Stepping up the anti

The game appears to be on in Libya, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Syria, Egypt and Tunsia. Unfortunately many of us in the United States aren't quite sure what the game is.

Are the protests occurring in order to develop democratic forms of government, or is it a battle to establish Fundamentalists Islamic rule?

The battle ground is moving down through Africa and The Sunni's have the upper hand in Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, and Somalia. The Shiite's have Yemen.

After everything is said and done is this a Sunni vs Shiite tug of war? And by the way......who exactly is running the country of Somalia......Blackbeard? Autocrats are using force to stop the activists and in the long run that means bigger forces will enter the picture. Yesterday the United Nations authorized military action against Kadafi and what that means is unclear..........but warplanes are warming up in France, Great Britain and the United States. Kadafi responded by calling a cease fire. If he started distributing oil revenues to the people of Libya he might have a chance to stay in power, but after 40 years of being a stingy asshole I don't think that's on the table. Dictators and Kings. Who would have thunk that those two descriptions of leadership would still be relevant in the 21st Century? It's coming to end Moammar......I think you should enter a monastery and convert to Catholicism. Give 75% of your wealth to the people....and then perhaps the Jesuits could do something with your attitude. Think out of the box....or get put in the box......it's up to you goofy. Michael Timothy McAlevey

Odd but not so much

This picture was supplied by the NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration) to demonstrate the energy dispersal from the 8.9 Japanese earthquake of March 11. Japan is in the upper left side of the picture with the small black arc being the origin of the source.

What I would like you to do is focus on the colors.

For the last four weeks I have been working on a painting that has these exact same colors.

Of course my design is quite different but once you see the finished work you will go......hummmm.

I say........hummm.

Of course there's always a chance that the NOAA has spies everywhere just trying to steal colorways from unsuspecting artists so that their charts and patterns will look really cool.

And I'm really not that paranoid........wait a minute..........did you hear that?

Michael Timothy McAlevey

If AC/DC turns up on General Hospital

To be perfectly honest I'm not sure General Hospital is still on the air (yeah I know I could find out pretty easily but I don't want to) but if AC/DC suddenly turns up on that show, I think I might have to turn in my fan club membership. Of course I don't really have a fan club membership.....but I think you get my point.

I'm referring to the current appearances by rock legends into the world of reality television. First Steven Tyler takes over for Simon on American Idol (the show is leaps and bounds or screams and tones better than before) and then Meatloaf becomes a cast member of Celebrity Apprentice.

If Paul McCartney turn up as the new host of A Minute to Win It (no I don't watch it) and Bono decides to do Survivor, I'm going to throw away some legendary albums.

I'm really surprised that Meatloaf decided to do Mr. Trump's gig. I realize that you might not be that surprised but it seems most of the other players are linked to some strangeness or previous short celebrity stints.

MY GOD.....Meatloaf is...................... Meatloaf.

I just don't think he realizes how important he is to the Broadway Rock musical genre. I know it probably has another name but that's how I tag his music.

It could be on Broadway or it could at Staples Center or it could be blasting on the car radio going like a Bat out of Hell on 395.

I just didn't realize that his career had slipped to this level.

I have no idea what they get paid to be on The Donald's celebrity adventure but I sure hope it's a bunch.

The saddest part of the story is.....I'll watch the show until Marvin gets eliminated.

I can't believe they actually have a demographic searching for Meatloaf fans.....

And lo and behold.......they found one.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Nuclear radiation IS A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM

I had to pause a moment and try to recall when President Obama said that Nuclear Power needed to be readdressed in this country. I think it was in his State of the Union address. I remember thinking that he was attempting to appease certain members of the opposition and cuddle up to big business. Moving toward a new centrist position indicated to me that he was obviously beginning his reelection campaign.

I have a feeling that recent events in Japan might put a hold on those readdressing plans. The United States has been extrememly sensible about building Nuclear Power plants in the last 35 years.

There has been ONE under construction since 1973

A reactor in Tennessee was started in 1973 and will be finished in 2012.

38 years to build one.......
and then........
.....60 seconds to create world wide radiation alarm.

We have 104 reactors operating in the United States and they supply 19% of our electric energy needs.

We have no Nuclear Reactors built on the top of an active Volcanic mountain range.

But we do have 4 operating in California. In fact, I think I've read that two of them sit very close to the San Andreas fault line. To be honest I haven't really researched it because I don't want to know the actual truth.

Ne0-Illumination.... "Happiness might be based on how much truth....one can ignore."

The entire NUCLEAR EXPERIENCE........makes me pissed off and dizzy and upset and confused. I'm probably one of those victims of the early radiation in the San Fernando Valley caused by a leak at Atomics Lab on January 13, 1959.

My thyroid was removed in 1976 and it wasn't caused by drinking goat's milk.

That's the problem with radioactivity. The negative results don't occur until much later and by then everybody responsible has hit the highway and gone off to another venture.

and because of that irresponsible attitude......I can easily make the following statement.

WE, THE HUMAN RACE, HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO CREATE NUCLEAR POWER WITHOUT HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES. EVERYTHING WE DO TO CREATE ENERGY FROM NUCLEAR......PUTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE AT RISK.

Dr. Helen Cadicott should be designated as the head of NUCLEAR REVERSAL.

Nuclear Reversal Inc, should be an organization that completely reverses all efforts to harness nuclear power.

If you don't know who Dr. Caldicott is ....then you should Google her immediately.

In the meantime I'm looking toward the island of Japan and just waiting for the next horrible wave to be revealed. It won't be a wave created by the ocean. It will be a wave of radiation created by human beings and it will be traveling in the Jet Stream and it will be headed for Western Canada and the United States.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Since 1945

Japan has been nuclear since 1945. Of course their introduction to the power of nuclear energy came rather suddenly and without warning.

The 55 nuclear power plants, that generate 35% of their energy needs, have been built with the full approval of the Japanese government.

The photograph above shows the Islands of Japan. What it doesn't show is the actual mountain range that exists under the ocean.

Japan is the visible part of an active volcanic mountain range.

I think it takes a huge portion of radioactive gonads to build 55 nuclear power plants on land that can routinely receive earthquakes and eruptions.....which is the natural byproduct of being an active volcanic mountain range.

It's really not the mountain range's fault. They are just trying to grow and become larger mountains.

I'm not sure if it's weirder to build nuclear reactors on the side of a volcano or to think that world dominance should be their birth right.

The Japanese really have some amazing inflated ego stories over the last 400 years.

They must have read all the press clippings from Great Britain's historical attempt to own the world.

LIEF.........LITTLE ISLAND EGO FEVER

I suppose I understand the conquering concept when your personal land mass is an island, and you feel the need to acquire more land. So in that respect the colonization concept makes much more sense than building nuclear reactors on the top of volcano's.

8.9

OMG......that's big.

Let's just hold our breath until we get a full report on how those reactors responded to one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded.

They do build good cars (most of the time) so maybe their construction can withstand massive vibrations caused by mountain growing burps.

Maybe is the key word in that sentence....but the other sentence that always seems to pop up....might be more apropos.

THERE'S NEVER A PROBLEM UNTIL THERE'S A PROBLEM.

8.9 in the Ring of Fire.

yikes....

Michael Timothy McAlevey

An important link to another blog

This is a blog that you should read on a regular basis. Especially if you want a rational and intelligent viewpoint on economics.....both present and historical.

http://www.robertreich.org/

His recent books should also be read.

I don't do this very often but Mr. Reich deserves the honor.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Thank You

Discovery is now back and headed to a well deserved retirement spot at The Smithsonian.

Thanks for helping mankind keep their vision pointed upwards.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

It should be a documentary

For the last 6 weeks I have been scouting locations for an art show. I have covered every possibility except for the church across the street....and they are on my 2dew list this afternoon. The most interesting encounters I've had are with Art Galleries. I actually should have a secret mini CIA type video camera implanted in my left eye ball so that the verbiage could be preserved. Sometimes the verbiage turns into carnage and then all forms of human interaction take place. So far there have been no police calls and no one has become physical but that is only due to the fact that I leave the arena of confrontation....and rightly so, because it is their business. Their business is the magic phrase. Some art gallery owners are so out of touch with reality that I feel like they could become United States Senators without the slightest effort. I'm not talking about them not liking what I do, because generally they don't even ask to see my "stuff." I get the fact that snobbery exist in all areas of society.....but art gallery owners, and quite often the people who work at the front desk, have a UNIQUE position in the world of snobbishness. I understand how a person who is involved in a exclusive auction house or a world class museum can develop an attitude regarding the product they sell and display. I would most likely be an incredible snob if I was handling an original Renior for a family that needed to sell their $30 million dollar painting. If I ran the Tate Gallery in London I might be a total dickhead. The point of this is..... if you own a gallery in Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California.....you better be a really, really friendly person.....and you should go out of your way to welcome anybody into the gallery. Of course the homeless guy who hasn't showered in a few weeks does create a unique problem....but I've been to hundreds of galleries and have yet to see one of those types attempting to appreciate the art. Maybe someone should take the art to them in the streets.....they need help and art is created to improve the soul because in reality the soul has created the art. That might be the best explanation for who and what Basquiat was about. Back to the space hunt. And when you think about it.....hunting for space is truly a journey of its own. Obtaining a space to display personal creations is much more complicated than doing the work. IN FACT....making the art is not really work. It can be extremely frustrating and time consuming and mistakes can be made and anger can result, but when you are obsessed with something, that is coming from the soul ,and or, the deepest creative glands inside your body, then it's all about passion for your obsession and while it is referred to as the work.......it's much much more than work. It's a form of breathing. I would assume that most art gallery owners have been frustrated artists at some point in their life......maybe at 5 years old, maybe yesterday. They either decided that they could explain art better than they could do it, or they understood the business aspects and that became their passion. They might still do their art but it's no longer their lifestyle.....it's their hobby. Creating art is not my hobby. To be fair there are exceptions to all rules. Another extremely important part of the art game is the art critic. 30 years ago I created the following quote..... "critics come and critics go but critics don't put on the show" Some art critics actually consider their part of the show much more important than the actual show, because they are explaining what the artist is attempting to do and often times their explanations are even eye-openers for the artist. A critic attempts to tell a story that is either positive or negative. Does their story make you want to see the work or even better yet....own the work? Art gallery owners are the ultimate art critics....and they can make an artist feel amazing or they can make an artist feel like slicing a few fingers down to the first knuckle. In their minds they are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting the taste of the most important person they know....... THE COLLECTOR that buys from them. Personal economic ups and downs determine how and what gets spent on the acquisition of art. Collectors generally want to know the story behind the art. In other words....they would like to know the artist. If the artist is no longer in this physical reality then historic information becomes important. People are interested in what motivated an artist to create the art. Traditional paintings and sculptures generally need no explanation. A 20 foot wide Albert Bierstatd painting of Yosemite Valley only needs to be viewed, in person, to understand the power of the work. The back story of how Albert worked is quite interesting. Contemporary and Abstract art might need an explanation but often times the explanation can vary from person to person. It's like a giant frontal vortex puzzle. Is there something in the painting that I don't see? Is it disturbing? Is is pretty? Is it important? I have an opinion that generally people looking at abstract art don't consider perspective....at least they don't consciously consider it. Their brains and their eyes calculate perspective but their reasoning does not enter into the picture. The reasoning is the element that decides whether they like it or not. Of course sometimes people buy art because of the artist. And sometimes people don't buy art because of the artist. And sometimes people love the artist and hate their art but they will buy it anyway, because the gallery owner believes it to be a great investment. And sometimes people love the artist and hate their art and won't buy anything because it's too expensive. I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on stating the reasons people do and do not buy art work. But suffice to say....a contemporary modern abstract artist probably needs a snob somewhere in their immediate vibrational field of play. The snob can be a person or it can be a gallery. When a snob does not need to be involved is......when an artist sells their work for a very reasonable price. A reasonable price is a price that equates time and energy to monetary terms. Do not point out the Picasso line drawings at the end of his life. His signature was valued because his entire body of work was valued. He could have sold dots on a business card for thousands of dollars as long as he signed those dots. By purchasing a piece of art from an artist, at a reasonable price, one is basically saying I'd like to help the artist continue painting and I'm interested in what comes next.. My story is interwoven into the art and due to certain circumstances in my story, I believe that some of the work I've done is priceless. I'm an artist and I have the God given right to make ridiculous statements. I'm fairly certain I have a compelling story to tell and I'm grateful that the story includes some colorful explanations which exist on paper and canvas. I will find the right location to share my art and I will be sure to invite you to the show. There will be some dancing so be ready to shake it up. I will be inviting some snobs.......whether or not they show up, is out of my hands. If they do show up please don't step on their shoes while dancing in front of my pictures. (I liked that Steve Martin used the term pictures in his new book so I'm borrowing it for a moment) Michael Timothy McAlevey

Martin Sheen and his various creations

Martin Sheen, actor and activist, has always been one of my favorite celebrities. He seems so grounded and has always been able to explain his actions in a calm and sensible manner. I recall his anti-nuke arrests with fond memories.

One of his creations seems to be operating in an entirely different field than the one Martin plays in....but in actuality it's probably Martin's fault that Charlie is the way he is.

Let's get something clear right off the bat.....The Charlie Sheen Reality Show is compelling TV.

I don't like the knife stories or the life threatening accusations by women he has rented for the evening....but the Charlie rants are rare visitations into the mind of a celebrity gone wild.

I'm thinking he should run for Senate....or Congress.........those two rooms are full of hypocrisy and bullshit that always seems to be covered up by stoic and righteous behavior. Maybe Charlie could liven the place up and reduce the amount of lying that takes place on an hourly basis.

Another great idea for Charlie is for him to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Think how much fun the clubhouse would be and if they aren't going to play well at least they can party well. The media coverage would be large.

Imagine the bat girls!

I didn't think the TV exposure of his children was very bright....and today I see they were handed back to the mom. The odd part of today's story is that the mom, Brooke Muller, had moved back into Charlie's house a month ago. It was a small part of the story but in my mind a very important part.

I'm actually thinking that what Charlie would really like is for all the women and all the children in his life to simply move in. He might need a much bigger house. That would solve a lot of problems and maybe the children could insure that everybody would be on their best behavior.

YEAH RIGHT!

Charlie could obviously take some lessons from the master of harmonious expansion.........Hugh Hefner.

I see fighter pilots flying supersonic jets across the sky and simply marvel at the difference in our live styles.

Charlie is a fighter pilot who can't remember where to land his machine so he just keeps screaming across the celebrity horizon waiting for someone to shoot him down.

I suspect that TV evangelism is probably next on his list.

Maybe his soul will actually rise up and propel him to some spiritual awakening that has nothing to do with organized religion.

He's got the platform....now he just needs the awareness.

It really is an entertaining show but I like happy endings and this doesn't appear to be headed in that direction.

I hope I'm wrong.....for Martin's sake.....because after all the hoopla and bells and whistles and ridiculous media coverage, this comes down to a story about a father and a mother and a brother and a son.

Just another family trying to sort out the vibrations of experiencing life in the 21st Century.

I'll say a prayer and then hope Charlie decides to buy some of my artwork.

We all have an agenda......don't we?

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Best of the show

While watching the Ultimate Olympic Ego Show last night...better known as The Oscars....I was quite pleased to see THE INSIDE JOB win for best documentary. I wrote a piece about that film when I saw it and suggested that it should be required viewing for all high school seniors. If The Oscar can increase the viewing public by 10 or 20 percent then that means a few more people will be asking the question that Charles Ferguson asked when he won the award.

Why has nobody involved in the 2008 financial meltdown been indicted or gone to jail?

The questions get much deeper when you realize where some of the major players in that fiasco.......now find employment.

Look at the present administration and then turn your attention toward a few of the great universities in America.

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS PROGRAM.

As for the actual Oscar telecast.

Why can't we just have Billy Crystal handle the situation until the next great master of ceremonies comes along? Maybe someday it will be Jimmy Fallon but right now nobody fits the bill better than Billy.

I'm not saying anything negative about James Franco and Anne Hathaway. They came, they looked good, they didn't embarrass themselves and then they went away.

The host of the Oscars has legendary status. Bob Hope and Johnny Carson set the bar and Billy Crystal has come the closest to reaching that bar.

I understand the youthful demographics but I am just a bit nervous that next year the producers of the show will give it to..............Justin Beiber.

Maybe those E-Trade babies would be a good choice.

Bring back the experienced host and let's up the anti on the dignified portion of the show.

But one thing that is good about all this......

THE AWARDS SEASON IS FINALLY OVER....

NOW LET'S ALL GET BACK TO WORK.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Dodger thoughts

I'm going to write about what the Dodgers did in the off season to improve their team.....




End of story

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Public Pensions and common sense

I'm going to try and make this as simple as possible.

We all know that the cost of operating a government is enormous. The number of jobs needed to sustain a government is a large number.

What we generally don't know is how much is paid to government employees after they retire.

I have never seen a list showing what public pension funds pay to various retirees.

I have heard rumors. Everyone seems to know someone who knows someone who receives retirement benefits that almost equal their actual pay.

I've even heard rumors about certain government retirees who make more than they did while working because they had multiple pensions....such as an elected official who held several elected positions.

I know you've heard those rumors also.

The truth is we don't know the truth and I think that's what is happening with all the fuss in Wisconsin.

The fuss in Wisconsin will soon become the fuss in AMERICA.

PENSION REFORM must be addressed and as that happens the moaning and groaning will turn into bitching and yelling and then that will turn into gathering and protesting and then maybe the rest of us will actually learn the real numbers.

We've all heard the rumors about firemen and police officers who manipulate their final years of work in order to receive a much higher monthly pension.

RUMORS need to turn into actual facts. It's hard to investigate the reality of the PENSION situation because there are so many variables involved.

It's like we might be able to understand all the complexities if they created a PENSION REALITY TELEVISION SHOW.

"PENSION PLAN REVELATION" Wen 8pm NBC

Somehow the actual facts need to be revealed on how much people receive from PUBLIC PENSION FUNDS.

THOSE FUNDS ARE BEING PAID BY TAX DOLLARS.

SOMEONE WHO MADE $75,000 A YEAR WHILE WORKING AND WHO NOW GETS $60,000 A YEAR RETIRED, COULD NOT POSSIBLY HAVE PAID ENOUGH TO GET THAT KIND OF REWARD.

THE NUMBERS ARE OUT OF WHACK.....
OR THE RUMORS ARE OUT OF WHACK.

THE TRUTH NEEDS TO BE LEARNED....and common sense needs to be applied.

And while I'm addressing common sense......why doesn't the amount of money spent in IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN ever get mentioned when talking about excessive government spending?

I tried to keep it simple but now I've brought up the elephant in the room.

Oh well....let's try to learn the truth about pensions before we try to understand the military complex.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Supreme Court once again says BIG BUSINESS rules

Pharmaceutical companies are some of the largest companies in the world and anytime something goes wrong the only recourse is to sue.

The Supreme Court has ruled once again that drug companies are exempt from personal lawsuits.

The latest ruling says that no one can sue a vaccine maker if their vaccines are defective and cause injuries.

Children are the victims of injuries from vaccines.

The ruling was a 6-2 vote.

The last time I checked there were a few more people in the Supreme Court.

Once again CORPORRUPTION rears its ugly head.

I realize that vaccines are very important to the overall safety of the American public but if a bad batch is made and horrible things happen to lots of kids then the families have no voice in the highest court of the land.

BULLSHIT!

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Discovery goes to stud

Discovery, one of the three orbiters in the shuttle fleet, will make its final flight on Thursday February 24th.

We really do take the shuttle launches for granted.

Discovery was the shuttle that launched the Hubble Telescope and for that reason alone it deserves a very nice farm to rest its weary composite. Obviously the Smithsonian has some fertile fillies running around that will ensure the Discovery of many relaxed years of pleasure.

The sexual references come easily because this might be the most powerful phallic symbol in the history of mankind.

The preparation and the tense moments and the wining and dining and then the eruption of power and the penetration of space.....followed by the various offspring such as The Space Station and multiple satellites doing who knows what for whom.

And then don't forget the smoke that follows the launch.

Google Earth probably owes its life to Discovery.

I've been told by people who have seen it in person that a shuttle launch is the most powerful man made thing they have ever witnessed.

We salute you Discovery....and we'll see you on the farm.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

OMG I never thought I would say this...

Justin Beiber is a great American success story.... and the movie Never Say Never explains it all......the Beiber Fever is real and it's coming to your town.

It turns out he's a nice kid from a small town in Canada who simply took advantage of modern day technology and created a fan base that seems to be sticking with him as he matures.

He is the Networking golden boy....the poster child for going viral. He's the older brother for girls under 12 and the younger brother of girls over 17. He's nobodies dad and he's nobodies uncle and he's nobodies husband. He's just a good looking talented kid who seems to know what he wants to do with his life.....and what he wants to do is entertain.

I think back to how people reacted when the Beatles appeared and 85% of the guys thought their music sucked and that they were faggots. (There were no gays in 1963, so just relax)
(( I hope you aren't one of those nuts who think Mark Twain's words should be changed))

I was a senior in high school when the boys from across the pond hit America, and when I say 85% of the male population didn't like their music and hated they way their hair looked...I'm not exaggerating.

Every teenage girl in America instantly fell in love with them and the rest is history.

It seems that young Mr. Beiber might have fallen into that exact same space.

His shows are entertaining and his team knows how to treat his fan base. His people go out before a concert and give away a certain amount of great seats to young women who don't have tickets for the show. He picks a girl from the audience to come on stage and receive flowers and be part of a song called ONE LESS LONELY GIRL.

Hopefully he will continue to display a NICE GUY demeanor, but we have seen the horror stories that take place with youthful success.

I think he's going to be alright but then again remember...... I'm the same guy who thought McGovern would kick Nixon's ass.

He's definitely has some talent in his corner....Usher being the main one. And Usher seems to have made a great career out of imitating Michael Jackson, so helping Justin shouldn't be that hard. The kid can play various instruments....and he can sing. Now we just have to hear what happens after the voice change.

Anyway I recommend the movie because it has a special message for anyone who is trying to achieve anything of substance....at any age.

And while I was writing this he just got the MVP in the celebrity basketball game at the NBA weekend festivities.

NEVER SAY NEVER is the message and we all should hear it........ and hear it good.


Michael Timothy McAlevey

My baby boomer take on the Grammy's

I was working on a piece of art last night and decided to watch the Grammy's for a little musical interlude.



Few notable observations.


Didn't Taylor Swift sell about a billion albums last year?
Her name was never mentioned.

Whatever Mick Jagger is taking......I want some.

Was Bob Dylan going to start laughing during the performance?

Barbara could have lip-synced and nobody would have cared....she's Barbara.

Who was that tall school teacher chick on the right during the opening number?

It would be so cool if Bruno Mars wasn't gay. He's really talented. Is he gay? Hard to tell.
Doesn't really matter....but if he's straight then he might be the new pop king.

Arcade Fire? Seriously? Do they do the music on CSI Moscow? It was really like background chaos. I realize I'm old but AC/DC could teach them a few things about rhythm.
And the strobe lights gave me a headache.....can't imagine being in the room.

Justin and Will Smith's kid will be replaced, very soon, by those babies on the E-Trade ads.

Lady Gaga has started working out. She needs to be careful that she doesn't develop Elton John's figure.

And since I mentioned AC /DC I've got to ask....... why aren't they doing the Grammy's?
Talk about setting the room on fire.

Katy Perry needs to have some kids with Russell Brand and just relax.

Muze had an interesting sound. Their LED light show was brilliant. Great use of the technology.

Marshall Mathers and Jerry Mathers (The Beav) are not related. Marshall seems like half the enrollment at a local community college. He and Bill Murray should open a clothing store.
Oh yeah I forgot there's already a Goodwill store. And if anyone knows about it....it would be me.

If Neil Young is going to come to the party then they need to make sure he plays a song.

And seriously.....what is Mick taking? He wasn't even breathing hard. All I could think about was when are The Stones tour dates going to be announced? I'm so ready.

One thing that can be said about the Grammy's. We sure don't have to worry about the awards interfering with the performances. Apparently they hand a bunch out the night before. In a few years there will be no awards handed out at the show.....just a list underneath. And I also noticed there were multiple ads selling recordings of the Grammy show. No Video....just audio. I guess CBS controls that puppy. Will they make it available on Netflix in a few months? They don't replay award shows. ....do they?

The Grammy's might be the only award show that could be marketed later.

And the best performance
of the night goes to.....

MICK JAGGER.
cus I need you...you...you.....
Michael Timothy McAlevey.

Will they bring the Pyramids down

Mubarak can't be totally blamed for his brand of leadership. The Egyptian DNA is fairly strong when it comes to authoritarian type figures.

Have you seen the Pyramids?

Maybe the new leadership should dismantle the history of Egypt and start at square one.

Let's see....the new tourist attraction in Egypt could be........hummmm......maybe......sand.

They could paint each grain of sand a different color.

All the college graduates roaming the streets could have a job.

Maybe they could do a sequel to Ishtar and put a few hundred extras to work.

Was that movie filmed in Egypt?

The rumors have started surfacing on how much money Hosni has in Swiss bank accounts.

2 t0 20 BILLION are the numbers I've heard so far.

He'll probably end up in Miami or Beverly Hills.

I can't wait to see how the Muslim Brotherhood puts people to work.

New day.....new dawn....same old sun.

If Democracy is the end result...then the people of Egypt should be congratulated.

It's definetly a wait and see situation.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

ELF PROJECT PHOTOS

Check out yesterday's post for explanation

ELF PROJECT WRAP and bit more info

Now that the Little Fockers movie has finished generating income I can officially wrap up the ELF Project.

There will be an encore if Meet the Mother Focker is released in the near future.

Actually it doesn't have to be anytime soon since the ELF Project idea started in 2004.

I might as well begin at the inception of the idea.

In 2004 I was standing at the corner of Lincoln and Montana in the 90403 zip code when a bus pulled up directly in front of me. On the side of the bus, at eye level, was a giant billboard advertisement of the sequel to Meet the Parents, which was a hit movie in 2000 starting Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro. The sequel was called Meet the Fockers.

The Fockers part of the ad was 24 inches from my face and printed in bold red print on a stark white background. My immediate thought was.....if I had a can of white spray paint in my hand the top of the O on the Fockers would be covered and that bus would be driving down the street promoting a new movie called.....
MEET THE FUCKERS.

The thought turned into a plan and I started calculating how many buses I could do within a short period of time. I then realized that there were bus stop benches and billboards and that MEET THE FUCKERS could be spread all over town.

In 2004 I was involved in my ARTCEPS publishing company so time was at a premium and the idea simply left by the same door that all other non-materializing ideas leave.....it's either a side door or a back door or a trap door.....still not quite sure which is which and where is where and who went where or why.

And to be honest I've never been one who advocates property damage, which could be a sign of old age or maturity or fear....again not really sure of the motivational factors behind doing or not doing something that could be considered illegal. But spray painting buses just didn't rest comfortably in my personal integrity meter so Meet the Fuckers never saw the light of day.

Over the next few years I managed to bungle my publishing business and had to get a job. Going from person in charge to person on puppet string was quite hard and I stressed myself into some physical problems. Of course it didn't help that I was working for a micro-managing ego-maniac who actually used to use the expression...."I don't like to micro-manage."

Just how deep and detailed a micro-managing philosophy can go is any one's guess.

The term probably didn't even appear until the early 90's.

And boy have I gotten off point.

Back to the ELF Project, if you are still with me.

After I stopped working for Micro Man in 2006 I decided that it was time to focus on my artwork.

Since the 80's I've always spent some time creating designs with a FLOW concept in mind.
In the 80's I was pouring my designs because the flow worked better and the designs had more freedom.

Then in the early 90's I had my Puzzle period which had it's moments....both high and low.

Then February 4 1994 came and Sean went.

AND THEN.......NEO-ILLUMINATION entered my life. It didn't start out with a name but for the next five or six years I would receive a summary statement from some deep spot of my pineal gland, or someplace much deeper, and would write it down on a large piece of art paper or canvas and then create a design around the words. My initial piece took four years to finish.

The summary statements kept coming and I kept writing them down and after awhile I started developing a new sense of flow with my art and decided to create images and then add the statements later.

THAT WAS A HUGE CHANGE OF DIRECTION.

From 1993 to 2002 I was Vice-President of a art company whose main clientele was the furniture industry. I handled the sales force and designed most of the product line. In 1995 I took 10 small original NEO-ILLUMINATION pieces and one large piece to our trade show in North Carolina, along with our normal product line. I sold most of the small items and the one large piece, that I wished I had kept track of. A designer bought it for a environmental law firm in Tennessee but I didn't record the destination.

Even though I was receiving incredible universal insights I was oblivious to certain aspects of how to control and distribute my personal artwork.

The lost of a teenage son can alter the structure of an individual.....and that alteration can last until the end of time. My ending is not quite clear but I would like to know that I've left some sense of style....and my artwork appears to be the most visible sense I have.

The artwork that I've been doing in the last 4 years seems to be much better than anything I've done before.

I know one thing for sure.......it's much prettier.

Pretty is just an odd word when talking about art.....but pretty is pretty.....and it doesn't matter if it's a pretty face or a pretty picture........

Pretty is pretty.

It's a statement when it's done right.

If continual flow and structure are involved then pretty can look intriguing.

I think my artwork is intriguing. It's not suppose to make one think or wonder or question.

It's simply there to enjoy.

THE DESIGNS THAT WERE INTENDED TO HOUSE THE NEO-ILLUMINATIONS HAVE BECOME LANDLORDS OF THEIR OWN PROPERTY.

I'm not sure if there isn't a whole lot of guilt due to ignoring Neo-Illuminations in the new designs....
......but I'm fairly certain that the NEO-ILLUMINATION messages have their own life force and don't really need visual distractions.

I would like to think that my artwork is more than a visual distraction.

I would like to think that......

BUT........

THAT'S WHAT IT MIGHT BE AND THAT'S WHY IT IS JUST SIMPLY....

PRETTY.

You might be asking yourself what the hell does this have to do with the Little Fockers and my ELF Project?

I shall explain......hopefully.

I think The Universe decided that I could use a good laugh after everything I've been through in the last few years.

About nine months ago I bought some very cool white artist tape. I use it to secure images to the boards I work on. In July I went to the $6 show at the AMC ( any movie before noon) and the first preview they showed was a new film that would be opening at Christmas time.
It was called.........

The Little Fockers

At that moment, in that theater, I simply thought about my previous idea in 2004 and then the word TAPE appeared in my frontal vortex and I knew what I would be doing for a few weeks in December.

I had to wait and see what colors the ads were before finding the right tape. Once I saw that it was the same....red lettering on white background....I simply went to Home Depot and bought a few rolls of white duct tape.....and waited for the ads to appear.

The actual name of the project did not appear until my friend Jay from Chicago told me it needed to have a name. I originally called it Little Fuckers Everywhere but that just sounded too crass......then it hit me......it's Christmas time and The ELF Project just simply worked best. Everywhere Little Fuckers was born.

I realized after a few days of changing the O's to U's that I should have made a documentary. The trouble is I couldn't get anyone else interested. I tried to have a photographer I know shoot me as I created Little Fuckers on the side of buses and bus stops and billboards, but she wasn't interested. I have no pictures of me doing the taping. But I took plenty of pictures afterwards.

I learned a whole lot about a whole bunch of different people during and after this project.

Certain people that I knew would think it was funny.....didn't. And certain people who I was positive would call the police....laughed their asses off.

My 91 year dad laughed a little bit but kept telling me I would get arrested.


Arrested for TAPING?

OBVIOUSLY THE CENTER POINT
OF THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE
IS THE WORD

FUCK

Hypocrisy ran amok during this endeavor.

Certain people who use the word hourly didn't think that it was funny.

THAT TO ME.....IS FUNNY....and odd.

THE WORD IS PART OF OUR FUCKING LANGUAGE. IT'S NOT AN OCCASIONAL WORD USED RARELY. IT'S A WORD THAT IS FUCKING USED EVERY SINGLE FUCKING MINUTE OF THE DAY.

EVERYWHERE

BY
MEN
WOMEN
AND
CHILDREN


After all........it is just a word.......four letters.....and letters that don't spell anything really bad like the words........Death, War, Genocide, Hate, Rape, Hunger, Cancer and Disease.

THE CREATORS OF THE THREE FILMS KNEW FROM THE OUTSET THAT EVERY TIME ANYBODY HEARD THE WORD FOCKER THEY WOULD THINK FUCKER AND YET.................... THAT'S FUNNY.

I GUESS OBVIOUS IS NOT FUNNY

UNLESS IT IS

THE PICTURES THAT SHOW MY ELF PROJECT ARE FUNNY TO MOST OF THE PEOPLE.
AT LEAST 80% OF THE PEOPLE WHO SEE THE PICTURES LAUGH. MAYBE LATER THEY WISHED THEY HADN'T....BUT THEY DO AND THAT'S WHAT MATTERS.

THE INITIAL VIEWING OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS OR THE ACTUAL VIEWING OF A BUS OR A BUS STOP IS THE MOMENT THAT COUNTS.

I've stood at corners and watched people start laughing as they looked at a bus stop that promotes Robert DeNiro in The Little Fuckers. I've sat on a bus stop and pointed out Ben Stiller next to The Little Fuckers and watched hot chicks laugh. I've had bus drivers say that's the funniest thing they ever seen.

The beauty of tape is that anyone who didn't like it could instantly remove the tape.

NO PROPERTY DAMAGE.

I even had Catholic guilt one night so strong that I had a dream which made me get up the next day and go remove a bunch of tape from bus stops ads. A few days later I settled down and put it back on....but those nuns from kindergarten to 9th grade were complete in their trauma classes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If those nuns had stuck that wooden ruler up my ass instead of whacking me across the face....I'd be rolling in the papal bucks.

Street art is now a genre. How that Street Art is performed is immaterial.

Whether you like it or not.

Damaging property with spray paint might be one of the basic elements of Street Art but I don't think that is even remotely true.

The idea is to......Create a moment.......whether it be serious or funny.

Art is not just something you hang on your wall if you are an artist. Besides the stuff that gets hung, it's a statement and it's a statement that usually applies or responds to something happening in society.

I made a statement in the month of December in response to the creator's of the FOCKER name.
They made millions of dollars by being subtle.

Was it subtle?

I made nothing for creating The ELF Project and after watching the movie I think I made more people laugh then they did.

I'm getting ready to have an art show within the next few months and I've been told that the ELF Project should not be part of it. I've taken that into consideration and have decided that the 78 pictures I have, should stand alone and not distract from my actual work.

Maybe sometime in the fucking future I will have a separate show and just invite certain fucking friends.

In the meantime.....I can't believe you read this whole fucking explanation.

You are so fucked up!

But thanks.

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the ELF Project 2011

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Family business

I've read my share of vampire crap over the last 30 years. For awhile I was into the Ann Rice take on blood sucking creatures but gradually grew uninterested due to a personal limit of how much blood one can handle that leaves the body. I've seen the Twilight movies but have not read the books.

I've been waiting for a sequel to the original story by Bram Stoker.

That sequel is here and I highly suggest that all vampire freaks run out and buy this book.

The book is called DRACULA The Un-Dead and it happens to have been co-written by a relative of Bram Stoker.....Dacre Stoker. Darce is a great grandnephew of Bram and he really does a great job of adding a new twist to the story.

I don't want to reveal the twists and turns........... so I won't.

Suffice to say I love the direction the story takes and it opens entire new possibilities.

Possibilities lead to more stories and more sequels.

I'm not sure the world needs more vampire stories but this one adds an entirely new take on why Count Dracula did what he did.

Check it out and if you loved the original story don't fall into the trap of.... changes are not suppose to take place when dealing with the original.

"You can change what ever you like in a fictional piece of work, if the changes work"

And especially one can make changes if one is a relative.

The changes in Dracula The Un-Dead work beautifully.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

2/3/11

I choose to celebrate his life on April 25.......not what happened on February 3.

Enough said.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Sun also sets in Egypt every single day.

It seems that nobody has a clue to the solution in Egypt. I'm not comfortable with an Islamic Fundamentalists government controlling the Suez Canal....and that seems to be what the young unemployed are moving toward. Pretty soon the chanting will be.....GOD IS GREAT.

I, for one, know that God is great but I also have a feeling that Fundamental Islam is about as thrilling as the Religious Right and 17th Century Witch Burning when it comes to what the Creator of the Universe thinks is sensible and loving behavior.

Of course I have no idea what the Creator thinks but I'm banking on the whole lot of love concept.

It seems odd when political unrest turns into a religious agenda.

Africa has been on the Islamic blueprint for a long time. It used to be on the Christian blueprint but Rome just simply pulled up their magic carpet and hit the road.......kinda like what they've done in Haiti.

Haiti is 95% catholic and the situation is completely unacceptable.

Rome should be paying every Haitian to build churches. The money could come from the sale of antiquities.

SERIOUSLY.....THE CATHOLIC CHURCH COULD EMPLOY EVERY MAN WOMEN AND CHILD IN HAITI TO BUILD BEAUTIFUL CHURCHES.

AFRICAN NATIONS THAT ARE ALLOWING ISLAM TO BECOME THEIR RELIGION OF CHOICE WOULD BE DULY IMPRESSED BY ROME'S FORESIGHT AND MAYBE PUT THE ISLAMIC STEAMROLLER......ON HOLD.

IS IT JESUS OR IS IT MOHAMMED TO THE RESCUE?

WHERE'S THE LOVE?

I'M WAITING

Michael Timothy McAlevey