The Army Corp of engineers is having a tough time filling in the breaches in the levees. They have tried to use giant sand bags to drop into the hole. Three-Thousand pound bags have been dropped into the...]]> The Army Corp of Engineers Having Issues Fixing Breach

Writen by Lance Winslow

The Army Corp of engineers is having a tough time filling in the breaches in the levees. They have tried to use giant sand bags to drop into the hole. Three-Thousand pound bags have been dropped into the breach but to no avail. Lake Pontchartrain has a lot of weight behind it and fixing the breach and pumping out the water could take months.

I therefore have an idea. Now before you say my idea is crazy, remember the President to think on this and that no idea is too far out, we need to put on our thinking caps. Good, I have an idea. Most of the lawyers in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast have lost their offices in Hurricane Katrina. They can no longer practice law, since no courts are open for them to file lawsuits and lawyers will just hamper rebuilding efforts anyway. I therefore propose that we use Lawyers to fill the New Orleans broken Levees. We help expire as many lawyers as it takes to fill up the breach-gap left by the Hurricane with dead lawyers.

Unfortunately they are so full of shit they do not sink very well. Normally human feces floats and a perfect example of that density proof in physics is the stuff already floating in the New Orleans Soup Bowl. I propose to harden them in a fast heavy plaster mixture with sand bags attached to the abdomen, because it you leave the rope attached which you used to coax them into their civic duty, then eventually the head will depart once submerged for several weeks and we do not want a re-breach if their bodies float away. So we need to leave them secured with straps.

Finally a way for the lawyers to pay back society and do some good in the world; Think on this, as there has to be a way to make this happen.

Lance Winslow

The Block-In in figure drawing acts as an organizational blue print or tool for the artist. The Block-In organizes the drawing and gives the form guidelines for the artist.

So what is the Block-In method ...]]> A Block-In Method To Explode Your Figure Drawings

Writen by Todd Harris

The Block-In in figure drawing acts as an organizational blue print or tool for the artist. The Block-In organizes the drawing and gives the form guidelines for the artist.

So what is the Block-In method and the benefits of learning this technique? In simple terms, the Block-In is a simplified 2D drawing of the 3D person or subject you are drawing. The block in is designed in observation to the model. This will help your drawing become more realistic and help your drawing come alive! It will help you begin to see the model correctly and help you avoid mistakes that may occur without the use of the block in. By practicing the block-in, you’ll be able to master the human form with more of a likeness and having it come alive in your drawings.

So, how do you do a block-in? This is definitely the simplified version but with practice, you will become an expert at this technique. First, you will start with a sketch of the shape of the whole pose using no more than 6 or so lines. This will create a shell, or what some teachers call an envelope. This shell is where the drawing will develop inside. It doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, it won’t be perfect. The points of the shell will probably be out of place a little, just remember, it’s okay! This is just giving you a guideline of the pose, helping you figure the overall dimensions.

The next step would be to start to fill in your shell. Do this by sub-dividing your shell into smaller shells. Then begin to break the shells down into major shapes. I say major because you don’t want to focus on finer details of your drawing during the block-in. This is a major no, no! Worries of fine details such as hair, facial features, expression, etc are a waste of time at this point and could lead to big mistakes. This is generally a beginner’s mistake. It is much more important to focus on the larger shapes. At this point, your drawing will look not so pretty and a little broken up. However, one important note to keep in mind as you go throughout your block-in, always be conscious of your angles.

You will want to begin breaking down your sub shells and refine them. Stay general at first and then get more specific as you go. Your shell would’ve been broken down into dynamic shapes that will serve as the underlying foundation of the drawing. Your lines will change from long to shorter as the refining process begins.

Finally, after dividing and chiseling away at your shell, you will have a structure that will serve as your blueprint for your drawing. Keep in mind that you have been checking your angles the whole way, this is important.

Block-ins may take a little time getting used to and changing your drawing habits but the rewards are endless. You will see your drawings improve drastically and immediately and you figures will start to come alive. Explode your drawings with this technique!

Copyright 2006 Todd Harris

Todd Harris is a master artist who is currently working at a multi-billion dollar company as a concept art director. He is trained in the florence academy method of art and loves drawing. Learning2draw.com is a resource web site developed to help aspiring artists master the human figure with drawing and sketching tips, tricks, techniques, and advice. It is jam-packed full of resource articles on drawing and sketching as well as career advice. For more info please visit http://www.learning2draw.com or email us at info@learning2draw.com.

(UNASSOCIATED PRESS) Widespread rage over recent Family Circus cartoons erupted violently into the streets of America yesterday, when angry protestors violently displayed their disapproval of the patronizin...]]> Family Circus Cartoon Provokes Mass Rioting, Violence

Writen by Mark Reiley

(UNASSOCIATED PRESS) Widespread rage over recent Family Circus cartoons erupted violently into the streets of America yesterday, when angry protestors violently displayed their disapproval of the patronizing comic strip by looting and firebombing local stores.

Beyond the United States border, equally livid international protestors demonstrated their violent discontent as several U.S. Embassies on European soil were stormed and those inside were dragged into the street and beaten to death.

Over 17 fatalities have been reported as of printing, and the violence has shown no signs of dissipating.

An estimated 50,000 strong crowd gathered on the Washington National Mall in the early afternoon, ballooning earlier estimates of no more than 3,000. At least 3 protestors were trampled to death during the proceedings.

The restless crowd threw bottles and debris at police guards in riot gear while chanting “Death to Keane, Death to King!” for over an hour. It was is a reference to Bil Keane, Family Circus cartoonist since 1960, and King Features, the company that syndicates the comic strip to over 1500 newspapers worldwide.

“I just don’t understand,” said Keane. “I’m sorry if I offended anybody. I just want to express my views.”

National leaders have expressed shock and dismay at the recent violence. White House spokesman Scott McClellan reiterated the president’s stance on the cartoon and the riots.

“Although the president understands how many might consider the mindless inanity of Billy, Dolly and Grandpa to be beyond reproach. But that is no excuse for torching your city’s newspaper headquarters or publicly hanging their editors.

“President Bush reaffirms his dedication to upholding the first amendment which specifically allows such denigrating images to be produced and viewed.”

Critics claim the cartoon has a mind-numbing affect on the millions that read it every morning, and it is demeaning to anyone with half a brain. Jeremy Higgins, president of Americans for a Strong Society, spoke at the Washington protests-

“Nobody talks or acts like Jeffy or any other character. A family like that is a myth, and every strip is an insult to real human beings like us. Look at this one. Jeffy says to the other kids, ‘I heard that out of the corner of my ear.’ What the fuck? The cartoon’s patent cuteness is beyond nauseating. We declare a jihad on Family Circus and anyone who supports such insipid filth!.”

Violence against cartoonists unrelated to the publishing of Family Circus has officials up in arms. Dik Browne, cartoonist responsible for Hagar the Horrible, was found bound and gagged in an abandoned warehouse. Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, both the present caretakers of the Dennis the Menace strip are reportedly missing. Dean Young, cartoonist hired to continue the Blondie comics was beaten senseless with a tire iron before being run over repeatedly with a Hummer.

Experts like Harvard English professor Charles Thomasen believe the controversy is not settled.

“Cartoonists who perpetuate idiotic comic strips well beyond their prime just to make a buck will continue to be hunted down and killed. There will be riots, and more innocent people will die. It’s really the fault of the artist. Keane should have retired Family Circus years ago; instead he insists on demeaning the American public daily.”

Sources say Keane is considering going into hiding due to the Fatwa put on his head, similar to the one put on Salman Rushdie in 1989. “We’re hot on his trail, the bastard,” said a protestor. “We’ll just follow that dotted trail he leaves wherever he goes!”

http://www.fwips.com

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We view the world from a slightly off-kilter cosmic prism glass, and that suits us just fine. We’re Newsweek on crack, USA Today on Prozac, The New York Times as written by Larry David’s slightly medicated cousin.

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One of the most daunting tasks ever invented is the concept of selling anything by going door to door through a neighborhood. If anyone wishes to discover their potential as a salesman, or the lack of it, pushing products by ringing doorbells wil...]]> Foot In The Door

Writen by John Dir

One of the most daunting tasks ever invented is the concept of selling anything by going door to door through a neighborhood. If anyone wishes to discover their potential as a salesman, or the lack of it, pushing products by ringing doorbells will quickly determine how thick a skin you are wearing. Many people get their first taste of how intimidating this form of sales can be at a very young age. Often, the test comes in the form of trying to sell candy or magazines for some form of school function.

During his high school years, Gary decided to make an attempt to sell some candy bars to support his school, but he did not want to use a conventional approach, as he had already tried and failed to rouse interest. He figured he needed an angle to boost his potential for success, so he applied his powers of observation to the task. Gary had discovered that most people found it difficult to resist the persuasive power of small children, and that many would find a dollar somewhere to help a youngster, particularly if the child was innocent and cute. To this end, Gary decided his five year old brother would fit the bill.

Executing his plan, Gary took his brother Jim around the neighborhood to see how many sales he could get. The approach was simple. At each house, Gary would hand Jim a candy bar from the box, and send him to the front door to ring the doorbell. When the resident came to the door, Jim held the candy bar up over his head with a smile and said in a loud voice, “Candy, one dollar please.” The reaction was almost invariably the same, as each person smiled back at the little guy, fetched a dollar, patted him on the head, took their candy bar, thanked Jim for stopping by, and closed the door. Seeing how well his plan worked, Gary figured that selling his three dozen candy bars was going to be a cinch.

At one particular house, Jim reached up high to ring the doorbell, but no one answered the door. Shifting the candy bar around in his hands, Jim tried the doorbell a second time, but still no answer. Gary called out from the sidewalk for Jim to open the screen door and knock on the door, as this was the first house where no one had answered the door. Jim followed Gary’s instructions, knocking on the door with his little hand. When nobody came to the door, Jim grew impatient and slipped the candy bar into the mail slot as Gary looked on in horror. When Jim ran back to Gary, he said, “I guess they aren’t home.”

Gary corrected Jim’s action, “You don’t just give them the candy bar; you have to get the money first.”

Before Gary could think, Jim went bounding back to the door, opened the screen, then opened the front door to the house and went inside, as Gary called out to him from the sidewalk. Once inside the house, Jim looked on the floor behind the door to retrieve his lost goods. As the startled resident rounded a corner to see who was coming into their home, they spotted Jim and asked, “Hey! What are you doing there?”

Jim stood up and looked back at the man, then said in a matter of fact tone, “I had to come back and get my damn candy bar.” Jim then opened the door and left the house. No sale. I could use a salesman like Jim.

When humans set off to address fundamental issues about what and how life is to be, two important questions exercise the conscience though a middle-ground question could arise from these two. One question is: 'how ...]]> A Defense of Cultural Intelligence

Writen by Stephen Ainsah-Mensah

When humans set off to address fundamental issues about what and how life is to be, two important questions exercise the conscience though a middle-ground question could arise from these two. One question is: ‘how do we make humans the measure of all things for now and for things that are to come?’ The other question is: ‘how do we make nature the measure of all things for now and for things that are to come?’

The first question submits the direction of nature to the boundless will and self-determination of humans. The second question submits the drift of human development to the divine instructions of nature. The first question leads to an individualized culture - a state of affairs that lifts personal will and determination to the status of culture. The second question leads to a cooperative culture, the culture of sharing. These two different questions bring about the mystery in humans and dismiss the point that human nature is of a determinate form. Moreover, the questions are at the core of some of the confusion and conflict between two cultures, one largely individualized, and the other largely cooperative. Unresolved confusion and conflict could lead to war. A moderate position can be seen, which combines ingredients of both the first and second questions with the hope of generating a balance.

The present discussion will focus on the first question, that is, the question of an individualized culture.

Every living thing develops from one state to another in order to support the props of life. Humans, in particular, demonstrate this trait so clearly. Once we grow, both physically and mentally, development gets wedded to growth. Development is a more sophisticated human trait compared to growth. Generally, we regard growth as a change in size of a structure - from a smaller to a larger structure; but development has to do with a progress to a new level of advancement of a structure, an advancement that shows that the structure in question has - for better, not for worse - attained a glorious sophistication. Humans, therefore, develop to affirm this point.

It appears that since development is a natural necessity of every human, the collective human development is doubtless. Once we are all developing, life will be more sophisticated, advanced, better, cherished in all corners of the world. Moreover, any bestial instincts in humans will be progressively expunged and replaced by the rational instincts of peace and love. But the principle of development is not a fixed principle; it is varied within the context of an equally varied culture. In this sense, development ought to be viewed as culturally instructed. For this reason, any attack by one culture on another culture on the basis that the aggressor’s culture is the best neglects the two important questions that exercise the conscience of humans, as stated above. The neglect indicates a surge in arrogance, and, perhaps, ignorance.

Development need not push aside the cultural paradigm and stress on the atomistic individual as the route to development. An individualized culture, meaning a culture that is projected in countless ways by the distinctive doings of every person, presupposes the mastery of one’s self in any number of ways to face the challenges of life. By mastering the self, by advancing mental effort, the course of an individual’s action is expected to be largely mind-dependent; emotional endeavour gets sidelined, so too the idea of sharing. The creative instincts of a person, his/her ability to coordinate a definite consequence, are chiefly judged to emanate from an antecedent mental reflection. Herein lies the notion of an individualized culture.

But in order to pursue wants, in order to live according to personal tastes, individual minds have to deliberate differently. And since individual wants are very different from one another, it stands to reason that an individualized culture is undefined in content. Whatever pleases the self, the ego, much as it doesn’t conflict with other individuals’ mind-determined pursuits, is good for contributing towards the individualized culture. An individualized culture is full of self-determination though it is also full of confrontations with nature.

If to advance in life means a kind of mental reflection that enables one to attain a high level of personal development, then the secrets of nature, in whichever way it is humanly understood, have to submit to humans’ will. The difficulty in this lifestyle is that it does not limit the cognitive ability of humans face-to-face with nature. It prompts mental ingenuity to overrule the acts of nature. The search for the secrets of nature becomes a restless ambition. Morality, social responsibility, are judged within the scope of self-determination, not the mystic workings of nature.

What may have eluded the conscience is that nature is there for all time; and cognitive ability - or to use the more popular word, intelligence - has many faces to it. An obvious failing of the theses of intelligence inheres in the application of psychometry to judge a person’s level of intelligence. Psychometry insults the moral and spiritual basis of intelligence within either an individualized or a cooperative culture. Psychometry presumes that humans are encased in a mental powerhouse, a powerhouse that can be statistically measured, a powerhouse that is personal, that is a biological privilege; yet psychometry fails to reckon the gracious alliance that ought to exist between a person and the natural environment.

John is privileged in mental acumen because his biological structure has the advanced features that, by necessity, yield a high intelligence quotient (IQ), proponents of psychometric intelligence are prepared to argue. To see the immediate flaw in this contention, one has to understand that even with the genuine requirements of an individualized culture, self-determination, the will to conquer the secrets of nature, could take any number of ways in connection with any constructive direction that the mind commissions the agent in question. Should my mind direct me to engage in competitive sports and excel in this area instead of engaging in complex mathematical computations or logical analysis, then I am professing intelligence within the limits of an individualized culture. Am I, for goodness sake, expected to prove my intellectual insight by subscribing to the bogus tenets of psychometry? A similar argument can be advanced to explain the spirited intellectual pursuits of an agent in the area of science, the arts, any kind of entertainment, or any kind of morally right pursuit. One needs to respect and admit all such pursuits, and, thus, rid intelligence of any bias, any narrow definitions.

The theses of intelligence - and worse still, the theses of intelligence quotient - are inauspicious endeavours; for they provoke suspicions about the motives of their proponents. On the basis that few selected parameters - such as math, logic, subjective aptitude tests - are used to appraise a person’s intelligence, one is bound to conclude that IQ fouls a morally grounded and socially responsible culture, whether the culture in question is an individualized culture or a cooperative culture. Nevertheless, a culture built on the question of IQ may not be that bad should IQ incorporate any element of human action, mental or physical, that bears marks of creativity in any way. Also, the question of an individualized culture or a cooperative culture takes account of the natural environment though in varying measures. And this will explain that intelligence seeks to adapt to the natural environment whenever changes in the latter occur.

My meaning of cultural intelligence should, by now, be clear. Cultural intelligence seeks to avoid many of the pitfalls of IQ. The turn of intelligence for the better - which is a given - needs the unbroken service of the natural environment. Intelligence, thereby, becomes dynamic, a practical thing that conforms to cultural constructions. Intelligence quotient, or variations of it, is an unduly technical doctrine that hoists a dominant academic culture on numerous facets of life. An intelligence that obeys the doctrine of IQ forces itself to evolve largely in abstractions without a kindred connection with the natural environment. The agent becomes progressively technical, dry in social networks, full of machine traits. Whatever culture humans have happened to situate themselves has evolved the blessings of intelligence. To respect this point is in keeping with human decency.

About The Author

Mr. Ainsah-Mensah has worked in various capacities mostly in Canada and now in China. He is an education consultant, race relations consultant, projects coordinator, writer, post secondary instructor in business courses and life skills, and critical thinking. He is currently the principal of Handan-Lilac Education Group in China.

kamch22@yahoo.ca

While we were passing a junction, the driver told, he wanted to visit a deity, because he had made a vow some time back and turned the vehicle towards a more isolated passage.

Though he was Cath...]]> German Memory in Asia: Memories of the Old Europe

Writen by Rajkumar Kanagasingam

While we were passing a junction, the driver told, he wanted to visit a deity, because he had made a vow some time back and turned the vehicle towards a more isolated passage.

Though he was Catholic by religion his faith in deity worship is not strange in Sri Lanka. Ancient nature worship and Hindu traditions are deeply rooted in the daily life of many people.

Steffani, a German Praktikum (Internship) student and Romy were watching intently what was happening in that small temple of deity worship. But the deity and nature worship is not strange to Europe. Before Christianity was introduced into Europe, there were deities and also everywhere a variety of Pagan religious practices.

Pagan practices were only abolished when the Pagan temples were demolished by the later emperors of the Roman Empire and others in the Europe. Germanic Pagan religion played its own part in ancient Germany.

Germanic paganism refers to the religious practices of the Germanic nations preceding Christianization. The well documented form of Germanic paganism is 10th and 11th century Norse paganism. There are various references found in the ancient writings of Germanic peoples and in Roman descriptions. The information can be supplemented with archaeological findings and from the remnants of pre-Christian beliefs in later folklore.

Germanic paganism was a polytheistic religion with similarities to other European and West-Asian pagan traditions, such as Finnish paganism, Sami religion, Slavic paganism, Baltic paganism, Roman paganism, Greek paganism and Vedic religion. The principal gods are known as Odin, Thor and Tyr.

The surviving accounts indicate spectacular human sacrifices. A unique eye-witness account of Germanic human sacrifice survives in Ibn Fadlan’s account of a Rus ship burial, where a slave-girl had volunteered to accompany her master with his burial.

The Heimskringla tells of Swedish King Aun who sacrificed nine of his sons in an effort to prolong his life until his subjects stopped him from killing his last son Egil. According to Adam of Bremen, the Swedish kings sacrificed male slaves every ninth year during the Yule sacrifices at the Temple at Uppsala.

The Swedes had the right not only to elect kings but also to depose them, and both King Domalde and King Olof Tratalja are said to have been sacrificed after years of famine. Odin was associated with death by hanging, and a possible practice of Odinic sacrifice by strangling has some archeological support in the existence of bodies perfectly preserved by the acid of the Jutland peat bogs in Denmark, into which they were cast after having been strangled. An example is Tollund Man. However, there were no written accounts that explicitly interpret the cause of these strangling, which could obviously have other explanations.

What do you know? There's at least one Iranian who still has a good thought in his cranium? It appears that Mohmmad Khatami, the mullahland's former Pres is just such a resilient and commendable gentleman. What? An Iranian With A Good Thought In His Cranium?

Writen by Tom Attea

What do you know? There’s at least one Iranian who still has a good thought in his cranium? It appears that Mohmmad Khatami, the mullahland’s former Pres is just such a resilient and commendable gentleman.

During his two-week trip to the USA - interestingly, the mullahs behind the rascally current President allowed his visit and, not only that, our security personnel let him in - he wisely acknowledged, “In the crime of 9/11, two crimes were committed. One was killing innocent people. The second crime was masking this crime in the name of Islam.”

He spoke, with security provided by the State Department, at a venue in suburban Washington, titled “The Dialogue of Civilizations: Five Years After 9/11.” The event was sponsored by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The good turban-topped man who, unfortunately, failed to win reelection, is the most senior Iranian official to drop in on Washington in the last 25 years.

Encouragingly, he spoke in front of American and Iranian flags that were draped in their mutual folds. He himself was graced by his more likable credentials. For instance, he was, to the extent one can be in Iran, a reformist leader and, two, he was one of the first foreign leaders to condemn the 9/11 monstrosities.

He went on to tell the audience, “Demonstrate to others that whatever is said about Islam in the media is not correct” and combat the “wave of Islamophobia and hatred of Islam that we unfortunately are experiencing today.”

He presented three goals for Muslims that are actually welcome. “Your responsibility and our responsibility is to be first a good citizen in whatever country you live; to try for yourself and your children to move up the ladder of social achievement and education; and third is to fight the vague Islamophobia that has been created by those who don’t have the best interests of Islam at heart.”

Most commendably, he stated that “killers who go among others and kill others in acts of terror, if they identify themselves with Islam, they are lying. You Muslims who live in the United States should be representatives of enlightenment and don’t allow those who create this Islamophobia to speak for the religion.”

Laudable speechifying, and we especially note the inclusion of the Iranian word for “enlightenment,” which, in its capital “E” meaning, is the very remedy Islam’s misrepresentatives require.

Yet, given his successor’s recent effort to crackdown on liberal and secular profs at Iran’s universities, one wonders how he managed to represent his liberal agenda here.

One also wonders what the monomaniacal Ahmadinejad is cogitating in his behind-the-curtain Iago moments. What, a defeated rival feted in Washington, while I, a pariah, scheme unloved?

Could Khatami’s trip be part of the obvious efforts by the crafty mullahs at home to obfuscate whether Iran is a nation of nuclear malefactors who need the West to apply the remedial lessons of sanctions?

Unavoidable suspicion aside, let’s toss a congratulatory turban high in Khatami’s honor.

Then we shall wait to see what the future brings, which, inevitably, is hung with question marks, trembling in time’s uncertain winds.

Many people enjoy collecting items such as coins, stamps, and art for the pure beauty, enjoyment, or for investment reasons. Many would like to do so, but are unable because of the high price ...]]> Limited Edition Art Prints - An Inexpensive Way to Invest in Art

Writen by Patrick Mooney

Many people enjoy collecting items such as coins, stamps, and art for the pure beauty, enjoyment, or for investment reasons. Many would like to do so, but are unable because of the high price involved. Obviously, owning an original painting by Salvador Dali or Claude Monet would cost millions. Even originals by lesser-known artists such as Tim Cox and Nancy Dunlop Cawdrey will cost thousands of dollars. Therefore, collecting art might seem to be only for the wealthy.

But there is an option for those that may not have the means to purchase original art. That option is limited edition art prints. Some limited edition prints sell for as low as $50. Many artists will allow their original art to be reproduced in a set amount (for example, one thousand prints) and after they have been printed, will “break the mold”, meaning they will never be printed again. The limited availability give the prints more value, making it an obvious way for an artist to profit further from their talents. I can attest that the appreciation of these prints can be absolutely amazing in this age of Ebay and other online trading sites. Once they are no longer available through conventional retail outlets, they move to something called the “secondary market”. The secondary market can consist of consumers or dealers that purchased them when they first became available. Once they move to the secondary market, the value can double, triple, or even quadruple. A good example is the Texas based artist G. Harvey who specializes in Western art. His reproductions are in such demand that they usually sell out the day that they are released.

Art prints are available in a variety of media but paper and canvas prints are the most popular. Most paper prints are reproduced on a sturdy, almost cardboard-like paper. They are usually the most inexpensive prints available. While most are reasonably priced ($50-$150), some can cost hundreds of dollars. The price depends upon the size (smaller prints are cheaper) and the reputation of the artist. Canvas prints are paper prints that are soaked onto a canvas base, making them look very much like the original. Have you ever looked at art on a wall wondering if it was an original painting? Most likely, it was a canvas reproduction. Most limited editions come with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. The print is also numbered, such as 123/1000, meaning it was the 123rd print out of one thousand created. By the way, limited editions are the opposite of open editions, which can be printed over and over forever.

Another version of an art print is called an “artist proof”. An artist proof is designated in this manner: the artist instructs a publisher to make one thousand reproductions of an original painting. The publisher will print the first one hundred or so and stop to show the artist his work. The artist will usually ok the result and instruct the publisher to go ahead and produce the rest of the edition. Those first one hundred prints are designated as artist proofs. They are exactly the same in appearance as regular limited editions except for possibly an “AP” in the bottom corner. Artist proofs are highly coveted by collectors. If one desires a print for cosmetic reasons, they would be better off purchasing a regular limited edition instead of an artist proof as artist proofs are higher priced.

Like I mentioned, collecting art prints can be highly rewarding for a variety of reasons.

Patrick Mooney operates a horse and western art website http://www.ElegantHorsePictures.com

Noting the way violent and irrational Muslims have dominated the news, while the Muslim masses and, most inexcusably, Muslim clerics have in general remained reticent about the scandalously murderous t...]]> Peace-Loving Muslim Located; Expresses Normal Human Concerns

Writen by Tom Attea

Noting the way violent and irrational Muslims have dominated the news, while the Muslim masses and, most inexcusably, Muslim clerics have in general remained reticent about the scandalously murderous terrorist talk and the mayhem the lunatics advocate, we decided there must be, among the world’s billion or so Muslims, any number of normal, peace-loving and, on a wild bet, perhaps even modern-minded, acolytes. So we began our tireless search to see if we might find such a rare and wonderful countercurrent to the tide that is sweeping the Muslim religion ever more beyond the shoreline of what sane and civilized people consider blessed.

We’re delighted to tell you that, after an extensive search, we were, in fact, able to locate at least one such exceptional and distinguished soul. Obviously, there may be others out there, but they’re just not being visibly vocal, unless, of course, a cartoon shows up that they decide is offensive.

Where, you may ask, did we find our prize Muslim? Why, in the most appropriate of places - at Ground Zero, where he is employed as an engineer, working on rebuilding the area after the murderous and damnable crimes of 911. He invited us to meet him on the job, just so we could confirm with our own eyes that a Muslim would be involved in such a noble and redemptive construction process.

The following recounts our entirely delightful and encouraging interview with him, which, we hope, inspirits all to think the better of Muslims in general and, most especially, to persuade many another Muslim to follow in his savingly enlightened footsteps.

NewsLaugh: According to the questionnaire you were kind enough complete, you’re a peace-loving Muslim?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Yes, I am.

NewsLaugh: Good for you. We also understand you’re modern-minded.

Peace-Loving Muslim: I am, indeed.

NewsLaugh: Glad you meet you.

Peace-Loving Muslim: Glad to meet you, too.

NewsLaugh: Are you the only peace-loving and modern-minded Muslim or do you think there might be others?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Oh, there are millions of them, I assure you.

NewsLaugh: Really? Why don’t we ever hear from them?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Because peace-loving people usually don’t make news. They wake up and do things like go to work and feed the kids.

NewsLaugh: Yes, of course. We’re familiar with such activities ourselves. But why do Muslim clerics so seldom speak out about all the violent activities perpetrated in the name of Islam?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Some do, but I agree, they should be more out there. But you must understand that, since they are peace-loving, they might never shout as loud as Muslims - and I I even hesitate to call the most violent ones by the term Muslims - who aren’t. If you’ll notice, crazy people generally scream, while peaceful people are more like to carry on a conversation, like this one.

NewsLaugh: Yes, of course. But do you think some of them quietly suspect that the monsters perpetrating these crimes are on the side of Allah?

Peace-Loving Muslim: I hope not. I can’t imagine a truly religious person seeing Allah as being on the side of murder. But, of course, you have to allow for all possibilities. My own Muslim cleric is a very peaceful fellow who thinks that Osama and his cronies are madmen who are damaging our religion inexcusably.

NewsLaugh: Bless his insightful butt.

Peace-Loving Muslim: I’ll let him know you said that.

NewsLaugh: Where were you born?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Pakistan.

NewsLaugh: Oh, where Osama Bin Laden is supposedly hiding out.

Peace-Loving Muslim: I prefer to think of it as the country where President Mushararf is doing everything he can to help the US catch him.

NewsLaugh: Good point. You’re an engineer?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Yes, I am.

NewsLaugh: I suppose that means you’ve read a number of books besides the Koran. How did you manage to pull that splendid achievement off?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Well, I felt Allah gave me a brain, so He wanted me to use it. I was always good at math. There’s not a lot of math in the Koran. So I guess it didn’t interest Mohammad much. But even an elemental look at nature reveals that Allah works with math in ways that are so sophisticated everything happens in perfectly natural ways. The math never gets in the way; it accommodates all events, like the perfectly natural movement of waves. We should only know as much about math as Allah.

NewsLaugh: Well, to tell you the truth, there’s not that much math in any religious book I can think of. But that’s another interview. How did you become peace-loving? Reading the papers and watching the news, one gets the idea that Muslims, in general, are all a pretty violent and backward lot.

Peace-Loving Muslim: A lot are, I admit it. But that’s because a lot of them have erroneous ideas. I can’t say they have erroneous knowledge, because I don’t believe there is such a thing as erroneous knowledge. I also don’t believe a lot of knowledge is necessary to be peace loving. My parents, who have very little education, are very peaceful people. So it’s not a matter of education. It’s a matter of outlook. Either you think you serve Allah by killing other people or by loving them. I prefer the latter, and I think Allah prefers my conduct for that and, if He has prepared a paradise for us, peace-loving behavior is the most likely way to get there.

NewsLaugh: Well, it seems like a more logical approach, expecially since Allah or God by any other name made us all. How did you become modern minded.

Peace-Loving Muslim: Well, it was pretty easy. I grew up with my eyes and ears open. While the world around me was often backward, I knew about the world outside. I decided if it’s modern, that’s part of the potential Allah put in it, so I ought to adjust to it and, in fact, do my own best to help move it along. I think the modern world has blessed life with such inarguable enhancements as antibiotics and air conditioning.

NewsLaugh: What do you think the chances are that other Muslims will start to think like you?

Peace-Loving Muslim: Well, it depends on what they hear the loudest; the outside world, ranting at each other, or their inner voice telling them that they’re part of the whole, and, if they want to find a welcome place in the whole, they have to become a peaceful part of it. I think they also have to understand that Muslims running around blowing other people up are acting as if Muslims don’t have lives or property that can also be blown up. This is one reason why their actions are harmful. Every time a Muslim blows something or somebody up, we wonder how long it will be before non-Muslims decide to teach us that such behavior is not a one-way street.

NewsLaugh: Yes, we wonder about that, too, It seems to us that the world has been pretty tolerant so far.

Peace-Loving Muslim: To paraphrase you, bless their butts. Yet I can’t tell you how much fear peace-loving Muslims live in that the behavior of violent Muslims will result in damage to the nonviolent ones and their property.

NewsLaugh: Well, it’s certainly a pleasure to meet you. We’re glad to know that there is at least one peace-loving and modern-minded Muslim in the world. It gives us hope. May your way of thinking spread.

Peace-Loving Muslim: If it doesn’t, I may decide to become a Buddhist. I’ve been reading about their beliefs, and, if you have to believe in an ancient religion to make peace with life, it seems like a pretty good option.

Newslaugh: Well, it certainly is a more peaceful choice. We’d don’t hear of many Buddhists blowing up non-Buddhists. Whatever you decide, we wish you luck.

Peace-Loving Muslim: Thank you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to rebuilding Ground Zero, It’s one of the ways I hope to make up for what Muslims who have shamed other Muslims have done.

Tom Attea, humorist and creator of NewsLaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway and has written comedy for TV. Critics have called his writing “delightfully funny” and “witty” with “good, genuine laughs.”

Students of Shakespeare have spent a very great deal of time debating the meanings of "Othello", "King Lear", and "Macbeth". The wealth of criticism of any one of his plays can be overwhelming to the ca...]]> Shakespeare’s Art: Understanding ‘King Lear’

Writen by Charlotte Evans

Students of Shakespeare have spent a very great deal of time debating the meanings of “Othello”, “King Lear”, and “Macbeth”. The wealth of criticism of any one of his plays can be overwhelming to the casual student. I cite my own experience as a high school student struggling to write credible criticism of “King Lear” whilst juggling History, German, and General Studies reading and assignments. Students benefit from guidance concerning what it is best; at the very least to make best use of the time they have, opting perhaps to read the very best sources only.

Now language, spoke or written, is entirely a reflection of individual experience. We speak and write words we have picked up, first from whom ever taught use to speak; later from those we talk to and from those books which we have read. Consciously or unconsciously, directly or indirectly, we also use language to speak and write about our experiences.

Fiction writers use language, no way in exception to this rule. However many planes they may have crossed using their imagination and knowledge, their fiction will be the product of their experiences. It is important then, for students of literature to learn about a writer’s experiences - how they lived, and what they read being the two points of focus in any such study of a writer. Secondary to reading the text apart from knowledge of the writer to consider language in the abstract, it is necessary for students, searching for meaning, to consider texts with knowledge of their writers.

Considering fiction writers’ sources is a practice never more crucial than when studying Shakespeare’s plays. Firstly, it is a relatively easy exercise (and therefore good practice), as none of Shakespeare’s plays are entirely original. Secondly, it is important for most students studying Shakespeare to express their own opinions about the texts. Examiners, certainly of A-Levels, (so I am told), are interested in the thoughts of the candidate, and therefore do not look favorably on regurgitated criticism from leading Shakespeare scholars. Thirdly, knowing something of Shakespeare likely sources is immensely useful at opening paths to substantiated judgments on meaning; it can lead to a whole new level of understanding, from which it is even easier to appreciate bard’s genius.

The discourse to follow on Shakespeare’s sources for three of his best known tragedies is, I admit, a regurgitation of my last three years of studying English. I decided that treading familiar ground was most prudent at this stage in the life of “Arguendo”. I hope to build my own confidence as a writer, as I build your confidence as a reader. Not withstanding that these three tragedies are amongst Shakespeare’s most thought provoking plays, I hope that this essay will indeed provided knowledge to add to you enjoyment of them.

One of the problems or, depending on your perspective, one of the advantages of studying Shakespeare, is that relatively little is known about his life. In particular, scholars are uncertain when he wrote the majority of his plays and sonnets, which leaves, potentially, a substantial gap between Shakespeare’s intended meaning and our own understanding of his work.

The best estimates for the dates that he wrote span several years. He must have written “Macbeth” sometime between 1603, the ascension of James I, and the first known performance of the play in 1611; “King Lear” within three years of the first court performance on December 1, 1606; according to a note in the First Quarto edition of 1608. “Othello” was written about two years before it was performed, apparently for the first time, by the King’s Men in the Banqueting house at Whitehall on November 1, 1604.

The approximate dates for the production of Shakespeare’s plays, scholars have largely derived from the apparent contextual details in the plays themselves. It is possible, then to consider and to use these dates in arguments about Shakespeare’s meaning. Context is an important source for many writers.

Shakespeare’s Context

“this place is too cold for hell.” –(Mac.2.3.13-14)

“What can you say to draw a third more opulent than your sisters?” –(Lr.1.1.80-81)

“My blood begins my safer guides to rule, And passion having my best judgment collied, Assays to lead the way.” –(Oth.2.3.186-188)

These three quotations have meaning set in the context of Shakespeare’s time. This higher level of meaning it is important to know something of the ideas and beliefs of Shakespeare’s England; not surprisingly, it is most important to be aware of the religious beliefs of the time. Perhaps the most fundamental of these was that the king was appointed by god; ruled with divine right. In France the belief in the divinity of the monarchy extended so far that the king’s touch was believed to cure illness. In England, the theory of divine right was no less prevalent: Elizabethan propaganda emphasized the relationship between the monarch and the land. James I was, moreover, quite obsessed with the theory of Divine Right: hence one of the central themes of Shakespeare’s plays, written at about the time of James’s ascension, is about the monarch’s relationship with the land, about who has the right to rule.

The Porter grumbles about the knocking at the gate: “if a man were the porter of hell’s gate, he should have old turning the key.” He asks: “who’s there in the Devil’s namein th’other Devil’s name?” and then declares “But this place is too cold for hell”. These comments are all ironic, as the audience must realize, given what has taken place in Macbeth’s castle. The Porter has become the keeper of hell’s gate, as he is the keeper of Macbeth’s castle. Macbeth is not only guilty of regicide, he is guilty of murdering a kinsman, as all Scottish thanes were relatives of the king. Shakespeare is ironic when he has the Porter say it is “too cold” to be Hell. The ninth circle of hell was reserved for those who betrayed their kinsmen. The guilty were frozen in ice for eternity as punishment for their crime.

After King Duncan is murdered (Mac.2.2) it is no coincidence that Shakespeare has characters in this scene, Macduff and Lennox, discuss the weather in the next scene: the “unruly” night that has just passed. Shakespeare creates the impression that there were dark forces at work through mention of “strange screams of death, and prophesying with accents terrible, of dire combustion and confused events”. The weather is symbolic: because the king is murdered, God’s chosen is murdered, according to the theory of Divine Right, there is disorder in the kingdom; represented here by a storm. After renouncing his authority formerly King Lear finds that his kingship has truly been usurped by his daughters (Lr.3.2). He finds himself going slowly mad, in a storm, which has many characteristics similar to those featured in the storm alluded to in the scene after Duncan’s death (Mac.2.3.53-59): the verbs Lear uses to command the elements - “blow”, “crack”, “rage”, “blow”, “spout till you have drenched our steeples” - suggest this.

The answer to Lear’s love test is (Lr.1.1.86-92) becomes increasingly clear, considering Shakespeare’s handling of the relationship between the king and the kingdom. When he asks each of his daughters what they can say to “win” the largest portion of his kingdom the only correct, the only acceptable answer for a sixteenth century audience is Cordelia’s: “nothing”.

The Theory of Divine Right was one closely linked with that of the Great Chain of Being; the one very much determined the other. According to the Great Chain of Being, in society every man had a place, a social stratum, in which they ought to remain for their lives. The king was the highest authority in the chain; the highest authorities in the church and in the state, the archbishops and bishops, and the noblemen occupied the second strata, to the parish clergymen and gentry; down to the poorest man. Above everyone, however, was God. The king’s role was to protect the kingdom in God’s name: hence the Theory of Divine Right. The law of primogeniture was thus very important in Shakespeare’s society, to keep the Great Chain in order; without endeavoring to explain the feudal system, it suffices to say that land to remain united was to pass the eldest male child, or to the husband of the eldest daughter. Lear does not protect his kingdom by unburdening himself of his divinely appointed authority: he brings war and division; not only in Ancient Britain, but in his family. The subplot involving the Duke of Gloucester and his two sons further emphasizes the symbolic relationship between the king and the land that emulating that between the father and his children.

When studying “Othello” one of the important contextual details is that colored people were uncommon in Shakespeare’s England: Christendom, Christian Europe, had been at war with Muslims for many centuries in and around the Holy Land, and increasingly in the Mediterranean, whereabouts the main drama of “Othello” is set to unfold: on Cyprus. The racial tensions gave way to superstitions and stereotyping: Othello apparently breaks the latter for all Shakespeare presents him displaying composure and control over his emotions; marrying for love; proving successful and intelligent as a military leader. Yet, it is already clear that Othello is destabilized by Iago and reverting to racial type for a sixteenth century audience (Oth.2.3), by giving way to fists of passionate jealously of his wife; and moments of other intense and negative emotions, including anger, when he discovers his soldiers brawling.

Literally and metaphorically, Othello’s “blood” begins to rule him when he is removed from the cultured and safe environment of Venice: Europe. At least this is what the 16th century audience would have surmised.

Some commentators have argued that “Pliny’s Natural History”, which Philemon Holland translated in 1601, probably provided the details that Shakespeare uses to enhance with a degree of authenticity Othello’s exotic adventures and alien origin (consider the explanation that Othello gives to Desdemona about the origin of the handkerchief that he gives to her).

However, Geoffrey Bullough has maintained that Shakespeare probably consulted John Pory’s translation of “A Geographical Historie of Africa” by Leo Africanus; in which there is a distinction drawn between the Moors of the northern and those from the southern regions of the country. Africanus also describes both groups of Moors as candid and unaffected but prone to jealousy. Shakespeare’s Othello appears to be quite a faithful rendering of this characterization. Othello is candid and unaffected while in Venice; so much so that he passes as a Venetian, as a European, sufficiently to have achieved prestige as a general. In his speech to Brabantio and the senators in Venice regarding his clandestine union with Desdemona, he is indeed candid and unaffected

It is apparent that Shakespeare was familiar with fifteenth century and sixteenth century accounts of the wars between Venice and Turkey, particularly the battle of Lepanto in 1571, in which the Venetians in alliance with the European Catholic states temporarily regained control of the island of Cyprus.

Being thus aware of the sources that Shakespeare is likely to have used for “Othello”, the perspective or meaning of the play is that much more clearly defined. The cause of Othello’s madness is diagnosable; the symptoms are those behavioral characteristics of Moors, according to contemporary accounts. Once Othello leaves Venice, he becomes symbolically isolated from the positive influence of Christian European culture; Othello’s nature begins to take hold of him. When Iago preys upon him, Othello’s reversion to a racial stereotype is apparently dramatically increased.

The lesson for Shakespeare’s contemporaries is that Moors will only revert to erratic behavior if they are first isolated from the European society and second treated with contemptuous cruelty and abused because of their heritage and origin. Hardly a racist attitude within the context of his time; to be likened to Shakespeare’s apparent sympathy toward the villain, Shylock, in “The Merchant of Venice”. At the very least, Shakespeare offers Shylock the same chance that the likes of Iago, Edmund and Richard III have to justify their actions; and Shylock’s is quite reasoned when he explains that Antonio has wronged him because:

SHYLOCK I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions, fed with the same food, hurt with the same means, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us do we not bleed? If you trick us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we shall resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villainy you teach me I will execute; and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction. –(3.1.51-64).

The suggestion that the Jew follows the example of the Christian establishes a hierarchy of sorts. With the Christian above the Jew; it places the Christian in a position of responsibility and culpability for the actions of his Jewish subordinates. The Jews follow the Christians example: when the Christian persecutes the Jew, the Jew will likewise persecute the Christian; as the Christians persecute Shylock, Shylock persecutes Antonio.

Shakespeare’s perspective is thus not anti-Semitic, relative to the context in which he lived as a Christian. He is critical of the treatment of the Jews more than he is condemning of the people or the faith. Considering that the Nazis in Germany promoted “The Merchant of Venice” as evidence that Shakespeare was anti-Semitic, the importance of considering Shakespeare’s sources and the context in which he was writing is practical, as well as of literary significance.

When the meaning is properly understood by means of contextual knowledge, the artwork gains in aesthetic value. The crimes of Macbeth, the weakness of Othello, the madness of King Lear, and the morals of “The Merchant of Venice” are clarified. The plays are more enjoyable; the morals are comprehensible, sympathetic, human, and considered. The message is clear and Shakespeare’s genius is polished; restored to all its glory.

Dr. Evans
April 24, 2005

Dr. Evans has a PhD in English Literature and an MA in History. She lives in New York City and is a freelance writer. Visit her web site at http://www.charlotte-evans.com for more information.