Welcome To The Inferno...

Everybody Up!

Once again, this rant has to do with Culture and Religion. Please bear in mind that I do not mean to insult any culture or religion and if what I say goes against your personal opinion please take it on the chin...not personally. I do not represent any faction or religion (Aside from Anti-Verticalism...which is a long story), and therefore cannot choose one over another. This is simply meant as a critical look at some major parties.

Now, with that disclaimer posted...let's move on, shall we?

With the festering wound between Israel and the rest of the Middle-East having been reopened as it has...I've put a bit of thought into how things appear to be for many of us here in my hometown. For as long as I can remember, it has always been little Israel being picked on by the other Middle-Easter countries...And now suddenly, Israel goes to war over one man being kidnapped. Losing one man is losing two men too many...However, is all this war and destruction honestly worth it? In the Coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, some Allied acquaintances (mostly reporters) have been kidnapped...did we go and begin bombing spots over it? No. We attempted to negotiate first, and foremost. It appears that the mentality in the Middle-East is one of "We would rather have nothing than have compromise...Our way...No highway option." It simply causes needless destruction and loss of life. It also appeared that the Israeli militia has been champing at the bit to show off it's might and strength. Hezbollah comes along and kidnaps a single man doing a sentry-route...and they set off another bloody war that won't end anytime soon, I can almost assure you of that. I'm not attempting to say that my society is better, or that I have all the answers. If I did, I'd be lying through my ass. I just don't understand. Here in North-America...Our way of life was brought about through compromise. When the settlers first arrived, people worked together to get through things. If they didn't, they starved, they froze through the winter, or they were wiped out by the aboriginals. It's still apparent in our way of dealing with things today...not as much, but it's there. I'm not sure where I planned to go with this rant (Seems to happen a lot these days, no?), but I wanted to voice my thoughts.

Another, fairly unrelated notion was brought to my attention today...About the Christian religion. The conversation was about Christ. The person was saying that Jesus Of Nazareth gave his life to atone for the sins of others, which he shouldered all on his own and how it was amazing that people still regret it...even though over 2000 years have passed since then. It made me think...I could never let someone carry the burden of my sins. If I made them, I'm carrying them. You reap what you sow, do you not? If that's so, then why is it that Christ decided to atone for the sins of everyone else? What good did it do? None. Had people been forced to bear their own sins, then perhaps we would have learned the hard way. Instead, people have been coerced into thinking that their sins will just be forgotten because Christ and the Holy Spirit are there to forgive them if they believe in these ideas that have no proof behind them. My sins are mine, and mine alone. I think people learn more from pain and suffering...because humans learn the hard way. Always have, always will. Even the deepest of despair will always offer one thing...the knowledge and experience to get out of it. Keep that in mind.

(C) 2006 Sean Slater. (Arigatou Gosaimasu, Reiji!) All Rights Reserved, All Wrongs Justified. SEASE Productions.

Same Old Song...

Everybody Up!

I try not to post on things that are anything less than thoughtful, but I feel this might help reiterate something I've been trying to tell people for ages.

Yesterday I participated in HomeGrown's "Writer's Block" 2006. It's essentially a large gathering of people who are interested in Hip-Hop. We had DJs, Emcees, B-Boys, and plenty of people who are just interested in the like. However, the main focus of the "Writer's Block" is obviously graffiti. There were 35 registered writers, 2,500 Square Feet of highly visible brick wall, hundreds of cans of paint, five storeys of scaffolding, and a crowd to match. The turn-out was simply incredible. There is a whole arts festival going on this weekend all along Whyte Ave, and it was nice to see so many people on the Avenue for a reason other than a Sports team. (For my non-local readers: During the Oiler's run in the NHL Playoffs, Whyte Ave. became the site of mini-riots, fights, and other forms of intoxicated chaos.)

This Is Just A Small Part Of The Whole Event.

We had many people cross the street from the Farmer's Market to come see what the noise was about. We had speaker's blaring live cuts thanks to my man Dice, and it attracted quite a large number of passerby's. However, once they saw the scaffolding the music was immediately forgotten. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to snap any flicks of the looks of awe on the faces of the aforementioned people. We had everyone from children under the age of ten, to seniors gazing up at us with incredulous expressions. It was a really good feeling, knowing that these people appreciated what we were doing. I heard more than a few people say things along the lines of "Hey, that's really neat!" or "How do they do that with a can of spray-paint?!". These comments were really appreciated, however there were other types of compliments that, while flattering, just go to show how so many people are narrow-minded. Such as: "That's not Graffiti, it's too beautiful." It's still graffiti. It's simply legal. There are piece that are just as "beautiful" (I prefer "Ill") that were done illegally, but if they saw that piece on the side of a bridge or the back of a building...it's simply vandalism.

I won't drone on with yet another rant about the same thing...but I thought it was interesting that these people will only appreciate some things under specific circumstances. One way or another, this year's "Writer's Block" was definitely a success. Special thanks to Mic and the HomeGrown Crew, all artists, staff and volunteers involved, Montana Cans, SEAZ, FLOW and the rest of the guys at Under Pressure Magazine!

(C) 2006 Sean Slater. All Rights Reserved, All Wrongs Justified. SEASE Productions.
Picture by Sean Slater. All rights are those of the artists. Unauthorized reproduction of this post or photograph in part or in whole is prohibited by law. If that doesn't discourage you, maybe the thought of a severe beatdown will.

I found this pathetically amusing...

Sorry if this is old, but I saw this posted on a forum and I was wondering what my readers would say about it.

Here's the supposed story:

"In Japan shortly before a teenage girl comitted suicide, she drew this picture, scanned it and posted it online. In Korea this story broke out and it spread like wildfire. There are various posts around Korean forums that say that the viewer gets drawn to the girl's blue eyes, they say they can detect a hint of wrath and sadness within the eyes. Maybe the girl had died with so much sadness and anger that her spirit haunts the image, or maybe the image provokes sadness, similar to the song 'Gloomy Sunday'.

The freaky bit is this, they say it is hard for a person to stare into the girl's eyes for longer than 5 minutes, there are reports that some people have taken their own lives after doing so. People say the picture changes, as you view it there is a hint of a growing taunting smirk appearing on the girl's lips or a dark ring grows around the girl or her eyes.

One thing is for sure, the picture has sparked a curiosity in me that I must find out, I do feel a presence when I look at the image, whether it is evil or not I can not judge. I would like to know what the global online community feels and maybe even experts in art would be able to resolve why the eyes of this image can draw the viewer in so deeply?"

What do you think?



The picture is well-done, but there are some glaring (pun intended) things that need to be pointed out. First off, the edges are all blurred. It's incredibly hard to distinguish a clear line from anything. Therefore, when you stare in her "eyes", or the center of the face, things are blurry around the edges and it makes it harder for your eyes to keep things in a direct position. Secondly, the inaccurate shading around her eyes is darker than it should be and could therefore lead to a person seeing dark rings around her eyes after a prolonged period of time, especially if the person is looking at the eyes. Also, look at the bottom of the picture...around the collar of the girl's dress. The black and gold is very clear. This provides stability for the extreme bottom of the picture, and so when you look near the bottom to see if it's just your eyes that are blurry, you're tricked into thinking that it's clear lines. The idea of the smirk appearing is simple, because the shading and shape of her lips has been done so that you'll get that image. On another note that, the top of her head isn't proportionate to the angle of her face...You can clearly see her scalp, which wouldn't be visible from a head-on angle. I'm not sure what purpose this serves, perhaps it makes it appear as though she's looking up at you doubled with a "Smirk".

All of these are simply techniques that artists use to create different illusions. You can draw or paint anything if you know how to do it properly. These techniques have been used to create various illusions, and when a creepy story that tells you what to look for off the bat, your mind has an underlying notion to seek for and see them because the illusions have been made apparent by the story. It's just like those "Sex-Enhancement" drugs you see in stores and magazine adds. They're generally caffeine or sugar pills with various extracts in them such as Ginseng, so in other words, they do nothing for your libido. But if the user thinks that they'll work...it will. Just like that, this picture and story is the same principle. If you hear about it creeping people out, and if you see the illusions, then it'll inadvertently creep you out. Especially if you don't know about the artistic aspect of it and don't know what to look for.

Also, I find this picture to be FAR more frightening.


(C) 2006 Sean Slater All Rights Reserved, All Wrongs Justified. SEASE Productions.

Pulp-Rebellion (From The Byline)

Pixels spin in and out of control in the mix. Welcome to 2006.

Marches of triumph remain a mystery, but our boys beat on a mostly beaten path. World Cups and Wide Webs distract till at least sunset.

Time designs itself so that age makes you anxious. The wisdom gained at least increases caution. Ah, to be young, risky and reckless. The senseless fun of smoking pot in alleyways.

Echo and harmony are all the imprints I get to relish and wrestle. You can get no more ghetto than I got and I gotta go get some ghetto grass and find a good spot.

Floating thru the oxygen, that fragile and sweetest of gases is a gas, it's like being a fish in outer space sometimes. Making mistakes with our hearts to cover for the desires of our soul is the new national pastime.

But due to my high regard and dignified taste in beer, it behooves me to find more economic avenues for cheaper mental restoration and relaxation.

Criminals bent on romance eventually stumble. Heroic gestures from rock stars are lukewarm compared with the graffiti-minded actor. I vote for my idols with a spray can.

Graffiti writers leave no cap untested, no circumstantial evidence and no heart unbroken. It's super-model hot these days. Even for the superstars.

And especially for cats pimping pulp rebellion in paperback. But what can I say? After all, your good taste says it all. And by way of you reading this, I know something somewhere must be good.

I maintain an appreciation beyond reproach. I send simple sentences this way and some souls sense satisfaction.

A sense of satisfaction says a lot these days. To get this far stands for something. And sometimes a little something goes a long way.

(C) 2006 Buford Youthward (AKA StockCap) All Rights Reserved, All Wrongs Justified. SEASE Productions/Buford Industries.