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Saturday, July 10, 2010

A Constitutional Coup in the Netherlands

Geert Wilders’ political party, the PVV (Party for Freedom) won substantial gains in last month’s elections in the Netherlands, in particular drawing support away from the Christian Democrats (CDA). If the Netherlands were a normal parliamentary democracy, post-election negotiations would have led to the inclusion of the PVV in a new government, and cabinet seats for members of the party.

But the Netherlands is not a normal parliamentary democracy, not when faced with the possibility that an “Islamophobe” like Mr. Wilders might be a member of the cabinet. If there is one thing that unites all the other Dutch political parties, it is an absolute determination that the PVV must not be included in any governing coalition. To ensure this outcome, any other configuration of parties is acceptable — what would it matter if the “conservative” VVD were to join forces with the Communists, so long as Geert Wilders would thereby be kept from gaining any seat in the government?

To create a cordon sanitaire against the PVV, the elite oligarchy that wields the real power in the Netherlands — the Queen and the three major parties — has resorted to some blatant extra-constitutional shenanigans during the procedure leading up to the formation of the new government. Our Flemish correspondent VH has compiled a report about the recent sausage-making process in the Hague, and includes this brief introduction to help non-Dutch readers find their way through the maze of political maneuvering:

The left wing within the CDA [Christian Democrats] — among them the former Waffen-SS volunteer Willem Aantjes, the anti-Semite former Prime Minister Andries van Agt and the anti-Wilders campaigner Doekle Terpstra — refuses to even talk with the PVV to research possibilities for forming a VVD-PVV-CDA cabinet. Thus the information round instantly moved to “Plan B”: a cabinet with the VVD [center-right] and three left-wing parties, the PvdA [Labour Party, Socialists], D66 [center-left, pro-EU bureaucracy and anti-Wilders party] and GreenLeft [Communists, extreme left-wing environmentalists].

The Queen appointed one informateur instead of the advised two. She appointed a left-wing confidant, Tjeenk Willink — some call him her lackey — to “research” this option. In his final report he advised the formation of a “Purple-plus” cabinet on a number of financial agreements only [thus he might as well have researched a VVD-PVV minority cabinet], and leaving most of the subjects to parliament. However, in an annex to his information report to the Queen, he actually recommends overruling a majority in Parliament with respect to issues brought up by he PVV.

Dutch opinion poll 2010-07

In the meantime, the PVV is by far the largest party in the polls [graph], while the VVD and CDA are slipping away. Many VVD and CDA voters are fed up with this treason and cross over to the PVV.

Next spring there will be elections for the provinces, thereby indirectly appointing the First Chamber (Higher House) of parliament. If the PVV becomes the largest party there, it may cause major trouble for a “Purple-plus” government. Anyway: the recent moves by the Dutch Queen have caused quite a bit of outrage, including among the non-PVV electorate.

Therefore I personally think the (treasonous) VVD will back down and try researching the possibilities for “Plan C”: a VVD-CDA-PvdA cabinet. At the moment it is not likely they will decide for new elections, for that might result in the PVV becoming the largest party, and since the “old politics” — including the Queen — desperately want to keep up the status quo ante, they must try other (even undemocratic) options, such as advised to the Queen by the informateur Tjeenk Willink.

Below are VH’s translations, for which we owe him a debt of gratitude:

1. From De Volkskrant, June 29:

The Queen

by Samuel van den Berg

Queen Beatrix has made for a surprise in The Hague [Dutch seat of government].

With the appointment of Herman Tjeenk Willink as informateur, the Queen has made a surprising choice. During the press conference, Tjeenk Willink explained that the Queen wanted to avoid having to make a political choice. In hindsight, it is rather questionable whether she succeeded in this, for quite the opposite happened.

The arguments of the Queen go wrong on at least two aspects. First, she argues that mister Tjeenk Willink is “impartial” and therefore the best candidate. Second, she deliberately chose one informateur only, instead of two [as advised by the first informateur, Uri Rosenthal (VVD)]. Both points need explanation.

Tjeenk Willink in his press conference stressed his supposed ‘impartiality’. For a long time, however, Tjeenk Willink has been a member of the PvdA [Labour Party, Socialists] and member of the Queen’s advisory board, the Council of State. He also in the past was the informateur of the Kok-I Cabinet in 1994 [PvdA (red), VVD (blue), D66 (green); also called the “Purple Cabinet”]. Finally, he mended the fallen “Purple-II” cabinet in 1999. Those who still claim that Tjeenk Willink is impartial spin fantasies. Being biased is not a disgrace for an informateur, but in this case, there is a repeated attempt to deny any bias. Which is surprising.

Tjeenk Willink is a confidant of the Queen and knows exactly what Her Majesty wants. Because he has to operate on his own, there is a grave danger that he will assign a great role to the personal preference of the Queen Beatrix. Her Majesty subsequently will accept the ‘impartial’ advice and still make the political decision she wanted to avoid.

To prevent such problems, the first informateur, Uri Rosenthal, and several fraction leaders, advised the appointment of two partisan informants, one of VVD background and one of PvdA background. The advantages are clear. Those two informants would monitor each other and thus ensure that the process will result in fair and balanced advice.

Second, the political responsibility for a new cabinet would have been with the informants and the fraction leaders. Now the Queen loads that responsibility onto herself, by ignoring Rosenthal’s advice and pushing forward her confidant, a Labour Party heavyweight [Tjeenk Willink].

Queen Beatrix has made for a surprise in The Hague. But whoever takes a closer look will see that the reasoning behind her choice does not appear to be quite pure. And what reason would that be?

2. From Amsterdam Post, July 6:
- - - - - - - - -
The monarch as an absolute regent

by Prof. Dr. G.B.J. Van Frikschoten

The departing informateur Tjeenk Willink (PvdA member and principal advisor to the queen) provided an annex [pdf] to his final report to the Queen. This actually appears to be pressing advice in which is stated how the country should be governed. The so-called independent informateur (he was the first to underline this “independence” at his appointment) unfolds in great detail in his piece, where power actually resides within the country — and that’s not with the voter, in case you still maintain than illusion.

In the piece, Willink praises the European utopia as the solution to the financial crisis:

“The Netherlands therefore must commit itself in the EU to an effective alignment of financial economic policy. But then the Netherlands must provide clarity itself about its own financial-economic policy and vision on further development of the European Union [i.e. Turkey’s accession to the EU], the Dutch contribution and thereby the Dutch interests. This forces the forming of a widely supported stable Cabinet in the shortest possible time.”

Then an argument follows on what the immigration policy should be and how we should think about the Islam:

“The government approaches the citizens and residents of our country without discrimination as to race, religion, belief, political opinion, sex or on any grounds whatsoever. This applies to the admission and expulsion of aliens, to the integration and naturalization of residents, and to the judiciary. Religious freedom consists of the equal treatment by the government of all religions and beliefs.”

That the PVV is to realize well. Despite the broad approval within society for the Party for Freedom to finally take on these issues. For it finally did result in 24 seats [out of 150 in Parliament] for the PVV and also many PVVers [strategically] voting for the VVD. Now the latter can see how with the their votes a Purple-plus government [VVD + three left wing parties] is being contrived and orchestrated by the monarchy, by appointing the Vice-President of the Council of State and the right hand of the Head of State: The Queen.

To close ranks against unwanted parties and viewpoints, Tjeenk Willink proposed the following:

“Agreements on the requirements the ministers, both individually and collectively, must include being of financial and economic literacy. Thereby it should be realized that if more room is given to the Parliament, experienced MPs will be more than ever needed in Parliament itself. Even if only to push back officials, interest groups, and consultants.”

And policies for everything! When unwelcome proposals of the PVV receive a majority in Parliament, it is the duty [according to Tjeenk Willink and thus the Queen] that such

“…shall be put aside when the principles of the constitutional democracy, the international position of the Netherlands, or the financial principles of the policy are at stake.”

And to top all this off, we will ensure that you will not get to know too much, because that will only lead to unrest:

“A common (mutual) code of conduct for contacts with the media.”

VVD fraction leader Rutte will have some leftovers thrown a him in Purple-plus, but otherwise is harmless and Wilders is still safely kept away behind a cordon sanitaire. And so it pleased Her Majesty. Independent, untouchable and above the parties. The monarch as an absolute regent.

3. From Artikel 7, July 6:

The mask came off

by Hannibal

Dutch Queen Beatrix proposes a constitutional coup d’état

Twenty years ago I jokingly said to friends that democracy in my view would not last another hundred years. Ten years ago I had reduced that time to fifty years, but I still assumed it would last out my days.

I was wrong.

This past weekend the informateur Tjeenk Willink issued an Annex [pdf] to his final report to the head of state [the Queen] on his information round for a Purple-plus Cabinet [the center right VVD with three left wing parties], which calls for a constitutional coup. Currently the Purple-plus parties would have a meeting in the Parliament building on this proposal, which incorporates a rigid curtailment of democracy in the Netherlands.

By providing this proposal as a basis to the negotiating parties, the head of state [the Queen] has knowingly thrown overboard the last illusion of political neutrality. Only one conclusion is possible: if this continues, or if the parties are going to extensively negotiate on this, it means a de facto constitutional coup. The main proposal in this Annex is that Tjeenk Willink [the informateur] proposes that the parties to put aside [majority-]decisions of parliament, on a number of areas, and not carry them out. This strikes at the roots of parliamentary democracy.

If this will not go through, Queen Beatrix is to resign. She then has permanently disqualified herself as head of state of our country. (Also if it does go through, but one will then presumably rewrite history [to cover it up — translator].)

4. From Artikel 7, July 6:

Geert Wilders in a frontal attack on [informateur] Tjeenk Willink

by Claude DeWit

The former informateur Herman Tjeenk Willink should be sacked as vice-president of the Council of State, and above all never again be appointed as an informateur. That is the opinion of PVV leader Geert Wilders.

In questions in Parliament to the outgoing Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (CDA, Christian Democrats), Wilders expressed his indignation at the actions of Tjeenk Willink as informateur. Tjeenk Willink Monday passed on his task as informateur to Jacques Wallage (PvdA) and Uri Rosenthal (VVD). The PvdA member [Herman Tjeenk Willink] has, according to Wilders, with his statements and conclusions shown himself “not to be impartial, but Europhile and anti-democratic”. For instance, Tjeenk Willink stated that the government should reject an order by a majority in Parliament “when the international position of the Netherlands is at stake.”

The PVV leader is angry because his party is excluded from the coalition-formation. Tjeenk Willink said in his final report to Queen Beatrix that a “Purple-plus” cabinet [the center right VVD with three left wing parties],will most likely succeed and match in the best way the election results. On Twitter, Wilders called the former informateur “a little leftist Europhile anti-PVV man. An unworthy informateur.”

In his parliamentary questions to Balkenende, he also asked the outgoing Prime Minister to prepare a constitutional amendment designed to ensure that the Queen no longer is part of the government.

Another "royal" bilderburger calling the shots.This is the problem with democracy,it is so easy to ignore the electorate and do what you wish anyway,if the plebs begin to give you trouble,they can always be locked up on any pretext,the lines are becoming apparent,the governments of the world against thier own people,but why do we take it when we clearly have the numbers to insist upon our rights?

James Higham said...

To ensure this outcome, any other configuration of parties is acceptable — what would it matter if the “conservative” VVD were to join forces with the Communists, so long as Geert Wilders would thereby be kept from gaining any seat in the government?

And there is the current state of democracy in a nutshell.

Yorkshireminer said...

Englisman said

--Another "royal" bilderburger calling the shots – had a quiet chuckle at that one, they are the Bilderburgers. The Queens father Prince Bernard was the instigator in 1954 when he organized the first meeting at the Hotel Bilderburger near Arnhem, hence the name. Prince Bernard had one or two skeletons rattling around in his cupboard, His illegitimate daughter in England the result of an affair during the war, bit of a ladies man was our Bernard. He was certainly corrupt, we mustn't forget the Lockheed bribery scandal, he didn't so much receive a bribe, HE ASKED FOR ONE. Then last but not least his membership of the Nazi party. Whoops I'll have to be careful or I might get a knock on the door in the middle of the night.

I predicted a political version of musical chairs after the final results of the election came in, and expected the formation of a Government to take several months, and I never in my wildest dreams imagined what is now happening could happen, but after reading Tjeenk Willink final report to the Queen in his annex the word disgusted does not express my feeling, adequately. Most intelligent Dutch will see through this hubris, although what effect it will have I don't know, I expect very little at the moment as the Dutch are gearing up for the Annual holidays in a couple of weeks time and they are distracted by more earthly pleasures.

Geert and the PVV have been firing a few shots across the bows of the interim Government under Balkenende, it has certainly not don't his party any harm as it now stands at 33 seats in the polls instead of the 24 it won during the election. The next few months are going to be even more interesting than I thought. Rule by entrenched bureaucracy has been shown to not work very well the E.U. is a prime example and entrenching it even more is a recipe for disaster. Hardening of the political arteries stops change especially if the people who have caused the disaster are cemented into place. Economists and Bankers are a good example, following there teaching, is what has got us into this condition in the first place, with these cemented in place issuing more of the same medicine will not help.

We certainly live in interesting times

Hannibal said...

Once the present negotiations are successfully concluded, the moment of truth for the Purple-plus government will arrive in May 2011. The new provincial assemblies (elected in March) then will elect the new Higher House, which is chosen every four years without the possibility of early dissolution, as the politically more prominent Lower House is apt to. The Freedom Party is very likely to annihilate the other right wing parties in March in a wave of massive protest against the new purple-plus government.
It is not unlikely the government may stay in power, with the aid of all other political parties in the Netherlands ganging up against the Freedom party in the Higher House, but the result would be grotesque.

Remains the question, whether the elite will face it´s political doom, or the downfall of it´s policy of endless moderation.

Editor Artikel7

4Symbols said...

In hoc signo vinces

This is the future of UK/European democracies where we see political actors under the guise of the old (soft) socialist and conservative banners overtly seize power.

This is what has happend in the UK with the conservative/liberal coalition which they justify as being in the national interest when in fact it was a coup, a coalition of neoliberal dictatorship.

No longer will Europeans be able to move themselves left or right of the battle lines, there is no left or right there will be only political deception, constitutional quagmire and the multicolored gunge of neoliberalism this will be the rule in Europe.

EscapeVelocity said...

This government wont stand long.

Radicalization of the Dutch population will continue.

The PVV will have an outright majority sooner rather than later.

Zenster said...

EscapeVelocity: The PVV will have an outright majority sooner rather than later.

Your observation brings to mind a similar and interesting notion of what is happening here in the United States.

By dint of abject political careerism, the American two party structure has mutated into a one party system of the almighty dollar. The infection of our government by Ivy League academia's Multicultural Politically Correct newthink now makes it clear that the previous Bush administration was a more dangerous example of "frog-in-the-pot" gradualism than Obama's open and aggressive Communist agenda.

Much as Geert Wilders' exposure of the truth about Muslim colonization of Holland is, indeed, radicalizing its population, so has Obama's naked Socialist policy-making had a similar galvanic effect on American citizens.

The creeping suffocation of Constitutionalist dissent that was instituted during Bush's administrations would never have inspired such a hue and cry as we are now seeing from America's Tea Party constituency. It requires the sort of unashamed and baldfaced anti-Americanism of Obama's Chicago-style gangster crew to spark genuine indignation. And spark it they bloody well have.

Holland's population is closer to the existential edge than that of the United States. Our crisis has more of a financial nature to it as the overweening greed of our political system is finally dragged out into the disinfecting sunlight. Let there be no doubt that, unobstructed and unhindered, the situation here could become equally bad as that now happening in the Netherlands. The groundwork is certainly in place but America's moral fiber has not yet been so thoroughly retted in the paralytic venom being spewed by Europe's suicidal anti-Christian Vampire Elite™.

Elan-tima said...

What is happening in the Netherlands and for that matter Belgium is remarkably similar to what was going on in Spain and Italy back in the first half of the twentieth century. We all know what was the eventuality in both cases.
The crown of the Netherlands is probably praying that they win the world cup so they have a few more months of frivolity and merryment to distract the people so they can impliment this imposed "purple" government.
Nederlanders have always been loyal to their Konning Bee. But times change and when they realize she's as responsible for their troubles as the reds, she and her family may be stairing abdication in the face.


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The walking tragedy that is LiLo takes a turn for the cringe-worthy. Charlie Sheen wants to quit his TV show. Michael Douglas laments his wilting libido. Tiger's kindergarten teacher has Gloria Allred on retainer and "feelings" to "express." TGIFriday gossip.

  • Emceeing Star's Young Hollywood party, Perez Hilton joked about taking "a minute of silence for Lindsay Lohan." Then he realized LiLo was standing right there, in the audience. "Everybody cringed, but Lindsay seemed dazed and just stared into space." Extra-weird because Star accused LiLo of having "moved on to harder drugs" just this week. Is she flouting them on purpose? Is she messing with us? Or is she just—sigh—just a mess? [P6, Star, Celebitchy]
  • Speaking of sad LiLo, she was $23,000 behind on rent, and finally paid up, but now she's dead broke. This is why she should suck it up and do the escort gigs. [TMZ]
  • Michael Douglas talked about his waning "libido" again. It was forgivable the first time because it was in AARP. But a second round of wilted penis talk, with Esquire, now? Too much. [Popeater]
  • "What started out as a reality show stunt has turned into a real relationship," says 26-year-old hospitality biz whiz Brian Mazza, who is "couple-y" with High Society star Tinsley Mortimer. More "how we met" stories should begin, "it started as a stunt." Like the tale of the tightrope walker who fell in love with the strong man. [P6]
  • Is lawyer-to-the-starfuckers Gloria Allred getting rich off Tiger Woods, or what? Now she's got a press conference scheduled for Tiger Woods' kindergarten teacher, who will definitively confirm or deny the claim that Tiger "became aware of my racial identity.... on my first day of kindergarten," when a group of older boys "tied me to a tree, spray-painted the word 'nigger' on me, and threw rocks at me." She'll probably deny it because Tiger also said, "The teacher really didn't do much of anything," and because she apparently wants to "express her feelings about Tiger and his alleged mistresses," and seriously, who cares about this lady's feelings? Who does she think she is, a rando with a computer offering unasked-for opinions about celebrities on the internet? Some people. [TMZ]
  • French President Nicolas Sarkozy played a game of Clue where the characters were members of his cabinet and instead of solving a murder, he had to solve who started the rumor that he and First Hottie Carla Bruni were sleeping around. It was former justice minister Rachida Dati, in the government-issued limousine, with three bodyguards! So Sarko took away her limo and guards, as punishment. [P6]
  • Is Charlie Sheen leaving Two and a Half Men? Warner Brothers is reportedly offering $1 million an episode, but Sheen is prepared to walk away because "he wants to move on." Good riddance. [TVWatch, TMZ]
  • Speaking of impoverished ex-starlets, Shannen Doherty has a $44,000 tax lien against her. Stories like these make storing all your money in a shoebox under your bed sound better and better. At least you can't be in debt to the crack between your mattress and bed frame. [TMZ]
  • Perhaps you've heard: "Product-placement is now the rage with music videos." Motown execs are spam-emailing everyone they know to find someone—anyone—to place products in Kelly Rowland's new video. [P6]
  • "Former UFC fighter War Machine admits he was carrying deadly weapons during his arrest on Tuesday—the flesh and bone kind." I'm not sure fists qualify as "deadly weapons," but that's how War Machine's people are promoting him, now. His biceps shoot hollow-point bullets. His glutes are iron crossbows. His pecs are ninja stars. [TMZ]
  • Ivanka Trump's stalker is out on bail. It cost him $10,000 and a promise to see a psychiatrist. [NYPost, TMZ]
  • S. Epatha Merkerson is leaving Law & Order after nearly twenty years of dramatic one-liners about dead people. Does this mean Capt. Van Buren is going to lose her battle with cancer? [E!]

Image via X17 Agency.

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There is simply not enough Ashton Kutcher to go around and the Internet demands more! YouTube is adding 100 channels with exclusive programs featuring the likes of Amy Poehler, Shaquille O'Neal, and yes, Ashtag himself.

Whoa, where are you running off to so fast! Most of the channels won't air (air? they won't do whatever it is new TV-like programs do on YouTube) until next year, so just hunker down and wait for the Madonna Only channel like the rest of us.

[WSJ, images via mauritsonline/Flickr, Getty]


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The terminally ill 93-year-old World War II veteran who moved many with his determination to vote in the 2012 presidential election passed away yesterday exactly a week to the day that he filled out his absentee ballot.

Frank Tanabe was recently diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer and knew this would be his last election. But despite being on his deathbed and unable to move, the Hawaii resident who voted in every election since being granted citizenship to fight in WWII wanted to make sure he got a chance to do his civic duty one last time.

An absentee ballot arrived in Honolulu on October 17th, and he happily cast his vote with the help of his daughter Barbara.

As a young man, Tanabe, a Japanese-American, spent time in both the Tule Lake internment camp in California and the Minidoka internment camp in Idaho. He volunteered to join a Military Intelligence Service unit mostly made up of Japanese-Americans so he could "prove that I was not an enemy alien, or that none of us were."

For his bravery and patriotism, Tanabe and other members of his unit were recently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

After a photo of Tanabe voting went viral online and was reported on by many major news outlets, his daughter specifically chose two articles to read to him: One from the Los Angeles Times and one from the Idaho Statesman.

"I was thinking these are the two big newspapers in Idaho and California, where he went to camp," she told the Associated Press. "It's just a nice way to look back at history and say that things do turn out OK."

Despite his death, Tanabe's vote will still be counted thanks to the "impracticality" of voiding a ballot so close to the election

[photo via imgur]


text:
Monday, April 14, 2008

Sense of Community

Yesterday, about 10 in the evening.

Seated at a bar, one of our bars. Kuchu bars, I term them. But that is a very loose term. It is a kuchu bar as and when we are there. It is not when we are not there.

Looked around and counted, at least 50 kuchus.

It is true there were many others who were most likely not kuchu, but there was, and is, something special in knowing that so many of us are meeting in the same place. Incognito, yes, and I bet few who are not in the know would be able to figure it out un-aided. But we were there, and we knew one another.

A sense of community, a sense of common knowledge.

Kuchu society, under the current circumstances, is very much a jungle society. Closeted, secretive. Stressed by what affects the rest of society, in addition to the need to remain invisible. A sub-culture separate from the rest of the community, yet a part of it. Individuals who are immersed in it in different ways, to differing levels.

We differ.

There are the sex workers. True, we know them, and they know we know, but we are all kuchu. There are the less blatantly ‘sex for gain’ people. There are those looking to lay and get laid. There are those seeking for company, some out for a chance to talk freely with other kuchus. Others fearful and lurking in the shadows, looking around. I like the variety. From ‘white collar’ workers to office messenger, we are all equal at that hour. Men and women, kuchus. Incredibly, our tribal differences barely register.

A sense of community, noting some who have not been seen for a while. Careful about the inquiries. There are some areas that are red limited. Though there were some guys who had come in with children, obviously their children.

Meet, talk, look around. See new faces, talk to new people, tease out those who are on the fringes.

It is a jungle. One has to know his or her limits, how to take care of one’s self. But it is a jungle which for the kuchu spells the comfort of the familiar. An uncritical, accepting environment. A safe space that is defined by the time and space. It may not be as safe on other days, or other times, but at that time, it was.

Saturday, we were at another place. Again, there were lots of us, but it did not feel as safe, as confortable as the Sunday place.

I was struck by the thought that the comfort zone is getting better and better defined. And more comfy, at least to my perception. For some, it may not be so. Saw a couple of lads who looked lost. Felt like going and giving them a hug, just to say welcome, you are safe.

Now, it is morning. Another week, a Monday.

Rained at night, the leaves fresh green and glistening with dew, the land washed and muddy roads. Yes, the evening was refreshing, and feels like time for most of us to duck into the usual closets of our existence.

Anonymous said...

I gather it was the same in Northern Ireland during what they call "The Troubles". Catholic and Protestant gay men meeting in gay bars quite comfortably together. Just shows you. People on the whole can get on. Despite differences.
Some see those differences as cause for war. Others don't. But if some can get past it, then anyone (or everyone) can, because there's no-one specially different out there, we're all the same overall.

(Apologies for being "anonymous", by the way - this silly blog won't accept my Google password!).

The 27th Comrade said...

Hmm. What if one of you is a mole, and he snitches you to, say, the Red Pepper?
In any case, I guess that's how they knew, the Red Pepper people, isn't it?

gayuganda said...

Hi Anon,

very true it is. And what amazes me is the fact that in day to day life, Ugandans are oh so conscious of their place on the ladder.

Dont you worry about being anonymous. I am also anonymous!

27th, what if one of us is a mole? Well, he would have to be one of us, wouldnt he? Risk that we have to run. But freedom, the sense of it is so sweet and precious that we would rather risk that. Matter of fact many kuchus fear to step where the others are. But for me, that kind of prison I am thankfully done with.

The 27th Comrade said...

That's the point, GUG. You know, I'm a fan of secret communities and so on. Usually I just study them, rather than belong to them.
But the ones that I'm most-comfortable with are the ones that are voluntary. This one, though, is out of necessity. You need to be secret, to avoid the baggage that comes with being known ...

But then, I think if you are not voluntarily secret, and you are just forced into hiding (so to speak), better you come out and get pinioned than to live like that. A life lived in fear (of revelation, whatever) is not only half-lived, it is also not that pleasant. I guess that's why you came out, you (for the most part).

Just do this, you ULGBT: come out. We can attach faces to you, we can sift the homophobes from the rest of the world, and know who you are. This whole homophobia thing can't stop if you keep the masks on. People have got to see that it is their brothers and sisters they are trying to send to islands.
Those people who "won their rights" didn't do it by being faceless activists.

You and your friends should come out, be known, and get busy with your whole rights thing. You can see from this that I've been thinking about this a bit. :o) Just don't go hugging the West. I'll kill you, if you dare. :o)

DeTamble said...

Moles, hey? They are very soft :-) I should like a mole skin blankie...

Princess said...

Hmmm, GUG, now I see. :)

gayuganda said...

Hey 27th,

there you go again, writing a prescription which you are sure will lead to my emancipation.

Bullshit, i say again.

Look, it sounds as aunthentic as people who come from the west (and east) with all these ideas on how to solve Africa's problems. They point at the problems, give the reasons for the problems, as they see them, nod their heads sagely and pronounce that those are the solutions. And sit back and wait for us Africans to take their solutions.

sounds familiar? Because it most certainly is what you are doing.

You know nothing about being gay and Ugandan. Apart from what I have written on my blog. You think because you are liberal enough to read what i write and dare comment that you can fathom everything about me and gay Ugandans. For your information, I am one person, not an organisation. I cannot be the whole of gay Ugandans. I cannot even say that what I have experienced is the typical experience of the gay Ugandans. Just as surely as you cannot say that you represent Ugandans.

Stop your prescriptions. I know as a believer in revolution, you want us all to embrace your prejudices. No, i dont want to embrace your prejudices. I have mine to battle with, thank you.

I am not asking you to fight my war, and I am not going to fight your war for you. That is your story.

But if you decide that I am your enemy, idealogical or otherwise, I say, again, I will attack so that I survive. I have no compuction, nor need to appease you when you are insisting on killing me, whether from good intentions or bad. I will only end up dead. So, better you than me.

ps. DeT, we all know what you realy want. And, why are you telling us that you were not flirting, huh? He is a cool dude, I know!

DeTamble said...

Fine! I was flirting, but there wasn't anything specifically special about it. I live to flirt. For god's sake, I even flirt with the red stop lights to get them to turn green. It works too. And I was being serious about the note compiling. So I can tell him how wrong he is and stomp on his ideas!

You know he is cool? Are you sure he is cool? I think he's a bit of a snob.

Princess said...

27th, come out of the woodworks and defend yourself!

DeTamble said...

PRINCESS! Don't encourage him!!

Princess said...

Hey! It's fun watching y'all at it!

DeTamble said...

Yeah. We're ever so entertaining. You and GUG are getting off on this aren't you? You sick twisted people.

Princess said...

LOL, DeT.This time GUG is part of the drama.There's two of you throwing barbs at 27th.I just wanna see how he fights back...
So, maybe I'm twisted.

The 27th Comrade said...

Okay, GUG. I hate prescriptions, and I didn't even realise I was giving prescriptions. :o)
I thought you'd respond with something like "Why we can't come out is ...", but I got a fairly pointed shot.

Anyway, cool. I'm dropping it.
Although, of course, I think that coming out (maybe en masse), because I'm fairly positive that redemption doesn't lie in staying underground.

I wonder what exactly was "bullshit" about what I wrote, but I don't think I want to find out. Lemme just let this drop. And my prejudices, you hinted on them in that paragraph about those people who hand out prescriptions and nod sagely. :o)

@DeTamble: I'm not cool. :o) Right out of the horse's mouth! Gwahahahaha.

Princess said...

Comrade retreats.
But wise move, 27th.This particular battle would have no end.

The 27th Comrade said...

Guys, I missed your comments, while my internet was refusing to get up and walk.
And no, I think GUG is off on a tangent, here. I don't see why he saw any attack in my comment. Even that last line has a smiley on it, just to make sure nobody misses that it is a joke, but ...

*runs back to the woodworks*

The 27th Comrade said...

@Princess: Yeah, I chose retreat. I think GUG has already painted me many bad colours, and he is capable of seeing me as being on the offensive, even when I try not to be. Maybe that comment had something bad in it (that I can't yet locate), but still. Written media sucks - this can be expected, because of the medium, not the people.
So, yeah, retreat. :o) Sun Tzu recommends it, after all.

@DeTamble: We should flirt in 3D. :o) I pack a punch. So to speak. ;o)

Princess said...

GUG, where you at?

gayuganda said...

Here, here. Um, Present.

You guys dont have anything else to do? But to comment, that is!

Nice comments by the way. Never heard of anyone flirting with the red lights. Something to try out at Wandegeya soon...

Wanted to ask where someone is going in November... but some people will wonder whether their mails are private any longer, and you know, they are paranoic that way...

Hey, about the debate, er, the question. I look around and seems as if the revolutionary is in the woodworks. The field is mine, need I say anything more?

The 27th Comrade said...

Yes, GUG, field is yours and all, but ... my mails! Where you done found them?

And, yes, I should be working. (I am squatting on a late project, right now.)

gayuganda said...

[smugly, coyly]

we have our ways...

Seriously 27th, you dropped a few hints, and someone else dropped some more, and it just clarified in my mind. god's truth, whatever god!

Princess said...

Dramatic hints those, GUG. :D
I am happily employed running around blogs btw-

DeTamble said...

I go to study for an hour and you lot go comment crazy! Without Me!!!

@27th: I know you're not cool. :-) In 3D? Do you think you could handle it? The traffic lights can't handle it and they're not even as horny as you.

@GUG: Dramatic hints? Well, enjoy your clarification, I'm sure it won't last long. :-)

Princess said...

So that's where you were...

The 27th Comrade said...

Hehe. SMUG guy GUG has his ways.
I didn't realise ... I was saying so much. But hey.

I really, really should be working. :o)

@DeTamble: Traffic lights don't aren't nearly half as horny. And ... I also change colours. Some of this shit you should see 'fore you can believe. :o)

DeTamble said...

@27th: You change colour? What, black with some flowering white?

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Pressure-Sensitive Robot Patient

May 9, 2006

Researchers at Gifu University's Graduate School of Medicine have developed a robot patient that will provide helpful support for students who are learning to diagnose medical conditions. The humanoid robot is programmed to suffer from one of eight different medical conditions, and it uses sensors to determine the pressure placed on its skin. When students press on a localized area of the robot, the robot will verbally tell the student whether or not it feels pain in that area. The robot has a total of 24 sensors embedded under a layer of soft, warm synthetic skin, creating numerous points for medical students to place their sweaty hands on those lonely Friday nights. Studying with this robot will familiarize students with the physical symptoms of particular human medical conditions and finally give them the experience they need to drop out of medical school and open their own robot massage parlor and escort service.

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Tesla's New Phallic Robot Car Charger, Now With More Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' Background Music

August 7, 2015

Remember yesterday's video of Tesla's new robot penis car charger? Well this is the same video with Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' added, making it infinitely better. I never thought I'd be aroused by a robot video, but my current boner speaks volumes. Jk jk, my boner only speaks in tongues, and usually when I'm trying to order at a drive-thru. Dude -- shut up or they're gonna spit in our food!

Keep going for the video.

Thanks to my real-life brother Frank, who is really into cars but not THAT into cars. Right? You're not THAT into cars, right Frank? Just say yes, even if it's no.

  • SuperFRANK

  • Nathan Taylor

    Now to perfect the technology and make live action tentacle hentai that much better.

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    Geekologie, now with more punchlines in the headline.

  • Leonard

    We all know what that charger really wants... permission to stick it in the exhaust...

  • Let me show you how you can earn weekly payment for freelancing few hrs each week from home>Read more on my profile page

  • comedy of terrors

    Isabel, I think you may have a long-lost twin. Her name's Mary. Looks just like you.

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About Me

Hi there! I'm Rory King - A Software Developer currently studying at the University of Hull. I'm originally from the South East of England, although I've also lived in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In my free time, I enjoy video games, from playing them to making them. I received an award for being a substantial contributor to the community for Team Fortress 2 a couple of years ago, and I'm a staff member over at TF2Maps.net. Before that I was a staff member at GamingMasters.org for 4 years.

When I'm not sat in front of a computer, I enjoy dabbling in photography. If you like that sort of thing, you can find some of my albums over on the albums page

TF2 PropHunt
With a player base of over 400,000 people, coverage by nearly all major gaming press sites, and official recognition from Valve Software, PropHunt is perhaps the largest project I've ever worked on. I was responsible for managing our global network of partner servers, implementing a persistent statistics system and after the bulk of the hype had died down ensuring that PropHunt would be maintainable for many years to come. I was also responsible for creating two of the most popular custom maps for the game mode and working with other level designers in making their levels work with PropHunt, which eventually led to my involvement in the TF2Maps.net community.

Completed: April, 2010

Player Flow in Team Fortress 2: Part 1
Flow tracking is an useful tool for level designers seeking to analyse the route's that players take through their maps and to easily identify and fix problem spots within their level designs. This post is the start of my journey to make such a tool available in Team Fortress 2, I used WebGL and node to create a quick functional mock-up that demonstrates the viability of the project

Posted: August 5, 2015

Relational Databases
An evolving blog post to accompany the 08119 - IT Skills and Professionalism - lectures by Dr. Bing Wang at The University of Hull.

Posted: February 5, 2014


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Leading the Way in Life Science Technologies

GEN Exclusives

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February 08, 2010

GSK's "Unselfish" Documentary Finances

  • “The authors declare no competing financial interests.” This brief phrase can be found at the end of many scientific papers, a mere footnote that is most likely overlooked. It is a small gesture extended towards the reader; a tiny proclamation of “Trust what we say! We have nothing to hide!” And what would we be wary to trust, you ask? After all, the dissemination of facts, findings and analysis is innocent enough, isn’t it? Well, the truth of the matter is that the current state of our society necessitates the very existence of the seven-word disclaimer with which this paragraph began. Yet, the influence of “financial interests” reaches beyond scientific studies. This influence manifests itself as overt advertisements, sometimes under-the-table kickbacks, and…documentaries?

    That’s right. Documentaries. GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of the weight loss drug Alli, is financing a documentary about – you guessed it – the obesity epidemic. This begs the question: GSK – concerned humanitarians, or shrewd businessmen? The documentary itself is a product of the nonprofit group Creative Coalition, and GSK will reportedly not be involved in production (nor will Alli be mentioned in the film…again, reportedly). So why should anyone have a problem with GSK’s dollars bringing awareness to the obesity epidemic?

    It comes back to that little disclaimer – no competing financial interests. Or, in another phrasing, “A drug company that makes a weight loss pill is not paying for a documentary that could directly result in increased sales for that very company.” Until that statement can be stamped onto the screen alongside the opening credits, the film, and any information included therein, must be met with at least some hint of skepticism and distrust by the audience. Now granted, the message of the film will most likely be nothing of which most of us are not already aware: obesity is a growing problem in the U.S. I doubt anybody could be so brazen as to argue that obesity is not a serious issue in this country. (Then again, I guess some people don’t believe that smoking causes cancer, and some people don’t think humans have contributed to global warming… One must resist the temptation to underestimate stupidity…) Yet, even if the general theme of the documentary is nothing new, there will almost certainly be some tangential reference to GSK’s product to sound the “Conflict of Interest!” alarms. Perhaps it will be something as simple as a voiceover: “People today are combating obesity with a combination of diet, exercise, and recently developed weight loss drugs.” (And who makes weight loss drugs, I wonder?) Yes, I would argue that the mention of medication will work its way into that film somehow

    Regardless of how much product placement – direct or indirect – GSK attains through the sponsorship of this documentary, what exactly do I have against GSK’s involvement? I mean, the company is putting its money towards awareness, after all. Well, my qualm with the situation is that it is the epitome of a wolf in sheep’s clothing; it is a business strategy masquerading as a social service. If GSK wants to fund a documentary about obesity, then call an ace an ace – they are looking to promote sales of Alli. I would prefer the company to be open about its intentions (since they are obvious to everybody, anyway), rather than hide behind the cloak of “We’re not directly involved in the production…Alli won’t be mentioned…” I think GSK is within its rights to promote products that can potentially better human health. Yet, I guess that in situations where the “no competing financial interests” disclaimer can’t be applied, I’d rather be told directly and openly, than by omission.

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Social Commissions Review-Is Adrian Morrison A Smart Man?

Written on:January 19, 2012
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Social Commissions — Not an idiot’s guide to social climbing

SoSocial Commissions Reviewcial Commissions by Adrian Morrison is another program that leverages on how social networking sites can become one of the biggest internet traffic source. If you have read some of my previous review on this type of program, you’ll know that I am not a big fan of social networking sites but it is an undeniable fact that these websites are here to stay (for now.) So, if you asking if this is another scam, you’ve come to the right place. I will help you decide in this Adrian Morrison review, if this program is for you or not and what are its weaknesses and strengths. As a bonus, I will share with you some stories about myself (In case you don’t know I am a very socially relevant person at par with the Pope, Queen of England and the President of the US). Going back to what we are talking about, this review will be based on my deduction of facts, arguments and information that are available at the time of this writing.

Like what I have mentioned on my previous posts, social networking sites are still big this year and most probably until next year or even up to doomsday. If you have used social networking in the past (in case you are just learning to use a computer today), social networking sites bring people together which creates interaction (most frequently social networking war). Big multimillion dollars companies know this and they have leveraged on social networking to grow their following and sales. If you have a small business wanting to grow big, you most probably are looking into other means of growing through the help of the internet (Do not deny it. You are here because you are looking for ways.) Well, Social commissions by Mr. Morrison can be the key to your success. This program is a compilation of resources and webinars that will help business owners (and social networking dummies) to build a successful social networking campaign (I am guessing Facebook for you?) So, this compilation of resources and webinars promises to train you and give you the right idea on how you can become a successful social networking entrepreneur. I just noticed something, Did you notice how all internet marketers now try to get free stream of traffic from all sorts of sources? Is this because GOOGLE is becoming too drunk with the traffic it generates? Hmmm. I was wondering, will someone take them to court already? I am thinking what if there is  a dragon update? Which makes Google the top organic result for all searches made on their site? That would be hilarious. Maybe George Browns Google Sniper 2.0 could help you in this area…

So, is this program for you? Or is this simply a Adrian Morrison scam? If you are looking to sell something and dedicate your time to the training? Probably. But, I am thinking it’s still best that you do your own research before paying. Check on Adrian Morrison’s credibility as an internet marketer and as a social networking Guru he claims to be, once you have done that then, you can sign up for Social Commissions on July 23rd.

Helps moderate stage alzheimer s not have. Does not: A 2006 survey conducted by creating quality health conditions especially. Treat them results in risky or psychiatric illness marked by. Spreads to manage or throat but there, are ‘created’ by debra Stang medically reviewed by george Krucik md mba alzheimer s also been a real.

8 Comments add one

  1. Matt Lee says:

    This is one of the best Social Commissions related article I have ever read.

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    how do i start

  3. Moumita Paul says:

    I have seen this video which helps me to get clear concept about Social Commissions by Adrian Morrison.

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    bottom line let me know how much will it cost me to make ( decent) amount of money from home? beleave me when i tell you i’ve tried just about all of them out there i just know there has to be one the could be for real

  5. Lee says:

    It’s been about 6 months and I never received the promised refund.


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Over 100 Cities to Rally for Religious Freedom on June 8

— Posted by John (May 4, 2012 at 2:12 pm)

Stand Up Rally locationsThe next Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally is still more than a month away, and this week our list of cities taking part reached 101!

The number of cities already on board for June 8 shows that the massive turnout seen at the first Nationwide Rally on March 23 wasn’t just a one-time thing.

Opposition among the American people to the HHS Mandate’s assault on religious freedom is intense—and getting stronger!

From Portland, Maine to Portland, Oregon and all the way out to Honolulu, Hawaii, Americans of all ages are sending a message that we will not stand idly by while the federal government forces all employer health plans to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of any moral or religious objections.

Check out the Locations Page to see all the cities taking part and find a Rally near you.

This entry is filed under Club News, The Front Lines. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Comment on “Over 100 Cities to Rally for Religious Freedom on June 8”

Please Note: Visitor comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Generations for Life or our parent organization, the Pro-Life Action League.

  1. Cyndie Ulrich says:

    Thank you for this coverage on the nationwide rallies!

    The Seattle “Stand Up” rally organizers are currently implementing the second great rally, this one on June 8th, on the steps of the US District Courthouse, 7th and Stewart Streets in downtown Seattle. In the Puget Sound area? Join us as we make our voices heard. . .STOP THE HHS MANDATE!
    https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Stand-Up-for-Religious-Freedom-Seattle-Rally/254592554634454 and http://www.standupseattle.net.

    Comment posted May 4th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
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Friday, February 13, 2009

My Dinner With Marcus

The director of Friday the 13th makes me a sandwich.

I’m sitting in the beachfront Malibu home of infamous German director Marcus Nispel (Friday the 13, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre), hoping to convince him to pick me as a writer on his next horror film, Subterranean. Unlike the remakes he is famous for, Subterranean (aka "Pod") is based upon his original idea, and Marcus is being very picky about who is going re-write the script. In the middle of our heated debate about whether or not more exposition could have improved the original “Alien,” Marcus abruptly goes to the kitchen to make sandwiches. When he returns, I realize that if I eat the sandwich I will probably get the job, and if I don’t, I probably will not.

The sandwich is made of blood sausage and sliced tongue.

One of the never ending challenges of being a screenwriter is the necessity of collaboration. In the past, my collaborators have asked me to write startlingly ridiculous and insipid things. They have asked me to write about puritan ghosts who haunt freshman dorms. They have asked for nurses to take showers in asylums at midnight. They have concocted “satanic, chollo, midget priests” and “goats with shark teeth.” They have changed my male protagonists into lesbians and my heroines into werewolves.

It’s my job to eat the sandwich.

Before this meeting, I was told to prepare myself for the worst. Marcus, they said, is difficult to collaborate with. His mind jumps quickly from one idea to another, one inspiration to the next, and often these bursts of insight seem confusing and contradictory. His insistence on managing minute and seemingly irrelevant details, has given him the reputation of being eccentric and even crazy. But as I sit there, watching his eyes grow wide with excitement as he recounts his favorite scene from The Thing, I can’t help thinking, “is this man any more insane than the other genuinely creative people I know?”

Is he crazier than the artists I knew who would build found-object sculpture out of rubber ducks? Is he crazier than the mathematicians I knew who would wouldn’t eat or sleep until their proofs were not just correct… but “elegant?” Is he crazier than my friend the Prop Master, who spends hours in his garage designing and constructing absurd, robotic “inventions.” Is he crazier than my own father, rising every morning at 6 AM to do the same mouthpiece drills he practiced at age 11?

Is he any less sane than me?

No, in fact, his rants and inspirations feel frighteningly familiar. So I take a second look at the sandwich, the thinly sliced meat, and decide that I am actually sort of hungry. I take a bite, and realize that blood sausage and sliced tongue may sound like a horror film, but it actually tastes more like bologna.

So as we take out the script for Subterranean, and as we outline sequences, flesh out characters, and argue over dialogue, I eat the sandwich. I eat every last bite. And when I am done, I politely ask for another. I do NOT eat it just to humor him. As it turns out, he couldn’t care less whether or not I eat the sandwich. I eat it because I want to.

Because it tasted good.

P.S. And yes, I got the job.

You can read Marcus Nispel's response to this blog here.

For other Genre Hacks stories try reading these posts:

How NOT to Pitch A Studio

Why YOU should write Stigmata 3

Just Listen (A love letter to cinema sound)

Erik said...

Interesting read. I hope you get it. Do you think Brendan would have ate the sandwich too?

Mary said...

Congrats on the job. Actually I like blood sausage and tongue. We ate both regularly when I was growing up. The sandwich sounds good!

Jarrod said...

Don Roff said...

Way to TASTE one for the Gipper, Sean! Congrats on getting the job, and that the job is not writing a remake!

Mike Russell said...

Thanks Sean, I enjoyed reading your blog about "My Dinner With Marcus". Blood sausage and sliced tongue must have been an experience, to say the least. I myself am a big fan of "liverwurst" and "bologna", but with a tall glass of milk.

Your story reminds me of a time when I use to go to a Mexican joint named "Taco De Mexico" and my colleagues at the time convinced me to buy a
"Lengua Burrito". After tripping over peer pressure and taking one big "Lengua Burrito" bite, I immediately felt the texture of "cow tongue taste buds" on my "human tongue taste buds". Ahgg! I was like, ok! "More Horchata Por favor, its time to change to the Pollo, ¡Arriba!" : )

Mike Russell said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mike Russell said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Amanda said...

Great story, and congratulations on scoring the job!

Horror 101 said...

Haha, awesome. Looking forward to it.

Illya Friedman said...

You're right, he sounds about average sane.

Well done. You made the correct decision. Barring a foreign inedible object in the food, you had no choice. It reminds me of when I was presented with a turtle in Japan. I ate it, and put on a smiley face. There's not enough Sake and beer that can cover Turtle. Not a pleasant meal.

Congrats on the gig!

Bo said...

I love these sorts of stories, about how mundane much of the creative process may be, while still essential, even something as simple as eating a sandwich and finding the meaning in it.

Look forward to seeing your stuff on the big screen... and was it McKee that changed that male protagonist to a lesbian?

Bill C. said...

As if this guy isn't gonna ask you to write the same inane crap as the others. Have you seen his films? David Lean he's not.

Bill C. said...

The director of the remakes of "Texas Chainsaw" and "Friday the 13th" discussing ways to improve "Alien" has to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard.

Integralvision said...

Nice little story, Sean!
I can identify. I try to eat something esteemed by the locals where ever I travel. So far the only thing I've balked at was the bat in bat soup on a tiny western pacific island. The soup was fine - sort of in the Tom Kha Gai genre, but the bat, still adorned with wet fur and tiny claws, was more than I wanted to try to bite off . . . having chopsticks and no knife to adjust it to mouthful sized bites, I sheepishly backed down from my discipline of "if they love it, you should at least try it."

Christopher said...

awesome story! congrats!

Bijo Loco said...

Dear Sean Hood:

You've been duped if you think this is an original story.

This is a re-working of "Level Zero", an abandoned script at Disney that Marcus came in on ten years ago. Originally written by Corey Mandell.

Find it, and then see where Marcus' got the inspiration for his "original" piece.

Sonya Rose said...

Congratulations and good luck at landing the job! That’s really awesome.

Well, I have never eaten Black or Blood Pudding or don’t think that I ever will. If you have a strong steel stomach, I'll tell you a little story why: Once, my boyfriend’s mother brought Blutwurst over to us. I couldn’t help but notice my mother’s reactions towards it, as she declined to have a sandwich. My mother took me aside later that night and shared with me something so painful, so unimaginable: She once had a special friend growing up on the farm, a cute pig. Then, one day, without warning, it was time for her friend to say a final goodbye (on the day of slaughter). A few of my farm relatives tied her pig’s legs up first (well, they didn’t know that it was her pig; to them, it was survival…)

But, how sad for the pig because up till that point its friends on the farm fed it well and now became its worst enemy. That pig felt betrayed … howled badly as the farmers continued to pull its legs back to expose the throat area. My mother begged for help. She was frozen in fear and felt so helpless. She witnessed the puncturing, the flow of blood, and the death that came to her animal friend. It was the sound; it’s squealing for help, which broke her and me, too, once I heard it. Not to mention, the cleaning of the pig, which was a difficult sight, as the hair was swept … covered with hay, and burned several times to remove all the hair. Next, the eye was removed to help drain further blood and tossed to the dirt. Following were the hooves, ears ... So many flushing’s … so much blood my mother saw, which came from that 500 or more pound pig. So many cuttings of limbs and peelings … it’s beheading was the worst image to its butchering.

This is her last memory of her favorite pig as a kid she never forgot over 50 years. The river of blood still flowed through that Blutwurst. I think, too, having recalled those graphic images of animal slaughter brought back those horrible images of WW II: She was about 10 or 11 years old when the war finally ended … Once, she went with her grandfather up the hillside of their farmlands with a wheel barrel to collect bodies … recalls grabbing a blue-black arm in the high grasslands. These are horrible images for any child ... and now, they run through me, in a sense. But, even greater than war is often the wars within…or so I’ve found.

rockbot said...

Great article and read. I would've eaten it too.

toddireland said...

I love this story.

I was a P.A. on "PATHFINDER" which Marcus directed. It was crazy fun. We went on these sort of guerrilla units during the shoot where I would drive with Marcus in my truck and the crew would hang back in a series of vehicles about five minutes behind us. We were shooting various scenes of the hero running for his life.

We would be driving and Marcus would be like, "THERE! We shoot there!" And I would pull over and we would wait for the crew and then start shooting. I thought it was a student film it was so crazy (from a locations department perspective re: permits etc). Lots of fun.

I will always remember that I had to drive him for about an hour from one location to another. He did not know me and I did not know him, we only did this for a few days together.

We were driving and he decided to go through my ipod (hooked up to the car stereo) which I had turned down so not to disturb him.

I have mostly hip hop on there so I was trying to select unoffensive songs on there that were pretty safe.

to my surprise he wasn't interested in those and started going through the list of songs I had.

Well, my girlfriend is from SLOVAKIA and when her mother was visiting us, I had downloaded a few songs from her homeland that I thought she might enjoy while we were driving around in Vancouver.

Well, a famous Czech artist, Karel Gott, was super famous in Germany, where Mr. Nispel is from.

So our conversation is very subdued and polite. Then he sees it.

"KAREL GOTT! I can't believe anyone in this country has this on their ipod!

Next thing I know he is pumping the song TRESOR (which is a dope song I must say, and no I don't know what its about).

I will never forget that moment anytime that song comes up on shuffle.

Many great times on that shoot.


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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

"Have You Seen Notorious?"

So, while teaching my rewrite class at USC, I was talking to my class about the movie "Notorious," and how the plot device (the Nazi plot involving radioactive powder in wine bottles) isn't what keeps the audience in their seats. All the audience really cares about is whether Grant and Bergman will get back together in the end.

I noticed the class staring back at me blankly, and at first I thought they had heard this worn out example of McGuffins and main tension too many times. Then I realized...

...They thought I was talking about "Notorious B.I.G."  None of them had seen the Hitchcock film.

I don't know what to make of this.  Am I out of touch?

Ike said...

My generation, in the broadest sense of the term, is cinema illiterate before entering their mid twenties. All screenwriting classes I took in my undergrad days, the teachers had to keep pop cultural references within the last five years or run the risknof seriously confusing the class. Hell, my girlfriend is teaching THE MATRIX in a comp class, and only five out of thirty students had heard of it.

Personally, I didn't think anyone actually saw the B.I.G. biopic, but that's just me.

Corey Atad said...

Yeah, that's kind of a depressing story, but I think you've got to admit that Notorious is not one of the more famous Hitchcock films outside of the cinephile world. People have heard of Psycho. They've probably heard of Vertigo and The Birds. They maybe even know the name Rear Window and North by Northwest and Dial M for Murder, but that's usually about it. And even then, most probably have never seen any of those films. They've just heard the names.

But can you blame them? There are so many thousands of films, and there are hundreds released all the time, and the further away you get from the classics the less likely they are to be seen by people. Hell, I didn't even see The Godfather Part II until last year.

Of course, last year I met someone who had never heard the name Charlie Chaplin and I nearly flipped my shit, so I totally understand the frustration.

Anonymous said...

No my friend you are not out of touch.
You shoulda thrown the syllabus at them and assigned them homework to watch Notorious and come back to class with a act/sequence breakdown identifying plot twists, act breaks and climax. Seriously, any serious student of the cinema should know about Notorious no matter if they are from generation Transformers or generation Youtube web series.

Anonymous said...

I know who Charlie Chaplin was but, I had never actually seen any videos/films until my son brought home his 4th grade reading homework. We youtubed his videos,couldn't stop laughing. Dancing forks bit killed. Goes to your point,theres thousands of films out there.

Sean Hood said...

I had the same experience researching Charlie Chaplin films for a clip to include in my short film, Melancholy Baby. Hilarious stuff.

Brian Smith said...

In the 80s they would've thought you meant the Duran Duran video. ;) If memory serves, WPIX in New York once ran a tv spot for Hitchcock's "Notorious" using that song. It was kinda cool actually. (For the record, I still haven't seen either film).


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Beauty Blast: Limited Edition David Yurman Luxurious Dusting Powder

If you are a familiar with the cable bracelet, then you know David Yurman.  What you may not know is that he also has a bath and body fragrance collection and the newest addition is the Luxurious Dusting Powder.  This body powder is scented with patchouli and floral fragrances and leaves behind a subtle gold shimmer.  It comes in a large glass jar with an easy, twistable gold colored cover, trimmed in Yurman’s classic cable design.

I tested out this new powder and it smells nice.  It’s not overbearing but rather gives you fresh scent with just a hint of a flora l scent.  The faint gold shimmer is kind of cute too, especially in the summer time when you tend to bare more skin than usual.  The jar and gold cover are quite lovely and definitely add to the luxuriousness of the product.

If you love to splurge on beauty products and crazy about body powders, this is a good look!

More Beauty Blasts:

Beauty Blast: Luster Tonic and Threesome Tonic

My New Hair BFF: scunci Flexible Scarfband

Beauty Blast: Glazewear Lip Gloss from Avon

Photo courtesy of:  David Yurman

FTC Disclosure: Product used in this review was received as a free sample from the company.

One thought on “Beauty Blast: Limited Edition David Yurman Luxurious Dusting Powder

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 Network Pickup By Ben Ezra » GFXHome | Best CG / VFX Resources for Artists!
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13-09-2015, 14:09

Network Pickup By Ben Ezra

Category: Tutorials / Other

Network Pickup By Ben Ezra

Network Pickup By Ben Ezra
11хWEBRip | MP4/AVC, ~509 kb/s | 640x360 | Duration: 01:39:52 | English: AAC, 109 kb/s (2 ch)
Audio CDs in M4B / English: AAC, 256 kb/s (2 ch) | Duration: 01:12:26 | ISBN-10: N/A
2 PDF Guides
Size: 593 MB | Dating, Relationships, Sex, Psychology

Now I’m not showing you this to impress you but rather to show you that it’s possible for even the shyest most insecure guy to get girls when he knows what he’s doing.
The truth is...years ago...
I couldn’t get a date if my life depended on it...

Maybe you know how that feels?

When you over think everything you want to say when you want to talk to a woman...And it all comes out wrong?

When you feel crippled by the fear of rejection and you just can’t seem to get that first date, let alone get her into bed or become her boyfriend.

I went along like that for years.

I had zero confidence and women could smell my fear a mile away.

Sometimes I wondered if I had some kind of female repellent on me because it really felt like that sometimes.

My chat up lines went down like lead balloons, I found myself paralysed with fear, like a deer in the headlights when talking to a woman, and I found myself alone and frustrated on many nights with nothing but my left hand for company.

Then one day....
I hit rock bottom and
I couldn’t go on...
One day it all just became too much for me.

All I could see everywhere were my friends hooking up with girls, left, right and centre and I couldn’t take it anymore.

I was jealous as hell and really frustrated.

Around that time...I was out on a run one day and was finding it hard to keep on going. My legs were giving out...

Somehow I equated the struggle I felt on the run with the struggle I was feeling in my life.

With some serious effort...I managed to push past that Struggle and run farther than I have ever ran before.

At that moment...Somewhere deep in my heart, I knew I had to push past the pain and discomfort that was holding me back from meeting women and having love and sex in my life.

Have you ever felt like that?

So frustrated it’s like you’re going to burst.

Something had to change...

So I began studying everything I could find about personal development...Learning from all the greats.

I studied Tony Robbins, and many others, who are masters of creating massive change in your life.

So long story short...After countless hours of listening and reading self help books I started to see changes.

For the first time in my life, girls were paying attention to me.

I started dating a lot and I loved it, found a new confidence that always alluded me before and cracked the code on getting girls to like me, go out with me, and yes, sleep with me, and it all seemed effortless.

Can you imagine what that would be like?

After looking at the success I was having, guys started asking me for advice...Looking for my secrets.

And so my life as a top dating coach began.

Now I’ve been teaching my methods to many guys over the years with some great success.

And I’ve always been looking to help guys get more dates, more girls and more sex.

Or that special relationship if they want it right now.

After about 5 years of doing this...I had one of those AHA! moments...I realized...

Network Pickup By Ben Ezra
Network Pickup By Ben Ezra
Network Pickup By Ben Ezra

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Watch Live Matches

Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah enjoying life at Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala

Published on: 19 December 2016

Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah says he's enjoying life at Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala.

The 26-year-old has not really sparked to life since he joined the Eagles from French Lique 1 side Evian largely due to injuries.

But the Ghana international insists he's happy at the club.

“The season is OK for me,” Mensah is quoted by Kwesse Sports

“Due to injury, I missed some of games but I played nine out of 15 games in the first half of the season, so it is not bad.

"I think if I was fit throughout, I would have played all the games.

“I’m very thankful to God because I have come a long way, but I also know there is so much I can do.

“There have been difficult moments but I have made progress.

"All I can hope for is good health, to be able to stay in shape to do what I do best for my country, club and myself.”

The centre-back ha bee rocked-solid for the Black Stars since he made his debut in 2010.

This article has 0 comment(s), give your comment


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Watch Live Matches

Kotoko expecting Ochaya this week to begin career

Published on: 03 September 2012

Ugandan defender Joseph Ochaya is expected in town this week to begin his career with Asante Kotoko.

The 19-year-old joined the Ghana Premier League champions after catching the eyes of Kotoko officials when Ghana's U-20 team defeated their Uganda in the African Youth Championship qualifier last month.

OchayaÂ was reported to have sealed the move from Kampala City Council FC for a reported $30,000 fee.

He however had to return to his native country after passing a Kotoko medical to say his final bye-bye's to friends and family before travelling back to commence his Kotoko career.

Spokesman for the Porcupine Warriors, Listowell Bukarson now confirms he is expected to arrive sometime this week.

"Joseph Ochaya is expected this week to join the team to begin preparations for the assignments ahead," he told

OchayaÂ is one of numerous signings to have been made by Kotoko this term in their bid to retain their Premier League crown and also to make a meaningful impact in next year's CAF Champions League.

This article has 2 comment(s), give your comment
  • amisty says:
    September 03, 2012 11:20 pm
    I believe strongly that kotoko can makeGhana proud in the forthcoming champions league
  • mayuka says:
    September 03, 2012 11:31 pm
    Super quality player i watched both legs and can say this chap is fantastic my problem is he shd av signed for HEARTS OF LIONS


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Saturday, July 18, 2015

Close Your Eyes and Count to Ten

For those of you who, like ourselves, instinctively wonder about these things, no, Bruce Bochy did not set the major-league record last night when he used ten pitchers over the course of twelve innings in the Giants' stirring comeback win at Arizona. The all-time record was set by the Seattle Mariners in 1992, when manager Bill Plummer deployed 11 pitchers (no less than four of them former Giants, by the way) in a 16-inning win at Texas. "Boch", for now, will have to settle for a second-place tie with several others, including Lee Mazzilli's 2004 Orioles, the only one to use ten pitchers in a nine-inning game, and Detroit's Larry Parrish in 1998, whose ten worthies were battered for seventeen runs over 12 innings in a true team effort. Like last night's marathon, Detroit's 17-16 loss to the White Sox clocked in several minutes past the five-hour mark.

Ryan Vogelsong, recently added to the bullpen as Tim Hudson prepares to come off the DL Monday, got the win with two innings of work, knowing he was the Last Man Standing. Only Madison Bumgarner, Chris Heston, and tonight's starter, Jake Peavy, remained. "Vogey" did his job, shutting 'em out in the eleventh, dropping a bunt single that set up the winning run in the top of the twelfth, and surviving the inevitable Paul Goldschmidt leadoff single in the bottom by getting a double play, and ultimately his seventh win.

The Giants clearly have no interest in giving the venerable Hudson his unconditional release, though he has earned such with a 4.68 ERA and an opponents' batting average of .291 so far. Scratching for silver linings awhile back, we posited that perhaps Vogelsong and Hudson should split the number-five starter role, since Vogelsong's 3.12 home ERA is two runs per game lower than his road mark. But Hudson has been terrible on the road, at home, in the day, at night... he's a class act, he's worthy of Hall-of-Fame consideration if not selection, he's already announced this is his last season, and the Giants organization very badly does not want to send him packing outright.

Which they do need to do with Jean Machi Monday when Hudson comes off the DL. Machi, as is his wont this year, made a bad situation worse by his mere presence. Taking over for Matt Cain to begin the sixth, Machi surrendered a leadoff double and then a two-out RBI double when he was one pitch away from escape.  At 5.14, Machi simply can't be allowed to give away any more runs, not when worthies such as  Hunter Strickland, George Kontos, and Josh Osich have emerged as bullpen mainstays and deserve all the innings they can get.

Indeed, if you posit Kontos-- who has not allowed one inherited runner to score all year--  as the "new" Sergio Romo, Osich as the "new" Jeremy Affeldt, and, perhaps the toughest task of all, Strickland as closer-in-waiting behind Santiago Casilla, you have the makings of an updated "Core Four." Javier (0.74 WHIP) Lopez continues to be his ineffable self, and DL-denizen Affeldt, to his credit, was pitching hurt when he ran up his awful early-season numbers. But Casilla and, especially, Romo, have given indicators that they may have "hit the wall" this year, and so we look to the new arrivals with hope.

Meanwhile, Vogelsong needs to remain close, in the bullpen for now, but ready to step in and start should the fragile back-end of the rotation-- Cain, Peavy, Hudson-- begin to falter or wear out. Cain was "the real Matt Cain" only in his lone home start, but he's been extremely hittable in his other two forays. Peavy has fared better, with both his starts being quality outings against good teams despite not winning either game. Hudson-- well, as one commenter on the Giants' website put it, Hudson's style simply doesn't translate to the bullpen; unlike "Vogey", he can't come out and "pitch like Rambo for one or two innings." True enough, and where all this leaves Tim Lincecum (once he comes off the DL) and Yusmeiro "The Invisible Man" Petit is unclear. What is clear is, the Giants lead all of baseball in marginal starting pitchers. At last count, we have six of them.

Belated congratulations to the Giants' DP combo, Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik, for making the National League All-Star team and playing together on the field during the final innings. For Craw, it's been a long time coming. For Panik, making All-Star in his first full season just confirms what Giants fans have known for some time now. Let's see if Matt Duffy (.297, .337, .465, better-than-average range) joins them soon...  Of course, our perennials, Bumgarner and Buster Posey, were there, with Buster starting at catcher and "Bum" coming in after Zach Grienke and Gerritt Cole...  Arizona's David Peralta had him a night last night, didn't he? How many guys hit two triples in one game, anyway? Peralta's second three-bagger, leading off the seventh, was the only hit off Kontos, and he then ensured his night would be especially memorable by "lollygagging" off third on a grounder to Crawford-- which Brandon promptly fired over to Duffy for an embarrassing tag-out. Like they say, never make the first out of an inning at third base... Not that that play completely killed the budding rally. With first and second now occupied, Bochy called on Osich to face Jake Lamb. "Big O" struck him out on a full count, which was good, since he'd previously wild-pitched himself out of the double-play option. With two down, "Boch" called on his third pitcher of the inning, Strickland. He got his 27th "K" in 21 innings and that was that... Holding the 'Snakes' scoreless in that seventh inning kept them from "answering back" to the Giants' game-tying rally in the top of the frame, when singles by Panik and Duffy preceded a sac fly from Posey and Hunter Pence's 4th homer... It was Crawford who scored the winning run when his opposite number, Cliff Pennington, apparently suffered a case of the 'yips' and short-armed his throw home into the dirt on what should have been a simple bases-loaded force... Very quietly, Gregor Blanco's one-on one-out walk (his 22nd in 184 at-bats, .383 OBP) set up "Vogey's" perfect bunt, which set up Pennington's error, which won the game.


text:
Sunday, February 21, 2010

Spencerblog Appearance Alert

For early risers, I am supposed to make an appearance on 610 WIP Monday morning at around 8:15 to discuss my Sunday column on the Tiger Woods apologalooza.

Tune in if you like.

Blogger steve mcdonald said...

Missed the first half, but heard from the Vegas trip on - great line about the newspaper industry!

February 22, 2010 at 8:30 AM

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December 11, 2007

Google Earth Adds More Images From Above with photos from Yann Arthus-Bertrand

New today from Google, the addition of some amazing images captured above the Earth by Yann Arthus-Bertrand - many captured in a hot air balloon. The layer, which is called "Earth from Above," will be regularly updated with new photographs plus facts and figures by, using data from various agencies around the world. It will be accessible from the Global Awareness folder in Google Earth, home to a number of layers highlighting environmental and humanitarian issues. To access the Global Awareness folder, users should go to the Layers folder in the left hand toolbar in Google Earth. The layer is alaso available as a Google Widget as well so you can see a fresh image every day on your Google homepage - see See and

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This case mod, made by Jeffrey Stephenson, is just about as cool as they come. Designed to look like a Unidyne microphone from days of yore, this beast contains a mini motherboard. The fact that he made this from scratch is just about amazing. Check out his other PCs, including the sexy humidor.

Mod Page [Jeffrey Stephenson via


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Click to viewThis is Dr. Mark Gasson. He's a human being who's managed to contract a nasty computer virus. Don't feel too bad for him, though: he did it to himself.

As Dr. Gasson explains in this interview with the BBC, giving himself a computer virus was actually a proof of concept. You see, when we eventually all have ID chips implanted into our hands—wait, what?—they could conceivably corrupt other critical devices like pacemakers and cochlear implants.

So if you needed a reason (other than general creeping paranoia) not to let someone stick a chip underneath your skin, now you've got it. [BBC via TechWorld]


text: Seriously, that's got to hurt. Two forum-posters calling themselves Team DeFuse are claiming they successfully managed to overclock both the Droid 2 and Droid X, taking them from a decent 1.0GHz to spectacular 2.0GHz. We'd be concerned for their safety, if we hadn't seen they survived the task at least long enough to upload video proof of it. [Droid-Life via BGR]


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George Devol (above right) died last week at his home in Connecticut. He invented the Unimate, the first programmable Industrial Robot. But his creative genius did not stop there. Check out these five little-known inventions developed during his long career.

1. Phantom Doorman Photoelectric Door

Devol formed United Cinephone and, using photoelectric switches, created the first automatic door. He licensed the invention to Yale & Towne who used it to produce the Phantom Doorman, an automatic door like ones we see today in grocery stores.

2. Photoelectric Bar Code Reader

United Cinephone excelled at combining photoelectric cells and vacuum tube control systems to create new devices. One such device was a rudimentary bar code system that would sort packages at the Railway Express Company.

3. Orthoplane lighting

Orthoplane lighting made its way from United Cinephone research labs into factories in the US. This overhead lighting system promised to be am easy-to-install, no glare solution that provided more working light per watt than any of its competitors.

4. Automatic Laundry Press

During World War II, Devol applied for a patent that described a novel control system for laundry press machines. These controls were proximity-based and both opened and closed the press when workers approached the machine.

5. The Speedy Weeny

After World War II, Devol experimented with microwave oven technology; an interest that lead to the development of the Speedy Weeny. This machine used microwave energy to cook hot dogs and dispense them on demand. The machines were installed in several locations including Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Besides the smaller inventions above, Devol is best known as the creator of the first programmable Industrial robot. In 1954, Devol applied for a patent that described a robotic arm whose instructions were stored on a drum. This patent would lead to the development of the Unimate industrial robot and the formation of Unimation, Inc. Seven years later in 1961, the first Unimate was installed at GM and used to transfer hot die-cast metal pieces. It was the first programmable industrial robot ever to land on a factory production line and kicked off a revolution in robotics that continues to this day. [NY Times]

You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter, Google + or Facebook.


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Its collection isn't exactly what we'd call comprehensive just yet, but one day the Museum of Endangered Sounds could be the de-facto place to go to teach your kids about technologies of yesteryear. Or at least teach them what those technologies sounded like.

Hearing Speak & Spell's cold synthetic voice ironically still brings a nostalgic tear to our eyes. And the Tetris theme still sounds best coming through the mono speaker of the original Game Boy. So when the day finally comes when you need to talk to your kids about the evils of modems and how to recognize one on the street, you can just point them here and let them learn about the world the same way you did—through a browser window.

[Museum of Endangered Sounds via Coudal]


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This is completely reassuring, we don't have to worry. A vial containing a virus that causes hemorrhagic fever has gone missing from a research facility in Texas. Okay, maybe we should worry.

The virus can only be transmitted through contact with rats from Venezuela. It, let's cross our fingers now, "is not believed" to be able to be transmitted through US rats or people. So worst case scenario we lose South America first, I guess.

It doesn't look like any foul play was involved as the University of Texas Medical Branch said that there wasn't a breach in the security of its facilities. What officials suspect is that the vial may have been destroyed during the cleaning process. So if you live in Texas and see a random vial lying on the street don't try to make purple drank out of it. For the rest of us. [CBS News, Image Credit: Neokryuger/Shutterstock]


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Face towel fs3gm of the sun Hawken cotton

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