Legitimately unnecessary

Some random observations on the best and the worst aspects on the biggest Sunday in sports.

- The best thing about the Super Bowl was that the Patriots lost. It is because of the Pats loss, I can still watch football. If they'd won, there would be no reason for me to watch football ever again. If they'd won, no matter what they did, they could never be better, only just as good. With the loss, they still have something to strive for. The worst thing about it was that the team that beat them happens to be from New York.

- What the Super Bowl commercials proved is that, while there was once a so-called golden age of television advertising, tv is definitely not experiencing a renaissance right now.

- Was it really that cold in Phoenix that the stadium's retractable roof had to be closed? I mean, come on pussies.

- The best thing about the all-day pre-game buildup was Animal Channel's Puppy Bowl. The best thing about the Puppy Bowl itself was a three-month-old, 44-lb. Alaskan Malamute named Bruin . The worst thing about Puppy Bowl IV was their cat halftime show, which is both straight up discriminatory and wrong.

Currently reading : The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell’s Secret By Seth Shulman Release date: 07 January, 2008

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Sr. Pantalones del Chapoteo

Who is Mr. Splashy Pants?

It's a humpback whale that got a new name, thanks to a Greenpeace campaign. In its efforts to get some needed support for its Great Whale Trail Expedition, a particular humpback whale in danger of possibly being killed by the Japanese Fisheries Agency, which is planning to kill 50 humpback whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

There's nothing that helps to get people riled for a campaign than putting a name to a face. So when this really cool humpback whale found itself in need of a name, Greenpeace left it up to the community to think of one for him.

Even if Mr. Splashy Pants isn't the name that Greenpeace would have chosen had it picked its own name for the whale, Greenpeace took a risk in turning the name-game over to the community. And that means coming out with a name like Mr. Splashy Pants.

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/whaling/great-whale-trail/mrsplashypants

Currently reading : Of Love And Other Demons (Penguin Great Books of the 20th Century) By Gabriel Garcia Marquez Release date: 01 June, 1996

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Something cool that Xerox is doing
Current mood: artistic

If you go to this web site,

http://www.letssaythanks.com/

you can pick out a thankyou card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't personally pick who recieves it, however it does go to some deserving member in any and all branches of the armed services.

How GREAT would it be if we could get everyone to send one? This is really an awesome site.

Please send a card. I did. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be cool if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Regardless of whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we havn't forget them this Christmas.

Currently listening : Twin Cinema By The New Pornographers Release date: 23 August, 2005

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Public service announcement

If you are one or more of the following:

old, behind-the-times, slow, prone to nitpicking, a one-armed broodmare, challenged, carry nothing but change, write two-party out-of-state bad checks, blind, chatty, queen of coupons, non-English or Spanish speaking, forgetful, service-oriented, intoxicated, heavily medicated, indecisive, vegan, easily distracted, or the bulb is just not that bright...

Please do NOT use the self check-out scanners at the store. It's an express lane. Any representatives of the list above will invariably take the "express" right out of the lane. Please, for the sake of society, use the lane with the helper right there to guide you through the difficult experience of making minor purchases. You'll make the world a better and more logical place and maybe even lower my blood-pressure.

Currently reading : The Sunset Limited By Cormac McCarthy Release date: 24 October, 2006

9:17 AM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

cursed miss opportunities
Current mood: optimistic

as coldplay says: "confusion never stops. closing walls and ticking clocks are gonna come back and take you home. i could not stop that you know now. come out upon my seas. cursed missed opportunities."

don't get so caught up in the confusion and blur of life that you forget to live in the moment with those around you. sure think about the future, plan for it even. but don't lose yourself in it. you are who you are right now in this moment. experience it. live it. enjoy it. these are times you never get back. and if you miss out on opportunities because all you can see is what might happen 10 years from now, you could be closing the door on great friendships, relationships, and happiness. so i say, throw caution to the wind. cherish every second and make the most of it. you want something, freakin take it. love your friends, and your family. live and laugh with those you love and save your memories in your heart.

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*****PLEASE READ TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS******

Throughout the night sobs can be heard from tents in Gulu, Uganda. These sobs are rendered from the mouths of thousands of children that are gathered in a government military camp. Every night, these children leave their homes and make the long journey to the nearest city centers in order to avoid being kidnapped in the night. Soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) attack nearby villages and steal supplies, murder villagers, ransack houses, and worst of all; kidnap children and coerce them into becoming soldiers. One must wonder, why is this happening, how is it effecting Uganda, and what is being done to resolve the issue?
The Lord’s Resistance Army has been wreaking havoc in Uganda since 1986, and is “led by Joseph Kony, a self-styled Christian Prophet” (Raffaele). The rebel force was originally started as a coup to overthrow, President Yoweri Museveni. Kony believed that Musevini was biased and treated northern Uganda unfairly, and thus he gathered a group of supporters and began terrorizing the country. However, “the movement eventually lost steam and Kony became enraged at his own people for abandoning the cause” (Amber). The main focus of Kony’s force is to destroy northern Uganda and wreak as much havoc as possible. Rory Anderson states that “instead of fighting Museveni, which was the original mission, Kony began to see himself as a divine tool of correction against his own people. He felt the people of the north had turned their back on his movement, and now he was going to punish them" (qtd. in Amber).
“The LRA has captured and enslaved more than 20,000 children, most under age 13, U.N. officials say” (Raffaele). Some believe the number could be as high as 30,000. These children are living in a hellish nightmare where they are forced to do some of the most heinous acts imaginable. “Kony and his foot soldiers have raped many of the girls…and brutally forced the boys to serve as guerrilla soldiers” (Raffaele). As soldiers, the children, ranging in age from five to seventeen, are often used as canon fodder. They are expendable in the eyes of the LRA, yet they make up almost 90 percent of their force (Talwar). The children commit many atrocities including murdering their families and executing other children who attempt to escape. These killings are never quick; they are always violent and gruesome. One boy recounts, “as the rebels prepared to break camp one night, a pair of 5-year-old boys complained that they were too tired to walk. ‘The commander got another young boy with a panga [machete] to kill them,’…he was forced to collect the blood of a murdered child and warm it in a saucepan over a fire. He was told to drink it or be killed” (Raffaele). Other incidents are just as brutal, “LRA fighters, in a trademark mutilation, cut off the lips, ears and fingers of a camp dweller two miles from the city center. His apparent crime was wearing the kind of rubber boots favored by government soldiers, arousing LRA suspicion that he might be one himself” (Raffaele). The LRA uses scare tactics in order to brainwash children into becoming loyal soldiers, “new recruits are made to kill adults, drink blood, or sleep next to dead bodies. Agnes, who looked on in horror as the rebels beheaded an old man, was then ordered to carry the man's head” (Amber). After committing these horrendous deeds, the children believe that it is impossible for them to return to society because they will be arrested and put to death for the acts. Thus, they stay in the LRA due to fear of reprisal and death. In the twenty years that the movement has been in power, it is estimated that 15,000 children have escaped. Those that escape are sent to a rehabilitation center where they undergo intense therapy. It is a misconception to believe that all the children in the LRA are kidnapped, although the majority is; however, some join willingly. The few that join on their own join because they feel it is their only choice. They have no home, no money, no education, and in their eyes, no future.
Schools, businesses, even hospitals, have shut down across the country due to a lack of workforce. “The LRA's terror tactics and the bloody clashes between the rebels and the army have caused 1.6 million people, or about 90 percent of northern Uganda's population, to flee their homes and become refugees in their own country. These "internally displaced" Ugandans have been ordered to settle in squalid government camps, where malnutrition, disease, crime and violence are common” (Raffaele). The Ugandan economy has suffered greatly since the onslaught of Kony’s coup. With no workforce and no one to buy products, it is no wonder that the economy is failing. “Deep poverty is the rule. With a per capita income of $240, Uganda is among the world's poorest countries, with 44 percent of citizens living below the national poverty line. The nation ranks 146th out of 177 countries on the U.N.'s Human Development Index” (Raffaele). Many believe that things will only worsen as time goes by due to the impact the LRA has had on the nation’s children. The child soldiers who survive, suffer from severe psychological problems and have no education, and thus are limited in their ability to be a positive addition to a workforce. The extreme poverty in Uganda has helped fuel the LRA movement. The number of children joining the rebel group on their own is steadily increasing. Lack of education, future prospects, and familial security are the leading causes for this action.
As time goes by, one thing is sure; things will only get worse, unless the world takes notice and starts helping to resolve the issue. Recently, the media has begun to shed some light on the war strewn country. The United Nations is taking steps to help form international laws that would protect children and ensure the punishment of persons who violate those laws (Talwar). The major obstacle is the enforcement of these laws. Often times, the government does not have the power to impose these laws or the means to see them upheld. Nor do they possess the resources to know when the laws are being broken or by whom. Other steps are being taken though; UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is sending supplies to feed the malnourished children (Raffaele). Furthermore, rescue workers are arriving everyday. Their job is to deal with the children that escape the LRA and to protect those that have not yet been kidnapped. Though the United Nations is trying to turn things around, it may not be enough. The people of Uganda and the rest of the world must come together and overcome the LRA, and the many other groups just like them that are present in the world.

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Bibliography
Amber, Jeannine. “Abduction of Innocents.” Essence 35.8 (2004): 172 . SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Piedmont Virginia Community College Lib., 2 December 2005 .
Raffaele, Paul. “Uganda: The Horror.” Smithsonian 35.11 (2005): 90-99. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Piedmont Virginia Community College Lib., 2 December 2005 .
Talwar, Namrita. “10 Stories the World Should Hear More About.” UN Chronicle 41.2 (2004):7-19. SIRS Researcher. SIRS Knowledge Source. Piedmont Virginia Community College Lib., 2 December 2005 .


here are some pictures of just a few of the thousands of child soldiers in Uganda, many of the pictures were too graphic to put in this blog:






Help these children by getting involved and with a simple google search you can easily find and contact your Congressman, Senator, and President as well as the United Nations and other peace keeping organizations mentioned above and asking them to do more to bring much needed attention to this issue and to put a stop to these atrocities.

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who have you inspired lately?

hey check this out and be inspired..

I still remember the joy I got out of drawing, painting and building a world of my own when I was a child. I was free. I try to recapture that feeling I had making art as a child and to believe in magic, to play, to dream. Children see things and feel things that adults don’t.

As an adult, there are many barriers to being in this creative state of mind. I feel constantly challenged by these barriers. It is very difficut to let go of responsibilities and enter a creative fantasyland. It’s hard to stop looking at the clock and our bills. It’s hard not to drown in relationship problems and all the negative thoughts that deflate our motivation to create. If you can summon the strength to get past all these things and trust your heart, creativity can be miraculous. You can be transported to another existence.

There are two very different parts to the brain. There is the logical side and the creative side. To make art you have to stop thinking in a linear way. You have to bring to life the part of your brain that finds mystical wonder in life and nature. There is a part of your soul that can spend hours admiring the subtle colors and shapes in an old raccoon skull. You have to find the particular things that bring out your spirit. It may be to get up at the crack of dawn to explore the flea market in search of treasure. Perhaps light incense and listen to music that would embarrass you if anyone knew about, and wonder about alchemy, astrology and the secrets of the universe. It is the part of your spirit that still feels like a kid, and is awe-inspired and fascinated by the world.

My goal in art is to get past literal conscious thought and try to let my uninhibited subconscious mind make my art. I can feel it when this is working. I have heard many artists describe the same feeling. Some think it is the hand of God using them as an instrument of creation. Some describe it as the creative energizing force that permeates all nature creating through them. It is like being helped by some unknown mysterious force, Anima Mundi, the Spirit of the Universe.

You must trust your subconscious and the unknown sources it can tap into. There is so much for our minds to sort out. Millions of images and thoughts spinning around. If it were all there right the front of your conscious thinking your head would explode. My subconscious mysteriously sorts through this sea of thoughts and images and somehow synthesizes pieces from here and there and brings together paintings. They are the exclusive product of my unique mind. There is only one of each of us and our visions are the special product of our experiences and special unique thoughts.

I am drawn towards certain images and icons with a strong instinct. I feel I just have to paint certain things. I try not to question that. I can get just as much inspiration from a classical painting by Jacques-Louis David as a comic book cover by Daniel Clowes. I try to not judge one to be more legitimate than the other. The mystified gaze of a Keane girl can provide as much inspiration as the penetrating stare of a Rembrandt portrait.

I find it so much easier to be creatively free at night. Daytime is for sleeping. Nighttime is the best time for making art. The later at night it gets the further into another world you go. A few years ago while working very late one night, the distinct smell walnuts in the air broke my concentration. It was very quiet. A strange breeze gently blew through my studio. I suddenly became aware of something on my shoulder. Surprisingly, I was not startled to find a wee Abraham Lincoln sitting right there on my shoulder. We looked at each other for just a moment. Then he very softly whispered in my ear “paint meat.”

- Mark Ryden

12:38 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Moving On...

When Time, who steals our years away,

Shall steal our pleasures, too,

The memory of the past will stay,

And half of our joys renew.

-Thomas Moore, Song

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its like mad libs

DO THIS
I KNOW YOU WANT TO

01] I _____ scott
02] scott is _____.
03] If I were alone in a room with scott I would _____.
04] I think scott should _____.
05] scott needs _____.
06] I want to _____ scott
07] Someday scott will ___.
08] scott reminds me of _____.
09] Without scott _____.
10] My memories of scott are _____.
11] scott can be _____.
12] The worst thing about scott is _____.
13] The best thing about scott is _____.
14] I am _____ with scott
15] One thing i would like to know about scott is

Currently listening : Raw Power By Iggy & the Stooges Release date: 22 April, 1997

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