.

I promise, sweet and loving girl, oh dearest self,

He’ll change your world.

Just see life for what it really is-

A gift, a kiss, not torturous.

(Written Oct. 26, 2009)