Like the female computer loser that I am, there’s a couple of forum websites that I frequent. I am curious as to how these sites end up becoming dating sites after a certain amount of time. Once a forum becomes popular, or if you join a popular forum, you begin receiving incoherent and almost completely ineligible messages from men of all ages giving you their phone number, asking you out, trying to get you to meet up with them immediately, asking for sex, telling you you’re beautiful (even when you have a picture up that doesn’t even show what you look like – you’re female and that means they might have a chance, apparently), etc. These messages usually go something like this:

hey sxy, wan 2 met up? u r sooooo sexy.

or, similar to a message that I received yesterday from some creep that went something like this:

hi i m mail new in calgary and looking for a good grl plz call me if u r interested my no is 403-890-#### thanks

This kind of behaviour baffles me. It’s not just men who do it. I know there are women online (and many young women) that fall for, take advantage of or instigate this kind of crap. It’s appalling. I no longer reply to any of these messages. I used to make sure this person was aware of how ridiculous I thought they were and, basically, how I’d like for them to rot somewhere not so nice during their next possible level of existence. Part of me feels somewhat bad for making fun of the illiterate, so I’ve stopped. Hence the non-replying stance I’ve taken.

It’s like when a really wonderful and curious person with trisomy of chromosome 21 asks when your birthday is and is seemingly quite interested in having a conversation with you. In this situation you usually – or at least I do – partake in this conversation. Why? Because I am genuinely interested in having a conversation with them, too. They always have something so profound and simple to say. It’s amazing. Anyway, back to my point: It’s like trying to make fun of someone you deem to be unfortunate to their face. You just don’t do it. The people who can do this without feeling guilty are simply not good people. I like to think I am a good person because being mean in certain situations actually makes me feel guilty. This is one of those situations, even though these sexually desperate imbeciles are bringing it upon themselves.

—

Dear Online Rejects Who Message Me Trying “2 Get Sum”:

I’m happily taken. If I weren’t, I’d be far more interested in a message I could actually read. This message would have to be intellectually stimulating. It could not include “a/s/l?”, numbers in the place of words, shortcut words, or anything displaying your psychological laziness and lack of respect for the English language. I’m sure one of the other 28 women you’ve messaged within the past hour will be interested. If not, keep trying. Eventually you’ll find the person you are looking for. (Why, oh why, are these people allowed to procreate?)

Never Yours,

- Calluna.

sau… Opriţi aici!

curând…!

Pornind de la citatul menţionat în articolul anterior „eu nu prea intru pe aici, că am găsit deja ce am căutat”, am vrut să aflu şi eu mai multe despre “comorile” ascunse în site-urile de socializare…Or, de ce “f****.md” este unul din cele mai accesate portaluri din R.Moldova?

Pentru ce îl vizitează cei de la muligambia – este clar… Aflaţi, sau nu, că acesta cuprinde una din cele mai mari colecţii de exemplare unice de “face-uri” din ţară. Nu ţine de aspectul fizic primit de la “mama” natură, ci de ipostazele în care acesta este prezentat.

Bine. Probabil fiecare din noi are profil pe un oarecare site de socializare – un oarecare! Însă сe fel de „socializare” căută cei care plasează pe pagina personală fotografii mai puţin indecente/indeştepte şi, mai grav – le „păstrează” cu acces deschis (!) tuturor – pe care le poţi „admira” fără a fi logat ?!

Presupun că curiozitatea deja v-a trimis pe pagina muligambia.com – o replică made in Republica Moldova la site-urile de genul cocalari.com şi pitzipoanca.org din România. Cred că nu trebuie să vă explic ce semnifică acest muli din denumirea blogului… şi, totuşi – un jargon din limba rusă al cărui echivalent în română ar fi cocălar, mârlan.

Da. Sunt de acord. Comentariile plasate de administraţia blogului sunt mai puţin decente, uneori chiar vulgare… însă cărora, fiţi de acord, nu cedează o mare parte din pozele „select” selectate.

Cineva ar spune că nu merită de pierdut timpul pe astfel de portaluri – probabil ar avea dreptate! Însă mediatizarea acestora , eu consider, este necesară! Fiindcă sper ca …  măcar frica de a nu primi un „loc” merit pe paginile muligambiei să reducă din „prostia”, care  se întâmplă să aibă mult mai multe „staţii” decât vă imaginaţi!

Indiferenţi nu avem cum să rămânem. Fiindcă, după cum obişnuiam eu să mă exprim,  suntem ceea ce ne înconjoară

STOP prostia!!!

Roman was one of my neighbors in college. He lived in the same dorm. He was like two doors down. My god this dude was strange. Everytime I came out of the shower, he was standing on the other side asking me chemistry questions for the hell of it. He used to wear the geekiest woodshop style glasses with brown dress pants and loafers that most senior citizens wear. He followed you around campus and told me he ate Shredded Wheat (the kind with no frosting) for a late night snack. I was studying pre-med at the time and he acted like he should be in competition with me. He used to flip through his organic chemistry book and ask me questions throughout the book for no reason. I was curious several years later what he did for a living and called his number from the alumni directory and found out he is a pharmacist and he still lives at home with his mother. I hope for gods sake you don’t run across this person in a pharmacy.

Stivon is 49 years old. He lives in a small town in Northwestern, PA. A town that I will not mention. This post is all about Stivon. He somewhat looks like the actor Jeff Bridges in the face. He is obsessed with Gene Simmons of the group “Kiss.” He dyes his hair jet black but it is kind of funny he has light brown hair and usually when someone dies their hair they usually dye lighter instead of darker. He is also going gray in spots on top. Well when his hair started to grow back in,  he looked like a raccoon! He is also obsessed with home-based triangle network marketing schemes. He has tried to sell vitamins, telephone services, legal services, and other crap. Well he has made no money. He used to go through the Wendy’s Restaurant parking lot and when someone parked their Dodge viper in the parking lot, he would approach them for their autograph like they were famous or something. Stivon had very strange eating habits too. He would only eat the greasiest foods on the planet.

Yesterday i was making power moves on the cellphone in front of the Living Room ( check the roll) when 3 Jehovas witnesses ran up on me to spread the good word. These guys were obviously white boys from middle America sent as missionaries to save the heathens on the island, and they only spoke basic  Spanish. They walked up to me all bushy tailed and bright eyed and said hello, i waved them on then turned my back to them and kept talkin on the phone to Sparky  about what ever it is we where talking about in rapid fire spanish. As soon as i turned around again, as shure as the sunrises these little fuckers where still there, it’s like they knew i spoke english. CraZy ass Iowa converters, blue eyed – blonde hair  redemptors!

after all these years insulting, lambasting, denouncing anonymous blog authors and contributors, Ray Dixon has been “outed” as one of them courtesy of StalkWatch aka Travis Bickle aka …  see below

The Pig of the Internet

By Travis Bickle

a Primal Root review

So, here’s the deal. You receive a box from an elegant older gentleman with a half eaten face who decides to play Deal or No Deal. Ready to hear the conundrum? Okay, you have a little gadget with a seductive, bright red, candy like button on the top of it. Press that button and you receive One Million Dollars in cold hard cash but some poor schmuck you’ve never laid eyes on will die because of your short sighted greedy stupidity. If you don’t press it…well, yeah, nothing happens. You get 24 hours to chew on that before the game show buzzer from hell is picked up and taken away forever.

Stimpy facing this same predicament back in the day.

This is the situation Norma (Ms. Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James “Cyclops” Marsden) find themselves in back in 1976. Norma is a mild mannered disfigured school teacher whose gnarled foot she displays to her curious class in an early fetishistic scene. Her hubby Arthur works for NASA designing lenses for the Viking 1 which sends images back to Earth from the surface of Mars which brings the question of life on other planets into the equation.

"Think we'll be able to afford something to wash the blood off our hands?"

Even before the button is even pressed ( I am not spoiling anything. This happens in the first 15-20 minutes) the Lewis families’  world is filled the the proverbial Richard Kelly strange shit and once pressed the strange shit gets magnified. People keep getting nose bleeds, there are suburban zombies, water portals (a recurring Kelly favorite) kidnappings, loss of senses, unexplained murder, huge leaps of logic, and the NSA. The late night gang who listens to George Noory on Coast to Coast AM will eat this stuff up with a knife and fork!

And as any rational human being would have guessed there are some dire consequences for this decision. The decision to end one human being’s life for simple monetary gain sets off a chain reaction leading to far more difficult decisions.

The Box is filled with interesting ideas that don’t seem to congeal into a solid, finished piece. Like Kelly’s debut film, Donnie Darko, the film has all the logic of a fever dream. This is the kind of stuff I love, honestly. When a film isn’t afraid to not make sense or explain itself or to hand itself over in a neat little package. The Box is not that kinda movie. It’s not easy.

Cameron Diaz lost without a map in The Box

It’s beautifully shot, expertly composed, unabashedly bizarre, and even well acted. Well, with the exception of Cameron Diaz, who is the canker soar on the gum line of this movie. Really, the film kept me interested as it hurled one idea after the another at me but every time Cameron Diaz showed her dopey face I was pulled right out of the film. Her acting is high school drama class caliber and is embarrassing to watch. She tries, you can see her straining to be credible, but her emotions just come off as completely false. Even in her most dramatic scenes you just can’t believe her. She needs to stick to Ashton Kutcher comedies.

James Marsden is in The Box

Luckily, she has a damn fine supporting cast backing her up in the form of the dishearteningly underrated James “Cyclops” Marsden who gives a believable and well composed performance as the better half of the married couple. But the man who steals the show is the ever brilliant Frank Langella as the horribly scarred mystery man, Arlington Steward. This could easily have been a one note performance if handled by any other actor but Langella gives this character ominous overtones while also, somehow, being empathetic. There is a humanity behind all the formality and matter-of -factness.

"Hello, I am Frank Langella. I am here to make your movie good."

Sure, The Box is weird, crazy and off kilter. It’s moody, mellow dramatic and prone to flights of fancy.  But at the end of the day it’s a brain teasing mystery. Ad if there’s one thing I love it’s a mystery. I am proud that Richard Kelly stays true to what he wants his work to be and refuses to make his films easily digestible. The Box could easily be seen as a metaphor for mankind’s relationship to God or as a fable of man’s inhumanity towards man, or even simply a film about alien invasion. They are all good theories but there are no clear answers here.

The Box is a strange, pretty package filled with some sci-fi paradox’s. It is not a good film but it certainly an interesting one. At the end of the day it plays like David Lynch Lite.

Stay Trashy,

-The Primal Root

Gillian Jacobs plays Dana the babysitter in The Box. Hot and a sense of humor!

I am putting up a poster with Katie before school when I see him. 

He’s not going to say hi, I tell myself. You’re freaking him out online.

So I try and ignore him. Not easy for me, but I’m willing to do what I can to keep a friendship. I hold up the poster for Katie and read what it has to say about the book club.

“Hey, Racheeeelll.”

I look up, speechless. I guess he doesn’t think I’m a complete weirdo, after all. Even though I tagged him in my post and I asked him how to rotate my picture. Oh, and I asked him if he was going to the book club meeting. But he doesn’t think I’m a complete weirdo. 

I open my mouth to speak and almost say, “Hi, PJ.”

But I restrain myself, thank God. 

What I say is, “Hi, George.”

I am saved for another day.

Yesterday I mentioned a boss I used to have who I called Alice. I also called her a “freaky nutbar”. Cedarflame asked me, in the comments, what made Alice a freaky nutbar. So being ever responsive to my readers, I thought I’d talk a bit about Alice and some other freaky nutbars I’ve known.

Alice

She would spend hours in her office with the door closed, smoking and crying. Crying loudly. Loud enough that everyone in the office could hear her. When she came out, she’d yell – not about work, but about her laundry or her hair or her manicure… because it was our fault since she’d pick one of us at random every so often to go and take her clothes to the cleaners or find a new hairstylist or manicurist for her and make an appointment.

One morning she emerged from her vale of tears to tell us that as a reward she was taking us all out to dinner that evening at an incredibly expensive place. None of us were dressed for an expensive place. She gave us hell for that. Then we had to work until 9:00 pm because our reservation wasn’t until 9:30 and the least we could do is work a bit longer when she’d gone to all the expense and trouble to take us out.

When I quit, she told me I was talented but had a poor attitude.

 Phil

Phil was a friend I’d known for years at university who, for no apparent reason lost his mind one day. A bunch of us were driving over to Niagara Falls, NY one night to continue the fun after the Canadian bars had closed. I ended up driving with Phil. All was well until we got to the bar.  Because it wasn’t the bar we were supposed to be meeting the rest of the gang.

And Phil kept insisting it was. And then he went mental and started accusing me of sending him hate mail and calling him up every night and saying horrible things and calling up all his friends and his family and his employers and workmates and all the time and saying horrible things about him. Of course I’d done none of this and at first I thought someone claiming to be me was doing all this, but then he said something that made me realize that he was imagining the entire thing.

Later on I found out that he had also told all his friends and family and employers and workmates that I was going around saying these horrible things about him and if I called them they should ignore me. Other people started asking me what the hell was going on with Phil because he was telling them some crazy stories about stuff I was supposedly doing. That night at the bar, things got so weird that other patrons in the bar intervened and told Phil that whatever was going on, he was being an asshole and that he should leave. After issuing some final threats he left. I truly felt like I’d stared into the face of insanity that night.

Phil was a high school teacher at the time and as far as I know, still is.

Edward

I’ve already done an entire blog post on Edward. But he’s way at the top of my list of freaky nutbars, so I couldn’t leave him off this post entirely. But, his story is too long to repeat, so if you haven’t already read it, you can read it HERE.

Aurora

She was a tiny rodent-like girl I met at work during a summer job. We were both maybe 18. She was odd and I didn’t like her much, but she invited me to her house for supper one day after work and I went. I went because sometimes 18-year-olds do stuff like that.

She had a house by the lake. It was a fairly big house and once had probably been a really nice house, but everything just looked really neglected outside. And inside — well, the inside was even worse. It was really messy and grimey. There was almost no furniture or any other stuff in the house. There was a fridge and stove and a card table and a couple of odd chairs. All the bedrooms were empty except one that had a mattress on the floor, a lamp and some books, which was where Aurora slept.

Aurora told me that her parents had died three years ago and then her brother died two years ago and she’d had to sell off all their stuff in order to survive. She said she hadn’t even been able to afford a funeral for them and just had them all cremated and buried them in the back yard.

She made spaghetti.

While I was choking down the spaghetti, she told me that she was so happy I was her friend because she hadn’t had a friend since she was a little girl and that because I was now her best friend, she felt she could tell me her innermost secret. Her innermost secret was that she had poisoned her entire family because she hated them and wanted the house to herself. She just hadn’t realized how expensive it was to maintain. And maybe now that we were bosom buddies I could come and live with her and wouldn’t that be fun?

I politely made my excuses and got the hell out of there. I couldn’t sleep that night thinking maybe she’d poisoned me, too.  I never went back to that job — because sometimes 18-year-olds do stuff like that.

6pm.

I’m standing in my hallway with my ear to the door.
It’s Halloween and I’m thinking about 2 things.

1.

Have I just written the best song ever?
Have I?
Or,
Have I just completely ripped off ‘Like A Rolling Stone’?
-Again.

2.

Is my neighbour sobbing and upset?
Or is she having weird sobbing weirdo sex with that weird guy who passed me on the stairs yesterday?

I never found out.

I never found out because I felt something on my foot.
I looked down just in time to see a small brown mouse run like hell from my foot into my kitchen.

A FUCKING MOUSE!

A few weeks back I had suspected a mouse may be living with me.

I’d take bread out in the morning and find holes in it but it never got any further than me cursing Warburtons.

So anyways,
This mouse ran (They can run like fuck!) into my kitchen,
Did a few circles,
Then disappeared under my washing machine.

I did what any respectable man approaching 28 would do.
I hopped about on alternate tiptoes shouting:
‘FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!!!!!’

‘HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET IN HERE YOU……MOUSE FUCK YOU!?’

‘I HOPE YOUR MOUSE EARS ARE LISTENING ‘CAUSE IT’S FUCKING CURTAINS FOR YOU!’

Then I decided that it would be much better to just think these things rather than shout them out.
That said,
It did drown out the weird sobbing sex sounds or whatever the hell the couple across the landing were getting up to sounds.

I’d never ever kill a mouse of course.
Ever!
Matter of fact,
I like mice.

I once found a dead white mouse when I was a kid.
It had blood on its belly and was in a drain and I remember being really sad for it.

I like ‘em!
I just don’t like them running around my flat.
Or eating my bread!

So,
This was at 6pm and I was due in work at 7.

So I went to work.

I locked the mouse in my flat,
Walked down my stairs and opened the main door to my building.

What was there when I opened the door?

That’s right folks!
It was Beetlejuice.
Beetlejuice pissing on my lovely red door.
What else!?

To be fair,
It was Halloween and Beetlejuice was actually a very drunk student who managed to give me a:
“Oooh fuck, Sorry mate”.

Me: “What…the FFFFUUU????”

Beetlejuice: “Sorry. …Do you know where The Duke Bar is?”

Me: “Nope. I fucking don’t as it happens”.

(I do).

Beetlejuice: “Well…….Me neither. Happy Halloween!”

“Yes. And a Happy Fucking Halloween to you too Beetlejuice.
You utter cock!” I said to myself.

It’s now 5am and I’m completely tired and awake.

My shift at work was full of ugly horrible pretentious people with zero wit, Manners, Personality, and who were all under the impression that they were cool, cutting edge and stylish just because they were silly enough to believe that The Scottish Style Awards Ceremony actually is Stylish.
Or Scottish.
Or cool.

On the upside,
Sophie Ellis Bextor presented the awards ceremony and she seemed nice.

Downside?
There’s a mouse in my flat which I can’t find.

Fucking Beetlejuice.

Dixon’s attempt to involve IGA in VCAT fight backfires.

What Dixon said on his blog Alpine Opinion31 Oct 09: 

IGA taking on the Alpine council?

The Alpine council’s controversial special rate – a surcharge of 50% that it imposes on commercial properties like mine - is once again under challenge. An objection has been lodged with VCAT and the hearing has been scheduled for 17 December 2009.

I might stand to be corrected on this but I’m pretty sure that the objector is Rob de Sauty, who is the major owner of the Bright IGA supermarket. Rob’s objection is possibly based on his belief that the council has not used the special rate money for the benefit of those who pay it and has, in actuality, used it to help bring the Woolies supermarket development to Bright, which will negatively impact upon his business.

What De Sauty replied:

robert de Sauty said, on 1 November, 2009 at 8:37 pm

Ray
No we arent the objectors at VCAT
I wonder if it may even be Woolworths you could imagine the magnitude of the special rate they would be up for.

For your information here is a copy of the VCAT 2006 ruling.

fVICTORIAN CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT LIST VCAT REFERENCE NO. P2424/2005 

CATCHWORDS Special rate scheme – Sections 185 and 185AA Local Government Act 1989 – Tourism and economic development purposes – Special benefit – Basis of distribution

APPLICANTS Ray Dixon , David Kennedy, Wayne Phillips

RESPONSIBLE AUTHORITY Alpine Shire Council

SUBJECT LAND Commercial & Industrial Special Rate DINNER PLAIN VIC 3898 BEFORE Helen Gibson, Deputy President Kenneth McNamara, Member

HEARING TYPE Hearing

HEARING DATE 13 February 2006

DATE OF ORDER 31 March 2006 CITATION [ 2006 ] VCAT 502

ORDER 1 The application for a declaration under section 185AA of the Local Government Act 1989 is dismissed.

2 The application for review under section 185 of the Local Government Act 1989 is dismissed.

3 The tourism and economic development special rate declared by Alpine Shire Council for the period 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 is confirmed pursuant to section 185(3)(c) of the Local Government Act 1989.

Helen Gibson Deputy President Kenneth McNamara Member

APPEARANCES:

For the Applicants Mr Ray Dixon {sometimes referred to by his detractors as “dickhead”} , Mr David Kennedy and Mr Wayne Phillips,

in person For the Responsible Authority Ms M Olynyk, solicitor, of Maddocks. She called as a witness: • Douglas Sharpe, chief executive officer, Alpine Shire Council

REASONS APPLICATIONS 1 These are joint applications for review of the special rate declared by Alpine Shire Council known as the tourism and economic development special rate because it is designed to fund various tourism and economic development initiatives. It was declared and levied in 2005. It has a life of one year. It is the tenth special rate of its type declared and levied by the respondent, first of which was in 1995.

2 There are three applicants for review: • Ray Dixon is the owner of 2-4 Gavin Street, Bright, and the operator of a {lower end of the scale} tourist motel. • David Kennedy (through D J Kennedy Investments Pty Ltd) is the owner of 7-15 Churchill Avenue, Bright, and the operator of a tourist caravan park. • Wayne Phillips (through Phillips Family Holdings Pty Ltd) is the owner of 24 Ireland Street, Bright, and the proprietor of a retail gift shop.

3 The applicants seek a declaration that the special rate is invalid under section 185AA of the Local Government Act 1989 on the basis that no council could reasonably have considered that: • A special benefit was derived by all those liable to pay the special rate; or • The use of Capital Improved Value (CIV) as a basis of distribution among those liable to pay the special rate was reasonable.

 4 They also make application under section 185(2)(b)(i) and (ii) of the Local Government Act 1989 on the ground that: (i) the works and projects or the period of maintenance for the purposes of which the special rate or special charge was imposed are not or will not provide a special benefit to that person; or (ii) the basis of distribution of the rate or charge amongst those persons who are liable to pay it is unreasonable; DESCRIPTION OF SPECIAL RATE SCHEME Type of rates levied in Alpine Shire

5 There are four types of rates levied by Alpine Shire Council: • General rate payable by the following three types of properties throughout the municipality: residential, Dinner Plain and commercial/industrial. • Differential farm rate payable by land classified as ‘farm land’ throughout the municipality. • Commercial/industrial special rate payable by properties throughout the municipality other than properties in Dinner Plain, classified as ‘commercial/industrial’ assessments for valuation purposes. • Dinner Plain special rate payable by all properties in Dinner Plain.

6 A total of 504 rateable assessments are involved in the payment of the commercial/industrial special rate. This represents 6.5% of total rateable assessments within the municipality, which is 7626. The majority of these are residential (5719 assessment/75% of total assessments), with the remaining assessments relating to farm properties (1054 assessments/14% of total assessments) and Dinner Plain (349 assessments/4.5% of total assessments).

7 The commercial/industrial special rate is paid by properties assessed by the municipal valuer as being primarily used for commercial or industrial purposes which include tourist accommodation such as caravan parks, motels and the like; operators of bed and breakfast establishments who have planning approval for this purpose and where the premises are primarily used for this purpose; wholesale and retail premises; and industrial premises.

8 Farms are not included because although they operate commercially as a business, farm land is treated differently for valuation purposes. Likewise, wineries are not included because they are generally classified as farm land. However, there are two cellar door operations, which are located on land where the cellar door operation is the primary use of the land, that are included in the commercial/industrial special rate.

9 Tradespersons who do not operate from commercial premises but operate from home where the primary use of the land is for residential purposes do not pay the commercial/industrial rate either. Expenditure from scheme

10 Expenditure of the funds raised from the special rate is the responsibility of council’s Development Services Unit, which has responsibility for economic development and tourism. In 2005/ 2006 , the total budget for these items was $557,000 of which $369,400 will be raised from the commercial/industrial special rate. Accordingly, of the total economic development tourism budget, the special rate represents 65%. The remainder of the budget comes from grants, corporate sponsorships, contributions from the Alpine resorts and Dinner Plain, and an allocation from general rates by council.

11 The $359,400 raised by the special rate is distributed as follows: • $200,000 to tourism (54%) • $169,400 to economic development (46%)

12 Monies for tourism are expended by council on the advice of Alpine Region Tourism (ART), a special committee established by council under section 86 of the Local Government Act 1989. Tourism operator representatives are members of ART. There is no equivalent committee for economic development matters, and so these funds are expended directly by council.

13 As with previous schemes, part of the special rate is used to fund various tourism initiatives designed to attract visitors to the municipality. The balance is used to finance various economic development initiatives, designed to attract business and residents to the municipality and stimulate commercial activity within the existing commercial/industrial sectors. The range of activities undertaken by council’s Development Services Unit include: • Marketing/branding of the region • Promotion and specific campaigns • Training and industry development • Development of strategic alliances • Industry assistance to specific business development projects • Crisis intervention/representation (eg following floods, severe storms and 2003 bush fires) • Research • Publications

14 The Dinner Plain special rate is also managed by council’s Development Services Unit. Properties in Dinner Plain pay their own special rate for specific services provided exclusively to Dinner Plain. This includes marketing particular to Dinner Plain which is paid for out of the Dinner Plain special rate. However, over and above this, Dinner Plain pay ART a contribution from the Dinner Plain special rate to be included in general ART activities common to the municipality as a whole. Outcomes of expenditure of special rate

15 The tourism industry is extremely important to the economy of Alpine Shire. Since the commercial/industrial special rate was introduced, visitor numbers have increased, awareness of Alpine Country has risen and there has been a dramatic increase in expenditure by visitors in the region. Various separate business development projects have been undertaken; grants for a range of infrastructure and strategic projects across the shire have been obtained (excluding Dinner Plain) which underpin the economy and enhance the region; and a number of large scale investment projects have been pursued on the basis that more investment means a more robust economy. There has been particular attention paid to attracting and developing industries that create diversity and reduce reliance on single economic streams (eg timber and tobacco).

16 Overall, the evidence adduced at the hearing about the way in which proceeds from the commercial/industrial special rate have been expended as part of the overall budget of council’s Development Services Unit demonstrates what can be achieved by a vigorous, proactive council tourism and economic development strategy. The outcome has been a robust economy and general prosperity throughout the municipality. This has led to increased land values. We were provided with evidence that commercial/industrial values as a class of property grew by 78% in the Shire from 1995/96 when the special rate was first introduced compared to the median valuation growth for rural councils which was only 63% in that period. Valuations of the applicants’ own properties compare favourably with the Shire growth rate for the period and the Shire average per property for the same class.

APPLICANTS’ CASE 17 On the one hand, the applicants admitted that they had benefited by expenditure from the special rate. Their primary concern is that the benefit they derive (like the benefit derived by the other 501 persons who have been levied the special rate) is no different from the benefit derived by many others within the municipality, such as farms, wineries and tradespersons operating from home. Specifically with respect to tourism matters, they focus on Bright holiday homes, bed and breakfasts and other accommodation properties outside the municipal district (namely the Alpine resorts) which they contend benefit equally from council’s promotion of tourism but who do not pay a special rate. Additionally, they say that Dinner Plain benefits from the activities of ART, which is funded by the special rate. ART promotes the properties at Dinner Plain at least equally to those properties elsewhere in Shire that pay the special rate.

18 In general terms, the applicants submit that the council’s promotion of economic development merely provides ‘general benefits’ to all businesses and that no one group could be said to receive benefits which are greater or ‘special’ compared to any other group. In fact, they submitted, it would be more accurate to say that these activities of council actually provide benefits equally to the entire population of the Alpine Shire. Equally, they contend that the council promotion of tourism via ART does not provide a special benefit, primarily because there are many other similarly benefited properties that do not pay it.

SPECIAL BENEFIT 19 We accept the submissions of Ms Olynyk that from the numerous decisions of the Tribunal, and its predecessor on the meaning of ‘special benefit’, the following principles can be distilled: a Special benefit will exist where the person required to pay the special rate derives a benefit which is not shared by other persons or which is in addition to or greater than (that is, is over and above) that which is derived by persons not required to pay the special rate[1]. b Although section 163(1) speaks of a special benefit to ‘the person’ required to pay the special charge, the individual circumstances of a particular person are irrelevant. Benefit, and not ‘need’ is the criterion[2]. Instead, the benefit attaches to the land and therefore to the person levied in his/her or its capacity as the owner of the land. c Special benefit may be direct or indirect in form[3]. d It is unnecessary to show that the degree of special benefit among different contributors will be equal[4].

20 To succeed on this ground, it is necessary to show that no special benefit is derived from the proposed works or project (as distinct from the special benefit being less than that asserted by the council or even the financial burden placed on a particular applicant by a special charge being disproportionate to the special benefit actually derived)[5].

21 In our view, in considering special rates for economic development and tourism for substantial areas of a municipality, either in terms of specific locations or specific classes of properties, a common sense and robust approach must be adopted when considering the nature of the expenditure and the special benefit it provides.

22 In terms of economic development, it is true that some businesses will benefit more than others from time to time depending on the particular activities, promotions etc that are undertaken. What is more important, and more relevant from the perspective of assessing special benefit, is to look at the expenditure of the proceeds of the special rate as an overall package. If it leads to greater economic activity and greater overall economic prosperity, then that is a generally desirable outcome. The fact that businesses generally, and indeed individual employees, may benefit from this increased economic activity and prosperity does not mean that special benefits do not also accrue to persons liable to pay the special rate. As the Tribunal said in Raine Lodge Pty Ltd v Wyndham CC[6]: [60] The question before the Tribunal in an appeal on the first ground under s.185 is whether the appeal site has special benefit. It is not whether other land has special benefit. A mistake of inclusion or exclusion of other land cannot be decisive on the essential point. …

23 It is also important to recognise that it is properties which are the subject of the special rate, not businesses or individuals. Thus a special benefit delivered by a special rate must be enjoyed by the person on whom a special rate is imposed, namely the owner of land (see section 156(1)) Local Government Act 1989.

24 In the present case, the applicants are all owners and occupiers of land used for tourist accommodation or retail premises directed at the tourist trade. Therefore, expenditure on promoting tourism will be of direct benefit to them.

 25 In terms of expenditure on economic development, some of the programmes, activities and/or training provided by the council are available only to persons who pay the special rate or alternatively such persons may participate at reduced/no charge. This constitutes a special benefit for persons who pay the special rate.

26 Perhaps most significantly, land owners who pay the special rate have enjoyed increased land values and increased rental returns. We are satisfied that evidence exists which establishes a direct link between the provision of economic/tourism services by local government and robust economic conditions and values. Increased land values and rental returns may be an indirect special benefit, but they are nevertheless a real special benefit, and it does not matter whether a special benefit may be direct or indirect.

27 We therefore find that the applicants each derive a special benefit over and above that which is derived by persons not required to pay the special rate. We therefore find that the application under section 185(2)(b)(i) fails.

BASIS OF DISTRIBUTION 28 There are no absolute rules for a council to follow in adopting a method of apportioning costs to be covered by a special rate. The test for the basis of distribution among those persons who are liable to pay it is whether it is ‘unreasonable’. As the Tribunal said in Elnick Pty Ltd v Wyndham CC[7]: [24] To establish this ground it is necessary for the applicant for review to show that the basis of distribution is unreasonable. In this connection it has been pointed out, in earlier cases, that this does not imply that there is one sole reasonable basis of distribution, and that all others are therefore unreasonable and liable to be the foundation of a successful review. It is quite possible for there to be more than one basis of distribution that is reasonable in the circumstances. There may, depending on the circumstances, be several bases any one of which is sustainable, so far as this ground is concerned, if none of them can be said to be unreasonable. Raine Lodge Pty Ltd v Wyndham CC (1998) 22 AATR 23 is an example. [25] It is not always possible to achieve absolutely precise equity in distribution, and even if it was, it may be that the formula involved would be so complex as to be unworkable and unreasonable for that reason. However, something that is blatantly unfair, having regard to relevant circumstances, is likely to be regarded as unreasonable.

29 The applicants referred to the case of Wakefield v Wyndham CC[8], which held that in the circumstances of that case distribution according to site value was unreasonable. However, the decision in that case turned upon its own particular facts and is not relevant to the basis of distribution employed here, which is based on CIV.

30 The applicants argued that the use of CIV would tend to create an even more unreasonable basis of distribution than site value considering that the differences in property values tend to widen when the capital improvements are taken into account. However, in our view, CIV represents a reasonable means of comparing property values. The fact that property values vary widely and hence result in varying amount payable is not to the point. If a person considers that the CIV assessed in respect of their property is inaccurate, they may lodge an application for review against valuation. CIV is the most common basis for striking rates and we consider a special rate for the promotion of economic development and tourism is no different in this respect to a general rate or farm rate. Particularly where increased property values are part of the special benefit, CIV is a reasonable basis for distribution. Areas that enjoy a lower level of economic activity would be expected to have lower land values and this would be reflected in a lower CIV, which in our view reinforces the use of CIV as a reasonable basis for distribution.

31 In any event, for an application to succeed under section 185(2)(b)(ii) we must find that the basis of distribution is ‘unreasonable’. We do not find that this ground is established and consequently the application under section 185(2)(b)(ii) also fails.

APPLICATION FOR DECLARATION 32 Having failed in their applications under section 185, the applicants are even less likely to succeed in their application under section 185AA of the Local Government Act 1989. The Tribunal described such applications in Giuffrida v Manningham CC[9] in the following terms: [13] Section 185AA of the Act provides that a person may apply to the tribunal for a declaration concerning the validity of a decision to impose a special rate. This power is only exercisable by a presidential member of the tribunal. It has been accepted that this power only enables the tribunal to make a declaration as to legal rights in the same way that the Supreme Court could. It is not a power that enables the tribunal to review a special rate scheme on the merits. [14] One common means of challenging the validity of an administrative decision is by alleging that the decision is unreasonable. But such a challenge is only available pursuant to section 185AA if the decision is so unreasonable that no rational council could have reached the decision. Sometimes this is described by lawyers as Wednesbury unreasonableness.[10] During argument in this proceeding I have used a cricket analogy and described this as not merely bowling off the stumps but bowling a wide.

33 As we have said earlier, it is necessary to look at the benefits provided by a special rate for purposes like economic development and tourism as a package. It is not helpful to pick holes in individual items of expenditure or to try too closely to analyse who benefits from what. Rather, it is the combined effect of an overall strategy or programme of expenditure that will determine whether the purpose of the special rate is achieved and will provide the special benefits enjoyed by persons liable to pay the special rate.

34 We have considered the various arguments put forward by the applicants but disagree with them that the decision of the council is so unreasonable that no rational council could reach the decision to declare the special rate. By contrast, we consider that the actions of the council in declaring the special rate to be eminently reasonable. This conclusion is not altered by reason that persons other than those liable to pay the special rate have also benefited. The application for declaration under section 185AA is therefore refused.

35 We consider that many of the issues raised by the applicants demonstrated a lack of understanding of the way in which the special rate was applied and the way that its proceeds have fitted into the overall budget and activities of council’s Development Services Unit. This misunderstanding was especially pronounced with respect to Dinner Plain and its exclusion from the commercial/industrial special rate. It may be appropriate in future for the council to investigate a better method of communicating to ratepayers the municipal valuer’s criteria for those properties being included in the commercial/industrial special rate and the relationship of this rate to other rates in the municipality, including the Dinner Plain special rate. It may also be appropriate for council to mention the Dinner Plain special rate scheme in the council resolution striking the commercial/industrial special rate to clarify the issue.

Helen Gibson Deputy President

tinao comment:

Once again Ray Dixon / Alpine Opinion stuffs up.

and on the matter of the special rates:

in the end it boils down to this: just SHUT UP and pay your rates. Stupid selfish VCAT applications waste Alpine Shire Council human and financial resources and end up costing all ratepayers.

L’anatomia funzionale del cervello può riservare non poche sorprese. Il sistema nervoso centrale non è soltanto infinitamente complesso, ma anche plastico ed adattabile. Seguiamo il caso di una bambina pugliese di due anni, oggetto di uno studio dal significativo titolo “Living with one hemisphere” pubblicato il 15 ottobre su “The New England Journal of Medicine”, una delle riviste scientifiche più accreditate (Impact Factor 50) in ambito sanitario internazionale, da Antonio Trabacca, Direttore dell’Unità Operativa di Neuroriabilitazione 1 del Polo di Ostuni dell’IRCCS “E. Medea” e da Franca Di Cuonzo dell’Unità Operativa di Neuroradiologia dell’Università degli Studi di Bari.

La piccola viene inviata per accertamenti all’IRCCS “E. Medea” – La Nostra Famiglia di Ostuni (Puglia): all’esame obiettivo presenta una lieve spasticità all’emisoma destro, con un leggero disturbo nel camminare, nell’uso di una mano e nell’articolazione della parola. I risultati ottenuti mediante una serie di test delineano capacità cognitive adeguate all’età con un funzionamento emotivo, comportamentale e sociale nella norma. I medici che seguono il caso sospettano la possibilità di lievi anomalie nello sviluppo cerebrale. La bambina viene successivamente sottoposta a tecniche di neuroimaging: le immagini di risonanza magnetica encefalica e angio risonanza rivelano una realtà sconvolgente poiché la disfunzione riguarda quasi un intero emisfero.

La risonanza magnetica encefalica mostra una grande cisti porencefalica che si estende nei lobi frontale, temporale ed occipitale, coinvolgendo praticamente tutto l’emisfero di sinistra con risparmio esclusivamente del nastro corticale in regione fronto-basale, temporale anteriore e temporale mesiale, talamo e nuclei della base. L’esame di angio risonanza dell’encefalo e dei vasi al collo mette in evidenza una netta riduzione di flusso sia dell’arteria cerebrale media che dell’arteria cerebrale posteriore di sinistra e concomitante ipoplasia del tratto a1 dell’arteria cerebrale anteriore.

“Di fatto, la bambina con un solo emisfero ha avuto uno sviluppo neuromotorio che l’ha portata a vivere in una maniera solo lievemente disfunzionale e, comunque, come nessuno di noi avrebbe potuto immaginare – spiegano i ricercatori in una nota. In che modo? “Probabilmente con un concetto di efficienza che non corrisponde al nostro. Perché l’altra parte del cervello e le zone del cervello sane hanno messo a disposizione tutte le risorse (neuroplasticità) per compensare quella malata o assente”.

La plasticità cerebrale è un fenomeno complesso che interviene in condizioni normali: la struttura (ed il cablaggio) delle connessioni nervose si modifica durante lo sviluppo, portando ad un rimodellamento cui corrisponde un aumento di efficienza del sistema. Tuttavia il cervello può plasmare la propria struttura, nel corso della vita, perfezionando i propri circuiti in modo da adattarli più efficacemente al compito richiesto. Ad esempio, notevoli cambiamenti si possono verificare nel corso di un processo di apprendimento o di una psicoterapia.

In seguito a patologie neurologiche, il cervello, entro certi limiti – che sembrano essere molto ampi – è in grado di riparare se stesso, creando circuiti alternativi a quelli danneggiati (o assenti), individuando nuove modalità di funzionamento, vincendo condizioni normalmente giudicate incompatibili con la vita, o per lo meno, con una vita normale. (Questo non si applica al cervello molto molto piccoli e microscopici del autore di alpine opinion che vive a sud dell’equatore nell’emisfero meridionale, nldr). In letteratura sono stati segnalati recentemente altri casi-limite in cui la plasticità cerebrale gioca un ruolo significativo: il caso di una bambina tedesca di dieci anni che conduce una vita piuttosto normale nonostante sia nata con una grave menomazione all’emisfero destro, o l’impiegato francese affetto da idrocefalia, ribattezzato “l’uomo senza cervello” (con un quoziente di intelligenza appena sotto la media, sposato, padre di due figli), riportato su “The Lancet”.

Una serie impressionante di storie di persone che hanno cambiato il loro cervello è raccolta nel libro “Il cervello infinito” (Ponte Alle Grazie) dello psichiatra canadese Norman Doidge, ricercatore in psichiatria e psicoanalisi per il “Columbia University Psychoanalytic Center” di New York e la “University of Toronto”. Scrive Doidge: “E’ attraverso la comprensione degli effetti (positivi e negativi) della neuroplasticità che possiamo capire fin dove si estendano le possibilità umane…”
Rosalba Miceli, la stampa

I was already on edge.  My car wasn’t in an actual parking spot (it was acceptable, but not actual.  I MAKE SENSE), this was about to be the 4th time in a week I was to eat at a sub shop, and my breakfast in the car this morning was not designed to sustain much past 10am, even less past 2pm.  It was almost 3.

Then, this man started talking to the lady waiting next to me.

He had short dreads and patchy beard that did not agree with his dress pants, belt, and pressed button down.  His first words were, “Is that your truck out there?”  To which she replied, “Oh, no I drive an SUV.”  He confirmed, “Yes, a truck, so it’s yours.”

This was going to be an uncomfortable wait for my sandwich.

He continued asking her questions:

“Have you read the owner’s manual?”

“No?  Do you ever read owner’s manuals for electronics?”

“Why not? It could save you a lot of money.”

“What about instruction books for putting ’assembly required’ things together?”

“Maps?”

After a while, I felt sorry for this woman.  The man was talking to her like she was an idiot and trying to trap her into the wrong answer about her car or phone books or something and it was then that I made the mistake of entangling myself in this inquisition.  After about 5 minutes, it ended with him asking how often I got the oil changed in my car and that I could go 20,000 miles without changing it if I did what he did and….I wasn’t really listening so I can’t tell you how but I did not believe him even before he told me so whatever.  Either way, my anticlimactic story is almost over.

When I left the shop, the lady gave me this knowing/thanking look.  Although I reciprocated, I felt sorry for that man.  I wonder how many people he has weirded out?  More importantly, does he even know he’s making people uncomfortable?  I saw him get into his old volvo station wagon, that according to him has over 300,000 miles on it, with “Omega psi phi” and “violence is the coward’s weapon”, or something, stickers on it.

Lesson: I should have just gone to subway.

Tocmai această întrebare o primesc de fiecare dată când întâlnesc vreo cunoştinţă cu care nu ne-am văzut de ceva timp… Însă prin al meu „NU” simt că trezesc o mare uimire în ochii interlocutorului, care aşteaptă cu nerăbdare să-i ofer aceeaşi întrebare… Ca să-mi răspundă cu mare mândrie „DA” – de parcă ar fi în faţa altarului .

De fapt uimirea îmi aparţine mie: de ce „încă…?” – am trecut cumva de vreo dată limită???

Stupefiată, însă, am rămas în urma unei discuţii recente, cu o fostă colegă de la şcoală, în care am aflat că sunt printre puţinele ei cunoştinţe de aceeaşi vârstă care „încă” nu s-au măritat. Vai de mine!… Eu, entuziasmată că am găsit-o după mulţi ani pe unul din site-urile de socializare, pe care am şi eu profil, a trebuit să aud la propunerea de păstra legătura – „eu nu prea intru pe aici, că am găsit deja ce am căutat”… adăugând că este logodită. Doamne! Am rămas fără grai. Însă impusă de circumstanţe a trebuit să-i explic fetei că nu „caut” nimic (!) şi niciodată nu am făcut-o, fie pe internet sau prin altă cale. Ci e o modalitate de a păstra legătura cu prietenii de peste hotare şi o manieră comodă de a face schimb de informaţie (luând în consideraţie că majoritatea prietenilor sunt jurnalişti). Dar ce vorbă să fie. Fiecare judecă după sine.

Şi dacă tot veni vorba de mine… Nu găsesc nici un gol în viaţa mea de acum – fiindcă este plină cu de toate!

Clipe frumoase petrecute împreună, visuri împărtăşite de-amândoi

Şi-atâtea amintiri adunate… de tine şi de mine, la un loc –

Locul care ne uneşte şi ne ţine strâns legat într-un întreg

E mare locul, de încap atâtea lucruri…şi mic încât – nu am cum sa te pierd!

Nu ar putea fi măsurat de nimeni fiindcă-i un spaţiu de neatins…

E sfânt şi ne-aparţine numai nouă, căci s-a născut în clipa-n care te-am cuprins…

E între noi, dar nicidecum nu ne desparte, fiindcă-l creăm în doi – doar pentru noi!

Nu-i egoism, dar numai într-o lume aparte… de invidie şi rautate departe –

vrem şi putem să ne păstrăm iubirea şi tot ce îşi găseşte loc între noi!

Binecuvântat să fie locul ce ne ţine la un loc!…

Acest „loc” nu poate fi considerat nul, dacă „încă” nu e întărit de sigila Oficiului Stării Civile… Dar, fiţi siguri, nici acum şi nici după (!) nu îl voi percepe ca pe o realizare, ci ca pe o contopire firească a două destine într-un întreg, numit familia!

P.S. Am şi eu „DA-urile” mele, care nu sunt puţine, doar că întrebări vizavi de studii sau alte realizări rămân undeva în umbră… Acolo unde nu mă aflu eu!

Ugh, trust me to get sick right when I’m supposed to me moving. I can’t take my bed with me, so my dad came over and took it home, but now I feel all achy and stuff and no where to lie down on. -.- Do you know that feeling when you’re just about to break into a fever? That’s what I felt like last night; my body starting to sweat, but shiver at the same time, and then getting pains at random parts of my body.

Anyways, I just have the sore throat today. I broke my fever last night by putting on tons of layers, turning up the heater, sleeping under the comforter and sweating it out. It’s such an uncomfortable way to get rid of a fever, but works like a charm.

While I’m home and doing nothing, because I can only get a bed later tonight at around 10pm when my friend gets to their place, I’m going to sit here and type a compilation of weirdos I’ve met through the years. Most are from the club, but some are just from the street. So enjoy~

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dr. Teeth

I was at the gay club with my friends, Noodle, John, Vix, Cha-Cha, and Pepe. All being gay guys, they won any vote to choose the club to dance at. -.- Ok, the layout of the club was simple. In the downstairs level, there were two main rooms, one that had the entrance, bar and some tables, and the other room attached being the dance floor, its walls covered in mirrors. There was a counter that stretched out so that people could stand with their drinks while watching the dance floor and I was there, just watching people dance. I get bumped on my side.

It wasn’t so much a bump, the guy was apparently trying to bop my bum, but I was so short, and he was so tall he hit my back. I turned around and looked up. The man leaned down and smiled. His skin was black as the black-painted walls that I could only see the whites of his eyes and his teeth. He was missing teeth on the lower part of his mouth.

“Do you want to dance?”, his voice rumbled.

“…Um, sorry. I’m fine just watching,” I reply, somewhat intimidated.

He turns away and then continues throughout the room, asking every female there if they wanted to dance. Now, this place was a GAY club, so I have no idea why he was only asking women to dance. Anyhow, I was enjoying watching him get turned down, so I kept watching him. My mistake. He turns around and sees me looking at him.

Oh shit.

I turn around, facing my friends and pretending that I didn’t see anything.

Now, at the time my hair was extremely short. It was more like a bob, cut short like a guy’s. From behind me, the man with teeth missing on the lower jaw started kissing the back of my neck. I froze like a deer in front of headlights, alarms blaring in my head. John, seeing what has happening, and being a more sassy kind of gay guy, immediately stood up and started bitching at the guy, chasing him off, which I find funny now because John is maybe 5′4″ and the man was well over 6 feet. At the time however, I felt boundless amounts of disgust welling up in me. I ran to the washroom and scrubbed at my neck for a full 30 minutes, but it still disturbed me for a good number of days.

______________

The Gremlins

I was at the same gay club again (I swear it’s all Noodle, John, and Vix’s faults that I get weird stories like this!), and I was dancing on the dance floor. Yeah, I was kinda by myself eventually, but I was enjoying myself. Suddenly I could feel someone dancing behind me. I thought it was maybe Pepe or Noodle, because they sometimes dance with me, but after a few moments, I thought to myself,

“My gay friends don’t touch me there….”

I stop dancing and turn around. It was a small brown fellow; I couldn’t really see his face well in the dark, except that he wasn’t good looking. I stutter a bit in surprise.

“Oh. Hi. What’s your name?”

As he starts to answer, I turn and leave the dance floor as fast as I could short of running. I found Noodle and the others laughing their asses off as they saw the whole thing. >_>

_____________

The Gremlins 2

I was at the same club AGAIN, and I was dancing with my friends on the dance floor. Then Noodle felt like he wanted to sit down, and Vix did too, so eventually I had some space around me. I was enjoying myself and slightly drunk when I suddenly saw the small brown fellow from before dancing towards me.

Holy freaking crap. Is he ALWAYS here??!?!?

I start dancing away from him when a body behind me stops me. I look and it’s ANOTHER small brown guy.

HOLY….They multiplied!!!!!!

I was going to dance in another direction when ANOTHER brown guy appeared, then ANOTHER. Soon, I was surrounded by four little brown men and I was about ready to freak out. So I grab at another random guy, and whisper, “please, ….save me!” and he puts his arm around me and dances with me till the brown guys go away. -.-

__________________

Magician of Surprises

I was dancing in Play, a latin themed club on the border of the gay village. It’s a pretty good club and one night Noodle and I were there with our friends. A woman went around to the various people, doing magic tricks for them on the dance floor. Eventually, she got to us and started pulling a cloth out of everything; ears, shirts, even guy’s pant zippers. As she finished her small show, she wanted to introduce herself to everyone. She extended her hand to me first.

“Hi! I’m Sahara!” she said.

I smiled and shook her hand, to which she promptly took my hand to her groin to touch something there. My eyes widened as I took my hand back quickly. The others didn’t see so she did the same to Noodle as well. He yelled out.

Guess that was a normal reaction. Not everyday when you get to touch a woman’s penis….

Maybe that was part of the act?

__________________

Love From Mr. Chin

I was walking down the street from my school with some schoolmates, and I was in the back of the group, talking to a girl. We were crossing the street and passing by a seemingly homeless old Chinese man. As he passed me, he leaned forward and whispered ardently in my ear,

“I LOVE YOU!…”

____________________

DID YOU SAY MY NAME??

I was crossing Spadina on Queen west and then a man ran up to me. He was dirty and his clothes were torn. He had bruises and cuts all over him, and he was covered in dirt. One of his eyes’ whites were bleeding and his nose was bleeding as well.

“Did you say my name???”

I look at him in confusion, saying nothing.

“I SAID DID YOU SAY MY NAME?????”

I try to walk away from him.

“DON’T FUCKING SAY MY NAME!!! DON’T YOU FUCKING SAY MY NAME!!!!!”

I just ran away from there as quick as possible.

give us your opinion on whether you think this is not alpine opinion

going to listen to punk in my mind

i will tap my hands on my legs

walking alone, with no i pod

there will be fake punk playing in my mind

from my fake band called  ‘ the hungry publicist hot dogs ‘

what is better ‘red heads’ or ‘azns’

i like buying books and never reading them cover to cover

middle america is a shithole

let, me film your band

am i a retard

babies should smoke  menthol camels

blonde girls from ‘ the valley’

are ‘ poor people’ human

not really sure

old people who jog seem really funny and stupid

bffs for life

nature is stupid

malls are ‘boring’ and depressing’

girls in sun dresses and leather jackets are ’sweet’ looking

my hand is seperate from the ‘ universe’

i am not part of the ‘ universe’

andy is a girl’s name

andy is a girl

girls are girls

are you a girl

are you human

i might be human