This was taken (by me) at the top of the famous Round Tower in Copenhagen, in the late seventies.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Men on Round Tower
This was taken (by me) at the top of the famous Round Tower in Copenhagen, in the late seventies.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
How to avoid self-contamination
I'm thinking this (below) creates highly tense and neurotic people, who in the end will have only one thing on their mind, that which is forbidden.
Or people like the youth in Salt Lake City, who by many reports don't consider oral sex to be sex.
In any case... what's the f***ing point? I can understand that abstinence from intercourse prevents STDs and pregnancy, but what's the point of this? These poor, poor people.
Update: related is this article about erotica and the elderly.
======
Mormon Instructions on Mas*tur*ba*tion
From a Guide to Mormon Youth
Enlist The Power Of Prayer
Pray daily, ask for the gifts of the Spirit, that which will strengthen you against temptation.
Pray fervently and out loud when the temptations are the strongest.
When the temptation to mas*tur*ba*te is strong, yell "Stop!" to those thoughts as loudly as you can in your mind. Then recite a portion of the Bible or sing a hymn.
Exercise Vigorously
Follow a program of vigorous daily exercise, which reduces emotional tension and depression.
Double your physical activity when you feel stress increasing.
Set Goals
Set a goal of abstinence. Begin with a day, then a week, month, year.
Finally, commit yourself to never doing it again.
Make a pocket calendar for a month on a small card. Carry it with you but show it to no one.
If you mas*tur*ba*te , color that day black. Your goal will be to have no black days.
The calendar becomes a strong visual reminder, and should be looked at when you are tempted to add another black day.
Keep your calendar up until you have at least three clear months.
Set up a reward system. Each time you reach a goal, award yourself a quarter. Spend it on something that delights you.
Work On Self-Improvement
Work daily on a self-improvement program. Improve your relationships with your family. Increase your service to your church.
Be outgoing and friendly. Force yourself to be with others and learn to enjoy working and talking with them.
Change in behavior and attitude is most easily achieved through a changed self-image.
Spend time every day imagining yourself strong and in control, easily overcoming tempting situations.
Avoid Temptation
When on the toilet or showering, leave the door partly open.
Arise immediately in the mornings. Don't lie awake in bed -- start each day with enthusiastic activity.
Avoid people, situations, pictures and reading material that might create sexual excitement.
Use Physical Restraints
Wear pajamas that are difficult to open, yet loose and not binding.
Put on several layers of clothing that would be difficult to remove while half asleep.
Hold an object -- for example, a Bible -- even in bed at night.
In severe cases, tie a hand to the bed frame.
Be Alert To Emotions
Be aware of situations that depress you or that cause you to feel lonely, bored, frustrated or discouraged. These emotional states can trigger the desire to mas*tur*ba*te as a way of escape.
Plan to counter these low periods through reading a book, visiting a friend, doing something athletic, etc.
Employ aversion therapy. To cancel out the pleasurableness of mas*tur*ba*ting , associate something very distasteful with the act. For example, imagine bathing in a tub of worms and eating some of them.
Or people like the youth in Salt Lake City, who by many reports don't consider oral sex to be sex.
In any case... what's the f***ing point? I can understand that abstinence from intercourse prevents STDs and pregnancy, but what's the point of this? These poor, poor people.
Update: related is this article about erotica and the elderly.
======
Mormon Instructions on Mas*tur*ba*tion
From a Guide to Mormon Youth
Enlist The Power Of Prayer
Pray daily, ask for the gifts of the Spirit, that which will strengthen you against temptation.
Pray fervently and out loud when the temptations are the strongest.
When the temptation to mas*tur*ba*te is strong, yell "Stop!" to those thoughts as loudly as you can in your mind. Then recite a portion of the Bible or sing a hymn.
Exercise Vigorously
Follow a program of vigorous daily exercise, which reduces emotional tension and depression.
Double your physical activity when you feel stress increasing.
Set Goals
Set a goal of abstinence. Begin with a day, then a week, month, year.
Finally, commit yourself to never doing it again.
Make a pocket calendar for a month on a small card. Carry it with you but show it to no one.
If you mas*tur*ba*te , color that day black. Your goal will be to have no black days.
The calendar becomes a strong visual reminder, and should be looked at when you are tempted to add another black day.
Keep your calendar up until you have at least three clear months.
Set up a reward system. Each time you reach a goal, award yourself a quarter. Spend it on something that delights you.
Work On Self-Improvement
Work daily on a self-improvement program. Improve your relationships with your family. Increase your service to your church.
Be outgoing and friendly. Force yourself to be with others and learn to enjoy working and talking with them.
Change in behavior and attitude is most easily achieved through a changed self-image.
Spend time every day imagining yourself strong and in control, easily overcoming tempting situations.
Avoid Temptation
When on the toilet or showering, leave the door partly open.
Arise immediately in the mornings. Don't lie awake in bed -- start each day with enthusiastic activity.
Avoid people, situations, pictures and reading material that might create sexual excitement.
Use Physical Restraints
Wear pajamas that are difficult to open, yet loose and not binding.
Put on several layers of clothing that would be difficult to remove while half asleep.
Hold an object -- for example, a Bible -- even in bed at night.
In severe cases, tie a hand to the bed frame.
Be Alert To Emotions
Be aware of situations that depress you or that cause you to feel lonely, bored, frustrated or discouraged. These emotional states can trigger the desire to mas*tur*ba*te as a way of escape.
Plan to counter these low periods through reading a book, visiting a friend, doing something athletic, etc.
Employ aversion therapy. To cancel out the pleasurableness of mas*tur*ba*ting , associate something very distasteful with the act. For example, imagine bathing in a tub of worms and eating some of them.
The Third Child
The Third Child
by Stobblehouse
when the pale blood of the mother
runs freely on husky tiles
and the skies turn black and ultramarine
the third child will rise
when the white birds of the sea
coming calling far inland
searching for new minds
and night creatures shuffles
in the day time
when old walls grow stronger
against expectations
and the fields yield a mighty harvest
the third child will arrive
garbed in bright colors
bearing gifts of victory
for his people
but false gifts they are
the people will know him
and yet they will not
when the end of days is felt
and the moon and the sun becomes one
when the fear is greatest
and yet the hope is nascent
when the morning's orb is whiter than gold
when forests are pleading for their hordes
when the fires of man
compete with nature
then the beginning is near
and in the beginning
the real beginning
a hope was created
an eternal hope
the mind saw a glint
in the future
the falsity of time
the mind was the father
and the son
and yet the brother
the mind saw all that none saw
the vision was clear
and a quest was arisen
in the beginning
the end is near
and thus the beginning
the mind is the mind
and has done its work
the child of darkness
will rage and thrash
but all that will be naught
for the light sees all
and the third child is a shadow
cast by the light
by Stobblehouse
when the pale blood of the mother
runs freely on husky tiles
and the skies turn black and ultramarine
the third child will rise
when the white birds of the sea
coming calling far inland
searching for new minds
and night creatures shuffles
in the day time
when old walls grow stronger
against expectations
and the fields yield a mighty harvest
the third child will arrive
garbed in bright colors
bearing gifts of victory
for his people
but false gifts they are
the people will know him
and yet they will not
when the end of days is felt
and the moon and the sun becomes one
when the fear is greatest
and yet the hope is nascent
when the morning's orb is whiter than gold
when forests are pleading for their hordes
when the fires of man
compete with nature
then the beginning is near
and in the beginning
the real beginning
a hope was created
an eternal hope
the mind saw a glint
in the future
the falsity of time
the mind was the father
and the son
and yet the brother
the mind saw all that none saw
the vision was clear
and a quest was arisen
in the beginning
the end is near
and thus the beginning
the mind is the mind
and has done its work
the child of darkness
will rage and thrash
but all that will be naught
for the light sees all
and the third child is a shadow
cast by the light
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Supernatural
Inspired by a post by Hannah, I ask you: do you have any personal experiences of the supernatural? (Or rather "supernatural", since I think we know so little about how the world works that it is folly to think that we know what is "natural" and what is not.)
I have a friend whose wife always knows when her brother is coming to visit. She only ever asked him to put on the kettle in vain once. Her brother got a flat tire that day.
I have a friend whose wife always knows when her brother is coming to visit. She only ever asked him to put on the kettle in vain once. Her brother got a flat tire that day.
Daylight Forum
My pal Greg is attempting to bring discussion of the issues of the day to the people with the Daylight Forum. See this video.
I try to stay out of politics, I don't like it, but Greg is a very convincing man, so I have helped with funding of his book and the site.
I try to stay out of politics, I don't like it, but Greg is a very convincing man, so I have helped with funding of his book and the site.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
George Bernard Shaw
The longer I live the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only wasted my time.
-- George Bernard Shaw
... And some people think I have a large ego!
-- George Bernard Shaw
... And some people think I have a large ego!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Jesper
One of my high school friends.
Blacks are and especially were pretty rare in Denmark outside the capital. Jesper was adopted very young, I think, so linguistically he is 100% Dane. Very pleasant fella, always fun and never a harsh word for anybody.
Sadly I've lost track of people from high school.
Oh, by the way, I have learned that things are not always as obvious to everybody as I think, so I better point out that he does not normally look like this; I surprised him with the camera right in his face (28mm wideangle) when he turned around, so he is making at face at me.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The artist's career
Excellent interview of Caroll Michels about the fine artist and how build a business of it.
Selected quotes:
"...if you’re having difficulties with rejection, you also will have difficulties with success."
"You’re really running a small business. There’s no way around it, and to accept that not as a bad thing."
"Many artists are so exalted because, “Oh, a dealer asked for an exclusive.” I think it’s ridiculous. Unless they’re giving you something very interesting like a monthly stipend to pay all the bills against future sales, then there’s no reason someone should have an exclusive anymore."
Selected quotes:
"...if you’re having difficulties with rejection, you also will have difficulties with success."
"You’re really running a small business. There’s no way around it, and to accept that not as a bad thing."
"Many artists are so exalted because, “Oh, a dealer asked for an exclusive.” I think it’s ridiculous. Unless they’re giving you something very interesting like a monthly stipend to pay all the bills against future sales, then there’s no reason someone should have an exclusive anymore."
Larry Powers and the Michelangelo Puzzle
I've finally found the plot for my to-be-written Great European Novel:
A young boy, tentatively named Larry Powers, is a magician and has a pet raven. On an airplane trip where he battles poison spiders that terrorists have let loose, he comes across a plot by Michelangelo to conceal the true lineage of Siddhattha Gautama, and his life is immediate danger, he is thrown into a forty-eight-hour race to save his own life and Western Civilization. I am considering throwing in a plucky and pretty female journalist as s sidekick, but I am wondering if that would be considered too commercial.
A young boy, tentatively named Larry Powers, is a magician and has a pet raven. On an airplane trip where he battles poison spiders that terrorists have let loose, he comes across a plot by Michelangelo to conceal the true lineage of Siddhattha Gautama, and his life is immediate danger, he is thrown into a forty-eight-hour race to save his own life and Western Civilization. I am considering throwing in a plucky and pretty female journalist as s sidekick, but I am wondering if that would be considered too commercial.