Straight to Hell, Boys
6/29/2005
The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Seventh Level of Hell!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
| Level | Score |
|---|---|
| Purgatory (Repenting Believers) | Very Low |
| Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers) | Low |
| Level 2 (Lustful) | Very High |
| Level 3 (Gluttonous) | High |
| Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious) | Very Low |
| Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy) | High |
| Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics) | Very High |
| Level 7 (Violent) | Very High |
| Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers) | High |
| Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous) | High |
Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test
posted by Edward Svengali @ Wednesday, June 29, 2005,
, links to this post
Bush Speech
I missed W's speech last night. I was too busy enjoying myself at a local coffeeshop. So I get to listen to it today on NPR's web site. Interesting to note this poll on CNN today:
Listening to the speech now. What in the hell does he think he's doing still trying to draw a relationship between 9/11 and the War in Iraq? The UN and the Pentagon have already announced that there is NO CONNECTION, but he continues his smokescreen of lies. Meanwhile, people are dying. For nothing.
Several minutes in and I'm amazed at the lack of any applause. Not a single clap, cheer, or sound at all. It's really dull and pointless.
"Is the sacrifice working?" he asks. Only for greedy opportunists like you and Dick Cheney, Mr. President.
I'm going to sleep now. Someone wake me up when all these nutcases have gone away.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Wednesday, June 29, 2005,
, links to this post
Dogpatch USA
6/28/2005
I've had a spot of trouble remembering a number of details about my childhood. Perhaps my mind is protecting me from a traumatic experience? Perhaps I need to try hypnosis to uncover some of my childhood experiences? Or perhaps it is a blessing to lose memories of such ignorant bliss? Whatever the case, one particular memory sticks to the ribs of my mind, and it's a fairly pleasant memory.
Dogpatch USA.
A goofy hillbilly theme park of days gone by that just couldn't keep up with the times. It now sits as an empty, rusting and overgrown heap of sadness in the middle of the Ozarks, a faint echo the joys of my half-remembered youth, a sad and sullen ending to a particularly nostalgic memory that I must strain to feel again.
Pleasant 'memory shadows ' of exploring Dogpatch USA stir up in my consciousness. I remember riding in the car with my parents and my meanie big sister in tow. To enter the park, visitors had to ride down a steep hill in the "Funicular Tram," a swiss-made transport device designed to provide upright comfort as it descended a very steep hill toward the main entrance of the park. Pretty hokey by today's standards, but it was an exciting ride for a small child back in the late '70s/early '80s!
I remember dad getting very excited about fishing in the trout farm and having them cook up his catch.
I remember the train as it circled the little park, and I remember the creepy Schmoo walking around and hugging all the kiddies. I remember the little corkscrew roller coaster ride (though I never did ride it). I remember the kissing rocks, the barrel ride, and the cute blonde hillbilly girl with her front teeth colored in black (the last time I went to Dogpatch I was around 13 years old and my hormones were starting to kick in). I remember the giant Arkansas Razorback and getting my picture taken in front of it (one of these days I might post one or two). They had The Scrambler, my sister's favorite ride, and endless amounts of hillbilly hoe-down music.
Gone are the half-remembered lazy days of my childhood. But I am so thankful that others have shared their memories on the net. I would not have been able to relive the experience without their generous contributions to the information age.
http://www.albertsplace.com/dogpatch.html
http://users.aristotle.net/~russjohn/attractions/dogpatch.html
http://home.alltel.net/phillipc1/
http://www.pointedstick.net/colter/plog/04/dogpatch/2/
posted by Edward Svengali @ Tuesday, June 28, 2005,
, links to this post
Experiment
I'm going to try a little experiment.
A friend of mine was googling himself a few weeks ago, and my page came up as the 2nd or 3rd spot for HIS name. With this in mind, I'm going to use this post to try and stir up other people from my past that I've really been wanting to talk to/keep up with. So here's a list of names.
Rachel Flegler
Mark Dimuro (or Mark T. Dimuro)
Dawn Correll (or Dawn Desiree Correll)
Bridget Jordan (maiden name)
Zoe O'Nions (sp?)
David Farnsworth
Ashley Nye
That should do it for now. I would jump at the chance to talk to these people again, and I hope that my favorite search engine does its magic on this post.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Tuesday, June 28, 2005,
, links to this post
Fund Raiser (with UPDATE)
Hey all,
Shameless self-promotion here. I've got a few bills to pay, teeth to fix, that sort of thing. So I've set up a couple things at Cafepress to help generate some small side income. Don't make me appeal to your sympathetic nature; take my word for it and just buy a shirt or a mug!
1/ RIAA MUSIC POLICE!
Show your elitist pride in support of corrupt corporate interests and the death of culture!
2/ THE DOCTOR IS BACK!
Celebrate the return of Doctor Who with this original and very British design.
I'll have a real post eventually. Lots of interesting things going on lately; just haven't had time or energy for sitting behind a computer in the evening.
UPDATE: Apparently, criticizing the RIAA is against Cafepress policy. I received this email today. Does it ever end for people like us? And to think that I just made a $160 purchase with them makes me even more annoyed. I only hope this is some sort of automated review process and not a genuine concern from a living human being.
UPDATE (6-29-05): I've been cleared! I sent a letter of complaint and they OK'd my artwork.Dear Shopkeeper,
Thank you for using CafePress.com!
As you may know, CafePress.com provides a service to a rich and vibrant community of international users. From time to time, we review the content in our shopkeepers accounts to confirm that the content being used in connection with the sale of products are in compliance with our policies, including our Content Usage Policy (CUP).
We recently learned that your CafePress.com account contains material which may not be in compliance with our policies. Specifically, designing, manufacturing, marketing and/or selling products that may infringe the rights of a third party, including, copyrights (e.g., an image of a television cartoon character), trademarks (e.g., the logo of a company), "rights in gross" (e.g., the exclusive right of the U.S. Olympic Committee to use the "Olympic Rings"), and rights of privacy and publicity (e.g., a photo of a celebrity) are prohibited.
Accordingly, we have set the content that we believe to be questionable to "pending status" which disables said content from being displayed in your shop or purchased by the public.You may review the content set to pending status by logging into your CafePress.com account and clicking on the "Media Basket" link. The content set to pending status will be highlighted red.
Please visit our Content Usage Policy (CUP) for additional information regarding your use of the CafePress.com service. Once there, you may access our Copyright, Trademark & Intellectual Property Guidelines and FAQ's <http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/help/law.aspx> for more detailed information regarding Intellectual Property Rights.
We apologize for any inconvenience that the removal of your content may have caused you. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Content Usage Associate CafePress.com
posted by Edward Svengali @ Tuesday, June 28, 2005,
, links to this post
Therapy
6/24/2005
I suppose if you feel as nauseated as I do, a little shopping might cheer you up.
Check out these great action figures from the Jesus Christ Superstore!
"God Almighty."
His action figure includes the Kingdom-ComeKalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle and the Hallowed cloak of invulnerability.
"Jesus Christ."
His action figure includes includes Ninja-Messiah throwing nails and the Death Killer-Cross pump action over-under shotgun.
And so as not to exclude the other religions, here is...
"Buddha."
He includes Fighting Staff of Meditation, Magnum66 automatic Nirvana pistol and Invincible Holy Orange Cape of Enlightenment!
I haven't had this much fun since I discovered the Subgenius Book "High Wierdness By Mail" online!
Lastly, check out these sick and wonderful "Wrong Dimension Toys" by Howard Hollis. If you aren't rolling in your seat at the sight of the strangely disturbing "Toycher the Bear," there's got to be something wrong.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 24, 2005,
, links to this post
Nausea, Part 1
One hand holds down terror; The other lifts it up.
I've spent most of my adult life feeling reasonably pragmatic and occasionally optimistic about the worthiness and survivability of the human race. I practice compassion on a daily basis. I've done my best to follow the Four Agreements. I've been reasonably kind and generous. I've learned how to embrace people for who they are, not so much for what they do. I've followed a spiritual path and continue to do so, weeding out the dogma and the religion and learning, day by day, how to be more forgiving and also more creative. Learning how to be sane and rational without having to rely on a false impression of the Divine.
But the more I look around at what sort of people are out there, people claiming to be authorities, people claiming to embrace certain religious principles, people claiming to be leaders, Presidents, Senators, moral examples, people claiming that "Jesus Loves You" but pushing certain 'types' of people away from the altars of our many faiths, the more discouraged I become and the more I want to simply GIVE UP on the entire human race. This is exactly how I felt before I took on the task of weeding through all the shit I was taught as a child. And this is exactly where I'm back to, having taken spiritual foundations courses, getting to know people, therapy, education, keeping abreast of world events. I don't like being back here, but it's the honest truth. I'm back in the nausea again.
Take the above ad for instance. It came from the AFA web site. I arrived there through a random post on one of the Progressive blogs I frequent. What a nasty little thing, the AFA. I won't pretend to be naive. I know people like this exist because I was raised with their creed. Socially acceptable 'hate dialogue' has been a fixture in my childhood, and because I didn't have any mentors to tell me otherwise, I've had to find out the way things are on my own; I had to dig through the bullshit. I had to read and look around and read some more and learn my history and learn how people work (in general). I had to unlearn the lies and look for something that resembles 'Truth.'
But I'm feeling the nausea again. Probably because I'm thinking more with my head on the ground. Probably because I stopped meditating (I almost typed 'medicating.' Heh). Existential dread. A realization, perhaps. Or just an experience of the lowest of the low? Maybe tomorrow will be 'looking up,' eh?
Doubtful. At least not until I sort out how I'm going to respond to these indescribable feelings. Like the kind you get when you turn on the telly and see live bombings of Iraqi cities. How am I supposed to feel when an entire population sits idly by while our military turns arab cities into smoking, creaking husks full of the bloody dead - all in the name of freedom? How about when right-wing religious organizations slowly eat up the air like a cancer? How am I supposed to feel about the human race that sits around, enjoying their home theater systems, nice cars, and air conditioning, while the American Family Association, a den of bigoted hatemongers, manages to work its way up to 2 million active members? How am I supposed to feel when the US Government releases a report that says 'we can win a nuclear war, and here's how!' And all the right-wing pundits have a fucking orgy. How am I supposed to feel when nearly half of the population scream for the blood of heretics and infadels, just before picking up tacos and a six-pack for dinner? How am I supposed to feel, surrounded by ignorant, crazy motherfuckers that don't even bother to read a fucking newspaper or watch more than FOX news or give a shit about anything beyond their own puerile self-interest? How am I supposed to feel when we 'fight for terror' overseas and raise our own brand of zealous right-wing terrorism right here and do nothing. And lastly, how am I supposed to feel - being the fellow human that I am - when the world is so overcrowded with whining, greedy bastards with blood and oil in their eyes that common sense, fair and equitable treatment can never be heard above the noise of their guttural, animalistic cries of War! Blood! Oil! Jesus! ?
I feel depths of mortal dread in ways I never thought possible. I'm tempted to take the easy route, stop reading the news, stop watching C-Span, cancel my magazine subscriptions, stop paying attention. But I know I'd just feel worse by pretending the nausea isn't there.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 24, 2005,
, links to this post
Admiral Twin Follow-Up
This is a (late) followup to Novachild's announcement in February about the Hampton Inn "Save a Landmark" contest involving a HogBack Bridge (not sure of location) and my favorite Drive-In Theater, Admiral Twin. I wish I'd have posted it sooner, but I kept checking the Hampton site up to the end of April and still they hadn't announced it. But here it is....
Good news. Admiral Twin won! So now they get $20,000 to refurbish the place, hopefully starting with the bathrooms (though the screen itself does need a little work, too).
Here's the announcement:
Admiral Twin Drive-In Wins Hampton® Hotels’ Online Voting CampaignAmerica Has Spoken: Drive-In Theatre To Receive $20,000
Memphis, TN – April 2005 – After more than two months of online voting, the mouse clicks have been tallied and America has spoken. The historic Route 66 Admiral Twin Drive-In in Tulsa, Okla., is the lucky recipient of a $20,000 award from Hampton Hotels.
These funds were made available because Hampton received the prestigious SMITHSONIAN Magazine/Travelers Conservation Foundation (TCF) Sustainable Tourism Award in the preservation category in December 2004. After years of investing millions of dollars and thousands of volunteer hours to preserve roadside landmarks, Hampton Hotels is the first hotel brand ever to be nationally recognized for its preservation efforts.
In return, Hampton rewarded voters for choosing their program by hosting an online vote which gave the public the opportunity to decide which historic attraction will be refurbished by the Hampton Save-A-Landmark™ program. The public cast online ballots from January 18 to March 31, 2005 on the Hampton “Hidden Landmarks” Web site, www.hamptonlandmarks.com. Both the drive-in and its runner-up, Hogback Bridge in Winterset, Iowa, will receive Explore the Highways with Hampton®, Save-A-Landmark assistance in 2005. The Admiral Twin will be awarded $20,000 toward its refurbishment in time for summer movie nights in late May.
The Admiral Twin Drive-In is one of eight drive-in theaters remaining in Oklahoma. The drive-in was featured in the 1980s movie The Outsiders as the ultimate 1950s teen hangout. It is Oklahoma’s largest drive-in with a capacity of more than 1,000 cars. “We’re thrilled to be chosen by America,” said Steve Peace, co-owner of the Admiral Twin. “Generations have been able to enjoy the experience of going to a drive-in, and Hampton is helping us continue this uniquely American tradition.”
Hogback Bridge, made famous by Robert Waller’s best-selling book, “Bridges of Madison County,” and the award-winning film of the same name, is one of five remaining wooden bridges of the 19 originally built in the late 1800s. Hampton will be helping to restore the wooden bridge in early May.
“These landmarks are important to our American cultural fabric and deserve preservation,” said Judy Christa-Cathey, vice president of Hampton Brand Marketing. “We’re overwhelmed by America’s voting response toward these landmarks and the passion people exude for saving our past.”
About the Save-A-Landmark Program The Save-A-Landmark program has spent the past five years preserving historical, fun and cultural landmarks across the U.S. Banding its hotels together in communities across the U.S., Hampton employee volunteers provide the labor while the Hampton brand provides the dollars to refurbish selected sites. To date, the program has come to the assistance of 21 landmarks.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 24, 2005,
, links to this post
Two Steps Back
6/22/2005
Following my last post, which was a fresh reaction to some headlines I saw being replicated across several newspapers, I read this post by another blogger Grand Moff Texan. Specifically:
This is How You Do It (excerpt)
What should he have done? If Durbin had had either brains or guts, he would have called a press conference on day one and showed the changing headlines at the ashington Times. With a smile. He would have rolled tape and showed Limbaugh lipping his quote. With a laugh. He would have played back Brit Hume and the rest loating over how "this isn't going to go away," even though they CLAIM that the words are hurting our troops. He would have laid the seriousness of torture alongside the juvenile pranks of the amoral and lying right. Instead, Durbin scored an own goal.
Makes sense, though I think perhaps now we should get past tearing down Senator Durbin. It's not improving the situation, especially considering the underwhelming support for Durbin's initial testicular fortitude by other Democratic Senators. They just let the Republican spin machine chop him to bits, feeding on a weakness that a Senator should not have (one that reminds me of the many times Kerry DIDN'T rebut when the same evil spin machine was tearing him to bits), which is to buckle under pressure and give the dogs exactly what they want to hear. And then they start turning inward, and nobody notices the Truth with a capitol T whizzing by their heads and off into the fog of war while they all take turns gnawing on the brittle remains.
Of course, through all this opining and discovering of a new blog, I've got to add Grand Moff Texan to the blogroll. Anybody that can come up with the following classic line deserves to be read at least once a week:
Heh. I couldn't have said that better myself!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Wednesday, June 22, 2005,
, links to this post
One Step Forward
For the first time in what seems like ages, a politician speaks the exact truth and is shunned by many for doing so.
This is Sen. Dick Durbin's response to the Senate floor after reading an FBI Agent's memo describing the torture and abuse at Guantanamo. As cold as it seems, his words carry the weight of being true.
"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime Pol Pot or others that had no concern for human beings," the senator said last week.
Finally, the Democratic Party has somebody with balls to step up and speak the all-out truth, not softened with political rhetoric or lightened up for the ears of every anal-retentive Republican senator.
Then a week later he apologizes for his comments (albeit halfheartedly):
"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," said the Illinois Democrat, at times holding back tears. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."
Senator Durbin, I don't believe your remarks crossed the line at all. You only said what we all were thinking and feeling at the time (well, those of us who actually give a fuck). I see no reason why you need to apologize. You were only speaking the truth.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Wednesday, June 22, 2005,
, links to this post
Dress for Success
6/17/2005
Powerline, a very popular NeoCon blog infamous for not allowing comments (grrr), now offers a variety of attractive apparel. Some of it for children!
I Heart Gitmo Infant Creeper - $9.99 at Cafepress.com
"Pissing off a liberal" is one thing. It's another thing to sell baby apparell advertising love for a place that is well known for torturing people. Looks like Rush is in on the opportunity as well.
This doesn't 'piss me off.' It makes me sad for the poor brats who have to put up with such moronic parents. Imagine flipping through a family photo album and discovering that your parents dressed you in one of these? It's beyond tacky. Revolting is what I call it. Revolting, sick, and sadistic. I would disown them.
Meanwhile, here's yet another report from British Detainees about abuses at Guantanamo.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 17, 2005,
, links to this post
Discipline I Need!
I'm going to try and put myself on a plan for better health AND to boost my brain a bit. Here are a few things I intend to do:
Drink 3-4 quarts of water every day, supplementing this with a teaspoon of sea salt.
Avoid soda or artificially colored/flavored drinks.
Cut back on prepackaged/preserved food. Try to go as fresh as possible.
Eat more veggies (esp. dark green veggies).
Add Flax Seed to my diet (since I don't eat fish). Since I HATE smoothies, I'll probably just get the pill form.
Crunches and stretches every day.
I'm not gaining any weight, but I'm a bit chubby and I could stand to lose 30 lbs. I kicked the smoking habit and filled out a bit. Now it's time to kick the bad diet habit. I wonder which is harder?
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 17, 2005,
, links to this post
Surprise!
This little MSNBC poll has surprised me. A little.
The next question should be: "Do you think it's ok that the President misled the nation in order to go to war with Iraq?"
Then we'll see how truly insane people can be.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 17, 2005,
, links to this post
Novachild's First Live Show
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 17, 2005,
, links to this post
Timberwolf
6/16/2005
Your outpouring
a life-stained soul
saturates the subtle air
and embraces every simple
note coming out
Like water
Like hot bubbling oil
Like slushy frozen islands
of eternal discomfort
Like breathing underwater
or spinning in wide-eyed
fear of the dark
And the warm tribal leaning
into the fires of
stories soul-deep
And shaking in our melancholy skulls
And being on fire
with our own armies of killers
or legions of witnesses
to the same ancient urge
To Live!
To Be!
To shape our wildness
into stanzas for mad-eyed
hungry people in a
Dark and Dirty Dungeon!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
, links to this post
Now that it's started again
Like falling angels
With broken harps
We are an echo
in the clouds
You lie still,
growing fat and celestial
in the center of the earth
Against the long narrow vein
of gold that feeds you
sheltered from the sun
and the rain
Now I see the foothills of death
They creep in waves of shallow breath
But let it come slow and sure
Let it crawl like an old dog
to the rug in front of the fire
to lay you down and sleep for good
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
, links to this post
Mac'Roi Live at Seekers
Here are a couple of shots of Mac'Roi playing his axe live at Seekers Art Gallery (Thanks Jessica!). This guy is somehow convinced that I am an extremely talented person, so apparently we'll be collaborating on some soulful project in the future. I'm actually rather excited at the possibility. Because even if we come from two different musical backgrounds, our intensity levels are high and we always compliment one another when we perform on the same night. At least I think so.
Hopefully I'll get some photos of Timberwolf and others soon. Trouble is, I don't have a digital camera, so I have to rely on other people to take pictures for me. If anybody needs a good gift idea for me, this is a big hint. :)
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
, links to this post
The void is passing through the holes in my butterfly net
Flux
Flux
Everything flows through
Not the train my father welded
imprisoned on its rusty rails
slicing through flat desolate kansas plains
but the earth beneath it
and all its wormy insect secrets
and the sky above it
and all its circling buzzard beaks
eager for a taste of dead flesh
bare-willed with black opal eyes
ready to feast on highway martyrs
under the dying red sun of a living world
Molecules across a membrane
Is my soul
permeated by
the inbetween
encapsulated by time
momentum, heat, and matter
So there IS room for loneliness
Although not much
So I give it a
greater audience
And it tickles
my tearducts
as memories jump the fence
(hardly a dream now -
and the faces are fuzzy
but not their mystery)
and dance across my brain
Sitting at this end-of-line desk
in mid-June
shivering as unearthed
old dusty bathing beauties
and first kisses
faraway in small kansas towns
fading away slowly near the hot, flat, cracking
asphalt of
highway 81
I abandon the desolate dreams
Leave them screaming in the ditch
with the motor still running
They live or die under the same abyss as I
Traveling light through the days
Have they remembered me
as fondly?
Have I shed the need for continuity?
Have I drawn the veil
open
or closed?
How will I know when memories die?
The road is always a whisper
The burn of endless travel
pulling roots and baring them
to the setting sun
I Drive long
and never stop
As long as there are roads
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
, links to this post
Batman Begins Reaction: Spoiler-Free!
I'm one of those 'halfway' hardcore Batman fans. I started reading the comics around 1988. Once upon a time, Arkham Asylum was a NEW graphic novel awaiting my hungry eyes.
Years went by, and I lost my interest in comics. The story lines weakened, and the arrival of the Tim Burton Batman movies softened the tone of the ongoing arcs and resulted in an overabundance of utter garbage in the comic continuum. I respect the first two Batman movies for the artistry and timeliness. However, they got the Caped Crusader all wrong.
Finally, we have a portrayal of the Dark Knight I remember reading about. No more sappy, tongue-in-cheek silliness. No more style over substance. This is meaty, gritty Batman, and this amazing film embodies the heart and soul of what this comic was all about.
If you have been put off by comic book movies because of their overabundance of over-the-top cameos and half-baked plots, then I urge you to check out this latest installment of Batman. This is the benchmark for redefining a legacy. This is how it should have been done from the beginning.
My only criticism is for the cliché' lovey-dovey scene at the end, though I understand its usefulness (mainly because Batman really doesn't get an opportunity to talk to too many different people, and therefore it's somewhat difficult to actually tell an emotional tale without SOMEONE from his past to provide some commentary on his journey).
I only hope they finally turn Arkham Asylum into a film. Perhaps it would be too dark for the younger viewers, but it would make one of my biggest geekboy wet dreams come true.
-----------
Check out the web site for Corpse Bride, a new stop-motion animated film coming out later this year (and one of two Tim Burton movies this year. Don't forget Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Lastly, it's turning out to be a wonderful year for geeks. Here's a list of movies I'm aching to see this year. 20 total. As a side note: every time I go to the movie, it costs me roughly $16 in tickets and $8 in snacks. Multiply this 19 times and I get $456. This is my movie-going budget for 2005!
Now, The List:
Fantastic 4 (I predict it will be a 3-star event)
Serenity (I'm drooling at the bit!)
War of the Worlds
Land of the Dead (oh yeah, another Romero zombie flick!)
Undead (curious)
Dark Water (will it be good? Doubtful. But Jennifer Connelly's in it!)
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Yes!)
The Brothers Grimm (my most anticipated film of the year)
A Sound of Thunder (Ray Bradbury story)
The Libertine (second most anticipated film. Shane McGowan's in it!)
Corpse Bride (2 Tim Burton movies in one Summer! My head will explode!)
A History of Violence (Cronenberg is back)
Lord of War (Directed by Andrew Niccol. What more needs said?)
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit starring Wallace & Gromit (yay!)
The Legend of Zorro (I loved the last film.)
V for Vendetta (I hope it's as good as it looks)
Zathura (sort-of sequel to Jumanji - might be good)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
King Kong (will it be worthy?)
MirrorMask (Neil Gaiman)
Like I said, it's turning out to be a good year to be a geek. Two Tim Burton movies, the return of Romero, the arrival of GOOD Batman, new Doctor Who, a second season of Lost and BSG (fun so far!), and a slu of movies to spend all my hard working money on. I'll be starving, but happy!
And my friend Shane is slowly, subtly trying to reconvert me into a comic book collector. If that happens, I'll have to take a loan out or will my body to science! Sheesh!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Thursday, June 16, 2005,
, links to this post
Senate Apology - Necessary?
6/14/2005
I was impressed by the words of Obama and Kerry yesterday during the Senate Apology to Lynching Victims. As a 'progressive' American of mixed descent - Black Dutch, Irish, Cherokee - my instinctive reaction was to feel represented - and honored - that our Senate would assume the responsibility that previous congregations ignored. To at last respect the unquiet dead and officialize the Senate position, to begin a new healing process - instead of breeding an atmosphere that we would only have to apologize for in another 100 years.
However, given my experience in living in small 'white' towns across America, I question the power of those words to affect change where it needs to happen. Call my cynical, but I speculate that while the apology may be politically necessary, it is perhaps a little fruitless in the real world (can anybody say 'Granstanding?'). Also, a small part of me wonders whether it is the Senate's place to assume the responsibility for the sins of their predecessors at all (except that apparently there were around 20 Senators not in support of the apology - for whatever reason).
Let me quote a song by Minor Threat, a wonderful straight-edge hardcore band from the '80s of which Dischord Records and Fugazi emerged.
I'm sorry
For something I didn't do
Lynched somebody
But I didn't know who
You blame me
For slavery
A hundred years before I was born.
Healing gets to happen where it needs to happen. It always does, and that's the beauty of this planet and the hope in all our hearts. Meanwhile, humanity's darkest, basest acts of racism and hate continue to this day. We fight a "War onTerror" all over the planet, but rarely do we hear anything about eliminating the hatred and intolerance within our own borders, where it flourishes amid the war-loving, bloodthirsty, bumpersticker-crazy society we interact with every day. Will the Senate Apology kickstart a healing process in those places, or will it only make the 'racially tolerant' constituents feel warm and fuzzy about their comfortable belief system while the racial fire that stirs in the outlands of the far-right is heightened in spite of it?
After watching the apology last night, I couldn't help but wonder how many reactionary crosses were being burned. I couldn't help but think of all the ignorant, racicst people I grew up with in a dozen small towns. I couldn't help but feel nauseated by the fact that many people still fear and hate people of color, or creed, or sexual orientation. And these people are still out there. Raising their kids and grandkids in small towns all across the country to be just like them, or worse. Fucking clones of hate and stupidity. The planet is crawling with them.
When I was younger, I lived in a few of these small 'white' towns. In many of them, not a single person of color could be found, or else they simply avoided being in public for long. It's a frightening thing for a child to come from a 'big city' where the population is predominantly black to a small town where nearly everyone maintains an acceptable and verbal level of hatred for black people. Or homosexuals. Or anyone differn't. And because you are 'white,' people don't even think twice about tossing racial slurs around. What is a kid going to do against an entire town full of racists?
Racism is still a disease in this country. The apology may be politically necessary, but the solution to promoting awareness of unity is not up to the Senate. Or Congress. Or our illustrious king George. It's up to everyone on an individual level.
Lastly, what about the atrocities that our Government is committing right now? An apology is only as good as the follow-up. Let's clean up the whole back yard, not just the tool shed.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Tuesday, June 14, 2005,
, links to this post
Shut Down Guantanamo....
6/13/2005
Before Guantanamo shuts US down.
Prisoners are still protected by the Convention Against Torture AND by the Geneva Convention. Where the Geneva Convention protects the rights of Prisoners of War, the Convention Against Torture protects the rights of every man, woman and child against the use of Torture.
The Convention Against Torture also states that...
Each State Party shall take effective legislative, administrative, judicial or other measures to prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction.We have ratified this treaty. If we do not shut down Guantanamo, we continue to violate the ethics, the freedoms, the human rights we have sworn to protect and promote. Which means this "War on Terror" is a boldfaced lie. And it is A Fucking Lie.
And yes, there are children being held at Guantanamo. Too bad more US newspapers didn't pick up the story back in 2003.
The US military has admitted that children aged 16 years and younger are among the detainees being interrogated at its prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Insanity would be too kind a word to describe the mental states of our glorious leaders. Especially Vice President Dick Cheney, who has this to say:
"Those who most urgently advocate that we shut down Guantanamo probably don't agree with our policy anyway," the vice president said after presenting the Gerald R. Ford Foundation journalism awards at the National Press Club.It's ironic that he can say this very thing and then continue to pass out Journalism awards. I can think of so many apt analogies. But right now I'm too busy trying to keep my lunch down.
Now that you've put up with my post, go read this book. Then you'll know what being spitting angry really is like.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Monday, June 13, 2005,
, links to this post
Updates
6/12/2005
Finally got my gee-tar fixed!
I've discovered an interesting new little ritual that separates self-reliant accoustic guitarists from their bring-it-to-the-store-for-repairs bretheren. I had to fit a new nut (the 'bone' part at the top of the neck that holds the strings in place). Nobody told me they didn't come pre-fitted, and after a bit of self discovery I spent nearly 3 hours Sunday afternoon trimming it down with a saw and working it with my dremmel (sp?). Still not perfect, but it was my first.
If I had a digital camera, I'd post a pic. But I've no money for extra frills (paying for three web sites and a netflix habit is eating me alive already, but if ye observant reader wishes to assist, there is a PayPal link on my main page. You can send me a buck or two, or ten). I DO have a birthday coming up on Monday (June 13). So if anybody would like to surprise me with a nice (albeit belated) gift, send it here:
Novachild
PO Box 580651
Tulsa, OK 74158-0651
Or just order something off of my Amazon Wish List (see right).
Now I just gotta work up the guitar callouses again. Haven't played in about 3 years, so my strong grip and my rock-hard fingertips are all soft and pink and wimpy now. This is a minor 'renewal' in the daily struggle of Novachild, and I think my wife is more excited about it than I am! Nevertheless, a leaf is turned, and who knows where it will lead? Will I be the next Syd Barrett? Robyn Hitchcock? (insert silly laughter)
I've also been playing the djembe quite a bit lately, and sometime soon I hope to have my very own (13 or 14 inch, hand-carved from Ghana or wherever they come from). I love hand drumming, and I've been getting past the 'pure self expression' aspect and picking up some proper technique.
Spent all day yesterday at Saffron Coffee - Food - Art. Well, nearly all day. I showed up around 4:45, ordered some of their wonderful hummus and a quadruple-shot Cappuccino, then proceeded to bang out a little bit of poetry for my Tuesday and Thursday recitals. Jena, the owner, is a wonderful, beautiful, modest person that just makes everybody feel comfortable and taken care of. And she smiles a lot, which is unusual and amazing. My wife likes her, too, and she invited her to our big June Birthday party on Sunday, June 26. It should be a blast.
I want Saffron to last forever. So go. Spend money. Tell your friends. Please! It's the best!
Saffron has a journal that anyone can write in. It's sitting on their coffee table in the front. So I added a spontaneous poem to that as well. It was a day of words for me, and hanging out, and thinking and reflecting and getting away from the house. And just as I was thinking about leaving (around 9:00), when Chris and Gilbert arrived. I met them at Seeker's Gallery several weeks ago, and Chris actually works at Saffron. He also has some artwork hanging on the wall there, and Gilbert teaches art classes at the art gallery down the street. Nice guys. And Gilbert bought me a peice of Chocolate Cream Pie and a Mango Italian Soda. Yummy!
I love mini-vacations, and I love abundant life. It was a fucking brilliant day. I wonder what today will be like...
posted by novachild @ Sunday, June 12, 2005,
, links to this post
Doctor Who: Brief Overview of Boom Town
6/06/2005
For those of you who've managed to catch the last aired episode of Doctor Who, I just want to say: Wow! I wasn't expecting it to be so good!
SPOILERS BELOW
At last we have a very clear indication that the Doctor and Rose ARE having offworld adventures (her conversation with Mickey). I was beginning to wonder about this, and how it might have affected the future of 9th Doctor novels, whether or not they could be written as offworld stories. But now there is a reference, so apparently some time has passed between episodes. Esp. since Rose seems to be very comfortable (almost indecently so) with both men in the TARDIS (that little tongue against her tooth thing that she does ..... ).
Then there was the "Buy me a drink first" comment from the Doctor to Captain Jack (who I'm still not sure I like, though he has some charming moments). Russell T. Davies finally manages to slip in his bisexual reference to the Doctor, though it could be taken as nothing more than a cheeky comment (probably what they are hoping for in reference to the censors).
One thing I don't immediately like about the 'chemistry' of the Tardis crew: they are all interesting characters, and there were some truly charming scenes together, but I still have my doubts about Captain Jack as any sort of a role model for the kids watching. Not because he's bisexual, but because he seems to wear his hormones on his sleeve. And so does Rose in the last few eps. It's probably a little TOO sexy for the kids, but I'm sure they won't really mind. It's the adults that will have all the explaining to do, anyhow. Poor, poor adults.
I don't mean to say I'm AGAINST 'sexy.' No. Jack just doesn't come off as the 'dashing hero' the way the writers would have us accept him. Suddenly, he's got this amazing rapport with the Doctor and Rose, and we really haven't seen any of the relationship development between the characters.
I did like the tension with the Slitheen in those Tardis scenes, after the Doctor announced that her impending death sentence was her problem. I felt pity for her, and it was a fitting end for the TARDIS to reverse her biological journey so they could drop the egg off in a nice little hatchery somewhere.
I LOVED the restaurant scene. That was probably some of the finest charm the series has offered so far. So funny.
I really wish they would show Mickey as something more than a blundering idiot. Why give such a whiny dork so much screen time - just to have the Doctor (and yes, Mickey himself) tear down his character every chance they get? It doesn't make sense. A small part of me LIKES Mickey. Because at least he is sincere with his emotions, unlike the current Doctor, who has a lot of himself to work out and only 2 episodes to do it in. All in all, Mickey is probably the only character on the show that is 100% sincere. He isn't afraid to be who he is, even if that means being a coward. So, in a sense, he is the most realistic role model for the kids watching. And that's what I hate about it.
Maybe they're turning Mickey into Wesley Wyndham-Price? He started out as a big dork that nobody liked, then turned into perhaps my favorite character on Angel. Just a thought (kind of a hopeful thought).
Anyhow, very enjoyable ep. The downturn has swung up with these last few episodes, I think. This was nearly as good as Dalek!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Monday, June 06, 2005,
, links to this post
Quick Thought...
6/03/2005
Someone, please let me know when it's ok to say "I told you so."
Downing Street Memo, Amnesty International, Red Cross Reports. We don't have a smoking gun. We have a steaming army of fired weaponry, and still the neocons are wiping their ass with the truth and living in a fucking fantasyland.
During Nazi Germany, several concentration camps were situated near Polish cities. The inhabitants of those cities knew what was happening and continued to live in their world of stubborn denial. This is what the current White House staff would have us all do.
Even though it was their moral duty to stand up, they chose to do nothing - out of fear, and accepting lies as truth to make life easier for them. In the end, many inhabitants of these cities were lined up by US Soldiers and forced to clean up their mess. This is what is going to happen to us, sooner or later, unless we try to put a stop to this madness.
"Absurd" is the right word, Mr. President. But only for your self-serving, soulless agenda.
posted by Edward Svengali @ Friday, June 03, 2005,
, links to this post
Bush Learns a New Word
6/01/2005
President Bush discovers a new word and hangs onto it for dear life.
President Bush said yesterday that it is "absurd" to compare the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay to the gulags run by the former Soviet Union.
Guess he hasn't read the reports, the books, the eyewitness accounts, the Red Cross memos, etc. It's so amazing how our illustrious leader can maintain the fictitious reality inside of his head under so much smoking-gun evidence. What a bastard.
And Sony gives me (yet again) another reason to stop buying CDs. Thwarting "Schoolyard Piracy?" Now even the 6th Graders are corporate terrorists. Let's arm the teachers next! Woo hoo!
posted by Edward Svengali @ Wednesday, June 01, 2005,
, links to this post
