A man was rushed to hospital in Britain with severe internal injuries after trying to launch a powerful firework from his bottom, an ambulance service spokesman said...He is now recovering in a Sunderland hospital after sustaining internal injuries including a scorched colon.
Nov 9, 2006
You can’t make stuff like this up:
Just for fun.
Every once in awhile I’ll just play around a bit to stretch the muscles so to speak. Sometiems, I’m not exactly sure if that’s a good thing (Jack of all trades and the like). Still, I see today how much things have changed and continue in graphics and comics over the last decade or so. I find it amazing how rapid and complete that change has been.
Way back when, I managed to do a few coloring jobs for Marvel but, it was long before the advent of Photoshop even (I think at the time Letraset hadn’t even released Colorstudio). Just me, a bunch of xeroxed pages, Dr. Martin’s dyes and that was it. Even getting additional copies was a bit of a chore.
In the back of my mind I always think about doing comics again some day so, when I saw this illo up on Mike Wieringo's blog I thought I would play around some and see how it came out:
Every once in awhile I’ll just play around a bit to stretch the muscles so to speak. Sometiems, I’m not exactly sure if that’s a good thing (Jack of all trades and the like). Still, I see today how much things have changed and continue in graphics and comics over the last decade or so. I find it amazing how rapid and complete that change has been.
Way back when, I managed to do a few coloring jobs for Marvel but, it was long before the advent of Photoshop even (I think at the time Letraset hadn’t even released Colorstudio). Just me, a bunch of xeroxed pages, Dr. Martin’s dyes and that was it. Even getting additional copies was a bit of a chore.
In the back of my mind I always think about doing comics again some day so, when I saw this illo up on Mike Wieringo's blog I thought I would play around some and see how it came out:
What you say you want but, what you really choose.
I have always been amazed at the litany of complaints from some quarters in regard to the dearth of good men in the world. Do the ladies want good men? No! Good men are boring! They work, keep jobs, support their families... what’s interesting, exciting or sexy about that?
There always seems to be a constant parade on daytime TV of poor women being victimized by bad men. So much so, I think about half the current broadcast schedule would go away if bad men didn’t exist. Yes, it’s all about good women and bad choices (read men). Men who are dangerous, exciting, wild. Men who elicit passion in those of the fairer sex. Men who are fixer uppers, men with drinking problems, men who run from responsibility, bad boys, bad boys what you gonna do?
In another illustration of this, let’s just take the example of LOST shall we? Two handsome male leads on the show, Jack and Sawyer - the object of a great deal of female attention and in the press, much has been made of the love triangle between three leads Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Who would Kate decide on at the end of the day, who would she give her heart to?
Well, as of this writing, the show is in its third season, the Losties have been on an island for somewhere between two and three months and how does the old scorecard tally up?
Sawyer 2 • Jack 0
Ana Lucia threw herself at Sawyer last season and Kate finally made her decision in tonight’s episode for a cage match with the shady Sawyer. Meanwhile, intrepid Doctor Jack? Lots of flirting but, no payoff. Carlos Mencia did a bit about this recently too and I’ll be damned if he wasn’t right. Just curious is all.
I have always been amazed at the litany of complaints from some quarters in regard to the dearth of good men in the world. Do the ladies want good men? No! Good men are boring! They work, keep jobs, support their families... what’s interesting, exciting or sexy about that?
There always seems to be a constant parade on daytime TV of poor women being victimized by bad men. So much so, I think about half the current broadcast schedule would go away if bad men didn’t exist. Yes, it’s all about good women and bad choices (read men). Men who are dangerous, exciting, wild. Men who elicit passion in those of the fairer sex. Men who are fixer uppers, men with drinking problems, men who run from responsibility, bad boys, bad boys what you gonna do?
In another illustration of this, let’s just take the example of LOST shall we? Two handsome male leads on the show, Jack and Sawyer - the object of a great deal of female attention and in the press, much has been made of the love triangle between three leads Jack, Kate and Sawyer. Who would Kate decide on at the end of the day, who would she give her heart to?
Well, as of this writing, the show is in its third season, the Losties have been on an island for somewhere between two and three months and how does the old scorecard tally up?
Ana Lucia threw herself at Sawyer last season and Kate finally made her decision in tonight’s episode for a cage match with the shady Sawyer. Meanwhile, intrepid Doctor Jack? Lots of flirting but, no payoff. Carlos Mencia did a bit about this recently too and I’ll be damned if he wasn’t right. Just curious is all.
Nov 8, 2006
Laughable.
Perhaps the funniest moment in the whole post-election glad handing is this snippet appearing today:
What does this illustrate?
Basically what it comes down to is we shouldn’t point to global public opinion as a factor in determining who we vote for. While it’s nice to be popular among the nations of the world at the end of the day our government and our nation’s people should be motivated first about making our own nation a better place. Our foreign policy should never be dictated by the whims of other nations.
The global community is not beholden to US laws and restrictions and while the US may be painted out to be some lumbering and clumsy giant, the world could in fact be a lot worse off without a strong United States. Listening to government officials in China, Pakistan or France go on about how our government needs to desperately reform is more than a little ironic.
People who point to world public opinion are näive at best, and blind to the realities on the ground in many other places around the world. The fact there are people in other nations hemming and hawing about the results of the midterm election and how it will negatively affect their dealings with our country should only illustrate how we cannot be swayed by public opinion which isn’t motivated by our own best interest.
Like the man in the song sang, “You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.”
Perhaps the funniest moment in the whole post-election glad handing is this snippet appearing today:
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen told broadcaster TV2 he hoped that the president and the new Congress would find “common ground on questions about Iraq and Afghanistan.”
“The world needs a vigorous U.S.A.,” Fogh Rasmussen said.
Some also worried that Democrats, who have a reputation for being more protective of U.S. jobs going overseas, will make it harder to achieve a global free trade accord.
The accord, said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, “is very important for the future of trans-Atlantic relations.”
And in China, some feared the resurgence of the Democrats would increase tension over human rights and trade and labor issues. China’s surging economy has a massive trade surplus with the United States.
“The Democratic Party… will protect the interests of small and medium American enterprises and labor and that could produce an impact on China-U.S. trade relations,” Zhang Guoqing of the state-run Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a report on Sina.com, a popular Chinese Internet portal.
What does this illustrate?
Basically what it comes down to is we shouldn’t point to global public opinion as a factor in determining who we vote for. While it’s nice to be popular among the nations of the world at the end of the day our government and our nation’s people should be motivated first about making our own nation a better place. Our foreign policy should never be dictated by the whims of other nations.
The global community is not beholden to US laws and restrictions and while the US may be painted out to be some lumbering and clumsy giant, the world could in fact be a lot worse off without a strong United States. Listening to government officials in China, Pakistan or France go on about how our government needs to desperately reform is more than a little ironic.
People who point to world public opinion are näive at best, and blind to the realities on the ground in many other places around the world. The fact there are people in other nations hemming and hawing about the results of the midterm election and how it will negatively affect their dealings with our country should only illustrate how we cannot be swayed by public opinion which isn’t motivated by our own best interest.
Like the man in the song sang, “You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.”
Nov 7, 2006
An election day joke.
Passed along to me by Daniel but, which bought a chuckle:
Passed along to me by Daniel but, which bought a chuckle:
United States Soldier was attending some college courses between assignments. He had completed missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. One of the courses had a professor who was an avowed atheist and a member of the ACLU.
One day the professor shocked the class when he came in. He looked to the ceiling and flatly stated, “God, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes.” The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by and the professor proclaimed, “Here I am God. I’m still waiting.”
It got down to the last couple of minutes when the Soldier got out of his chair, went up to the professor, and cold-cocked him knocking him off the platform. The professor was out cold. The Soldier went back to his seat and sat there, silently.
The other students were shocked and stunned and sat there looking on in silence.
The professor eventually came to, noticeably shaken, looked at the Soldier and asked, “What the hell is the matter with you? Why did you do that?”
The Soldier calmly replied, “God was too busy today protecting America’s soldiers who are protecting your right to say stupid shit and act like an asshole… So, He sent me.”
Nov 6, 2006
A poem for a Monday morning.
I was doing the iTunes thing again and making my way through the buildup of podcasts I have subscribed to.
One of the things I have been enjoying is Garrison Keilor’s - The Writer’s Almanac. It’s something I enjoy when I catch it but, I am not quite sure when it is broadcast (turns out it is broadcast locally on WNYC-FM, 93.9 every weekday at 8:00 PM. If you want to find out when the show is broadcast in your area, look here.
The poem is also featured in Keilor’s book - Good Poems for Hard Times.
I thought I would pass the poem along “My Father Gets Up in the Middle of the Night to Watch an Old Movie” by Dennis Trudell from Marquees of Buffalo.
I was doing the iTunes thing again and making my way through the buildup of podcasts I have subscribed to.
One of the things I have been enjoying is Garrison Keilor’s - The Writer’s Almanac. It’s something I enjoy when I catch it but, I am not quite sure when it is broadcast (turns out it is broadcast locally on WNYC-FM, 93.9 every weekday at 8:00 PM. If you want to find out when the show is broadcast in your area, look here.
The poem is also featured in Keilor’s book - Good Poems for Hard Times.
I thought I would pass the poem along “My Father Gets Up in the Middle of the Night to Watch an Old Movie” by Dennis Trudell from Marquees of Buffalo.
My Father Gets Up in the Middle of the Night to Watch an Old Movie.
On cable television. Because he can’t sleep.
My father gets up in the middle of the night
to watch an old movie on cable television—
because he can’t sleep. He has done this before.
He will do it again, and sometimes he eats
cookies. My father eating cookies and watching
an old movie again because he can’t sleep.
He is eighty-seven years old. He lives alone.
Because my mother died… and sometimes he looks
at her absence on the black sofa. My father
turning back to the movie on cable television,
eating another cookie. The movie has a name,
but he doesn’t know it. My mother died—
because this is not a movie with a happy
ending. Or any ending. My father returns
to bed and goes to sleep. Or does not,
and then later sleeps. The television reflects
the lamp he leaves on… the black sofa.
Reflects an old mirror behind the sofa—
Nov 5, 2006
In case you thought you were safe.
I came across this article which is a couple of months old but, still worth reading:
I came across this article which is a couple of months old but, still worth reading:
While Apple is pretty good at patching its systems—in fact, Apple has just released 20 new patches for OS X, including those exploited by the Leap.a virus—the latest patches do not completely address the concerns of one security researcher. By creating three proof-of-concept worms last week, Kevin Finisterre started a public dialogue over Mac OS X security. But he also opened a Pandora's box, giving script kiddies techniques that could be used in future Mac OS X viruses.
Nov 4, 2006
Nov 3, 2006
Are you perfect?
Recently I was forwarded a film by a friend on Flickr. It was an interesting short film, played backwards it showed the person undergoing a transformation from a sparkly, glittery creature to a groggy, sleepy eyed one.
You can watch the film from my friend Sandra here.
I imagine I responded differently than most because the thing that appealed to me about the film more than anything else, was the creature at the end of the piece. This would probably contradict the idea most women would suppose the response of most men to be.
However, what occurred to me in that moment was the great joy I have derived from having the companionship of a women sharing my life with me. Honestly, I thought about my last companion who I thought was the most beautiful creature and how much I delighted in being ‘behind the curtain’ so to speak.
In other words, there was a great joy in being able to live a life with someone without them having on their mask.
Nobody is perfect, even the most beautiful among us and one of the great comforts of relationships is being able to allow yourself to be who you are without artifice. It made me think of that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the Wizard says, ‘DON’T PAY ANY MIND TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!’ Every one of us has that person behind the curtain, no matter what we may present to the world at large.
A few days later, I got a link to this short which you’ve probably seen it as it got a fairly decent amount of coverage in the news a few days after I received it. Part of a campaign for Dove (soap I believe), it shows just what has to happen for the ideal of beauty to be achieved and how that image is so very askew from the reality.
Watch it here: Campaign For Real Beauty.
There have been moments in the past where the ‘image of beauty’ has been taken out and exposed as the ugly lie it really is but, will it change things? I doubt it and that’s a bit of a shame.
Recently I was forwarded a film by a friend on Flickr. It was an interesting short film, played backwards it showed the person undergoing a transformation from a sparkly, glittery creature to a groggy, sleepy eyed one.
You can watch the film from my friend Sandra here.
I imagine I responded differently than most because the thing that appealed to me about the film more than anything else, was the creature at the end of the piece. This would probably contradict the idea most women would suppose the response of most men to be.
However, what occurred to me in that moment was the great joy I have derived from having the companionship of a women sharing my life with me. Honestly, I thought about my last companion who I thought was the most beautiful creature and how much I delighted in being ‘behind the curtain’ so to speak.
In other words, there was a great joy in being able to live a life with someone without them having on their mask.
Nobody is perfect, even the most beautiful among us and one of the great comforts of relationships is being able to allow yourself to be who you are without artifice. It made me think of that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the Wizard says, ‘DON’T PAY ANY MIND TO THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!’ Every one of us has that person behind the curtain, no matter what we may present to the world at large.
A few days later, I got a link to this short which you’ve probably seen it as it got a fairly decent amount of coverage in the news a few days after I received it. Part of a campaign for Dove (soap I believe), it shows just what has to happen for the ideal of beauty to be achieved and how that image is so very askew from the reality.
Watch it here: Campaign For Real Beauty.
There have been moments in the past where the ‘image of beauty’ has been taken out and exposed as the ugly lie it really is but, will it change things? I doubt it and that’s a bit of a shame.
Friday cat blogging.
It doesn’t matter if I am surfing the net, writing, working on the computer or watching TV (or any combination of all three). Now that the cold weather has set in, nothing will stand in the way of Anna as she seeks out nice, warm spots to cozy up in and take a nap. Her utter lack of regard in this instance is one of the things I love about the little beastie!
It doesn’t matter if I am surfing the net, writing, working on the computer or watching TV (or any combination of all three). Now that the cold weather has set in, nothing will stand in the way of Anna as she seeks out nice, warm spots to cozy up in and take a nap. Her utter lack of regard in this instance is one of the things I love about the little beastie!
Nov 1, 2006
I AM JUST SO MAD!
They killed off Mr. Eko! I had really grown to like his character.
Speaking of which Mike Wieringo does these great drawings each and every day up on his blog. They’re his warmup sketches (Man! I wish I could draw as good as his warmups are!).
He did Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Locke and of course the late Mr. Eko. Check ’em out!
They killed off Mr. Eko! I had really grown to like his character.
Speaking of which Mike Wieringo does these great drawings each and every day up on his blog. They’re his warmup sketches (Man! I wish I could draw as good as his warmups are!).
He did Kate, Sawyer, Jack, Locke and of course the late Mr. Eko. Check ’em out!
Oct 31, 2006
It’s time to take up smoking.
So, I realize it finally is time to take up smoking again. I gave up cigarettes a long, long time ago but, over the last few years it has occurred to me taken up the filthy habit as it might not be so bad after all.
See, I’ve been working a little bit lately and there is nothing I love more than the smoker’s excuse of popping off to have a cigarette. How it possibly became socially acceptable for someone to get up from their work area and just disappear for 20 to 30 minutes at a time three to five times a day never ceases to amaze me. What I love about it, is the fact if you substituted any other drug for tobacco and in the context of this kind of behavior it would be grounds for getting your ass canned.
Think about it.
‘Hey, I’m going to go downstairs and down a fifth!’ or ‘Excuse me, I’ve just got to take a break so I can go and shoot up.’
Here’s the plain English for the situation (smoker speaking) - I have an addiction and bad impulse control, consequently I want the world to accommodate me while I indulge in my addiction. Also, even though my addiction takes me away from my responsibilities for a prolonged time each and every day, I feel it is my right to still be compensated for that time when I am away from my desk indulging in my addiction. I thoroughly expect those around me to pick up the slack for my absences while I am off indulging in my jones for tobacco.
I was a smoker so, it’s not like I don’t have some sympathy but, there comes a point when the whole ‘smoking break’ just becomes absolutely ridiculous. I mean, I probably wouldn’t have as much of a problem with it if it were also as socially acceptable for me to just get up and walk away for a big block of time several times throughout the course of a day and no one would even raise an eyebrow.
But then, that’s just me. What do you think?
So, I realize it finally is time to take up smoking again. I gave up cigarettes a long, long time ago but, over the last few years it has occurred to me taken up the filthy habit as it might not be so bad after all.
See, I’ve been working a little bit lately and there is nothing I love more than the smoker’s excuse of popping off to have a cigarette. How it possibly became socially acceptable for someone to get up from their work area and just disappear for 20 to 30 minutes at a time three to five times a day never ceases to amaze me. What I love about it, is the fact if you substituted any other drug for tobacco and in the context of this kind of behavior it would be grounds for getting your ass canned.
Think about it.
‘Hey, I’m going to go downstairs and down a fifth!’ or ‘Excuse me, I’ve just got to take a break so I can go and shoot up.’
Here’s the plain English for the situation (smoker speaking) - I have an addiction and bad impulse control, consequently I want the world to accommodate me while I indulge in my addiction. Also, even though my addiction takes me away from my responsibilities for a prolonged time each and every day, I feel it is my right to still be compensated for that time when I am away from my desk indulging in my addiction. I thoroughly expect those around me to pick up the slack for my absences while I am off indulging in my jones for tobacco.
I was a smoker so, it’s not like I don’t have some sympathy but, there comes a point when the whole ‘smoking break’ just becomes absolutely ridiculous. I mean, I probably wouldn’t have as much of a problem with it if it were also as socially acceptable for me to just get up and walk away for a big block of time several times throughout the course of a day and no one would even raise an eyebrow.
But then, that’s just me. What do you think?
Oct 25, 2006
Is this guy selling TVs?!?
Of course not!
He’s one of the most important animated characters to ever come down the road but, I imagine if you’re under the age of say about 25 (maybe even slightly older) you won’t know who this guy is and why he’s important. If you’re in my age bracket, you can probably smile inwardly because you can remember a stretch of time when this guy was inescapable. In some ways, I might even consider him to be the grandfather of Shreck and a whole bunch of other animated characters we are all so familiar with in movies today.
Of course not!
He’s one of the most important animated characters to ever come down the road but, I imagine if you’re under the age of say about 25 (maybe even slightly older) you won’t know who this guy is and why he’s important. If you’re in my age bracket, you can probably smile inwardly because you can remember a stretch of time when this guy was inescapable. In some ways, I might even consider him to be the grandfather of Shreck and a whole bunch of other animated characters we are all so familiar with in movies today.
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