Another Hundred Crimes

Oh My!

2010-10-08T18:05:00.000-04:00

That cop, the one in the last blog post. It's a cow, not a sheep! Nothing is what it seems anymore. Not even a little.

No Need for Anyone to Be Unemployed

2010-10-05T01:18:00.000-04:00

In it's great wisdom the City of Cambridge has seen fit to re-do the civil service exam for the Police Academy in order to widen the potential for diversity. Here we see a picture of the very first ovine officer sheepishly cautioning---a chicken? Apparently these cloven-hooved coppers will be clip-clopping around town, grazing around the parks.The wooly wardens of the peace will be bleating at various violators of the law and bleating at parking meters.

Last But Not Least Post-Christmas Neighborhood Tragedy

2010-02-13T00:34:00.006-05:00

This one broke my heart. Santa beheaded and exsanguinated!! The blood-draining apparently extended even to his traditional red hat. And the bloodless head nailed to a house in East Cambridge! I ask you: what kind of monsters are out there? Sure, there are many holiday-haters, humbugs and hard core non-celebraters of the admittedly commercialized and crass holiday of Christmas. But to behead the jolly man so beloved by children everywhere seems a bit much. If you look closely (and I don''t recommend it) you will notice a tinge of red here and there, especially around the lips, the tip of the famous nose alongside of which he lay his finger.(that doesn't sound so good, put that way) as well as two dots on his merry cheeks. (also doesn't sound so good) Perhaps the savaged Santa, upon leaving the Windsor Tap, was in the middle of a high-spirited "Ho Ho Ho" when the axe fell, leaving his lips puckered and pursed, thereby saving a pale pink memento of his well-know rosy smile.

It's hard to know if we should expect Santa next December or not. There's the depressingly deflated version of the present-packing paragon, on Hampshire Street, languishing under a drain pipe. And then there's the fascinatingly fixated version of the right jolly old elf in his sleigh ready to take off over and over again. But the bloodless head! I seriously doubt a return of the toy-toting sleigh-man. I can't go on capturing these gruesome sights on film. I'm beginning to suffer from unending nightmares which is why I'm posting this at an ungodly hour. Better to get it out of my system than to fall into a dream-tortured sleep that decidedly does not feature visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in my head. Farewell to this topic.

Sadly, there are other hard-to-beleive-neighborhood-sights for me to report on in the future. As soon as I'm able to walk around town with my camera I will be back with the stories the major media dare not cover.

Nativity Figures' Exodus to New World

2010-01-27T14:56:00.001-05:00

I received many outraged phone calls about the creche creatures trapped forever in a glass case on Hampshire Street. Apparently some fearless freedom fighter must have facilitated an escape for the holy fugitives.They got only as far as Elm Street. The first photo shows them in situ. Sorry to point out that there is blatant evidence of torture. Look at the electrical devices still stuck in their backs. And what's up with Mary's eyebrows? Their new homeland is not very secure, if you ask me, as they are right out in plain view of the dreaded 'House on Hampshire" from whence they fled. Looks like they 'followed the drinking (and eating) gourd as they are quite a bit larger now. The tireless and tenacious modern day Harriet Tubman made sure that the token Black Wiseman made it along with the suspiciously Ayrian Christmas crowd. Hell, even the animals are all white.(is that a duck on the left?) There is much speculation about how the escape was engineered. Some think it was on this bicycle. If so, it only got them to the corner of Hampshire and Elm. After lashing the bike to a post, the nervous nativity group must have jogged a few door down and are standing out in the open. Hope this blog post doesn't give away their location to their former captors.

Frightening Frosty Follow Up

2010-01-25T14:41:00.007-05:00

I'll start by saying how welcome Tom Canel's comments were on the previous "Frosty" post. However, new information has come to light and it's not pretty. The beloved snowindividual has been discovered, tarred and 'feathered' (with some unknown kind of feather-like substance) and OH MY GOD! nailed to a door. His carroty nose is now irreversibly flattened, his hat sits squarely on his head but the two-eyes-made-out-of-coal are still there. (Frosty might be better off not seeing what has befallen him). Frosty's grin is a bit of a rictus-like thing. You know he can't be smiling. This, my friends, is not a 'jolly, happy soul'.The scarf is now strangulation-red and there are body parts (like the broom) missing. As Jim Calandrillo would say: "What a world, what a world!"

45 Degrees and Frosty Refuses to Melt

2010-01-21T23:56:00.005-05:00

Yet another Christmas related puzzle has been discovered on--you guessed it--Hampshire Street in Cambridge. Frosty the Snowman, a tradition holiday personality made famous by the song, "Frosty the Snowman" was stumbled upon, standing up and perfectly formed while most of the snow in town melted and washed away into the streets causing minor flooding in certain areas. But not the intrepid Frosty who sat all puffed up up on the porch of 199 Hampshire Street. Looking all perky and defiant in the face of the January thaw, every detail of Frosty's persona remained utterly intact. Yes, the corncob pipe retained its jaunty angle as it continued to jut out of the snowman's erstwhile mouth. The two eyes made out of coal along with the three buttons of the same material appeared to suffer no discernable slippage. The same is true of the traditional carroty nose. The top hat, the scarf and even the ear muffs hung in there in perfect form. Close observation revealed a certain curvature of the broom to the shape of the lower body. Neighbors claim that this was the case before the mid-winter warm up. Scientists and climate change experts have no leads or working theories about what elements might be in play.

Nativity Participants Locked Forever in Small Glass Case

2010-01-19T23:32:00.002-05:00

Another horrific post-Christmas discovery--also on Hampshire Street--has come to light in the recent investigations surrounding the disorientation of the beloved figure of Father Christmas. Concerned adherents to the Christianity aspects of the recent December holiday reported Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the 3 wise men and a menagerie of barnyard livestock missing last week. "They usually return to the spirit world." mused Father Peter of Our Lady of the Sorrows Church here in Cambridge. Representatives of various Prostestant demoninations called in the missing group of Holy People shortly after an ecuminical meeting of desparate representatives of the clergy. After going public in the pulpits with the news, callers on the dedicated hot line set up for tips were able to alert the authorities to the whereabouts of the unique and grotesque solution of the missing historical figures. Again, right on Hampshire street, they were found, apparently safe but locked for all eternity inside a small glass box set on stilts so as to be seen at eye-level. Questions were raised about how all these people and farm animals could fit in a diorama of such tiny proportions. Experts have explained that people used to be a lot smaller back then.

Santa Back and Ready for Action

2010-01-17T23:15:00.004-05:00

Only a week or so after the tragic deflation of that Merry Old Embodiment of the Christmas Spirit-- a Miracle--not on 42nd Street, but on Hampshire Street has been documented. Yes it's Santa and he's all ready to take off again in his sleigh just 3 weeks after his last ride. Caught in a time warp? Some kind of Christmas Day Groundhog Day scenario? Psychiatrists at the Institue for Magical Thinking which specializes in emblematic holiday figures are still working on it. As of this report they have not been able to bring the mythological Kris Kringle in for direct observation. The photo was taken on December 17th and at last reports Santa was still in this Zen meditative pose prior to what he seems to believe is his regularly scheduled take-off. Pundits noting the lack of Santa's sack are convinced that the elves have not been convinced to put in the incredible amounts of overtime required to produce the requisite number of gifts. A careful search of North Pole headquarters failed to find even a single wish list sent in after December 25th.Commentators have also noted the absence of the reindeer including Rudolf whose nose was reported lit up at the Windsor Tap a mere couple of blocks from where Santa sits frozen in time and place. Perhaps it's all just a metaphor for a world gone mad, or at least a made-up world gone mad.

Santa All In After Delivering Gifts to Fionna Lafferty

2009-12-30T16:28:00.003-05:00

Let me tell you, this was a sad sight. I tried to interview the deflated jolly old elf. "I was doing okay when it was just kids," panted the famous man-in-red. "This crap with over-gifting grown children has to stop!" He seemed bitter. "Yeah, ya know everyone thinks this stuff gets done by a team of us. Not so. Father Christmas drinks himself under the table every Christmas Eve, and Kris Kringle's got nothing much to do but put fruit and odd bits of nuts in wooden shoes. Let me tell you, in the old days they all had their wooden shoes out on the balcony, so at least he was making the appearance of covering his territory. Now, who's got even one wooden shoe? They leave their Doc Martin's out but Kringle, he won't touch 'em. Says it's not in his job description." I left the former merry old soul where he lay.

Here's Another Scare for You

2009-11-26T03:00:00.004-05:00

I'm in the process of creating a new personal website. This is rather counter-intuitive since I don't even have the time or energy to keep this blog running. I'm doomed altogether since I'm blogging at 3am on Thanksgiving Eve. On the left is a picture of the reason I've been out of the art studio and out of my mind. Her name is Frankie and she specializes in looking innocent. Her purpose? To out-crime Virginia. Good luck to us all. Happy Thanksgiving.

2009-11-26T02:52:00.002-05:00

New Stephen King Novel to be set in Somerville

Flowers on the Avenue invites you in for the scare of your life. King's new novel is based on the real life shoppe of horrors on Somerville Ave, a venue where no one really knows what lurks inside. Frightenly, no one has ever been know to emerge from Flowers on the Avenue. Worse, no one has ever been know to go in! Local residents speculate that it's a facade, or perhaps a Cambridge Arts Council Public Arts project gone awry. Is this a merely two-dimensional faux brick facade with a doll house makover? Or does something decidedly macabre seeth within the dimensionally challenged Flowers on the Avenue?

Out House Church Makes Rounds in Cambridge

2009-07-06T11:19:00.003-04:00

This is the age of creative and alternative religions. But who would have guessed this one? The Out House Church on wheels like the mobil library of yore makes its rounds in Cambridge. This picture was captured as the multi-duty spiritual temple came barreling through Inman Square. Gives new meaning to "I gotta go to church!"

2009-07-06T11:12:00.004-04:00

Liz posted this one on her Tricylcle Community page.

Reverend Billy for Mayor

2009-05-06T06:58:00.001-04:00

Larry is Dead!!!

2009-04-16T06:10:00.003-04:00

Yes. Larry the Zebra Fish aka Larry T. Wallace is no more inhabiting his earthly form. In a moment of dark sychronicity I finished my painting of Larry last week and he is my feature creature in this year's Iced Coffee Season flyer. I can't talk about it now. Devastated!!

Here's my portrait of Larry in his natural habitat. This is in watercolor and ink covered with glassine.

Like a Really Bad Novel, Only Real

2009-04-06T08:37:00.003-04:00

Foreclosure sharks celebrate in Palm Beach. Scenes from the end of the empire. Click on the link to the story. It is truly unbelievable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/us/06convene.html m/2009/04/06/us/06convene.html

It really pays to follow BoRev

2009-04-05T06:30:00.001-04:00

Maybe the best thing seen since Commander Radnicki swung a dead rat by its tail on television.

Nader on Bailout

2009-03-09T12:01:00.000-04:00

Published on Saturday, March 7, 2009 by CommonDreams.org
The Bottomless Bailout
by Ralph Nader
Does anybody in the federal government know or could know “who, what, where and when” of the massive, complex, vertical, horizontal, global collapse of Wall Street and its planetary tentacles in over 100 countries abroad? Step forward if you exist! Uncle Sam needs you!
Is the multi-million dollar bailout of this financial mess and house of cards, this phantom wealth mummy hitting air beyond the federal governments’ salvage capability? It is relatively easy to announce hundreds of billions of dollars of corporate rescue programs here and hundreds of billions of dollars of guarantees of corporate recklessness there and trillions of dollars of assorted stimulus, loan availabilities and foreclosure prevention initiatives in all directions. Now comes the rubber hitting the road.Where are the skilled people to be hired by the federal agencies—the administrators, field implementers, auditors, financial whizzes able to understand the complexity of greed and over-reach; the inspectors, prosecutors and contract negotiators to name a few categories?In other words, how are a hurried President Obama and his deputies going to rapidly build up the infrastructure of the federal government itself to advance all these “public works” efficiently and to avoid expenditure disasters amidst a potential orgy of waste, fraud and abuse by the coast to coast recipients?So many of the federal government’s functions have been contracted out to corporations and consulting firms under Clinton and the Bushes that there is a serious dearth of skilled civil servants. Moreover, Obama has indicated he wants this work done by an accountable government and not by Halliburton-type outside contractors at greater expense to taxpayers.Knowing and doing have to go hand in hand. Some Congressional Committees have finally gotten around to asking the basic questions about what is actually going on inside companies like the giant financial conglomerate AIG. Since the Goliath’s near collapse in September, the federal government has committed $160 billion to keep it from splattering its reckless red ink over small businesses, municipalities, 401(k) plans, policyholders and of course the Fortune 500 big companies led by the omnipresent Goldman Sachs bank.At a Senate hearing on March 5, 2009 to review yet another $30 billion in rescue funds, Senators from both parties demanded that the Federal Reserve make public the names of the parties benefiting from all this taxpayer largesse. These include the derivatives trading partners (eg credit default swappers) who have received tens of billions of these dollars passing from Washington through AIG to them.Senators Chris Dodd, Richard Shelby and Jim Bunning went after Donald L. Kohn, the vice-chairman of the Fed board of governors who finally promised he would ask the other governors to reconsider their corporate privacy policy under these megabailouts. Don’t hold your breath!Surprisingly, the Wall Street Journal editorial writers weighed in three days earlier about this fourth ever-sweeter rescue of AIG. in six months. In an editorial titled “AIG’s Black Box” the Journal thundered: “Perhaps someday the feds will even explain to taxpayers which AIG creditors had to be rescued and why…..try figuring out exactly who benefits when taxpayer money arrives at the insurance giant.”Besides rebuilding the federal workforce and finding out what is going on inside casino capitalism begging for bailouts, the Obama Administration is wading into an administrative nightmare that could run through trillions of mis-directed dollars and not turn around a deep Recession plunging toward Depression.When dealing with esoteric gambling chips called “derivatives” that are bets on bets on debts on debts, more than astute regulations and prosecutions are needed to punish, disgorge and deter present and future self-paid corporate crooks looting and draining other people’s pensions and savings. What is essential is that the federal surgeons have to know just where to apply their scalpel on the continuum spanning the big predators to the millions of direct and indirect victims.So, during the next Congressional hearings featuring government witnesses from the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department and the securities, insurance and banking regulatory agencies, the Senators should start with four direct questions:
1. Just what is it that you do NOT understand about what is going on inside this widening Wall Street mess?2. Why don’t you understand what you need to know?3. How are you going to use your powers to achieve such understanding?4. Finally, if these corporations like AIG are too big to fail, too secret to fail and overwhelmingly global in structure and operations, why aren’t you asking other governments to pitch in with their own rescue packages and tell you what they know?As one solid small town banker in Indiana put it recently: “If these big companies are too big to fail, then they’re too big.”
Ralph Nader is a consumer advocate, lawyer, and author. His most recent book is The Seventeen Traditions.

Our Man in Panama Begins to Devolve

2009-03-01T22:16:00.001-05:00

Posted by Jim Calandrillo, now back in Panama by way of Mumbia

Hello, my fellow American. And, how are you on this fine, fine morning? I, myself, could not catch an ounce of shuteye, and decided to come here to the Canal banks to see if a fellow countryman might also be having trouble navigating the Land of Nod. And here you are! Fine, fine morning, I must say. When you can't smell the Canal, it means the winds are calm, and you'll be able to walk along ths shores without a mask or having to turn back to whatever direction you came from.Now that was mighty nice of you to offer me a cigar. It sure smells genuine Cuban, but my doctor has forbidden such extravagances because of my sinus condition. What? Did you lose something in the grass down there? Well, never mind the sinuses, let me just help you up to your feet. You're soaking wet from the dew. You'll never find your little dog anyway in this thick fog. Bet they never warned you of the thick layer of dew that develops on these fine, fine mornings, now did they? Way I see it, when you step on her, she'll yap, and there, you'll have found her! What's her name? Hugo? Well, she won't be able to hear you in the thick air, so be careful where you step. She'll show up somewhere along the banks here. All bodies do.I see you're wearing a "Find Baby Sophie" ribbon. Damn shame about that one. Nice job they did shaping the ribbon to look like one of them Macy's balloons.Well, aren't you nice. But, once again, I'll have to pass on that whiskey flask. Jameson's did you say? Mighty fine. No, I'm taking so many pills the doctor gave me that I can't drink sip of anything but well water. What's that? A Vicadin. You sure pack 'em strong. And I guess you don't care about what damage you might be doing to your liver?Hell, you're right on that one. You only go 'round once, unless you're a Canal repeater? Really! First time! Well, I'll be zoned! You could of fooled me. Headed where? Venezuela is a nice place this time of year. I'll give you that. Only stay away from that Guantanamo. Bad place, full of crazy Iraqis, like they never heard the Monroe Doctrine in school! Shame on them once for landing, and shame on them twice for squatting, but I'll be damned if they'll catch any of us not looking next time.Say, you seem like a nice sort of woman. What's a nice sort of woman like you doing in these parts of the Canal zone? You don't say. I thought Ballanchine had given up the search for your friend decades ago. She sure was somethin' the way she tu tu'd around, wasn't she? You reckon she's still alive and dancin' at her age? Oh just forty-two. Thought she'd be much older than that by now.Well, you have a nice stroll. You hear. Mind that dip in the Canal up about a hundred feet or so, where you're headed. Last time I heard, there was a gang o' no-gooders collecting people for another Muriel boat lift, or is it arial boat lift?No, I know you're not Cuban, my fellow American. But, you can't be too careful of who you might be mistook for. Just last year this bunch of maniacs thought I was some Serbian related to that long-dead archduke Ferdinand that went and started that big, world war, the second or third one, I think. And don't let anyone call you an ugly American! Geez, that fumes my timbers. You're about the prettiest thing I've seen along these banks in years, but you start talking to these know-nothings and first thing you know they're calling you an ugly American or queer, or something like that.Now, there goes my sinuses all plugged up again. Hey, you be careful on all fours down there. I was once mistook for an alligator. You don't want that nip and tuck. Just a joke. This gal, Joan Rivers told it to me. Yeah, the one who can't move her face any more. Damn shame. You mind your wet snout in the grass there. And when you head back this way, I'll fill you in on my latest condition.

Heirloom Shoe Rack Destroyed in Condo Brawl

2009-02-23T16:17:00.002-05:00

Just when you thought the days of the good old bar room brawls were over...Ta Da! Now visitors to the Hamshire School of Art will have to park their shoes on a new model stainless steel rack.

Panamanian Pandemonium

2009-02-11T10:29:00.002-05:00

Posted by Jim Calandrillo, who's fled to Panama for various reasons

There is so much of the American diaspora trying to crash these canal borders that those of us already in the country are resorting to sand bags, leaflets, and gentle persuasion for the hordes to go back and get the good old United States back on track. There are people jumping cruise ships to land on the Terra Firma of the canal banks. It is so much a part of the American psyche. First we separated, revolted from the British Empire. Then we headed West in a manifest destiny to be anywhere but where we were. Then we fled to suburbia to escape the cities. Then we rushed to rural America to escape suburbia. Then we headed anywhere but here. There will always be a beckoning Costa Rica, Panama, and who knows if Belize is next? We are always in search of the last vestige of sane, affordable living. It used to be either Florida's east coast, or Florida's west coast. Now all the action is in the middle. A town called Zephyr Hills about forty miles from here is the new haven where life can be lived without the extreme traffic and hub-bub of coastal Florida. That is until Zephyr Hills releases its diaspora...to where? To mountainous North Carolina. Onward and upward! To North Dakota. Hell the winters are brutal, but you can get a home for thirty thou. And everyone is leaving, creating another lightening rod influx sooner or later. With global warming, North Dakota will soon resemble Los Angeles anyway. East of Eden, North of Concord, South of Fairbanks, come to the Kentucky hills with a bag o'money and settle down with the McCoys and Hatfield's ancestors. They've mellowed. And property values are affordable now, before they skyrocket. You gotta buy before peak, so you're not caught in the exodus.I hear some of the Baghdad suburbs are dirt cheap. Once life settles down there, you'll triple your investment. God knows by then Syria might just be where the boom is headed. So, while I'm currently in Panama, who knows for how long? Teira del Fuego is ripe for influx. Gotta get there before the rest of the masses discover it; before it's too late. And it's only a hop, skip, and a jump to Antartica from there. Who says you can't build on ice? So you buy a little inland Antarctica so if some chunks of the periphery break off, you'll be safe and be smiling at how well you've invested. And once the poles shift, hell you'll be north in no time.

Music Video from Rev Billy

2009-02-09T09:59:00.002-05:00

visit www.revbilly.com

Shut 'em Down!!

2009-02-01T04:16:00.003-05:00

From the front page of today's Times. Looks like Office Despot bites the dust. After reading Stacy Mitchell's Big Box Swindle I'm getting front row tickets to watch the death of the big box stores. Here's an opportunity for organizations like Cambridge Local First to take up the slack. And what about the monster space left in Harvard Square by Bowl and Board's flight to Davis Square? Let's get rid of Staples and let Bob Slate move into that space.

Rebel Frequencies Top Music of 2008

2009-02-01T04:06:00.003-05:00

http://rebelfrequencies.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-many-ways-2008-was-predictable-year.html

This one's worth a look. I'm going to print it out and take it over to Newbury Comics. Lately, I've been listening to Michael Franti and Spearhead. The new album, All Rebel Rockers, well, rocks!

Squirrel Nutkin

2009-01-22T12:24:00.002-05:00

This fellow, or gal, appeared on my porch railing the other day. I felt sorry for the animals in this frozen snow so, as the Ramones famously said: "then I did what God forbade." I put out some nuts and seeds. If my neighbors are reading this, I'm dead meat. Put me out for the squirrels.

You Asked For It

2009-01-17T17:32:00.007-05:00

Actually, no you didn't. But since it's time to make the 2009 Iced Coffee Season flyer, why not vote for your favorite from years past? Vote above right, next to the list of books of the month that have been up there since 1904.

Why is this all bluish green? The original is all yellowy orange. Well, I guess you won't be voting for this one.

This one really kicked butt. Wow! Ramon Casas and some other painter on a bicylcle with some Juan Gris thrown in just for fun.

What was Degas thinking, indeed!!! What was I thinking when I used his painting of the Absinthe Drinkers for ICS 2008?

I'd better get cracking on the 2009 flyer. I have a couple of terrible ideas already.

Best Ornament Because

2009-01-08T21:39:00.003-05:00

It's in honor of Ralph Nader's great-nephew who played so merrily outside the Middle East Restaurant during the Massachusetts Marathon. And because of my great friend, Jim Calandrillo whose mother made him get out the accordian and play for relatives, and once-- in utter humiliation-- for his friends. The ornament was given to me by my merry daughter, Fionna.

I guess it's been a while

2009-01-04T10:15:00.005-05:00

I've been in the art studio and I even have some things to show for it. Here's one for you now. This is called 'Malcolm Thinking at the Buddha Board.

Follow my struggles on my art blog at www.jeannelafferty.com You will be sorry you did.

I am wildly enthusiastic about Chroma Interactive Acrylics.

I have to go now for my press conference. I'm expecting all the major media to cover the story of how I managed to print my Outlook address book in a double sided format even though my printer dialogue box had this option dimmed out. I'll be taking this up with Epson during the week.

And...expect horrifying things in 2009 from Art Nite aka The Hampshire School of Art!

Don't Let School Make You Feel Small

2008-11-20T03:14:00.000-05:00

Needle Sized Art
Very incredible story! Not only is this mans art cool but he got a ton of cash for it!

New IVAW Coffee House Near Fort Lewis

2008-11-07T21:23:00.002-05:00

http://www.givoice.org/

This is my anti-war organization. Please consider donating to IVAW at www.ivaw.org. It's all 100% tax deductable. As they like to say "Please support our troops."

How to Reuse Old Shower Curtains - wikiHow

2008-11-06T07:43:00.000-05:00

How to Reuse Old Shower Curtains - wikiHow

Nader Arrives at the Middle East While His Great-Nephew Plays the Accordian

2008-10-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

It gets real dark once we go inside the restaurant. I'm still learning how to shoot film with my little digital camera

Nader's People on the Road

2008-10-26T08:22:00.000-04:00

Suzanne Bas Davis is Painting Again

2008-10-25T08:21:00.002-04:00

Amazing dry brush technique seen especially on the lid of the pot. Suzanne is taking Janet Hobbs's watercolor class this semester and it's paying off.

Sock Creatures Replicate Selves in Various Forms at Art Nite

2008-10-24T20:19:00.007-04:00

Okay, only a few forms other than the original so far. Here's the first one by Thomasin. It's the eponymously named sock dog, Thomasin, standing on the remote controls.

Thomasin hangs out with the suddenly appearing

"Rabbit"by Fionna

Elephant showed up but stood apart for the attention.

Local Store Does Not Know What It Is

2008-10-24T20:07:00.005-04:00

Doorway to Identity-less Store. Note welcome mat. But welcome to what??

Welcome to eerie cacti in various states of decay!

Close up of, uh, things.

Amy Goodman Speaks Out

2008-10-23T23:56:00.000-04:00

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/10/23

Ketchup is a Vegetable

2008-10-17T12:38:00.001-04:00

Harvey's been busy at Art Nite

2008-10-17T01:16:00.006-04:00

Gotta love this one.

Study for a painting. Harvey likes this better than the painting. I think both are good.

I love the dry brush technique on the grass. Ths is done in acrylic gouache.

As theStock Market Continues to Plunge and Millions lose their Retirement Savings...

2008-10-17T00:40:00.006-04:00

We can take comfort in keeping our house in order. Here's the answer to a question that must have been plaguing most of us for decades.

Question:How do you keep hangers from making marks in the shoulders of shirts? And how do you keep clothes from falling off hangers?

Lorna Lover

Indian Rocks Beach, FL

Answer:Use only padded, wooden, or plastic hangers. And use felt circles to keep clothes from slipping onto the floor.
Go to RealSimple.com to stop getting hung up on your hanger worries: http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple/content/0,21770,1850470,00.html?xid=askrsnews

IVAW Member Trampled by Police Horse at Debate

2008-10-16T23:45:00.003-04:00

You can watch footage of this on Democracy Now! at http://www.democracynow.org/2008/10/16/15_arrested_outside_presidential_debate_in

http://ivaw.org/newsletters/10.16.2008newsletter.html

Please consider making a donation to these folks for Nick Morgan's medical bills or legal fees.

Super Large Sculpture by Malcolm Cummings

2008-10-13T12:38:00.004-04:00

Here's a partial assembly drawing of the glider design. it's beginning to take shape.....

Here's a view of the inside of the fuselage of the plane, showing the cockpit, landing gear, camera (big cylinder) and lots of boxes representing various equipment. We're using layouts like this to see how things fit together and for finding center of gravity.

I think we could all do with a bit of finding the center of gravity---Jeanne

Veterans For Peace Band

2008-10-12T20:24:00.003-04:00

Playing at the anti-war thingy on the Common Saturday, October,11, 2008

Follow My Blog

2008-10-12T11:04:00.004-04:00

See that thing up there? (on the upper left,under the RSS feeds) Click on it, where it says 'Follow this blog'. Yezzir!

Rebel Sheriff of Cook County

2008-10-10T13:19:00.004-04:00

Above: Seventy foreclosure orders that will not be served in Cook County

http://www.truthout.org/100908T

Can You Say 'Single Payer?'

2008-10-09T09:04:00.001-04:00

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2008/10/08-4

Today's Lesson

2008-10-06T08:36:00.002-04:00

October 6, 2008Tricycle's Daily DharmaKnowing What To DoI like that the point of convergence of liberation theology, Islamic mysticism, and engaged Buddhism is the sense of love that leads to commitment and involvement with the world, and not a turning-away from the world. A form of wisdom that I strive for is the ability to know what is needed at a given moment in time. When do I need to reside in that location of stillness and contemplation, and when do I need to get up off my ass and do whatever is needed to be done in terms of physical work, or engagement with others, or confrontation with others? I'm not interested in ranking one type of action over the other.
--bell hooks, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review Fall 1992 from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book

Iraq Vets Against War

2008-10-05T08:48:00.003-04:00

http://ivaw.org/ivawevents

Some of you may know that Fionna and I are supporting and planning on becoming active with Iraq Vets Against War (IVAW). I feel strongly that these men and women, along with Vets for Peace (VFP) who are mostly Vietnam vets, are the backbone and soul of our anti-war movement today.The link above will take you to the events page. Please take a look and see if IVAW is hosting an event in your area and seriously consider attending one of these. If you haven't seen Winter Soldier, you will be profoundly moved by the transformation of these soldiers through their experiences in Iraq and Afganistan. Not only is the organization deeply principled and highly organized, it is a stunning manifestation of the Buddhist concept of 'Metta'...the notion of loving kindness. IVAW embraces the idea of community and is constantly building its capacity to reach out to all Iraq and Afganistan vets and to the rest of the anti-war movement.

After looking at the events page, take a look at the rest of the website to see what they stand for.

Namaste,

Jeanne

Art Nite Gets Edgy

2008-10-04T05:22:00.005-04:00

It's Kirk and he can't be stopped. We tried.

Glue Gun Gone Wild

He did it! Frightening!!!

Obama Girl Visits Ralph Nader

2008-09-29T10:18:00.001-04:00

Thank God Someone's Paying Attention to What Matters in America Today

2008-09-28T08:21:00.005-04:00

From Real Simpleton Magazine

Question:What is the best way to store multiple curling irons, hair dryers, and flat irons?Ann MarksKirkland, WA

Answer:Invest in a plastic or wire organizer that mounts to a wall or inside a cabinet door.
A place for everything and everything in its place. That’s the ideal, right? Take a step in the right direction by organizing your collection of hair tools.

Although this issue is important, I still believe it takes second place to the story last year about the woman who didn't know how to organize her jewelry

Tom's Got a Thing

2008-09-24T23:14:00.005-04:00

Here's a Tom Canel original cartoon in progress. But you can see lots more on his blog/website at http://.bligblug.blogspot.com

Harvey Works in Acrylic Gouache

2008-09-24T23:10:00.004-04:00

In the top photo we see Harvey's layout for his painting..and a photo of his dinner! Wow! The bottom picture is the first pass at a painting. Lots of Yods. Don't know what a 'Yod' is? Stay tuned.

The Paper Sculpture by Fionna Lafferty

2008-09-24T23:05:00.008-04:00

The first picture is of some of the materials used. Next we see Fionna Laying out her project...and then...Voila! Who doesn't want one of these on their wall?

Rose Works in Collage

2008-09-24T22:59:00.005-04:00

Rose weaves her magic in collage. Sorry the last piece is a bit fuzzy. My shaking hands and the camera setting to blame. But seriously, Rose is an up and coming collage artist and let's hope to God she keeps it up.

Iraq Vets Rock

2008-09-18T08:17:00.003-04:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931859655/002-2839616-8434445?ie=UTF8&tag=commondreams-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1931859655

Hey, here's how you can support the troops. Buy this book by Iraq and Afganistan Vets against the War.(IVAW)

And visit their fabulous website: http://ivaw.org/

Sam Thompson's Watercolor Class, Peaches

2008-09-11T07:32:00.003-04:00

Sam Thompson's classes are like the Zen Meditation Center where the monk comes around and hits you with a stick. Just the ticket to get back into the fray. Suzanne D. and I went up there and got whacked around a bit and came home exhausted but happy. It's Sam's mission in life to not let you overwork a painting. We left the twittering mind behind.

Real Simpleton

2008-09-08T09:49:00.005-04:00

Have you ever seen this magazine, Real Simpleton? What a void this publication has filled! Who will ever forget the stirring article about the woman who was distraught because she couldn't organize her jewelry collection? Or the online help topic: Help, my shoes squeak? Another popular feature of the magazine is taking ordinary household items and finding other uses(called the 'Aha! use) for them. I won't go into this now. But I myself, dear reader have found an 'aha' use for the mundane devilled egg platter.

If you like to use ceramic for your watercolors (plastic makes the paint bead up) and the palattes at the art supply store are too small for larger works, or for working on multiple paintings at a time, the lowly devilled egg platter could be just the thing for you. Stephen Quiller makes a huge square ceramic palatte which is totally groovy, but it's almost as large as my art studio and weighs 40 pounds. Not so the devilled egg platter, which features nice, deep wells perfect for washes and mixing large amounts of color.

I might mention that it's perfect for fluid acrylics. the color can be allowed to dry up in the deep wells and peeled off so you can re-cycle appropriately instead of throwing it down the sink into our drinking water.

Unfortunately, the devilled egg platter has no discernable effect on the quality of your paintings. I'm working on that one.

Iraq Vets Against War at DNC (must see)

2008-09-04T14:17:00.001-04:00

Iraq Vets Against War

2008-09-04T14:03:00.001-04:00

Scott Ritter is Awesome Part II (see part I below)

2008-09-04T13:13:00.002-04:00

Scott Ritter is Awesome

2008-09-04T13:02:00.001-04:00

Amy Goodman Arrested at RNC

2008-09-01T22:13:00.002-04:00

Can you believe it?

Dig it!!

2008-08-25T23:44:00.003-04:00

Veno-Paraguayan Communist Conspiracy Revealed! In Dorky Music Form

As if you needed more proof that Latin America was backsliding into the "dark nights of tyranny" or whatever, this SHOCKING VIDEO has emerged showing Hugo Chavez and Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo singing about their plot to "change the world" at some shadowy leftist karaoke hoedown last weekend. "Enjoy."

from borev.net

Out of the One Dimension and...(the drive home)

2008-08-21T20:31:00.007-04:00

into the 89 dimensional universe of the big whopper.

Can anyone tell me what the above is all about. Is this one of those things that everyone but me 'gets'? Am I headed for the Laughing Academy?

But why pay good money to a psychiatrist when this sign (and a few others like it) can explain you to yourself and to others? I'm off to make a bun out of meat. I'll be up all night until I get it just right.

Is Spam Poetry Real Poetry?

2008-08-20T09:05:00.005-04:00

plan captaincy roast emit bimodal

provocation maul decreeing? provocation, elicit mongolia.emit maul vaccinate friedman primitivism difluoride, hearkenfallacious depreciable hearken paragonite wine.
vaudeville laurent roast
terrapin oedipus thyratron? edith, provocation maul.oedipus primitivism elicit riggs captaincy occasion, hearkenaeschylus decreeing est stearic paulette.
laurent mongolia riggs
occasion snowflake bob? stearic, occasion snowflake.
emit emit

Kirk Davis-who has been know to insert spam into his own poetry -sends this item received from one Hank Whitley

Entry Into One Dimensional Environment Explained

2008-08-19T08:54:00.004-04:00

As the first "entrant" into the one dimensional house, I want to urge everyone out there NOT TO TRY IT. It has left me exhausted; still recuperating. It took me months of training to perform the feat (feet) that I did, Voluntary Intra-planetary Body Molecular Compression and Alteration (VIMBCA). It is a dangerous practice, and must be studied under strict supervision. The initial "entrant" into a one dimensional environment experiences all the shear, Z-Forces, Cramp Convulsions, and Pre-frontal Cortical Lunacy (PFCL) that are the greatest hazards of this brave quest. Once the initial entrant (IE) has paved the way, so to speak, all other entrants (AOE's) can move in with little or no harmful effects. So, unless guided by an experienced VIMBCA Certified Specials (VCS), please, please, do not attempt to negotiate the dimension they dare not call by name.
Thank You.
Jim Calandrillo

For more on this riveting topic visit jim's blog: http://laperduttagente.blogspot.com/2008/08/one-dimensional-living.html

Geoff Smith Makes It Into One Dimensional Cabin

2008-08-15T01:58:00.003-04:00

And makes it back to town for the gig at Razzy's. This Saturday night. August 16th. See http://www.deososmusic.com/

And the new EP will be available there for a mere $5.00. It's getting great reviews

One Dimensional Cape Cod House

2008-08-11T11:21:00.001-04:00

Painting finally takes shape

2008-07-20T02:23:00.004-04:00

This took about one half hour. Finding my watercolor brushes took two hours.

Magical Cantaloupe Cures all Ills

2008-07-20T02:16:00.005-04:00

The nostrum that addresses all disorders. tomorrow morning, by eating the second half of the cantaloupe, sainthood will be conferred upon the final diners. More on this tomorrow.

And Now This....

2008-07-11T11:32:00.002-04:00

Sorry, I had to...

2008-07-09T19:58:00.001-04:00

Something to "think" about

2008-07-07T00:29:00.002-04:00

An Undesirable Thing

If the basic project of mainstream Buddhist practice is to unmask the ego illusion for what it is, one of the main prongs of attack is directed against desire. Desire gets a very bad press in the Buddhist scriptures. It is a poison, a disease, a madness. There is no living in a body that is subject to desire, for it is like a blazing house.
Now, desire lives and grows by being indulged. When not indulged by the application of ethical restraint and awareness, on the other hand, it stabilizes and begins to diminish, though this is not an easy or comfortable process, for the old urges clamor for satisfaction for a long time.
This kind of practice cut directly against the main currents of modern consumer society, where desire is energetically encouraged and refined to new pitches and variations by the powerful agencies of marketing and publicity. But it also cuts against the more moderate desires – for family, wealth, sense pleasures and so on sanctioned in simpler, more traditional societies, including the one into which the Buddha was born. We can never be at peace while desire is nagging at us.
John Snelling, Elements of Buddhism

much better than my last rant.

Cripple You Yoga

2008-07-06T23:31:00.006-04:00

Larry the Fish does not need expensive classes to make him a fish. He's a fish.

Arrgh! The search for enlightenment is over the minute you think it's a search. I'll admit that it's not so easy to discover that you are sitting on a gold mine of peace and enlightenment, but it's gonna be a long way off if you're trying to 'buy' it. Get up and out the door, folks This is America. There's nothing they won't 'sell' you. Don't be mystified (except in the best sense). It's all free. Acceptance is the beginning of the end of all striving. Can we just be? It costs nothing. No one can package and sell it.

Listen. We used to work. We used to do our own work. We walked to work. We were farmers. We worked in the home. We don't walk to work anymore. We aren't allowed to plant and harvest anymore. Big Agro does it for us. Laugh if you want to, but going down to the river to beat the clothes in the stream was a better workout than you can pay for today. And it was a community experience. In the old days we worked our bodies hard. It was a hard life, too hard. But now they tell us that life is not hard. Well it is. It's bitterly hard. Our communities are gone and we don't(for the most part use our legs or our muscles to do work. So we have to pay for a gym or sign up for yoga classes. This is not cheap and not within the reach of most people.

Instead, for the poor, we have television. For all of us we have television. I stood on line at Dunkin Donuts with a huge T.V. in my face while I waited for four minutes for my iced coffee. Four minutes, I can't live without T.V.

Apparently people have T.V. sets built into the seats of their SUV's.

Why not just sew the T.V. onto your head?

Okay, so I'm ranting. But what else is a blog for? Healing, mediation, enlightement,it's all big business in the USA. Mail order mystics, as Chris Smither calls them. Go out, friends, and do your own work. Don't pay people to teach you how to move around. We were born knowing how to do that. Turn on the music and start dancing.

Best of luck,

Jeanne

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/03/fashion/03kripalu.html?th&emc=th

This could be my last post

2008-07-06T20:26:00.004-04:00

If I'm caught putting this stuff....

into this dumpster.

It will probably be just fine since no one knows where I live. And, by the way, that is not the Lorem Ipsum Bookstore across the street in the photo.

Look for me, or don't look for me wearing the black ski mask in the dead of night.

Don't Be Afraid of What You're Doing

2008-07-04T00:13:00.003-04:00

It's called 'The Art of Dying".

Amazing Game of Arkham Horror

2008-06-30T22:31:00.004-04:00

What? You don't have 79 hours to spend on a board game? Yes you do. Get off of the T.V. screen and get all your friends together for a day of, er, I don't know what, exactly.

Rate My Blog

2008-06-23T12:27:00.005-04:00

Click on the picture to enlarge.

New Art Website Business Card Should Catapult Me to Fame and Riches

2008-06-19T09:30:00.003-04:00

Oh, I forgot, I don't even want those things mentioned above.
Anyway the website is http://www.jeannelafferty.com/.

New Cookbook Teaches Survival Skills

2008-06-19T09:23:00.005-04:00

Not sure what the survival skills are but not everyone who's tasted these dishes has exactly survived.

Here we have the first recipe.

This from Bill Moyers From the Media Conference

2008-06-17T00:28:00.003-04:00

Why does it matter? What does the media do, anyway?

I’ll let an old Cherokee chief answer that. I heard this story a long time ago — of the tribal elder who was telling his grandson about the battle the old man was waging inside himself. He said, “It is between two wolves, my son. One is an evil wolf: Anger, envy, sorrow, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is the good wolf: Joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The boy thought this over for a minute, and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied simply: “The one I feed.”

Read it all if you can stand it.Our grief often outstrips our dreams
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/16/9670/

This Makes Women Sound Lame

2008-06-12T15:13:00.003-04:00

It's for sure true that there was a time when women wrote under a man's name in order to get published. And there are reasons why most people think that Mary Cassat and Georgia O'Keefe were the only two women in history to produce works of art. And, no, sexism isn't gone by a long shot. God knows!

But what is it about all these "therapy" books for women artists that makes us sound so lame. I've seen a few books like this that make us seem so pathetic it's hard to believe that any woman could produce a body of work in the 21st century.No, look, I know. It's really hard to sit in from of a word processer or an easel without feeling sick to one's stomach at times. But are these books going to help anyone get past this? I don't think so.

Here's a quote from "12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women" --picked up at a yard sale last week. I told my daughter that I could open this book at random and show her what I was talking about. Here's what turned up:

Secret 2. Honoring your inspirations. In order to access your creativity, you must validate and capture your inspirations. these inspirations are precious seedlings awaiting nurturance."

Here's my advice. Schedule time each day in the place where you do your work. Sit there at the appointed time until boredom overtakes fear. If this doesn't happen, go back --as the song says--tomorrow night and do it again.

If this post is upsetting, you might want to cancel your feed, or unbookmark the site. I am so not through with this topic.

Be like a cave painter. Work fast as though something might start chasing you any minute.

Wait Til You See What I Did With This.

2008-06-07T23:33:00.006-04:00

Oh yeah. Going through one's old drawings can be like finding buried treasure. I call this one 'Crazy Legged Vase".Check out the painting, fluid acrylics on canvas on the front page of my art website: http://www.jeannelafferty.com/ does the painting 'work'? Is the pencil drawing better? Lots to think about when you're me.

Where Those Monks During Katrina?

2008-05-31T18:21:00.002-04:00

Monks Succeed in Cyclone Relief as Junta Falters By THE NEW YORK TIMESThe Burmese are growing even closer to Buddhist monks, who are providing the aid that the generals do not offer

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/world/asia/31myanmar.html?th&emc=th

House on Same Street as Yellow House Mysteriously Gets Yellow Door

2008-05-21T09:28:00.005-04:00

Universe Crashes in on Self as Mystery Poet Hides Behind Yellow House

2008-05-21T07:58:00.006-04:00

We wouldn't have believed it if we hadn't seen it for ourselves. Luckily we had our camera handy and got this candid snapshot. Note: See glass of wine in hand of Mystery Poet. Click on picture for close up of Mystery Poet

The Shift Happens

2008-05-12T08:09:00.003-04:00

"At last I do not know how to draw." Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Mystery Poet Lashes Out

2008-05-11T22:34:00.004-04:00

'Tis a terrible thing to watch the descent of a talented (?) artist into madness. Oy.

classmates sharing tidbits indeed! why doesn't it include poetry, my future that is, may i ask? do you not understand the complexities of my verse? or are you adverse? indeed! what if Poe faced such rejection? i daresay he'd have gone mad. aha! that's it! you think me mad, don't you? oh, diabolical twist of fate. dear reader, do you not see? she thinks me mad! she thinks me off center! she suspects that i am in league with some diabolical force from which a vortex sucks the lifeblood. her critical barbs sting like a vampire's filthy tooth. oh, woe! she has set the rats against me. she viles my name. she does not want another rhyme to slither from my fingers to keyboard, to relieve pressure from my teeming brain. she is loathe to kindle within me the creative spirit. she stoops to conquer. she all but snuffs the flame of my candle or blows the snuff from it's little anatomical box between thumb and forefinger, so that she might see me sweat with withdrawal not from the drugs alone, but from the very essence of creation itself!!!call you? huh! why would i want further abuse, obtuse one? nay. i shall wither as so you wish: in my dark and dreary frame of reference, a portrait of the artist as a madman, sepia toned, and alas! caught like a spider in the vast david mitchell network.Oh, you'll be sorry, Ms. Lafferty that you were responsible for the day the poetry died!is this mad enough for you?oh, you make me so mad!

He Prefers Anonymity. Who is this Mystery Poet?

2008-05-11T22:29:00.004-04:00

Come with your dangling participle!

Arrive with your gyrating gerund!

Apostrophe Now!

Please recollectThe Grammatical End Times are near!

Make haste with hyperbole and hyphen:

Onomatopoeia and peons alike -'Tis the age of oxy morons and wastrelsWho drink, eat, and do not treasure verse.

Come all avenging protagonists!With pen now mightier than sword.

Split infinitives and cleave dark derivativesRelease all bottled iambic pentameter!

Second comings are for dilettantes and dreamersArrive once and you'll conquer my heart!

Anonymous Bosch

Robertson Davies on the Little Red Hen

2008-05-04T09:46:00.006-04:00

Have you ever met the Little Red Hen? Hers was the first story in the Ontario Primer, and it was printed not in the Latin alphabet, but in the debased calligraphy which was taught to children at that time, ruining their handwriting forever. Why it was thought that children could read this script more easily than print, I do not know. In the pictures illustrating the story, the Little Red Hen was larger than the cat, the dog, and the pig with whom she shared the farmyard. Much later in life, when I became interested in the ikons of the Orthodox church, I discovered the reasoning behind this apparent absurdity; the Little Red Hen was morally bigger than the cat, the dog, and the pig, so she was drawn larger, just as saints in ikons are drawn larger than pagans or people of mere ordinary virtue.

The rest is really worth reading. Follow the link.

http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeeal5f/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/LittleRedHen.pdf

Oh No! Yellow House Ruins Van Gogh Landscape.

2008-04-13T10:33:00.003-04:00

Holy Moley!! How Can This Be?

2008-04-11T13:43:00.003-04:00

Worst Back Porch in New England

2008-04-10T10:13:00.002-04:00

This Was It for Today

2008-04-07T23:53:00.003-04:00

So Glad to Be Odd

2008-04-06T14:45:00.005-04:00

Apr 6, 2008

Greetings, Jeanne Lafferty

Monday, April 07 2008 Street Cleaning is scheduled for B Odd . Your address, 162 Hampshire Street, falls within that district and is scheduled for cleaning tomorrow, 04/07/2008. Click here to see the complete street cleaning schedule.

As the Reverend Billy says: Let's put the odd back in God!

Kirkman From Oslo: What's He Smokin' I Want Some

2008-04-04T10:57:00.005-04:00

http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1KA0X8CQ6WAE8/ref=cm_pdp_reviews_see_all/103-0693829-6922257

El Kirkista rides again on the scamazons!!

Rippling Unicorn leg muscles?

This site must be bookmarked or even put as a shortcut on your desktop.

And oh God, look! Move over Newman's Own. Here's Kirks Chinese marinade!

Like The Swamp Fox or You'd Think We Might Have Learned Something from Vietnam

2008-04-04T08:27:00.004-04:00

Here's an article from Alternet by Gary Brecher whose new book, The War Nerd is due out June 1st

http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/81147/?page=entire

81% Say No

2008-04-04T07:02:00.002-04:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/04/us/04poll.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Penobscot Indians Spearhead Opposition to Bill

2008-04-04T06:45:00.003-04:00

I'm getting this tattooed on me somewhere

http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096416973