Well I totally lost this blog a long time ago. Another failed inspiration. I guess a war has never been won in a day and this war that rages inside of me will continue to rage forever. For weeks now I have known my food intake was out of control. I have been eating junk, fast food, chocolate, crisps, chips etc.

I am going to start documenting what I eat in an attempt to have it stare me in the face. It’s to easy to teach my brain to forget it. Forget the Ripple I ate for breakfast or the twix I shoved down my face at lunch or the cookies I grazed through in the afternoon.

I think the key to everything is to plan. Years ago (around 6) I lost a couple of stone and it was down to planning my breakfast, lunch and dinner even snacks. I said I would start tomorrow but I haven’t planned anything at all. Sabotage. Every time.

I am not going to let it kill me, not this time, I will try and make good choices, I will stay away from the obvious dangers. In fact I think I will try and pledge a few things here and now:

• I will try and find time in every evening to blog my day. To reflect on my day, where the triggers are and what my triumphs are.
• I will avoid  the obvious fatty fatty bum bum food. Fast food, snacking, chocolate, etc etc. Even if my son wants a McDonalds I will be fine with a diet coke.
• I will eat more fruit. I will attempt to eat more veg!

Well. I guess that’s all I can say.  Will weigh in tomorrow to give a guide to start with.

I will now undergo the task of reviewing every Black Sabbath album ever! That’s somewhere between 20 to 25 albums, if you only count the studio LPs. I dare not touch the gazillion live releases or compilations. These reviews will be smaller than my normal ones obviously, which usually go of on unreadable tangents of quasi-wit comedicness and unjustified criticism.

This post will contain Black Sabbath’s first eight albums, which are the ones featuring Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. Most people refer to this as the classic Sabbath period, which is fair enough, although they released some great stuff without Ozzy and at least a few Ozzy-Sab albums weren’t very good.

1970 – Black Sabbath (self titled debut album)

Often cited as the ‘earliest heavy metal album’, this debut is probably my favourite of the entire vast Sabbath penor. The opening lyric is “what is this that stands before me?”, which perfectly sets the mood. This was the first album to have a really dark, overdriven guitar tone, disturbing lyrics and an overall sense of evilness/dread to the music. Look at that cover…it’s so fitting. I need not go into detail of any particular tracks, I’ll just say the whole album sounds like a mix of heavy blues music, hard rock, a little bit of jazz and a whole lot of marijuana smoke.  5 out of 5

1970 – Paranoid

Easily the most influential and popular album by Black Sabbath, but I never thought it was the very best. Not to say it’s really lacking or anything, especially with songs like the opening track, War Pigs, which I think may qualify as one of the best songs ever created. Call me crazy, but I just don’t like the song Iron Man, with it’s catchy riff and general…I dunno. I just can’t stand listening to it for some reason. Nonetheless, most of the content on the album is still absolutely masterful despite my ability to bitch about little things. It’s another step in the riff-based and bizarro soundscape known as heavy metal, this time with a more developed and less raw feeling than the self-titled album. The riffs were dark, the lyrics were scary, the popular song Iron Man was annoying. Ah well. Two classic albums in the same year also, for what it’s worth. 4.5 out of 5

1971 – Master of Reality

Going even further into the realm of heavy guitar riffs, philosophical lyrics and whatnot, this is the third classic in a bloody row. The first track is called Sweat Leaf, I’ll give you three tries to guess what it’s about. The next song contemplates religion, which I always thought was a funny juxtaposition, it’s like first some guy smokes a bunch of weed and then starts talking about existentialism. I don’t feel the need to really elaborate on this album too much, anyone who’s anyone knows it’s full of mind-blowing compositions, a dirty guitar tone, and an even bigger weedy feeling than other Sabbath albums. Like Paranoid, I don’t really consider it perfect, but who gives a hoot. 4.5 out of 5

1972 – Vol 4

I always felt this album was a slight slip in quality. First off, couldn’t they have thought up a better title? “Volume 4″, thats it? Can’t fault it for lying, I guess. Cover’s kinda lame too, but so be it. There’s a few tracks on here that I think are either filler or weirdly contrived, especially the horribly out of place ballad Changes. Snowblind always sounded a little out-of-tune also, although I suspect that may have been intentional. Oh well, says Mike. On the flip side, there’s at least several undefeatable classics thrown in to balance it out, particularily the crushing 8-minute Wheels of Confusion. Sabbath still sounds very inspired on this, and okay, it’s still overall a very good LP. Just it’s a little contrived and I don’t consider it a classic. 4 out of 5

1973 – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

This album is basically duking it out with the self-titled one as my favourite Black Sabbath disc. It’s a little more straight-forward than Vol.4, but the whole album feels consistant and lacks any bad tracks, except for the synthy nightmare Who are You?.  The lyrics are really what make it for me, the entire album has an agitated and cynical tone, feeling like a pissed off burnout going on well informed psychological rants. It’s a huge, brooding and innovative album, and it nevers looses what makes metal great while attempting to experiment with the formula. The whole infatuation with witches and magic was gone too, replaced with heartfelt skepticism and a general feeling of confrontation towards naysayers. And oh yeah, the riffs are freakin’ awesome as well. 5 out of 5

1975 – Sabotage

Whoa. Even after multiple listenings, I cannot fathom what kind of things were going through the bands mind when they created this album. Probably a whole lot of drugs much worse than pot, but so be it. This is as gritty, dark and contrived as Sabbath would ever get but luckily, it works. I find alot of fans are torn on whether this is the work of desperate artists caught up in their own minds, or if it’s a brilliant statement towards the intrinsic effects of heavy drug use. It is indeed both, as I think this was the point where intoxication level was brimming to the extreme. Symptom of the Universe is so damn heavy that a lot of people consider it the earliest form of thrash metal. When I first listened to it, I didn’t like how weird it was, but upon further listenings I can sort of understand the album. It’s idiosyncratic, to say the least, but lovably so. 4.25 out of 5

1976 – Technical Ecstacy

Here’s where things start to get a little…shitty. Before this album, Sabbath always sounded good, even when they were falling on their asses from all the intoxication influence. This entire album is sort of a bloody mess, the music swinging schizophrenically between lazy to contrived to silly. Here’s a song title I don’t like: ‘Rock N’ Roll Doctor’. The drugs were pretty obvious on previous Sabbath albums, but at least those ones dug deep into your mind with lyrics and gritty riffs. The experimentation here sounds pretty half-assed, the drugs have not made the band philosophical, it’s just made them lazy. It’s nowhere near as bad as I just made it out to be, but it’s considered to be the first huge drop in quality for the band. 3 out of 5

1978 – Never Say Die

The 8th and final Black Sabbath album to feature Ozzy on vocals, and does he exit the room gracefully? Nope, quite the opposite. This is the sound of a rockstar shitting his pants and dying after finding out how mediocre of an album he’s just written. It’s in the same realm of half-assed-ness as Technical Ecstacy, but even further so. I almost pity this poor album, from it’s bad production and lame vocal performance from Ozzy. The band had basically lost it’s inspiration here, in favour of hard drugs and bad lyrics. The album spirals out into an infinity of unlistenable pyschedelic jams, boring lyrical content and a general feeling of musicians block. Okay, okay, it isn’t terrible and Sabbath would release worse albums (see Born Again, my earliest review on this blog) but listening to this is like seeing your favourite childhood racing horse being taken into the glue factory. 2.5 out of 5

This World War II poster illustrates the military connotations of sabotage, but there are other meanings of the word which can also be applied to a D&D game.

One regular feature of this Web log is Crime Scene Sunday, in which the author examines some form of criminal activity, considers how a villain may use that particular crime in a Dungeons & Dragons game, and provides one or more examples of that particular misdeed in a D&D campaign setting. As the name implies, such entries are posted on Sunday.

This week’s crime is sabotage. Beyond he term’s typical usage to describe saboteurs acting on behalf of one side of a military conflict, the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines the term as “an act or process tending to hamper or hurt” with added connotations of ”deliberate subversion.” Wikipedia’s definition focuses still more, calling sabotage “a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction.”

Based upon these definitions, sabotage appears to be a very versatile crime. It can be committed by directly performing a subversive act, or even by failing to act. In some cases, sabotage can be committed without acting outside of one’s vocational responsibilities, simply by the perpetrator opposing an initiative that he knows needs to move forward.In a Dungeons & Dragons game, the crime of sabotage is best suited to three types of villains:

Those employed as saboteurs in an ongoing war. The conventional use of the word sabotage has military connotations. In D&D games where an ongoing war is a central plot element, saboteurs will probably be employed by both sides; if the heroes are playing an active role in the war, they are likely to encounter enemy saboteurs in the course of their adventures.

Good candidates for this type of saboteur/villain include corrupt officers, double-agents and disgruntled segeants who can undermine operations at unit level. A crafty foe may even employ shape-shifters or illusion to assist sabotage.

Patient, scheming villains.  Villains prone to making long-term, elaborate plans, such as evil clerics, aboleths, liches, wizards, vampires, devils, or illithid, would certainly employ sabotage to improve the odds of success for other portions of the grand scheme. This type of villain enjoys outwitting adversaries almost as much as achieving goals, and sabotage is a great way of eliminating a foe’s options without the foe’s knowledge.

For example, imagine a vampiress who knows that a nearby temple of Pelor holds an artifact that can channel true sunlight at any time of day in any setting. Not surprisingly, no vampires have claimed the surrounding area as a vampiric feeding ground. Undaunted, she arranges for the item to be stolen in secret and replaced with a non-magical copy of the item; the true item is brought to her, where it is stored safely away from heroes. In this case, the act of sabotage – deliberately weakening the temple’s ability to respond - is essentially a contingency plan, to be used in case the clerics of Pelor learn that a vampire is active in the area and decide to employ the artifact.

Passive-aggressive types. Not all villains have the temperament or ability to take on foes with open conflict. The dungeon master (DM) should look for people who suffered real or imagined slights from the villain’s foe that can be motivated by vengeance; such persons are ideal passive-aggressives with respect to sabotage.

Most often, this type of saboteur is a pawn of one of the aforementioned scheming types. In such cases, the passive-aggressive will typically perform sabotage within the boundaries of his job description, doing his small part in helping the villain’s greater plot to harm the foe.

A more interesting way to use a passive-aggressive saboteur in an adventure is to use such a villain as the major villain in a D&D adventure. For players accustomed to objectives requiring toe-to-toe combat to solve, an adventure where the primary quest is identifying the villain offers an interesting change of pace.

Nyt alkaa olla musiikkivideon “näyttelijät” kasassa. Jotain pieniä muutoksia tietysti saattaa tulla mutta näillä nyt mennään. Casting ei ollut helppo. Rooleihin sopivia tyyppejä on haettu jopa keski-euroopasta asti. Lopputulokseen täytyy olla tyytyväinen. Saanen esitellä Sabotage-musiikkivideon uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla -projektin tulevat tähdet:

(This article is another in our series of articles written for GNN.tv by users of the now closed online community, originally published Wed, 28 Nov 2007)

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.“ —Dr. MLK, Jr.

On October 6th, 2002, as the U.S. prepared to launch its “shock and awe” bombing campaign against Iraq, three brave Dominican nuns, and members of Earth & Space Plowshares, a national nuclear disarmament organization, broke into Minuteman III missile site near Greeley, Colorado, armed only with hammers, prayers, and their own blood, in a symbolic act to “inspect, expose and disarm” the weapons of mass destruction that exist right here on American soil. Entering the silo, they poured their own blood in the shape of a cross, and pounded on the half-ton concrete silo lid with a household hammer. They were arrested, convicted of sabotage and labeled as fanatics and terrorists by the religious right.

In April of 2003, the trio was charged with and convicted of malicious destruction of property and interfering with national defense. On July 25th of that year, Sister Jackie Hudson was sentenced to 30 months in prison, Sister Carolyn Gilbert to 33 months, and Sister Ardeth Platte to 41 months, by U.S. District Judge Robert Blackburn, who called the women “dangerously irresponsible.” The duration of the sentences varied depending on the number of prior arrests and convictions for civil disobedience. Testifying at their trial, the nuns said their act was one of “symbolic disarmament,” and was not a threat to national defense.

Back in October, Sister Jackie Hudson came to my college, Fort Lewis, in Durango, CO, to address students who attended the screening of the documentary film Conviction, which tells the nuns’ story. With the help of several members of Guerrilla News Network, I compiled a list of questions, and conducted an interview via email.

What follows are the responses of Sisters Jackie Hudson, Carol Gilbert, & Ardeth Platte.

^{Sister Ardeth Platte, second from left, hugs an unidentified supporter,
left, as sisters Jackie Hudson, third from left, and Carol Gilbert, right,
look on as the three Dominican nuns head into federal court in downtown
Denver on Friday, July 25, 2003, for sentencing. The women were
convicted in April of obstructing the national defense and damaging
government property for swinging a hammer at the silo and smearing
their blood on it in the form of a cross. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)}

ShiftShapers: What were the primary intentions and objectives behind your action on October 6th, 2002?

We followed President Bush’s Nuclear Posture Review in Jan., 2002 and his statements for the next nine months regarding his threats to use nuclear weapons on the “Axis of Evil” nations and namely, on Iraq. We began praying, studying and discerning what we should do to stop this crime – of threatening to use nuclear weapons on the people of a nation which is illegal under international law. We recognized that anyone knowingly participating in this indiscriminant bombing would also be war criminals. We felt obligated to speak out.

Van: What do you think were the main motivations for this war?

We think that the bombing of Afghanistan carried out the threat against that country because their government refused to allow an oil pipeline through their country and the “shock and awe” bombing and occupation of Iraq were for the purpose of controlling the oil of that nation. Certainly the two countries were not represented in the 19 persons who were on the attack commercial airliners that hit the World Trade Towers, Pentagon and Pennsylvania farmland. Fifteen were from Saudi Arabia.

Van: How do you think opposition to the war should be communicated to many of the right-wing (alleged) Christians that support the Actions of the Bush regime?

The truth about mass murder of innocent women, children and men should become a theme urgent for followers of the non-violent Jesus to practice. If there is any reading of the New Testament certainly the challenge to love enemies, to do good to those who persecute, to forgive, to understand that those who use the sword will perish by the sword.

Van: Why do you think so many US Christians seem to support these sort of military actions, despite the fact they are ignoring the words of Jesus of Nazareth?

Many U.S. Christians put America and nationalism before their God. They have become part and parcel of the systems whether corrupt or just, they earn their livings from the corporate entities and have become part of the capitalistic producer-consumer market. Also, much of the actual workings of the U.S. government are buried in secrecy. There is little investigative reporting by the corporate media to bring out sufficient information to the general public. The general public is caught in an economic battle for survival.

Van: What attempts have you made to communicate with people such as those mentioned above? What barriers have you found, and what bridges?

We live lives of nonviolent civil resistance. Therefore, our participation is ongoing: forums, marches, demonstrations, civil resistance. This includes organizing and acting, along with enjoining others who are doing the same.

Van: What do you think can be done to halt the push towards war with the rest of the Islamic world, especially Iran?

The only changes that have been made on this level is “by the people”. Suffrage, unionization, labor and human rights, civil rights, an end to any war can only become a reality through mass movements of the people and by persons willing to risk their lives, reputations and possessions. People who believe in stopping war and banning it forever must pull out all the stops by direct action, political and judicial action and all nonviolent means possible. Our understanding is that the war has already begun: surveillance inside the country, ongoing threats in the air and at sea by military equipment and personnel, increased verbiage, and Iran designated as a terrorist nation. It has even been stated that money is available for an attack. We pray this is not so.

Truthcansuk: If the U.S. government is willing to arrest nuns over this, then what does that say about the safety/effect that other regular protesters can enjoy?

The government will use any means necessary to stop those who interfere with their business as usual. History teaches that leaders are killed, incarcerated, threatened, condemned, and lied about. We can look at this century and study mass movements of any kind. All who want a preferred world must work to create it. If it is one of peace with justice, then one must develop these qualities in oneself and mobilize small communities of persons to live it, practice it, teach it, and give their lives to bring it into being. Truth-telling is a two edge sword. It touches the truth that lies within others. War will never bring about peace, Injustice will never create just systems. So it is a challenge to be faithful to ones beliefs and to what one wishes for others that is right and good.

Ted: Obviously this has been a long battle but it seems that the majority of the antiwar movement is using recycled tactics of the Vietnam era and mass protests don’t seem to have much of an effect at drawing new people into the movement for the long term struggle which is needed to change to a society based on peace and justice. Have your actions been able get people interested and involved?

We believe that over longer periods of time, more and more people begin to understand the signs of the times and become stronger advocates for peace, become more courageous in their struggles. We believe that the Vietnam War would have continued for many more years had it not been for the people in the streets, some giving their lives, others being incarcerated for years, and masses of people saying “Get out of Vietnam now!” We must not fall into the immediate fast food mentality for results. We must be faithful in our lifestyles, live more simply, work on gentler footprints on Mother Earth, build lasting relationships with people of all nations, races, creeds, and orientations. We have years of work to do to become one family under God, Allah, Yahweh or whatever name we wish to call the Spirit that leads us.

ShiftShapers: Have you been able to continue your anti-war activism after conviction & imprisonment?

Definitely, in every communication, relationship, forum and in our efforts to live nonviolence as a way of life! My question daily is: does this action I am doing, this word I am speaking, this thought I am thinking add to the making of peace? Am I compassionate, caring, loving in my dealings with others? Am I living as simply as possible so that others may live? Continuing to work against war is a life time work. Direct action must continue in our lives, so we hold banners in key spots, write articles, speak in forums, challenge groups with whom we meet, etc.

Ted: Have you been able to work with the higher echelon of the church to promote peace and justice per the bible (i.e. blessed are the peacemakers) instead of the covert and non-vocal disapproval of the war?

Yes, we continue to take corporate stances against war, for nuclear disarmament, in behalf of issues pertaining to justice. These are sent to Church leaders and governmental leaders.

Ted: Have you been able to get ministers or reverends to promote this (peaceful, nonviolent) aspect of their religion openly and ask their followers to read the bible for the peace that parts of it advocate?

In our presentations there have been a number of priests, ministers, pastors. Hopefully they are less afraid to speak out when other enjoin them. But we do not have a chance to follow them after the forums.

ShiftShapers: What is your vision for the future of the anti-war movement, and your peace work in particular?

Our vision is that all who believe in peace will begin to see the connections between nonviolence in their way of life and then begin practicing it, teaching it to the youngest, and helping create the peaceful family, neighborhood, communities wherever we are. All of creation is connected. All affect the other. All people must have the basic human necessities that will help them reach their fullest potential. Greed, ego, possessions must decrease so that all of the family of God will be able to sustain themselves.

This exclusive collaborative interview was compiled by GNN contributor and blogger Nathan Coe. Nathan is a guerrilla journalist and activist residing in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, where he is a senior in college working on his Major in Humanities. He can be contacted at free_world_alliance(at)yahoo.com or via his blog at ShiftShapers.gnn.tv.

Averybody love World War II, right? At least I do. Or at least the neutral approach, and not the American black and white good-evil kind of approach. I saw this American miniseries about Hitler once, and it was just horrible. I think they called it The Rise of Evil; pretty  much sais it all. And with a film like Der Untergang in the back of my head, I know how it can be done well.

Anyway, the reason I’m talking about World War II is of course game related, or a new game called Saboteur, to be mor specific. From what I read, this is supposed to be a stealthy sneaky game set in France during the German occupation. As the title suggests, you play a saboteur, probably working for the resistance. I already can’t wait to get my hands on it.

The interesting thing about Saboteur, is that you’re supposed to be able to choose wether you want to do a mission by sneaking around and slit throats, or do it in a more spectacular manner. That probably involving a bit of mass killing and TNT.

The game comes out on December 3, for the PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Saboteur will definitly find its way to my collection. I will make sure that the nazis will fall, one way or the other.

Radio 420 Beta 20112009

(dia da consciência negra )

Tim Maia – New Love

Marku Ribas – Madinina

Sabotage (Instituto) – Cabeça de Nego

Clementina de Jesus – Incompatibilidade de Gênios

Cidinho e Doca – Rap da Felicidade

Racionais Mc’s – Negro Drama

Jorge Ben – Charles Jr.

Branca de Neve – Nego Dito

Play para o povo preto

It is not the first time that Mr. Mugabes presence at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization summit has generated controversy – travel restrictions do not apply when he is attending U.N. gatherings… From VOA. Full story

This site may contain information about: airport transportation. The blog is also related to: airport transport.

This is a Living Document. Every time I think I won’t post here, I have another story to tell you. So I guess I will keep posting.

Ridiculous update #10001

I get up early and buy a wireless router N so I can get my friend’s house set up for me to work in my area and not in his office area where he has staff and such.

I go to a famous Hamburger joint and have one for breakfast!

I walked there so I figured it was kinda OK.

I try to get my eyebrows and nails done but they are closed on Mondays and I walk back.

I have to wait for my friend to hook up the wireless router on his own time because he has a business and can’t just plug it in with his work in here. So that basically isn’t going to happen today.

I talk to Cordell Crockett who wants to give me a guitar lesson Tuesday (today) and in exchange I’m promoting Hear Kitty Kitty concert on Sunset this Thursday.

I decide to go shopping to best buy and look at cameras (Mouth of Moses took mine, took the hard drive and has threatened me with whatever is on it to expose it, which I don’t think is anything, but you never know with this asshole) and get a new GPS to replace that fucking thing too!

I decide my iPhone is just as good as what I need for now, I have 32 gigs and spent 300 and don’t really need to spend any more money.

I decide instead to make a nice dinner for my new roommate and I’ve already called my girlfriend (D) from the hotel and told her when she gets off work to come over since she doesn’t work tomorrow (today-Tuesday).

This is my text messages with my friend today (Monday). My sleeping pattern is the same as the hotel and from working these odd hours. So I’m trying to make this clear. I’m writing the text messages exactly as I have received them. I also make many calls in-between with her, but here is the gist.

Nov 16, 09 8:48 a.m.

U got out just in time. I walked down hall and stepped in toilet water. Entire place is so flooded coming from ur floor. People r mad.

(me) 10:07

That is crazy but they said they would give you my mail (I’m waiting for my picks and strings to come for my guitar because Cordell and I have a lesson on Tuesday).

(D) 11:08

K ill check it when I get back home from work.

(D) 5:46pm

The entire building is flooded. I hate to know what ur floor looks like. I bet ur room is flooded. I should take picture of my hall. U got out perfect timing.

ME: Uh oh

(D) Ask the guy who works here. I didn’t look at second floor. I just know whatever that man was mad about. Made its way down here in the hall one room over. I bet in ur room or close

I woke up and stepped in toilet water in the hall. At least that is what neighbor said.

Holy shit heather. I just took a walk to second floor. It looks like it came from ur room. I’m going back and taking pictures. Hang on. Gotta ask the guys. Did

Did pipe bust?? Or did toilet over flow. Hmm.

D calls me and puts a maintenance man on that says that it was intentionally sabotaged in my room and that’s why it flooded. She’s freaking out, and he’s telling me I’m sorry, because he remembers me talking to him about my problem with someone bothering me.

6:12 p.m.

I just took pics of your room with my cell. U are going to die when u see this, or I’m fucking delusional.

Ok, the other maintenance guy said it happened in the other room. The same piping prob as what happened up stairs and asked why I was taking pics. I took them anyway.

U cannot imagine what this place looks like. Its bad.

I have such a bad vibe.

*I call her and tell her to come to me.

Oh my god I feel everything. Crazy shit. I,m grabbing stuff. Going to bank. Call u in minute.

She comes to my place and the pictures are insane, but I can’t get them off of her phone because she doesn’t have a plan. But I might be able to figure something out. I use to have a phone like that and I have to look in my stuff (too much stuff) for a wire that may get it transferred.

I look at it 3 ways.

Either

1) Intentional so it would look like me and make me responsible for the damage to cost me more money to sink me further…. or

2) It’s like an evil spirit movie and when I cleaned the room down perfect, left money for the house keeper, checked out making sure I didn’t owe anything else and said to the room as I walked out, “Goodbye Chapel Perilous” it was like evil collapsed on itself and that’s just a kind of cosmic visual.

3) The pipes broke after I happened to just move out Friday. No one had rented my room. Just a coincidence.

This song just came on the radio. I love synchronicity:

I like the one above because of the charity, but the one below reminds me of my night of  Yahoo IM with the VP of my old company, and we were having a good time. I wonder why those good times didn’t translate into communication and assistance when it should have been obvious from his perspective I was in big trouble?

My schedule is the same as in the hotel…so I sleep when my friend is awake and visa-versa. Anyway….I was having a nightmare…..I was being held down by an attacker and I knew there was people in ear shot, but no matter how hard I yelled, I couldn’t yell loud enough “Help Me” … so I would try again harder “Help Me” and I kept trying to make my voice louder but in my dream it sounded so meek and quiet… too quiet for anyone to hear my desperate pleas….

My friend and his dog were across the house in an office and they heard me and they woke me up….he said, “Heather, you are having a nightmare….wake up.” I look up at the dog looking at me and my friend. I said, “Was I screaming Help Me?” He said, “Yeah”.

We had a talk later, and he said, “I didn’t realize what you have been through, until I heard you screaming in your sleep. Now I understand.”

By now most of you would have heard or read that Ras Dumisani totally and utterly f**ked up the South African National anthem on the weekend before the rugby game between the Springboks and France.

Just incase you missed it..

No rasta.

Thats sh*t will not play. You forgot some of the words and you ball raised during Die Stem (a crime in some towns).

WTF were you smoking.

No seriously. What?

Because my mate Dave says that must be the good sh*t.

UPDATE: Since the incident Dumisani has stated that he had “sung beautifully” and that “everyone at the stadium told me I sang well, even after the match”[iol.co.za] ……..whatever….puff puff pass.

UPDATE: South African Rugby Union has lodged a complaint with the French authorities over the anthem. [The Times of London]

UPDATE: French officials blame the SA embassy who also deny any responsibilty.

UPDATE: Dumisani  states on a talk show that officials made him sing with a broken microphone and he proceeded to accuse them of “wanting to sabotage” his performance. [Guardian]…..bwwwahahaha..good one sonny.

I have an athletic competition this weekend, and in preparation have been carefully planning my workouts and monitoring my progress. I have also been mindful not to sabotage such effort. Athletes fall victim to this all the time, suffering an injury just days before an event, under the guise of intense training. I don’t buy the ruse, because if you are training intelligently, you know to rest before a competition. I believe many of these injuries are caused by unconscious fear. The athlete is afraid to be put under the scrutiny of competition, and, therefore, designs an honorable way out. People with diabetes use the same ploy, undermining the best self-care regimens from an inability to maintain or out of a fear of success.

How many times have you blown off your diet or have skipped testing or have not injected/bolused the full amount of insulin? We all have, but the better question is: why have we? Of course there are a myriad reasons, and often some combination of many causes is the true root, but many can be boiled down to the following two areas.

The Inability to Maintain:

You’re doing well and you know it; it’s almost frightening how everything is falling into place, just as your doctor said it would. You’ve been diligent with testing and logging your results and carefully proportioning your food, to the point where you feel almost regimented. That unnerves you. You begin to wonder if you have to live this way, in this lock-step manner, in order to achieve that elusive sub 7% A1c result. Worse, you question whether it’s even worth it. Therefore, you abandon your care and find yourself back where you started.

Fear of Success:

You’re the “diabetic” of the family, the office, the group of friends. That title and all its associations and trappings are your identity. As much as you wish you were wrapped in a different label, you embrace the role and actually enjoy the care and concern those around you express regarding your disease. You appreciate the contact, but know it would all change if you altered your care, sought tighter control, resisted the unsavory foods, lost weight and resolved to maintain an exercise routine. You wouldn’t be the “diabetic” you anymore, and so who would you be? The inability to answer that question is what immobilizes you.

It’s difficult to consider the nature of a problem from the inside out, to be truly objective.  For athletes and those with diabetes alike, we have to determine the answer to one fundamental question for all our actions: Why am I doing this? Once we know that answer and understand the reasons for our behavior, then we can change, then we can act appropriately. However, not until we see ourselves for who we truly are, can we step back and stop sabotaging who we want to be.

This weekend, I’ll bust my tail to succeed and will be vigilant over not allowing destructive thoughts to creep in. I have both athletic and wellness goals, and I am to succeed equally. I will, so long as I have faith in who I am and my capabilities. Once there, the possibilities are limitless.

So, it’s been longer than I had planned, but here it is.  I want to talk about other things, but feel I can’t without getting through this first, so here we go and keep a look out for more soon!

We shall start with my favorite of the collection:

Weapon Of Choice by Fatboy Slim featuring the ever amazingly fabulous Christopher Walken

Spike Jonez is a great fan of the Beastie Boys and was all too happy to collaborate with them on their Sabotage single video from the album “Ill Communication”

According to the Wikipedia entry,  Sabotage was “played extensively on MTV. As an homage to (and parody of) 1970s crime drama television series like Hawaii Five-0, The Streets of San Francisco,S.W.A.T., Baretta, and Starsky and Hutch, the video is presented as the opening credits of a fictional 1970s-style police show called Sabotage, with the band members appearing as the show characters. Each band member is introduced as a fictional actor, and the names of the characters are also given.”

Bjork’s “It’s Oh So Quiet” – again according to the Wikipedia entry – “remains her biggest hit…Fueled by the Spike Jonze-directed music video clip, the single also shot Björk into the spotlight in the United States, peaking at #9 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot Singles Chart (#109 on the Hot 100). In the United Kingdom the single has been certified as Gold, having sold upwards of 400,000 copies. [1]“

And finally we have Weezer’s “Buddy Holly.”  I am feeling a bit lazy this evening, so I’m going to stick with Wikipedia since they have served me so well for the above videos.  ”The video portrayed Weezer performing at the original Arnold’s Drive-In diner from the popular ’70s television show Happy Days. The video combined contemporary footage of the band with clips from the show. Happy Days cast member Al Molinaro made a cameo appearance in the video.”

So, as I mentioned, Spike likes to bring the element of surprise and unknown to his media.  Lots of the Sabotage footage was filmed without a license (according to a New York Times article). “Weapon of Choice” is just surprise after surprise, and “…So Quiet” is filmed in the same vein of altered dancing/flying reality.  In “Buddy Holly” Jonze has taken us back to the time (though, of course, Happy Days is a throwback in itself) to the time of Buddy Holly’s popularity playing music that is inspired by, but is so beyond, that time and place.

I’m not going to go off about the film.  I really enjoyed it; I laughed and James Gandolfini, as a muppet, made me cry. I think it was genius, but I would like to see it again and see if it holds up.  Also I can’t speak for children, but I think that film is now trying to take them seriously, and rightly so.  See this article from A.O. Scott in the New York Times.

I sabotaged myself. Today. For breakfast. First off, I hit the ground running. I have a huge list of things I have to get done. All in different parts of town. My hair appointment was first. I was running behind, so though I would stop in at the local coffee shop to pick up coffee and a muffin.

That was such a big mistake.

The pumpkin muffin was delicious, but when I got home and started counting the points I nearly died. 11 points for the muffin! WTF? Ugh. Then you add in my coffee (cream only), the Kashi Black Bean Mango dinner for lunch, an apple and banana? Most of my day is gone now. What really pisses me off? I could have had this.

I have to relearn portion sizes all over again. No wonder I had gained weight. Frick the world people. Frick the world.

How am I going to achieve my goals if I sabotage myself? Let me tell you, I won’t. So, my fat ass is treating this like a job. It’s gonna be mundane, boring and healthy. But you know what? If it kick starts me in the right direction, so be it. It’s time to achieve my goals and not mess them up. Health is a matter of choice and I choose to be healthy.

Flora Matos chegou à Babilônia Paulistana com a música “Véu da Noite” na garganta, graças a KL Jay. Veio com a coragem para encarar uma cena rap em que a parada era toda dominada pelo homem. Não foi uma entrada fácil, era muita responsabilidade para uma garota. Seu talento, porém, te credenciava para encarar isso com tranquilidade. Vieram algumas parcerias e várias músicas – todas só acrescentando e entendendo bem todo seu potencial.

Eis que o universo conspira e ela cruza com a dupla LX e Leonardo Grijó, o Stereodubs. Dois produtores que estão em uma sintonia com o mundo e o mercado, muito além da página três de qualquer história de um gênero musical.

O resultado de uma parceria como essa não poderia ser outro, se não a mixtape “Flora Matos Vs StereoDubs” que está disponível para download. O disco (mixtape) é com folga um dos melhores trabalhos do ano, mostrando e comprovando o bom ano pelo qual o rap passa. A diferença, aqui, é que se descobrem duas coisas além de um bom disco de rap. A musicalidade completa de Flora e a diversidade sonora de uma produção musical do Stereodubs. A voz de Flora circula com facilidade em qualquer estilo musical. Ela passeia pela MPB em “Esperar o Sol”, que toca fácil em qualquer rádio dita como a da nova música brasileira, sendo ainda realmente moderna. O disco abre com “Viver”, uma ligação certeira entre dois os discos. Sabotage dá a benção a Flora, ele será seu guia na caminhada. Esta mixtape é uma variedade de ritmos, assim como pregava “Rap é Compromisso”, do Sabota.

Tem ainda o certeiro remix de “Pai de Família”. Quando entram as que não estavam circulando por aí, o nível passa a ser outro, uma evolução sonora dentro do rap.  “Pretin” é a nova Jamaica local, na qual o Stereodubs circula com todo seu respeito ao estilo.  Quanto a Flora, ela continua mostrando que circula em qualquer ritmo.

 “Sem Mão Na Cara” é um tapa de toda hipocrisia. Flora mostra que não existe sexo ou qualquer barreira e destrói na rima, em uma das melhores faixas. “Sei muito bem quem são / Correm noutra direção / Vão ter que ter a pureza pra interpretar meu som”, diz a letra. Sua agressividade circula com a mesma suavidade de sua voz  e a produção fez com que isso ficasse na organização certa.

Tem ainda “Até o Infinito”, com doses de dancehall e dubstep. “Meu Caminho” é pista total, verdadeira, pois Flora dá credibilidade. Não é como rapper de grande gravadora, vestido de cachorrão, que só é bem produzido por que tem uma “major” por trás. Aqui é pop dançante e honesto.

Por fim, “Minha Voz” é uma aula de como fazer música. E isso é só o começo. Bom saber que já temos dois grandes discos nacionais que vieram das ruas esse ano.

*Matéria que fiz para o Noiz. Tem mais fotos e as músicas por aqui.

E o disco todo aqui.

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  193

RAC List: No

Bradford Prep is a rich prep school in Philadelphia where Madison, Paige, and Spencer all attend.  When a new student, Regan, begins attending the prep school tensions rise due to the fact that Paige takes an immediate dislike to the new girl.  Madison and Spencer like Regan right away and cannot understand why Paige has such an issue with her.  Spencer feels especially taken by Regan after Regan catches her in a compromising position with her ex-boyfriend and does not tell one person the juiciest gossip in the school.  Once it becomes clear that Paige is not above sabotage, Madison and Spencer quickly learn that Regan and Paige have  a sordid past.  Who should they believe about what actually happened in that past?

Fans of the Gossip Girl series will love this series as well.  The book goes into detail on fashion, trendy hot spots, and of course teen drinking and partying.  Although the book’s plot develops and strengthens over the course of the story, there is still a lot of fluff to this book.  Teens looking for a light teen drama will enjoy it, but anyone looking for more substance should keep looking.

Many who have been in a relationship know that the hardest part is overcoming the break-up.  However, the real newsflash is that your ass just won’t let go.  Therein lays your problem. 

Dealing with a break-up isn’t that difficult if you know the two basic rules of “getting over” it.  (1) Letting go and (2) Moving on.  When you are hung up on a relationship, you automatically sabotage any chance of new love.  The best kind of love is a new one.  You have to let go of the old so you can welcome the new.  

I know it’s hard.  You’ve had to endure a lot of ‘almosts’ in your love life and you want to know why you’re having such bad luck in love.  The answer is simple.  You have dependency issues.   For some odd reason you can’t seem to cut it as a person with your own purpose to exist, so you must latch on to someone else.  Well I’m going to help you out.  We’re going to talk about the two basic rules of “getting over it”, so you can get on with your life and stop being a nuisance to anyone else. 

As an abstract concept, getting over a broken relationship usually refers to a deep transgression of a failed attempt of caring for another person – most common in intimate relationships.   This limited conception encompasses a wealth of different feelings, from regretted post sexual intimacy to just plain crazy. 

Pay close attention.  Eventually you’ll be lucky enough to get yourself hitched.  In the meantime, if you know the two basic rules of getting over being dumped, you can save yourself a lot of misery and Kleenex.    It’s simple.  Follow along:

Step #1 – LET GO

The first and most important part of getting over being dumped is to keep busy and let go.  Lock yourself in a room and duct tape your eyes open long enough to preview the entire ‘Fact of Life’ series.  I don’t know exactly what this will achieve, but it’s sure as hell going to keep you from bugging the sh*t out of anyone.  Your ex doesn’t want to hear from you and your friends smelled your break-up coming a mile away.   Face it, you’re a loser.  It’s in your DNA. 

Take up a hobby.  Go bungee jumping.   Whatever you do spend all of your quality time discovering what it’s like to get on your own nerves.  You’ll be so consumed with learning that you annoy the hell out of yourself that it will become increasingly difficult to get on the nerves of others.  The point here is that you can’t overcome a break-up if you continue to deny that something is wrong with you.  By the time you’ve realized how crazy you are, you will have forgotten all about whatshisname. 

Step #2 – MOVE ON

After you’ve dealt with the fact that you’ve been dumped, it’s time to move on.  It’s the common phrase in every bad ending relationship.  “Move on you jerk!”

I know everyone says moving on too quickly is not a good idea, but no one says you have to get into a serious relationship right away.  That’s what got you into this mess to begin with.  Stop being so clingy and needy, you wuss. 

Seeing new people will keep your ex off your mind, and it’ll do your ex an even bigger favor (because they want you off their back).  Chances are they’ve told you to take a hike, kick rocks, play in traffic or pull your own tongue out so you can never speak to them again. 

Don’t get angry or be hurt by the rejection.  You should be used to it by now.  It’s probably not the last time you’ll be dumped.  At least you’ll be prepared for the next rejection if you’re lucky enough to get into another relationship. 

***

Before I let you go, I’m going to give you a word of advice. 

If you’re still single or have been dumped from every relationship you’ve ever been involved with, then your ass is in trouble.  Otherwise, take a look at the list below for tips on assessing if your relationship is taking a nose dive.  These tips will save you a lot of time in collecting a bunch of rocks to put in your pockets before you decide to jump in the nearest river. 

Signs Your Relationship is on the Rocks:

• Lack of Respect.  Your partner realizes he/she can do better.  Bow out with an ounce of dignity. 
• A One-Way Relationship.  If you’re putting your all into your relationship and your partner isn’t, chances are they’re totally bored with you and are exploring other options…or hiring a Hitman.  In any case, run!
• Ignored Phone Calls.  There are a couple of reasons why your mate is not returning your calls.  The sound of your voice is annoying and your address book entry has been changed from your government name to “DO NOT ANSWER THIS DAMN PHONE.” They’ve found something or someone else better to do with their time. Or, they just don’t want to talk to you.  A word to the wise: calling someone excessively is not going to make them answer the phone. 
• Pleasant Company Excluded.  If it’s more of a relief to be apart than together, take a damn hint.
• The sex has stopped.  Uh oh.  You’re in trouble.  You have been reduced to a friend or associate.  You are no longer “get it” material.  Buy a lot of porn. 

Trust me, the list goes on.  But if you haven’t gotten the point by now, then you are doomed to your dependency issues for the rest of your days.  Good luck, kiddo.  I want you to take these helpful hints and go get yourself a little self-esteem.  Life is hard but doable. 

All jokes aside.  Take a little time to get to know yourself.  Find out what makes your inner jack ass tick.  The more you know about yourself, the less your chances are of being a fool for love. 

Until next time my little barbarian fallopian sacks! Remember – 90% of any effort is getting started. 

Quote of the week:     “The more you know about yourself, the less your chances are of being a fool for love.” 

Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mrhollywood2009

Ensimmäinen Sabotage-videon casting-tilaisuus on takana ja tulos oli yllättävän positiivinen. Melkein kaikista hahmoista löytyi ensimmäinen versio, jota pystyy halutessa tuunaamaan jos parempia osia löytyy. Ihan omilla Legolla ei selvitty vaan nyt on löytynyt projektiin mukaan myös oma “Lego-koordinaattori”, jonka kokoelmista ensimmäiset versiot on koottu.

In the early 1980s, the right-wing Reagan U.S. Government was determined to undermine or overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua.

As part of this campaign, the Central Intelligence Agency produced a small illustrated booklet in both Spanish and English designed to destabilise the Nicaraguan Government and economic system.
It instructed dissaffected individuals on acts of sabotage they could carry out to this end.

Get your own copy from ParaDocs

Sabotage-musiikkivideon uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla -projekti on pyörähtänyt käyntiin. Olen käynyt alkuperäisen videon läpi otos otokselta ja poiminut kaikki videolla olevat hahmot. Noin 3 minuutin video koostuu 129 eri otosta ja siinä esiintyy 18 eri hahmoa. Nopeasti laskettuna yhden oton keston on keskimäärin 1,5  sekuntia eli aikamoista leikkausjuhlaa tulossa.

Ensi-ilta ja resurssit
Videota tutkiessa on tullut selväksi että “Ensi-ilta” ei ole kyllä enää tämän vuoden aikana. Ensi-illan tavoiteaikatauluksi voisi laittaa ensi vuoden helmi-maaliskuun. Siihen voisi keretäkkin. Tuntuu myös ettei projekti taida olla ihan yhden miehen juttu. Apuvoimia tarvitaan luultavasti niin Legojen kuin kuvauksenkin kanssa. Ja onhan puuhastelu aina hauskempaa yhdessä kuin yksin. Projekti tuntuu tosi hauskalta tehdä kun tietää että taidot ja rahapussin koko on eri kuin pienenä leikkiessä. Siksi taivoite tehdä maailman PARAS uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla ei tunnut mahdottomalta.

Seuraavaksi vuorossa hahmojen casting ja kulissien suunnittelu…

Tarkoituksena on siis tehdä tunnetusta musiikkivideosta uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla. Kuvaustapa on Stop Motion, joka on lähellä myös Time Lapse -kuvausta.

Kohde
Musiikkivideoksi on valittu Beastie Boysin Sabotage -biisi. Kyseessä on yhdeksänkymmentä luvun puolivälin kulttimaineeseen noussut musiikkivideo, jonka on ohjannut ja käsikirjoittanut Spike Jonze. Hän on ohjannut lukuisia musiikkivideoita ja elokuvia mm. Being John Malkovich ja Adaptation. Sabotage-musiikkivideo on parodia 1970-luvun poliisidraama-sarjoista esim. Starsky and Hutch ja Baretta. Musiikkivideo kuvaa kuvitteellisen Sabotage-poliisisarjan alkutunnusta.

Miksi juuri tämä?
Ajatus syntyi yhtenä unettomana syksyisenä yönä. Mietin sängyssä mitä pitäisi seuraavaksi kuvata. Mieleen tuli, että voisi tehdän jonkun Lego-animaation. Samalla hetkellä koko mielen valtasi vanha Beastie Boysin musiikkivideo; hauskoine hahmoineen ja nopeine leikkauksineen. Näin sieluni silmin kuinka Lego-ukot juoksevat videossa. Seuraavaksi tietenkin ajattelin, että se on varmasti jo tehty ja löytyy YouTubesta. Näin ei kuitenkaan riemukseni ole. Videoon ja bändiin löytyy myös vahva tunneside omasta nuoruudesta.

Teknisesti musiikkivideon uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla tulee olemaan haastava nopeiden kamera-ajojen ja leikkauksien takia. Tuskin videon “castingkään” mikään helppo nakki ole, kun täytyy löytää oikean henkiset asut kaikille videon humoristisille hahmoille. Mutta ei tässä mitään läpijuoksu-projektia haettukaan, vaan tavoitteksi on tullut tehdä maailman PARAS musiikkivideon uudelleen filmatisointi Legoilla.

Eläviä Kuvia luonnollisesti seuraa projektin kulkua. Alla alkuperäinen Beastie Boysin Sabotage-video.

I knew I had sabotaged my chances at landing this job as soon as the words came out of my mouth.

At Lawson Products, they needed someone who could be a bridge between the sales force on the road and the business transformation occurring at headquarters. I was the first person who made it past the HR screen to the hiring manager. I felt we were moving along smoothly when the interviewer asked me the question I still hate the most: “What is your greatest weakness?”

I had practiced this answer time and time again. And yet, gremlins seized control of my tongue and I said something along the lines of, “I have never worked with a sales force to this extent before.”

WTH???? Where did that come from? I HAD worked with sales departments before, and I greatly admire the qualities that make a successful salesperson. But I couldn’t talk myself out of the pit I just jumped into. My stupidity would have stumped even Freud.

My lesson? Practice my answers OUT LOUD. Practicing in “my head” hadn’t given me the confidence I needed when the time came.

OK, I’ve come clean. What about you, dear readers? You don’t have to use your name (anonymous is popular these days), but share your regrets, your screw ups, your “OMG” moments.  You might feel better. More importantly, perhaps others will learn from our examples.

“Jealousy is the tribute mediocrity pays to genius” [Fulton J. Sheen].

I was flipping through the television channels the other day and saw a commercial for a new show titled, “Human Wrecking Ball.”

During the 30-second spot, I watched as two guys destroyed things (buildings, furniture, gas stations) by kicking with their feet or tearing apart with their hands or just running into them with their bodies. Seriously?  Don’t you find it surprising that we can find corporate sponsors for this type of programming?

Well, the ad started me thinking about all the people I have come across who are literally Human Wrecking Balls.

They take without giving. Knock down your dreams. Trample through your hopes, and leave a path of destruction in their wake.  They are ghastly and dangerous forces that can poison your spirit.

Instead of putting any effort forth to improve their own circumstances, they focus their energy on tearing down others. Their mission is to reduce your life to a pile of rubble smaller than their own pile of trash.

I’m sure you’ve encountered your own brand of Wrecking Balls. They are suspicious, fearful, and jealous and if allowed to hang around, they have a way of influencing everything in their path. Their persistent negativity will sabotage your destiny.

I caution you to be wary of those you grant admittance into your life.  Protect your dreams and hopes until they are strong enough to grow on their own, and you have confidence in their viability.

Always give your best.
Never get discouraged. Never be petty.
Always remember, others may hate you.
But those who hate you don’t win unless you hate them.
And then you destroy yourself.
~ Richard Nixon

Whatever you are, be a good one!

Deanna