short notes:
will brady's ruminations
will brady's ruminations
2004-07-03
POP CULTURE || JUNIOR JIHAD
The Full Armour of God | A tip o'the hat to Pagan Prattle for bringing this little ditty to the
surface | Recently purchased on E-Bay [four bidders in 8 days, went for $11.88 USD] the set is touted as a "Christian Character Builder" and is described thusly:
The Full Armour of God | A tip o'the hat to Pagan Prattle for bringing this little ditty to the
surface | Recently purchased on E-Bay [four bidders in 8 days, went for $11.88 USD] the set is touted as a "Christian Character Builder" and is described thusly:Play and learn about God's protection for Spiritual Battle. Complete set based on Ephesians 6:13-18, for ages 3 and up. Each item is made of molded, flexible plastic designed to fit most children. Adjustable straps and velcro allow children to wear certain pieces. Each item is labeled in order to recall God's Word. The set includes: The Sword of the Spirit, the Helmet of Salvation, the breastplate of Righteousness, the Belt of Truth, the Shield of Faith, the Gospel of Peace Shin Guards, and a Parent-Teacher Guide with suggested activities and scripture verses. Box may have some wear do to shipping, but the contents are in perfect conditionthe Pagan Prattler quipped: "Bet the little brats just go out and play soldiers in it." ¶ 22:24 0 comments
IRAQ QUAGMIRE
Why listen to some talkinghead, preened and glistened and hair-spryed comfortable in some television studio when a real live witness can be heard?
Raed in the Middle is the new cyber home of a man living in Baghdad who became a lesser celeb as a result of his earlier posts on another site, "Where's Raed?" |
That earilier site became somewhat of a group site and others did post on it but it provided a unique, mostly first person context about life in war-torn and occupied Iraq |
His new site is no different |
Thanks to the authors of Baghdad Burning for the link to Raed's new site | ¶ 08:17 0 comments
Why listen to some talkinghead, preened and glistened and hair-spryed comfortable in some television studio when a real live witness can be heard?
Raed in the Middle is the new cyber home of a man living in Baghdad who became a lesser celeb as a result of his earlier posts on another site, "Where's Raed?" |
That earilier site became somewhat of a group site and others did post on it but it provided a unique, mostly first person context about life in war-torn and occupied Iraq |
His new site is no different |
Thanks to the authors of Baghdad Burning for the link to Raed's new site | ¶ 08:17 0 comments
2004-07-02
POP QUIZ
Who Said it? Joe McCarthy or John Ashcroft? | test your history memory skills | ¶ 04:22 0 comments
Who Said it? Joe McCarthy or John Ashcroft? | test your history memory skills | ¶ 04:22 0 comments
VISUAL ARTS
Two website finds
Iconomania | Studies in Visual Culture [only one issue online, unfortunately]
The Panorama | History of a Mass Medium | [a book review] | The author of the book postulates that
Two website finds
Iconomania | Studies in Visual Culture [only one issue online, unfortunately]
The Panorama | History of a Mass Medium | [a book review] | The author of the book postulates that"I hope to show that the pictorial panorama was in one respect an apparatus for glorifying the bourgeois view of the world; it served both as an instrument for liberating human vision and for limiting and "imprisoning" it anew. As such it represents the first true mass medium."Personally, I'm not sure I agree that depicting panoramic vistas are, in and of themselves, glorifications of the "bourgeois view of the world" | They seem to be to be an attempt to get a glimpse of the breadth of a span of line of sight | This is not to say they aren't ever bourgeois images. just that Mr. Oetterman's perspect seems unduly limiting of the potential of panoramic vistas | Looks like a great book, otherwise | ¶ 04:07 0 comments
Stephan Oetterman, The Panorama, 7.
GALLOWS HUMOR
New Corporate Dollars may flood the market soon and could very well be the reason why the FED has raised interest rated at this time | Either that, or we're gonna need about a billion of these to buy a loaf of bread at some point when Dubya doesn't get elected again |
Seriously, these new notes have apparently been created in the same spirit as the Bill Clinton $3 demonination | And, as with many "commerative" coins are available for sale through Punditman.com
So rush on down or over to the website and pick up yours while they are not yet legal currency | You'll be able to spend them with the Reagan 20s, which, I understand, will be worth about $13.20 USD | You can buy all the ketsup you want with 'em after they both replace food stamps |
QUOTE
¶ 02:57 0 comments
New Corporate Dollars may flood the market soon and could very well be the reason why the FED has raised interest rated at this time | Either that, or we're gonna need about a billion of these to buy a loaf of bread at some point when Dubya doesn't get elected again |
Seriously, these new notes have apparently been created in the same spirit as the Bill Clinton $3 demonination | And, as with many "commerative" coins are available for sale through Punditman.com
So rush on down or over to the website and pick up yours while they are not yet legal currency | You'll be able to spend them with the Reagan 20s, which, I understand, will be worth about $13.20 USD | You can buy all the ketsup you want with 'em after they both replace food stamps |
QUOTE
Only in America can a homeless Vietnam vet live in a cardboard box,
and a radical draft-dodger live in the Whitehouse."
and a radical draft-dodger live in the Whitehouse."
Anonymous
actually, the quote was lifted from a website that was mocking former President Bill Clinton | Seems to apply now, only more so, thank's to the high ratio of Chicken Hawks in power |
¶ 02:57 0 comments
2004-07-01
WILL'S GALLERY || SUMMER ACTIVITIES
We all need to relax once in awhile | Holiday weekends provide a brief respite from the bounce and chaos of the rest of the week, and the regular grind | But each of us chooses to relax differently | Some just want to sit by the food vendor's cart [as is the case for the folks on the right] and take a load off our feet [though, without a doubt, the vendor doesn'thave the day off] | Myself, I like to grab a pen and paper, or paints and paper, and capture what I see for posterity |
Of late, some have said I ought to go commercial with my work, and I can use the rest of the summer to be more determined about that | With that in mind, rather than hide all these moments of relaxation under a metaphorical rock, I have stored them online | The image to the left can be clicked on to an entry page with a listing of some of those restful moments | Gives folks a chance to see a [small] range of my non-expository works | You can also see links to some of the online essays from this page |
So... have a look-see and let me know what you think | will.brady@gmail.com [by now, most folks know the routine, cut and past the addy into the proper line on an e-mail form]
Enjoy your summer | ¶ 08:08 0 comments
We all need to relax once in awhile | Holiday weekends provide a brief respite from the bounce and chaos of the rest of the week, and the regular grind | But each of us chooses to relax differently | Some just want to sit by the food vendor's cart [as is the case for the folks on the right] and take a load off our feet [though, without a doubt, the vendor doesn'thave the day off] | Myself, I like to grab a pen and paper, or paints and paper, and capture what I see for posterity |
Of late, some have said I ought to go commercial with my work, and I can use the rest of the summer to be more determined about that | With that in mind, rather than hide all these moments of relaxation under a metaphorical rock, I have stored them online | The image to the left can be clicked on to an entry page with a listing of some of those restful moments | Gives folks a chance to see a [small] range of my non-expository works | You can also see links to some of the online essays from this page |
So... have a look-see and let me know what you think | will.brady@gmail.com [by now, most folks know the routine, cut and past the addy into the proper line on an e-mail form]
Enjoy your summer | ¶ 08:08 0 comments
2004-06-30
WEB SURFING
Sites that caught my interest
Sites that caught my interest
Under the Fire Star | Nancy Ghandi writes a beautiful, captivating blog from Chennai, India | The arts, daily life, poignantly told, the direct impact of harsh economic times on real people | You'll never see this on FOX News, so check it out here |¶ 21:50 0 comments
Laughing Knees | "...so named from the condition that mountain walkers get when descending for a long time. With fatigue the knees begin quivering with each step. In Japan walkers proclaim, "Hiza ga waratteru!" ( My knees are laughing! )." Another beautiful, and thoughtful website, this one from Japan and compiled by Miguel Arboleda. A writer and illustrator living in Tokyo "...German/ Filipino/ African-American (my father is Filipino-American, my mother, German) who grew up in Germany, America, and Japan."
In These Times hosts Kurt Vonnegut who speaks to a grim vision of the future
Blue Jewel / Pure Land Mountain | Another USA Expat in Japan, Robert Brady [no known relation] providing lots of updates on the Wilson/Plume affair; you know, that time when someone in the White House blabbed who a CIA operative was to get back at her husband, who was publically critical of the shenanigans being conducted by Dubya, Big Dick, Rummy and those other war criminals currently occupying the People's Mansion |
SPACE EXPLORATION
Cassini hits Saturn's pull | TONIGHT [from Universe Today]:
pic credit: ESA --v
Cassini hits Saturn's pull | TONIGHT [from Universe Today]:Cassini will enter Saturn's orbit on July 1 at 0336 UTC (10:36 pm EDT June 30), and make its closest approach to the planet - for the entire mission - about 90 minutes later.So, Star hounds, get the coffee brewing around 2030 hours EDT [Time Zone 5, adjust accordingly] and tell your boss you'll be in late tomorrow | Go watch the rings collide with Cassini | ¶ 08:54 0 comments
Both NASA and the ESA will have live coverage of the event available on the Internet, so you can switch back and forth between the two feeds. NASA coverage begins at 0230 UTC and goes until 0540. ESA coverage begins at 0135 UTC and runs until 0500, but it won't be continuous, just broadcasting the major events.
2004-06-29
THE STINK OF POLITICS || SOCIAL INJUSTICE
The Supremes do it again! | Now anyone in the United Snakes of Amerika can become one of the "disappeared" | The US Nation's High Court ruled narrowly Monday that Congress gave President Bush the power to hold an American citizen without charges or trial, but said the detainee can challenge his treatment in court |
There's More...
I'm not saying that criminals should go free | I'm concerned that basic due process protections long recognized in Western Civilizations are just as "quaint" as the Geneva Conventions Protocols | These people don't want to dismantle FDR's Legacy, they want to invalidate the Magna Carta! ¶ 08:11 0 comments
The Supremes do it again! | Now anyone in the United Snakes of Amerika can become one of the "disappeared" | The US Nation's High Court ruled narrowly Monday that Congress gave President Bush the power to hold an American citizen without charges or trial, but said the detainee can challenge his treatment in court |
There's More...
I'm not saying that criminals should go free | I'm concerned that basic due process protections long recognized in Western Civilizations are just as "quaint" as the Geneva Conventions Protocols | These people don't want to dismantle FDR's Legacy, they want to invalidate the Magna Carta! ¶ 08:11 0 comments
2004-06-27
PERFORMING ARTS
Images this section ©2004 | fabulous dance theatre
Giselle | Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre | We saw Michael Keegan-Dolan's interpretation of Giselle at Yale's "Department for the Drama" and came out every bit convinced that we just saw a totally new take on theatre, dance and Irish drama | I thought it was an Irish Greek Tragedy, elaborately performed yet with only symbolic, and minimalist, staging | Powerful, powerful imagry that kept my attention rapt the whole time | It made a whole lot more sense after coming home and reading a historic synopsis of the ballet [first performed in Paris in 1841] but it was still riveting even without knowing the history |
The story of the pitiful, dismal life of the innocent Giselle, imprisoned in a dark, cruel town of frustrated, venal, petty, yet passionate bakwards villagers [and especially by her demented, retarded incest-driven brother Hilariaon] Their lives briefly lifted each week with the spark and verve coming from the erotically charged country line dance teacher, Albrecht | Albrecht was equal opportunity seducer, giong first after the mute Giselle, but taking any interested party available,
including the shy and handsome town butcher Patrick |
Further peopled by the sadistic nurse Mary, as well as Giselle's distant, phone pole sitting father [serving as a lone "Greek Chorus" to update the audience with the story's twists and turns] the tale is grating and fierce |
But it's the dancing that draws you in | Lithe and beautiful, [especially the duets between Giselle and Albrecht] and shows that Giselle can have joy and beauty in her tortured, troubled life | The Line dancing seqeunces seemed a gifted Irish choreographer's take on American Cowboy pop-culture skillfully intermixed with traditional Irish jig dancing [move over Riverdance, there's no comparison here] | The dance is joyful ...JOYFUL! |
Chock-full with profanity, violence and obscene language, the spectacle of the tragic story nevertheless doesn't get hidden by such diversions | Lyrical and beautiful and sad | Gentle viewers might take heed in this notice, and there are several powerful, extended raw enactments of sexual encounters, cartoonish in depiction [perhaps] yet far more realistic and exotic than most any porn film I've ever seen or heard about | When Nurse Mary basically rape/seduces the butcher Pat while mending a cauterized finger, the scene is not just hilarious but very erotic | I can see why this made such a stir at the Dublin Theatre Festival |
Giselle dies tragically, victim of an insane jealousy by her brother toward the suitor Albrecht | Her come-uppance is in the last part of the performance, during a chilling almost mystical sequence in the graveyard where, together with the ghosts of other young women dashed to death before their time, the spirits [the wilies, according to Slavic and Russian lore] first lure the mad brother, and smother him to death by seduction |
One final bit player in this morality play, is the Church, itself absent of presence and involvement in the daily events, but imposing its judgement in the end by denying poor Giselle a proper burial in sanctified grounds | Why? because she'd had "relations with a stranger"! | As in life, the Church stays involved via force feeding opinions by virtue of power, not forgiveness |
I'd go see it again, and again and again and again | The dancing -when it comes- is exquiste and beautiful | It's a whole new experience in dance | What I've said thus far is mere narration of events | In fact, what goes on before your eyes is sure to impact on dance, theatre and drama for years to come | ¶ 00:38 0 comments
Images this section ©2004 | fabulous dance theatre
Giselle | Fabulous Beast Dance Theatre | We saw Michael Keegan-Dolan's interpretation of Giselle at Yale's "Department for the Drama" and came out every bit convinced that we just saw a totally new take on theatre, dance and Irish drama | I thought it was an Irish Greek Tragedy, elaborately performed yet with only symbolic, and minimalist, staging | Powerful, powerful imagry that kept my attention rapt the whole time | It made a whole lot more sense after coming home and reading a historic synopsis of the ballet [first performed in Paris in 1841] but it was still riveting even without knowing the history |
The story of the pitiful, dismal life of the innocent Giselle, imprisoned in a dark, cruel town of frustrated, venal, petty, yet passionate bakwards villagers [and especially by her demented, retarded incest-driven brother Hilariaon] Their lives briefly lifted each week with the spark and verve coming from the erotically charged country line dance teacher, Albrecht | Albrecht was equal opportunity seducer, giong first after the mute Giselle, but taking any interested party available,
including the shy and handsome town butcher Patrick |
Further peopled by the sadistic nurse Mary, as well as Giselle's distant, phone pole sitting father [serving as a lone "Greek Chorus" to update the audience with the story's twists and turns] the tale is grating and fierce |
But it's the dancing that draws you in | Lithe and beautiful, [especially the duets between Giselle and Albrecht] and shows that Giselle can have joy and beauty in her tortured, troubled life | The Line dancing seqeunces seemed a gifted Irish choreographer's take on American Cowboy pop-culture skillfully intermixed with traditional Irish jig dancing [move over Riverdance, there's no comparison here] | The dance is joyful ...JOYFUL! |
Chock-full with profanity, violence and obscene language, the spectacle of the tragic story nevertheless doesn't get hidden by such diversions | Lyrical and beautiful and sad | Gentle viewers might take heed in this notice, and there are several powerful, extended raw enactments of sexual encounters, cartoonish in depiction [perhaps] yet far more realistic and exotic than most any porn film I've ever seen or heard about | When Nurse Mary basically rape/seduces the butcher Pat while mending a cauterized finger, the scene is not just hilarious but very erotic | I can see why this made such a stir at the Dublin Theatre Festival |
Giselle dies tragically, victim of an insane jealousy by her brother toward the suitor Albrecht | Her come-uppance is in the last part of the performance, during a chilling almost mystical sequence in the graveyard where, together with the ghosts of other young women dashed to death before their time, the spirits [the wilies, according to Slavic and Russian lore] first lure the mad brother, and smother him to death by seduction |
One final bit player in this morality play, is the Church, itself absent of presence and involvement in the daily events, but imposing its judgement in the end by denying poor Giselle a proper burial in sanctified grounds | Why? because she'd had "relations with a stranger"! | As in life, the Church stays involved via force feeding opinions by virtue of power, not forgiveness |
I'd go see it again, and again and again and again | The dancing -when it comes- is exquiste and beautiful | It's a whole new experience in dance | What I've said thus far is mere narration of events | In fact, what goes on before your eyes is sure to impact on dance, theatre and drama for years to come | ¶ 00:38 0 comments
