Wanna make art? Take a break from all the politics, sports and porn and try:
Mr. Picassohead
The Mennu Blog: Randomly pulling things out of the morphic field and then putting them back in again.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
If it smells like Bayonne...leave it alone!
WSJ.com - Unmentionable City Is Still Left Waiting For Ship to Come In
WSJ.com - Unmentionable City Is Still Left Waiting For Ship to Come In
Can't seem to get enough of Lynndie England...she should get a job on TV....
The Village Voice: Nation: Press Clips: Bitch Bites Man! by Richard Goldstein: "Say what you will about sexism in this coverage. It's definitely true. But there's another reason why England's face is so ubiquitous in the press. Many acts depicted in those awful photos resonate with certain erotic fantasies. To admit that images of forced sodomy and pyramids of naked men are arousing is to understand why guards can do such things when ordered to, and then smile for the cameras. But because these fantasies clash with acceptable sexuality, they produce revulsion. The media show just enough flesh to rivet our attention, while blurring the holes in the prisoners' rectums as a signal of what we need to repress.
But offer an image of a woman grinning at the humiliation of men and you allay any homosexual anxiety while tapping into the permissible kitten-with-a-whip fantasy. You can blame her for being unnatural even as you project yourself into her gaze. By fostering this reverie, the press helps to transform a horrible story into a source of pleasure. That's where Lynndie England comes in. She's not just the face of Torturegate; she's the dominatrix of the American dream. "
The Village Voice: Nation: Press Clips: Bitch Bites Man! by Richard Goldstein: "Say what you will about sexism in this coverage. It's definitely true. But there's another reason why England's face is so ubiquitous in the press. Many acts depicted in those awful photos resonate with certain erotic fantasies. To admit that images of forced sodomy and pyramids of naked men are arousing is to understand why guards can do such things when ordered to, and then smile for the cameras. But because these fantasies clash with acceptable sexuality, they produce revulsion. The media show just enough flesh to rivet our attention, while blurring the holes in the prisoners' rectums as a signal of what we need to repress.
But offer an image of a woman grinning at the humiliation of men and you allay any homosexual anxiety while tapping into the permissible kitten-with-a-whip fantasy. You can blame her for being unnatural even as you project yourself into her gaze. By fostering this reverie, the press helps to transform a horrible story into a source of pleasure. That's where Lynndie England comes in. She's not just the face of Torturegate; she's the dominatrix of the American dream. "
The Strange Case of the Shocker
As I read this article I am reminded of a similar incident when I was in high school.
Back in Frisch, we used to have a club called "The Upper Echelon Society." It was a silly group with the stated purpose of acquiring a hot tub for our school. We used to have "meetings" in the shower where members would wear ties and frequently say "harrumph." Each day a memo went out which was read and commented on by our officers. We put up banners in the school, had a flag, and even had two pages in the yearbook. Our school paper, The Stuggle, did a feature on the UES, and showed our coat of arms in the paper. Our coat of arms had an F in one corner, crossed golf clubs in the other, and picture of a hot tub with a crown over it, and our motto (a paraphrase of Julius Caesar):
"vidi, vici, veni"
Well, one day, a teacher was sitting in the lounge and reading the newspaper article and noticed the motto on the logo. When the teacher realized that it was not "I came, I saw, I conquered," but rather said "I saw, I conquered, I came," the teacher started laughing. The other teachers asked what was so funny. After they had a good laugh, they realized that it was too funny and indecent, and decided that our organization should be outlawed.
All our banners were taken down and our pages were taken out of the yearbook.
As I read this article I am reminded of a similar incident when I was in high school.
Back in Frisch, we used to have a club called "The Upper Echelon Society." It was a silly group with the stated purpose of acquiring a hot tub for our school. We used to have "meetings" in the shower where members would wear ties and frequently say "harrumph." Each day a memo went out which was read and commented on by our officers. We put up banners in the school, had a flag, and even had two pages in the yearbook. Our school paper, The Stuggle, did a feature on the UES, and showed our coat of arms in the paper. Our coat of arms had an F in one corner, crossed golf clubs in the other, and picture of a hot tub with a crown over it, and our motto (a paraphrase of Julius Caesar):
"vidi, vici, veni"
Well, one day, a teacher was sitting in the lounge and reading the newspaper article and noticed the motto on the logo. When the teacher realized that it was not "I came, I saw, I conquered," but rather said "I saw, I conquered, I came," the teacher started laughing. The other teachers asked what was so funny. After they had a good laugh, they realized that it was too funny and indecent, and decided that our organization should be outlawed.
All our banners were taken down and our pages were taken out of the yearbook.
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
More pop music from Egypt: What ever happened to love songs? How about songs about peace? I guess I'll always be on the wrong side of Egyptian pop music...
Egypt Today - The Magazine of Egypt: "He Hates Israel, Too
Meet Islam Khalil, the brains behind ?I Hate Israel? and makwagi crooner Shaaban Abdel Rahim?s other political hits
By Yasmin Moll
MAKWAGI (IRONING MAN) turned pop star Shaaban Abdel Rahim?s new album has many shaking their hips, others reaching for their Brufen and some members of the People?s Assembly so outraged they?ve suggested banning his music for life.
Titled Illi Khayif Yirooh (If You?re Scared, Go), the album has attracted attention both at home and abroad, especially since a video-clip of one of the album?s tracks ? graphically depicting Israeli leader Ariel Sharon as a vampiresque-thug ? began airing on private satellite channels.
The middle-aged shaabi singer ? who once said in a television interview that he likes his suits to match his upholstery ? came into the national spotlight in 2001 with his hit song ?Ana Bakrah Israel (wa baheb Amr Moussa)? ? ?I hate Israel (but I love Amr Moussa)? ? dedicated to the man who was then Egypt?s foreign minister and is now head of the Arab League."
Egypt Today - The Magazine of Egypt: "He Hates Israel, Too
Meet Islam Khalil, the brains behind ?I Hate Israel? and makwagi crooner Shaaban Abdel Rahim?s other political hits
By Yasmin Moll
MAKWAGI (IRONING MAN) turned pop star Shaaban Abdel Rahim?s new album has many shaking their hips, others reaching for their Brufen and some members of the People?s Assembly so outraged they?ve suggested banning his music for life.
Titled Illi Khayif Yirooh (If You?re Scared, Go), the album has attracted attention both at home and abroad, especially since a video-clip of one of the album?s tracks ? graphically depicting Israeli leader Ariel Sharon as a vampiresque-thug ? began airing on private satellite channels.
The middle-aged shaabi singer ? who once said in a television interview that he likes his suits to match his upholstery ? came into the national spotlight in 2001 with his hit song ?Ana Bakrah Israel (wa baheb Amr Moussa)? ? ?I hate Israel (but I love Amr Moussa)? ? dedicated to the man who was then Egypt?s foreign minister and is now head of the Arab League."
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