Por Laia López Manrique

(I)

La vida es un circunloquio, a veces indeseado, que gira siempre sobre los mismos ejes en rotación continua. Lo alto y lo bajo, lo recto y lo curvo, lo claro y lo oscuro, lo seco y lo húmedo, el día y la noche. Entre manojos de experiencia que no se acomodan a categoría alguna, hemos rescatado los nombres de las cosas, los índices torcidos sobre los que nos ubicamos de un traspié, sin apenas notarlo. En la noche se extiende un dominio que creemos acéfalo, que queremos pensar que no tiene reglas más que en la indeterminación que la sustenta. Pero la noche también tiene sus propias reglas. Jugamos la partida a tientas, sabiéndonos desnudos, sabiéndonos conscientes de nuestra inconsciencia al avanzar por las casillas. Cada movimiento en la noche está marcado; pagamos en ella el precio insuficiente que nos pide la vigilia por mantenernos erguidos. Homo faber, homo erectus que tan serenamente se pervierte, creyendo confundirse con las sombras, con las sobras del día que se escapa, y que llama desorden al otro orden que instaura la noche con su tácita mirada de soslayo.
En la Teogonía, Hesíodo llama a la diosa Noche hija del Caos, y reseña su descendencia. De la Noche han nacido Moros, Ker y Tánatos (divinidades asociadas a distintos aspectos de la muerte), Hipno y la tribu de los Sueños, el Vituperio, el Lamento, las Hespérides, las Moiras y las Keres (diosas vengadoras), Némesis (que vela por el orgullo de los hombres, a fin de que no intenten parecerse a los dioses), Ternura, Vejez y Eris (la diosa de la discordia). De semejante linaje se derivan algunos de los rasgos que convencionalmente atribuimos a la noche, ese espacio que se define por ser indefinible, por ensancharse ilimitadamente, por oponerse al día y a su diáfana y pautada silueta.
La noche: el lugar de la metamorfosis, de la escisión, del vértigo; el margen del que se desprende lo posible, lo ignoto. Lugar del peligro y de la vivencia por antonomasia, aquella de la que no damos cuenta sino ante quien realmente nos importa, la que no cabe en un currículum y nos negaríamos a explicarle al vecino de al lado, el mismo que nos encuentra ojerosos y desvencijados en la puerta de la escalera de madrugada, buscando las llaves.
La noche: lodazal, subterfugio, embalse, asilo terrible, cajón de sastre donde caben los deseos de otros mundos, donde cabalgan a la par el insomnio y la bebida, los malos viajes, las riñas, las deflagraciones. Lugar donde reímos, dormimos y follamos y donde también, secretamente, deseamos morir.

(II)

Dice el refrán que por la noche, todos los gatos son pardos. Que lo amorfo encuentra en la noche su refugio lo muestra un breve texto de Sam Shepard, incluido en su libro Crónicas de motel. En él, un hombre va a visitar a su viejo amigo Bill a un apartamento de Nueva York. Tras una conversación anodina, la conversación de dos derrotados, entre tragos de Harvey’s Bristol Cream y caladas de Blue Trues, llega la noche y el narrador se instala en el sofá, dispuesto a dormir. Pero no encuentra el sueño, o, más bien, el sueño no le encuentra a él. En cambio, se aglutina en su mente una masa velada de sensaciones, recuerdos, deseos, sonidos inciertos que vienen de la calle y del pasado (como la magistral confusión, que enuncia el personaje, de «la respiración de una persona que estaba a mi lado con un incendio lejanoi»), y decide salir del piso mientras su amigo duerme. Se dirige a otra casa, la que compartía con una mujer de la que se separó. La encuentra en la cama, agarrotada, replegada sobre sí misma; le habla, pero de ella no sale ninguna frase inteligible. Apenas balbucea, como una niña; empieza a garabatear líneas en un papel, gime muy alto como un animal en receso. Cuando el narrador se aleja de ella, la mujer se incorpora repentinamente, le mira «sin dar la menor señal de tener conciencia de dónde había estado hacía muy poco tiempoi», hace una llamada, habla con normalidad. Nuevamente dueña de sí misma, ha roto la licencia que le dio la noche para regresar al estado anterior, enmarañado, titubeante de quien no gobierna en absoluto sus gestos ni sus acciones.

Porque la noche insiste en lo borroso y lo acentúa. La posición misma del narrador en el texto de Shepard lo deja ver: ajeno al control directo y explícito de las palabras, parece dejarse llevar por el fraseo terco de los hechos que se expresan por sí mismos, marcando el ritmo de la prosa como las agujas acuciantes de un reloj. El narrador se abandona a lo narrado, del mismo modo que la mujer se dejaba llevar por un impulso embrionario, sin rumbo. El narrador, como la sonámbula que aún no ha despertado, registra con su prosa retazos de un orden que todavía no encuentra un único sentido. Está extraviado, como ella, dejado de la mano del lenguaje, extrañado e impuro: escritura que se desliza en la noche y vuelve a ella, que se asombra ante cada cosa que retrata y hace que nosotros también nos asombremos. Porque el yo está ausente y ha perdido sus contornos más visibles, porque su fuerza estriba en la capacidad para lo híbrido, y, como en el refrán, nos enseña la virtud de ver el mundo mezclado, en perpetuo estado de semejanza.

(III)

Hay una película de Michelangelo Antonioni que se titula La notte, y exhibe el desmoronamiento de un matrimonio de clase alta, formado por Giovanni Pontano, escritor de cierta fama, y su mujer Lidia (papeles intepretados por Marcello Mastroianni y Jeanne Moreau) a lo largo de un lapso de tiempo que comprende un día completo. El foco de la película, no obstante, se concentra en la noche, como su título indica. Es entonces cuando cobra forma el desmembramiento de la pareja, que acude primero a un night club y después a la fiesta de un rico empresario, en una gran mansión a las afueras de Milán. En la fiesta se gesta el vacío, la incomunicación de la pareja que ni tan siquiera permanece junta, sino que se disgrega, se pierde, se atomiza. La fiesta, plagada de bon vivants y gente bien, la contempla el espectador como una suerte de prerrogativa tediosa que, no obstante, decide totalmente la acción del film: en ella aparecen Valentina (la magnética Monica Vitti), la joven hija del empresario, con quien Giovanni tiene un encuentro, y Roberto, un hombre tosco que seduce parcialmente a Lidia. La película incide en las escenas de desarticulación, de alejamiento, de desidia, mostrándonos a unos personajes angustiados que no parecen querer plantearse el motivo de su angustia. Pero es la noche la que despliega ampliamente su desencanto, la que formula preguntas y otorga respuestas, y la que hace que Lidia, la auténtica heroína, tome una determinación final. La noche (y la fiesta, como su epígono) aparece en la película como un gran teatro de gestualidades amañadas, falsas, que verdaderamente no comunican nada. Todo es mimético, todo está hueco, e incluso el sufrimiento tiene su disfraz. Es revelador en este aspecto el plano en que Lidia observa de espaldas, a través de un cristal, cómo su marido besa a Valentina. Parece como si la mirada misma, vertical y silenciosa, de la cámara sobre el personaje, y del personaje sobre la escena que está contemplando, borrara ya todo rastro de una emoción que, no obstante, se impone por sí misma. La mirada que no interpela a la cámara, la de Lidia, es, sin duda alguna, la mirada del tedio. Podemos imaginarla hastiada, sabedora de la vanidad que rodea al espectáculo al que asiste. Es como si la escena misma, y el personaje en ella, nos dijeran que todo estaba ya previsto, que ni siquiera un hecho como la infidelidad escapa al pronóstico.

Así, la fiesta, que teóricamente tiene como objeto socializar, se pinta en el film como un campo de escisiones, como un lugar en el que todos permanecen solos. Más allá de esa ingenuidad dionisíaca que supone la fusión de los cuerpos en un espacio único, distendido, está el verdadero rostro de lo lúdico, que implica que todo, dentro de su mismo marco, es un simple drama cuyos actos y desenlace estaban ya decididos de antemano. Es, en realidad, una perspectiva desoladora sobre la vida ociosa, de que tanto nos preciamos como recompensa a nuestro quehacer diario, la que nos ofrece Antonioni en La notte. Las primeras luces del día sellan la desunión definitiva; tras el paréntesis nocturno, algo ha quedado claro: Lidia ya no quiere a Giovanni, y así se lo hace saber al marcharse de la mansión. Él se aferra inútil, cobardemente a ella a través del sexo. Pero nosotros, espectadores, lo sabemos: todo se ha resuelto, y la noche ya ha cumplido su cometido.

(IV)

Verrà la morte e avrà i tuoi occhi es el último poemario de Cesare Pavese, escrito en 1950, el año en que se suicidó. El breve poemario estaba dedicado a Connie Dowling, la actriz norteamericana de la que el escritor se enamoró y que rechazó su propuesta de matrimonio, y fue encontrado en la habitación del Albergo Roma donde Pavese se quitó la vida. Toda la serie se estructura alrededor de una gama de imágenes y de comparaciones, despojadas, limpias y de gran carga simbólica, referentes a la figura de la amada, que la ponen en relación con lo sustancial, con los elementos esenciales, y a menudo opuestos, que componen el tránsito mundano, en el ejercicio pendular de una escritura que se agarra a la vida a la vez que la niega. La amada es comparada, simultáneamente, con la vida y la muerte, con la tierra, la raíz, la luz y la mañana, y también con la noche. Así, el poema The night you slept comienza con los versos «También la noche se te asemeja», donde la noche, identificada con la figura femenina, comprime todos los significados asociados a la desesperación de una vida que espera, a la vez, una redención posible, cifrada en la imagen del alba. Contra el «vicio absurdo», en palabras de Pavese, de mantenernos vivos, la noche/ el otro nos devuelven la promesa de una desaparición necesaria, y, al mismo tiempo, está en el otro también (y, por tanto, en la noche) la única salvación en que se puede confiar: la llegada del alba, el lugar del deseo, de la victoria sobre la angustia. Porque en un tiempo anterior el sujeto poético, a quien el poema se refiere apenas como a un “alguien” (borrados ya todos sus trazos de presencia, de identidad) fue también el alba, pero ha caído. La vida y la muerte son, ahora, propiedad y reducto únicamente del otro; nada pertenece ya al sujeto que enuncia, que se ve arrastrado por los signos que descifra en el otro, que se debate entre ellos, que oscila siempre. La noche apresa los contrarios, y el poema es una austera cadena de variaciones sobre la semejanza entre la noche y la amada, entre la amada y la vida y la muerte. Porque la noche, como la amada, es el gran oxímoron que desmorona y alienta a un tiempo, que puede salvarnos al tiempo que dispara la bala que nos aniquila. En el caso del poemario de Pavese, el peso final se desploma del lado de la muerte, que coincidirá, también, con la muerte real del poeta; como regurgita o anuncia la última estrofa del último poema de la serie, Last blues, to be read some day: «Alguien murió / hace mucho tiempo /alguien que intentó, / pero no supo».

Aparecido en el número especial de verano de Calidoscopio Panfleto Cultural “Taxi-hotel”, julio-agosto de 2009.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me,
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD,

Forever.

Just what were Infinity Ward thinking with Modern Warfare 2?

by GrathiusXR:

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

The juggernaut that is Modern Warfare 2 has been released and with just two weeks of it being on shelves gamers are already criticizing the game’s length and content in comparison to Modern Warfare 1.

So here we’ll take a look and compare Modern Warfare 1 and Modern Warfare 2 and see exactly where things have changed for better or worse and try to just figure out wtf?! Infinity Ward wanted to portray in Modern Warfare 2.

So back in 2007 when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Modern Warfare 1) was released it was the king of FPS on consoles and reigned supreme in both Single Player  and Multiplayer with memorable levels such as All Ghillied Up, to name most probably the most loved of them all.

• Modern Warfare 2

It featured some amazing set pieces utilizing the in house CoD4 Engine showing off what it is capable of and featured some great plot twists and moments where you would just sit there and think: “Oh, they didn’t just do that, wow! “

It was a Single Player experience that stood out amongst the rest and till this day is recognized as one of the better SP campaigns in any game. That and along with Multiplayer made it seem the perfect game which was almost perfect and for weeks it topped the ‘king’, Halo 3, on the Xbox Live Top 10 Most Played- which is no easy feat!

Multiplayer Mayhem!

A few months later though saw Infinity Ward release an update to COD4: Modern Warfare which basically rendered multiplayer for anyone outside the U.S useless.

Regardless of how good your connection here in Australia was if there was one American gamer join an all Aussie game chances are the game would automatically choose the American as host.

The next year saw Treyarch’s turn at the COD franchise with World At War and whilst many for some reason despise the developer for various reasons one conclusion that all gamers could come to agree on was that its Local Search was a God send for us Aussies and other gamers.

This Local Search almost 99% of the time paired Aussies with Aussies and made for lag free games all around; whether it was Nazi Zombies or Multiplayer this feature worked!

So two years on and Moder Warfare 2 is placed on the shelves and millions -yes millions have gone through Single Player and Multiplayer as well as Special Ops and have quite a lot of criticism to dish out.

We’ve Got Big Problem Comrade!

Despite the two months of the game’s hype train hitting full throttle, many gamers of all platforms see big problems. Certain game types on the 360 required you to be in Game Chat and not Party Chat, meaning the necessity to mute a lot of annoying and disrespectful gamers, and Multiplayer was capped at 9 vs 9 for all platforms.

The PC version of the game featured no Dedicated Servers and no Mod Support which blew up the PC Community ten fold with petitions and demands left, right and centre for Infinity Ward (IW) to include Dedicated Servers.

Console gamers were re-assured by IW that their multiplayer would automatically find and throw you in the best game it could find with a ping under 100ms, except this so called auto filter doesn’t work the exact way everyone expected it to.

Even in the heat of the Aussie rush, when we’re on multiplayer it seems that it STILL does not join to an Aussie game but rather an overseas one. Plus if you get a full Aussie game going and one American joins- again it chooses the American as host.

To make matters worse now it seems that hackers have managed to upload a Trojan virus which, via (site not named), can spread itself to hundreds of computers. It seems this Trojan is a Key-Logger which could mean trouble for gamers if it does turn out to be true.

It’s a game that everyone thought would not only build on but excel where Modern Warfare 1 was best, yet it seems many aren’t happy with what they are seeing/hearing/playing and it makes you wonder: what were Infinity Ward thinking?

They have explained numerous times various reason as to why they chose to do things this way and many can see where they were coming from but the majority still think otherwise.

Personally, multiplayer on the Xbox 360 has been a bit rough but I find playing against Americans with two Yellow Bars to be much more enjoyable than playing against Aussies with three green bars, but then again that is just my personal opinion.

What About Single Player: MW2 vs. MW1

I’m more interested in the Campaign side of things really and how it differs greatly from Modern Warfare 1 in terms of everything: mission structure, level design and all out shock factor that was used to drive the story forward.

Warning there are spoilers ahead for those who may have not still finished the game.

So Single Player in Modern Warfare 1 featured some amazing moments such as a nuke being detonated causing mass destruction and killing one of the game’s main protagonists (that you were playing) and was just one of the awesome moments in the Modern Warfare 1 campaign.

How do you top such an awesome set piece like that? Well to answer Infinity Ward gave the player about 10x more balls to the wall action with some moments that left many gamers either cringe in discomfort, sit in joy, become outraged or just feel shell shocked.

Controversy Bait or Creative Art?

The “No Russian” level sees you play as an undercover CIA Agent trying to make good with the lead Russian villain Makarov, gunning down hundreds of innocent civilians in a terrorist attack of a Russian airport.

This shock factor level is imperative to the story as the ending sees Makarov shooting you in cold blood, leaving the Russian country to think this was an American attack, which then leads to the US being invaded and all hell breaking loose.

Along with this crazy idea of all of the US being invaded there’s back stabbing plot twists at every corner from Makarov finding out you’re American and killing you, to Shepard shooting one of the game’s protagonists and Ghost in cold blood just to be the ” Hero” and the one who takes down Makarov in the end.

The idea was to never allow a dull moment in Modern Warfare 2, with the pace just right and the action  just perfect, but instead it was just like playing Commando with a mix of Rambo and some Cobra in the mix, which never really allowed the player many moments to enjoy the scenery and appreciate the level design and what the game’s engine could produce.

What were Infinity Ward thinking?

I for one enjoyed Single Player but with all these overdone shock factor levels and plot twists it left me wondering what were Infinity Ward thinking and what were they exactly trying to prove when making Modern Warfare 2?

I’ve spoken to quite a few gamers and almost all of them have agreed with me that they do not have a single favourite level in Modern Warfare 2 Campaign like they did with Modern Warfare 1.

They stated some started out awesome but ended pretty generically or were just the same get out alive and make it to the extraction chopper type experience.

I really enjoyed the Oil Rig level to begin with the way it started in with the underwater scene to the breach and clear Matrix-esque slow moments but then it ended up with you just ripping through a couple squads of hostiles to make it to the extraction chopper just like half the other levels ended up being.

So what do all of you think?

Do you think the Modern Warfare 2 Campaign stacks up to Modern Warfare 1? Does the new game produce any nostalgic feeling for MW1 because the original was fresh and restrained instead of brash and overdone like Modern Warfare 2?

Did you enjoy the plot twists and over the top craziness of Modern Warfare 2 more? Or did you feel as if it was maybe just a little too over the top and used shock value to make waves and get noticed?

Do you see yourself keeping MW2 in your game collection as long as you have Modern Warfare 1, or will it be trade bait in the coming weeks or months?

Share your thoughts, your doubts and your criticism below. If you disagree with me please feel free to discuss as I am really interested to see what you think.  Also check out our review of the game here.

©2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos

• Other games in genre at discount $’s for ALL OXCGN readers + Bonus Points

Wonder what you would find if you frisked Freshjive’s t-shirt collection on Black Friday?

Answer: The new “Hope Is Fading Fast” t-shirt design.

It appears Shepard Fairey’s iconic “HOPE” design is becoming less iconic by the day. Freshjive, a Los Angeles clothing company, is adding an interesting look to its collection for the upcoming holiday season:

Pre-releasing on Black Friday is the t shirt design, “Hope is Fading Fast”. This is actually the first item releasing without the Freshjive brand name on it. Read the recent post on the World’s Got Problems blog regarding how the Obama administration is maintaining continuity with its disgraced predecessor.

Side-Note: I don’t know how much it will be selling for, but I kind of want one! Any bets if this shirt sells out? I imagine it will.

If you are interested in purchasing this t-shirt, click here. Happy shopping!

Every website in existence told me that Mass Effect was essentially the second coming of Christ in video game form. So was it? Well, if Christ is a really annoying, boring asshole who closely follows standard genre tropes, then I guess the reference fits. Somehow, I don’t think that’s what they were going for.

Here’s a list of reasons why Mass Effect sucks:

1.) It’s not an RPG. — This game is billed as an RPG. Even though you have dialogue options throughout, and some of them are hilarious, that doesn’t really make it an RPG. The storyline is still just as linear as Final Fantasy X, which makes it an adventure game. You don’t actually “role play,” you just get to choose good, bad, or neutral dialogue options.

2.) The story is incredibly bland. — What’s that? A rogue alien has hatched a plan that will destroy all life in the universe? Yawn.

3.) The “ZOMG 8 Alternate Endings!” are really just 2 alternate endings. — There is a good ending and a bad ending. That’s it. There are minor variations in each, but those do not constitute “alternate endings.” Chrono Trigger had 12 endings, and that game was on the Super Nintendo. You’d think that the makers of Mass Effect would strive for something more, but they didn’t because they are a bunch of lazy assholes. On the other hand, maybe they figured they couldn’t top Chrono Trigger and gave up.

4.) Slow loading times.

5.) THE FUCKING ELEVATORS ARRRRRGH! — Could these things move any fucking slower? OK, I get it. They are just an opportunity for the game to load the next area and have it appear seamless, but it’s just boring as hell. I’d rather see a loading screen than stare at my three motionless party members and listen to announcements over the PA system.

6.) The side quests are annoying as fuck. — This is unimaginative shit at its worst. “Oh, can you please go collect 3 of these items or 10 of those items?” Is this really necessary? I thought collecting shit was supposed to be something you did on a scavenger hunt, not a fucking video game. All I want to do is kill shit, not waste my time traveling from planet to planet, and digging in the dirt for some random crap that will give me absolutely no advancement in the storyline.

7.) Barren Planets — What exactly is the point of this? I mean, seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to have you drive around on huge piles of dirt looking for the next plot point? Idiots, that’s who. And anyone who thought it was fun to explore and find “extra stuff” in the Mass Effect wasteland of mediocrity is retarded.

8.) The secondary characters are completely unmemorable.

9.) Driving the car — I’d rather lick my own ass than spend another fucking second driving the car around. It’s a rubbery piece of shit that bounces all over the place. The mechanics of maneuvering this thing are horrendous. It only has the one shitty machine gun, and no cannon. And just like your hand held weapons, the gun can overheat, which is annoying as fuck. Oh, and let’s not forget that while you are repairing damage you can’t move. Everything about the car is just another, “What the hell were they thinking?” scenario.

10.) “Before I can give you this item that will save all life in the universe, first you have to do me a favor.” — FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The one positive side of this game, is that you can have sex with one of your crew members. And they have a nice ass, too.

As far as RPGs go, Mass Effect is terrible and a waste of time… but it’s still better than Okami.

Verdict: Bad

One of the best minds in history, a great physicists and a Jew himself,Albert Einstein criticized the creation of  Israel by Zionist terrorists and called it a possible reason for future catastrophe for Jews.

Many Jews who believed in Orthodox Judaism also oppose the state of Israel and consider Zionism as anti-Semitic.
Below is the letter by Einstein to Shepard Rifkin on Israeli Terrorists.

The letter was written on 10th April after the massacre of Arabs at Deir Yassin by the Stern Gang terrorists or Lohamei Herut Yisrael (LEHI) meaning fighters for the freedom of Israel.

The Stern Gang terrorists were supported by American Friends of the Fighters for the Freedom of Israel and Mr. Shepard Rifkin was the executive director after the UN Partition of Palestine and prior to the creation of Israel in May 1948.

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• Stand construction: custom build

As excited as I am for Mass Effect 2, I’m finding it hard to keep away from trailers and previews in case of any potential spoilers get revealed. However I naturally gravitated to this enemies developer diary since I thought I would be safe from spoilage. Turns out I was wrong – but only a little bit. It suggests that *SPOILERS* an intelligent Geth may become a party member or at least be an interactive character. Some argue that this information has already been confirmed whereas others are a little angry at the possible spoiler. I don’t believe BioWare are foolish enough to give away all the best twists – the Geth squad mate, Shepards death – so look on the bright side; imagine how good the parts are that BioWare’s keeping secret.

How to deter dickheads dressed as pirates, criminals and murderers (AKA Trick Or Treaters):

1. Get a car with a large muffler (Such as a Nissan Silvia S13, Like mine)

2. Get some punk rock, really, really loudly.

3. Get a hose and bucket.

4. Clean said car with large muffler for 2 hours.

5. Bring a large, menacing German Shepard to the car cleaning.

6. Shake your head at freaks dressed as Elvis, Santa and the Devil.

7. If shaking your head doesn’t work, turn the car with the large muffler on, Rev the engine if need be.

8. If revving engine does not deter the freaks, Aim a waterpistol at them.

9. Let the German Shepard free on your front garden. I gaurantee that the Haloweeners will cross the street, like mine did.

This is also a rundown of my night tonight. Are you jealous?

What the fuck do I have to give people candy for anyway? Just because theres some half- celebrated AMERICAN (NOT Australian) tradition, does that mean you have to dress like a complete tool, knock on my door and ask for candy? Get the fuck off my lawn.

President Barack Obama speaks to the world's largest gay political group, the Human Rights Campaign, in support of gay rights, including the passing of the Matthew Shepard Act, the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" and DOMA. October 10, 2009. (Public Domain)


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Video excerpts from President Barack Obama’s HRC speech

Watch/download the full 24 minute Obama’s HRC Speech for Gay Civil Rights on VJnet.org

Posted by Audiegrl

(Artwork courtesy of Unfinished Lives)

Associated Press/Jim Abrams—Physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation will join the list of federal hate crimes in a major expansion of the civil rights-era law Congress approved Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama.

A priority of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., that had been on the congressional agenda for a decade, the measure expands current law to include crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. The measure is named for Matthew Shepard, the gay Wyoming college student murdered 11 years ago.

To assure its passage after years of frustrated efforts, Democratic supporters attached the measure to a must-pass $680 billion defense policy bill the Senate approved 68-29. The House passed the defense bill earlier this month.

Many Republicans, normally staunch supporters of defense bills, voted against the bill because of the hate crimes provision. All the no votes were Republicans except for Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., who supported the hate crimes provision but opposes what he says is the open-ended military commitment in Afghanistan.

“The inclusion of the controversial language of the hate crimes legislation, which is unrelated to our national defense, is deeply troubling,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.

Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, with President Obama

Hate crimes law enacted after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968 centered on crimes based on race, color, religion or national origin.

The expansion has long been sought by civil rights and gay rights groups. Conservatives have opposed it, arguing that it creates a special class of victims. They also have been concerned that it could silence clergymen or others opposed to homosexuality on religious or philosophical grounds.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay rights group, hailed the bill as “our nation’s first major piece of civil rights legislation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Too many in our community have been devastated by hate violence.”

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The End of the Beginning: How the Passage of the Matthew Shepard Act Transforms Us

Bleh mgarble figing mung I’m sorry, but in my excitement I lost the use of my fingers momentarily. BioWare have given us something to look forward to in January, picking us up from those post Christmas blues – Mass Effect 2 has an official release date of January 29th 2010 in Europe and a 26th in the US (lucky chumps) for both PC and Xbox 360. As is the norm nowadays, preordering Mass Effect 2 will reward us with all kinds of lovelies but so far, only GameStop in America has revealed such bonuses as;

• The Terminus Armor (seen above) is designed for use in extreme planetary conditions, increasing run speed and personal shields, and augmenting weapons with an additional magazine of reserve ammo.
• The M-490 Blackstorm Heavy Weapon generates a high-powered localized gravity well, accelerating particles to near-infinite mass, and ultimately expanding the selection of heavy weapons available to players when they gear up for combat missions in Mass Effect 2.

Fingers crossed that European retailers get similar deals. Dr Ray Muzyka, BioWare co-founder said “BioWare’s fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting this epic sequel, and we couldn’t be more excited to reward them for pre-ordering by delivering some awesome bonus content!” Yes yes, it’s great that we may miss out on content if we buy the game somewhere else. I had no idea that ME2 would come out so early in 2010 and expected the game to be released around Easter. But hey, I’m not complaining!

{Thanks 1up}

In November 2008 Dexter was diagnosed with a canine disease called degenerative myelopathy. Here is the Wiki definition: a progressive disease of the spinal cord in older dogs. The disease has an insidious onset typically between 7 and 14 years of age. It begins with a loss of coordination (ataxia) in the hind limbs. As of July 15, 2008 the mutated gene responsible for DM has been found present in 43 breeds including German Shepards, Boxers, Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and Welsh Corgis. The disease is chronic and progressive, and resulting in paralysis.

I’ve had Dexter since he was 4 months old while living and working in Montreal. I adopted him from a neglectful owner that was going to bring him back to the SPCA. I remember him running right in front of me in the parking lot as I rode up on my scooter….I damn near ran him over. He was this goofy, floppy eared, pig pawed, ball of personality. I was in love immediately. I parked my scooter and got down to his level. He was all over me. He knows a friendly dog person when he sees one.

The guy that owned him at the time called him “Mickey”. He didn’t respond to that name. Probably because he didn’t like his handler. He told me he couldn’t keep him and was going to bring him back to the SPCA. This made me very angry and sad. Why adopt the dog in the first place if you can’t commit? In order to save the dog I had to make the decision to take him. there was no hesitation from the guy…he handed the leash to me and said good luck. I told him that it was the dog that has the luck. He’s got a good home now.

My job in Montreal was still on for a few months so I knew I could at least give him a good home for that time. Heather would be visiting in May so I had a month to tell her about him…then she could convince the landlord back in Burnaby. I was hoping Heather could take him home with her.

At the shop a tire salesman came in and showed us a new scooter tire model from Michelin. They were called “Dexter”. I said to the salesman “cool name” and then knew what I was calling my new dog.

That night I called Heather and casually brought up Dexter in the conversation. “Honey? Remember how we talked about getting a dog one day?” Her reply, “YOU ALREADY GOT ONE DIDN’T YOU??!!” There’s no fooling my wife. I described him to her and she couldn’t wait to meet him.

Heather flew out to Montreal in the first week of May to visit me. I borrowed my bosses truck and took Dexter with me to pick her up at the airport. I left Dexter in the truck. I found Heather and we returned to the truck. Dexter was sitting in the passenger seat looking out the window watching us walk up. Heather saw him and melted. Dexter had a “who’s that with my Daddy” look. When I opened the door he jumped on me but then immediately went for Heather and licked her face. Rather than sitting in the back seat Dexter chose to ride all the way back to my place on Heather’s lap.

During Heather’s visit we took Dexter down to New Jersey and New York City. He came with us on the Niagara Scooter Rally and on our way back we stopped in Toronto. He pooped on the sidewalk on Queen Street. When we were back in Montreal we took him on walks to the dog parks so he could meet other dogs. Most of the time he would stand between my legs and watch the other dogs. He didn’t like the rough housing too much at that time and usually shied away from the other big dogs.

He went home to BC with Heather. I was sad. Not only was my wife gone but so was my little buddy. Heather spent the next month and a half watching him grow. She also had the pleasure of dealing with the bad puppy stages where he chewed on everything. We still have the table and chairs that he loved to gnaw on.  Heather would tell me every time we chatted about all the bad things he was doing. I felt bad and knew she needed help. I reassured her that it won’t be long before I’m home.

A friend and I rode our scooters from Montreal to BC. Patrick’s scooter broke down just outside of Kamloops. Heather, and our roommate Faye, had to drive up to rescue us since the scooter was not repairable at the side of the road. We waited for about 3 hours. When they showed up Faye got out of the truck with Dexter on the leash. Heather was turning the truck around. I called for Dexter, he saw me. Faye let go of the leash and he came bouncing over to me and into my arms. He had his Daddy back and I had my little buddy again. I drove the truck home with Heather and Faye in the front seat. Dexter laid across their laps and the three of them slept. Patrick was in between the scooters in the back of the truck snuggled up in his sleeping bag.

In Burnaby our neighbors had a pure bread German Shepard named Kisha. She was a pretty dog and Dexter took a liking to her immediately. We often had Kisha over in our yard for play dates. They would run and run and run…..chasing each other until they were completely exhausted. When they weren’t playing in one yard they would play through the fence running back and forth. Kisha tried to dig under the fence. She dug enough to get her head through and they would just kiss each other. So cute to watch. Shortly after Dexter’s first birthday we had him neutered. That didn’t stop him from trying to mount Kisha. The neighbors eventually gave Kisha away to another family and Dexter lost his girlfriend.

I worked a night shift job for a while when he was young. When I got home anywhere from 4am-6am Dexter was standing there waiting. It was winter and was still dark at that time. I would take him and one of his many tennis balls to the local park. I’d throw the ball for him for half and hour and let him run around and explore the park. I had to tire him out so that he would sleep while I was sleeping during the day. He often slept right in bed with me for a good 6 hours after that. I remember one time at the park we were just walking. Dexter was about 50 feet away. Ever 5 seconds he’d turn to look where I was making sure I was still there. All of a sudden he stopped in the his tracks and stared in my direction and growled. He then started sprinting toward me. It freaked me out. Then he veered off to my right slightly and passed me. I quickly turned and saw that he was chasing another dog. This other dog must have been creeping up on me and Dexter felt I was in danger. That’s the way I see it anyway.

Whenever possible I took Dexter with me. What dog doesn’t like a car ride? I even took him scuba diving to Whitecliff Park in West Van. He didn’t actually go diving with me but he sure wanted to. He walked down to the beach with me and my dive partner and watched me swim out and then descend.  I could hear him barking while I was under water for the first couple of feet. We were down for 35-40 minutes. When we resurfaced Dexter was in the water up to his belly crying and looking at every diver that was in the water. I was 40 feet off the shore and I yelled out to him. He heard me, spotted me, and started swimming out to me…Great! There was no stopping him. I did my best to meet him half way….not exactly easy swimming on the surface with scuba gear. When he finally reached me he stopped swimming…Great! He figured I was going to hold him up now. Silly puppy. I tried steering him toward the beach but all he would do is swim in a circle and towards me again. By the time I got both of us to the beach I was exhausted. Dexter got out of the water and shook the wet off him. Someone on the beach said he was running along the beach in and out of the water while barking and crying the entire time I was on my dive. Poor little guy. He was just worried about me.

I had Dexter at our shop a lot. He got to know a lot of our customers and the customers got to know him. He was almost a star attraction. When he wasn’t there customers always asked where he was. Dexter had a good knack for steering salesmen off.  Often he would sit by the front door. When it opened he would jump to his feet to greet whoever was there. If it was a salesman they usually closed the door, turned and walked away. Anybody that knows Dexter knows the only way he’d hurt anyone is if he’d lick them to death.

One place that Dexter really liked to visit was my mom and step-dad; his Oma and Grampa. He even knew them by name. If I mentioned Oma and Grampa he got all excited and wanted to go see them. When we were out for a drive and even remotely close to Oma and Grampa’s house he would know. Then the whining and whimpering would start. The closer we got to the house the more excited he got. My mom spoiled him and he, no doubt, loved it. Every time we went over there was a bowl of dog treats sitting there waiting for him. He would snarf them down and beg for more. One time we went over and Dexter drank a bowl of water and ate the treats in about 60 seconds. He then puked it all up on my mom’s nice white carpet. She didn’t put as many treats out for him after that.

For Christmas 2008 we took Dexter on a road trip to Winnipeg to see Heather’s mum; Dexter’s Gran. He was super good during the trip. Once we passed his familiar places he settled down and knew he was coming with us rather than being dropped off at a sitter. We took the southern route (through the US). The first time he really experienced cold – not west coast cold but rather real winter cold – was in the middle of Montana somewhere. We let him out of the car…the look on his face was “What the f**k? It’s cold!!!” He couldn’t stand on the icy ground; he kept lifting his feet. Poor guy. When we got to Winnipeg the first order of business was to get him some booties. We ended up going to 3 different stores before finding his size in stock. Good to know my dog’s not a wimp and just like the rest of the dogs his size.

When we got back from Winnipeg we celebrated Dexter’s 12th birthday. I made him a cake out of meat and rice. I iced it with soy cream cheese and trimmed it with tiny dog treats. He was so excited about the cake he didn’t care about the party hat. Normally he would have ripped the hat off. He patiently waited and posed for pictures. We’re the best mummy and daddy.

Dexter used to come upstairs with us and jump on the bed. It was a nightly ritual of cookies in bed. About a year ago he stopped climbing the stairs…because he just couldn’t. We got used to the fact that he would stay downstairs at night. We would give him a pat on the head and say goodnight. He’d ruffle up the kitchen mat and sleep there all night. In the morning when we’d come down to make our coffees he’d wake up, stretch and wag his tail…thumping it against the kitchen cupboards. Through the spring and summer we really started to see Dexter becoming more and more uncomfortable. He needed help getting up once in a while. And sometimes he would slip and fall on his tummy. He had lots of good days where you wouldn’t know he was hurting. In September 2009 those good days got to be fewer and far between. He was falling almost everyday. He needed help to get up all the time. He struggled to go poop.

In the first week of October Heather and I came to the conclusion that this is really not fair to him. He’s is not living the life he deserves to. the hard part about this is that everything up front was perfectly fine. Apart from some hearing loss, his other senses were perfect. He was alert. He smiled at us and showed the same affection he always did. His problem was a screwed up rear end. It didn’t work anymore.

I talked to the vet’s office and told them what we’d decided. We made an appointment for a house call for Monday Oct 5 in the evening. On Friday I brought him over to my brother and sister-in-law’s house to visit one last time. Saturday and Sunday friends came over to see him. Dexter would always get excited with company around and would show off. He wasn’t showing off too much these days.

On the Monday it was a beautiful fall day. Heather and I took Dexter to Derby Reach for a picnic. We got a chance to each walk him one more time. We fed him salami, cheese, and other things dogs aren’t suppose to eat. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking photos and loving Dexter.

That evening our vet, Jim, came by. He explained the entire procedure so that we would not wonder what was happening. He gave Dexter a sedative to calm him. Jim left for a while so that we could say our good-byes. When he came back Dexter was very tired. The vet then inserted the IV. Within a minute Dexter went to sleep for the last time. He looked so peaceful. Jim went out to his car and waited. Heather and I spent a few more minutes alone with Dexter. I then carried him out the Jim’s car.

We know Dexter is in a better place now. He’s able to run and play without the fear of falling down. Heather and I are coping. The quiet house is tough to get use to. Not seeing him waiting at the door when we get home it so hard. Even watching TV and not seeing his bed under it is tough.  We now have lots of memories to look back on. What I’ve said above is only the tip of the iceberg. Dexter will never be forgotten.

Several of our friends and family sent us nice messages. I’d like to share some with you.

“Dexter was a really good boy. We are so sorry for your loss.”

“We are very saddened by your loss. What a great and wonderful soul to have touched your lives. Celebrate his happy life.”

“..it is a very hard thing you guys are going through. I am very sorry. love and hugs.”

“…here’s a gaelic saying that i think fits perfectly… Ní bheid a leithéid ann arís. (his like will never been seen again)”

“…what an amazing, amazing dog and friend dexter was.”

“I hope you are doing ok, doggeys get deep into your heart…. it’s hard.”

“You guys really loved that dog. I’m so sorry to read this.”

“So sorry to hear. I really liked Dexter, he was such a great dog!”

Please have a look at the following video:

http://www.break.com/usercontent/2009/10/dexter-rip-1423180.html

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Throughout the month of October we will be saluting people(s) who have made a positive contribution to the LGBT community.

 Already, had have looked at Marti Cummings from BroadwaySpeaksOut.com, Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepard and his family.

 

OCTOBER 4, 2009

CLEVE JONES  

Website: http://www.clevejones.com/

 

Click to Watch Cleve

Cleve Jones in 1978 - Click to Watch

Click to watch Cleve

I was fortunate to hear Cleve Jones speak a few weeks ago.  Click the pictures above to hear his touching and passionate words.

From Wikipedia.com:

Cleve Jones (born October 10, 1954) is an American AIDS and LGBT rights activist. He conceived of theNAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which has become, at 54 tons, the world’s largest piece of community folk art as of 2009. In 1983, at the onset of the AIDS pandemic Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation which has grown into one of the largest and most influential People with AIDSadvocacy organizations in the United States.

Jones was born in West Lafayette, Indiana. His career as an activist began in San Francisco during the turbulent 1970s when he was befriended by pioneer gay rights leader Harvey Milk. He worked as a student intern in Milk’s office while studying political science at San Francisco State University. In 1978, Milk was assassinated along with San Francisco’s Mayor George Moscone. Jones went to work in the district office of State Assemblyman Art Agnos.

In 1983, when AIDS was still a new and poorly understood threat, Jones co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Jones conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at a candlelight memorial for Harvey Milk in 1985 and in 1987 created the first quilt panel in honor of his friend Marvin Feldman. The AIDS Memorial Quilt has grown to become the world’s largest community arts project, memorializing the lives of over 85,000 Americans killed by AIDS.

While in San Francisco, Jones took part in a documentary about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, speaking during World AIDS Day in 2005. In the documentary he talks about the idea behind the AIDS Memorial Quilt, as well as the activism of San Francisco citizens in the 1970s and 80s to help people affected by AIDS and to figure out what the disease was. The film also looks at the impact HIV/AIDS is having in communities of color, and the young. The title of the film is Echoes of Yourself in The Mirror.

Jones has been working with UNITE HERE, the hotel, restaurant, and garment workers union on homophobia issues. He is a driving force behind the Sleep With The Right People campaign, which aims to convince GLBT tourists to stay only in hotels that respect the rights of their workers. Another part of Jones’ work with UNITE HERE is making the labor movement more open to GLBT members.

Legacy

Jones is portrayed by actor Emile Hirsch in Milk, director Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biopic of Harvey Milk.

Jones is prominently featured in And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic, Randy Shilts‘ best-selling 1987 work of nonfiction about the AIDS epidemic in the United States. Jones was also featured in the 1995 documentary The Castro.

Jones was one of the Official Grand Marshals of the 2009 NYC LGBT Pride March, produced by Heritage of Pride joining Dustin Lance Blackand Anne Kronenberg on June 28th, 2009.^[1] In August 2009, Jones was an official Grand Marshal of the Vancouver Pride Parade.

 

I poem from my younger years. Personally im not chrisitan but this poem was devoted to those I knew who where and their devotion to their faith. I hope you enjoy it.

Eve

and as I sit and peer at this scene, silver stars from the heavens stream
and the landscape so peacfully serine becomes the master smith of a dream
and so the thought dose come to mind, of all the selves Ive left behind
and through all the corpses you will never find, thus lies the fate of all mankind
and so these black streets I explore, paths so utterly beautiful before
and yet thanks to the corperate lore, the essance of truth is never more
and within this conundrum I do believe, the essance with which they deceive
and so the seed to conseive, I pray for on this christmas eve
and the seed of the grace of the child, lay there so utterly mild
and gave forth the eyes of the wild, and the mouth that always smiled
and so like old he comes again, the son of god, the father of men
and like him now is like him then, for he is everlasting, neverchanging…Amen. 

Eve

and as I sit and peer at this scene, silver stars from the heavens stream
and the landscape so peacfully serine becomes the master smith of a dream
and so the thought dose come to mind, of all the selves Ive left behind
and through all the corpses you will never find, thus lies the fate of all mankind
and so these black streets I explore, paths so utterly beautiful before
and yet thanks to the corperate lore, the essance of truth is never more
and within this conundrum I do believe, the essance with which they deceive
and so the seed to conseive, I pray for on this christmas eve
and the seed of the grace of the child, lay there so utterly mild
and gave forth the eyes of the wild, and the mouth that always smiled
and so like old he comes again, the son of god, the father of men
and like him now is like him then, for he is everlasting, neverchanging…Amen.

So before the football game on Saturday’s I like to travel the parking lots, and check out all the tailgaters.

You can witness some awesome things and meet some amazing people at tailgates, and don’t let me forget the amazing food that is cooked all over.

This Saturday before the Rice game I got to meet one of the coolest fans I have ever met, and I think his name is Number 2, I know random name but I’m sure that’s what his owner was calling him.

He was very photogenic and all his owner had to do was tell him to sit and look at he looked right at me for almost a minute.

I love meeting new people, and I love meeting animals and thought I’d share you the image of one of the coolest fan pets I’ve ever met.

Hope everyone enjoys and had a great weekend

Stay Classy,

Mitch