A little Socialism is Bad... why?

I hate to get Political (alright, I LOVE to get Political, but I try to fight the urge since people get all weird about it).

Right Wing Mouthpieces are jumping all over President Obama for "taking over the car companies" and for regulating the pay rates of executives at the Banks receiving Govt. bail-out funds (a.k.a. OUR Tax dollars). It's being decried as a "Socialist take over".

I have a few questions about that: When Co.A goes to Financial Institution B for a high risk loan in order to save it's own ass, is it not customary to present a Business Plan detailing how the $$$ will be spent, in order to show that it's a decent risk? When Co.A fails to present a Plan, while also asking for an IMMENSE amount of money, isn't it also common sense for Financial Institution B to take control of said Co. and essentially OWN IT? It's our Tax Dollars that were asked for, therefore OUR Gov. gets that control. It makes sense to me...

And what is Obama doing with that control? Forcing the American Auto Industry to produce a quality car, that gets good gas mileage, at a competitive price. **OOOoooooh! I shudder at the thought...**

For the Banks receiving OUR Tax Dollars, he's reforming the Executive pay rates, so the Executive fat-cats don't receive ridiculous amounts of money (OUR $$$) while failing at the job of controlling the Nation's Economy. **Say it ain't so Joe!!!**

Pardon me while I roll my eyes and flip these Right-Wing Mouth-pieces the bird. If this is Socialism, then it's bad.... why?

Who Named this anyway?

All of the other Planets in our Solar System have cool names. Mars, (my favorite) Venus, Jupiter, Uranus (my other favorite, for very different reasons), all named after Greek and or roman Gods. Powerful names, names with meaning. Names with Personality... yet ours is named, Earth. As in "shovel-full". They (the other Planets) are mostly lifeless balls of dirt, and ours, where all of the LIFE is at, is named: Big Ball of Dirt.

Where did this name come from? WHO got to name our home planet? Couldn't the name be changed by simple consensus? If we ALL decided to call it something else, that would pretty much do it, right?

In Portugese and Italian, the word is Terra. Which is noticably feminine. French it's La Terre, which is Terre with a feminine spin. Mother-Earth and all that, we pretty much agree the earth is female, don't we?

How about a Feminine Spin on the word "Earth" and call it Eartha?

WHO'S WITH ME?!?!!

Estate of Panic

I sometimes wonder if the Television Gustapo has a line feeding straight into my brain, selectively cancelling every television show I LIKE.

Just like they did with Moonlight and Brimstone, it's looking like Estate of Panic, after one season, is done.


I understand EoP isn't officially cancelled, they just aren't making new episodes? They tease as well as taunt me...

The Inspirational Mr. Crowley

Aleistair Crowley that is. If you haven't heard of him... where the hell have you been?? I'll do a great dis-service to those who actually don't know of him, and not explain who he was or what he did, O.K.?

I got my first Crowley book (Magick in Theory and Practice) in 1986. Since then, I've acquired most of the books he's written, as far as I know. Acquired that is, not actually read. (Ozzy my friend, I want to know what he meant too, I just haven't quite firgured it out yet.) It isn't that I haven't tried, and it's not that I've tried and failed either. He has a truly devilish sense of humor I love, and conceptually I think I have him down pretty well. I'm with him on Theory, it's the Practice which eludes me.

Here's why: His writings never fail to make me think. It's mental exercise, rather than exhausting, it's exhilerating. He gives me sense of how much I don't know, not about his stuff, but in the general sense.

I started reading 777 last weekend, and here's what I came away with: I newfound desire to learn the Alphabet. Why did it take Crowley to make me see this?

I.... don't.... know.

Digital Art

I'm not even going to get into my thoughts on digital artists. I know of, and personally, some amazing artists who work primarily in the digital medium. I also know of, and personally, some people who have no talent or ability whatsoever, and make pictures using computers to make up for what they never bothered to develope themselves, and fancy themselves "artists." None of that has anything to do with this post.

Here's my biggest issue with creating art digitally: There's no resulting "work of art". Think about (for a cheap and easy example) the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is one of the most recognizable, most commonly used images in the mind of humanity. It's been emulated, imitated, duplicated, copied.... I'm sure even copulated, but there's only ONE. One original painting. That's it. It's that rarety which makes it one of the most valuable works of art in the Louvre. That will not happen with a digital image.

A digital image, by it's very nature, requires a computer to view, or a print to be made. Even a fine art print, on canvas and the whole nine yards, is still a copy. More copies can be made, indistinguishable from the rest.

Call me.... *insert appropriate word here* .... but I have a passion for the concept of the one-of-a-kind-original. A painting, oils acrylics or whatever, is that.

The Origin of Ideas...

It's the woe of many an artist. The inevitable question: "Where do you get all of your ideas?"

I've decided to post my own:

"Top 10 Responses"

10. HUH?!?

9. That is an excellent question... EXCELLENT! How long have you been doing interviews?

8. They are beamed directly to me from the Mothership.

7. I often wonder that myself.

6. I don't care where they are from... MAKE THEM STOP!!!!

5. You believe I have ideas... really? REALLY?!? I think I love you...

4. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you... do you really want to know? *look hopeful*

3. Is there a specific idea you'd like to know about?

2. I find them while searching around in my pants.

1. Who's to say where Creativity originates? I believe it was Aristotle who said... no, I think it was Buddha, no wait a minute... Niztche'? Why Niztche'? No, he didn't say anything about that... at least I don't think he did... he might have... I get so confused sometimes...

No Necon for me this year...

Since making the decision not to attend this year, I have been dreaming about it on a regular basis. No Convention has infected me like Necon has.

Postmortem Productions pays for itself. 2008 was NOT a good year for us business-wise, Partly due to the economic woes felt by everyone, partly due to the time constraints of my FTJ. Regardless of the "why's," usually I count myself lucky to break even financially at Necon. When I come close to taking in what it cost me to be there, I'm ecstatic. Last year wasn't it, and other venues didn't make up any of the difference either. This isn't "financial woes," we're still solid, but there isn't the money in the Postmortem Budget to cover good times for their own sake this year.

One good aspect of this is next year, Dark Lords willing, I'll be there, ....with a ton of new stuff.