Word play

satispassion 

Atonement by an adequate degree of suffering.

To make up for calling his girlfriend's pet beaver a rug rat, Owen paid for and sat through a Lady Gaga concert and considered this an act of satispassion.

 satisdiction

Saying enough.

Henry's mother-in-law is a fan of hour long satisdiction over his inadequacies as her daughter's mate.

tongueman

A speaker, an orator.

Lily was disappointed that her boyfriend's claim to be an expert tongueman was from his Toastmaster's Club efforts, not from anything else.

obscenometer (n.)

An imaginary instrument for measuring the degree of indecency in something.

Mrs Pruneworthy's obscenometer broke after viewing her son's Internet cache.

Monday madness

Just to properly mourn the weekend. IDRK.

Psychopathic, much?

Older, not necessarily wiser

Better living through chemistry, I always say. Scientific and pharmacological progress can help rewind the clock and reinvigorate the limp flesh. No other drug has been enthusiastically lauded and celebrated as the (in)famous little blue pills that made gazillions for pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer.

It is said that Viagra (alongside its brethren Cialis, Levithra etc.) has now changed the sexual landscape worldwide. The little blue pills allow older men to hold on to younger partners as well as contribute to a growing population of swingers.

Frankly, I believe in live and let live. Your body is a temple; worship it, do whatever you want with it. After all, the human condition focusses a lot on pleasure seeking activities; whatever it was that crank your engine, be it illegal pharmaceuticals, adrenaline or even pain.

However, studies have shown that the sexual landscape sculpted by the little blue pills include a rise in sexually transmittable diseases (STDs) among the older population. One study actually demonstrated a link between men who take erectile dysfunction drugs and STDs. Another showed that middle aged swingers are at higher risks of STDs infection.

Previously studies on sexually transmittable diseases are focussed on populations who practice risky sexual behaviours (teenagers, sex workers, men who have sex with men), now it is the parents and grandparents who are more likely to come down with the clap. Is it because they are no longer concerned about pregnancy they leave off using rubbers?

*rolls eyes*

New agrarian economy?

Apparently, the Canadian government reaps roughly C$20 billion a year from weed. That's right, peeps; selling TWENTY BILLION CANADIAN DOLLARS worth of marijuana to their southern neighbour annually, providing employment to near a quarter million citizens.

Who said agriculture is not profitable?

Biggest reason why I like my animals stuffed

Pets are a source of pain. Enough said.

Ingenious!

I am in awe of this guy's creativity. I wonder how much did it cost for him to transform his apartment *admires*

ETA: Post title spelling corrected from "ingenuous". Pardon the spelling fail. *headdesk*

The little grey cells are NOT for decorative purposes only

New nomination for the Darwin's Award: the guy who died in a sauna competition.

I mean, c'mon.You steam a guy like dumpling and see who cries chicken first. Like, WTF? You are elevating your core body temperature, dammit, never a good thing.

They've had the competition for some time already, yeah, (and presumably no one died) but it was just testing fate. A sauna is not meant to be a he-man test; if you want one of those, go swim in an ice floe.

No wonder men die early. They die of stupidity.

Scientists say the darndest things

Many people become scientists because they have a passion for finding answers. Me, I'm okay with other people doing the work and me being told the answer. I guess I'm just lazy.

But what are the burning questions that are being answered courtesy of your
hard-earned tax-payers' money?

1. That male ducks outstrip the Homo sapien variety in terms of sexual appendages.
    a)  The male duck penis can change shapes (giving new meaning to screwing).
    b) The male duck penis can grow 25% larger than normal during mating season (guys, forget those pumps and enhancers; you are a confirmed loser in the evolutionary battle for larger you-know-whats).

2. That it is easy to break up with your now-insignificant other via Facebook (text messages and phone calls? phbllltt. So yesterday).

3. That to measure courage in terms of brain activity, one can make people with ophidophobia bring a snake close to their face while they are stuck in the MRI machine (and get published in a high impact journal, yo).

4.  That you can measure boredom (and get funded by the military to do so).

5. That you can teach a monkey to floss (and have better oral hygiene than most Homo sapien).


Monkeys teach young to floss their teeth using human hairs
Uploaded by ITN. - Watch more comedy videos and sitcoms.

6. That you can frame someone for a crime using synthetic DNA (forget what you see on CSI; please remember that it *is* a television show).

And the list just goes on ....

A matter of perspective

I am not a very artistic person; the only time I ever got an A for art class was because my group member drew the project and we all slapped paint on it. However, I have always enjoyed paintings and like the saying goes, "I don't know much about art, but I know what I like."
Periodically I go to the National Art Gallery to look at the exhibits. I love the works of Abdul Latif Maulan; his work has a viscerality and intensity that imbues his subject with a larger-than-life energy. I am particularly fond of his tepak sireh series; they evoke a nostalgia of a time long gone and elucidates Malay sensibilities and culture beautifully.

An artist captures a moment, a thought, an emotion, a memory in his/her artwork. A skilled artist can present it in such a way that an untrained audience can appreciate the message conveyed in the piece and it enriches their experience. The plebeian me only appreciate art that is clear; i.e. abstract paintings and sculptures hold little interest for me.
The subject matter in art is a matter of personal preference. Human or animal figurines, still life and landscapes can tell a complex story with nuance and dimension that is both proffered by the artist as well as imposed by the viewer themselves. If the art resonates with you, the experience can transcend your sensory memories and invoke emotion and passion.

War art is not new; it is a popular subject and theme for artists since the development of cave paintings. Classical paintings in Europe often portrays war scenes from historical battles. I was introduced to this idea from my favourite Mary Jo Putney book, River of Fire. The only difference between the war art in the classical painting and what we see now is the diversity of artistic media available; from oils, chalk, water colour to digital photography.

I find the idea of capturing the experience of war using art intriguing. The US Marines and US Navy have artists in their ranks who are deployed in wars, carrying art supply along with their heavy packs. A mini view of the Navy art gallery as well as the Marine combat art is available online.

Illustrating war provides a very intimate view of the combatants; telling stories that would otherwise be watered down or distorted by the media. It helps to humanise the combatants and to underscore the humanity (or lack of) of the all of the engaged parties. I don't know if anyone who look at these images and still see war as romantic; to me they underscore the price that are paid by both the combatants as well as the non-combatants in the conflict.

Will art help to make an unpopular war more palatable or a popular one more acceptable in general? I don't know. Michael D Fay and Kristopher Battles are two Marine artists who capture the engagements in which they participated in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their work is beautiful, even as the theme and subjects can provoke strong negative emotions. Sgt. Battles and Chief Warrant Officer (Rtd.) Fay offer us another facet to the war that is often contemptuously dismissed, particularly by opponents of the American occupation.

Frankly, I think the American occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan accomplished little of what they set out to do; it is unlawful and a gross violation of human rights and national sovereignty. I do wish that the American troops will withdraw from both countries and let the Iraqis and Afghan people rebuild as they see fit. If they are wont to kill one another without an occupying force "maintaining peace", by all means let them. These are lands that have not seen peace without an iron fist; their people are not ready for the American brand of democracy, as well meaning as those tenets are. It is doubtful that the occupation actually helps to reduce terrorism in the world. However, the hidden strings being pulled and people benefiting from this atrocity that is paid with blood and pain on both sides of the conflict means that there is no easy way out of it.

This is beautifully illustrated by Dark Side of the Sun by the glorious Tori Amos.


Let us all work towards peace for everyone.