Greaser Punk Stoner

Found these photographs from the Toronto From Concept To 2018 exposition, where the costume was on display, as posted by costume designer Alex Kavanagh (also pictured above)

The above one is from the Niagra Falls Comic Con expo in 2015, where the cloak was on display together with the repo man uniform.

Another fine addition to this post would be this photograph, recovered thanks to @ladynephthyss !!

His name is Jacob Blake. He was unarmed, trying to break up a fight. He was tasered and shot 7 times while trying to get into a car. His kids were watching.

Potent minimalist art sends a strong message about police and vigilante brutality in America

Journalist and artist Shirin Barghi has created a gripping, thought-provoking series of graphics that not only examines racial prejudice in today’s America, but also captures the sense of humanity that often gets lost in news coverage. Titled “Last Words,” the graphics illustrate the last recorded words by Brown and other young black people — Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant and others — who have been killed by police and vigilantes in recent years.

Most important: Spend the money you have on a motel. Churches probably will not actually help and shelters can be dangerous or turn you away. At a motel you have free breakfast, access to running water, and a lockable place to sleep. Do not waste money on a gym membership like the popular version of this post says to do, YMCA memberships are like $40.

2. Contact family and friends. Now is not the time to worry about being a burden. Your survival and safety comes first and that is all that matters, anyone worth having in your life will agree.

3. Start a gofundme. Even if someone can’t offer you a place to stay, they might be willing to toss out $5 so you can eat today.

4. Libraries have free wifi. Apply to any and all jobs you can think of if you aren’t already working.

5. Any home is a good home. Even if it’s a dingy apartment in a bad neighborhood. If its cheap and you can afford it, snatch it up. 

6. Pancake mix and peanut butter are filling, cheap, and last a long time.

Now, we all know how much I absolutely love The Golden Girls. While the show is set in Miami, Florida, the show itself was produced in Los Angeles and created and run by Hollywood people. And of course, there are some things that the show does get wrong about Florida culture as a result. Here are a few of them.

Floridians, in general, do not use the term “lanai”. The term “lanai” is actually of Hawaiian origin and refers to a covered/roofed porch or veranda. (Which means that Blanche’s lanai isn’t even a lanai in the original sense of the word, since Blanche’s lanai is open-air and does not have a roof over it.) “Lanai” is kind of seen as a term used by rich people or people wanting to appear fancy, and the majority of Floridians aren’t rich or fancy. The term that Floridians usually use is either a “porch” (which would be a raised area) or a “patio” (a concrete or tiled area resting right on the ground); Blanche’s lanai is more properly a patio.

There is no such thing as the Sunshine Cadets. Florida has Girl Scout troops just like everywhere else. And we do love our share of Girl Scout cookies as well. (My personal favorites are the Thin Mints, Samoas, Peanut Butter Patties, and S’mores.)

As far as I know, there is no such town as Appalachichobee (although we do have some city names that come from Native American terms), and trains in Florida usually do leave on time. The town featured in the episode “Bedtime Stories” is fictional, and the name is a combination of “Appalachian” and “Okeechobee”. And while Lake Okeechobee is very prominent in Florida’s geography, the Appalachian Mountains come nowhere near Florida. In fact, Florida’s highest point is Britton Hill, which has an elevation of just 345 feet above sea level. (Florida’s terrain is classified as coastal plains, and thus most of our land is flat. The lowest elevation in the state is sea level.) As for the trains...as far as I know, there is no place in Florida where trains regularly leave early. As for the ticket vendor’s accent...he sounds more like he’s from Georgia or the Carolinas than from Florida. Most white Floridians speak in what’s called a “Florida Cracker” accent that sounds more like a southern drawl than the lilt associated with southern gentry/“southern belles”.

Most Floridians say “vayse”, not “vahse”. The pronunciation of “vase” with a short A is seen as unnecessarily fancy, and being that most Floridians aren’t rich or they live in the more rural areas, we typically say “vase” with a long A like most other people.

The baseball game that Dorothy, Sophia, and Stan attend in the episode “Bang the Drum, Stanley” is definitely not a Major League Baseball game. Although the Dodgers are mentioned in the episode, Florida did not have its own Major League Baseball team until the Florida Marlins began play in 1993 (the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays, now the Tampa Bay Rays, began play in 1997). At the time the episode aired in 1988, Miami had one minor league baseball team, the Miami Marlins of the Florida State League (named in honor of a previous minor league team that had relocated to Puerto Rico after the 1960 season), and was renamed the Miami Miracle the following year. That team relocated to Fort Myers in 1992 and became the Fort Myers Miracle, the name they would play under until 2019. This year, the club changed its name to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. It has been the Single A-Advanced affiliate of the Minnesota Twins since 1992. The Major League club, the Florida Marlins, changed its name to the Miami Marlins in 2012. As for the Dodgers, the closest Dodgers minor league affiliate at the time of the episode’s original air date was the Vero Beach Dodgers (and Vero Beach is up in Indian River County, about 130 miles and a two-hour drive north of Miami). The Vero Beach Dodgers have since relocated to Port Charlotte, Florida and now play as the Charlotte Stone Crabs. The Stone Crabs are currently the Single A-Advanced affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Antique Bone Dice Photo by Matthew Venus

Astragalomancy, which is a form of Cleromancy, is divination by use of dice. It is an ancient form of divination and is still used by many when seeking answer to the unknown.

One of the most common forms of Dice Divination used today is accomplished by using three dice.

The diviner will either draw out a circle, roughly eight inches or so, on a piece of paper or on the ground. Some diviners have a simple mat which they use for this that will have the circle pre-drawn. The question is posed and the dice are cast.

To determine the meaning of the reading the diviner will first examine if any dice have fallen outside of the circle.

1 dice outside - Difficulties lie ahead

2 dice outside- Arguments and Quarrels are likely

3 dice outside- A sign of luck and success (no reading needed)

The dice that land within the circle are totaled up and their sum indicates the message.

0,1,2 - No answer available. Ask another day

3 - a change in circumstances will happen soon

4 -  Unpleasantness, arguments, misunderstanding

5 - Unexpected surprise or information, your plans and wishes will be fulfilled

6 - Loss of some kind, most likely financial, possibly material, or a relationship

7-  Potential hardships, gossip, finances, etc. They will eventually be resolved

8- You should not act to hastily, lack of discretion may lead to misfortune

9- A possible union in love or in business , success in romance and/or gambling   10- New beginnings, possibly a birth, or a new job/promotion

11- Potential loss of a person, death, short term illness; or the return of a person who was estranged from you

12- Important communication will arrive soon, seek counsel if it is a legal matter, potential for a large sum of money

13- Continuation on your current path will lead to misery and difficulty

14- A friend or relative will offer their assistance, possibly an new romance arrives

15- Proceed with caution, avoid starting new projects for the next week, do not be drawn into gossip

16- A short trip will provide relief, entertainment, and potentially profit

17- Change of perspective, adjustment to plans may be needed, be receptive to the council of others, even those whom you don’t know

18- Luck, Success, Blessings, Attainment and Fulfillment

Some additional items to note

*If two dice fall one on top of the other while throwing the dice it means that you will receive a gift. Re-throw the dice for your reading.

*If you are throwing the dice on a tabletop and a one falls on the floor, you may lose a friend

*It is said that the dice shouldn’t be thrown on a Monday or Wednesday, nor should they be thrown more than three times for the same person in one day.

Matthew Venus

5/26 4 officers fired for murdering George Floyd 5/27 Charges dropped for Kenneth Walker (Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend, who police accused of killing her) 5/28 University of Minnesota cancels contract with police 5/28 3rd precinct police station neutralized by protesters 5/28 Minneapolis transit union refuses to bring police officers to protests or transport arrested protesters 5/29 Activists commandeer Minneapolis hotel to provide shelter to homeless 5/29 Former officer Chauvin arrested and charged with murder 5/29 Louisville Mayor suspends “no-knock” warrants 5/30 US Embassies across Africa condemn police murder of George Floyd 5/30 Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison takes over prosecution of the murdering officer 5/30 Transport Workers Union refuses to help NYPD transport arrests protesters 5/30 Maryland lawmakers forming work group on police reform, accountability 5/31 2 abusive officers fired for pulling a couple out of their car and tasing them - Atlanta, GA 6/1 Minneapolis public schools end contract with police 6/1 Confederate monument removed after being toppled by protesters - Birmingham, AL 6/1 CA prosecutors launch campaign to stop DAs from accepting police union money 6/1 Tulsa Mayor agrees to not renew Live PD contract 6/1 Louisville police chief fired after shooting of David Mcatee 6/1 Congress begins bipartisan push to cut off police access to military gear 6/1 Atlanta announces plans to create a task force and public database to track police brutality in metro Atlanta area 6/2 Minneapolis AFL-CIO calls for resignation of police union president Bob Kroll, a vocal white supremest 6/2 Pittsburgh transit union announces refusal to transport police officers or arrest protesters 6/2 Racist ex-mayor Frank Rizzo statue removed in Philadelphia 6/2 6 abusive officers charged for violence against residents and protesters - Atlanta, GA 6/2 Civil rights investigation of Minneapolis Police Dept launched 6/2 San Francisco resolution to prevent law enforcement from hiring officers with history of misconduct 6/2 Survey indicates that 64% of those polled are sympathetic to protesters, 47% disapprove of police handling of the protests, and 54% think the burning down of the Minneapolis police precinct was fully or partially justified 6/2 Trenton NJ announces policing reforms 6/2 Minneapolis City Council members consider disbanding the police 6/2 Confederate statue removed from Alexandria, VA 6/3 Officer fired for tweets promoting violence against protesters - Denver, CO 6/3 Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Art cut ties with the MPD 6/3 Chauvin charges upgraded to second degree murder, remaining 3 officers also charged and taken into custody 6/3 Richmond VA Mayor Stoney announces RPD reform measures: establish “Marcus” alert for folks experiencing mental health crises, establish independent Citizen Review Board, an ordinance to remove Confederate monuments, and implement racial equity study 6/3 County commissioners deny proposal for $23 million expansion of Fulton County jail 6/3 Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board unanimously votes to sever ties with MPD 6/3 Seattle withdraws request to end federal oversight/consent decree of police department 6/3 Breonna Taylor’s case reopened 6/3 Louisville police department (Breonna Taylor’s murderers) will now be under review from an outside agency, which will include review on training, bias-free policing and accountability 6/3 Colorado lawmakers introduce a police reform bill that includes body cam laws, repealing the “fleeing felon” statute, and banning chokeholds 6/3 Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announces plans to reduce funding to police department by $150M and instead invest in minority communities 6/4 Virginia governor announces plans to remove Robert E. Lee statue from Richmond 6/4 Portland schools superintendent discontinues presence of armed police officers in schools 6/4 MBTA (Metro Boston) board orders that buses wont transport police to protests, or protesters to police 6/4 King County Labor Federation issues ultimatum to police unions: admit to and address racism in Seattle PD, or be removed 6/5 City of Minneapolis bans all chokeholds by police 6/5 Racist ex-mayor Hubbard statue removed - Dearborn, MI 6/5 NFL condemns racism and admits it should have listened to players’ protests 6/5 California Governor Gavin Newsom calls for statewide use-of-force standard made along with community leaders and ban on carotid holds 6/5 2 Buffalo officers suspended within a day of pushing 75 year old protester to the ground, and lying about it 6/5 2 NYPD officers suspended after videos of violence to protesters 6/5 The US Marines bans display of the Confederate flag 6/5 Dallas adopts a “duty to intervene” rule that requires officers to stop other cops who are engaging in excessive use of force 6/5 Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax releases an 11-point action plan for immediate police reforms 6/6 Statue of Confederate general Williams Carter Wickham torn down - Richmond, VA 6/6 2 Buffalo officers charged with second-degree assault for shoving elderly man 6/6 San Francisco Mayor London Breed announces effort to defund police and redirect funds to Black community 6/7 Frank Rizzo mural removed, to be replaced with new artwork - Philadelphia, PA 6/7 Minneapolis City Council members announce intent to disband the police department, invest in proven community-led public safety 6/7 Protesters in Bristol topple statue of slave trader Edward Colston, throw it in the river 6/7 NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio vows for the first time to cut funding for NYPD, redirect to social services 6/7 A Virginia police officer faces charges after using a stun gun on a black man 6/8 NY State Assembly passes the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act 6/8 Democrats in Congress unveil a bill to rein in bias and excessive force in policing 6/8 Black lawmakers block a legislative session in Pennsylvania to demand action on police reform 6/8 France bans police use of chokeholds 6/8 Seattle council members join calls to defund police department 6/8 Boston reevaluates how it funds police department 6/8 Honolulu Police Commission nominees voice support for more transparency, reforms 6/8 Rights groups and Floyd’s family call for a UN inquiry into American policing and help with systemic police reform

No, it’s not enough, but this is only the beginning. Keep fighting!!!