What is Art??? or IS A TRA SI TAHW

2012-01-22T02:12:00.000-08:00

DO the MATH------

Time ---- Depends on whre you are-------

EAST WEST< NORTH SOUTH---
SHHHHHHH

Been

2011-12-17T01:11:00.000-08:00

drawin a lot Lately-----

I got a sketch book finally--haven't had one for about a year, been just drawing on random papers--

really helps me to feel organized...

I have been into abstraction a lot lately too----thanks to Mars-1 .

here are two pages from my new sketchbook I started last month---

I will post more soon...

Scott----

Ap---TI----DEA--

2011-10-06T01:03:00.000-07:00

Scott Ferguson

2011-08-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

DOGGYYYY POWAH!!!!

a ton of bulllllll but then this.....

2011-08-04T01:03:00.001-07:00

I am in Ever Green Right now----

Really I am enjoying my stay0p-------

and beginning of a comic---with Ryan Rich------ HEAVY METAL HERE WE COMEE>>>>>

DOn't Bullshit me....

2011-06-22T02:20:00.000-07:00

love or art?

2011-05-07T01:20:00.000-07:00

Art first---- Study, research, process

then LOVe-----

To understand what is real, or to understand what is BULL#)#$

one must pull and push

and be torn apart----

then one will understand what reality is???

For one must understand that most of the NOICE//// is there because there is mystery and unknown-- LOVE is too appreciate the Unknowing of what I am, or what I am when in an electric light or Illuminated 2 or love making---To create

soooo

2011-04-25T13:02:00.001-07:00

I lke girls

yes I do0000

and I like fine woneesss

yeaaa

soooooo

if you wanna hang...

HOllerrrr

THanks

mmmmmmmmmm mmmmm mmmm

2011-04-20T19:19:00.001-07:00

ATT

2011-04-20T19:13:00.001-07:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dirtyboards/5507399449/in/set-72157626094678841

2011-04-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

art

fart
sa

lart

moo

raa

farr

bee

pp

raar

ppj
ffff
ppsjfopa

O
aop

SK WALSS

2011-04-15T00:44:00.001-07:00

Dem shoes get TIEds

but dont forget them GOODDS

LOVE

2011-04-14T17:39:00.001-07:00

I suck at Digital---

2011-04-12T02:28:00.000-07:00

well I decided-- might as well try and learn how to do digital better---

I am so amazed by a girl who went to my college--

here website can be seen here---

http://www.petracore.com/

- she is incredible at digital, maybe one day I will learn to paint like her, well for now here is what I did while looking at her art--- and spending the whole day learning how to make custom brush's in photoshop.

here is a site I learned a lot about custom brush's http://www.ctrlpaint.com/

YEFL

2011-04-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

I f you dont appreciate000 the n Idont care000 but I tied----

ookk

THere are F and A---- but I dont care---

2011-03-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Schoool---- is boring ----

and I always wanted to have FUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN

I care-----

2011-03-18T00:31:00.001-07:00

number system

2011-03-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

add together= 12+12= 24

on yea so there is 12 hours and then they repeat--- so there is 24 hours----

well I tried to follow my heart

2011-03-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

Paula Lee,

Happy Birthday--

time is something I dont care about---

and I feel that I may never be able to on time or follow a plan or program like you----

I do know one thing , you made me feel great when we were lying next to each other,

I have experienced so many great things recently...

I am not going to take bullshit anymore too

If you see me great, if not well I deserve good times, so I will get them.....

well=== it was ------ NEwwwwwwwww

2011-03-07T18:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.tromsite.com/#

I wonttttt fdaf

2011-03-06T01:05:00.001-08:00

RYan RICHY___

2011-03-01T01:09:00.000-08:00

just a little collabo---- with two people who never met-----
Faces--------------------------------
Scott Ferguson
and
Ryan Rich

Animation by ME----

well yea I know I need to get better at animating but this is a little practice thingy...

IRt is

2011-02-17T15:57:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SAsE36BqoE

still great--- seriously

NO Valentime----

2011-02-14T19:59:00.001-08:00

studio---- well room---but whatevs

2011-02-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

smtimes he is rushed..

2011-02-10T15:22:00.001-08:00

finger paint photoshop

2011-02-01T21:04:00.001-08:00

First day of FEBRUARY_______

FUN---

Andres----here you go----

2011-01-25T01:59:00.000-08:00

thnks---

I will sooonnn

About to go back to NY to see my uncle's art show.

2010-11-05T00:14:00.000-07:00

...

School----Done

Illustration portfolio--Done

Book--Half done

Website--hasn't been updated in 5 years.

Girlfreind--Ex now...

Life---Great, Amazing, Good, bad, terrible--- For me probably in the middle---

LIfer

2010-07-02T10:25:00.001-07:00

No Pain, No Gain

Although learning must occur if newborn hippocampal neurons are to survive, not all types of learning work. For example, training an animal to swim over to a platform that is visible in a pool of water does not enhance cell survival. Nor does training an animal to recognize that two stimuli, such as a tone and an eyeblink stimulus, occur almost simultaneously.
The reason these tasks fail to rescue new cells from death, we surmise, is that they do not require much thought. Swimming to a visible platform is something rats do readily. After all, they do not want to drown. And if eyelid stimulation overlaps in time with a tone, the animals do not need to form a memory trace of an event that happened in the past—the sound of the tone—to help them predict when the eyeblink stimulus will occur. They simply respond when they hear the sound.

I need to finish my book

2010-06-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

I graduated, I had to move out of the dorm.

I decided to stay in NYC one more month I stayed with my Buddies Daryl Gott, Roman Sharf, Jakov Eris and Joey Guertin.

I need to finish my book.

I am going back to Denver on Wednesday,

I am going to my friend Ravi Zupa's art show...

I have started updating my website again

2010-01-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

One update I really want for my site is to have at least 100 languages written when you go to my site each time it would load with a different language and each language would have "Dirtyboards"
translated into that language.
I need a lot of help with this.

hopefully I can get at least 20 by t=2011

hopefully I can set up a store and sell some art through that too.

www.dirtyboards.net

This is for a children's literature class I am taking online.

2009-03-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

A poem is never finished, only abandoned. ~Paul Valéry

Animals-

Poetry for young people Written by Emily Dickinson, edited by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin and Illustrated by Chi Chung; © 1994 Published by Sterling Publishing Co.,N.Y.

Excerpt: I’m nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody too? Then there’s a pair of us-don’t tell! ------------ They’d banish us you know, How Dreary to be somebody! Like a frog

Thoughts: To me this poem is about a lady who doesn’t have a whole lot of self respect so she uses a simile to compare herself to a frog. I don’t really see how this poem is for children?

Food-

Beautiful Soup from Poetry for young people Written by Lewis Carroll, Edited by Edward Mendelson and Illustrated by Eric Copeland; © 2000 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: Beautiful Soup, So rich and Green, Waiting in a hot tureen! Who for such dainties would not stoop? Soup of the evening beautiful soup! Soup of the evening beautiful soup! Beau-ootiful Soo-oop! Beau-ootiful Soo-oop! Soo-oop of the ee-evening, Beautiful, Beautiful Soup!

Thoughts: This poem is to be sung to the tune of “Beautiful star in Heav’n so bright.” This poem is very funny I feel because it describes a soup like the soup is a human. In my opinion when Lewis Carroll wrote this poem he must have been quite lonely. I think this poem is great for a child or an adult.

Death-

Poetry for young people Written by William Blake, Edited by John Maynard and Illustrated by Alessandra Cimatoribus; © 2006 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: I went to the Garden of Love and saw that I never had Seen: A Chapel was built in the Midst, Where I used to play on the green.

Thoughts: The Narrator doesn’t like what she sees that replaced the beautiful garden that previously was where she walks. There are gravestones and priests that seem like security guards. This poem seems very disappointing I doubt that I would read it to a small child.

Nonsensical/Animals/Haiku-

The Purple Cow from A Children’s Treasury of Poems Written by Gelett Burgess, Illustrated by Linda Bleck; © 2008 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: I never saw a purple cow, I never hope to see one; but I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one!

Thoughts: This Haiku is super odd and definitely belongs in the nonsensical category. Although I thought about it a little bit and realized that there actually is some sense if I use my imagination. The cow might be Purple because it is sick or has some kind of disease, maybe mad cow? This poem is definitely funny and cute so I believe it is a great poem for young children.

Animals-

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? Written by Bill Martin Jr. /Eric Carl; © 1991 Published by Henry and Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? Boa Constrictor, Boa Constrictor, What do you hear? I hear an elephant trumpeting in my ear.

Thoughts: This really great poem book is considered a Board Book; and it is really fun to read. On each page there are great illustrations, and on each illustration there is a different animal being asked what they hear. Each animal says what animal they hear. At the end there is a zookeeper that is asked what he hears, he says he hears many children that are making all the animal noises. This poem is probably my favorite type of poem because it is simple yet teaches about each animal in a fun entertaining way.

Music-

Session I from Jazz Written by Walter Dean Myers and Illustrated by Christopher Myers; © 2006 Published by Holiday House, N.Y

Excerpt: Bass thumping like death gone happy Souls dancing in 2/4 time lady leans against the upright Breathing sounds and tasting the rhyme of her song

Thoughts: This poem is somewhat interesting because it describes many aspects of playing jazz music. It explains many different postures people stand in when they play jazz as well as explains what it is like to sing and play all the instruments. I also feel that the illustrations are pretty good they’re loose but pretty well done they definitely portray what jazz musicians look like. I think this poem is alright, not great but if I had a child that was into music I could see reading it to him or her.

Classic-

Night Written by William Blake, from a child’s Book of Poems Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa; © 2007 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: The sun descending in the west, the evening star does shine; The birds are silent in their nest And I must seek for mine, The moon, like a flower, in heaven’s high bower, With silent delight Sits and smiles in the night.

Thoughts: This poem is about a little boy witnessing birds in a tree and other night imagery. This poem to me is kind of cheesy and I told my mom she said, “She likes it”. Maybe I just don’t appreciate it because of my age? Anyways I think the funniest part of this poem is the part where it says the moon is like a flower. First of all the moon or anything could be compared to a flower why the moon? This poem is funny to me even though it is a serious poem I think it’s too sappy. Maybe some children will enjoy?

Music-

Track 25 Harlem Hopscotch by Maya Angelou from Hip Hop Speaks to Children a celebration of poetry with a beat Edited by Nikki Giovanni; © 2008 Published by Sourcebooks, Chicago Il

Excerpt: One foot down, then hop! Its hot, good thing for the ones that got it another jump, not to the left. Everybody for hisself.

Thoughts: This poem to me seems somewhat negative; although it discusses how a child deals with negativity, by doing hopscotch. I think this poem is quite good because it deals with a real life situation I definitely remember a lot of times doing things by myself to cope with a negative issue, some of the things I would do are skateboard, draw, play Hacky Sack… Good poem for children.

Animals/nonsensical-

The last word of a Bluebird as told to a child from Poetry for Young People Written by Robert Frost, Edited by Gary D. Schmidt and Illustrated by Henri Sorenson; © 1994 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: As I went out a crow in a low voice said, “Oh, I was looking for you. How do you do? I just came to tell you to tell Lesley (will you?) That her little bluebird wanted me to bring word that the north stars bright and made ice on the trough Almost made him cough his tail feathers off.”

Thoughts: In this poem a Crow speaks about a Bluebird who is flying south for the winter. This poem is pretty interesting because a crow speaks in English this is quite creative. I think it is a good poem for children because the crow is speaking in English it may make a child more interested in crows then if the crow was just making bird noises.

Classic-

Felt hat from Poems to tangle your tongue Written by Jon Agee, © 2009 Published by Disney Hyperion Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: I used to wear a felt hat, and I felt the hat felt right, but I swapped it for a belt, although I felt the belt was tight. Now, I’ve felt a lot of felt hats since I swapped it for the belt, but I never felt a felt hat like the felt hat, that I felt.

Thoughts: This poem to me is great. Really well done and very funny. Its great how many times the author was able to put the word felt in. I think the poem is technically really well made too, because the pattern of the lines seems well thought out; every other line has about the same amount of words.

Classic-

Suzanna socked me Sunday Written by, Jack prelutsky from Kids pick the funniest poems, poems that make kids laugh Written by Bruce Lansky and Illustrated by Stephen Carpenter; © 1991 Published by Meadowbrook Creations, N.Y.

Excerpt: Suzanna socked me Sunday, She socked me Monday, too, she also socked me Tuesday. I was turning black and blue.

Thoughts: In this poem Suzanna socks the Protagonist, every day of the week up until Friday. Finally he says he can’t take any more. She stops, then on Saturday she bites him. This poem in my opinion is a great poem for children, it teaches them about relationships and teasing. People definitely enjoy teasing each other, and this girl Suzanna sure does tease the Protagonist to the max!!!

Classic-

Monotone Written by Carl Sandburg, from Poetry for Young people Written by Carl Sandburg, Edited by Frances Schoonmaker Bolin and Illustrated by Steven Arceila; © 1995 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: The monotone of the rain is beautiful, and the sudden rise and slow relapse of the long multitudinous rain.

Thoughts: This poem describes the rain in good poetic detail and then later on in the poem describes the sun in good poetic detail. This poem is a good one for children or adults. It describes good visuals to imagine.

Classic-

To--Poetry for Young People By Edgar Allan Poe, Edited Written by Brod Bagert and Illustrated by Carolynn Cobleigh; © 1995 Published by Sterling Publishing Co., N.Y.

Excerpt: Thou wouldst be loved? Then let thy heart from its present pathway part not! Being everything which now thou art, Be nothing which thou are not.

Thoughts: This poem is about a woman that Edgar Allan Poe finds beautiful. I don’t really think that kids will understand the vocabulary in this poem. I don’t even understand it very well (ha, ha!)

Sports/Music-

We’re choosing up sides (to the tune of “the wheels on the bus”) from Going, Going Gone! And other silly dilly sports songs Written by Alan Katz, Illustrated by David Catrow; © 2009 Published by Margaret K. Mcelderry Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: We’re choosing up sides for basketball! Hope my name they will call. Compared to a flea, I’m really tall. Hope I get picked!

Thoughts: This poem is about a super small boy that likes playing basketball, he is on a team but he doesn’t get to play basketball because he is so small. Finally in the end of the poem the boy get’s picked but the other people on the team never pass to him. The boy try’s to look at the situation in a positive note, he say’s at least I got picked! This poem is definitely good for Children, especially short children, for example me. If I was a child now I would appreciate this poem I was super short for all of my childhood.

Music-

Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change (to the tune of “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”) from Take me out of the bathtub and other silly dilly songs Written by Alan Katz, Illustrated by David Catrow; © 2001 Published by Margaret K. Mcelderry Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: Stinky, Stinky diaper change Boy, my brother smells so strange He made something in his pants Sure hope it won’t attract ants Stinky, Stinky diaper change Boy, my brother smells so strange!

Thoughts: At the end of this poem the little brother’s diaper gets cleaned then he soil’s his diaper again. This poem to me is definitely clever and reminds me of Weird Al Yankovic but more like Weird Al Yankovic Jr., because Weird Al Yankovic usually uses more complicated songs like a Coolio song or Madonna song rather then, “Twinkle, Twinkle, little star”!

Classic-

Whenever from the Llama Who had no Pajama 100 favorite Poems, Written by Mary Ann Hoberman, Illustrated by Betty Fraser; © 1998 Published by Harcourt Inc., N.Y.

Excerpt: Whenever I want my room to move, I give myself a twirl and busily, dizzily whiz about in a reeling, wheeling whirl.

Thoughts: Definitely a great Children’s poem. In the end of the poem the Protagonist, describes how the room keeps turning after he stopped turning himself. Great alliteration in this poem and although the poem is simple it is funny and definitely I can relate I have spun in a room like the character myself.

Animals-

A Jelly Fish from Poetry for young People Animal Poems, Written by John Hollander, Illustrated by Simona Mulazzan; © 2004 Published by Sterling Publishing CO., N.Y.

Excerpt: Visible, invisible, a fluctuating charm an amber-tinctured amethyst inhabits it, your arm approaches and it opens and it closes, you had meant to catch it and it quivers; You abandon your intent…

Thoughts: This poem describes a Jelly fish in good detail and creatively. I also enjoy how every other line has rhyming in it at the end. I would definitely read this poem to a child who was interested in Sea creatures.

School/Weather-

Outside/inside from Lunch money and other poems about school, Written by Carol Diggory Shields, Illustrated by Paul Melsel; © 1995 Published by Puffin Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: Outside the sky is cracking. The leaves are snapping. The flag is slapping. Inside we are coloring maps.

Thoughts: This poem is great it definitely reminds me of Middle school. I remember being in a Geography class feeling terrible because I wanted to go outside and explore the different places I was drawing on maps. I actually remember looking out the window of the classroom too and listening to the leaves snapping from the wind.

Outer space-

The monopods of Ogdofod from The Swamps of Sleethe Poems from beyond the Solar System, Written by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by Jimmy Pickering; © 2009 Published by Alfred A. Knopf, N.Y.

Excerpt: The monopods of Ogdofod, although they’re small and neat, are not the sort of beings that you ever want to meet.

Thoughts: This poem is really creative or maybe I am just ignorant, because I have never heard of Ogdofod or Monopods; although I bet there is such thing as Monopods it sounds like something that is real. I think this poem is good for children because it has good rhyming as well as interesting names of creatures.

Animals/Money-

The Dime from You Read to me, I’ll Read to You, Written by Mary Ann Hoberman, Illustrated by Michael Emberley; © 2001 Published by Little Brown and Company, N.Y.

Excerpt: I found a Dime! You found a dime? I’m finding money all the time. Where do you find it? Here and there. Along the street and everywhere. I lost a dime. You lost a dime?

Thoughts: This poem is odd it is about a pig and cat that share a dime, because they both found it. The way they split it is they both get a nickel. I am not sure where the nickel comes from. Than they both pay for a picture book that they read together. I think this poem is good for Children probably after a child reads this poem he or she might try to make pig noises or cat noises, it also teaches him or her a little bit about money.

Nonsensical/Haiku-

Seven Snails and Seven Snakes from the Frogs wore Red Suspenders, Written by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by Petra Mathers; © 2002 Published by Greenwillow Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: Seven snails and seven snakes Swam around the five Great lakes. They took seven years to go From Thunder Bay to Buffalo.

Thoughts: This poem is pretty interesting, although I don’t really understand what Snakes the author is referring to? Maybe somehow the snakes are a metaphor for something. This poem is cool especially the end “From Thunder Bay to Buffalo.”

Nonsensical/Food-

You can’t make me eat that from It’s Raining Pigs and Noodles, Written by Jack Prelutsky, Illustrated by James Steven Son; © 1993 Published by Greenwillow Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: You can’t make me eat that, it’s slimy and gooey and icky and yucky and greasy and gluey. It looks like you made it from maggots and mud. Some chopped hippopotamus, Bug heads and blood.

Thoughts: Definitely a winner in my book! This is my kind of poem. I grew up watching Ren and Stimpy and collecting Garbage pail kid’s cards. It looks like the author has a great sense of humor and is into gross things like most of my friends were and I as a child. This poem I would give an A+

Nonsensical-

Ma and God from Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Poems and Drawings of Shel Silverstein; © 1974 Published by Harper Collins Publishers, N.Y.

Excerpt: God gave us fingers. Ma says, “Use your fork.” God gave us voices- Ma says. “Don’t scream” Ma says eat broccoli, cereal and carrots. But God gave us tasteys for maple and ice cream.

Thoughts: In the end of this poem the Protagonist says, and I ain’t too smart, but there’s one thing for certain- Either Ma’s wrong or else God is. This definitely is an inspiring poem it makes me think that it is ok for a child to do anything, because if the child wants to do something it’s because God programmed them to so if they don’t do what they want to do they are going against God!!!

Food/School-

Math from First Food Fight this Fall and other school poems, Written by Marilyn Singer, Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa; © 2007 Published by Sterling and CO., N.Y.

Excerpt: I can ski right down a mountain; I can sail across a lake. I make really good Lasagna and delicious Chocolate Cake. I am not afraid of Spiders.

Thoughts: The protagonist is afraid to write Math problems on a board for the class to see, because he might make a mistake. This poem is funny because its true math sometimes can be harder than doing physical activity, I definitely know this I have always been great at physical activity and other adventurous things. When it came to math I have never been too good. This is a great poem for children who struggle with math.

Food/Animals/Haiku-

Mom from Food Hates you, Too and other Poems, Written and Illustrated by Robert Weinstock; © 2009 Published by Disney Hyperion Books, N.Y.

Excerpt: I ate your father yes. It’s true that’s what we praying mantids do. His last words to me were “Adley, If only I could eat you too.”

Thoughts: The Illustration for this poem shows a mother Praying Mantis, telling her son a story of how she ate his father. This poem is great, simple and I definitely enjoy it. I am sure a lot of children would as well. I remember when I first found out that Praying Mantises eat the male after they mate, I found this very interesting. Although if I would have learned this fact from reading this poem I am sure I would have been super hyped.

live forever

2008-08-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

http://blog.ted.com/

aubrey de grey

GENIUS

ooo

2008-07-31T15:18:00.001-07:00

http://changingminds.org/index.htm

I like knowledge

Gaia

2008-07-29T15:08:00.000-07:00

Gaia.
The study of planetary habitability is partly based upon extrapolation from knowledge of the Earth's conditions, as the Earth is the only planet currently known to harbour life. The release of this image prompted the formulation of the proposition that the Earth was alive, and fostered acceptance of that proposition.
The study of planetary habitability is partly based upon extrapolation from knowledge of the Earth's conditions, as the Earth is the only planet currently known to harbour life. The release of this image prompted the formulation of the proposition that the Earth was alive, and fostered acceptance of that proposition.

The Gaia hypothesis is an

KEITH IS A AMAZED PERSONA BUbies in his face!!!

2008-07-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

At night, even shadows and reflections of my own production can't be trusted.
I lean my head to look at movement in the building windows, as I pass under a
broken street lamp. In flashes of the flickering light, I catch eyes with
someone to avoid.
He keeps pace with me. He parts his wiry sparse hair, uncovering a deeper mess
of flesh tight to bone. A trailing shade treks with us. It drapes indentation
in the ground behind each of our steps.
My weak heart pounds hard. There is a rhythm in the void of rhythm.
My arrhythmia matches his step.
His spine appears to of worked its way out of place. His neck hangs forward
like a step back in evolution. Elbows drop with each of his frayed leather
boots, as they scrape over the cement. His locked thin shoulders swing pulling
at arms. On the other end of these corroded hinges, his stiff hands curl. They
direct claws, or knotted twig like fingers upward from torn sleeves.
Our eyes stare into each other as we walk.
We turn away to glance ahead. The last pane of the glass dividing us is just
steps away. I pause to face my reflection. I shake my head, letting my hair
fall back in front of my eyes.
We look down, before turning to face the road. The creature walking across from
me disappears into the wall, as I walk on past the last window.
Almost half a block away, a solo figure with nowhere to be stands staring in my
direction. He smiles, and removes his hat fixated on my encroachment. His
height retracts as I near to the old man.
Do you have a smoke? He asks.
I keep steady pace and position.
"Sir. Would you have a cigarette?"
I slightly turn in his direction.
His friendly expression turns to fright as he jumps out of the way, just missing
me. Without looking back, I give the man a gentle warning, "Don't make eye
contact."
Close by, a metal hollow crash rings out like a drum. A woman's scream from the
same direction sets me off into scenarios; It's a girl facing off with john, or
some other dreg may have caught hold of her for a quick mugging, or--.
She calls out, "Help!", as I pass an alley across the street. I bring my pace
up for a few steps. The hand begins to flash across the street, and the cold
hits against my face. The light turns yellow as I step off the curb, crossing
in front of a taxi.
Once out of the street, the buildings shield the wind's strength between them
again. A small drop of something hits my palm behind me. I halt, and look up.
The rows of windows stack on top of each other lead up, fading into blackness.
Another drop hits under my eye. I kick my leg out, swerving down the sidewalk.
Down the street, a group of young angry faced men stare me down. They walk with
squinted eyes and open mouths. As the three men close in, the one in front,
wearing a yellow leather jacket tilts his head, and widens them. I scratch my
neck, and the top of scab scrapes off under my pinky nail.
He shows his teeth by rolling back his lips at me, and his breath hits my face,
"Shit, that skinny Bitch, is lookin' all Fucked up!''
The other men brake out in forced laughter.
They laugh again in the distance.
I pace back and forth at another missed light, and as the rain disperses over
the city an aroma of piss and trash lifts into the air. Spandex covered
bicyclists pass behind a pack bearded hells angels. The sounds of their ramping
engines fade off as I cross the street. On the other side, only a few dry
speckles remain across the walk.
I take half the block, and turn down an alley. A hard leather eyeglasses case
sits next to the wheel of a dumpster. I reach in my pocket, and pull out the
rolled napkin that I picked up behind The Dirty Doll Saloon. I place it on the
ground, and yank back on the corner. I pick the case up, and open it. It's
empty. I transfer my gear, placing my pokers next to my cooker, with the
cottons on top.
I snap the case closed, leaving the open napkin soaking to the pavement. I cut
under a parking garage. The patter of rain echoes underneath. I step over two
balled-up diapers with a knotted condom in-between them. Under a yellow no
loitering sign, I see a familiar character sitting against the wall.
I could spot Pedro's crooked cowboy hat in a crowd.
In this light, it shades his face from visibility. His hands and legs are flat
to the pavement. He looks like a man who's found his goal in life, something
you never see from the working type. He sits with his face down, directed over
a pile of vomit in his lap.
Jealousy hits.
I stare at the pretentious syringe hanging from his arm, and before I could
rummage, I notice his condition; from his pants to his jacket, his pockets are
inside out like white flags over his body. His hands are yellow. I clench my
teeth as the sweet odor filters down my throat.
He's dead.
A car drives in-between us, and down the ramp.
I follow. In the rain, my wet hair holds my face, and the wind feels colder. I
pass water rushing past an overflowing grate. Drips run down my hair in front
of my eyes. I lick my lips.
Grit and salt sticks to sides of my mouth. Central Park peeks in down the
street.
The rows of lights leading to my destination are wrapped in smeared rainbows. I
rub my eyes, as I cross onto the other side of the block.
I wait at the curb. Ten vehicles pass.
I walk at the red light, and trip over the toe of my right foot. I feel the
rubber split. My other foot slips off the curb, and the rapids run against me.
I stumble out of the water into the street, and my body clenches up.
I feel my gut twist, and a shaking starts under my ribs. I cough, and spill my
insides out over my feet. As I lift my foot with a slow slurp, and bubbles curl
around my sole, and up through the bottom of my boot.
The cramps start kicking harder as I step up the opposing curb. From each press
of my right boot over the grass, I feel the cooling vomit spread around my foot,
and then raise in-between my toes.
I make my way over to a heavy blond haired man rolling back and forth on one of
the benches. I sit down on the grass in front of him, next to an empty bottle.
I raise my left hand, and pinch his overcoat. I lift it, so he won't feel me
digging through his pockets.
The snoring stops.
Frozen in place I watch him scratch his balls, and in mid-scratch, he starts
snoring again. I feel across a wadded piece of paper jammed in the corner of his
pocket. I slide it out, and toss it on the ground.
I place my left hand on his back, and then push on his is bloated stomach.
He doesn't respond. I do it a little harder. He rolls over. His loud
breathing smoothes back into rhythm, and I go through his pants pockets in the
same manner. I grab the piece of paper off the ground, and walk through the
grass. I step down the hill, and duck under the bridge.
I climb down the embankment, and onto one of the rocks. I pull the
wadded paper open uncovering a little plastic Hawaiian hula girl.
I throw the piece of shit into the creek, and climb back up.
I cross the grass, and take the side of the dirt path avoiding the rain
filling it. I follow it around the lake, and over the bridge.
I stop next to the willow tree, and pull out my last cigarette. I light
it, and take a deep pull.
Under the tree, Danny sticks out from the rest of the unsuccessful
gathering. He stands erect, making himself appear taller than the rest of them.
Even Harlan the fag showed up, and he usually works alone.
Maybe it’s a bad night, and not just my luck.
Danny looks around across the group telling another one of his bullshit
stories, “So, I was in this bathroom, in McDonalds, and I went to the sink for a
rinse, and there was an empty one of those little coke jars sitting there… All
right , so I ignored the thing, and I head over to a stall, and uh… And there’s
this big sniff from the next one over.
So, I walk over to it. I look through the crack, and there’s this guy with his
bare thighs just takin’ a shit.
And we fuckin’ look each other straight in the eyes…”--.
A personality is an ugly thing for a junky to have, and Danny has some to spare,
even compared to the average asshole. He’s been working the streets as long as
any of us, but he doesn’t look much for wear. His clothing is usually pretty
clean, but today he’s wearing a ridiculous black suede leather jacket. No one
would come near him if junk wasn’t cheaper when you went in on it at quantity
rate.
Jerrod pulls out a pack of cigarettes, and breaks off from the group
dragging his head. He pushes through the tree, and passes me.
I spit the cigarette off my lip, and pull the hanging branches apart. I
find a place next to some guy with long straight blond hair. He looks a little
like Iggy Pop if he had had less of a habit.
I attempt to interrupt the bullshit, “Hey Danny, how ya been?”
He continues running his mouth to the other eight men, as they stare off to
different places on the ground. They hang their wrists out in front of them,
displaying the bones in the backs of there hands.
I step to the side, so that the trunk of the tree is between me the rest of
them. I let some irritation slip through my voice, “Danny what’s goin’ on?”
Mid sentence, his voice trails down to silence. I watch him turn from them, and
look in my direction. Water falls from my hair as I pull it to the side. I
tighten the right side of my face to resemble a smile.
He begins to walk over, and I let my face relax, “Where ya been workin’?”
The fag laughs, and the guys take up in quite conversation as Danny stops in
front of me, “Uh, I went to my ex’s dad’s place to see if he needed anything
done around there.”
“Yeah, what part of town?”
Danny looks at me, “Uh, I don’t know.”
He looks down, “They keep their windows locked.”
I give a single note laugh, “That’s good--you ever do the subway trains
anymore?”
“Naw, too much law.”
“Yeah, I need a new spotter.”
He brings his hand up to chew on fingernails. I watch the sincerity in my tone,
“Where’d you find the ugly fuckin’ coat?” He takes a small step back, and looks
past me. His eyes dart back forth.
I bring the smile back hoping calm him, “How much do think it’d go for?”
“Why the fuck would he give you that nice coat.” scrapes a voice on the back of
my neck.
Danny’s shoulders drop.
I turn around, and open my mouth ready deal with the asshole, but I shut it
before anything can come out. It’s Lewis, and I see that the majority of the
group had dispersed, leaving two men staring in our direction.
He scratches his thinning red hair, while he stares up at me. I look down at
his hands, then back at his face. At his side, the last joint of his ring
finger is missing, and his middle finger nail stuck out attached by quick, but I
don't see a weapon.
His beady eyes squint at me, "So where's your fat roll of cash Miles?"
I wait for him.
He scratches his chest, "Yeah, well…How 'bout the both of ya shut the fuck up
then."
Behind me, I hear Danny shuffling around. He holds his coat out past me.
Lewis laughs through his breath, and rips it out of Danny's hand. He throws my
possible fix over his shoulders as he walks away patting his back pocket. Above
it, a knife handle hangs fastened to his belt.
I watch him get further away.
I throw the hanging branches out of the way, and trip through a dent in the
grass, splashing shit up around me.
I shake my head as I cross the bridge. The mud and water heavies my right leg.
I take down the middle of the path, right through the water. A sickening pins
and needles starts crawling up my skin. I feel the cold water around both of my
calves. My face feels hot and then cold and then hot.
The flu is taking hold of me. I mutter to myself, "I can probably jump the
turnstile--Aahuh...the sub way--uhhh, huhh, I don't know.” There’s a strange
tone to my voice.
The rain thins, and shuts off. I look down at myself in the puddle, "You're a
fucking asshole."
Birds chirp at each other, as I head through the grass. I step onto the
sidewalk circling the park.
I wait for the cars to pass.
The light turns green, and on the other side, the gray sky now holds a dim light
behind it. I squint my eyes. It's the same old man down the street.
"Hey, you need a smoke? '' I yell, triggering myself into a snot dripping cough
fit. My throat can't handle volume.
I bring my head back up. The Fucker's gone. He didn't have anything worth a
cent on him anyway.
The rows of lights, now leading from the park seem weak and ineffective.
The street leans from side to side as I slosh over it. The windows have
dark rooms behind them, and now in the early light, my reflection is
translucent, and less visible. My right knee gives out, and the concrete slaps
my jaw closed. I wait for air, and visualize soaked clothing being thrown down
on pavement.
My arms shake as I lift my chest, and a gasp escapes my lungs. Teeth
and speckles of blood decorate the slab in front of me.
My arms give out.
“Ugh god!” sounds a man’s voice as penny loafers shuffle past me. I
roll over, and place my hands flat on the ground behind me.
I push my back off, and lock my elbows. I hold myself there, looking back at
the fucking park again.
--I turn around on the rip, in the ass of my corduroys. The metallic
flavor of blood gets stronger, as I lick across a string hanging from a warm
space between jagged feeling teeth while incoming legs hop and swerve out of the
way. I step off the curb, and then up the next, ignoring the honks of cars as
they fly past me. The sidewalk continues under me like a blurry treadmill.
Another curb drops me off in another street.
As I step back up, I raise my head.
I feel my heart beating. I close my eyes, and breathe, attempting to fill the
constriction in my chest. My ribs hurt, but it’s almost soothing.
I open my eye, and start slow.
The cars buzz past me on my left. I bring my jaw together, and
particles crunch like sand in my mouth. A woman walking towards me yanks her
kid in as she passes. At my right, the shade between narrow walls seems
comforting. I step between them, and in large filled in black letters across
the wall, it reads, FUCK OFF.
I take it. As I pass a dumpster in that alley, a man stands up, and
looks back and forth, before ducking back into it like some kind of groundhog or
a jack-in-the-box on crack. I drag myself past drunks along the walls. I don’t
have
enough energy to bother searching pockets that most likely are filled with
animal shit.
With each step, they look more and more intelligent. I could fall
against one of the walls, and blend into the scene.
At the end of the third black, lying next to a dumpster, I spot a
woman’s red shirt. As I get closer, I realize it’s a white dress flipped up
over the torso of her body. I had only seen the red blotch covering a large
section of it.
Face down; her long dark hair spreads out over the darker alley street.
The sun peeks through, warming my back, and light leads in from the street. It
hits the wall in front of me.
As the shadows lift, something catches my eye. A flare of dark red, like the
blood, is sticking out. I step over the clumping red puddle, leading up over
her vagina and into her ass. I kneel down by the dumpster.
I stick my hand underneath.
I pull on it, and a red leather strap measures out, attached to a thin
red handbag.
It’s still zipped. I check my surroundings. It’s just me and her.
I drag the zipper across the top, and push my hand through. I fondle
the inside, before grabbing a leather bulge.
I pull it out.
The ample red wallet snaps open in my hands. She smiles trough clear
plastic framing her I.D. I shove my hand inside, and apply pressure, squeezing
the bills together.
I check again for vultures.
I pull the money out against my stomach. There’s a one hundred dollar
bill on top.
I shove it all into my pocket, and stand up.
I step over her, and walk out. I pause at the busy street—then turn
around to face back at the alley.
I laugh.
I approach the first window. I peer on into it, and explain, “It was a
good night. We were just on the wrong side of the street.”
We turn away, and walk on towards the next stoplight.

oo

2008-07-25T12:07:00.001-07:00

http://www.etymonline.com/

learn about words

wow cool site

2008-07-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

http://beta.mego.com/member/nosugferatu

I like this site

bnana

2008-07-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

me love
http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/5229/1/Banana-Fruit-Plantain-Health-Benefits.html

http://www.ideasforwomen.com/news/general-health-research/2007/07/27/144/

bananas are awesome!!!!!

open your mind!@

ooo

2008-07-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

www.josephsbarro.com

http://www.cherrypal.com/
http://heart.lifeisround.com/
http://sound.lifeisround.com/

What is LOVE?????

veg veg veg (BIBLE)?

2008-07-17T10:18:00.000-07:00

THOUGH SHALL NOT KILL!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

2008-07-17T09:53:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_lifestyles

what does the illuminati Mean?

2008-07-17T00:51:00.000-07:00

dont know yet?

wow wow wow

2008-07-17T00:41:00.000-07:00

first of all I have a question?
whats the porpuse of mythology, religion, history, and anything else?

...http://hybridfuelreview.info/?id=B227121http://hybridfuelreview.info/?id=B227121

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus

2008-07-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

Wooooooow!

2008-07-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

beatiful absolutely beautiful
http://www.hamboneart.com/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona

get naked

2008-07-03T12:17:00.001-07:00

http://www.purenudism.com/

Andres GUzman

2008-06-03T15:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.andresguzman.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/science/03tier.html

my buddy Andrea

2008-06-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

http://www.lucyandbart.blogspot.com/

oNe smarty pants thats living in WOodmere!

Identify crisus

2008-03-16T20:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/humanitys_ident.php

wow

2008-03-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

Susan Anker

2008-02-12T01:48:00.001-08:00

http://www.kurzweilai.net/index.html?flash=1

africa

2008-02-12T00:58:00.000-08:00

http://www.ghanamovieposters.com/servlet/the-MOVIE-POSTERS-cln-Other-movies/Categories

drum for fun

2008-02-10T12:43:00.001-08:00

People Aged 1 to 100 Bang on Drums

Add to My Profile | More Videos

all those dots around us when we open our eyes

2008-02-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Particle_physics

303

2008-02-09T09:32:00.001-08:00

http://www.westword.com/2007-06-21/news/tagging-up-denver/

vat vas dat?

2008-02-07T23:16:00.001-08:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_(philosophy)

vat vas dat?

2008-02-07T23:16:00.000-08:00

under ice

2008-02-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

making a skateboard

2008-01-31T20:32:00.000-08:00

straight edged

2008-01-30T21:44:00.001-08:00

Sex is probably one of the least recognised aspects of the straight edge lifestyle. Why this is so, I believe, is for a few very obvious reasons. Before we get into these, though, let's point out what seems to be the main straight edge principle in relation to sex.

Straight edge is in no way against sex itself, just promiscuous sex (casual sex). Those of the straight edge lifestyle that adopt this principle refrain from having sex until either in a very stable and loving relationship, or until they are wed.

That being said, many a person will argue that the promiscuous sex part is not a part of the straight edge lifestyle. How wrong they are! Being straight edge means you are against all these poisons that society tells us are acceptable, sex being one of them. Sex is not a poison, no, but doesn't appear blatantly obvious that it is not something that is meant to be done with anyone, just for the hell of it?

Let's point out the obvious here:
Without these modern day artificial means of contraception (condoms, the pill, etc) people would not be able to have sex just because they can. Why not? Well, without these artificial means, every one would be getting pregnant and stuffed full of sexually transmitted diseases.

Society tells us that casual sex is okay, all you need to do to see proof of this is go watch a few episodes of Jerry Springer, go listen to any number of CD's out there, or just read into the lives of the rich and famous; or for that matter; your next door neighbour.

Society giving us that image, fails to give sex any meaning other than that you should do it as much as possible because it feels good. If the world ran on such ridiculous reasoning... anarchy would rule.

So, theres a bit of information about sex. Now, let's look into why it seems that a lot of people living the straight edge lifestyle seem to not abstain from promiscuous sex.

To put things in a rather basic manner it's because yes, it does feel good! (Mind you, I don't speak from experience). But, what these straight edge people seem to forget is that Straight edge is about self control. Where is the self control in casual sex!? There is none. And it just shows a downright lack of morals and, in most cases, lack of self esteem.

A friend once told me that, "It's harder to not have sex than it is to note do drugs; because sex is something you want!" This is, indeed, very true. Sex is something you naturally want. It's human instinct. All this, however, should not mean you just go for it whenever you want! It is a foolish thing to think and i'm sure that most people would agree it just isn't right. I'll tell you one thing now; if you have sex because you love someone, it will feel a hell of a lot better than if you have sex with someone because you can.

So, this little writing having made me forget about what I was originally going to write, shall end there. Let me just stress again though, that being straight edge does involve abstaining from promiscuous sex.

very great claymation

2008-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.brucebickford.com/

http://www.brucebickford.com/index1.shtml

...

2008-01-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

hair

2008-01-27T08:54:00.000-08:00

Introduction

When my youngest son was in high school, he decided to let his hair grow out. One of his Christian friends quoted to him 1 Corinthians 11:14, "Doth not even nature itself teach you that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" So he came to me and asked me what the Bible taught about men and long hair. This study was the answer to his request.

1. Is long hair shameful?

The one time it is mentioned in the Bible is 1 Corinthians 11:14 mentioned above. Is this a command from God? Is this just man’s opinion? What does it mean? It is plain that elsewhere in the Bible long hair is spoken of in a positive manner. Does the Bible contradict itself?

2. The Nazarite vow.

Numbers 6:5 & 7 speak of the Nazarite vows’ requirement of not cutting the hair. Most Nazarites took a vow for 100 days or less, but as the Believer’s Bible Commentary states, "In some rare cases, people were Nazarites for life – e.g. Samuel, Samson, John the Baptist." In fact Judges 16:17 specifically states Samson never had a razor touch his head. Nazarites must have had very long hair but nowhere are they condemned. They were only following God’s command. Would God in one place in the Bible encourage long hair, and then in another place condemn it?

3. Long hair praised.

In 2 Kings 1:8 the messenger’s description of a man with long hair and a leather girdle caused the king to instantly realize it was the prophet Elijah. He must have had long hair indeed. In fact the Hebrew words the servant used to describe Elijah were ba’al sa’ar which means "lord of hair." In 2 Samuel 14:25-26 Absalom’s long hair was praised for its handsome appearance and nowhere is it ever referred to as shameful. In Leviticus 19:27 God commands that men should not cut the hair on the corners of their head (NIV – "temples") or the corners of their beard. In 2 Samuel 10:4-5 Harun shaved off half the beard of David’s servants. The men were so ashamed David told them to wait at Jericho until their beards grew back and then return home. In this case, being clean-shaven was considered shameful! Psalm 133 praises the oil flowing down Aaron’s beard to his collar.

4. Greek word study.

In 1 Corinthians 11:14 the Greek word translated "long hair" is komao which means tresses of hair or locks. It comes from the root word meaning "to take care of" which indicates some kind of preparation to make the hair appear in tresses. Komao appears only three times in the Bible, and all three times are right here in the 11th chapter of 1 Corinthians. The usual word for hair is thrix. It is possible Paul is referring to some pagan practice of fixing the hair in a feminine manner, and this is what he is condemning for men, although condoning for women. Some hairstyles were considered immodest and condemned in 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3. At any rate, Paul would not teach anything contrary to the rest of scripture.

5. Conclusion.

1 Corinthians 11:13 says, "Judge for yourselves...." and verse 16 seems to imply there was no custom concerning this in the churches. It seems the interpretation is up to each individual depending on the cultural standards of their day. I think the New Bible Commentary sums up best how we should look at this issue, "To dress with decorum is a Christian principle of permanent validity for the outward appearance reflects the inner attitude. How this principle finds expression in detail will vary from place to place and from age to age."

hair

2008-01-26T00:09:00.001-08:00

Stubble Theory
What your facial hair is really saying.

Add a Comment

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* By Em & Lo
* Published Aug 6, 2006

Miami Vice has been widely praised for its slick surfaces, jolting action sequences, and Jamie Foxx’s well-developed back muscles. But what caught our attention was the stars’ facial hair. Colin Farrell sports the signature three-day stubble that Don Johnson made famous, plus a baby Fu Manchu (not to mention a sort of faux mullet); Foxx, as Tubbs, has an anachronistic goatee (so nineties). Will these celebrity sex symbols make such facial topiary sexy again or, rather, sexy for the first time ever? And what about those other recently revived facial dos, like the unseasonal full beard or the overexposed, post-ironic Williamsburg mustache?

Thirty-three-year-old writer Sara Stewart is a long-standing and outspoken fan of the mustache, which has earned her almost-universal mockery from her friends. “On the right guy, a mustache is hotter than any other facial hair. It’s got a sort of supermasculine seventies thing about it. Think Tom Selleck, Richard Roundtree, John Holmes.” She thinks a ’stache conveys a kind of Über-confidence: “To me, it suggests, ‘I am good enough in bed that I don’t give a fuck if you think my facial hair is ridiculous.’ ”

But the majority of women we polled agree with 31-year-old photographer Lisa Whiteman: “While I think some men can pull off a mustache, most of the time it just looks like they’re trying too hard.” Meaning they probably sported a hipster mullet a few years back and own a Williamsburg 5 CENT MUSTACHE RIDES T-shirt. Her bearded boyfriend, Todd Levin, a New York comic, would agree. He recently hosted the beard category of the New York City Beard & Moustache Championships. “The impression I got was that the mustaches, at least on the younger guys, were the punch line to some joke only they knew—and they got a kick out of it,” he says.

So why do beards get a free pass? “There was something almost stoic about the guys with beards,” Levin says. In other words, if the mustache is an ironic statement, the beard is the earnest backlash.

Levin started growing his own short but somewhat scruffy beard four years ago during a temporary bout of existential depression. “I just stopped shaving. And then suddenly I was getting all this good feedback, especially from women.” He theorizes that the positive reinforcement might have been compounded by the fact that he looks “100 percent more Jewish” with the beard. “I think there’s a segment of women who really respond to that in this town,” he says. And now it’s a part of his identity, for both him and his girlfriend, whom he met with the full facial growth. “When she looks at old pictures of me without it, she’ll say, ‘That’s not you.’ So she won’t let me shave it. And even if she did, I don’t think I would.”

John, a 34-year-old engineer, wears a neat, thin beard, in part because his 50-year-old executive husband really likes it. “He believes that if you want to be with a man, then be with a man, one who’s got some hair on his face.” Trends in the gay community, he says, aren’t that different from the straight world. “You’ve got some who are hairy and do nothing about it, some who are almost obsessive about being clean-shaven, and some who just keep their facial hair neatly trimmed—and what goes on up top is usually a good indication of what goes on below.

“Back in the seventies, the mustache was an iconic gay symbol; that’s how you could identify gay men,” says John. “But today, anyone can have a mustache—though that’s probably the one thing you won’t see on gay guys anymore, at least in New York.” This cross-pollination of facial hairdos means it’s hard to distinguish subcultures and statements from simple style preferences.

There is one clear general message, though. “Facial hair is one small thing a guy can do to send out the message ‘You bet your sweet ass I’m not metrosexual,’ ” says Steve Santagati, our resident self-proclaimed “bad boy.” He favors the Crockett scruff for its suggestion that he’s got more important things to do than shave—and, of course, for its appeal to women. Plus no one will accuse you of sporting stubble to disguise a jawline that is softening with age, as they might with a full beard.

Finally, while we’re hesitant to discourage men from getting creative with the only mainstream option they have for facial decoration and beautification, there is one personal-style choice that received a zero percent approval rating in our informal poll: the goatee. Typically worn by men who peaked during the era when those chin triangles were socially acceptable, it tells the world, “Ten years ago, you would have gone home with me.” We’re onto you, Johnny Drama.

Emma Taylor and Lorelei Sharkey are the authors of the new A-Z guides “Em & Lo’s Rec Sex” and “Em & Lo’s Sex Toy.”

beauty

2008-01-25T20:42:00.000-08:00

blunt

2008-01-25T20:13:00.001-08:00

Blunt
(in the style of the kids TV show "Make a Wish")
by Ronald Bruce Meyer
23 December 2001

You may think that plain talk's a social affront,
But I'm here to tell you it's keen to be blunt!
To speak truth to power, with candor directed,
May not be the best way to get you elected,
But a man or a woman with blunt-spoken facts
Is the surest foundation for judicious acts.
It is true that the blunt are respectless of rank,
Discourteous, brusque, uncivil and frank.
The blunt can be callous, obtuse, gruff and curt,
Insensitive to the pain from words they blurt,
But to dull the sharp edge of truth's seldom a virtue:
Most words of truth make you strong, though they may hurt you.

A blunt instrument is not pointless for killing--
Nor for grinding of grain as you do for its milling.
In fact, it was John Lyly pointedly said,
That "the finest edge is made with blunt whetstone" wed.
Will Shakespeare had Marc Antony, while dissembling,
Proclaim to the crowds near dead Caesar assembling,
That unlike that sharp-daggered Brutus who ran,
They all knew him well as a plain and blunt man.
So, you see, to be blunt can sway crowds, win acclaim,
Change the course of events -- or, as he did, switch blame!
For Marcus Antonius it paid to be blunt!,
You could be like him, too, if you can bear the brunt.

So make a wish... it might come true.
It's all up to you... it's all up to you!

A blunt is a fencer's foil, for those into sport,
Or a needle with strong point, but rather short.
An angle greater than 90 degrees or obtuse
Is a blunt angle in mathematical use.
There's a pot-laced cigar, called a blunt on the street,
That combines the two weeds, cops inspection to beat.
To be blunted out is full intoxication
On mar-i-ju-ana or drugs of like relation,
Which you pay for with "blunt," what you call ready money,
Makes your reason blunt-witted, as you hunger for honey.

There were sev'ral of hist'ry and lit'rature fame
Who carried the cause with a blunt in their name:
In Shakespeare, as I think that I mentioned before,
Sir Walter Blunt figured in 1 Henry IV.
And a character featured in Richard III,
Crossed the stage as Sir James Blunt, when Will gave the word.
In The Volunteers, Shadwell's Major-General Blunt
Was a patriot true, though he spoke with a grunt.
The director of film whose productions spectacular
Brought such fame that his appellation entered vernacular--
Cecil B. DeMille, though the spelling is no perfect fit,
Had a middle name, Blount, that described him to wit.
A Senator from the first Tennessee delegation,
Who mentored Andrew Jackson, was Will Blount by designation.
I admit that the spelling is likewise out-of-joint--
To be blunt... I was only trying to make a sharp point...!

I made a wish... that it might come true.
If it's all up to me, then what else can I do?

Now, if bluntness is truth, then is sharpness a lie?
If sharp words can cut, then do blunt words reply?
Can speaking up bluntly be speaking truth clearly?
Then how can impolitic bluntness cost dearly?
If I "cut to the chase," have I been sharp or blunt?
Have I been coarse and rude if I say things "up front"?
I confess I'm confused at these contradictory phrases.
To be so perplexed as a wordsmith amazes.
If you think that plain talk's a social affront,
I've already told you it's keen to be blunt.
But let me your extended indulgence solicit,
To propose that the meaning of blunt is implicit
In the ways of the truthful and just of this land.
There's no danger those virtues will get out of hand!

But make a wish... it just might come true.
It's all up to you... it's all up to you!

--Uptight, Late-Night, Stage Fright Ronald, The Duke of Doggerel

coincidence

2008-01-24T23:02:00.000-08:00

Coincidence is the noteworthy alignment of two or more events or circumstances without obvious causal connection. The word is derived from the Latin co- ("in", "with", "together") and incidere ("to fall on").

The index of coincidence can be used to analyze whether two events are related. A coincidence does not prove a relationship, but related events may be expected to have a higher index of coincidence. From a statistical perspective, coincidences are inevitable and often less remarkable than they may appear intuitively. The odds that two people share a birthday, for example, reaches 50% with a group of just 22[1] (see the Birthday paradox).

In The Psychology of the Psychic the author David Marks describes four distinct meanings of the term "coincidence". Marks suggests that coincidences occur because of "odd matches" when two events A and B are perceived to contain a similarity of some kind. For example, dreaming of a plane crash (event A) would be matched by seeing a news report of a plane crash on the next morning (event B).

In optics, coincidence is also used to refer to two or more incident beams of light that strike the same point at the same time.

Remarkable coincidences sometimes lead to claims of psychic phenomena or conspiracy theories. Some researchers (see Charles Fort and Carl Jung) have compiled thousands of accounts of coincidences and other supposedly anomalous phenomena (see synchronicity). The perception of coincidences often leads to occult or paranormal claims. It may also lead to a belief in fatalism, that events are pre-destined to happen in the exact manner of a prior plan or formula. This lends certain events an aura of inevitability.

I love to laugh

2008-01-24T22:43:00.000-08:00

Bill Gates and the president of General Motors have met for lunch, and Bill is going on and on about computer technology. "If automotive technology had kept pace with computer technology over the past few decades, you would now be driving a V-32 instead of a V-8, and it would have a top speed of 10,000 miles per hour," says Gates. "Or, you could have an economy car that weighs 30 pounds and gets a thousand miles to a gallon of gas. In either case, the sticker price of a new car would be less than $50. Why haven't you guys kept up?"

The president of GM smiles and says, "Because the federal government won't let us build cars that crash four times a day."

Why is that funny (or not funny, as the case may be)? Human beings love to laugh, and the average adult laughs 17 times a day. Humans love to laugh so much that there are actually industries built around laughter. Jokes, sitcoms and comedians are all designed to get us laughing, because laughing feels good. For us it seems so natural, but the funny thing is that humans are one of the only species that laughs. Laughter is actually a complex response that involves many of the same skills used in solving problems.

Laughter is a great thing -- that's why we've all heard the saying, "Laughter is the best medicine." There is strong evidence that laughter can actually improve health and help fight disease. In this article, we'll look at laughter -- what it is, what happens in our brains when we laugh, what makes us laugh and how it can make us healthier and happier. You'll also learn that there's a tremendous amount that no one understands yet.

einstien

2008-01-24T22:33:00.001-08:00

In 1905, Albert Einstein developed the theory of special relativity. He also proved that atoms exist and figured out that light behaves as both a particle and a wave. To top it all off, he developed his famous equation E = mc2, which describes the relationship between matter and energy, the same year. He was only 26 years old.

Without a doubt, Einstein was a genius. So was Isaac Newton -- as any fan of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" can tell you, he invented physics. He also played a big role in the development of calculus, which some people have trouble comprehending even after extensive classroom study. Another genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, started composing music when he was 5 years old. Mozart wrote hundreds of pieces before his death in 1760 at age 35.

According to conventional wisdom, geniuses are different from everyone else. They can think faster and better than other people. In addition, many people think that all that extra brainpower leads to eccentric or quirky behavior. And although geniuses are fairly easy to spot, defining exactly what makes one person a genius is a little trickier. Figuring out how that person became a genius is harder still.

There are two big things that make it difficult to study genius:

* The genius label is subjective. Some people insist that anyone with an intelligence quotient (IQ) higher than a certain value is a genius. Others feel that IQ tests measure only a limited part of a person's total intelligence. Some believe high test scores have little to do with real genius.
* Genius is a big-picture concept. Most scientific and medical inquiries, on the other hand, examine details. A concept as subjective as genius isn't easy to quantify, analyze or study.

So, when exploring how geniuses work, it's a good idea to start by defining precisely what a genius is. For the purpose of this article, a genius isn't simply someone with an exceptionally high IQ. Instead, a genius is an extraordinarily intelligent person who breaks new ground with discoveries, inventions or works of art. Usually, a genius's work changes the way people view the world or the field in which the work took place. In other words, a genius must be both intelligent and able to use that intelligence in a productive or impressive way.

But what makes a person able to do all that? Is it a different, more agile brain? Is it exceptional intelligence? It is it an aptitude for noticing information that other people might consider irrelevant? We'll begin looking for answers to these questions at the logical starting place for looking at genius -- the human brain.

study

2008-01-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

"Even if you're not a genius, you can use the same strategies as Aristotle and Einstein to harness the power of your creative mind and better manage your future."

The following eight strategies encourage you to think productively,
rather than reproductively, in order to arrive at solutions to problems. "These strategies are common to the thinking styles of creative geniuses in science, art, and industry throughout history."

Flash version (illustrated--new perspective!)

1. Look at problems in many different ways, and find new perspectives that no one else has taken (or no one else has publicized!)

Leonardo da Vinci believed that, to gain knowledge about the form of a problem, you begin by learning how to restructure it in many different ways. He felt that the first way he looked at a problem was too biased. Often, the problem itself is reconstructed and becomes a new one.

2. Visualize!

When Einstein thought through a problem, he always found it necessary to formulate his subject in as many different ways as possible, including using diagrams. He visualized solutions, and believed that words and numbers as such did not play a significant role in his thinking process.

3. Produce! A distinguishing characteristic of genius is productivity.

Thomas Edison held 1,093 patents. He guaranteed productivity by giving himself and his assistants idea quotas. In a study of 2,036 scientists throughout history, Dean Keith Simonton of the University of California at Davis found that the most respected scientists produced not only great works, but also many "bad" ones. They weren't afraid to fail, or to produce mediocre in order to arrive at excellence.

4. Make novel combinations. Combine, and recombine, ideas, images, and thoughts into different combinations no matter how incongruent or unusual.

The laws of heredity on which the modern science of genetics is based came from the Austrian monk Grego Mendel, who combined mathematics and biology to create a new science.

5. Form relationships; make connections between dissimilar subjects.

Da Vinci forced a relationship between the sound of a bell and a stone hitting water. This enabled him to make the connection that sound travels in waves. Samuel Morse invented relay stations for telegraphic signals when observing relay stations for horses.

6. Think in opposites.

Physicist Niels Bohr believed, that if you held opposites together, then you suspend your thought, and your mind moves to a new level. His ability to imagine light as both a particle and a wave led to his conception of the principle of complementarity. Suspending thought (logic) may allow your mind to create a new form.

7. Think metaphorically.

Aristotle considered metaphor a sign of genius, and believed that the individual who had the capacity to perceive resemblances between two separate areas of existence and link them together was a person of special gifts.

8. Prepare yourself for chance.

Whenever we attempt to do something and fail, we end up doing something else. That is the first principle of creative accident. Failure can be productive only if we do not focus on it as an unproductive result. Instead: analyze the process, its components, and how you can change them, to arrive at other results. Do not ask the question "Why have I failed?", but rather "What have I done?"

9. The practice of genius
(Guide blog #1)

genius

2008-01-24T22:27:00.001-08:00

A genius is someone who is both extraordinarily intelligent and extremely creative. Plenty of people are smart and even intelligent, but they aren't quite geniuses because they lack the creative abilities required. Other people are creative to some extent, but they do not have the intellectual capability to harness their creativity. Some famous examples of geniuses include Mozart, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, who is often used as the classic illustration for a “genius.”

The exact definition of a “genius” is actually rather difficult to pin down, because there are no clear, subjective measures which can be used to classify who is a genius and who is not. Generally, it is assumed that a genius has a unique and novel way of approaching situations and the world, retooling ideas and potentially creating something so monumental that it changes the way other people think. Einstein, for example, came up with a mathematical formula which changed the face of physics.

Some people measure genius on the basis of someone's Intelligence Quotient (IQ). This measurement is far from ideal, however; many people think that IQ tests are limited, and the true test of a genius is what he or she produces in life. Geniuses are also often talented in multiple fields, in which case they could also be considered polymaths. Leonardo da Vinci, for example, was a polymath, skilled in the arts and sciences. Einstein, on the other hand, was a genius who was focused on physics specifically.

Some people feel that geniuses are crippled by their own intelligence. It is true that some geniuses have had difficulty with social interactions historically, and some of them have interesting quirks. However, being a genius does not inherently mean that someone cannot function in the world; plenty of geniuses are perfectly capable of handling the events of a day to life, often with great success. However, because many geniuses think in ways which are very different, sometimes it can be a challenge to follow a conversation with a genius.

Why one person becomes a genius while someone else remains relatively ordinary is a mystery. There appear to be clear genetic links, although environment is also an important factor. Scientific studies of the brain have also suggested that geniuses may have slightly different brains. Incredibly gifted individuals may be talented because their minds are actually wired differently, facilitating communication between normally isolated areas of the brain or changing the way in which information is processed. The fact that many geniuses are child prodigies supports this belief, as it suggests that the groundwork for genius is laid early.

no bees no humans

2008-01-24T21:37:00.001-08:00

Ecological Apocalypse: Why Are All The Bees Dying?
GM, toxic chemicals, chemtrails destroying eco-system, threatening very survival of humanity

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
Tuesday, April 10, 2007

The alarming decline in bee populations across the United States and Europe represents a potential ecological apocalypse, an environmental catastrophe that could collapse the food chain and wipe out humanity. Who and what is behind this flagrant abuse of the eco-system?

Many people don't realize the vital role bees play in maintaining a balanced eco-system. According to experts, if bees were to become extinct then humanity would perish after just four years.

"If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man," said Albert Einstein.

Others would say four years is alarmist and that man would find other food sources, but the fact remains that the disappearance of bees is potentially devastating to agriculture and most plant life.

Reports that bee populations are declining at rates of up to 80% in areas of the U.S. and Europe should set alarm bells ringing and demand immediate action on behalf of environmental organizations. Experts are calling the worrying trend "colony collapse disorder" or CCD.

"Bee numbers on parts of the east coast and in Texas have fallen by more than 70 percent, while California has seen colonies drop by 30 to 60 percent," reports AFP.

"Approximately 40 percent of my 2,000 colonies are currently dead and this is the greatest winter colony mortality I have ever experienced in my 30 years of beekeeping," apiarist Gene Brandi, from the California State Beekeepers Association, told Congress recently.

The article states that U.S. bee colonies have been dropping since 1980 and the number of beekeepers have halved.

Scientists are thus far stumped as to what is causing the decline, ruling out parasites but leaning towards some kind of new toxin or chemical used in agriculture as being responsible. "Experts believe that the large-scale use of genetically modified plants in the US could be a factor," reports Germany's Spiegal Online.

Bee populations throughout Germany have simultaneously dropped 25% and up to 80% in some areas. Poland, Switzerland and Spain are reporting similar declines. Studies have shown that bees are not dying in the hive, something is causing them to lose their sense of orientation so that they cannot return to the hive. Depleted hives are not being raided for their honey by other insects, which normally happens when bees naturally die in the winter, clearly suggesting some kind of poisonous toxin is driving them away.

"In many cases, scientists have found evidence of almost all known bee viruses in the few surviving bees found in the hives after most have disappeared. Some had five or six infections at the same time and were infested with fungi -- a sign, experts say, that the insects' immune system may have collapsed."

A study at the University of Jena from 2001 to 2004 showed that toxins from a genetically modified maize variant designed to repel insects, when combined with a parasite, resulted in a "significantly stronger decline in the number of bees" than normal.

"According to Hans-Hinrich Kaatz, a professor at the University of Halle in eastern Germany and the director of the study, the bacterial toxin in the genetically modified corn may have "altered the surface of the bee's intestines, sufficiently weakening the bees to allow the parasites to gain entry -- or perhaps it was the other way around. We don't know."

Kaatz was desperate to continue his studies but funding was cut off.

are you gay?

2008-01-24T20:54:00.001-08:00

10th December 2007 13:25
Antonio Fabrizio

A new book by a well-known British academic suggests that some men are gay because they don't break with other boys during childhood and retain some of their juvenile characteristics when they become adult.

In The Naked Man: A Study Of The Male Body, Desmond Morris questioned why "a certain percentage of adult human males, with or without the approval of society at large, find members of their own gender attractive."

His answer is that it happens for social reasons, therefore discrediting any "gay gene" theory.

But he also changed his previous theory that people would become gay because of the lack of absence of a father or a male role.

Comparing experiences of young heterosexuals and homosexuals, the best-selling author believed that the main change would happen at the pubertal phase.

At about the age of five, sexes would draw apart and a boy would play only with other boys, a phase that: "will last about ten years, during which time he will be going through an intensive educational period, programming the amazing computer inside his skull."

For many boys, with the flood of sex hormones during puberty the interest in girls would suddenly rise.

But not for others, because according to Morris "they get stuck in the stand-off phase, and stay there for the rest of their lives."

During the ten-year learning phase, male-to-male attachment would become so powerful for them and "if there are any special social factors adding their weight at this point, the break can be thwarted."

Morris suggests that some gay men may have had unpleasant experiences with girls during the stand-off.

"Or he may have found the boyish sex games that are so common in the stand-off phase to be particularly exciting and this may have fixated him on other males as sexual companions.

"For him it is impossible to make the switch because he cannot bear to leave behind what he had before."

He concluded that men are "made gay" because they keep juvenile characteristics when they become adult, what is known as "neoteny."

The 79-year old zoologist and anthropologist also said that gay men tend to be more creative than heterosexual as "the playfulness of childhood is continued into adulthood," which he claims explain why so many artists and creative people are gay.

Morris is best known for his series of "popular science" books in the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Naked Ape.

love

2008-01-24T20:21:00.001-08:00

http://www.abc.net.au/science/descent/trans1b.htm

2008-01-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

The bipolar brain and the creative mind
Sarah Eberhardt

"Our hospital was famous and had housed many great poets and singers. Did the hospital specialize in poets and singers, or was it that poets and singers specialized in madness? ... What is it about meter and cadence and rhythm that makes their makers mad?" (1)

The link between madness and creativity is one that has been hotly debated in both medical and literary circles for a long time. The two most common types of mental illness theorized to be an influence on creative people such as writers, artists, and poets were schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (2). However, various studies comparing the characteristics of schizophrenics, bipolars, and writers have concluded that schizophrenics do not share a common thought process with writers (2). In comparison, a study conducted at the University of Iowa declared that while both bipolar patients and writers tended to "sort in large groups... arbitrarily change starting points, or use vague distantly related concepts as categorizing principles" (p 107), the two differed in their abilities to control their thoughts (2). Where the exactly this line of control is located – or indeed if there is a line at all – is the debate in question.

Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, is a complex and often cruel illness that takes sufferers on a rollercoaster ride of emotional highs and deep depressions. During the mania period, either euphoria or irritability manifest themselves, and sometimes a combination of the two, called "mixed mania"(3). A person in a manic phase can also exhibit symptoms known to physicians as the DIGFAST symptoms: distractibility is heightened; insomnia is present due to increased energy; grandiosity occurs in delusions of godliness or omnipotence; flight of ideas speeds up thought processes; activity is greatly increased; and thoughtlessness results in sexual promiscuity and/or shopping sprees (3).

The other half of bipolar disorder is that which accounts for the great number of suicides among the ranks of bipolar patients: depression (3). Roughly 20% of bipolars committed suicide before effective treatments for the ailment became available (2). Depression is characterized by such symptoms as feelings of exhaustion, sleeping either much more or much less than usual, lowered self-worth, lowered enthusiasm for life, and contemplation of suicide (3). These depressions can last as long as six months to a year. They are frustrating and frightening to deal with, for unlike other forms of depression there is often no cause for the reversal in mood (3). Patients can cycle rapidly through depressive and manic phases, from four times a year to as often as three or four times a day (3).

Manic depression can also be associated with such behavioral problems such as attention deficit disorder (3). Other problems that can appear as a result of the disease are addiction to drugs and alcohol as an attempt to "self-medicate," using depressants like alcohol to slow down the manic thought process or using stimulants such as cocaine to attempt to prolong the sense of euphoria also associated with a manic phase (2). Most frightening of all, the disease has been found to be genetic; if one identical twin is bipolar, the other is 80% likely to suffer from it, whether the two are raised together or apart (4). While some people become violent while they are manic, these are usually patients with a very severe form of bipolar disorder (4). Most artists and writers diagnosed with bipolar disorder have a milder form of the disease, sometimes called hypomania (4). Patients with hypomania are subject to the same symptoms as mania except at a much lower intensity; combined with mild depression, these two result in a condition called cyclothymia, itself a milder form of the fully formed manic-depression that often follows it later in the patient’s life (2).

Artists and writers are often subject to these fluctuations in mood, accompanied by sudden periods of productivity. Nancy C. Andreason, a psychiatrist at the University of Iowa, conducted a study that began in the 1970’s to discover the link between bipolar disorder and writers (4). For the next 15 years she collected data on a group of 30 writers; as of the time of publication of the article, 43% of the writers had been diagnosed with manic depression, as opposed to 10% of the control group (4). More unsettling still, two of the 30 writers in the sample group had committed suicide during the time of the study (4). A similar study found that 33% of artists and writers said that they experienced acute mood swings; this subgroup was made up mainly of poets and novelists (4).

Writers have reported these rapid changes in mood in their own works. As Robert Burns wrote, "Day follows night, and night comes after day, only to curse him with life which gives him no pleasure" (2). William Cowper, a poet who in the 1700’s was thrown into an asylum due to the severity of his illness, describes his depression as if "a thick fog envelops every thing, and at the same time it freezes intensely" (2). Equally compelling are the descriptions of the mania that is twin to this deep depression, the irrational urges and speeding thoughts that wreak havoc on both mind and body of sufferers such as Theodore Roethke: "Suddenly I knew how to enter into the life of everything around me... All of a sudden I knew what it felt like to be a lion. I went into the diner and said to the counter-man, "Bring me a steak. Don’t cook it. Just bring it." So he brought me this raw steak and I started eating it" (2). Yet those who suffered this swiftly flowing madness could describe their experiences so beautifully, as John Ruskin did: "I saw the stars rushing at each other...Nothing was more notable to me through the illness than the nerves... and their power of making colour and sound harmonious as well as intense" (2).

There are lists upon lists of those artists and writers who experienced the glorious highs and lethargic lows of bipolar illness. Virginia Woolf, John Berryman, and Robert Lowell are just a few on a long list of well-known writers (5); Tchaikovsky, van Gogh, and Pollock add composers and painters to the list of bipolar sufferers (6). This extensive documentation of writers’ own experiences with mood fluctuation is highly convincing of the link between bipolar illness and a creative temperament. Combine those writings with the overwhelming results of studies that find a far greater incidence of manic depression among artists and writers than among the general population, and the link is as well-established as a scientific truth can ever be.

This conclusion, however, leaves us with a few very pressing questions. These days, the automatic response to a diagnosis of manic-depression is to medicate the patient (3). While doubtless this creates a calmer life for both the patient and those around him or her, it is often doubtful whether the patient leads a happier life while on medication. As is described by a bipolar teenage girl on lithium: "How can I tell them I LIKE being high? ...I feel dull. I feel robbed of my creativity. I feel robbed of who I am, or rather who I was" (7). From a slightly different perspective, is society better off with these artists and writers medicated? Psychiatist Joseph J. Schildkraut of Harvard Medical School studied the lives of 15 artists in the mid-1900’s; at least four had committed suicide (8). Even with these casualties, Schildkraut maintains, "Yet depression in the artist may be of adaptive value to society at large" (8). How would the literary world have changed without the mad genius of Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, F. Scott Fitzgerald? Is it fair to allow a writer or artist to sacrifice their emotional stability or even their lives for the creation of new art? Where do we draw these lines between the public and the private good?

circ

2008-01-23T16:52:00.001-08:00

Schlong Song
Circumcision: Health-conscious procedure or unnecessary sexual amputation?
by Tristan Taormino
June 19th, 2007 8:53 PM

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A father-to-be recently sent me a letter asking for advice: He and his wife are expecting a baby boy and debating whether to have him circumcised. He wrote, "I'm uncircumcised and I kind of want him to 'match' me in the plumbing department, just to avoid any psychological problems with proper sexual identification, but my greatest fear is that he might be missing out sexually as a result of the procedure. Also, I kind of felt this should be his choice to make, since it's his body." He became conflicted, though, when he read a report on new research in Africa that shows circumcision reduces the risk of HIV infection. "Our son is going to be getting comprehensive sex ed as he grows up, but condoms do sometimes break and this added level of protection certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. But if he goes under the knife, will he be 'missing' anything sexually?"

While the cultural contexts surrounding the practice are different, male circumcision is the equivalent of female circumcision (removal of the clitoral hood that protects the clit's glans). As a society, we vehemently oppose when this is done to women and see it as a way of mutilating their bodies, controlling their sexuality, and limiting their sexual pleasure. Why, then, don't we view male circumcision the same way?

The procedure is not just the "little snip," it's often referred to as—there's nothing minor about cutting away the fold of skin that surrounds and protects the head of the penis. The practice began in English-speaking countries in the mid-1800s as a way to prevent masturbation, which was believed to cause many diseases. By the 1900s, infant circumcision had become widespread thanks to the shift in control over the birthing process from female midwives to male obstetricians; the rise of medical experts, who began recommending it; and the increase of advertising aimed at convincing people they were dirty in order to sell hygiene products. Today, about 60 percent of men in this country are circumcised.

Last week, I browsed the parenting section of Borders and found dozens of books that cover every aspect of child rearing, from the moment of conception through each trimester to the birthing process, infancy, and beyond. Yet of everything a new parent needs to consider circumcision is notably absent or glossed over in a few sentences that basically say talk to your doctor. But rarely—if ever—does a doctor ask a parent, "Do you want to lessen your son's penile sensitivity and erotic enjoyment?" And when the majority of doctors (and fathers) in a country are circumcised, they are invested in perpetuating the practice. Interestingly, one study found that parents who have the opportunity to discuss the procedure decide against it.

Pro-circumcision literature focuses on hygiene and disease transmission as the primary reasons to circumcise. Proponents argue that the foreskin of an intact penis traps bacteria, making it harder to clean and more likely to cause infections. One pamphlet from the Gilgal Society in England claims that circumcision significantly decreases the risk of contracting urinary-tract infections in infancy, as well as prostate cancer, penile cancer, some STDs, and HIV through vaginal intercourse with an infected woman. In addition, those in favor of circumcision emphasize that a boy with an intact penis may feel alienated from his circumcised father and be ridiculed by his peers for being different.

Eighty percent of the world's men have intact penises, and no medical association recommends infant circumcision. Anti-circumcision advocates believe that the procedure is risky, unnecessary, and equivalent to genital amputation, since it removes a vital part of the penis. They contend that by removing the foreskin, you take away the part of the penis with the most nerve endings, which serves to lubricate and protect the glans and enhance sexual sensitivity. As a result, the unprotected head of the circumcised penis becomes thick, leathery, and desensitized. In his book Circumcision: The Hidden Trauma, Ronald Goldman, Ph.D., asserts that the practice is physically and emotionally traumatic for any infant, and he attempts to link it to a variety of future problems, including abnormalities in neurological development, low self-esteem, anger-management problems, rape, violence, intimacy issues, and sexual anxiety and dysfunction.

Complicating matters for parents are the recent findings of two separate studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health in Africa, which found that uncircumcised men in the study were becoming infected with HIV at twice the rate of circumcised men. The theory is that the delicate inside fold of the foreskin contains a particular kind of white blood cell vulnerable to the virus; furthermore, uncircumcised men are more likely to have another STD that can lead to open sores on the penis, giving the HIV virus direct access to the bloodstream. Notably, both studies were halted before they could be completed, which some researchers argue has skewed the results.

Using these results to inform the decision to circumcise an American child does not take into account the significant differences that exist between the two countries with respect to AIDS. Uncircumcised penises are not the only element driving the high infection rates in Africa. Poor genital hygiene, lack of safer-sex education, little knowledge about or access to condoms, nonmonogamous sexual practices, and cultural practices like dry sex and wife inheritance all contribute to the AIDS pandemic, which is why mass circumcision alone will not solve the problem. Furthermore, circumcision as a prophylactic measure does not translate in the United States, where the rates and methods of transmission are much different. In fact, according to NOCIRC—the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (nocirc.org)—the U.S. has the highest rate of infant circumcision and the highest rate of HIV/AIDS among industrialized nations. After reading Goldman's exhaustive, passionate book and seeing graphic diagrams and photos of circumcision, I am convinced that if people were well-informed about the foreskin's important functions and actually witnessed a circumcision, they would never subject anyone to it.

What happens when a man and a woman kiss?

2008-01-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

What happens when a man and a woman kiss?

That is to say, what happens to the various parts of the body when two people in love join their lips in bliss? Years ago, before our biologists knew of the existence of the glands in our bodies, one writer quoted a scientist as saying that "kissing is pleasant because the teeth, jawbones and lips are full of nerves, and when the lips meet an electric current is generated."

What nonsense! What utter nonsense!

In the first place, two people kiss because they are satisfying a hunger within them, a hunger that is as natural as the hunger for food, water and knowledge. It is the hunger of sex that drives them to each other. After that, hunger has been satiated, then comes the hunger for a home, for children and for marital happiness. This hunger is instinctive, that is, we are born with it, all of us, and we cannot learn it or acquire it in any way.

nice girls (bookworms)- non drug users- arty chicks- spiritual - musician

2008-01-22T19:38:00.000-08:00

The lost art of dating
By: ARTURO GARCIA JR.
Issue date: 10/28/03 Section: Features

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Arturo Garcia
Arturo Garcia
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I hear far too many complaints from single students that there is no one to date in Davis. Last time I checked, we have approximately 1.3 million people at this school — or so it seems when I buy books.

Well my fellow Aggies, we can only blame ourselves for our predicament. Our student population’s lack of dating cannot be attributed to a shortage of potential dating partners, but more so to the fact that we do not know how to date.

When I first arrived at this institution of higher learning, I noticed there was a huge change in the amount of schoolwork, stress, and fat I had, but the biggest change I saw was how males and females pursued each other romantically.

The art of “hooking up” became the weekend pastime. As young men and women tried to master the art of hooking up, the art of dating disappeared faster than Chris O’Donnell after Batman and Robin.

Where has the art of dating gone? We all have friends who are “dating” so and so, but did they ever really date? I remember my freshman year pretty well, even though some parts are rather hazy. The one thing I do not remember was my fellow students going on dates.

It seems the average first date — defined as dinner and a movie — mutated into a six-pack of beer and a movie rental. If the guy really wanted to go all out for a girl, he might even put on a clean shirt and spring for Coronas.

Students just stopped dating. All they looked forward to on weekends was the overpopulated, under-boozed fraternity party. Young, immature students would scan the party, and every now and then spot the hot girl from Spanish class or maybe the hot guy who rides their Unitrans bus line.

Once spotted, friends would point them in the right direction and let the alcohol do the talking, which was not always necessary thanks in large part to the overly crowded dance floor that, from a distance, looked like an orgy of rabid monkeys.

At these modern day symposiums, ill-fated long-distance high school relationships were instantly terminated and some new, equally doomed relationships were formed.

You figure students would forget about these chance hookups as fast as they forget how much they had to drink that night. Well, until the hangover the next day. You know that awful feeling when you wake up with a strange feeling in your head, or a strange being in your bed?

This is what separates people. Some think nothing of this encounter, some think too much of this encounter, some don’t even remember this encounter. Sadly, I still remember my first hookup. I was dancing with an attractive girl I had just met after drinking two or three cups of keg-quality Natty Ice. I would tell you her name was Jenny, but I never kiss and tell.

We went outside to get some fresh air filled with the cancerous aroma of Marlboro Lights. We leaned against a wall and we talked about how much we loved Sisqó’s “Thong Song.”

I was about to ask her what kind of music she liked when she kissed me. She kissed me long and hard, then pulled away and said something peculiar.

”Ever since we met last week, Hideki, I have been wanting to tell you something. I love you and I want us to be together.”

I realized dating is for me, but that it is not necessarily for everybody. For whatever reason, dating just became too difficult for some, and many changed their approach with the opposite sex faster than they did their pre-med and computer science majors.

All of us know if we have stuck with our original “majors.” If you are not so sure: When was the last time you kissed someone sober? If it took you more than two seconds to come up with an answer, then there is a good chance you do not know how to date.

Do people really prefer drinking cheap beer while learning and forgetting the names and majors of random people every weekend? I think it would be far easier to learn and remember a name, major, and interests of a person sitting right across from you at a quiet coffee shop without the distractions of loud, rabid monkeys armed with Natty Ice freaking on the dance floor.

ARTURO GARCIA JR. reminds you that dating is like driving a car. For your safety, drinking should be avoided and cell phones should always be turned off while doing either activity. For other tips regarding your dating, your driving, or his column, please e-mail him at arcgarcia@ucdavis.edu.

barry mcgee

2008-01-20T12:27:00.001-08:00

http://swindlemagazine.com/issue14/barry-mcgee/

come on now leave the amish alone!

2008-01-20T12:05:00.001-08:00

Big Brother's Animal Farm; Gov't Program to Track Every Beast - Except Pigs
By Jason Sigger EmailJanuary 17, 2008 | 12:28:00 PMCategories: Chem-Bio, Homeland Security, Paper Pushers & Powerpoint Rangers

Big_pig This is beyond ridiculous. The federal government is now going to track every farm animal across the country, from birth to death, because it wants to watch out for the extremely faint possibility of a bioterrorist attacking the food chain. From the LA Times:

A Bush administration initiative, the National Animal Identification System is meant to provide a modern tool for tracking disease outbreaks within 48 hours, whether natural or the work of a bioterrorist. Most farm animals, even exotic ones such as llamas, will eventually be registered. Information will be kept on every farm, ranch or stable. And databases will record every animal movement from birth to slaughterhouse, including trips to the vet and county fairs.

But the system is spawning a grass-roots revolt.

Family farmers see it as an assault on their way of life by a federal bureaucracy with close ties to industrial agriculture. They point out that they will have to track every animal while vast commercial operations will be allowed to track whole herds.

Privacy advocates say the database would create an invasive, detailed electronic record of farmers' activities. Religious farming communities, such as the Amish and Mennonites, fear the system is a manifestation of the Mark of the Beast foretold in the Book of Revelation.

And despite the administration's insistence that the program is voluntary, farmers and families, such as the Calderwoods, chafe at the heavy-handed and often mandatory way states have implemented it, sometimes with the help of sheriff's deputies.

The result is a system meant to help farms that many farmers oppose.

I can't get the Dept of Agriculture NAIS site to load [it's working now -- ed.], but there is this Q&A site that seems to be working, and you can access this Wiki site for more information. Also read this very good commentary discussing the details of this program. It appears that this administration wants to develop a huge, imposing database on those American families who raise animals, with very little evidence of an actual threat or of the policy's effectiveness. And isn't it nice that the huge agrobusinesses get exemptions from the program. What constitutes a greater risk, the dozen llamas on Mary Smith's farm or the ten thousand cooped-up chickens in the poultry processing center? How unlike the Republican party to endorse such a big government solution on Americans, but not big industry, without due justification. It's almost like the TSA for farms...

Oh, and that marking system that the NAIS demands? Pigs are exempt from the tracking requirement; some animals are more equal than others.

comp brain

2008-01-17T23:26:00.001-08:00

http://radio.weblogs.com/0105910/2004/07/15.html

ricks

2008-01-15T21:25:00.001-08:00

http://curtisway.blogspot.com/2008/01/ricks-behind-grind.html

looks like my good friend Cong just updated his site

2008-01-15T11:02:00.000-08:00

http://www.lucong.com/

tat

2008-01-15T09:22:00.001-08:00

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/tattoos.html

paint

2008-01-15T07:43:00.001-08:00

too bad

2008-01-14T22:40:00.001-08:00

I love you

2008-01-14T21:44:00.001-08:00

Dagan Sayin i love you with adam!!!

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oh really

2008-01-14T21:40:00.001-08:00

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Cosmologists

unite as one (peace for all)

2008-01-14T12:56:00.000-08:00

my friend

2008-01-13T21:30:00.000-08:00

First Mongolian female in U.S to show art
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Eriko Tsogo, 'New York' 2007, pencil & cardboard on paper, 30x26 inches
Eriko Tsogo, 'New York' 2007, pencil & cardboard on paper, 30x26 inches
Provided by: Eriko Tsogo

Contributed by: Eriko Tsogo on 5/18/2007

The legacy of the mighty Genghis Khan has been reborn in Denver Colorado as one Mongolian 16-year-old has conquered her mark in U.S history. She is the first Mongolian to have ever exhibited a solo art exhibition at such a young age. Eriko Tsogo currently attends Denver School of the Arts, visual arts major in her junior year.Growing up in the world of art for Eriko was a natural, as her father, an artist, guided her way through. Eriko's art is known to paint the world through exquisite colors, raw symbols and cultural essence. Her latest art show, DAYS OF MY LIFE, has been exhibited at the famous authentic restaurant, Bd's Mongolian Barbeque in the heart of downtown Denver.

The opening reception night is yet to arrive on Sunday May 20th from 7:00 - 10:00 pm. Come and enjoy delicious Mongolian food, along with contemporary influenced art illustrating the diffusion between America and Mongolia, through the her image. The show will be on display from May 14th - July 1st, 2007. Watch out world, here comes the next young Kandinsky!!

Bd's Mongolian Barbeque - 1620 Wazee St. Denver Co 80202 (303) 571-1824

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2008-01-13T18:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.weareeverywhere.org/

ok

2008-01-13T13:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.fark.com/

love Bryan

2008-01-13T09:08:00.001-08:00

http://lovebryan.com/main.php
http://lovebryan.com/movies/2007.mov

anyone can be a model

2008-01-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.atelier-rc.com/Atelier.RC/aviva.mov

animation sucks

2008-01-13T08:48:00.000-08:00

croc for a pet KAWAI!!!

2008-01-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Caiman-kun
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ok

2008-01-07T14:12:00.001-08:00

were you circumcised?

2008-01-07T14:03:00.001-08:00

http://zeitgeistmovie.com/