Snow White with a big ol'chocolate grin advertising what else, chocolate flavored condoms.

This ad and many more are included in a directory of fun condom ads from all over the world.

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MirrorMask tells the story of Helena, a fifteen-year-old girl who works for her family circus, juggling, selling popcorn, and cleaning up muck. While most kids long to run away and join the circus, Helena dreams of running away to the real world.

Until the day she wakes up to find herself in a strange new place populated by mysterious creatures -- a dreamworld where she is about to embark on a most amazing journey into the Dark Lands, a fantastic landscape filled with giants, Monkeybirds and dangerous sphinxes. Helena searches for the Mirrormask, an ovject of enormous power that is her ony hope of escaping the Dark Lands, waking the Queen of Light and returning home.

Story by writer Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean.
Release date - September 30, 2005. See trailer here.

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Bele Chere
One of many street performers at Bele Chere, Silverchick stands at various spots around town and stands very still until you put some money into her basket. And then she gives them a little rat a tat tat and a bow. Photo by beebels

Citizen-Times is blogging the Bele Chere event; the Southeast's largest street festival here in downtown Asheville, NC. Good music, overpriced food and beer, great artwork, funky street people doing street theater. But the local blogs are all over it, covering it with action photos. BlogAsheville, AshVegas, and ScrutinyHooligans. Flickr also has some good Bele Chere pics. Most cities have a summer festival. Does yours?

Bele Chere

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saturday morning me//
need a xanax cocktail/been out early running errands/
all that's out that time of day are hookers/dealers/
and young guys in trucks riding my bumper/
chew of bacca in their jaw/number 3 on the window/
i kick off shoes and bra/have another cuppa with hubby/
he's playing tim buckley on guitar/so twist it up/
i'm home at last/safe in the sanctity of our bubble/
and all's right with our world/
so how about you?

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ME: sitting at my desk, paying bills: "Hi, sweetie!" I say to my 17 yo daughter as she returns home from a sleepover.
DAUGHTER: "ughhhh", she replies with a pained look on her face.
ME: "Don't you feel well?"
DAUGHTER: "Mom, we ate at this vegan restaurant in the mall last night.
ME: "Nice."
DAUGHTER: "No, not nice. I had this atrocious tofu crap and it made me sick and I haven't eaten anything since."
ME: "Can I fix you something?'' How about some quesadillas?''
ME: Stir fry some veggies & rice?"
DAUGHTER: "No!" she yells. "You trying to make me hurl?"
HUSBAND, overhearing and entering the dining room: "Don't yell at your Mother."
ME: "Want a Pepcid tablet? It's good for upset stomachs."
DAUGHTER: "No!", she's still yelling.

I get up and do the dance through the cupboards tango, looking for something that might interest her that would also be mild on her tummy.

She spies a bag of Doritos, grabs it; opens the refrigerator and retrieves a 2 liter Diet Pepsi and disappears into her bedroom.

Where, I might add, it will go unnoticed if she hurls.

- - - - - - - - - - -

* "I also received copies of some FOIA obtained FBI files on Lennon, Yoko, Jerry Rubin and me and they are dumb to the max. In fact I've never read more misinformed FBI files -- their "informants" must have included The Stooges." (via Stew Albert)

* Anne, previously from Fishbucket, is back online with her usual style and wit with Antiquainted. Stop by and give her some love.

* "I Chain Scarf Brownies In The Dark", "Took My Brother To The Prom", "Emotionally Unavailable Men Rock" -- Neuroses T-Shirt Designs.

* Nice artwork - Murals on buildings. See the before and after.

It's always darkest before the dawn. so if you're going to swipe your neighbor's newspaper, you better get going.

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The New Yorker interviewed Stephen Colbert of The Daily Show recently, which is good since I don't see much information about him. I have watched him since the wild and weird Strangers With Candy on Comedy Central. I just read that he's the voice of Ace of the Ambiguously Gay Duo on SNL. He also talks about studying improv with Del Close in Chicago, who was also a noted pagan.

Colbert will star in “The Colbert Report,” in October, which will air just after the “The Daily Show.”

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"Street Meme": a sticker, stencil, or poster that can spread a single image around the world. Unlike traditional graffiti art where each piece is unique, street memes can be copied repeatedly, taking on a life of their own, and spreading through the collective effort of people scattered around the world.

"Meme": A term coined by Biologist Richard Dawkins to describe self replicating ideas. Read more about the concept of the meme

Think Only As Directed
Visual Narcotics 20mg (vizh'oo el nar-kot'iks)slang

1. stupor inducing "mass media". 2. a term used to describe the mind-numbing effects caused by prolonged exposure to stupor inducing "mass media".

One of the most popular Street Memes. Obey Giant by Shepard Fairey, is more familiar street art, but I hadn't seen or heard of the Visual Narcotics 20mg meme.

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saturday morning me//
sipping:Folger's #2/Gauloises Blondes #2/
breakfast: banana/tiny cup of wheatgrass/
Ramones t-shirt/camo capris/
chopstix holding up hair/barefoot/
husband left for work/daughter sleeping/
listening: "Here In This Place" by Annie Lalley/
going toTransformus tonight/
so how about you?/

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* Art by John John Jesse. Punk rocker, and former Catholic School boy of 8 years, John John's work reflects the gravitation and trials of those two opposites.

Born in New York City's Lower East Side, John John first gained notoriety as the founding member and bassist of the legendary influential political punk band, Nausea.
~~~~~~~~~
* For Meg & anyone who may be interested:
How to add an avatar or a photo to your HaloScan comments with Gravatar. A gravatar, or globally recognized avatar, is quite simply an 80×80 pixel avatar image that follows you from weblog to weblog appearing beside your name when you comment on gravatar enabled sites. It also works with Word Press comments and others.

* Think I'll go ride my bike. NSFW If I'm not back for some time... don't send help.

* Best list of MP3 Blogs, bar none. Link

* $450.00 for behind the stage tickets for the Cream Reunion Tour? Whoa...

Today's Quote
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become.
-- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

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Ofra Amit's lively, free-spirited paintings seen here.

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This is a test post. The comments aren't working and I'm experimenting with Blogger's comments.

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ArthurFest
Musicians both noted and obscure, as well as a sidebar cavalcade of art, film and culture, will perform in the Los Angeles hipster suburb of Los Feliz on Sept. 4-5 with the debut of ArthurFest. "It's a bit of a coming-out party," says Jay Babcock, editor of Arthur, which is co-producing the Labor Day weekend event at Barnsdall Art Park with Spaceland Prods. "It's a big prom."

The two-day lineup includes:
SONIC YOUTH, SLEATER-KINNEY, THE BLACK KEYS, CAT POWER, OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL, T-MODEL FORD, MERZBOW, THE JUAN MACLEAN, DEAD MEADOW, COMETS ON FIRE, & More.

* New Cowboy Junkies - It's probably the most poignant anti-war/anti-violence disc in years. Link

* New York Dolls recording again.

* Clapton exploring reggae

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Good Morning!
saturday morning me//
folgers coffee #2/krispy kreme #1/
Come to me my little circular sugar shock/
still in an old etsu t-shirt/
nappyass ponytailed bleery eyed funk/
reading: news now/
going to smack up my coffee & grab some tunes/
it's time to run off that doughnut/
so how about you?/

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It is time to hold the President accountable. He made a promise to the American people that he'd fire whoever leaked the identity of Valerie Plame, an undercover CIA agent. Now that we know the leaker was, at least in part, Karl Rove; it is time for the President to keep his word.

Poor Karl. Part of what makes him an ideal whipping boy is he's suffering under false impressions and still can't believe his good fortune. We all went to school with a "Karl". The guy that the girls flashed on the bus just to watch his face turn red. "Hey, look, Karl!" "No! You can't make me!"

Has the Turd Blossom Express Reached the End of the Line? Link

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Inside Stones Info

The title of the album is not yet decided. The album and the tour will have the same name. For now we just call it the "On Stage" album, as this is the official name of the 2005/2006 world tour. A total of 18 songs have been mixed in Los Angeles. The mixing was finished by June 28, and then Don Was, Mick and Keith went straight into mastering the day after. Songs that may appear on the album:

* Oh No, Not You Again
* She Saw Me Coming
* Neocon

The song "Neocon" has got a political message about moralism in the White House.

Very interesting....they don't usually do the protest or political thing.

Link

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Day 12 On Hunger Strike for Darfur - On June 30, 2005, Nathan Kleinman went on a hunger strike to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Since February 2003, an estimated 400,000 people have died due to violence, starvation and disease. More than 2.5 million people have been displaced from their homes and now live in camps lacking adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and health care. It is time for the international community to take action. Click for picture; Link

In June, CNN, FOXNews, NBC/MSNBC, ABC, and CBS devoted over 8, 000 segments of coverage of trivial matters like the “runaway bride,” the Michael Jackson trial, and actor Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, the same stations aired only 126 segments on Sudan. via

London. It was such a terrible thing and my heart is heavy with sadness. And hopelessness. Hopeless because there's nothing I can personally do to make it better. So I find something I feel I can make a difference with and that helps me deal with most the inadequacies in the universe. I vote. I march. I protest. I speak out. I send emails and write letters. It doesn't seem like much sometimes, but it helps me cope and I don't feel so hopeless. Besides, I've seen it work before.

"There will be no rescue, no intervention... you must shame them to action." (from Hotel Rwanda) The obscene tragedy in Darfur IS shameful. From the actions of the killers to the inaction of world leaders to insist on stopping it.

*You can Take Action Now by visiting this site, putting in your zip code and a letter will be ready for your signature along with the email addresses of your area newspapers and television stations. A couple of clicks will get your voice to the editors and managers of your local media.

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Happy Birthday, Sky!

My daughter is 17 today. Does she know these may be some of the best years of her life? Yes, she probably does.

Love you,
Mommo

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LORDS OF ACID
How the Brotherhood of Eternal Love Became OC’s Hippie Mafia

Leary’s mantra—Tune in, turn on, drop out—had already led countless disaffected middle-class kids to quit their jobs or classes, head to California and drop acid. The Brotherhood’s bible was Leary’s Psychedelic Prayers, his idiosyncratic translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead. Mystic Arts sold copies of Leary’s book, along with incense, candles and imported countercultral paraphernalia. Behind a bamboo-covered wall, church members gathered in a secret meditation room decorated with a massive Taxonomic Mandala, a technicolor spiral depicting the evolution of life, from primal ooze to Homo sapiens.

But Mystic Arts was more than a head shop or meditation center. And although it didn’t start out that way, the Brotherhood of Eternal Love wasn’t just a church. It was also Orange County’s first major international drug smuggling network. [more »]

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Members of Pink Floyd put aside their long-standing personal differences to reunite for Live 8 and many say they stole the Live 8 show. (According to AOL & BBC polls) I agree. I enjoyed them most of all. They were absolutely mesmerizing with the haunting guitar licks, and Gilmour's mischievious grins while they led some of us down a familiar psychedelic path of days gone by.

Sales of their Echoes album have increased 1343% since Live 8 and those profits will be donated to charity. Desktop wallpaper of this Pink Floyd picture can be found here.

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* Demonstrators arrive in Scotland today to protest the G-8 Summit. Hundreds of black-clad anarchists and anti-G-8 protesters clashed violently with police in Scotland's capital Monday, as demonstrators sought to keep up pressure on world leaders ahead of a summit of wealthy nations.

* [Watch Video]

* G8 Radio Stream

* The Guardian has a nice recap on Live 8.

* The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army is looking for fools and rebels, radicals and rascals, tricksters and traitors, mutineers and malcontents to join its ranks.

You don't need to like clowns or soldiers, you just need to love life and laughter as much as rebellion. If you think you've got what it takes then follow your nose & join CIRCA!

The Clowns have been sent in and Scottish authorities are bracing for chaos. CIRCA's latest gathering is near the G8 Summit in Scotland, July 4-8.

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We are organizing an alternative event world wide during the G8 summit which is to take place in Edinburgh. Between the 1st and the 10th of July we are asking for 100 people to commit to doing 1000 mantras/prayers or affirmations daily dedicated to world peace and elimination of world poverty. Go to the website to sign up.

The g8mantras is a grass roots movement which has been inspired by Nelson Mandela. We think that people all over the world can participate, whatever their beliefs as we are all people of good will. You can join in to create a tidal wave of goodwill. Each individual's contribution is precious. You can invoke Light, Love and Peace to our planet so that poverty becomes history.

I've never seen the planet send out so many good vibes and affirmations for one cause before. Whether it be anarchy or mantras, to me it's a beautiful thing.
G8 Mantras

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Sign up at ONE.org. This following post I did in June deserves a repeat

G8 2005 Protests
Many campaigns are pumping up their message for the G8 Summit, July 6-8, with counter conferences brewing globally. The G8 is a group of eight of the most powerful countries in the world, who meet annually to discuss global problems. Representing just 14% of the world’s population, but controlling two thirds of global wealth, their actions have an impact on the whole world.

In past years, everywhere they have tried to meet they have been met with a massive response from the world's social movements. Now, in Britain, a network of groups and individuals is emerging that hopes to resist the Summit, and build a lasting movement against capitalism. The centre of attention is Dissent! A Network of Resistance Against the G8 which was formed at the end of November 2003. Links to it and other G8 related websites are provided below.

Info-Sites:
* http://www.dissent.org.uk - The Dissent! Anti-G8 activity.
* http://www.nadir.org/nadir/initiativ/agp/resist-g8/ - PGA G8 page.
* http://www.antig8.info - Anti-G8 portal.
* http://www.g8.gov.uk/ - The official UK G8 site, complete with worst corporate logo design ever.
* http://www.dragonbleu.org/G8/ - French mobilisation.
* http://de.dissent.org.uk/ - German mobilisation.
* http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2005/g8/ - UK-IMC info page, check out Scotland IMC here.

G8 Campaign Sites:
* http://g8feministaction.frockon.org/ - G8 feminist Action, Scotland.
* http://www.g8cyclecaravan.org/ - Cycling to the G8.
* http://reshape.org.uk/ - Edinburgh based G8 group.
* http://www.tridentploughshares.org/g8/ - Anti-Nuke Submarine Campaign.
* http://www.g8alternatives.org.uk/ - G8 Alternatives.

Forums:
* http://www.enrager.net/g8forum - discussion board for chat for everything to do with the 2005 summit.

Email Lists:
* http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/resistg82005 - practical organising and networking information relating to resisting the g8.
* http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/dissentedinburgh - list for people based in Edinburgh.

Sign the Live 8 List along with millions of others around the world - and tell the G8 leaders that enough is enough.

Every single day, 30,000 children die, needlessly, of extreme poverty. On July 6th, we finally have the opportunity to stop that shameful statistic.

G8

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Magic Comic Ride
In his fantastical "Promethea" series, Alan Moore indulges his fascinations with tantric sex and the tarot -- and reveals his take on kabbalistic philosophy.

When "Promethea" began its 32-issue comic-book run in 1999, it looked like it was going to be British writer Alan Moore's riff on Wonder Woman: a story about a superheroine with mythological connections, one of the flagship titles of Moore's whimsical America's Best Comics project. By the time it ended a few months ago (the final sequence is collected in "Promethea Book 5," to be published in a couple of weeks by ABC), it had turned into something very different: a rather wonderful excuse for the 51-year-old Moore to explain his version of hermetic Kabbalistic philosophy.

Link

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