Mona menar idag att en minoritetsregering vore katastrofal för Sverige, men man kan förmoda att hon egentligen menar en borgerlig minoritet och att den mest skulle vara en katastrof för henne själv. Sossarna själva har ju under flera tidigare regeringsperioder regerat i minoritet med kommunisterna som stödparti och det tyckte i alla fall GP  att det var OK så varför skulle inte Alliansen kunna göra detsamma? Att Centern och Folkpartiet skulle få för sig att lämna Alliansen när Mona kallar får vi hoppas stannar som en dröm hos henne. Demokrati innebär ju bland annat att om kanske 10% (inte alls orimligt) röstar på SD är det ju också 10% av de röstberättigade som vill att de ska ha ett inflytande över hur Sverige styrs. Ska dessa 10% då utmanövreras bara för att vissa anser att de har “fel” politik? Nä Mona, Suck it up och bered er på att förlora ännu ett val.
http://www.dn.se/nyheter/valet2010/sahlin-oppnar-for-styre-med-c-och-fp-1.1002816

I have to start this post with the good news (there isn’t any bad): Two of our ponds finally got dug out! The work was done before the snow the weekend before last, but the dozer just left this past weekend. I think the ponds look fabulous, and they’re both deeper (much deeper!) and can’t help but provide more water sources for the horses next spring! I wish I could remember the contractor’s name; I’d thank him right here on the blog – thank you, contractor! Your work will provide a direct benefit to the horses! And thanks to BLM for starting the process rolling by securing the funds.

Let’s start with the pond behind/south of Round Top.

This what it looked like “un-dug.”

Here it is dug. Just imagine that baby filled with water!

Now here’s the other one, one of the “double ponds” off the far east loop road:

It blends in, doesn’t it? That’s OK – perfect, even! In the foreground is the wide arroyo the road crosses, and about midway up the left side IS the road … and up to the right, about midway, is the pond. (The second of the “double ponds” is back farther, closer to where the arroyo comes down from the east ridge.)

Here it is a little closer (zoomed in). I hiked back to it after a visit with Poco and Roach and just had my long lens. From closer, I couldn’t get nearly all the pond in any composition!

Another comparison:

This is the big pond below the roller-coaster ridge. Yes, it’s shrinking (it was the one pond that didn’t go dry in 2008; it did go dry this year, then filled back up), but look how shallow it looks compared to the ones that just got dug out! That’s serious siltification! (I have no idea whether that’s an actual word.)

Snow is still in patches throughout the basin, but the roads were mostly dry. It was a little soft back near the double ponds, so I didn’t go all the way around. Molly and Liberty and Duke remain elusive. I did see Seven’s but not Bounce’s, so Molly and her filly are a mystery right now (if Molly’s time has come, I’m expecting Liberty to show up with one of the other bands … maybe back with Seven, her sire, or with Bounce, who she and Molly spent at least a few days with after they left Seven’s band). Little Hayden is adjusting well to his abnormal babyhood. He’s fuzzy, and both Jif and stepdaddy Chrome are protective of him. I saw them just from a distance, walking along a ridge. Jif was leading, and Hayden was a short distance behind … with Chrome *right* behind him. He easily could have passed the youngster, but he stayed right with him, even stopping with him for a rest while Jif walked on till she realized they had stopped. Nothing’s more important than family, no matter the season.

Poco has regained some weight he lost while he and Roach were with Hollywood’s band.

Roach, low man on the totem pole, still looks great.

I was having flashbacks with regard to Kreacher’s band  like with Seven’s band after they were chased last summer: I hadn’t seen them except very far away since the ATV hunters spooked them. Found them finally a bit out of their normal territory, but then they ended up on the west-side loop road and were completely calm when I gingerly approached them to say howdy.

Looking out toward the eastern ridge/boundary. It doesn’t look very snowy, but patches were hiding in the shadows of saltbush and grassy stuff! You can see the tracks from the dozer on the road.

Corona seems to have made a connection with Kootenai since Koot joined them with Duke.

I caught them during their late-afternoon nap …

By this time of year, the mamas seem to feel like their ever-more-independent babes regard them just as milk bars. But every now and then, you can still catch them in a tender moment …

And a mother-daughter portrait or two.

Mona and Kootenai … still napping … on the other side of the road (no jokes!).

They’re very fuzzy (Kootenai, in particular, has a lush, furry coat; maybe it’s her color that makes it so apparent). Corona was a bit muddy, and the mud just accentuated her curls. She’s SO cute!

Just before sunset, I found Hollywood and his family, getting a drink at the Flat Top pond, which was on the dig-out list but didn’t get done because Mother Nature saw fit to rain enough just before it was to get done that water collected a bit here. About a third of that surface area (it didn’t fill) is dry again now.

This is the view from the road. Its the opposite end that’s drying first.

Hollywood and his shadow.

I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving, no matter where you are or who you’re with. Other than my family, of course, I’m most thankful for the wild horses of Spring Creek Basin and elsewhere, and I’ll be gratefully and thankfully spending the holiday with them this year. Bounty of good life to you all!

To Catch You Up:
So itʼs been a while and a friend of mine Craig Fisher said yʼknow what you need to write what youʼre doing on your blog. Yea, itʼs been a while and he was dissapointed. Yes, Student Media asked if I could come in one day and be an adviser for a day. I had a blast and would like to thank them again for letting me come and talk. At the end of this I have some stuff for them and anyone else that would like to read and learn.
So the last month and a half Iʼve been trying to write this white paper as I stated in my last blog post but well itʼs been put on the back burner. Two major reasons,

1) David Parry or better known as academicdave; his class requires lots of attention.For that attention though the rewards are great and you learn a lot as well.

2) Iʼm overwhelmed by different cameras out on the market right now. I plan to make
this a focus of mine for next semester and hope to have some definitive reviews and
some samples posted somewhere.

My Current Involvements:

I must also speak about a few other things as well, Spark Club and Sustainable Preservation Initiative.

Spark Club is a great organization and I hope to see it grow. Spark Clubʼs mission is to get the non-profits and those interested in a space together to collaborate and create something good, something amazing. Their next event is December 3rd and I hope to see you there. I know I met some amazing people there like the guys from soap hope and the womenʼs foundation.

Sustainable Preservation Initiative [SPI] is something Iʼm really behind; Iʼve seen them in action and I really agree with what they do. Itʼs the best way to serve the old proverb of,

” Give a Man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for life”
SPI saves and preserves the world herritage as well as saves the community around it.More information can be found on their site.” – Unknown

Larry Coben is a great guy and has a lot to say that makes sense about changing the world in small ways that create big impacts.

Finally as I promised the stuff for my Student Media people:

The NY Times Article about Hybrid Books

The Qik and Ustream websites. (examples of good new media videos from Ben Smithson and Colleen Lin. I liked their videos because theyʼre not done with what youwould think to do with a broadcasting background but more of what you can do with new media to tell a story. Benʼs video is one of the first stories he created; and itʼs a great story this is what is capable of someone who has never messed with video before.

My lab mates Kyle Kondas and Mona Kasra both put together a video on how YouTube and online video is changing how we take our news and how we live. Their curated video and blog Click:Play is a great read and study. It was screened at VideoFest in Dallas November 9th at the Angelika Theater.

To the editor of the web section who specifically asked me how do you make it educational that people will watch? I answer you this, the TED lectures. We all watch them all the way through and the visuals are just the people are that interesting. These people are well refined but you do learn a lot from them.

My favorite daily readings that explore new media:

New Tee Vee (great reports analytics and whatʼs going on)

Mashable (general news and breaking and changing things)

FlowTV (yes I know itʼs from UT but at some point we are all in the same boat together)

Finally Adademia:

David Parryʼs blog there are so many things to be learned from the things he postsabout new media

Michael Wesch a professor at Kansas State who is studying the anthropology of the web and has great insights in the use of new media and what the web does and where it is heading. There are more answers there than I could provide.

Later Days…

This is not a definitive list as I told everyone there that day; merely a place to start.Please leave comments and start a discussion. I must get going as the coffee is finally getting to me and I need to get work done and the night is creeping in.

In het kader van de Week van de Smaak, waarbij culinair Turkije tien dagen centraal stond, en naar aanleiding van de Lesbiënneweek organiseerde het vrouwen- en lesbocentrum De Madam in hun Nieuwe Huislokaal afgelopen vrijdag een heerlijk Turks etentje met een optreden van buikdanseres Mona er bovenop. Een dertigtal dames hadden er zich voor ingeschreven en 10 euro betaald.

Turkijekenner en kok van dienst Rudi en diens vrouw Lieve zorgden voor het lekkere Turks voedsel. Onder andere lamaçun, cacik, borec, kofte en lokum stonden op de menu met drank zoals granaatappelsap en een soort karnemelk.

Hoogtepunt was echter het optreden van Mona. Zij bracht de oriëntaalse sfeer met haar zwoele buikdansact er dadelijk in. De dames waren zeer amusant verrast van het optreden dat het grootste gedeelte meedeed met luid mee te klappen met de handen op de oosterse muziek. Sommigen hadden er zelfs goesting in om het buikdansen aan te leren, maar dat lukte toch niet zo goed, vermits ze de  techniek niet dadelijk onder de knie kregen. Immers oefening baart kunst, ook in het buikdansen.

Niettegenstaande enkele verwoede pogingen van vier vrouwen om de sensuele heupbewegingen van Mona te evenaren, werd er heel wat afgeschaterd. Het was een leuke boel.

www.demadam.be

XD

matapos ang malakas na unos na dumating, isang lindol naman ang bumagabag at yumanig sa isip niya habang binabagtas ang daang may mga parisukat na disenyo, paikot sa university oval na iyon..maraming tao ang naglalakad, para bang hindi na mauubos pa kahit magsabog man ang kalangitan ng dilim dahil sa pag-alis ng liwanag ng araw..at sa puntong iyon, tila tumigil ang oras ng katotohanan, hindi lang dahil sa naguguluhan ang isip ngunit sa hindi na niya matanto ang susunod pang mga mangyayari..wala ng kalinawan pa ang mga bagay na darating..

isang buntong-hiniga matapos tumagaktak ang pawis dahil sa kainitan ng kahapunan..minsan payapa ang kalooban, sa tuwing ang mga mata niya ay sumusulyap at nakikipagyakapan sa mata ng kanyang kasama..at sa tuwing inaalis ang mga bisig ng kanilang mga mata, tila bumabalik ang masalimuot na nararamdaman na nadama kani-kanina lamang..sa sa nalalapit na pamamaalam, ibinuka ng isa ang mga katagang tungkol sa pagpigil..hindi niya maunawaan ngunit pumasok iyon sa kanyang isipan..hindi malaman ang gagawin, hindi malaman ang sasabihin..tanging “ingat” lang ang nanggaling sa bibig hanggang sa ang kanilang mga landas ay nahati at  parang napunit na  pati ang mga sulsi niyon..

“sa wakas! nakapagsulat din..sa dalawang linggong nakalipas, tanging mga salitang ingles at mga numero na muna ang nakikita ko..siyempre, dahil sa pinalad na “makalusot” sa upcat at sa dost scholarship, hindi na ko nagdalawang isip na kunin ang opportunity na makapagreview at makapaghanda sa college life na tinatawag..freshy kasi eh..marami na ring akong napuntahan, at mostly sa manila..medyo palagi nga lang ako sa up diliman dahil may soep na tinatawag..ai, summer orientation and enrichment program pala iyon..at speaking of that event, masaya naman ako sa bagong experiencce dahil marami akong natutunan na bago, (na para bang gusto ko ng ikahiya ang highschool life dahil kulang ang natutunan..) marami din akong nakilalang kaibigan..at take note, mas masasayang kaibigan..”

“ang mga huling araw ko noong highschool, masasabing isang plane crash iyon, puro kabiguan, at nalayo sa mga kaibigan..at ngayong summer, ngayon ko lang naramdaman ang sinasabi nilang isang buhat..at para bang sana, soep na lang ang mga mangyayari sa buhay..wahaha..bang saya kasi..hmm..masaya..masaya..tama, masaya nga..magulo, magulo..siguro, magulo..ewan ko, haaay..”

“mula sa mga corny kong jokes, mga hagikgik ni trixia, ang pagiging emo ni leonard, pagiging cute at sexy “daw” ni mona, ang mga out of this world na jokes ni prince, ang kaliitan ni jara, ang pagiging bida ni pevee( senxa kung mali spelling, haha..), ang kaweirdohan ni stephen, ang pagsasayaw ni jp, ang survivor type ni arem( spelling?), ang mga tingin at kakulitan ni rico, at hanggang sa pagsasamahan ng iba pa, parang sana, sila na lang ang mga taong makakasama ko sa kolehiyo..kaso, pagkatapos nito, magkakahiwa-hiwalay na ng landas..habang sinusulat ko ito ay dalawang linggo na lamang ang nalalabi..”

“bro never fails me to give mind-boggling situations that i must solve for myself..walanja kasi, bat ba ganun? may mga bagay talagang akala mo ok na, tapos kinabukasan hindi pa pala..”

sumakay na siya, nag-iisip pa din, naguguluhan pa din..may dumaang magkahawak kamay..may sumakay sa jeep na magkaibigan..may lalaking dala ang mga anak niya..hanggang sa napuno na ang jeep na kung nasaan siya..iniisip pa din ang mga matang iyon..mga mata niya..siguro hanggang sulyap na lamang siya? hanggang sa dumadaan na sa mausok na siyudad, hanggang sa bumaba siya upang maghintay ulit ng sasakyan pauwi..

“siyempre, nakakamis din naman ang mga kaibigan kong matagal ko ng hindi nakikita..”

“at tungkol naman sa buhay sa maynila, ayun, medyo iba sa kinagisnan kong lugar..siguro, magiging mas maraming experience at adventure na naman ang mangyayari kay sarimau sa pagkakataong ito..”

hanggang sa nakasakay na ulit siya, nakauwi, at matapos gawin ang mga dapat gawin, nakatulog siya na gulung-gulo pa din ang mga bagay sa isip niya..ipinikit ang mga mata, napanatag ang paghinga, ngunit, hindi malaman, kung ang unos na iyon, ay humahagupit pa din sa kinabukasan..

“may mga panahong ang nararamdamn ko ay pagkatakot, siyempre, ibang teritoryo na ang papasukin ko, at sa mga nababalitaan ko sa buhay na iyon, baka maculture shock ako sa panibagong pamumuhay..pero, isa lang sure ko, kailangang magawa na ng tama, at ayos na, hindi ko na makikita ang mga magulang, hindi ako iyong tipong mahohome sick dahil sa kanila, hehe, independent ata ito, siguro may pagkakataong hahanaphanapin pero kailangang maging mag-isa na lang..”

sa pagbukas ng kanyang mga mata, siya na agad ang naisip niya..hindi pa rin malimutan ang mga katagang ngayon ay hindi na niya maintindihan..hindi pa ito ang oras para isipin ang mga bagay na iyon pero sa tingin niya, hindi naman maaaring ipag-walang bahala na lamang ang nararamdaman..

“panibagong buhay na naman ang tatahakin ko..kaya goodluck na lamang sa akin..hanggang sa susunod na lang..”

at matapos niyang magising, dumeretso na kagad siya sa kanyang panulat at inihayag ang mga nararamdaman ng isang lalaking naguguluhan, kasabay ng mga nangyari sa dalawang linggong pinagdaanan..tinapos na niya ang mga letrang bumubuo sa pagkakomplikado ng nararamdaman..isang buntong hininga..isa pa..

sana isang panaginip na lamang na hindi na muling magising pa..

isang buntong hininga..

isa pa..

XI

Estava me perguntando se eu realmente deveria postar este video para fechar essa segunda feira tão chata…e depois de pensar muito eu decidi postar!

 Um amiguinho de twitter postou esse video a tarde em quanto eu estava fazendo meus trabalhos e eu decidi clicar no link de alegre com o som no ultimo volume…. então antes que você clique, eu gostaria de dizer que esse video me curou, me considero 100% heterosexual de agora em diante…me declaro homofóbico tambem…odeio as guei…apaga todas do msn e du orkut ok? No more bola-gato.

 (OFF: Entendam isso como um aviso “Cenas gays 100% gore”…não quero ouvir reclamações)

E isso é BRASIL minha genteee!!!!

Sai cú!

Arthur R. N.

Wow, I am already for about 1.5 weeks here and time runs fast.

I came here in a plane and next to me sat a german girl. I didnt realise that until 30 minutes before we arrived. I saw her passport. Ah, the germans are everywhere – they are like mushrooms… Well, I was actually quite happy to meet her, because she is FAMOUS!!!! She is the second best swimmer we have in Germany and it was so interesting to squeeze her out… Well, thats a very german expressiong, but I guess you get it all! She went to the Olympic Games in Sydney and Peking and came second on the world championship! Isnt that crazy?

Then I arrived in Sydney and saw finally Eva again. Ah, that was great! It was as if we never have been seperated at all. I stayed with her for a couple of days and took then the night bus to Surfers Paradise. 15h busride – damn, I had missed that already a lot The bus ride was fine. As always time passes by! I arrived in the morning and went to the BEACH! Sooo nice! I acutally felt asleep, but not for long. I got a little sunburned, but not to bad. I just didnt put the lotion on perfectly (I will remember that!).

At night time we played some drinking games… Yes, you read correctly! We (that includes me) played drinking games. Well, I had a cup of tea and then water, so it wasnt bad for me Afterwards (OMG) we went DANCING!!!! Can you believe it? I went dancing after such a long time again (Eva and I tried that as well in Sydney in a gay club, but the music… well, its always the same). So in Sufers we went to Melbas bar and they had good music and also a live band (ok, just one guy), he was really good. It was a great night out – I could have danced more, but also less so am was very happy. Next day I went shopping and …. blablabla. I wanted to go out again (DANCING) and we drove with 9 people in ONE car (it worked somehow) to a girls flat… The others were already quite drunken and I finally discoverd that they wanted to go to a club… club… electronic music… I was still lucky, because the student living with that girl was really nice, so the others left and we chatted about god and the world. I had a great night anyway.

So the next day I took the bus to Brisbane and met my host Blair and yesterday – MOVIE WORLD! That was cool. Well, the shows mostly sucked! But Superman Rollercoaster was sooo much fun!

At the moment I am waiting to get my car – oh, I should leave now – and then…. more beach, more sun, more ocean for Mona!

Ps. You all might think that I had a nice sunny vacation till now – you are wrong. It was most of the times very cold, and I really deserve this weather! So, dont be jealous!

PPs. Well, I in your place, I would be still jealous *HARHARHAR*

Futurama, one of my all-time-favorite shows, makes a lot of puns about the past and future. This includes the visual material around us too. In one episode, there were people who were very rich and one of their favorite pastimes were destroying antique masterpieces, like the Mona Lisa.

There are three alternative alphabets that appear often in the background of episodes, usually in the forms of graffiti, advertisements, or warning labels. Nearly all messages using alternative scripts transliterate directly into English. The first alphabet consists of abstract characters and is referred to as Alienese, a simple substitution cipher from the Latin alphabet. The second alphabet uses a more complex modular addition code, where the “next letter is given by the summation of all previous letters plus the current letter.” The codes often provide additional jokes for fans dedicated enough to decode the messages. The third language sometimes used is Hebrew. Aside from these alphabets, most of the displayed wording on the show uses the Latin alphabet.

Several English expressions have evolved since the present day. For example, the word Christmas has been replaced with Xmas (pronounced “EX-mas) and the word ask with aks (pronounced axe). According to David X. Cohen it is a running joke that the French language is extinct in the Futurama universe (though the culture remains alive), much like Latin is in the present. In the French dubbing of the show, German is used as the extinct language instead.

We’re almost to the end of hunting season. I was hoping we’d make it through with only the respectful people I’d seen thus far, but it wasn’t to be. Despite the fact that we reclaimed the old illegal road to Wildcat Spring, hunters apparently drove in a new “route” up on top of the next hill right above the spring! I guess they couldn’t read the very large sign at the entrance to the herd area telling ‘em to stay on designated routes!

This is what the sign says: “Travel restricted to maintained roads. Cross country travel prohibited.”

Who thinks driving off the road and up onto a hill is OK? These guys.

It’s hard to see the trucks and stock trailer and utility trailer and big canvas tent up on the hill, but they’re there. Note the old road to Wildcat at lower left. Lots of tire traffic and some boot traffic to the boulders (and walking past) to check it out. One of the dead trees the students “planted” was knocked over, whether human-caused or natural, I don’t know. I stood it back up. Thank goodness for the boulders, methinks.

To make matters worse, three men – one on an ATV and two on a “gator” or “mule” or some little golf-cart thing – came up behind my Jeep while I was watching and photographing Kreacher’s band from the road, drove around me and sent the horses galloping away.

Check out the passenger shading his eyes so he can see the horses better. The carsonite sign at left marks the intersection with the road to Flat Top.

This was my next view of Kreacher’s band.

I just read a really great Writers on the Range (High Country News) column written by a guy who used to be an avid off-road ATV rider … until the day he was hunting elk and a group of off-road ATV riders zoomed up and scared off the elk … and didn’t understand why the author was PO’d.

To go back in time to a more positive encounter, when I first passed Kreacher’s band, just on  the other side of the road from where this happened, I was heading back to get a closer look at the camp. I drove slowly past the band and took pix through my passenger’s side window. Then I noticed a truck coming up behind me. I drove on, watching carefully in my rear-view mirrors, but they were very respectful and also drove very slowly past the horses, who stayed right where they were, completely relaxed.

Do you get the point? Some visitors respected the horses and were able to get an amazing view of them. Then three visitors completely disrespected them, and the horses galloped away to protect themselves, making it impossible for anyone to enjoy them further at that time.

In addition to the fact that chasing/harassing  the horses is completely illegal, it’s just plain stupid, disrespectful to the horses and rude to other visitors. ARGH!

I sent an email to BLM that night, and I received a near-immediate reply that not only had they had law-enforcement rangers in the basin the day before but that they would follow up on my report. Very much appreciated.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

There were still patches of snow in the basin – more than I expected, truth be told – but it was obvious there had been plenty of vehicle traffic because the roads were mostly good (though a bit more rutted). I did hear what sounded like a stuck truck, but I could never figure out where it was coming from.

Kreacher’s were first on the flats below the catchment. There were a lot of human “visitors” in the basin. I parked up near Flat Top and hiked the old road around the hill. Grey/Traveler’s band was on the north side of the hill. I followed some ATV tracks that went up actually onto the hill … maybe before the sign went up … maybe ignored. I spent some time just visiting with Grey’s band but didn’t take any pictures, then kept going around to the “saddle.”

Hook and Twister were hanging out in the middle under some trees. Twister was lying down with Hook standing over him when I first saw them. The trail was somewhat dry – and considerably drier than the ground right off the trail (snowmelt) – so I sat down on the trail to watch the boys.

Steeldust’s band was out by the west-side loop road; Hollywood’s were a little closer to Flat Top. They ended up going all the way over past the pond to the roller-coaster ridge, up on top, then back to the west end. Aspen was with them when I first saw them, but I didn’t realize until I looked through my photos at home that Hollywood’s followed them.

Bounce’s band was over by the west end of Knife Edge … without Molly and Liberty. I never did see them. (Also didn’t see Duke that day, or Chrome, Jif and baby Hayden.)

Cinch and Bruiser also were on the saddle – closer to Round Top – and then I saw David and Shadow back toward that far yucky water puddle. It and the one close to Flat Top both have a little water, and by the hoof prints, horses are drinking at both.

You can see the snow … and the salt in the soil around the puddle.

While I was watching David and Shadow, I saw another “shadow” under some trees in the middle of the saddle, between D&S and Cinch and Bruiser …

Ze, Roja and Seven … Bruiser in the background.

It’s so weird to see them without Molly and Liberty.

I went back around the hill – Grey/Traveler’s were right up at the base of the hill then – and took the horse trail to the pond. It’s shrinking every time I see it.

I was almost back to the main road when I saw the camp and went to investigate.

That’s when I passed Kreacher’s band the first time.

Corona has been playing in the mud.

And then on the way out …

Loved that halo-light on the ponies …

A little lovely light, a little lovely background … a little lovely wild.

It was such a wonderful end to the day … until the horses heard the ATV.

Let’s review again how the day really ended:

I want everyone to feel about the horses the way I do. It’s a rude realization when I’m reminded that’s not the way it is.

Wow, time ran yout for me here. I am now 2.5 months here and it doesnt kind of feel like that – on one hand… but on the other I cant even remember Southamerica. Ok, thats obviously not true. It just seems like that. Or Tahiti… wow! I havent seen Eva for also 2.5 months. Weird!

Well, I am feeling ready to continue. I have seen quite a lot here, not everything, but thats great. So I have to come back some day. And guys: if you think going to Kiwiland for 3 weeks is not worth it -> you are wrong. The long flight is worth it. So, who is coming with me next time? But … the world is still so big and there are so many places to go to! On the one hand I think its stupid to go always to the same place, but on the other side isnt it great if you found the perfect place for you? A place you want to come back for all of you life? Who knows…

So, I spent my last days in Christchurch and Julia and I didnt do that much. We were hanging around, going to the movies, driving to Akaroa, visiting the botanical garden and thats pretty much it. But it was great! We stayed at this wonderful couch with 3 guys living in a nice house, a other couchsurfer and a huge piano! Erin is a really good player! Yesterday we had lovely Kasspatzen and today Erin and Matt made a wonderful breakfast for everybody. Sweet!

Julia and I have to bring the car back (or better swap it, because Jules will keep it). Then… still time before my check-in (which I obvilously couldnt do online alghouth my stupid fu* ticket got revalidaded… ) . And then… wow, I have to say goodbye to Jules and that will be sad. I guess she will have a party afterwards, when I am gone and drink champane No, we really did have a great time together and I was sooo much fun driving with her around Kiwiland. She is such a nice and lovely person… ah, I will miss her! But she is of course all ready invited to Evas and mine Welcome-back-birthday-whatever-Party! *Yiephh*

So, THAT IS IT (ah, I saw it yesterday -wow! What a genius he was! He did make the world a better place!)

Servus!

Como todos sabem, saiu uma nova versão do orkut (grande merda) só para convidados e convidados de convidados. Lembrando que convidados de convidados convidados não tem o direito de mandar convite.

Isso significa que muitas pessoas estão se matando para receber um convite dourado para finalmente……continuar a fazer o que elas faziam antes.

Um bom exemplo é este infeliz logo abaixo:

Yep, yep…. he´s gay.

Arthur.

An early Block with quite a history. It’s been reprinted twice since its Gold Medal debut in 1961 — as Sweet Slow Death in 1986 from Jove, Mona in 1994 from Carroll & Graf,  and as Grifter’s Game as the the first offering from Hard Case Crime in 2005.  A lot of mileage for an old title that has now become somewhat a classic in 60s noir.

I read somewhere that Block had started this one as a Nightstand title, and $20 Lust as something for Gold Medal or Beacon, but things got switched around, and when his agent Henry Morrison at Scott Meredith read the manuscript, he concluded it was good enough for Gold Medal and under Block’s own name.  Thus, Mona became the first paperback Block had his name on the cover, instead of Lesley Evans, Sheldon Lord, or Andrew Shaw.

There’s a Mona, a dead ex-wife, in $20 Lust (aka Cinderella Sims), talked about earlier, and a number of Monas show up in Block’s Andrew Shaw books.  She’s like Harry Whittington’s Cora, popping up often in different, same soul.

Block’s many Monas are just no good…tramps, cheats, and liars all…

[Side note: he same year, 1961, Block also published with Gold Medal Death Pulls a Double-Cross, also under his own name.  It was here that Block started to move away from the sleazecore and begin his career as a crime noir writer.]

The narrator of Mona/Slow Sweet Death/Grifter’s Game is Joe Marlin: con man, grifter, gigolo, player, crook.  He moves from hotel to hotel under different names, skipping out on the bill.

At the top, we find him in Philadelphia, moving in on a mark, a young woman whom he thinks has money, and she thinks he comes from her high society rich people’s circle.  Talk of love and marriage, and he actually feels something, so when he confesses to her that he’s not a rich man, she freezes at his touch. Then she vanishes, cutting out on two months’ rent, and Joe realizes she was playing him, thinking he was a rich guy she could snag.

The world is full of grifters, full of liars all out for the game, the buck, the payday, he realizes.

At a train station, he lifts another man’s luggage for the clothes and whatever else there is, and checks into a hotel by the beach.  There are a lot of nice clothes in the luggage, that help him fit in among the ritzy.

Lying out on the beach, he meets a young woman, Mona Brossard, who tells him she’s unhappily married to an older man in his 50s.  They make a date. They have sex. The sex is fitting for a Nightstand book, perhaps when Block was still writing this one with Nightstand in mind.

Then he finds a huge chunk of uncut, raw heroin in the luggage, worth tens of thousands, if nit hundreds on the open market after it’s cut and processed.  Then he realizes the name on the luggage matches the name of Mona’s husband…and then she finds his luggage when he’s asleep and she says, “What are you doing with my husband’s luggage?!”

Here we think: okay, how can this be?  A wild coincidence.  Joe should think the same but he figures it crazy luck, and he’s too in lust/love with Mona to think right, to realize, like the other girl, he’s being played.

Only later in the book, when we do find out he’s a patsy, that we can go back and see all the clues, where the heroin and the heroine converge.  Mona saw him take the luggage an she followed him, with a plan in mind, and intentionally met him on the beach…

Oh, Joe gets sucked in, he kills her husband and makes it look like a gangster hit, he plants the raw heroin in the man’s office so the cops will think the murder was over drugs…and then Mona vanishes, she sends Joe $3,000 to his hotel in Miami instead of showing up for love and happiness…

But Joe is crafty. Through the real estate agent selling the widow Mona’s house, he finds out she’s in a hotel in Lake Tahoe.  Joe is good at social engineering, at getting info from people.

In Tahoe, she has a handsome man at her side, a hired lover it seems.

He confronts her…

What can she say?

“Are you going to kill me too, Joe?”

Joe gets away with murder, he isn’t writing his story from a prison cell or before his suicide as some of these crime books.

At the blog Somebody Dies, the reviewer talks about the Hard Case reprint and notes:

A book like this could have ended in any of a dozen ways, all of them somewhat predictable, but Block comes up with one that absolutely knocks you to the floor…

Indeed, the last two chapters are truly dark, sadistic, and cathartic in a twisted way — the revenge every man wants for a woman who lies, double-crosses, cheats or hurts.  Mona has hurt Joe badly with her con game, using her vagina and her words of love and promise of money to turn him into a killer.

So he gets her back — the heroin and the heroine converge.  Should I spoil it for you?  I won’t.  It is indeed a slow sweet death, one he embraces as inevitable for her and later himself.

This little novel wraps up in such a dark way that I was totally surprised, and delighted that this one did not have a patent predictable ending.

And solidifies why I have become a Larry Block fan this year.

Highly recommended, boys and girls and tawdry readers of sleaze.  The Gold Medal edition might be pricey to acquire, but you can find the Hard Case one used for $1 out there.

Naar aanleiding van de ‘Lesbiënneweek’ en de ‘Week van de Smaak’ organiseert vrouwen- en lesbocentrum De Madam een Turkse avond in haar lokalen van het Nieuwe Huis, Kuringersteenweg 179, op vrijdag 20 november vanaf 20u.

Gastkok en Turkijekenner Rudi zorgt voor een erg smakelijke avond en bereidt gerechten uit de Turkse keuken als lamaçun, cacik, borec, kofte en lokum. Voor slechts 10 euro kan je smullen van deze heerlijke Turkse recepten.

Attractie van de avond wordt zeker een optreden van buikdanseres Mona. Een initiatieles buikdansen krijg je er op de koop toe nog bij.

Inschrijven op voorhand is noodzakelijk en kan via demadam@yahoo.com, op 011/25 22 94 of 10 euro storten op 001-0667207-20 vóór 18 november.

www.demadam.be

- Mr W*** said Qantas should handle the problem…

- I called Qantas: sorry, cant help, its a LAN Ticket, but well, do you have the ticketnumber? No, I dont, but I can get it…

- I got the number called again (other person): Sorry, its a LAN Ticket, cant help you, no, Ticketnumber doesnt help me, *ARGHS*, beeing on hold, beeing on hold,* ARGHS*, beeing longer on hold, sorry, I just want you to let you know, that I am speaking to LAN at the moment, *YES, a professional on the phone*, LAN will call you -> that was last friday morning

- Monday no calls, I called LAN: what… ah… I am not authorized… ah… ok, I see to whom Qantas talked, it was Christine, she will call or email you

- Tuesday no calls, I called LAN: Can I speak to Christine (thats a progress, isnt it?), Hello, I am Ramona, you have… I want to… blablabla all over again(ARGHS*Wasnt she already working on it? NO* ARGHS), Ah, but you dont have a LAN Ticket, you have a LAN Peru Ticket, ah, I see and NOW?*arghs*, we have to reissue that, OK, do it!, it will cost you 25 Kiwi-$, I need your credit card number, *AH, she couldnt do it anyway without me and just didnt called me for fun – SWEET* *ARGHS*, I have done it, *YES* can you please sent everything to me? And now I want to change my Helsinki-Mumbai-thing… … …

Doesnt sound that like a lot of FUN? No, you are soo weird…

Well, if you dont understand it – thats ok. I dont understand it neither! BUT it SEEMS, that I can fly on Friday, that sounds really good to me.

Apart from that… we drove from Dunedin to Mt. Cook in two easy days and had really fantastic weather! The pics will come… Can it be that I already told you that? I think so, but cant remember… Anyway, it was amazing! The Mt. Cook is just sooo huge and beautiful…

Well, now we are already in Christchurch and I have only 3 days left. I am really looking forward to see Eva again and to continue my travels. I have been here for now 2.5 months and that was a really long time. I love it here, but its time to move on!

 Superbe concert. Thanks a lot !

Superbe album, à télécharger d’urgence

chez  Factotum records  ou sur Myspace .

Varför åkte Mona till kongressen i en Audi idag? Var det inte hon som ville rädda Volvo och SAAB med miljarder? En gammal Amazon hade väl varit perfekt?

Och varför pratar hon så konstigt?

Per.fect.ion

(Download)