Mythologizing the Past

I ran across this Washington Post news article that came out shortly after the recent passage of Health Care reforms.

I came across an interesting quote:

"I grew up in the '50s," said Hugh Pearson, 63, a retired builder from Bakersfield, Calif. "That was a wonderful time. Nobody was getting rich, nobody was doing everything big. But it was 'Ozzie and Harriet' days, 'Leave It to Beaver'-type stuff. Now we have all this MTV, expose-yourself stuff, and we have no morality left, not even by the legislators."

It makes for a great news-bite but let's look at this further. If its 2010 now & he's currently 63, that would mean he was born roughly in 1947. He was 3 when it began & 13 when it closed!

BTW, I'm doing the "face-palm" right now.

Back when I was that age, my biggest concern was catching the latest episode of the original Transformers cartoon. Or yelling at my sister for disassembling my latest Legos creation, or playing GI Joe w/ the neighborhood kids in the woods by my old house.

I guess its a testament to the effectiveness of the Madison Avenue cultural propaganda machine.


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This here is Ashley. We met each other many moons ago through the connection of a mutual friend. It didn't work out for quite sometime, she was coming as I was going & vice versa. That sorta thing.

Low & behold she was like 8 months pregnant or something & found herself in my area & inquired about a shoot. I made time the following week.

It was kinda tough considering Mother Nature forced us indoodrs, the limited time available, & not to mention, it was my first preggo shoot in like 7 years. I think both of us did a pretty darn good. Preggo shoots are always tough trying to hit the model at the right angle that shows off the bump (the thing everyone wants to see apparently) & remembering that the model won't have same movement mechanics.

Anyways, here's the lovely Ashley & her then pregnant self.



Feel free to comment away on anything written here, if you so desire.

Time Travel is a Sorry Excuse for Quality Storytelling

I've come to the conclusion that 95% of time travel stories are a weak excuse for quality storytelling.

It seems like a good idea in theory. It allows you to introduce fun, alternate versions of the characters we all know & love. It allows you to introduce horrible environments that do not exist in the present. It allows you to reanalyze time periods that we've come to mythologize. It allows you to discuss the moral implications of mucking up the past & altering ones own present.

Why do I think time travel stories are a weak excuse for storytelling?

Its an investment issue.

When some friggin' science fiction franchise produces some villain who travels back to my character(s)'s own past & then SUCCEEDS in altering his future, its not respecting what's come before it. It makes changing the present to easy & is without consequences. If no character that "I" know, not even one, aren't going to remember the effected changes, then what's the point of telling the story in the first place?

Take Marvel Comics for example. I know you guys made a big push to get Peter Parker back to his single guy worry roots but you couldn't have thought of a better storyline than having Pete's 25-year marriage to Mary Jane Watson evaporated by a snap of the fingers? You mean to tell me you guys have never heard of, y'know, a thing called a divorce? You could've done that & have her move to Hollywood (she is an actress after-all) & then have Pete lives the single life you guys want him to. By magically erasing his marriage, you also changed Pete's bombshell of a coming out party that occurred in "Civil War" (probably your best company wide storyline in years). Whoops, sorry audience, that didn't happen either.

Or take the most recent Star Trek movie. You have a villain from Picard & Janeway's time period traveling back in time, creating havoc in Kirk & Spock's Academy days (a period of like 150-175 years in the past). Nevermind that you glossed over why he's ticked off. Nevermind that his reasons don't make sense, even to him. If they don't make sense to the character himself, why in the hell would they make any sense to the audience?

I know franchise reboots & origin stories are the rage right now but give me a friggin' break. Its one thing for some James Bond villain threatening to blow up the world, its another for him to actually do it. By telling that particular story w/o even a hint of a reset or a way to make things right. If things are not going to be fixed, why tell the story to begin w/?

There's no "Amok Time", no awesome deliciously suave evilness that is Khan, no cat & mouse hunt that is the "Balance of Terror", no "Menagerie" or "the Cage", no Borg, the entire Next Generation, DS9, & Voyager series are all shot (they all had prominent Vulcan & Romulan deeply woven into the fabric of their mythos). You get the idea.

The sad thing is is that they could have used the EXACT same plotline (pissed off villain traveling back to his enemy's past), placed it in Picard & Janeway's time period, introduce us to a familiar yet new crew (its not like it conflicts w/ any Star Trek projects going on right now because there are none), & it would have been perfectly acceptable. Hell, you could have kept Old Spock in the mix to draw roots from the Original Series. Instead we get the abortion that is the Star Trek "Reboot". Don't get me wrong, it had its moments like the different takes on old motifs: being chased by weird creatures, retarded yet fun fight scenes, new takes on old sound effects, the really nice nod to retro set designs but updating them for a unique look. *sigh*

I hope JJ Abrams someday gets stabbed by a liquid metal Terminator. Thank you for wasting like a 20-year emotional investment.

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This here is a shot of Shylah & Brad.

This shot came off more like an engagement picture than I ever intended but it still works. I particularly like how their hands are positioned because A. its all their doing & B. whenever I try to place the hands, I completely screw it up. They were both a fun bunch to work w/.



Feel free to comment away if you so desire.

Future Darwin Award Applicant

I never would have thought the Census information would have been controversial but apparently I was wrong. The most sensitive information they ask for is your phone number & even that one could probably find out what it is by, I dunno, DOING A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH!

Here's what the form asks in case you're interested:

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/how/interactive-form.php

Some like Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (Republican from Minnesota) feel its so "intrusive" that she is urging her constituents not to fill out the forms. Don't get me wrong, I know there are a lot of anti-government wackos out there but its doubly ironic since the entire basis on whether a Congressperson even has a job (aside from being elected) is based on having MORE residents in their state than the others.

It'd be poetic justice if she lost her seat from gerrymandering because her state lost population. I can just foresee idiots like these someday becoming a Darwin Award applicant.

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This is a semi-oldie of Nancy wearing custom jewelry by Parker Posie Designs.



Feel free to comment on any part of this blog, if you dare. (cues mischievous laugh)

I Heart Boobies Brouhaha

Of all the things for a community to be outraged about, the infamous South Glens Falls "I (heart) boobies" brouhaha should not be one of them.

Is the phrasing crude? Sure it is. But it gets people to think & followup w/ why the person is wearing said bracelet. That was certainly my experience when introduced to the "Save the Ta-Tas" organization. I thought it was another silly Facebook group (much like "I want to be your derivative so I can lay tangent to your curves") but after a quick investigation they are indeed a legitimate Breast Cancer Awareness organization.

Though I applaud Ms Ballard for correcting what she perceived as a school violation, at the same time I have to wonder if this is a case of a teacher having an axe to grind? Think about it. The bracelet was never disrupting class until the teacher herself brought undue attention to it. Secondly, the student offered a reasonable compromise to turn the bracelet inside out. Thirdly, the teacher went out of her way to go after the kid the next day when the bracelet was already inside out. On this last count I have to ask...considering there are an untold number of organizations using variation of the "I heart boobies" color scheme, how did the teacher know what was on the bracelet if she never saw it inside-out to begin w/?

Ms Ballard is not the only person in society who has been effected by Breast Cancer. Had she not lost her head & taken 5 minutes (probably less) to Google the organization, she would have found all she needed to discover what the organization was about. Had she spoken to the kid in private (maybe after class or school?), she would have learned he too had a family member effected by the disease. She could have taken the time to visit the local American Cancer Society office & given the kid a more acceptable alternative braclet (they were more than happy to give away for free the one I wear away, despite my offer to pay the crippling price of $2) Instead she loses her head enforcing a zero-tolerance policy, the spirit of which was never meant for more noticeable & disruptive personal attire. As the saying goes, a "teachable moment" was lost.

Interestingly enough, by Ms Ballard & the administration acting the way they did, they've brought publicity to the "I heart Boobies" organization in ways the organization itself could never have hoped for. Call this the Law of Unintended Consequences.

The point is for all the unwise things teenagers often get themselves into. Punishing them for wanting to help improve society, should not be one of them.

Edit: If this story didn't get juicer, the SGF Assistant principle had the brains to be photographed groping the wax figures of Jessica Simpson & Jenna Jameson during a trip to a recent trip to Vegas. The story probably would have ended there but he then went on post them publicly on his Facebook page. This is the same person responsible for disciplining students for their cancer awareness's "disruptive attire."

I swear this is sounding more & more like a South Park episode. The kids are the responsible ones while the adults act like idiots.

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This is where I'd present one of the pictures from my Breast Cancer Awareness pictures but unfortunately, there aren't any ones that A. are of a PG nature that haven't been seen yet.

So, I'll just show you an oldie but goodie.



Feel free to opine if you so choose.

Pedopriests Comparing Themselves to Holocaust Jews

This being Easter & all, I had an interesting cross-culture analysis about resurrections planned but something more serious arose that I felt merited my scorn.

I consider myself a spiritual person but its really hard to support organized religion when institutions like the Catholic Church make claims that have no basis in reality.

I give you the latest Vatican statement defending itself against the ongoing pedophilia charges. They're comparing their (perceived) persecution in regards to the ongoing pedophilia priest scandal w/ those of the Holocaust Jews.


These people just don't get it & likely never will. For starters, pedo-priests are the abusers not the victim. If you insist on comparing it to the Holocaust, a more appropriate analogy is that the pedo-priest are the Nazi War Criminals. "We're only following orders." Yeah, I'm sure.

If the Roman Catholic church is unable or unwilling to even investigate the matter & take appropriate disciplinary action (as opposed to shuffling them from one unsuspecting parish to another), then the accuser should stand trial in the criminal justice system. "Just protecting our institution" be damned.

Your community entrusted you not to abuse that trust. Because you violated that public trust, you should get whatever punishment that this world can meet out. I'd be saying the same for any police officer or elected official violating their oath for personal gain.

Kicking out a couple of kids out of Catholic School because their parents are lesbians is ok (as if the children have any say in who their parents are). Pimping out the choir as a de facto prostitution ring is ok. Telling women what they can & cannot do to their own bodies is ok. Doing nothing about known pedophile priests is ok. But god forbid that two people of the same sex want to love each other, that's a sin!

It just goes to show how (expletive deleted) their priorities have become. Its bullshit like this that contributes why I don't waste my time going to Sunday mass anymore.

Edit: This makes me even more angry!!!

In the two years before Father Murphy died, the bishops in Milwaukee and Superior tried to have him defrocked but were dissuaded by Vatican officials who had received a letter from Father Murphy asking for leniency. The Vatican said Father Murphy had shown “apparent good conduct” in the 24 years since he had been removed from St. John’s and sent to Boulder Junction.

The locals tried to get rid of this piece of trash & headquarters gives the guy yet another reprieve. I know they believe in the sacrament of reconciliation but apparently, enough will never be enough to these idiots.

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This here is Hope, a person I consider a creatively dear friend. This is an older picture that has a special place in my heart.



Feel free to comment away if you so choose.

Washington Jealous of Albany Buffoonery

Nice to know the Albany legislature does not have a monopoly on buffoonery.

Thanks goes to MOFYC for emailing the following Washington Post article.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/maryland-basketball-measure-st.html

Summary:

Two politicians arguing over one of those symbolic, (usually) noncontroversial measures that happens all the time. Apparently the Maryland representative wanted to pass some motion wishing the U of Maryland men's basketball team good luck during their March Madness Tournament appearance (they were eventually bounced in the 2nd round). The California representative opposed it because he had his own symbolic resolution rejected earlier this year.

For those of you at home, my facial expression is the same one I used when "baby-dangling" entered the American Lexicon.

If this story wasn't already retarded, I'm sharing some comedic quotes (intentional or otherwise) that I caused me to choke on my coffee from laughing:

Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.), who was on the House floor for the whole exchange, decided to stay out of it. "I will keep myself totally neutral as a graduate of the University of New Hampshire," she said.

Here's another quote from the House Majority Leader's PR office:

Republicans are staying true to their 'Party of No' doctrine: Whether it's health care, job creation, or basketball, Republicans aren't for anything.

& no, this is unfortunately not an April Fool's joke.


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This here is Brittany doing her thing.

She's one of those fun, little sprites where you can just let her go on autopilot & follow along. Those kinds of people make my job easy.



Feel free to comment if you so choose.