Read to me, baby. Put a little something in my head.
.: from Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me - Richard Farina
As of September 22nd, 2009, all flavored and clove cigarettes will become a fond memory for those smokers with a more expensive taste. As part of the Food and Drug Administration’s new authority to stringently regulate tobacco products, they have imposed a ban on all but menthol flavored cigarettes. Claiming that flavored cigarettes are geared more towards underage smokers, the Administration is now considering regulations on menthol cigarettes and even flavored cigars.
As an individual of legal smoking age who enjoys a Black on occasion, this comes as an outrage. A quick perusal of the FDA’s flimsy research polls and somewhat vague explanations begs the question, “What’s next?” We all remember how prohibition worked out. Am I the only one who feels like the government is overstepping its bounds and being a touch too parental in this situation? The only way to completely stop underage smoking is to ban all tobacco products, plain and simple. Is that the next step? We all know the health risks of the products we choose to consume, whether it be tobacco or alcohol or even caffeine. We can read the warning labels. I feel the FDA has insulted the intelligence of the American people.
A few days ago I made a trip to the local tobacco shop to grab a couple packs before the ban. The owner told me he’d gotten a letter stating that the cigarettes would be considered contraband from the 22nd on. The FDA’s website warns that anyone caught with cloves can be subject to seizure, fines, etc. Distributors who fail to comply with the ban will receive a Warning Letter before the “FDA may take enforcement action to protect the public health,” (see their FAQ on Flavored Tobacco).
Personally, I don’t need the government to protect my health. Djarums are still available online, much cheaper than they were in the shops. Many of the websites are questionable, but hopefully it will still be possible to ship from overseas without being scammed, (or caught).
Associated Press >> “FDA ban on flavored cigs takes effect“
FDA >> “Flavored Tobacco“
Frieda, Sylvia, and Nicholas Hughes Plath
February 11, 1963 – Sylvia Plath Hughes kills herself during London’s coldest winter in a century. Nicholas, just a baby, and Frieda, age 3, were asleep in the next room. Sylvia made sure they had milk at their bedsides before taking sleeping pills, sealing up the kitchen doors, turning on the stove, and gassing herself to death.
March 23, 2009 – Dr. Nicholas F. Hughes, age 47, follows in his mother’s footsteps 46 years later and hangs himself at his home in Alaska. Frieda reports he had suffered from depression for some time, though he had not inherited his mother’s mania. This tragedy inspires the question: Is Sylvia Plath to blame for her son’s death? Surely her own suicide had a powerful effect on him. Coline Covington of The First Post muses on the subject:
“Children whose parents have committed suicide – at no matter what age – tend to feel not only responsible for their parent’s depression and ultimate suicide but also profoundly rejected by them.In short, the parent who kills herself is perceived by the child as not loving him enough to want to live.”
It must also be noted that the Hughes-Plath children’s step mother, Assia Wevill, also gassed herself in 1969, when Nicholas was 7 and Frieda was 9. Two mothers killing themselves the exact same way would be too much for many of us to handle. Perhaps Ted Hughes had this effect on women?
Further investigations into the Plath and Hughes family mental health history would have to be conducted to come to a definite conclusion. Aurelia Plath, Sylvia’s mother, who died of natural causes in 1994, seemed stable enough. It would be especially helpful to know the mental state of Plath’s surviving child, Frieda. In an interview by David Burges for Time, Frieda states that she was shocked to find out the truth of her mother’s death at the age of 14 from a classmate. She also very truthfully tells us:
“You can analyze [my parents] as much as you like, but if you weren’t actually the people themselves . . . It’s interesting to me that people have been so interested in them.”
Today, she is a successful writer, like her mother. Will she too become victim to her family’s plague of suicidal depression? Probably not.
Burges: “If all this had happened to your mom now… do you think it would have resulted in her death? With modern pharmacology, could somebody have helped her?“
Hughes: “I think there’s no doubt about that. The advancements in the past 30- or 40-odd years, are huge. I don’t believe there’s any way that that situation would have arisen now. She’d still be here.“
Alcoholic Architecture is far from your average London bar. Tickets for a “breathable cocktail” of gin and tonic mist are timed by the hour and can be purchased at the door. 40 minutes inside the building created to give the illusion of being INSIDE a drink will leave one a little giddy. No doubt the gigantic straws, limes, and background sound of a drink being poured over ice will make one feel slightly disoriented. The unique attraction is only open ’till April 25th, so get a whiff while you can if you’re in the London area.
This is an alcoholic’s dream realized by wacky innovators Bompas & Parr, whose culinary abnormalties have captured the attention of more than just the locals. These eccentric “jellymongers” are creating some very strange culinary commotion with their fine English jellies. Sit down to a mouth-watering feast comprised of nothing but jelly. Enhance your viewing experience with the smell of dusty books at the Scratch n Sniff Cinema.
To further confuse the senses, Bompas & Parr have brought to light something that will make you question your own tongue: “flavour tripping”. Participants of the U.K.’s first public flavour tripping party ate freeze dried West African berries called Synsepalum Dulcificum that made “lemons taste like toffee and vinegar like sherry”. New York’s culinary and art scenes have been inspired by this, organizing similar events.
What will they think of next?!
>>Check the Bompas & Parr website for more culinary oddities<<
Legendary mod model Lesley Hornby, (better known as TWIGGY Lawson), has gigantic, green, painted eyes that defined a decade. At 16 in the mid 60’s, she was the first internationally-known supermodel.
Signaturely thin to the extreme – almost androgynous – with a boyish frame and hairstyle, her pretty, pouty lips and irresistibly cute expressions dominated fashion magazines of the 60’s. Twiggy’s beautifully spiderish eyes and simple, mod style greatly influenced fashion in Britain and America at the time and continues to do so. Even today, she is still the face of the 60’s in the U.K.
Twiggy’s mod wardrobe consisted of mini- and micro-mini skirts and dresses with simple and bold patterns, shapes, and colors. This style is attributed to Mary Quant, a British fashion designer credited with the invention of the mini-skirt. Quant is also known for bright, bold shades on eyes, lips, and nails - a style sometimes referred to as “Paint Box” makeup.
As an ode to the infamous eyes of Twiggy, I’ve put together a how-to on how to create the striking look. This eye makeup is great if you want to stand out at a party, maybe not so great for work, as I unfortunately discovered.
[>>CLICK FOR Squidoo Lens<< (more pics, easier to read)]
1. PREP & POWDER – Wash face and apply concealer, powder, and a light peach blush if desired. Lightly brush a bit of powder underneath your eyes. This will help keep stray eyeshadow from messing up your look, as it will be easier to brush it away, (oh-so-gentley), with a makeup brush. You may also want to refine and thin out the shape of your eyebrows first.
2. SHADOW – Though Twiggy did not always do this, a pearly white or light shade of eyeshadow can be brushed over eyelid to minimize darkness. Applying a bit of pearly shadow or eyeliner in the corners and underneath the eyes is also optional but recommended to enhance and enlarge the eyes.
3. CREASE – With a small eyeliner or angled shadow brush, line just a smidge above the natural crease of your eyes with a dark brown, grey, or black shadow.
Loose powder works best, a pencil may even be used very lightly if accuracy is an issue, just be sure to smudge it so it’s not just a solid line.
4. LINER – Now it gets tricky. You may want to have a damp Q-Tip at hand in case you mess up so errors can quickly be erased because it’s harder to take off dry liquid liner.
As for the type of liquid liner, I recommend Physicians’ Formula. The cheaper brands don’t line evenly, streak, and are generally not worth it.
5. LIDS – Start at the outer edge of your eyelid as close to your lash line as you can. Make the line gradually thin out as you get to the corner of your eye. If you can’t handle it, you don’t have to line all the way to the corner, just get a little past your iris at least. Twiggy’s lid liner extends past the corner and outer edge, forming “wings” on both sides that end and meet the eyeshadow crease line.
6. LASHES – This for me is the most irritating step. If you absolutely can’t stand them, get a really good lengthening mascara and brush on coat after coat, blinking on a tissue or your finger between coats to avoid clumping. Better yet, get Imju Fiberwig mascara for the illusion of false lashes.
The false lashes should be very long, thick, and exaggerated as possible. I like the Halloween ones, but get whatever you’re comfortable wearing. To apply, very carefully peel both lash sets off plastic. Very gently squeeze a thin line of glue along the edge. Be sure to apply the lashes to the right eye, (the longer side goes to the outer edge, smaller to the corner).
It may help to use tweezers to hold the lashes or to press them onto your eyes as the glue will make your fingers stick and pull them off. This can get very frustrating, but once again, take your time. Press them on as close as possible to your natural lash line, it’ll look silly otherwise. You may have to reapply liner if the glue takes some off or smudges it.
7. LOWER LASHES – To further exaggerate and dramatize her eyes, Twiggy paints on her lower lashes. If you’d rather tone it down, you can use false lashes or multiple coats of mascara instead, but to create the authentic look you need to paint them on with liquid liner. This is very difficult, but it can be done with a lot of practice and patience. Don’t get discouraged if you mess up the first time, just keep trying – you’ll get it eventually!
Starting at the outer edge and working toward the corner, evenly space about 8 small dots as close as possible to your eye. These are the starting points for your lash lines. The first should be right underneath the “wing” at the outer edge, following the same shape, curving slightly up toward your ear. Each line is thicker at the top near your eye and tapers to a very fine point. You will need a really good, preferably new liner brush for laser accuracy.
8. MASCARA – Brush on a light coat of mascara to blend natural lashes in with the false ones if desired.
9. FINISHING TOUCHES – You’re done! Now clean up any stray liner or shadow and apply a pearlescent, pale pink shade to your lips. If lipstick is used, gloss over it for those pale, shiny, retro lips. Mod-tastic!
Sources:
http://www.maryquant.co.uk/makeup.htm
http://www.geocities.com/FashionAvenue/Catwalk/1038/twiggy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twiggy
http://www.twiggylawson.co.uk/biography.html
Pick up a laser and try your tiny hand at a guitar so small the sound can’t even be heard. Would you be seen playing a toilet seat? Think you could master a guitar with 42 strings and a multitude of necks sticking out at odd angles? I’d totally play some of these if I had a couple thousand dollars to throw around. How ’bout you?
((click for full images))
Truly Insane
Words can't describe this abomination.
The 42-string Pikasso.
the Naked Lady
Nintendo guitar <3!
The Nano is so small it can only be played with a laser pick. The sound can't be heard. WTF?!
For more ridiclousness, visit the source pages:
http://www.musicgadgets.net/2006/05/08/top-20-strangest-guitars/2/
http://www.grupthink.com/topic/5006/Whats_the_weirdest_guitar_youve_ever_seen
Bavari is what happens when Sodom and Gomorrah mixes with a surrealist modern Europe. He is a classically-trained painter who habitually photographs images from museums and on the street in Europe, intertwining them with concepts straight from ancient Biblical stories into grotesque, beautiful, and absurd computer-generated art.
A glimpse into Alessandro Bavari’s gallery conjures esoterically detailed Dali-esque nightmares tainted with Biblical perversities cited, (on his website), from specific verses.
His dismally manipulated photographs are influenced by the darker Biblical stories, architechture, Michelangelo, and his guitar, (which he plays in the classical style). He twists the style of Salvador Dali into his own creation in the “Tryptichon: Deconstruction of a Hero and Reconstruction of the Man” series, as well as images from Sodom & Gomorrah like “FOUR GREEN LIZARDS GOING TO SUCK MILK FROM A YOUNG MOTHER“.
“Headcleaner“, a scary short film set to industrial music “conceived and realized” by Alessandro Bavari, reminds one of a Tool or Nine Inch Nails video coupled with Dali’s surrealism.
A disembodied brain attatched to a spine becomes a heart and then an eeirie pitch-dark creature riding upon a mutant baby doll with razor-like arms digging into the earth. Amidst shrieks and a strange baby’s cry, another hideous creature rises from the ground to scream in your face. Cut to a man panting and sweating, sitting up in bed with some frightening figure behind him drawing circles in the top of his head with an instrument, a feverishly-pitched noise in the background.
Those who have actually met Bavari, such as Paul Murnaghan, a guest on a radio program transcribed on Bavari’s website, will tell you he is not as mad as one would think. The quiet type, actually. His models are freakish – almost frightening – even in real life, and he extends his Biblical influence as far as the size of his photographs. Twelve is a Biblical number, he prefers using 18 x 12″.
((click for full images))
from "Headcleaner" video
"FOUR GREEN LIZARDS GOING TO SUCK MILK FROM A YOUNG MOTHER"
As Idlers Sink into the Bitumen Two Infants Stir Their Skins
"New Progenies: Portrait of a Girl Who Looks at Oneself in a Mirror"
"Three Voyuers"
Comment on Current.com.
Think water is an infinite resource? Well, it’s not. Wouldn’t it be crazy to see states pushing their boundaries and calling for water rations/reductions? Look around you. It’s already happening.
In the midst of drought, Georgia tried last year to expand their boundaries so they could claim part of the Tennessee River to help replenish their declining water supply. [NYtimes]
Just this month, Gov. Schwarzenegger called for Californians to reduce their water usage by 20% to help quell the drought. [cbs8]
Several other states are also dealing with water shortage issues. This is due in part to our misinformed notions about water and irresponsible use of such a vital gift. [NPR]
The Environmental Protectioin Agency warns: “…since usable water is a limited resource, 36 states could be facing water shortage problems by 2013.” [epa]
36. That’s over half the nation struggling for water.
Maybe we should think twice about watering that garden!
So, what you can do about this? Check your house for leaks, avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily, (don’t be gross, but there’s no reason to flush things that could be thrown in the garbage), and remember what Barney always said: Never let the water run!
… also, check out these links on water efficiency:
http://www.americanwater.com/49ways.htm
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/simple.htm
Sources:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/22/us/22water.html
http://www.cbs8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9926957
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/water/text.htm
Everywhere I look it’s “Twitter” this and “Tweet” that. Has the whole world gone mad?! Why the hell would I want a constant update, (sent to my phone, no less!), on what my neighbor is eating or what TV show my best friend is watching?
I want to know why someone thought anyone would ever need something so inane. What makes them think we need a constant stream of completely irrelevant updates on what our friends are doing sent to our phones? We have always had MySpace and Facebook pages to post every uninteresting moment of our boring lives and know much more than we would ever want to know about our friends. Well apparently some of us – who seem to have forgotten the original purpose of a telephone – do feel the need for such a website.
IS ALL HUMAN CONTACT DESTINED TO BE LOST FOREVER IN A TIDAL WAVE OF USELESS INFO OVERLOADING OUR BRAINS?!
I tried to ignore it, but everywhere I turned I was hearing or reading about Twitter. Now even my favorite art website, NotCot.org, has a Tweet feed. I thought maybe I finally had a reason to sign up, but when I checked it out it was ridiculous. Just stupid updates from random people talking about shopping and lightbulbs rather than article excerpts.
Conversely, I have noted the uses Twitter does have. I work at a coffee shop that posts the daily coffees/specials on Twitter for customers. Shockingly, even the Dalai Lama utilizes this gross misuse of modern technology. One would hope people would be curious or intelligent enough to want to read more than just one short sentence from him rather than merely glance at bite-size words of wisdom, but I can see how it would be useful for someone with no time to actually read.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: this is one trend I refuse to take part in. Not trying to sound all high and mighty to those of you who like Twitter or actually do use it for something meaningful. I do realize there is a percentage of intelligent people using the site who don’t let you know how often they breathe. Unfortunately, it’s a small percentage, microscopic, even.
Penny Arcade's Take on Twitter
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[EDIT: Thanks everyone for all your responses (on Current.com). I appreciate different opinions and found it very insightful to hear everyone's take on the social phenomenon. After reading through all the comments, I have a different opinion of Twitter. It seems there are INTELLIGENT Tweeters out there, after all. And shame on all the dumbasses that give those people a bad name.
Since writing this article I have been forced to realize that when it comes to marketing your blog or business online, Twitter is a force to be reckoned with. I myself have joined, begrudgingly, as an Anti-Twit.]
Brazilian artist Guilherme Marconi creates brightly coloful, “schizophrenic” vector art both the bubbly and melancholy can appreciate. Commercially, he has done work for Absolut vodka, among many others. In his portfolio you will find neon-colored skeletons checking their makeup in pretty compacts, disjointed, mannequin-like girls, faceless mouths, glasses, and tears, and tiny stitches a-plenty. The colors are true blues and bright yellows, pretty pastel pinks and greens; the images are generally not quite as cheerful. Marconi masterfully contrasts color themes and content to produce these intriguing images.
((Click for full images))
Three of my Thirty Vices - G. Marconi
Breath - Guilherme Marconi
That’s right: the prayers of every pretentious, artsy, clove-smoking art student and club kid have been answered. Containing 8% alcohol, guarana, and thujone – the “psychoactive” ingredient in absinthe some misinformed consumers believe makes you hallucinate – Fairy Bombs seem an almost irresponsible drink, similar to Sparks only with added unhealthiness. Hi IQ Liquor, (ironic name, eh?), says: “Drinking Green Fairy and energy drink has become popularly known as ‘The Fairy Bomb’ in bars and clubs, so it seems only right that we make it available ready for you to drink in a can.”
Yes, yes, it’s “only right”.
I searched online and couldn’t find anywhere to buy it. (Yeah, I wanna try it). The company site leads to some wholesale distributor. Judging by the fact that it merely says “contains thujone”, on every product description I came across, I’d say it’s probably low enough levels it wouldn’t be past the legal 10mg in the States.
Absinth Energy Drinks: coming to a store near you?
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budget fashion examiner [see thrift store mania]
