May 21st through May 25th is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week in Australia.  Classified as a neurological disorder, Tourette Syndrome is a serious problem for many people, who should definitely assist to the gbm clinical trials if they are diagnosed wit it.  Sufferers of Tourette’s often acquire serious — and some cases, debilitating —  facial “tics” which can affect their speech, eyes and even breathing.  Others may make strange, or even obscene, utterances at random intervals which others may find rude, vulgar or in bad taste.
     Unfortunately, people who suffer from Tourette’s are often shown disdain by others for a condition which they clearly cannot help.  They are often stigmatized by their affliction, and may, in turn, develop additional mental issues such as anxiety, depression or antisocial behavior.

     If we were celebrating Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week in the United States, I would f#!*ing go to our local f#!*ing Health Department and get a f#!*ing stack of those f#!*ing flyers about f#!*ing Tourette’s Awareness Week and f#!*ing pass them out in order to f#!*ing educate some f#!*ing people.

     In f#!*ing honor of this f#!*ing prestigous event, I present, “The Big Lebowski: The F#!*ing Short Version” (language alert):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jRhgNp-fNc
Tip: Les Jones for the information, which reminded me of the video, and the fact that I’m a smart ass

     Alright, so it’s old … I haven’t seen it before …

     And, obviously, now I can’t use the I-D-Ten-T thing anymore, either… Kinda sucks, since RTFM is common knowledge, and I just lost PEBKAC last month…

     It’s May 2nd, and as promised last month, it’s time to spotlight another talented artist.

     Seattle-based Phil Hansen fits the bill.  He’s quite different from the last couple of artists I’ve blogged about.  While the others are speed painters with incredible skills, that’s only a small portion of what Hansen does.
     Hansen uses a myriad of techniques, tools and materials from construction equipment to Starbucks cups.  When you think “Modern Artist,” and perhaps even “Avant-garde,” this is the type you end up with.

     He’s earned himself quite the controversial reputation by making a number of political statements with his artwork.  From Rosa Parks to the KKK, from a homeless man to George Bush, he’s come up with some damned fine work and managed to get more than a few people thinking.
     My personal favorite is entitled, “48 Women.”  It’s a portrait of convicted serial killer Gary Ridgway, aka The Green River Killer.  Up close, you’ll see that the portrait is made up of pixelated photos of a few of his forty-eight victims, including some which merely read, “Jane Doe.”

     Hansen defended the painting on a 2004 news clip from KIRO:

Some people don’t want me to give more glory to him, more fame, more exposure.  But at the same time, if we’d never do that, if we never see his face again, we’d forget those forty-eight women.

     On to the timelapse…

     In one of his more tame moods, he karate chops Bruce Lee onto the canvas:

     Next up, in a work entitled “The Value of Blood,” Hansen paints North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il … yes, in blood.  Kids, do not try this at home…

     Be sure and check out Phil’s other videos on YouTube.  And, of course, you’ll definitely want to check out his website at philinthecircle.com.

     And, hey… if ya like it… Check out his store. 😉

     A few months ago, I was using a urinal in a public restroom, minding my business.  As I zipped and turned, some idiot, for reasons still unknown, swung a punch — and missed.  I quickly used the momentum of his failed blow to spin him and throw him down hard.  I held his face to floor for several minutes, all the while explaining the reason this was a bad idea.  Eventually, he said, “Uncle” and I pulled my knee from under his shoulder blade.
     With tears streaming down his face (which, considering his aggressive condition, may have been more to do with several minutes of close proximity to years of stale urine and industrial strength floor cleaner than actual pain), he proceeded to leave the establishment.
     Although he apologized to me and several other patrons for the trouble he’d caused, he did scream, “F#$* you all!  I’m never coming to this place again!” exactly one second before exiting the building.  This is expected behavior from an aggressive asshat.
     Apparently, said asshat had already caused a lot of problems.  Some of the regulars, who had observed the last portion of the short-lived melee, found the situation altogether hilarious.  It wasn’t long after that I was sitting at the bar (no one would find that shocking) drinking an on-the-House pitcher of beer.
     We laughed, discussed, and I was accepted as “part of the family.”  Eventually, the subject of our banter became “restroom etiquette.”

     Though we did not create this video (the fine folks at Zarathustra Studios did it, using The Sims 2, Sim City 4 and some other cool stuff), many of these same subjects were touched upon…

     Ok, language, sexual situations, and generally disgusting…

     But uhh … yeah …

     This is exactly why Internet Dating sucks.