Andrew Wyeth said,

"I dream a lot. I do more painting when I'm not painting. It's in the subconscious."

Americans don't act on rational thought.

A lot of people have gotten up in arms lately about a proposed Mosque a block away from NYC's ground zero. Many people are angry, many are simply opposed to the plan. But Americans always seem to react purely on emotions and not on facts. Since 2001, this country has practically made hatred toward Muslims a prerequisite for patriotism.

Prohibiting Muslims from building a mosque near the WTC site because of the terror inflicted by Al-Qaeda is NO different than prohibiting Christians from building a church near a mass lynching and rally site because of the terror inflicted by the Ku Klux Klan.
To condemn Islam for Al-Qaeda is the same as condemning Christianity for the Klan.

Many of America's citizens are afraid of anything or anyone that feels or looks foreign or just different. "We don't want no Mexicans. We don't want no Muslims here." So many of us have forgotten that we all were not wanted here at some point. The only people with legitimate claim to this land are the many Native American nations that were here long before any of the rest of us. Nobody wanted the Irish or the Catholics when they got here. Whites kidnapped and stole and forced Blacks to come to this country, but I still hear Whites saying "Why don't you go back to Africa!" Jews had been vilified long before there were Muslims or Christians and that didn't change when they emigrated to this country either. It's all xenophobia; it's all fear of anything different.

Most American Christians are so unfamiliar with Islam their immediate reaction is to fear it, which leads to hate. If many U.S. Christians were to learn even just a little bit about Islam, they might find their previous opinions were unfounded and irrational.

What If the Tea Party Was Black?

White America would be instantly outraged by and immediately condemn the actions of the Tea Party if it was made up of Black Americans.



Patriotism is love for my country, not hate for those who are different than me.

Family is gone

The family is gone. Gone to New York City. But I had to stay home. Again. I don't mind so much, I can get some things done without interruption, but I'm a little jealous cause they're going to the MOMA and my favorite Japanese store and I'm not.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to get much done cause I spent 2, 2andahalf days sick in bed. I did read several books, but not any sketching or drawing. Well I've got two more days though. I guess I better get out the brushes and get cracking.

My problem though is lately I've spread myself out to thin. Pursuing several different artistic directions all at the same time. Now I'm not sure what to do with myself. I need to pick one and stick to that direction for a while. But I can't decide which one. Choosing soon is of the essence because I only have two days left to be as messy and scattered as I need to be to get something accomplished and then clean up before they get back. This is not an ideal predicament for a Gemini to be in. One side will have to take over here in order to get the job. Hmm, but which one?

Hi neighbor. Would you "Like" my Facebook page?

Just created my Facebook page for the Nasty Dan Studios; something I'd intended to do for years now. Scanning photos, artwork, creating links, make sure they work, all the typing, blah, blah, blah... It's just a lot of initial work to get these things started you know. I hope you get a chance to check it out: search Nasty Dan Studios or click the new badge in the corner down there. :)

How to make Bento

When will we end America's fascination with the automobile?

I, for one, am ready to give mine up. I would gladly ride my bike rather than drive my car. Only problem is Jacksonville is a commuter town and I have a commuter job. As a substitute teacher for Duval County Public Schools, I can travel, literally, anywhere within the limits of the largest city (land mass) in the United States. It would make my job pretty difficult to get to if I had to ride my bike everyday. The bus system (JTA) is not so bad IMHO, contrarily to many others in town. I've been very lucky in that my job has never been more than approximately 1 to 3 blocks from a bus stop. My house, also, is right across the street from a bus stop. Buses in Jacksonville will also allow passengers to hang their bicycles on the front of the bus.

Jacksonville has major road construction going on all over town. Unfortunately, the city's answer to any traffic problem is to expand the infrastructure. Simply add lanes and that should solve the dilemma. But it only exaserbates it: more lanes, more cars, more jams, bigger jams, more rage, more polution, more heat into the air, etc.
I wouldn't mind so much if we tore up the majority of our asphalt and went back to horseback riding. It would solve an awful lot of problems all at once: lots of new jobs (taking out asphalt, breeding and grooming and boarding horses, road upkeep and clean up, etc.), better for the enviroment, encourage people to work where they live, less anger, horses have a documented calming effect on people, and much more.

I also love cars. I especially love old cars. I grew up in the late 60's and early 70's, the era of the muscle car. I love the look and sounds of 'em: Chevelle, Camaro, Mustang, GTO, Challenger. I love old luxury cars. I love to stare and wonder at the really old ones: Lincoln Phaeton, LaSalle, Model-T, Pierce Arrow. I am not saying get rid of all the cars. But how about collecting insted of driving everyday. I mean, does anyone really love their Ford Taurus Wagon or their Econoline transporter van? Who needs 'em?

There are an awful lot of things displayed in museums that people thought they could never live without. How about we do the same with the automobile.

Life and death in the gulf

A scoop of water out of the Gulf of Mexico.



This poor bird picked the wrong place to land along the shore near Louisiana. Let's hope he made it through.



This guy didn't make it.

Do we really need oil and our oiled machines this badly?

Maicon's dazzling ball control and goal are worth drooling over

Saw this article on YahooSports. An awesome display of foot skill.


Inter Milan defender Maicon spectacularly broke a 0-0 deadlock in the 75th minute of Friday's Derby d'Italia against Juventus with a superb display of juggling that he turned into a perfect volley out of the reach of Juve goalkeeper Gigi Buffon. A man up following Momo Sissoko's red card in the 37th minute, Inter sealed the victory that put them back atop Serie A with a second goal from Samuel Eto'o in stoppage time, sending Juventus fans already demanding a refund on their season tickets into a slightly deeper depression. 
After the match, Eto'o was quick to echo the immediate praise for his teammate's display, saying, "I think Maicon scored the best goal of the season so far." And it's easy to agree.
Whether it wins that arbitrary superlative or not, it was certainly enough to conjure comparisons to Maicon's fellow Brazilian and Milan rival Ronaldinho and remind us all ahead of the World Cup why the Samba Kings are so dangerous. Even their defenders can do that.




Here's the article link
http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/sow_experts/post/Maicon-s-dazzling-ball-control-and-goal-are-wort?urn=sow,234865