I couldn’t help but notice all the new Hand Sanitizer Stations while shopping at my local outdoor mall over the weekend.  I am assuming that these are supposed to help us sanitize ourselves so that we don’t spread the H1N1 Swine Flu virus over the crowded holiday season.  Except for one problem:

H1N1 is a VIRUS.  Hand sanitizer is anti-BACTERIAL.  Helloooooo!

i have loved you for years. the laughs. the tears. hours of talking. sharing. i would have given you anything. i still would. life happens. people change. i changed. i need more. sometimes i need less. the drama. the stress. the rejection. i will not miss it. i will miss you. my heart aches. knowing you do not care. as much as i do. i cry. already missing you. i need honesty. a deepness. a trust. i look back. it was never there. i made it up. i cry. we are not. friends.

Como te apresentam a verdade?

O que as pessoas tem dito para você e você tem aceitado como verdade?

Assista esse vídeo e veja o que Deus pensa sobre você!!!

Deus te abençoe…

Don’t be shy, take a peek inside the shower curtain!
The “naked truth” is only found by those who look.
New installation/stencil works in Copenhagen, Denmark

goabove.com

เกือบ 2 ปีที่แล้ว ช่วงที่ตัวเองยังคงขายเสื้อต๊อกๆ อยู่ในเวปแห่งหนึ่ง ก็เกิดไอเดียบางอย่างขึ้นมากลางดึก ว่า “เออ ในเมื่อในเวปแห่งนี้มีแบรนด์ไทยตั้งเยอะแยะ แต่มีทั้งที่รู้จักสำหรับคนทั่วๆไป และไม่รุ้จักสำหรับคนทั่วๆไป ทำไม ไม่มารวมกันทำอะไรสักอย่างนึง เพื่อที่เหมือนจะช่วยกันโปรโมทแบรนด์เหล่านี้” ก็เลยส่งข้อความชักชวน คนเหล่านั้นมาร่วมทำเสื้อด้วยกัน (ที่ทำเสื้อ ก็เพราะคิดว่าแต่ละคนก็ทำเสื้อด้วยกันอยู่แล้วน่าจะไม่มีปัญหาอะไร) แล้วก็ได้ผลตอบรับที่ดี ได้ร่วมงานกับคนหลายๆคน ที่แต่แรกเคยมี “อคติ” ด้วย แต่พอมารูจัก ก็คิดว่า “เออ เค้าก็ไม่ได้เหี้ยนะ แล้วกูจะไปด่าเค้าทำไมว่ะ” ก็เลย เกิดอาการสำนึกผิดละมั่ง เพราะกับบางคนเราก็เคยทำไม่ดีเอาไว้ ด้วยความที่ตัวเองก็เป็นคนพูดตรงๆ ก็เลยไปพูดคุยด้วย ไปขอโทษ ขฮโพย แต่ก็ไม่ได้คาดหวังอะไร เพราะ รู้แต่แรกอยู่แล้วว่า ตัวเองก็ได้ทำเรื่องเหี้ยๆไว้กับเค้าเหมือนกัน แต่สุดท้าย มันก็จบลงด้วยดี (รึเปล่า??) ก็คิดว่าเป็นเพื่อนคบหากันมา ให้ความเคารพนับถือกัน (คิดเองนะ)

ผ่านไปช่วงเวลานึง พี่คนนึงก็มาวานให้ช่วยคุยธุระบางอย่างให้ ด้วยความสัตย์จริง แบบลูกผู้ชาย ถ้าเป็นก่อนร่วมงานทำเสื้อด้วยกัน ผมคงด่าพี่ไปแล้วว่า “งานแบบนี้ มึงยังคิดจะทำขายอีกเหรอว่ะ” ทั้งนี้ทั้งนั้น แม่งเดิมาจากคำว่า “อคติ” หรืออาจจะเพราะสภาพแวดล้อม ที่รู้จักแต่คนที่ด่า แต่พี่ลับหลัง เลยติดสันดานแบบนั้นมา แต่อันนี้จะไม่โทษกัน เหตุมันเกิดจากเราเท่านั้น ส่วนธุระที่พี่เค้าวานไปโดนปฐิเสธ กลับมา อย่างไม่ค่อยดีเท่าไหร่ ไอ้ครั้นเวลานั้น เราก็ไม่ได้อะไรแล้ว หลังจากพูดคุยกันบ้าง ทำงานร่วมกันนิดหน่อย ก็พยายามช่วยเหลือ และสุดท้ายมันก็สำเร็จ ผมดีใจกับพี่จริงๆ แล้วไม่เคยกีดกันอะไรเลย ให้ตายเหอะ จนมีเหตุการ์ณบางอย่างเกิดขึ้น นั่นก็คือ พี่เค้าทำเสื้อมาขาย ซึ่งแบบว่า เฮ้ย เราพึ่งคุยกันเรื่องนี้ไปนี่หว่า ทำไมถึงทำแบบนี้หว่ะก็เกิดเป็นเหตุเล็กๆ ให้รุ้สึกไม่พอใจ แล้วด้วยไอ้ความปากหมามั่ง คือเป็นคนเก็บอะไรไม่ค่อยอยุ่ อยากพูดไรก็พูด มันก็เลยทำให้เรื่องแม่งแย่เข้าไปใหญ่ เพราะเสือกบ่น และเล่าให้คนอื่นฟัง

ทุกวันนี้ก็ไม่ได้คุยกับพี่เค้าหรอก ถ้าพี่เข้ามาอ่าน บอกตามตรงหว่ะพี่ ผมแม่งไม่เคยมีปัญหากับพี่เลย ยอมรับเลยว่า เคยด่าพี่ เสียๆหายๆ ตอนยังไม่รู้จักกัน แต่พอรู้จักแล้วพี่แม่งก็เป็นคนมีความคิดคนนึง แต่อยากจะบอกอะไรไว้อย่างนะพี่ ไอ้พวกที่พี่รู้จักทุกวันนี้ หลายๆคน ทุกวันนี้แม่งก็ยังด่าพี่ลับหลังเหมือนเดิม แบบพวกหน้าตัวเมียมันทำอ่ะ พี่รู้จักปะ จริงๆแล้ว อยากจะคุยกับพี่ตรงๆนะ แต่แม่งแบบไม่รู้ทำไม แม่งไม่ใช่หว่ะ ผมเบื่อที่จะโดยคนกล่าวหากันแบบนี้ ถ้าพี่คิดว่า “เฮ้ย เราต้องคุยกัน” ยินดีพี่ แล้วผมจะรอ หรือ ถ้าผมพร้อม ผมจะติดต่อพี่ไป

จริงๆแล้วไม่เคยคิดว่าจะต้องมี Blog อีกอัน แต่คิดว่าสมัครอันนี้ไว้พูดเรื่องส่วนตัวน่าจะดีกว่า
แต่ก็ดีเหมือนกันจะได้ไว้บ่นได้เต็มที่ พิมพ์ได้เต็มที่ จะว่าสนุกมือ มันก็ไม่ใข่หรอก
แต่มันคือความเป็นจริงที่ตัวเองได้รู้และได้ยินมา จากบุคคลรอบๆตัวคนเหล่านั้น
อาจจะจริงบ้าง เท็จบ้าง แต่ใครจะรู้ ก็แค่พูดออกไปตรงๆเท่านั้นเอง
ซึ่งคนที่เกี่ยวก็ข้องกับเรื่องนั้นๆ ก็รับได้บ้าง ไม่ได้บ้าง ทั้งๆที่เป็นเรื่องจริง และไม่จริง(รึเปล่า)
แต่มันก็เหี้ยนะ ถ้ามันจริง แต่เสือกทำเป็นรับไม่ได้ แล้วก็ไปด่าให้คนอื่นๆฟังอย่างงั้นอย่างงี้
อย่างงี้มึงยังเรียกตัวเองว่าผู้ใหญ่ ได้อีกเหรอหว่ะ ควยเหอะ มึงอ่ะกระจอก

This is a great editorial about the sad truth of what we call “Thanksgiving”.

an editorial by Publisher/Editor – Terri J Andrews

Never before in the history of America has a subset of this country’s population been so misrepresented, lied about, and viciously condemned and criticized than the Native American Indians. Our own history books present a censored and false past that glorifies the “proud, pure and righteous” settlers, while stereotyping the original inhabitants as wild savages in war bonnets, running through the forest looking for food and scalping innocent children and women.

Take a look through a child’s history book and you will often note an image of the pilgrims, colonists and pioneers that include log cabins, the pursuit of religious freedom and a strong sense of community. Now look for references to the Native peoples – words such as “primitive”, “massacre”, “Earth Gods” and “religious rituals” fill those same pages. Often times, paintings of the Native Indians hiding behind trees with tomahawks, watching the unsuspecting Europeans, are wrongly depicted to children.

This is a common thread woven through the fabric of American history – a lie that ties together a past built on stolen tradition and absent information retold in books authored by non-Native Americans.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a perfect example of censorship and the rewriting of truth. A portrait painted of the friendly Indians and the openhearted pilgrims coming together to feast after a long, sorry winter is accepted and tolerated by the American community. But this portrait is not correct. The story is much deeper than that; so much deeper that the Native American Indian community calls this day – The National Day of Mourning – and stages rallies to protest the holiday. Their reasons are valid. The true story of Thanksgiving is not something a country should be proud of.

Pilgrims and the Pure Truth

The Pilgrims of New England, who came to this country in 1620, were not simple refugees from England fighting against oppression and religious discrimination. They were political revolutionaries and part of the Puritan movement, which was considered objectionable and unorthodox by the King of the Church of England. They were outcasts in their own country, plotting to take over the government, causing some of the settlers to become fugitives in their own country.

These Puritan Pilgrims saw themselves as the “chosen elect”, from the Bibles’ Book of Revelations and traveled to America to build “The Kingdom of God”, also from Revelations. Strict with the scripture, they considered an enemy of anyone who did not follow suit. These beliefs were eventually transmitted to the other colonists, and the Puritan belief system quickly spread across the New England area.

Plymouth Rock of 1620 – Myth or Fact?

This is from an account of the Pilgrims landing -from the book The American Tradition. Is it myth or factual?

” After some exploring, the Pilgrims chose the land around Plymouth Harbor for their settlement. Unfortunately, they arrived in December and were not prepared for the New England weather. However, they were aided by friendly Indians, who gave them food and showed them how to grow corn. When warm weather came, the colonists planted, fished, hunted and prepared themselves for the next winter. After harvesting their first crop, they and their Indian friends celebrated the first Thanksgiving.”

Answer – BOTH! The American Tradition account is a mix of myth and fact. Here’s why:

Fact:

1. Yes, the “Pilgrims” did come to America in 1620.

2. Yes they were inapt to care for themselves due to the harshness of the winter and their lack of stored food and supplies.

3. Yes, they did have a “feast”.

Myth:

1. They were NOT met by “friendly” Indians who waved them in from the banks or welcomed their arrival. The Native people did not trust the whites, having encountered such foreigners before and suffering severe consequences. The Natives took pity on the settlers and only a (very) few Native Americans were actually “friendly” to the newcomers.

2. The Native community did not help the colonists because of a deep friendship, rather it was a custom of their culture and religion to help those who were in need.

3. The two groups did NOT come together to celebrate the harvest, as friends, and rejoice in the “first” Thanksgiving. They were meeting to discuss land rights.

4. Lastly, it was NOT the first Thanksgiving. An Autumnal harvest and banquet were a tradition of the Native people – a celebration that was a part of their culture for centuries.

The REAL story of the “first” Thanksgiving

In December of 1620 a splinter group of England’s Puritan movement set anchor on American soil, a land already inhabited by the Wampanoag Indians. Having been unprepared for the bitter cold weather, and arriving too late to grow an adequate food supply, nearly half of the 100 settlers did not survive the winter.

On March 16th, 1621, a Native Indian named Samoset met the Englishmen for the first time. Samoset spoke excellent English, as did Squanto, another bilingual Patuxet who would serve as interpreter between the colonist and the Wampanoag Indians, who, lead by Chief Massasoit, were dressed as fierce warriors and outnumbered the settlers.

The Wampanoag already had a long history with the white man. For 100 years prior to the Pilgrim landing, they had encounters with European fishermen, as well as those who worked for slave traders. They had witnessed their communities being raided and their people stolen to be sold into slavery. They did not trust the newcomers.

But Squanto was an exception. He had lived with the British, after being captured by an earlier sailing vessel. He had a deep fondness for the Europeans – particularly that for a British Explorer named John Weymouth, who treated Squanto like a son.

Chief Massasoit and Samoset arrived at the colony with over 60 men, plus Squanto, who acted as a mediator between the two parties. Squanto was successful at making a peaceful agreement, though it is most likely that there was a great deal of friction between the Native community and the colonists. The Englishmen felt that the Native peoples were instruments of the devil because of their spiritual beliefs and trusted only the Christian-baptized Squanto. The Native people were already non-trusting of the white man, except for Squanto, who looked at the Europeans as being of “Johns People.”

It was Squanto who then moved to the English colony and taught them to hunt, trap, fish and to cultivate their own crops. He educated them on natural medicine and living off the land. A beloved friend of the Pilgrims, for if it wasn’t for him, they would not if survived. The Puritian Pilgrims thought of him as an Instrument of God.

Several months later the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims decided to meet again to negotiate a land treaty needed by the settlers. They hoped to secure land to build the Plymouth Plantation for the Pilgrims. The Native people agreed to meet for a 3-day negotiation “conference”. As part of the Wampanoag custom – or perhaps out of a sense of charity towards the host – the Native community agreed to bring most of the food for the event.

The peace and land negotiations were successful and the Pilgrims acquired the rights of land for their people.

In 1622 propaganda started to circulate about this “First Thanksgiving”. Mourts Relation, a book written to publicize the so-called “wonderfulness” of Plymouth, told of the meeting as a friendly feast with the Natives. The situation was glamorized by the Pilgrims, possibly in an effort to encourage more Puritans to settle in their area. By stating that the Native community was warm and open-armed, the newcomers would be more likely to feel secure in their journey to New England.

The sad, sad truth (what happened next)

What started as a hope for peace between the settlers and the Wampanoag, ended in the most sad and tragic way. The Pilgrims, once few in number, had now grown to well over 40,000 and the Native American strength had weakened to less than 3,000. By 1675, one generation later, tension had grown between the Europeans and the Native Indians. The Wampanoag called in reinforcements from other surrounding tribes.

Metacomet, heir and son of Chief Massasoit, became Chief of the Wampanoag Nation. The English, who referred to Metacomet as King Phillip, started a war between the two parties when they unjustly tried and convicted three innocent Wampanoags of murdering an Englishman, John Sassamon, even though it was well know and accepted that Sassamon’s death was truthfully caused by an accidental fall in a frozen pond.

Metacomet, furious and in despair, sought revenge for the deaths of his tribesmen by declaring war. The settlers killed another Native man, hence settling off the beginning of what is now known as “King Phillips War.” Many Native communities throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut rallied with the Wampanoags, but the power of the English was overpowering. Metacomet moved many of his people to New York. Sadly, his wife and 9-year-old son were captured and sold into slavery. Brokenhearted, he returned to his homeland – and soon killed. His death ends the Kings Phillips War and the remaining Wampanoags, and their allies, were either killed or deported as slaves for thirty shillings each. This slave trade was so successful that several Puritan ship owners began a slave-trading business by raiding the coast for Native American Indians and trading them for black slaves of Africa. The black slaves were then sold to colonists in the south. Hence, the Pilgrims were one of the founders of the American-based slave trading industry.

Thanksgiving Today

For many Native American Indians of present day, the traditional “Thanksgiving” holiday is not recognized as the Pilgrim/Indian day popularized in children’s history books; rather it is a day of sorrow and shame. Sorrow for the fallen lives of those who were lost so long ago, and shame for living in a country who honors people who used religion and self-righteousness to condone murder, treachery and slavery.

For the many in the Native community, “Thanksgiving” is a day to reflect on what has happened (past and present); to pray to the Creator that more people will know of the truth and show respect towards the fallen culture; to fast the body; to protest the commercialization of Thanksgiving; to share their time with the less fortunate in soup kitchens or shelters; and some take part in a family meal, honoring the spirit of Chief Massasoit and his initial charity and intentions of the Wampanoag Indians — who first came to initiate a peace agreement between them and the newcomers.

Celebrating the spirit of the holiday – without the propaganda that is attached, is a respectful way to share the day with the Native American people. Understanding the true historical significance of their contributions to the day, as well as what the consequences of their efforts led to be, is even more important. Without the assistance of Squanto, and the agreement for peace made between the two cultures, I find it unlikely that the settlers would have lived so well or even lived at all.

The Native people died so that the colony could flourish. They need to be remembered, respected and mourned. With them – the Native forefathers – is a much better place to lay your fondness and your thanks.

It is with their spirit of generosity and charity that you should place your foundation for a true and honest “Thanksgiving.”

Sunday River’s New Campaign

Newry, ME — With every new ski season comes a new campaign to generate interest in the sport and its respected resorts. This year Sunday River will promote their resort with an intricately designed image on their websites, clothing, stickers, etc. Sunday River wanted to stay away from the current fad of bright and loud patterns that are reminiscent of the eighties, and go in a totally new direction. The resort wanted their new campaign to be prominently featured amongst complex, intricate designs created by the Native Americans. So, Sunday River went out and hired a group of Native American artisans, the Aryan Nation.

“Listen,” begins a distressed Sunday River executive, “we totally fucked up and we know it. We wanted to hire some Native Americans, but who the hell knows even knows an actual Native American person? We needed to find out how to locate some, so we went online to search them. Originally, we all agreed that Cherokees were pretty badass and that we should contact them, but every time we Googled them, we kept getting results for websites about jeeps. After that didn’t work, we then typed in ‘true Americans’, and that’s how we found the Aryan Nation’s website. We just assumed that ‘true Americans’ meant ‘Native Americans’, and you’ve got to admit that Aryan Nation does sound like a Native American reservation. Honestly, we didn’t know that we were hiring ignorant assholes. We just thought that we were getting some Indians.”

On the behalf of the Aryan Nation, Roger Whiteback, chief propaganda designer, states his brotherhood’s side of the story. “First of all, me and my partner, Stan Whiteface, were super-duper excited to do the Sunday River project. What they did was send us a rough sketch of what they wanted. Their original sketch was this picture of a weird image that had about four arms extended from the center, and within that image were the words ‘We Support White Powder’. So, I went to work on the background image first. I couldn’t make out what the hell that thing was supposed to be, but when I started to squint at it, it made sense. It was just a poorly drawn swastika. Well, I beefed it up a bit, and made it into one of the best swastikas I’ve ever designed. They got mad about that because later on, after we finished the project, they told me it was actually a snowflake and not a swastika. Then there was the incident with their slogan in the forefront of their sketch: ‘We Support White Powder’. They got all pissed when I took the letter ‘d’ out of ‘Powder’. Seriously? They hired the Aryan Nation, of course we’re gonna think ‘We Support White Powder’ is a typo, ya know?”

After experiencing a rough economic patch, Boyne has admitted that they’re unable to financially support a new campaign, and if they want to continue to promote their ski resort, then the Aryan’s finished product will have to suffice.

A Boyne spokesperson further explains their company’s stance. “We’re in the middle of a financial dilemma here and a racial controversy, but we’re just going to have to lean on the old proverb that ‘All publicity is good publicity’. Yes we accidentally employed the Aryan Nation, but it was for a very brief moment in time. We’re willing to admit that we had a brief exchange, but we don’t want people to think we’ve been rubbing elbows so hard with the Aryans that their lynching arms are bruised.”

To help put Sunday River back into the good graces of its loyal guests, and also distance themselves from white supremacy, Boyne employed a Jewish publicist to put a positive spin on the “We Support White Power” campaign, and prove that if a Jew could work for Sunday River, then their logo can’t possibly stem back to the days of the Nazis.

“Alright,” begins the Jewish publicist, Sal Steinberg, finally, after fifteens minutes of pleading for someone to turn the heat up at Sunday River’s press conference. “You’ll notice the words ‘We Support White Powder’ in the middle of this here sticker. Last winter was pretty tough financially, and there wasn’t enough money to put into a second campaign, but we did have enough money for a case of Whiteout. If you put your face a few inches away you’ll clearly notice that each sticker has squeezed in a Whiteout letter ‘d’ to make the word ‘Powder’. This makes each one unique and a collector’s item. Now, let’s talk about that background symbol. Since when did a windmill-esque image, on an axis, with four arms that eventually bend at a ninety degree angle, automatically mean it’s a swastika? We just thought it’d be fun to stray away from the traditional idea that a snowflake is a fancy, doily-looking object. We just took a simple, stripped down image to use instead. Everyone uses the fancy snowflake image, and as everyone knows, no two snowflakes are the same. So, we believe a snowflake like ours could definitely exist.” He’s right, it did exist. In East Germany.

Later that night, a waitress at the Matterhorn Ski Bar overheard the Jewish publicist, in a nasally voice, saying the following (right before he left a meager eight percent tip), “I’m so nauseous right now. I can’t believe I said those things for money. I feel like one of those prostitutes, you know? The ones with the ungodly clothing and diseases. I hate myself. I’m going to have nightmares for weeks now about Moses chasing me with a pitchfork. My poor mother would never forgive me for getting involved with those Nazi lovers. I just want to go back to my condo in Miami.”

After dumping the body of the young woman who overheard the publicist, Boyne and Sunday River executives were hoping that the explanation of the logo would help the controversy blow over, but certain groups took notice. One of those groups, the Ku Klux Klan, overheard the conference, and one of their leaders had this to say, “As you’ve probably guessed, we are ecstatic that Sunday River surfaced their true feelings and beliefs. We finally have a safe place to go on a skiing vacation now. A place where we’ll be accepted in our hood and robes. It’s not easy going out in public when you dress like us. You have no idea how painful it is to be constantly judged and ostracized everywhere you go, just because of who you are. It doesn’t matter now though, because in Bethel, they tell it like it is. White Power all the way! Hell, they even support the Confederacy. I mean, they must support the Confederacy if they put a statue of a faggy Union soldier, on Bethel’s Main St., smack-dab between a homo flower store and a God damn taco shop! I love it! Reminds me of the good ol’ days in Montgomery, Alabama.”

After a private meeting, executives of Boyne and Sunday River held another press conference. “We have finally come up with a way to prove that we aren’t racist, and that we don’t support White Power,” exclaims a representative of Sunday River, who regularly quotes the movie Blazing Saddles. “Our superiors at Boyne Realty are currently installing a border length wall to stop racist people like the Aryan Nation and the KKK from entering Maine. We originally had the idea to build the wall years ago to keep out Massholes, and now it’s finally about to become a reality. Aside from those three groups, other people wishing to come to Bethel are still more than welcome and may enter from New Hampshire, because Canada will obviously be completely walled off. However, due to the wall being several miles wide, it was incidentally built on top of Gorham, New Hampshire, so people will instead have to go through the wall’s border patrol located in Berlin. Now, I know some people are worried, but as long as people have their papers in order, they’ll be fine. Everyone’s really friendly at the Berlin Wall.”

Just finished reading The Truth by Terry Pratchett, another of his Discworld series. I feel completely embarrassed to discover that he’s been one of the most popular novelists in the UK (probably only barring J.K. Rowling, really) for decades.

It’s a bit how I felt when I didn’t really get the Stones until my twenties. Oh, sure, I liked the Stones, but I didn’t really get them. Then one day I was listening to Miss You on one of those wretched cross-country road-trips where you can only get bullshit classic rock, and it hit me like a ton of, well, stones: “Oh, you —-ing idiot, there’s a reason this band is considered one of (if not) the greatest ever. Because they are. I mean, that bassline alone…!”

Sometimes wisdom takes its sweet-ass time while you’re embarrassing yourself.

The point is, Terry Pratchett can write like very few people can. The fantasy version of Douglas Adams (although Pratchett is actually a few years older than Adams would have been- they were contemporaries) but with more a humanist beauty to his writing- even his evil-doers have a sympathy and forgiving humorous tick to them. And even though many of his endings tie their knots just so, it never feels contrived, forced or trite. It feels as it should be.

That’s quite the slight of hand. And he’s so very English. Which is why he was knighted, I suppose.

In the past couple of years, I’ve read The Truth, Guards! Guards!, Going Postal, Soul Music, and Making Money. Only 33 more to go!

Terry also was diagnosed with Alzheimers in  2007. Anyone wishing to make a donation in his name can do so at Match it for Pratchett.org.

How many times have you thought of Thanksgiving and also thought of this ubiquitous painting by American artist Norman Rockwell?  (Not that anyone in the history of time ever had a Thanksgiving that looked like this, but we like to think that we do…)  Anyway, seeing this picture again reminded me of a a fascinating article I read last month in Vanity Fair about the interesting process that Norman Rockwell actually used to create his paintings.  Rockwell used staged photographs (and plenty of them) to create the look and feel he wanted for his finished portraits.

The article is based from information from a newly published book on Rockwell called Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick.  The article and the book are both really a really interesting look into the creative process of one of our most overlooked artists.

Check it out – and happy Thanksgiving!

Vanity Fair: Norman Rockwell’s American Dream
Amazon.com: Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera by Ron Schick

Just put it out there. Like what Jesus said to the apostle Paul on the road to Emmaus – …Saul, Saul why do you persecute Me.. and …do not kick against the goads.  Jesus wasn’t all girly boy  nicey-nice about it.  He just said what was needed.  He is love. So don’t cry “mommy he is hurting me” when your table gets turned over. He was love then and always will be. The Savior I know tips over the tables of the slimy puke Pharisees, Sadducees and the unauthorized sellers in the House of God.  That house is now the internet too.  Make sure you are not setting up unauthorized tables to sell your unneeded wares.  They will get tipped over.  Now if you are for real, then put out His Words of life.  He is still looking for lost sheep.

SemperFi

The holidays are coming up and as we all know, there’s always shenanigans abound. Here’s my list of the top 3 surprises that always seem to happen every Thanksgiving.

1. Somebody will be pregnant.
This shit is almost a given. Someone will pop up with a little bundle of joy what they didn’t plan for and chances are can’t afford. Cousin Naqueesha already has 3 kids and managed to get herself knocked up again. She chooses Thanksgiving to ask for everyone’s blessings. She knows she can’t afford the baby but her womb has been scraped like so many after dinner plates so she has no choice.

2. Somebody will fight.
Family and liquor never mix. There’s always some bad blood between some members of the family and people always drink that courage juice and get bold. Someone will decide to get froggy and FINALLY say what they’ve been holding in all damn year. Next thing you know, people are rolling around on the floor and break up somebody’s nice shit.

3. Somebody will be gay.
Why the hell not, everybody is together anyway. This seems to be the best time to make the family do a spit take across the table and look at the newly outed like they’ve lost their minds. Grandma is ready to pass out and calling for the lawd while the parents are just shaking their heads at the impeccable timing. Then again there’s the other side of it where whoever’s closet had a damn window in it anyway. Either old girl has been playing football for a little too long or old dude works at the MAC counter and everybody knew any damn way.

If any of these don’t happen, don’t worry, Christmas is right around the corner.

First Published Monday 23rd November 2009 here at Ace Gamez - Admitting you were wrong takes a lot of guts in this industry. Any developer willing to throw its hands up and come clean about its shortcomings is to be applauded. But rather than champion these studios, the typical reaction is one of scepticism from gamers who feel burned by a lacklustre title or by promises the developer failed to keep.  Just look at Sega which, year after year claims to have listened to the opinions of Sonic the Hedgehog fans desperate to see their favourite platform hero restored to his former glory, only to be disappointed time and time again. Ubisoft Montreal suffered a terrible backlash over the original Assassin’s Creed and, to be frank, the whole thing became an absolute circus for no good reason. Sure the game was repetitive and the stealth mechanic was broken in several places, but as a technical yardstick, it was highly impressive.

Two years on, the launch of Assassin’s Creed II was in some ways a lot more exciting than the release Modern Warfare 2. The gaming majority knew Infinity Ward’s shooter would be good, but how would Ubisoft’s sequel stack up to the original? Would it make good on the developer’s promise to make things right again or would it fall completely flat? With so many questions surrounding the story and how the war between the assassins and the shadowy templars would play out this time around, it was surprising to see Ubisoft scale back on the pre-release media hype. The game was visible, but it was promoted with a muted confidence that seemed to suggest the studio was on to a winner.

So after much waiting and debating, the game has finally been released and thankfully, it is indeed a vast improvement over the original in almost every aspect. But instead of hitting the ground running, the opening 20 minutes are more of an awkward stumble as we see Desmond and Lucy escaping the Abstergo labs and engaging in some clunky stealth sections and clumsy fighting. Don’t let this put you off however as the core of the campaign will have you hooked, delivering a balance of well-paced action and a narrative that is rammed-full of gripping twists and turns. Before the escape sequence, Desmond hops onto the Animus one last time to pin point the birth date of Ezio Auditore, the lead character of Assassin’s Creed II and the potential key to bringing down the templars once and for all. We see him being born in the 15^th century, shortly accompanied by a brief control tutorial that shows baby Ezio learning how to use his hands, feet and head.

It’s a touching scene that is let down slightly by your arrival at the assassin’s hideout. Once there, you meet two awkwardly stereotypical characters; one being a chap that takes an instant disliking to Desmond and the other is a quirky tech girl with a screw loose and an annoying voice. When compared to Ezio himself, this pair is as deep and as colourful as a murky puddle. You quickly learn that the assassins have busted Desmond out of Abstergo to hook him up to the Animus 2.0 and learn years of master assassin training in just a few hours thanks to the machine’s bleeding effect. It’s the same effect that unlocked Desmond’s latent eagle vision power at the end of the first game.

Once you boot up, you are whisked away to sun-drenched Florence and guided through a combat tutorial that sees Ezio and his brother scrapping with members of the Pazzi, a rival family that cause you a great deal of grief throughout the campaign. Many of the vast improvements on the original are apparent from the outset and while the combat system still sees enemies circling you and politely attacking one at a time, the pace has been ramped up here and you now have a greater range of attacks at your disposal. In fact, Ezio is much more adept than Altair was at the start of the first game, with improved speed, fighting skill and free-running ability, making things all the more enjoyable from the outset.

The first few hours follow Ezio as he runs errands for his father, defends his sister’s honour by beating up her unfaithful boyfriend and evading guards after being caught in the sack with his love interest. He’s a great character, coming across as a loveable rogue but he also hides a ruthless temperament that explodes into a flourish of violence at several points throughout the campaign. It is only after his family gets caught up in a conspiracy that we see his transcendence from street fighting nobleman to cold blooded assassin out to get revenge. In order to bring those responsible to justice, Ezio must work his way closer to the truth by completing missions for key figures around the cities of Florence, Venice and Rome.

While the original game suffered from a lack of mission variety, Ezio will have to prove his worth by completing a wealth of tasks ranging from simple courier errands to the key assassinations that drive the plot forward. There are also plenty of hidden collectibles to distract you from the core mission strands, but rather than serve as bragging rights, these actually have a purpose in the greater scheme of things. Treasure boxes are hidden in every nook and cranny of each city and these can be ransacked for Florets that can be spend on armour, clothes, maps and other useful items. Ezio can also pickpocket currency from civilians and thankfully, this is much simpler to execute than the erratic system of the first game.

Feathers replace flags in this game and these can be collected to complete pieces of a much bigger story, as well as glyphs that have been coded into the Animus by the mysterious Subject 16, Abstergo’s previous test subject. These well-hidden symbols unlock puzzles that all relate to the Pieces of Eden, a mysterious set of relics hinted at by Altair’s leader Al Mualim. Once you crack each puzzle, you are given a piece of an encoded video called ‘The Truth’ that, when completed, will reveal the truth behind the original of the Pieces of Eden. It’s genuinely intriguing stuff that keeps you pressing on to reveal more snippets of the overarching plot.

Each glyph is hidden on landmarks dotted around the cities and will require a lot of climbing to reach. Thankfully, Ezio is an adept free-runner, leaping and bounding across a vast playground of architecture with little effort. Another welcome addition to this instalment is the ability to swim. While you are restricted to swimming on the surface and unable to dive down, it does remove all of the annoyances of the first game’s instant-death water. Walking the streets has also become less laborious this time around. If you remember back to the first game, Altair had to walk painfully slow to avoid arousing the suspicion of guards and even the slightest increase in pace would send a handful of guards bearing down on your position with extreme prejudice. In short, it was annoying, but now Ezio is free to stroll around without too much hassle thanks to a brilliant notoriety system.

City guards are not permanently suspicious of you and are more or less likely to react to your presence based on your notoriety. For example, as you pickpocket, scrap with the Pazzi and kill targets, the guards will become even more aware of you and will try and stop you for questioning. Unless you evade their line of sight or distract them somehow, they will turn violent and attempt to kill you. Notoriety can be reduced by tearing down wanted posters with your face on them or bribing city officials. It’s a great mechanic that asks you to walk fine line between meeting your goals and keeping your status in check.

Status and wealth also play a significant role in the Auditore home town of Monteriggioni, which is where Ezio meets with his uncle Mario to further his assassin training. This serves as a central hub and by paying local architects you can restore the dilapidated town to its former glory and unlock new mission strands along the way. It is here that you first come across the pages of a mysterious codex that was written by Altair many years ago. Each page contains vital information regarding the methodology of the assassins, as well as blueprints for the tools of the assassin trade. These can be passed back to Leonardo da Vinci, a close friend of the Auditore family, who can then make new equipment such as dual wrist blades, concealed firearms and even a hand glider. The pages can also be taken back to Monteriggioni and re-arranged to reveal a greater truth about the assassins.

Needless to say, Assassin’s Creed II is a game full of intrigue and mystery that will keep you engrossed from the awkward opening to the epic finale. However, this is not a game that relies solely on myth or the creation of more and more questions. Ubisoft Montreal has worked wonders to salvage the series and deliver the game it always intended. While the combat still feels disjointed and at points, turn-based, it is the only slight downside in a game packed full of positives and although the campaign will take you around 20-30 hours to complete, you will be entirely captivated for the duration. Surely a measure of how to improve on an original design and one that other developers might do well to acknowledge.

93%

Last week, as I was listening to Malcom Gladwell’s “Outliers” during my commute, this thought came to my mind…”

“Anytime, I’ve seemingly made a mistake regarding my career or my otherwise, I’ve thought more about success, than truly what would make me happy.”

It might not be a big revelation to you, but when you have several good options before you, the view can seem quite cloudy. If you have the option, doing something you love will always make you successful.

From the Word of the Day

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

                                        John 18, 37                                                  

How should we live this Word

 ‘I am a King!’  In today’s Gospel, Jesus clearly and deliberately affirms His identity and His mission.  He is a King and His Kingdom is not of this world.  He came from God to give witness to the truth.  The question Pilate asks, ‘What is truth?’ is the question of every age because it is the foundation of every search for meaning and of our Christian faith. 

 In the Bible, God’s truth indicates His fidelity to the covenant, to the promises made to Abraham and the prophets and later through Jesus, made to all of humanity.  He is faithful and this fidelity waits for a response on the part of each one of us.  Jesus came into the world to make us understand who God is in His essence and in His rapport with us.  He is Truth.  Only Jesus can reveal the way that leads to the Father.  He alone can give us life that is grafted onto Truth because the Truth is in Him.  He is the Son of the living God.

 Through His very person and through His actions, Jesus reveals God’s face which to us, limited creatures, is often hidden.  Through the mystery of the cross and resurrection, He brought salvation to all those who accept Him as their Lord.

 Today as I pause for silent contemplation, I will remain with this unique Lord who does not command but serves.  He does not impose Himself but invites unceasingly.  He does not use power but loves everyone, the good and the bad.

 Lord Jesus, Lord of the universe, I recognize You and I receive You as my King and Lord.  I ask You to make me grow in faith and love.

 The voice of Fr. Joseph Sacino, contemporary witness

 The Lord says, ‘I am a King’, because today, only in Me and through Me what counts anew is love and only love.  Only human love opens the heart and life.  Only with love can we discover God’s face as the face of the Father.

So tonight went off without a hitch!!! We KILLED IT.. Lil bit of a tough crowd, but they got loose “) For the second time I was told “we had the clearest set of the night.” thaswassup.. Gave out hella EP’s, shook a couple hands and made a couple friends. Even saw some old one’s. Even saw someone throw one of my CDs on the ground lol.. He was prolly mad cause his girl is the one who took it from me “b oh well he can hateme.com!!! if you don’t have haters, you’re not doin your job! Green room session with two of the SoTa boys was def the HIGH point of the night. Gotta have that purple rolled up. But yeah that bout raps it up. Gnight!

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

Okay, this is the final part of the stories behind the tracks on my album Quiet Storm.  Parts 1, 2 and 3 can be viewed if you click on those little numbers, and I want to thank everyone once and again for supporting my album and my blog.  I really appreciate it, and I hope that these behind-the-music notes have added a little to your enjoyment of my music.  On with the show!

18. Role Model (Interlude)

This was originally an entire song which was a rap song with a sung chorus. You can hear the original full version on my High Fashion mixtape but although the lyrics were kinda cool, I wasn’t too keen on my flow in places and I thought that I would rather not have the raps as part of my album.  Nevertheless, I appreciated the idea of the chorus and feeling misrepresented in society as a young person, a gay man, a singer, my music tastes, where I come from, my heritage… all those things are categorised and yet how many of us actually fit the stereotypes for those categories?  I felt that it led into the next song well, as it is about exposing who I am as a person, and not letting anyone’s pigeon holes or preconceived notions dictate who I am.  This is me, and this is…

19. The Truth

This song is probably the most heartfelt I’ve been in any of my songs recorded to date.  It discusses my relationship with my family, life and death, my emotional state and insecurities, my childhood, my education, and music.  It is the truth of who I am – sometimes we feel sad or hard done by, and other times we remember how happy we have been and whatever happens, we just have to keep going and get on with it anyway.  This song is a bit scratchy due to the fact that I have recorded myself playing acoustic guitar on the track (yes, that is me!) and it didn’t work perfectly, though I think it did the job.  I liked the guitar and the piano and the beat – it combined together well to be a midtempo R&B joint that was musically quite stable and almost sunny, yet anchored in place by some really heavy lyrics.  I thought it would originally have been the album closer, but then you’ll see I changed my mind about that.

20. Last Chance

I wanted the last song proper on the album to be a dance song – something that really went out with a bang! I decided this because sometimes (in keeping with the nocturnal theme of the album) you’re not ready to go home at the end of a night, until the DJ has played one final song that really gets you to annihilate the dancefloor and you can just let yourself go with the music before calling it a wrap.  This song is that song – I was inspired by “Work” by Ciara (sampled on the track!), “Get Me Bodied” by Beyoncé, “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas and just any song that really makes me want to move.  Other songs sampled in this are Paulina Rubio’s “Sexi Dance” (at the very end when the track fades out) which gives the song a late-night / early morning sensuous hue, and Beethoven’s “Für Elise” – just because it worked! I was crafting this track for a really long time, and between utilising the beat at the end of “All Night Long” to give the album a sense of circularity and closure, and trying to really fire up the beats and make them incendiary, I just tried to be as crazy as possible.  The rap, the off-kilter song structure with multiple hooks and instrumental at the beginning, the extended coda – it’s really going for broke! And that was what I wanted for the last song.

21. Close

To once again fit with the theme of closure and circularity, this is the “outro” of the album, to pair with the “Open” intro – again, I wanted to use the word “Close” in two different ways, both signifying the end of the album and also bringing in the idea of just wanting someone to hold you close, and desiring that intimacy (not necessarily sexually) at the end of the night, just before the sun rises and you’re feeling contemplative.

22. Lucky To Have You (Bonus Track)

My grandfather passed away during the creation of this album, and I remember being at Oxford and hearing on the telephone from my mother and grandmother that his health was really deteriorating. I wrote this song to comfort him (though he never heard it, and neither has anyone else in my family) as he passed away – I wasn’t allowed to go home and see him because it was in the middle of my finals, and he died and the funeral was held all while I was stuck in Oxford and expressly forbidden to come home.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget that – feeling so helpless far away and yet just glad his suffering was over (his illness was long and protracted).  This song is really personal and dedicated to him; it doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, but I nevertheless wanted to include it somewhere so I thought a bonus track was the best opportunity.

—

That’s it!  Once again, please download my album if you haven’t already, and check out my blog! Thanks for all the support – I really appreciate it and I’ll keep the posts coming!

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

I am dedicating this article to Snkoff whom gave me permission to post what was being smoked screened and deleted off the OT BB MB. This tribute to truth is written and owned by: Arnelle Durocher

11/17/2009 01:28:26 Subject: Re: Response snkhoff

I’m going to let everyone know right now…… besides the fact that Cruella gave out personnel information, I’m pissed about the fact that she threatened to give out personnel info on the rest of us… So not cool. I would have never have done that to her. I want her to apologize to us. As for Cyclops……. you made it a mission to see that somebody was punished for being a mole… she was not… You tried to use me to prove it…. before you deni Cyclops I have the thread. I knew what you were doing. I contacted that person AFTERyou thought you busted her. I have you clue on how the other Ladies feel but this is what I want. I do know that YOU CYCLOPS pissed off the other women on your board. Oh CYCLOPS you want proof? Let me know. What I really want to know is why Viki would lie to all of us her friends from day one. Why Cruella through her lies would allow her friends whom where there for her every time ( specifically me) not even Cyclops was there for Cruella nor Glorificus, nor the mad Crapper not everytime. My azz was there defending her each and every time. I was There. So what I want to know is why did  Cruella allow us her friends to be bashed, flamed, and abused on her behalf in her defence based on lies. That is one of the things I want to know. She owes an explanation. here.

I was reading this morning and seen you mention your husband was Marine … I didnt want to upset that thread and thought I might as well make a thread to make sure u see this … anyway I want to publicly apologize for my remarks about your husband . I thank him for his service and it makes me feel small that I have taken potshots at him . He is a better man than I . so ya know ….

If you really mean this T…it’s nice of you to say what you did. I have mentioned before that my hubby is a Marine Corp Vet. I even posted a pic of him in his Marine Corp uniform. It’s why he looks the way he does, not because of any injury…but most Marine Corp men are big guys, and rugged looking. It’s also why I always told you that you “don’t” want him in your face. He was awarded many medals, one in particular he and I are very proud of was the “medal of honor” which is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government . Yep…I’m very proud of my old man.

Cruella definitely owes those former friends of hers that spent three years defending her an explanation on the fact that she lied from day one to all of us. She doesn’t think she owes anybody an explanation, she would much more prefer that we forget that she lied to our very faces. Is that right! I and others don’t think so. As far as I am concerned if she was strong enough to abuse her friends, lie and use, betray and threaten us! She was strong enough to work behind the scenes along with Cyclops changing emails and trying to set some of us up as convenient scapegoats, then she is strong enough to come front and center and give us an explanation! I know one thing my ass was there for three years everytime defending her. Each and every time! Based on LIES that Cruella told! no matter how many fakes come out attacking, some of us.

]]> http://etymologyaffair.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/it-would-be-nice-if/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:45:11 +0000 etymologyaffair http://etymologyaffair.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/it-would-be-nice-if/

We all could have used a couple of these before we made a bad decision

It’s exactly 2:49 am and 30, no 36 no 40, no 54 seconds…well you get the point.  The point is time always moves faster than we can think, act, then move, or anything else we may plan out.  ALWAYS. And it isn’t very forgiving for bad decisions.

I’m writing this because I can’t sleep right now.  And often times when I can’t think, my mind starts to drift.  It would be nice if I could control where my thoughts go on vacation too but I can’t, and inevitably they end up in the past.  It’s funny how we are able to reflect on the past and make judgements about ourselves.  It’s pretty amazing.  I mean, I can look back on that time I dyed my hair orange when I was 16, and with 100% confidence say it was an odious  idea.

Too bad the same principle doesn’t apply for the future.  My conscience sort of works like that, but it’s is limited in its scope and degree.  I can make moral judgements about my actions beforehand, but that’s it.  I mean, wouldn’t it be nice to have an internal sensor that lets you know that this decision, although okay, will lead you straight into a pile of gobbledygook?  Man that would be nice.

What I am picturing is something that functions like a back-handed slap from a villain in the movies.  I swear I have seen that scene a million times where the bad guy rubs his finger-tips down the girls face telling her “this can be all yours if…” and then she says “Never!” and spits in his face, and then he gives her a solid back hand to the face.  She doesn’t fall.  Instead, her head turns 45 degrees and she holds it in that position for a good 5 seconds, and then slowly brings it back.  She knew it was a well-deserved slap for her insolence.  I need some internal mechanism like this.  We all do.

Our conscience is a gut punch when we lie to someone.  This would  function just like that movie slap.  It would be the I KNOW I DESERVE THIS BACK-HAND SLAP FROM A VILLAIN IN THE MOVIES FOR MY INSOLENCE WHENEVER I’M ABOUT TO MAKE A DECISION THAT LEADS STRAIGHT TO NOWHERE.  We all have those decisions in our past.  And the older we get the more we accumulate.  A nice way of saying this would simply be to say we have regrets.  But that doesn’t seem to convey the seriousness of our feelings.  I regret that I drank a Bud Light tonight.  I really do…and that statement is perfectly acceptable.  But to say I regret not finishing school earlier is an understatement of the greatest magnitude.

(Quick tangent, all you dirtbags (love that word) who say “I don’t regret anything because it made me the person I am today” are all liars.  You all say that to make yourselves feel better about whatever dumb decision you made, or you just want to seem cool.  Trust me I’ve said that before, but the truth is I would have taken a mulligan in a second.  Thank God I don’t have any kids by accident.  Then I would be forced to start every conversation with someone who asks me about my kid with the obligatory “I love my kids, but…” or the even worse “I know this was God’s plan…”  Just stop it all of you.  It was a horrible decision then and it still is now.)

Now it is 3:34 am and 32, no 37, no 43 seconds and time is still moving forward.  I’m not sure if my decision to write this is gonna be worth the lack of energy I’ll have around 10:30 this morning at work, but least there I have coffee to quickly fix that problem.  Now all I need is to fall back asleep.