I do like Calvin's term, "spectacles of faith". If I have faith I can let go of myself just a little to consider that God is in charge and God doesn't want to crucify me personally. He did that gig with Jesus, his son. I sing the song, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord" and admit I was all the players in that play. Not just Jesus. I have to get out of myself and over myself and yes, think of things from the position of myself not as the central player in life's drama. I may be in my own. As the saying goes, I'm not much but I'm all I think about. This is narcissism. It's the essence of the psychopath and self gratification. It's the me first reality of the "infant terrible". It's the teen age drama queen. It's the 50 year old acting like an 11 year old. We intuitively know it is and even if it's politically incorrect to say it. We think, grow up! Self centeredness, even if it gets you riches and cosmetic surgery doesn't bring you closer to humility and spirituality. It's definitely not community awareness when you don't care for others and God is just another name for 'other' or even 'neighbor'.
So imagine God. The supreme being. The great Kahuna. The other who is not just there but really isn't out to get me because for all I know I may be a microbe on the face of creation. In the multidimensional reality I may be a dot or a line or the tabula rusa. I might not even be anything more than a puppet. It's my contention for the sake of this ego that I'm in charge. But face it, I can't make oxygen. Humility is reality. I'm completely unaware of creating this creation so if I did who is it that makes me unaware of what I do. In the Eastern sense of maya, or illusion, who makes this illusion, this life.
So let's hypothesize a God. And rather than many, just consider one of these and myself as the other. Who came first. Did we co exist. That's the proposition of self and overself. I am the "little me" and not the 'higher power".
But if there is a higher power is there a relation. Am I the gnat on the elephants ass or a child of this God. Is this God trying to communicate with me. I certainly am now trying to communicate with God. I'm praying as unceasingly as I can. Often I'm saying, stop the world, I want to get off. Help me, I can't stand a noter day of beaurocratic stupidity. Save me from the propaganda of media. Protect me from the bullies that gang with other idiots and want to hurt me and who ever else they can. Please God don't let microbes plug up my nose. Save me from cancer. Help my family and friends.
Lets face it I acknowledge I need help and I turn to this other, this infinite as compared to my finite, self. If you have ever had a foxhole prayer then you are a theist and all your blather in safety about aetheism is just hypocricy. I consider quite possibly my arrogance of humanism is just that, child like development, the adolescent mind that alienates and isolates. Me first. It's the feminist, masculinist in me. It's the divide and conquer, dualism of my deceptive mind. It's the limits of my capacity to "know" , "grok" God. God may know me but I can't contain the infinite in the finite.
There are no atheists in foxholes and if you haven't got religion, then go to sea. The book, Denial of Death, addresses the whole of societies work to distract itself from the reality of "dust to dust'. Even Napoleon was born between shit and piss. At bedsides, the fear is of death, the afterlife and suffering. I don't worry about crosses and Romans but nurses and doctors run by profit motive greedy rich hospital CEO's who took a weekend course on slow euthanasia and how to save money by cutting back on toilet privileges. I've seen so much of this evil in my life. I don't need cloven hooved winged miscreants and dragons. I've had my fill of stupidity.
But I simply admit my fear. My fear calls out for a protector from the lightning and the big cats. I'm in my cave and I'm man enough to say that I'm afraid.
So I'm not alone and rather silly of me I believe in a God. I'm certainly crying out to that God. That's my spiritual 9-11. Skip police, fire, and ambulance and put me through to central management. Why am I in this soup and who are these hairy faced men and women, long necked women and boys, stirring the broth. Am I the the eater or the food. If I was buddhist I'd be saying, wake me from this nightmare.
As a Christian I'm saying, wake me.
My sweet Lord, I want to know you. I want a relationship with you. I want wealth and health and guidance and honor and peace of mind.
I want to be awake and know and not just be distracted. I don't want to ask, "what is this hand basket and where are we going anyway?".
So maybe when I shut up and the hysteria dies down and I stop my thrashing and running in circles and screaming the 'skies falling', maybe when I put on the "spectacles of faith", I can actually believe in not just an infinitude but another, a higher self, a God, a Lord, a Creator who would like to speak to me. Maybe he's revealing himself to me now,
Even as I sit in this present moment of self if I just relax and trust and love and believe, maybe God is 'revealing' himself to me. Shut up and smell the roses!
I'm a whole lot of nano seconds alive, a whole lot of seconds, I'm a whole lot of minutes alive, a whole lot of hours and days and weeks and months and years. When will I accept the miracle of love and life that says that despite my belief countless times that things were ultimately doomed, it's been okay. I'm still here. Why would I think any different. Why must I believe that when people die they don't just go to sleep and wake in a reality that I don't know but is their new reality. I have no knowledge of ending and 'yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou aren't with me."
I didn't even have any say in the way those people called parents carried me when I was a mewling baby and I didn't have any say in the neighbors picking me up or their dog sniffing me on the lawn or the encounters with wild animals, floods, blizzards, broken machinery and bad food. I somehow survived. Rather than believing negatively that that's just the exception and the shoe will drop and my ass will be in a sling, maybe I could believe that God's in charge and God, as far as I'm concerned, is doing pretty good and has done pretty good by me but I've been pretty ungrateful and expected a rocket ship for my next birthday so had a few little ego disappointments. Further if I really look at the real crap moments in my life and ask sincerely what I had to do with getting there that day or setting the course to that crash a week or two ahead I can usually find a point where I 'did it my way'. I'm deluding myself I'm a victim. I'm more often than not a volunteer. I might well have been a sperm captain on that biblical escape from Egypt through the Dessert to the promised land of Canaan ovary.
I may have been a fool to volunteer. Certainly the leadership I've known locally has been all for me charging machine guns with my single shot rifle or sometimes just a broom when really all I wanted to charge was windmills and come home to Dulcinea.
But God has been revealling him/her/their/itself. I believe God, thyself are trying to reach out and touch me. I'm in love in Thompson's Hound of Heaven. Despite my cynicism and negatively and unwillingness to be exploded by the joy that caused Daniel to dance naked in the streets I'm touched by joy. I'm surprised by Joy as C.S. Lewis said.
I'm alive today. I could be fully alive but my fear of criminals, police and state and terrorists and poverty and corporations and mental hospital and looking silly to the kids limits my expression of the reality of creation. I'll Mona Lisa smile and let my eyes twinkle. I'll hold this kernel of happiness with in me. No matter what happens today I'll protect the little flame of God that burns in my being. I'll blow on that flame and think that God blew life into this dust of me so I'll blow life into god.
God is revealling himself and the more I reveal myself the more closely we'll meet. It's called love. God loves me and I can't explain it anymore than why I love my little dog but my little dog has more faith in me than I have in God. Yet once I loved my parents more than I love God and today I'll practice loving as a child does. I won't spend my time being so mature and 'reasonable' and 'smart' and 'clever' and 'paranoid' but rather I'll quietly shout hallelujah. I'll know the revelation of God and maybe God will reveal more to me. Hallelujah!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Canadian Authors Association - West Coast
What a thoroughly bizarre evening! At 7 pm, Laura and I walked into the monthly meeting of the Canadian Authors Association at the Howe Street Alliance for Art and Culture building. Suddenly the room was a blaze and someone was shouting Flashpoint! Little had we turned to run when we were tripping over dead bodies that were not only being investigated by the Da Vinci code team but the Cold Squad as well. All the while the Edgemont High kids were popping bubblegum and trying to mate without moving out of their one location.
Thankfully, Ben Nuttall Smith, dripping blood and dressed like an Aztec warrior explained that Ian Weir was reading tonight. Ian had written screenplays for all those great tv shows. Meanwhile Ben's historic novel, Blood, Feathers and Holy Men had just been released. Spannish Conquistadores were slashing about behind him. When Ben began his reading natives and monks began interacting with colourful parrots flying about the room.
"It happens when you're a writer. Your characters and stories go every where with you," some writer whispered
Robert Mackie, the CAA president rode in on a horse wearing a WWI soldier uniform, his book Horse Soldiers to come out in March. He said Canwrite 2011 retreat was coming up in May and that next month at the CAA meeting here there'd be an open mike.
Publisher Perry Wilson wearing medieval garbs from her own other worldly ebooks then proceded to introduce Ian Weir. He'd actually been sitting behind me with Jane Hall, author of Red Wall which certainly explained why her RCMP characters were chasing the the Devil, the prostitutes and pugilists of the novel Daniel O' Thunder.
Ian Weir stood up and he didn't look at all like a writer. He was a rangy long drink of a fellow looking almost like Sam Elliott. He should be in front of the camera not scribbling at the back of some smelly stage.
Perry told us Weir's novel, Daniel O Thunder was already short listed for 4 major awards including the CAA Award for Fiction and Amazon's First Fiction award.
Despite his 30 years of self supporting writing and utterly obvious genius he was humble and gracious as well.
He read from his novel Daniel O'Thunder and it grabbed you. Later he'd describe how writing for television forced one to really get a hold of the audience because they had 250 channels to change to if you didn't. He had 4 narrative voices in this 1850's novel set mostly in London where Weir got his MA in English at King's College. Daniel, a retired boxer who preached the gospel, had challenged the devil to a fight anywhere in England. John a fallen preacher who just may have slept with the daughter of a wealthy parishioner had seen it wise to leave his church, change his name and come to Covent Gardens. The Devil was indeed a frightening character who trailed a faint whiff of sulfur. As Ian read a chill went through the room before the thunderous applause that followed his conclusion of such a heart warming piece of quite spectacular writing.
The question and answer period followed. The parrots alighted, the dead bodies sat up and the RCMP band quieted so you couldn't even here the Edgmonth High kids bubble gum as Weir shared the secrets of politic, business and craft.
Story, Protagonist, Obstacles and Goals, character monologues when stuck, the diference between American and Canadian agents, the budget for an episode of Da Vinci Code versus the budget for CSI, why camera positions, takes and shows decided by budget can make a faster Canadian tv show appear slow, while locations can take half a budget. Who is the protgagonist. What is he wanting to achieve. What is ongoing Story Arc? What's holding the centre? Has the character transformed? What to do when a show has 4 producers. How to write a peice for CBC and CBS when they really want the one peice to be two different stories. What is the story fundamentally about. Can you tell me what War and Peace or Lord of the Rings was about in 25 words or less?
Ian Weir could and did. We were all so astonished by what and how he told us that Bernice Lever simply apologised to him and all that we couldn't go on all night. Our parking meters were up.
But that's what happens with great story tellers. Ian Weir is one of the best. Even among his own, he enthralled. He could keep a room of story tellers entertained all night.
I left with an autographed copy of Daniel O'Thunder from Douglas & McIntyre publishers in one hand and a copy of Blood, Feathers and Holy men from Libros Libertad publishers in my other. I'll just have to put off writing the 'great canadian novel' myself since I simply must now read both these books.
When I got home I found I was bruised all over my body by some pugilist called Daniel O'Thunder and had parrot shit in my hair. What a bizarre night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thankfully, Ben Nuttall Smith, dripping blood and dressed like an Aztec warrior explained that Ian Weir was reading tonight. Ian had written screenplays for all those great tv shows. Meanwhile Ben's historic novel, Blood, Feathers and Holy Men had just been released. Spannish Conquistadores were slashing about behind him. When Ben began his reading natives and monks began interacting with colourful parrots flying about the room.
"It happens when you're a writer. Your characters and stories go every where with you," some writer whispered
Robert Mackie, the CAA president rode in on a horse wearing a WWI soldier uniform, his book Horse Soldiers to come out in March. He said Canwrite 2011 retreat was coming up in May and that next month at the CAA meeting here there'd be an open mike.
Publisher Perry Wilson wearing medieval garbs from her own other worldly ebooks then proceded to introduce Ian Weir. He'd actually been sitting behind me with Jane Hall, author of Red Wall which certainly explained why her RCMP characters were chasing the the Devil, the prostitutes and pugilists of the novel Daniel O' Thunder.
Ian Weir stood up and he didn't look at all like a writer. He was a rangy long drink of a fellow looking almost like Sam Elliott. He should be in front of the camera not scribbling at the back of some smelly stage.
Perry told us Weir's novel, Daniel O Thunder was already short listed for 4 major awards including the CAA Award for Fiction and Amazon's First Fiction award.
Despite his 30 years of self supporting writing and utterly obvious genius he was humble and gracious as well.
He read from his novel Daniel O'Thunder and it grabbed you. Later he'd describe how writing for television forced one to really get a hold of the audience because they had 250 channels to change to if you didn't. He had 4 narrative voices in this 1850's novel set mostly in London where Weir got his MA in English at King's College. Daniel, a retired boxer who preached the gospel, had challenged the devil to a fight anywhere in England. John a fallen preacher who just may have slept with the daughter of a wealthy parishioner had seen it wise to leave his church, change his name and come to Covent Gardens. The Devil was indeed a frightening character who trailed a faint whiff of sulfur. As Ian read a chill went through the room before the thunderous applause that followed his conclusion of such a heart warming piece of quite spectacular writing.
The question and answer period followed. The parrots alighted, the dead bodies sat up and the RCMP band quieted so you couldn't even here the Edgmonth High kids bubble gum as Weir shared the secrets of politic, business and craft.
Story, Protagonist, Obstacles and Goals, character monologues when stuck, the diference between American and Canadian agents, the budget for an episode of Da Vinci Code versus the budget for CSI, why camera positions, takes and shows decided by budget can make a faster Canadian tv show appear slow, while locations can take half a budget. Who is the protgagonist. What is he wanting to achieve. What is ongoing Story Arc? What's holding the centre? Has the character transformed? What to do when a show has 4 producers. How to write a peice for CBC and CBS when they really want the one peice to be two different stories. What is the story fundamentally about. Can you tell me what War and Peace or Lord of the Rings was about in 25 words or less?
Ian Weir could and did. We were all so astonished by what and how he told us that Bernice Lever simply apologised to him and all that we couldn't go on all night. Our parking meters were up.
But that's what happens with great story tellers. Ian Weir is one of the best. Even among his own, he enthralled. He could keep a room of story tellers entertained all night.
I left with an autographed copy of Daniel O'Thunder from Douglas & McIntyre publishers in one hand and a copy of Blood, Feathers and Holy men from Libros Libertad publishers in my other. I'll just have to put off writing the 'great canadian novel' myself since I simply must now read both these books.
When I got home I found I was bruised all over my body by some pugilist called Daniel O'Thunder and had parrot shit in my hair. What a bizarre night!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Blood Libel and the new Media Bullies
The American Media continues to seek new lows in what it calls news coverage. A Democrat is shot by a seriously disturbed mentally ill young man and suddenly a Republican is 'blamed' for the shooting because Republicans "targeted" Democrats who were likely to lose in the coming elections.
If the media were arrested for every time they used metaphor and it was misunderstood then not a single reporter would be allowed out of prison today. Further the cartoonists of Norway would be jihadded to the collective applause of the world, humor would be outlawed and we'd all lose Jerry Seinfeld and the Simpsons. If that is the world the media of America wants then I would gladly take Sarah Pallins Alaska on any day.
When John Hinckley shot Republican President Reagan it was as clearly Democrats inciting Hinckley to kill the President. Today's media would have us believe that Jodie Foster should not be allowed to appear in movies.
When Saudi Ossama bin Laden attacked America on 9-11, Bush saw this as opportunity for America to invade Iraq which ironically was not Saudi but Saud's rival. It made no sense at the time and it makes even less sense today. Only the BBC appeared to notice that something was just a little off with the American media especially when the Weapons of Mass Destruction lie persisted without Americans even being allowed to know. Is there any 'Independent" "non partisan" mainstream media left in America today?
The Nature of politics and war is deceit. A big lie is even better than a little lie. The media news was supposed to tell us the 'truth', "the facts" and then discussion was supposed to debate with equal representation of competing views. American media is more and more propaganda. The sad truth today is the media is no longer reporting the truth but fabricating it's own lies for it's own ends.
The trouble is this young man was insane. If you tell an insane person not to kill somebody they are as liable to kill that person as if you were to tell them to kill. Insanity is paradoxical. It's irrational. This young person killed the Democrat because like so many people in America today he was feeling irrelevant and marginalized and wanted attention. He wanted to be real. He wanted to be a media person. He wanted Andy Warhol's 20 minutes. Life in America today is such that people want to be in the media , any other world than the world of their reality. The media world of America is now the Peter Pan Lost Boys world and it's even developing it's own unreal "media logic". The media appears not to want to report the reality.
This young man was poor in attention so he killed someone rich in attention. It's the primitive way. Take by violence what you can't get yourself. The media naturally gives meaning this week to this poor sick young man as it did a few weeks back to some crazy preacher who was attacking Moslems living near the site of 9-11. American media celebrates the most insane behavior and makes those insane marginalized people 'real' in the media world. Today's media encourages violences and bizarre behavior and no longer can that be said to be 'reporting' the news.
There is a direct scientifically supported link between the wide distribution by media of images of violence and the violence of those who are severely mentally ill or brain damaged. Given the ubiquity of drug and alcohol abuse in the United States and the further direct link between violence and drug and alcohol abuse which causes reversible brain damage and impaired reality testing, the media must be held accountable for countless deaths in the United States alone.
We know this young man was mentally ill by his action but what we don't know is why. From his own blog it appeared he was likely 'addicted' to media and living in the Tron world of digital matrix where morality does not exist. Given the increasing numbers of people living in these phony media worlds it's time that the media is required to take some responsibility for it's fear mongering and violence perpetrating messages. Given the media's negative portrayal of reality it's not surprising that so many young people escape into the insaniety of the media logic of violence and fame. A responsible media would encourage people to participate in the real world of human community. This young man's isolation and alienation was palpable.
More insane people kill themselves and others with cars yet no one says we should shut down Ford because Johnny Little Shit from Akron in road rage over the latest Simpson episode drove his red mustang at Harry Smiths police car.
The Science of Fear: How the Culture of Fear Manipulates your Brain, by Dan Gardner shows clearly that media reporting of 9-11 caused more unnecessary accidental deaths in the following 6 months than the actual terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre did.
If we trust the media on this one, Americans will lose even more freedom. Along with the freedom of speech, they will lose the freedom to think, if they haven't lost that already. It's certainly time in America for serious reflection on the media's role in perpetrating violence.
Get ready for the copy cat killings of more American politicians, thanks to the American media. Media reporters should further be required to pass a Piagian IQ tests that at least shows they've passed from concrete thinking in black and white abstract thinking of colours and signs and symbols. Today's media bullies would outlaw metaphor. Naturally they must hate poetry and would crucify Leonard Cohen right along side Sarah Pallin. Blood libel is Shakespeare. I'm afraid it's soared right over the heads of today's American military. And that's scary. Scarier even than Alaska.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
If the media were arrested for every time they used metaphor and it was misunderstood then not a single reporter would be allowed out of prison today. Further the cartoonists of Norway would be jihadded to the collective applause of the world, humor would be outlawed and we'd all lose Jerry Seinfeld and the Simpsons. If that is the world the media of America wants then I would gladly take Sarah Pallins Alaska on any day.
When John Hinckley shot Republican President Reagan it was as clearly Democrats inciting Hinckley to kill the President. Today's media would have us believe that Jodie Foster should not be allowed to appear in movies.
When Saudi Ossama bin Laden attacked America on 9-11, Bush saw this as opportunity for America to invade Iraq which ironically was not Saudi but Saud's rival. It made no sense at the time and it makes even less sense today. Only the BBC appeared to notice that something was just a little off with the American media especially when the Weapons of Mass Destruction lie persisted without Americans even being allowed to know. Is there any 'Independent" "non partisan" mainstream media left in America today?
The Nature of politics and war is deceit. A big lie is even better than a little lie. The media news was supposed to tell us the 'truth', "the facts" and then discussion was supposed to debate with equal representation of competing views. American media is more and more propaganda. The sad truth today is the media is no longer reporting the truth but fabricating it's own lies for it's own ends.
The trouble is this young man was insane. If you tell an insane person not to kill somebody they are as liable to kill that person as if you were to tell them to kill. Insanity is paradoxical. It's irrational. This young person killed the Democrat because like so many people in America today he was feeling irrelevant and marginalized and wanted attention. He wanted to be real. He wanted to be a media person. He wanted Andy Warhol's 20 minutes. Life in America today is such that people want to be in the media , any other world than the world of their reality. The media world of America is now the Peter Pan Lost Boys world and it's even developing it's own unreal "media logic". The media appears not to want to report the reality.
This young man was poor in attention so he killed someone rich in attention. It's the primitive way. Take by violence what you can't get yourself. The media naturally gives meaning this week to this poor sick young man as it did a few weeks back to some crazy preacher who was attacking Moslems living near the site of 9-11. American media celebrates the most insane behavior and makes those insane marginalized people 'real' in the media world. Today's media encourages violences and bizarre behavior and no longer can that be said to be 'reporting' the news.
There is a direct scientifically supported link between the wide distribution by media of images of violence and the violence of those who are severely mentally ill or brain damaged. Given the ubiquity of drug and alcohol abuse in the United States and the further direct link between violence and drug and alcohol abuse which causes reversible brain damage and impaired reality testing, the media must be held accountable for countless deaths in the United States alone.
We know this young man was mentally ill by his action but what we don't know is why. From his own blog it appeared he was likely 'addicted' to media and living in the Tron world of digital matrix where morality does not exist. Given the increasing numbers of people living in these phony media worlds it's time that the media is required to take some responsibility for it's fear mongering and violence perpetrating messages. Given the media's negative portrayal of reality it's not surprising that so many young people escape into the insaniety of the media logic of violence and fame. A responsible media would encourage people to participate in the real world of human community. This young man's isolation and alienation was palpable.
More insane people kill themselves and others with cars yet no one says we should shut down Ford because Johnny Little Shit from Akron in road rage over the latest Simpson episode drove his red mustang at Harry Smiths police car.
The Science of Fear: How the Culture of Fear Manipulates your Brain, by Dan Gardner shows clearly that media reporting of 9-11 caused more unnecessary accidental deaths in the following 6 months than the actual terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre did.
If we trust the media on this one, Americans will lose even more freedom. Along with the freedom of speech, they will lose the freedom to think, if they haven't lost that already. It's certainly time in America for serious reflection on the media's role in perpetrating violence.
Get ready for the copy cat killings of more American politicians, thanks to the American media. Media reporters should further be required to pass a Piagian IQ tests that at least shows they've passed from concrete thinking in black and white abstract thinking of colours and signs and symbols. Today's media bullies would outlaw metaphor. Naturally they must hate poetry and would crucify Leonard Cohen right along side Sarah Pallin. Blood libel is Shakespeare. I'm afraid it's soared right over the heads of today's American military. And that's scary. Scarier even than Alaska.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, January 10, 2011
Female Eye Roll
I have read that the female eye roll is a particular non verbal communication that apparently cannot be replicated by men. Parker in 2002 showed that the eye roll was indicative predictive of divorce. This was also noted by Gottman. Interestingly it's been considered as representative of 'disdain', one of the most violent of non physical communications. In one study men subjected to eye rolls by their spouse had a blood pressure increase of 10 to 20 millibars suggesting that this behaviour could actually have lethal consequences in older men with hypertension and heart conditions. Indeed, the female eye roll is thought to be part of the "evil eye" curse used by the black arts practitioners.
In Transactional Analysis the eye roll is not an adult or child behaviour but rather a parental communication as in parent and child and might well be associated with the early maternal discipline non verbal behaviour of 'raised eye brow".
The significance of non verbal aggressive behaviour is that it carries the 'deniability" so falls in the context of covert and passive aggression. However "neglect" also falls into this category and has as much potential to kill slowly and tortuously as active or overt aggression can destroy swiftly.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
In Transactional Analysis the eye roll is not an adult or child behaviour but rather a parental communication as in parent and child and might well be associated with the early maternal discipline non verbal behaviour of 'raised eye brow".
The significance of non verbal aggressive behaviour is that it carries the 'deniability" so falls in the context of covert and passive aggression. However "neglect" also falls into this category and has as much potential to kill slowly and tortuously as active or overt aggression can destroy swiftly.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Black Bra
Laura read to me an article from Fall 2010 25th Anniversary Issue of Elle "One Vision, the story of Dolce and Gabbana". What caught her eye was "they are best known for the simple black bra. It is the one piece that has underpinned nearly every collection that Dolce and Gabbana have ever done."
Dolce and Gabbana had begun in 1985 and Laura got the impression that Dolce and Gabbana had developed the black bra. Naturally this is probably what some marketing agent would have one believe. Just as Pavlov wanted dogs to associate bells with steak dinners, marketing always attempts such association. Ideally for Dolce and Gabbana, a woman wanting a black bra would go for theirs and believe them not only to be the authority but the originator.
I have taken an interest in the bra since my first encounter as a boy with Sears catalogue. I appreciate that colour photography came later but I just couldn't believe that the 'black bra' was something that came after 1985.
Thanks to Google I began to search the subject.
First it turns out that bras have been around since about at least 1400 BC, about 3500 years ago and slightly before 1985. We do not know the colour of the first bras that appear to have been introduced by female athletes in ancient Greece. It's further clear that the binding of breasts was not what Betty Friedan and Jane Fonda said it was, 'an instrument of torture designed by men' in that bizarre bra burning era. Today 2nd wave feminists would like to forget their youthful silliness.
Ida Rosenthall of Maidenform asked about bra burning in the 60's said that women over 35 liked her support : "Time is on our side."she said. Certainly bras sales in this billion dollar industry prove Ida knew more about women than say Betty or Jane. Feminism in general by blaming all the woes of women and the world on men did much to empower men but today women have accepted that freedom comes with responsibility. They are apparently wearing bras without being forced and held down by men to do so. It's a multi billion dollar business!
As a man I can say that given the short shrift that bras have when men and women are intimate this suggests strongly that men are as happy to look at braless women as women with bras. (However we don't look at women at today overtly because 2nd wave feminist bra burners introducted "lookism" as a criminal offence for which men are still being imprisoned indiscriminately in America.)
Personally, I kind of miss the 40's bullet bras and was much enamored by Madonna, thinking fondly of my air force father and rancher grandfather being nostalgic about this previous unsung era. Hooray Madonna!
The bikini was also developed in the 1940's. Wikipedia's History of the bikini says that it shocked when it was introduced to French beaches in 1947 but it had been around for 'millennia'. The article points to two piece athletic garments dating to 1400 BC in Greece and a Bikini Girl Roman mosaic dating to 300 AD. Crete women fashion of the Knossos Palace era with regard to breasts predates Victoria Secret by nearly 4000 years.
The modern bra was developed by a woman not a man as feminist would claim. Ms Crosby (damn her) circa 1915 is said to have developed the first modern bra with two napkins and ribbons. Around the same time another woman Ms. Jacobs was developing a more substantial modern bra.
It's apparent that the bra has been around since long before Dolce and Gabbana no doubt added some sexy design features. Italian men and women have long been trendsetters in the world of Romeo and Juliett. America in contrast has given us Hillary's pantsuits and Pallins parkas.
The history of Maidenform, the Rosenthall company, suggests truly that everything that we think about bras was probably developed by them before their bankruptcy in 1997. I'm not surprised given the parallel engineering history of the american automobile before the 80's offered most of what we like best in cars.
A 1960 fashion catalogue offers bikinis in every colour imaginable. The black, white and red colours have been the most popular bra colours. Yet in the 60's plum was a colour that bras came in. Interestingly gingham was used for bras during WWII because of the availability of that material. One imagines that black would predate the gingham colours and say calico which was an earlier available dye colour. Dyes have been available since thousands of years ago in China. Europe had it's dye guilds during medieval times. The Scots, bless their souls, introduced bleaching and presbyterianism. Brown was an early available dye colour. Purple dates well before it's popularity with Roman emperors as red predated it's popularity with of Catholic cardinals hundreds of years ago. The common aniline black dye for cotton was developed in 1860. Searching the history of the black bra I was only able to find specific reference to it going back to the 1960's. Vintage wear collections date black bras to the 1950's.
In the end I do believe that the Milan Italian fashion firm's black bra might well be very complimentary but historically not as explosive as the bullet bra.
As for men's bras they seem to be a recent phenomena. I suspect there are black men's bras. However Stanford and Boxer, unlike Maidenform and Dolce and Gabbana, do not appear to be trendsetters in male underwear development.
Further, black is ,despite it's theological implications, a forgiving colour and my suspicion is that historically women have factored this into their buying decisions. Christians may have clung to white bras but secular women may have voted for black bras early especially before the introduction of the home washing machines.
I personally as a man like black Stanfields and can appreciate that.
The recent Facebook, what colour is your bra campaign presupposes women today are not only wearing bras but are wearing colored bras. While I cling to my black Stanfords boxers, I will gladly support women whether they are or are not wearing bras, whether they are burning them or seeking their remnants in the ashes, or casting them off for one reason or the other.
Thanks to my discussion this morning I assure you I will be glad to see any Dolce and Gabana black bras on or off the rack!
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Dolce and Gabbana had begun in 1985 and Laura got the impression that Dolce and Gabbana had developed the black bra. Naturally this is probably what some marketing agent would have one believe. Just as Pavlov wanted dogs to associate bells with steak dinners, marketing always attempts such association. Ideally for Dolce and Gabbana, a woman wanting a black bra would go for theirs and believe them not only to be the authority but the originator.
I have taken an interest in the bra since my first encounter as a boy with Sears catalogue. I appreciate that colour photography came later but I just couldn't believe that the 'black bra' was something that came after 1985.
Thanks to Google I began to search the subject.
First it turns out that bras have been around since about at least 1400 BC, about 3500 years ago and slightly before 1985. We do not know the colour of the first bras that appear to have been introduced by female athletes in ancient Greece. It's further clear that the binding of breasts was not what Betty Friedan and Jane Fonda said it was, 'an instrument of torture designed by men' in that bizarre bra burning era. Today 2nd wave feminists would like to forget their youthful silliness.
Ida Rosenthall of Maidenform asked about bra burning in the 60's said that women over 35 liked her support : "Time is on our side."she said. Certainly bras sales in this billion dollar industry prove Ida knew more about women than say Betty or Jane. Feminism in general by blaming all the woes of women and the world on men did much to empower men but today women have accepted that freedom comes with responsibility. They are apparently wearing bras without being forced and held down by men to do so. It's a multi billion dollar business!
As a man I can say that given the short shrift that bras have when men and women are intimate this suggests strongly that men are as happy to look at braless women as women with bras. (However we don't look at women at today overtly because 2nd wave feminist bra burners introducted "lookism" as a criminal offence for which men are still being imprisoned indiscriminately in America.)
Personally, I kind of miss the 40's bullet bras and was much enamored by Madonna, thinking fondly of my air force father and rancher grandfather being nostalgic about this previous unsung era. Hooray Madonna!
The bikini was also developed in the 1940's. Wikipedia's History of the bikini says that it shocked when it was introduced to French beaches in 1947 but it had been around for 'millennia'. The article points to two piece athletic garments dating to 1400 BC in Greece and a Bikini Girl Roman mosaic dating to 300 AD. Crete women fashion of the Knossos Palace era with regard to breasts predates Victoria Secret by nearly 4000 years.
The modern bra was developed by a woman not a man as feminist would claim. Ms Crosby (damn her) circa 1915 is said to have developed the first modern bra with two napkins and ribbons. Around the same time another woman Ms. Jacobs was developing a more substantial modern bra.
It's apparent that the bra has been around since long before Dolce and Gabbana no doubt added some sexy design features. Italian men and women have long been trendsetters in the world of Romeo and Juliett. America in contrast has given us Hillary's pantsuits and Pallins parkas.
The history of Maidenform, the Rosenthall company, suggests truly that everything that we think about bras was probably developed by them before their bankruptcy in 1997. I'm not surprised given the parallel engineering history of the american automobile before the 80's offered most of what we like best in cars.
A 1960 fashion catalogue offers bikinis in every colour imaginable. The black, white and red colours have been the most popular bra colours. Yet in the 60's plum was a colour that bras came in. Interestingly gingham was used for bras during WWII because of the availability of that material. One imagines that black would predate the gingham colours and say calico which was an earlier available dye colour. Dyes have been available since thousands of years ago in China. Europe had it's dye guilds during medieval times. The Scots, bless their souls, introduced bleaching and presbyterianism. Brown was an early available dye colour. Purple dates well before it's popularity with Roman emperors as red predated it's popularity with of Catholic cardinals hundreds of years ago. The common aniline black dye for cotton was developed in 1860. Searching the history of the black bra I was only able to find specific reference to it going back to the 1960's. Vintage wear collections date black bras to the 1950's.
In the end I do believe that the Milan Italian fashion firm's black bra might well be very complimentary but historically not as explosive as the bullet bra.
As for men's bras they seem to be a recent phenomena. I suspect there are black men's bras. However Stanford and Boxer, unlike Maidenform and Dolce and Gabbana, do not appear to be trendsetters in male underwear development.
Further, black is ,despite it's theological implications, a forgiving colour and my suspicion is that historically women have factored this into their buying decisions. Christians may have clung to white bras but secular women may have voted for black bras early especially before the introduction of the home washing machines.
I personally as a man like black Stanfields and can appreciate that.
The recent Facebook, what colour is your bra campaign presupposes women today are not only wearing bras but are wearing colored bras. While I cling to my black Stanfords boxers, I will gladly support women whether they are or are not wearing bras, whether they are burning them or seeking their remnants in the ashes, or casting them off for one reason or the other.
Thanks to my discussion this morning I assure you I will be glad to see any Dolce and Gabana black bras on or off the rack!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Lougheed Hwy,Burnaby,Canada
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine
I've just received my third edition of the Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine. It's Vol. 1 Number 3, ISSN 1923-1210. November 2010. The editor is Michael Varenbut, MD It's the official journal of the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine. I read the previous two editions cover to cover and thoroughly loved them.
I've been a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine for a number of years and can't recall ever reading any of that journal cover to cover. It's had it's good editions though and I've enjoyed some of the articles.
I've been a member of CSAM since long before they actually had a journal, when people like Dr. Nady el Guebaly sent around his notes or emails to keep members informed of what was happening next. The Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine, is simply that much better. It's even glossy and attractive thanks to the sponsorship of the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres.
The Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine is a real mix of information from research, academia and certainly from the clinical side of things. I read so much in Addiction Medicine about the brain and so often can't see a body, and god forbid, a mind in all the chemistry. I love this journal because it's real.
This months feature article "Yin and yang in regulation of alcohol and sucrose intake by CRF1 and CRF2 receptors by Elena Timofeeve, Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry and Neuroscience , University Laval, Quebec is cutting edge science, the sort of read I usually get in my Nature magazine. Fascinating stuff for those of us who love to follow afternoon television Prefrontal Glutamate and Accumbens GABA Accumbens in their threesomes with VAT "Dopamine". It's a regular unfolding drama of the first order. Elena has added another piece in the middle east story of CRF1 antagonists and CRF2 agonists.
The Vienna Declaration addresses the criminalization of illicit drug users fueling the HIV epidemic. Who would know the sociology of drug addiction and health and bring forward better the controversies of public health and policies than my colleagues in Addiction Medicine. This is very hot stuff. Scientists, Drs. Montaner, Werb and Wood take up where Elliott Ness got bogged down in ego and machine guns boy bling.
The CSAM 2010 Basics and Beyond Abstracts summarizes the October 2010 conference very well and makes me simply wish I was there. I just love this kind of reporting. Reams of information, whole talks reduced to a paragraph with the critical gist of what has been said summarized by people in the know. I can go to the source then when I need more in depth information.
News from Across Canada gives us the views of Dr. Bill Doran from Nova Scotia, Dr. Jeff Daiter and Dr. Sharone Girone from Ontario and Dr. Paul Sobey from British Columbia.
That's followed by only a couple of pages of committee information brief and to the point. I think this must reflect the journals excellence in editing. Committee reports can contribute to stimulant addiction as much as committees themselves so it speaks highly of these committee members and their reports that they actually have limited themselves to relevant information.
Finally there is information from the doctors working with Corrections Canada and workplace medicine.
In the Bulletin by CSAM President Dr. Brian Fern he noted that the annual CSAM conference was in Vancouver in November this year. No doubt the next edition fo the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine will report on the success of that conference. He also reports the next conference of the International Society of Addiction Medicine as Sept 6-11 2011 in Oslo Norway. Having just attended the ISAM 2010 conference in Milan I was so impressed with the science, politics, clinical relevance and challenging information presented there, I can only think Oslo will be as exciting.
The back cover lists the Board of Directors of CSAM so we all know who we can approach for membership renewal and how to connect with others in the field across Canada.
This is a great journal. I love this 3rd edition as much as the ones before. I've actually taken it home to read on the weekend. It's all so clinically relevant and interesting. Addiction is such a disturbing and depressing issue yet this journal is up lifting and hopeful. Well done!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I've been a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine for a number of years and can't recall ever reading any of that journal cover to cover. It's had it's good editions though and I've enjoyed some of the articles.
I've been a member of CSAM since long before they actually had a journal, when people like Dr. Nady el Guebaly sent around his notes or emails to keep members informed of what was happening next. The Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine, is simply that much better. It's even glossy and attractive thanks to the sponsorship of the Ontario Addiction Treatment Centres.
The Canadian Journal of Addiction Medicine is a real mix of information from research, academia and certainly from the clinical side of things. I read so much in Addiction Medicine about the brain and so often can't see a body, and god forbid, a mind in all the chemistry. I love this journal because it's real.
This months feature article "Yin and yang in regulation of alcohol and sucrose intake by CRF1 and CRF2 receptors by Elena Timofeeve, Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry and Neuroscience , University Laval, Quebec is cutting edge science, the sort of read I usually get in my Nature magazine. Fascinating stuff for those of us who love to follow afternoon television Prefrontal Glutamate and Accumbens GABA Accumbens in their threesomes with VAT "Dopamine". It's a regular unfolding drama of the first order. Elena has added another piece in the middle east story of CRF1 antagonists and CRF2 agonists.
The Vienna Declaration addresses the criminalization of illicit drug users fueling the HIV epidemic. Who would know the sociology of drug addiction and health and bring forward better the controversies of public health and policies than my colleagues in Addiction Medicine. This is very hot stuff. Scientists, Drs. Montaner, Werb and Wood take up where Elliott Ness got bogged down in ego and machine guns boy bling.
The CSAM 2010 Basics and Beyond Abstracts summarizes the October 2010 conference very well and makes me simply wish I was there. I just love this kind of reporting. Reams of information, whole talks reduced to a paragraph with the critical gist of what has been said summarized by people in the know. I can go to the source then when I need more in depth information.
News from Across Canada gives us the views of Dr. Bill Doran from Nova Scotia, Dr. Jeff Daiter and Dr. Sharone Girone from Ontario and Dr. Paul Sobey from British Columbia.
That's followed by only a couple of pages of committee information brief and to the point. I think this must reflect the journals excellence in editing. Committee reports can contribute to stimulant addiction as much as committees themselves so it speaks highly of these committee members and their reports that they actually have limited themselves to relevant information.
Finally there is information from the doctors working with Corrections Canada and workplace medicine.
In the Bulletin by CSAM President Dr. Brian Fern he noted that the annual CSAM conference was in Vancouver in November this year. No doubt the next edition fo the Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine will report on the success of that conference. He also reports the next conference of the International Society of Addiction Medicine as Sept 6-11 2011 in Oslo Norway. Having just attended the ISAM 2010 conference in Milan I was so impressed with the science, politics, clinical relevance and challenging information presented there, I can only think Oslo will be as exciting.
The back cover lists the Board of Directors of CSAM so we all know who we can approach for membership renewal and how to connect with others in the field across Canada.
This is a great journal. I love this 3rd edition as much as the ones before. I've actually taken it home to read on the weekend. It's all so clinically relevant and interesting. Addiction is such a disturbing and depressing issue yet this journal is up lifting and hopeful. Well done!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Ben Nuttall-Smith's Blood, Feathers and Holy Men
The publisher's book launch for Ben Nuttall-Smith's latest historical novel, Blood, Feathers and Holy Men, is 2 to 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011 at the Surrey Public Library - Newton Branch, 13795 70th Avenue, Surrey. The publisher is the very much respected and admired Canadian publisher, Libros Libertad. Ben Nuttall-Smith is an amazing artist whose personal life story is a kind of autobiographical giant of its own. We're all so fortunate this Canadian Navy man turned Civil Rights passifist activist, Catholic Friar, turned Latin Lover, conservative school teacher turned radical artist continues to inspire and challenge and didn't get killed by Nazis in WWII.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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