I Am Legend: The Review

Yes, Stark and I ducked into a movie theatre today. This doesn’t happen very often anymore. Let’s see…there was LOTR, which we are big fans of (we can lip-sync most of it). And then there was Mystic River, Shawshank, The Usual Suspects, As Good as it Gets, Goodfellas and the GF Trilogy. Little else comes to mind right now in terms of walking out of a theater with that satisfied, "I got my money’s worth" feeling. Most of the ones that I remember were gems that we found at the video store, or library. They were never hyped as blockbusters and remain, pretty much, obscure. Some were indie films, some had well-known actors, but they all had things like well-developed plot lines, character development, and were saturated with imagination and creativity. Legend of 1900, Gerard Depardieu’s Le Comte de Monte Cristo, A Bronx Tale, Sleepers, Don Juan de Marco, Antoine Fuqua's Training Day and Tears of the Sun and Andy Garcia’s Modigliani immediately come to mind. Oh, sure, there’s more in both categories. Mostly in the latter.

The mood that you’re in plays a huge part in the overall viewing experience and, regardless of the nature of the film, there is a difference between seeing it at home and on the big screen… the big screen being one of those factors (the other being without a remote control, dammit). Overall, I would say that one of the biggest differences could be comparable to the difference between community theater and professional troupes; your guard is lowered at home, while you walk into a theater expecting to get what you were hyped into the theater to see.

I’m beginning to feel like a salesman who gets 99 “No’s” for every “Yes”. Or worse, like some poor schmuck who just shelled out $19.95 to some infomercial, for the greatest thing they’ve ever seen and when the package arrives, they open it and there’s a piece of plastic with Made in China stamped on it. I feel for the movie junkies…having to run from theater to theater…looking for that fix.

“I am Legend” made me feel like this. It’s one of those “not-for-everybody” things. Who would it be perfect for? Maybe a thirteen-year-old kid who got up before Mom and Step Dad, logged onto some road rage video game, slaughtered cops and innocent bystanders, then scarfed down a big bowl of Frankenberry cereal (with extra sugar) and washed it down with Dr Pepper before rushing back to his room to fly a chopper into enemy territory to destroy as many bad guys as possible, which he did until he heard The Voice from across the house, “C’mon kiddo…we’re going to the movies!”

Once there, he hauls his ‘be-careful, this-drink-is-so-large-it-has-an-under-tow-in-it’ Pepsi, Ju Jubes and Junior Mints to his seat, where he sits there, knocking his knees together during his eternally long four minute wait for the lights to dim (which, of course, is a euphoric feeling). Then there’s ten minutes of gut-wrenching trailers, which satisfy any copter plot with the a toggle switch to twin Gatling guns. Then…The Feature Presentaion.

“I am Legend” promises to extend the sugar rush. Key-to-key energy, for sure. Ghouls. Mad dogs. Some computer clicking. Stunt driving. Guns! And for the Lawnmower Men-to-be…more CGI than sugar on a donut.

This is where I had a problem.

What about those of us who slept in, had yogurt with a sliced banana, flaxseed meal and agave nectar and a cup of green tea for breakfast? The profuse use of CGI blurred the movie so badly, that it obliterated my view. And they weren’t THAT good. The opening scene with the deer chase, IMMEDIATELY, reminded me of the Jurassic Park dinosaurs. The Ghouls were reminiscent of Gollum, but lacked any of the artistry. The use of human/animated interaction has come a long way since Gene Kelly danced with Jerry the Mouse, but not an inch since Gollum gazed into the pond. Let me put it this way: the CGI in this movie was so distracting, that they pulled my focus from the very beginning. Will and Smith may be two of the biggest names in Hollywood, but the CGI tried to upstage him.
There was one part that was so frightening that I was willing to walk out in fear of what might happen next…something like man’s worst nightmare. THAT aught to get you to buy a ticket, no? For a few minutes I was actually absorbed in the film. Then, ‘they’ came. Who…the dogs and ghouls? No! The CGI stuff.

Listen…I like blood and guts and some really good death and destruction as much as the next guy. Maybe it was my breakfast?

The next time a Will Smith blockbuster gets released, will someone please sent me a case of Pepsi, 5 pounds of Nonpareils, some chocolate donuts (with sprinkles) and a few of those large Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars with almonds? I couldn’t be seen buying that kind of stuff here in this little town. I have a reputation to maintain.

The Silent Kristallnacht

I was reading the article from the British Medical Journal titled ‘Seven Great "Medical Myths" Revealed’ and was glad to see one of them on this list.:
~Reading in dim light won't damage your eyes (The majority of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any permanent damage).
~You don't need eight glasses of water a day to stay healthy (Based on a complete lack of evidence).
~Shaving your legs won't make the hair grow back faster (Stubble lacks the finer taper of unshaven hair, giving the impression of coarseness).
~Eating turkey makes you drowsy (Turkey has no more tryptophan than chicken or beef. Eating lots of it is probably the real cause of sleepiness).
~Hair and fingernails continue to grow after death (The skin dries out and retracts after death, giving the appearance of longer hair or nails ).
~Mobile phones are dangerous in hospitals (Studies have found minimal interference with medical equipment).
~We use only 10 percent of our brains (This myth arose as early as 1907 but imaging shows no area of the brain is silent or completely inactive).

I can remember back as far as when I was, maybe, six years old when I heard #7 for the first time and I didn’t believe it. From time-to-time, I looked for evidence over the years, but never found any. During my activist days in the 60s and 70s, I actually may have thought that this concept was created to dumb people down. If you hear something often enough, you might begin to believe it, right?
Well, the fact is that we are always using ALL of our brain. Not all of it is designed for any one particular function. A part is for thought, a part is for our senses, and a part monitors our metabolism and releases hormones, a part for our dreams and so on. It’s the “thought” part that I believe “they” were referring to. Even this is being disputed today, as it has been discovered that gray matter is not only located in our brains, but the very same neurons are also found in our chest and abdomen, refuting the school of thought that our brain controls all of our functions. Our heart can also control our brain. Gives a whole new meaning to “gut reaction”, eh?

Listen to your heart. But, don’t forget about your stomach.

Well, we are evolving in real time and we have heard things like, “One day, we won’t have toes, because we won’t need them”, or “One day we won’t have hair”, etc. Yes, we are evolving and now there is a sect in our culture that is beginning to show signs of using only 10% of their brainpower. Or less….

Anyone who would even consider voting for Hillary Clinton, if for no other reason than it would put Bill back in the White House, is drawing from the part of their brain that began atrophying and shriveling up the first time they saw something wrong and thought, “Oh well…” This part of their brain has surrendered…not unlike the weak who run for the hills when things go wrong. Yes, many things are wrong, but if you burn the beans, you don’t throw out the whole dinner, fire the chef and turn the restaurant into a turnstile for the galactically stupid. The mere thought that this woman is even being considered for the Presidency is our best proof of the existence of the Illuminati, or perhaps, alien intervention. What could they possibly have they inserted into peoples’ anuses to make them think that this woman can lead us boldly into the future, when it was her hubbie’s very weaknesses that dropped the match that ignited the major events of today?

~Culture? Let’s roll the dice, right?
~Terrorist threats? Pshawwww….
~Medical reform? Oh, that old thing?
~Education? Got mine! Next!
~Invasion of illegals? I don’t see any in my neighborhood...
~China’s toxic invasion? Yah, but they’re such cute little people!
~The price of food and fuel? Survival of the fittest, I say!
~The elderly? What have they done for US lately?
~Children? Screw ‘em. Not one of them voted for me…
~Race relations? Sure I’d wear a burkha to get a vote…
~Torture? Y’ain’t seen nuthin’ yet!

The part of the brain that would surrender to all of the above has artificially evolved to the size of a raisin. It is saturated with Prozac and is the only active part of the brain that works while watching sitcoms and "reality" shows. It is loaded with mercury and fluoride. It has become a primitive anger center and makes these people as rational and purposeful as an attack dawg.

Along with Gunpoint Medicine, this is about the direction and the erosion of our country and you can expect more of this from the raisin-brained liberals. The silent Kristallnacht has begun...Go ahead. Elect Hillary and you will long for the days when you had the luxury of complaining about $3-per-gallon gas; had Paris Hilton to kick around; had a war to take your mind off of things...

How did things come to this?

Getting Billed For The Bullet (or, Is Anyone Okay With This?)

I have been following something that has been going on for quite a while, now, but it has finally hit the mainstream media and in such a way, that it has smothered the testing ground that paved its way. The story is about the mandating of vaccinating children in New Jersey. The first State, right? I don’t think so.

“New Jersey moved toward becoming the first state to require flu shots for preschoolers on Monday after a health advisory board backed new vaccine mandates over the opposition of worried parents.
The Public Health Council voted to require New Jersey children attending preschool or licensed day care to get annual flu shots, and to get three additional for youngsters starting Sept. 1, 2008.
No other state requires preschool, day care or older students to get the flu shots, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

Well, this isn’t necessarily so…. and what baffles me is why the media chose this as their springboard.

Gunpoint Medicine

In the State of Maryland, where there is no law requiring the vaccination of children, health and school authorities, local law enforcement and Federal marshals with attack dogs, forced parents, who are opposed to vaccinations, to herd their children in for the shots. Their alternative was to surrender their children to Child Protective Services, while they spend the next thirty days in jail. The parents were criminalized for protecting their children.

From What?

Regardless of what else is in these injections, they contain thimerosal, which is a chemical compound that consists of approximately 50% mercury, by weight. It has been used as a chemical preservative since 1929 for skin tests, vaccines, eye drops, nose sprays and tattoo inks. Few studies have been performed on this poison, but what is known is that it IS a poison. What is also known is that American companies don’t put this stuff into vaccines, but the vaccines that we use are not made in the USA (most of our drugs come from China and India). The immediate and cumulative effects of Thimerosal are very toxic, whether by injection, inhalation and even by skin contact. It is devastating to marine life. Children haven’t been tested for its effects.
So, parents who knew this and refused to subject their children to having it injected into their bodies got a knock on their door: Child Protective Services and armed Marshals reading them their rights. The medical/Big Pharma Complex is now “arming themselves with U.S. Marshals and other local law enforcement authorities who are using loaded firearms to enforce ‘the will of the State’ against parents who resist.”

“Implementation of these rules will save lives and prevent disease and suffering in children, their families and the community," deputy health commissioner Dr. Eddy Bresnitz (New Jersey) told the council Monday.”

Yah? And how the hell would he know?

“The Council voted in favor of the requirements 5-2 with 1 abstention, with member Dennis San Filippo saying he would like to see studies done on whether it's safe for young children to get so many doses of different vaccines.”

WHETHER IT’S SAFE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN?????

How about whether it’s safe at all? This is an experiment on American children.

And what’s the biggest objection from parents stupid enough get this poison into their children’s veins? “I’m not letting my kid sit next to another kid who isn’t inoculated!”

Psssst….Hey, moron…if your kid IS inoculated and you believe this stuff actually works, then what the hell do you have to worry about. eh?”

Forget about the children for a moment and let’s talk about the viruses it’s supposed to deal with. This isn’t the first time Bad Medicine has been used en masse. How many times have children been given the antibiotics for earaches? Well, that’s caused by a virus and antibiotics don’t kill viruses. How about the recently exposed cough syrup hoax? Or baby formula? Or the legitimization of illegal street amphetamines in the form of Ritalin? This list goes on…and on…and on….

What all of these vaccinations have really done is create highly resistant Super Viruses and lots of money for the Medical Complex. And all of their money can’t fight the Super Bugs.

Kind of reminds me of stories we’ve heard of how the Russians would execute a prisoner and send a bill to the family for the bullet. But no amount of money can pay this bill.

Some Ammo

Okay. How many times have we heard it?

“The American People are having their rights taken away from them!”

And the response is:

“Yah? And can you name just one? Do you know of just one person who has lost any of their rights as an American? Name one!”

Now you have the ammo to answer this question. Learn more about this, okay?

PS: Maryland wasn’t the first, either. Washington, D.C….our Nation’s Capitol was the first governing body to force injections on our children. Ah, yes…The Smarming of America!

UPDATE!
If, after visiting this site and you still think flu shot are helpful and good for you or your children, then let me suggest that you head for the nearest mental health establishment...in some foreign country, of course, cause no one in the mainstream medical profession will believe you. Kinda hard to wrap your head around, eh?

It has come to my attention that there are several major entities that do not have names of their own (or in some cases, too may names): the Earth, the Sun, the Moon and our Solar System. Our Sun has several accepted tags, such as various forms of “Sol”, but we refer to other stars as “Suns”, especially if there are suspected planets involved. A reference to our Moon can be recognized by various forms of “Luna". And our Solar System is completely nameless. Our planet has too many names and needs just one, so that when They finally do arrive and show themselves and ask “Where are we?”, they won’t get barraged with thirty different names, thus confusing them and sending them scurrying back where they came from. Maybe we should feel fortunate to have our galaxy named…But, that’s just not good enough. Since we’re moving towards a One World Government, let’s start with a One Name Solar System.

Another example would be Prometheus, the dude who brought fire down to man from the Greek Gods. Been done. None of the used Greek, or Roman names, please. Better check out the names of Saturn’s (ahemmmm) moons first, because there’s a lot of them and the Greeks got ‘em.

Oh, by the way, I’m Sirius about this and am going to approach a major media figure about going national with this. Maybe even make a contest out of it…with prizes and recognition…maybe even a Wikipedia entry. You’ll be immortalized. We’re talking book deals, a movie, Oprah…who knows, eh?

All entries will be researched and judged by me and Stark (she came up with the idea about naming our Solar System). If you think that “Betty” is a great name for our planet, that’s just fine with us. But, an explanation would sure help. We don’t yet know which agency has official rights to name heavenly bodies, so until that time comes, once we have picked the winners, you will hereby be forced to use the names we choose. Got it? Start submitting!

Catagories:
-Earth
-Moon
-Sun
-Solar System
-Universe (in case someone from another Universe asks what our Universe is called)

Here's Stark's entries:
(Earth)--"Gaia" (Mother Earth)
(Solar System)--"Phoenix" (Universally understood)
(Moon)--"Selene" (Greek Goddess)
(Sun)--She likes "Sol"
(The Universe)--"Chaos"

Tipping Students

Having been knocked off my bike and nearly run over by cars driven by cell-phoning college students on more than one occasion, I decided to take a closer look at this phenomenon of cell-phoning. It seemed far less important to know what they were talking about, than what affect constant cell-phoning was having on these Baby Borgs. So, I walked to the nearby college campus and observed.

The first thing that is easily recognizable is “the hunch”. When a student is walkin’ ‘n talkin’, the arm holding the cell phone is pressed against their body, curving their shoulder forward and giving them this little “hunch”. It also causes their upper torso to waddle.

This can be important to you.

If you’re driving and you see a hunched student approaching the street, it will alert you to either speed up to make sure that you hit them, or slow down so that when they step, obliviously, into traffic, you will have enough time to lay into your horn just as they step in front of your car. I’ve seen cell phones go 10-15 feet into the air. Doesn’t work as well with those sissy Asian horns, but the ensuing cell phone-juggling can be quite funny. The really good cell-phoners can make an athletic recovery, pick up with their conversation, without missing a beat, and sachet right across the street, completely unaffected by the clouds of tire smoke...

Major studies are being conducted, as we speak, on the affects of cell-phoning to the inner ear. What they are finding is that constant cell-phoning is causing a weakening of the cochlea and that in order to maintain their balance, a cell-phoning student must, at least, hold a hand up to an ear in order to, for instance, stand in line, or to walk in a straight one. After observing, intercepting and grabbing the cell phones from 375 cell-phoning students, I discovered that only 11% of them were actually talking to someone. The other 89% were just trying stay upright. At least they’re adapting…

I created a bunch of fake long-distance cell phone cards and offered them as payment for participation in some cell experiments. The first test was to see what would happen if a student, while walking, lowered their cell phone arm to their side. What I found out is that the “righties” walk began to arc to the right and created a circle with a ten-foot diameter, and they would have, eventually, died walking in that circle, if not instructed to put their phone back up to their ear. “Lefties” made the same circle, in the opposite direction.

I, then, assembled forty cell-phoning students and organized them like a marching band, which four groups of ten, each facing one of the cardinal directions and turned on some marching music. Off they went. On command, they lowered their cell phone arms and the columns began to separate and arc to the left and right, until there were eight, nicely synchronized and symmetrical circles. When commanded to raise their phones back up, the circles unraveled, creating four straight lines that crossed at one central point.

June Taylor Dancers…eat your hearts out...

The last command was to stop and lower the cell phones. They did okay for around 20 seconds, before they started to waver a bit. The wavering accelerated and, from a certain point of view, the group began to look like heat waves rising from a mirage. As we approached 60 seconds of this, the autonomic nervous system began to melt down and they lost their bearings in time and space. 89% of them begin to mutter things like “I don’t know”, or “Yah! It was great!”, or “Don’t cha just love it?”

This is when the window of opportunity opens. This is when you can “tip” them.

Yep...one little nudge and they just fall over.

Now, as we all know by now, “cow-tipping” is a myth. It’s a joke played on someone to see if they can out-run a really pissed-off cow. But, tipping a student is different. They won’t get pissed-off. They’ll just be grateful to get their cell phones back...even though, when it gets this bad, any little object will do...

Democratic Debates: The Lost Tapes

Guy, were you aware that parts of the Democratic Debates were edited out? While I can't provide the tape, I have a transcript of the actual lost tape. It came at the end , when the moderator, Tim Russert, gave Hillary a chance to respond to former Senator Mike Gravel's "shame on you, Hillary" attack. Of course, she responded by cracking up. There was some slick editing, but she did follow-up. (For those of you who missed this, click here, first). Here's the missing dialogue:

(Hillary finally stifles laughter)

Hillary: "Senator Gravel, that was a very colorful attack. Kudos..."

Senator Gravel: "And what color would THAT be, Senator?"

Hillary: "Why, Senator, it was like (Lowers chin, lowers voice) thiiiiiick MOH-lasses..."

I'll Have What She's Having...(I think)

This started as an exercise at learning how to get a video up and running. I think I'll leave it up...(Note: The original Jon Stewart montage was taken off the web...fancy that...but there's plenty more where that came from. This one will do just fine.)



Aren't you proud of me, Guy?

What? What was that you said? More? Okay....

Global Smarming: The Great American Cookout

Day 2. Can't seem to conjure an original thought today. Which makes me think...

I recently heard, for the dozenth time, the anecdotal "frog in the pot" analogy. You know, the one where you put a frog in a pot of cool water, then turn up the heat under the pot...slowly...and the frog doesn’t know that it’s being boiled?

Is this what is happening to us? Are we being slowly cooked, resulting in inconsistent, irrational, albeit, predictably distressing behavior?

Okay, let me pound a stake into the ground: parts of the Earth are warming, but to all of those who are without a real opinion of their own and choose to latch onto the momentum of the phantom Global Warming Scare, or not, let me clue you in: the Earth has been warming for around 160 years...before the Industrial Revolution began. It’s called The End of the Little Ice Age. And it will continue to warm until Mother Nature has decided to turn the dial the other way. If mankind ceased all carbon emissions today, the warming trend would continue into the unforeseeable future. That’s where we are in Nature’s cycle. Can anyone say solar activity? Sure! Why not? Why not try to cash in on it?

Why not? Because it’s part of what's slowly cooking us.

But, this particular issue is only part of the brew. What else is cooking us? What other ingredients are in the stew that you may need a magnifying glass to read?

-How about two cups of silent microwaves? (<--helluva read)

-One cup of untested pharmaceuticals for manufactured illnesses.
-Six pounds of dangerous food additives.
-Several drops of media-borne fear about everything.
-A heaping scoop of a runaway media and government that wants us to believe that 1+1=3.
-A table spoon each of chlorine and fluoride.
-A dash of conspiracy theories. (<--funny stuff)

-Several buckets of processed, white sugar, high fructose corn syrup (<--great read), hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils (<--good, easy read) that make it impossible to lose weight, make you feel awful and trigger diseases.
-A conveyor belt that provides a constant stream of diversionary information that is useless to our survival (<--about children).
-And a general anesthetic, which desensitizes us to the pain of others.

Confused into Submission?

1+1=3? Now, I don’t know about the Illuminati and won’t dwell on it until someone steps forward and breaks omerta, but there are people who want us to believe this. There people have their hands on the controls of the various aspects of Global Smarming, but perhaps, not in concert. Here are some things that just don’t add up:

With the Patriot Act, people are being hauled in under suspicion. Better to inconvenience nine of them to find that one, I say. We’re at war, right? I’ll buy this during times of war and egregious attacks and threats. So, can anybody explain to me why a known terrorist, a known supporter of terrorism and a man who supplies weapons to our enemies, is allowed to step off United Nations soil and onto American soil and speak at Columbia University without being swarmed upon by Federal Agents, cuffed, detained and tried as an enemy combatant? Is it impossible to conceive that there are people who are untouchable and invisible to laws, morality and promises?

“Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.”

Is there a single candidate for the next Presidency who would have had the balls to pounce on Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? This man received Secret Service protection! We broke bread with this man! Explain THAT to your children…
Moving on. Ask any elderly person what the most important thing is. ‘Health’, they will say, invariably. ‘Without health, you have nothing,’ they will add. Before I go on with this one, I have to take a conceptual detour first, okay?

Is it possible for an American looking at a picture of, for instance, Osama Bin Laden, to conjure the memory of entering their Grandma’s house and being inundated with the aroma of freshly baked bread, roast and vegetables? This would take brainwashing. How about a far right-wing supporter admitting to all of Hillary’s good qualities? Conversely, for an extreme leftie, or any Hezzbollah, Al-Qaeda, or Taliban supporter, for that matter, saying wonderful things about George Bush? They'd be far more willing to drink diesel fuel. Okay, I’m ready to end my detour now.

Now, is it possible to believe that people with high cholesterol actually live longer than people with low cholesterol? Or that cholesterol does not cause heart disease? Or that Cholesterol is good!? (<--killer info). Or that without cholesterol, we would die? Or that Ahmadinejad is a wonderful man and really our friend? That even though it would take 50-100 pounds of good food every day to get necessary nutrients into our bodies, the FDA says that supplements don’t work, are bad for you, will not endorse their use and actually intend to ban OTC vitamins and supplements? This just can't be. That the FDA allows food companies to put poison in our foods and once they are busted, allows the same companies to change the names of the poisons so you won’t know that they are in there? Nah. No way. Or that it is not in the FDA’s best interest to see a healthy America? Or that the largest invasion in history is occurring right now, but you won’t be bothered with it in the mainstream press? That not a shot is being fired, but more people are dieing, or suffering from this invasion than any war that we know of and that the army is comprised of food companies who are introducing and forcing toxic foods on developing countries, resulting in enough grief to make the war in Iraq seem like a corner squabble?

Getouttahere! You're outta your frickin' mind!

Bold statements...but, they're all true.

(Except the part about Ahmadinejad, of course. Just checking to see if you're paying attention).

Hey! Here’s a good 1+1=3: Our government claims that our borders are important and then imprisons two border guards for doing their job. Here’s another one: A Senator’s life, under the omnipresent media microscope, is ruined for a frickin’ bathroom incident, while another, associated with an alleged “suicide”, isn’t even questioned officially, or otherwise and is given a free and clear pass to run for the office of President. Does this make sense? How about the issue of privacy? Some claim that the Patriot Act diminishes our freedoms. Others claim that you shouldn’t worry if you are a law-abiding citizen. The uncomfortable position this puts most people is in not knowing IF they have lost freedoms, or IF they are being monitored in any way. Okay, add a dash of paranoia to the kettle.

The general public is being cooked.

Currently, I think we’re nearing a critical mass where the will and ability to fight back…to stand up for rights…to control and influence elected politicians and effect change is diminished. An entire generation of consumers has been lured like moths to light, into the most deceptive, descpicable financial swindle since the establishment of the Federal Reserve…low interest ARM mortgages. Credit cards? Same scam. They preyed on weaknesses, just like drug dealers. The opening of the floodgates with NAFTA, has resulted in disease-ridden and expensive foods ending up in our markets. People have convinced half of the world that Global Warming is now more important than clean air and clean water. Some other people have convinced just about everyone that oil is not renewable and we’re running out of it. Our parents have lost the will to say “No” when healthcare “pros” recommend that their children begin their lifelong dependence on powerful pharmaceuticals as early as possible.

Shall I go on? Nah. I don't think that even Google is willing to provide enough room...

So? How does the general public respond to being cooked?

There's a lot of grumbling. Some get angry until they feel better...like a good workout. Some have completely surrendered to being cooked. Everyone is sitting around waiting to see who’s gonna win the battle between good and evil. Are we allowed to participate?

Some fight back in quieter ways.

Check out some of the links provided to meet some of these people.

(Stay tuned for good answers and alternatives to some of the more immediate issues. If you're gonna fight back, then you need to feel good, right?)

Now What Does That Bum Want?

Let me kick this off by explaining the photo at the top of the page. It was shot during one of the most exciting times of my life. Stark and I met in Phoenix and headed to the outback, initially, to gather material and inspiration for her artwork. It didn’t take long to sense that the Southwest has two world’s, one of them belonging to Indigenous People…The Pueblo Indians and the Athabascans…the Navajo and Apache. Our little bulldog of a motorhome could not only fit into a parking space, but with duals in the rear, could traverse terrain usually reserved for Jeeps and Land Rovers. We saw some dizzyingly ancient places. And we took lots of photos of “rock art”…petroglyphs and pictographs. So, one night, while looking at them on the laptop, we came to the conclusion that not all Indians came from the North, as we had always been taught in school. Some definitely came from the South. Now, we knew that the Athabascans came from Asia 10’s of thousands of years ago and settled in the Southwest just before the Spaniards arrived in the 16th century. But, the Pueblo Indians had been there for eons. To this day, they live differently than their larger neighbors, they look differently, and they worship differently. They both have a terrific sense of humor, although generally, not for each other.

The ancestors of the Pueblo Indians did a lot of migrating. They made it to the ice in Canada during the last Ice Age. They made it to both coasts. Although I was unable to determine how far, I was told that they had made it deep into South America. The relatively modern Comanche, who were raiders, made it to Central America and back, on horses. But, the Hopi’s ancestors, the Hitsotsunum (for 'the ones who came before'), had no transportation. But, they did have time. Lots of time. They migrated, primarily for spiritual reasons…to maintain The Hopi Way, which generally meant a hard way of life. When things got lax and The People…The Righteous Ones…got lazy, or started squabbling among themselves, it was time to move on, abandoning their homes and fields. Sometimes a natural disaster, like a volcano, flood, drought, or earthquake would be a sign that Masaw (or Masauwu), the steward of Mother Earth, was angry with them…so they continued on their migration. So life went for eons. They migrated in the four Cardinal Directions: North, South, East and West. In the photo above, I am standing at the crosshairs of these migrations, Three Rivers.

It is a 2-½ mile ridge that rises above the Northern Chihuahuan Desert, between The White Sands and the Sacramento Mountains. Once a mountain, it had eroded to reveal thousands of volcanic out-croppings that varied in size from knee-high, to twenty or thirty feet high. Because of their volcanic origins they were naturally smooth and with their constant exposure to the elements, they took on a desert patina…a thin, dark coating, which made them ideal for etching. As the various clans and bands crossed Three Rivers on their migrations, they stopped to record their stories. This is the world’s largest petroglyph site, with over 21,000 finely etched scenes and, perhaps the largest communication center until Houston Central was built, not to mention, one of North America’s first blogs. We spent nearly three months up there, one of which was during the dead of Winter and had the entire site to ourselves, except for the amazing curators, John and Sherry, who lived there year-round, maintaining this remote BLM property for the few people who were able to find it.

We photographed intricately etched births and deaths, signs of the giants who roamed the area, the seasons, what kind of animals were being hunted and the spirits of the hunted animals being exhaled from their mouths. We saw boats, whales and smaller fish, fantastic birds and other animals, adorned with geometric designs. At the extreme south end of the ridge, one of the first things you will see is an etching of Masaw, Ruler of the Earth, pulling a “mud head" out of the sipapu and into the current Fourth World, after the Third World was destroyed by floods. The picture that I posted to the top left, is the actual petroglyph of Masaw. It may take a moment, but eventually, you will see him bending over to your right and looking straight down, baring sharp teeth, as he reaches out for a "mud head". Standing at the extreme north end of the ridge, you would be facing the Trinity Site, where the first Atomic Bomb was exploded. If you look down at the rock in front of you, you will see a mushroom cloud, thousands of years old.

So, we imagined…a long, long time ago....

One day, a mother is grinding corn, when she sees her very late son approaching. He is dragging a large stone slab behind him.

“Where have you been?!?!?!? It’s been months! I was worried!”

“I stopped at Three Rivers, Mom.”

“So, did anyone call?”

“Yah. Here you go", as he slams the slab down in front of her. "You have a message from Uncle Seccacacu.”