Bookmark this: Hentai Variations
by Tironius, created Saturday, August 18, 2007, with permalink
Shiko-Shiko: Japanese onomatopoeia—holy shit I spelled it correctly on first try—describing the sound of your father's greasy hand furiously pistoning your erection; aka masturbation
Japanese are sick, dark, twisted fucks, and I love them for it. Comics about rape and incest are the usual order in hentai manga—Japanese comics you don’t show to Mom—and Hentai Variations is a one-stop source for some decent shiko-shiko source material, updated several times a day.
Labels: Bookmark This, Hentai
Visiting the North Korean border
by Chris Maupin, created Sunday, August 12, 2007, with permalink
Day trip to the edge of forever: North-South Korean border a creepy place
digg story
“This is the ‘bridge of no return…’,” the US MP informed us. “Cross this bridge and you will be stripped of all freedoms and will be forbidden to ever enter S Korea or the US Again. Cross this bridge and you are in N Korea’s hands.” The bridge was little more than 8 feet wide and and perhaps a hundred feet long or so. In the days of the Korean war, war prisoners were told to choose which side they would live the remainder of their lives in. Some chose wisely, others didn’t.
Hello everyone!
Cross this bridge and you will be stripped of all freedoms and will be forbidden to ever enter S Korea or the US again.
Yesterday I visited Panmunjeom [1] 1. The United Nations Joint Security Area and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) a 4 mile wide ribbon of land that divides the two Koreas along the 38th parallel. The DMZ is perhaps the most militarized border in the world. Both sides are heavily walled and fenced. The DMZ itself is infested with landmines and anyone trying to make it across would not make it very far. Covered in guard towers on both sides, you often find yourself being watched by N Korean soldiers.
We started our tour at “Camp Bonifas” which was formerly known as “Camp Kittyhawk.” The once US military base is now under the Republic of Korea’s command and is the largest installation near the DMZ. We were briefed by an American MP on the history and background of the DMZ and Korean War. Then we signed UN waivers and got made the short drive to the JSA (United Nations Joint Security Area.) The JSA is the place where the DMZ narrows around a cluster of buildings and the two sides meet without fences. On the one side there is a large S Korean Building used to house officials, dignitaries and for other administrative purposes. Across from it is it’s N Korean counterpart - dubbed the “monkey house” because of the rude behavior of it’s N Korean Guard. In between there are no fences, no walls, nothing - only a series of portable type buildings used to hold negotiations and talks. Between the buildings the two sides soldiers stare eachother down and try to intimidate one another all day long. It was intense.
In the days of the Korean war, war prisoners were told to choose which side they would live the remainder of their lives in. Some chose wisely, others didn’t.
So there, at the JSA, I saw them.. The North Korean soldiers - just like on TV. Wearing their olive drab uniforms, gaunt, cold looking. They watched us through binoculars the whole time we were there. 2 from the Monkey house steps, and one from a guard tower. It was an eerie feeling knowing that all that separated us from those brainwashed fascist soldiers was an imaginary dotted line in the sand. The guide told us that when president Bush met with the S Korean president a while back, 2 N Korean soldiers entered the meeting room (illegally) and proceeded to polish their boots with an American flag on display. yikes.
After we left the JSA, we headed to a high hilltop observation tower on the DMZ border. Across the forest you could see it — N Korea and it’s flagship village known to the locals as “Propaganda Village” because it used to blare loud propaganda messages slamming the US and S Korea and enticing people to defect into N Korea. When S Korea erected a new flagpole which was some 300’ in height a few years ago N Korea responded by erecting what might be the largest flagpole ever built by man. It waves a massive 660 lb N Korean flag that measures some 60’ in length and requires 16 people to raise and lower it. I took some good shots of the village and the flag so you can see them below.
We then passed through more ‘gaza-like’ checkpoints with anti-tank traps and gun turret posts to ‘Dora Observatory.’ Photography from the wall of the observatory is prohibited, but of course I don’t believe in rules, so I smuggled out some photos for you! Sensitive and classified! Don’t turn me over to the UN please!
After the observatory we headed to the ‘3rd Infiltration Tunnel’ site which was discovered in 1978. The N Koreans have attempted several times to dig a series of tunnels from which to invade S Korea from. Sneaky bastards! Cameras were not allowed in this area.
The last stop was the Dora-san Station. This is the new train station that has a line that goes from Dorasan (S Korea) to Pyongyang, the N Korean Capital City. After years of negotiations Kim Jong Il (N Korean Dictator) allowed the train from S to N to be built - then of course at the last minute he refused to allow any trains to enter N Korea. So the station sets, ready and manned to send travelers off into the North. Schedule boards and waiting chairs all anticipating a train that will never come - at least not for now. I took a photo of the sign that says “Dora -> Pyongyang” and got my passport stamped there.
Well, Hope you enjoy these photos and the candid peek into the bizarre and secretive North. It was a great tour and I recommend it. Special thanks to the USO who booked and organized it for me - what a great organization they are.
That’s all for now,
—Kurippi 19
Labels: Adventure, Asia, Best of
Derren Brown's supplier found here in Franny
by Tironius, created Friday, August 10, 2007, with permalink
I find the source for Derren Brown’s tools of magic here in San Francisco
1. Since our chat was brief, I couldn’t get specifics like his name or whether he owned the shop. I assume he does.
I‘ve made a huge discovery today: Mental magician Derren Brown’s magical supplier seems[1] to operate a shop of magic here in San Francisco. I learned this as I briefly chatted it up with the worker inside this shop called Misdirections Magic Shop:
“Derren Brown gets all his stuff from me,” the Chinese worker—who's demeanor and knowledge make his story plausible—said as I asked about Derren Brown products, “We’re friends.” Holy shit!
From what I gather, this shop must be a somewhat hardcore supplier of top magicians if Derren gets his goods from here. I could only talk briefly as there was, in fact, either an amateur or a professional magician who started talking serious shop with the man after our first interlude.
2. I can’t remember exactly. These names are made up, but sound like what I saw. They were definitely jargon that a magician in-the-know would recognize.
Derren Write-ups:
A taste of Derren on YouTube
A good synopsis of his talents and book
In-depth on one particularly shocking stunt
A secret revealed about his newest U.K. show Trick or Treat
Derren found on iTunes
The shop is very small, just a narrow walk-in area with a large display case on the right side. In it, various magical and novelty products are on display, from beginner to advanced. I say advanced, because there were various decks of cards with hardcore jargon attached to each. “Snake eyes technique,” or “Deuce technique.”[2] There were also plenty of gag gifts and novelty items, like electrocuting cameras and computer mice. Behind the case on shelves against the wall were many books and DVDs containing the secrets to magic. I noticed one was by that one magician I see on cable.
Derren can be found at iTunes.
3. NYTimes writer Neil Strauss went from loser to master pick-up artist in his book The Game Amazon, wherein he talked about the concept demonstrating value to the psychology of the opposite sex. Magic is one way to do this. His mastery arose from the tutelage of master pick-up artist Mystery, who himself has a new show about the life on VH1 iTunes.
4. Derren sells how-tos to magicians on his website, but not to outsiders. Luckily, there is no ‘outside’ on the Internet
“He has two DVDs out, but he’s very advanced,” the man responds when I asked if he had Derren Brown how-tos. The short conversation turned to his TV shows when he informed me I would have to order from the U.K. I informed him of Derren’s new place in iTunes, about which I have written here.
When I looked up at his ceiling, I was flabbergasted. On it were the autographed pictures of famous magicians, but for which only one I cared. When I first asked to take a picture of the autographed head shot of Mr. Brown, the guy politely told me he doesn’t allow photography.
“OK,” I said, “I’m just such a big fan.” “All right, you can,” he said. Yay.
After the visit, I now have a renewed interest in watching the how-to videos Derren produced [4] and learning a few tricks, because, according to Neil Strauss in his book The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists[3], magic is a great way to capture women’s interest and pick up phone numbers, and nothing is more magical than pounding sweet Asian pussy.
Labels: Best of, Derren Brown
Derren Brown mesmerizes America
by Tironius, created Wednesday, August 01, 2007, with permalink
Master mental magician Derren Brown hits iTunes
Derren Brown, the king of mind tricks, who has in the past shocked and awed U.K. audiences, comes to America with a television series called Mind Control, featured in the iTunes television store.
1. Stooge, n: a person who is employed to assume a particular role while keeping their true identity hidden
2. Stage magic
3. Showmanship is in essence, lying, but not lying. It’s giving the impression you are doing something one way for the effect, but the audience is smart enough to know something might be deceptive, which is fine. It’s a relationship between performer and audience, where the audience suspends disbelief. I’m paraphrasing from his book, Tricks of the Mind Amazon, which I own.
4. Neuro-Linguistic Programming
iTunes show link
Brown rocked the U.K. with such sensational stunts including playing Russian Roulette on live TV, conducted a live seance, hypnotically converting atheists into “believers,” and his normal bag of tricks.
I like Brown because he makes absolutely no claims that he uses real magic, but he does claim—and I believe him—to not use actors or stooges [1]. He professes nothing more than someone using a combination of magic [2], psychology, misdirection, and showmanship [3]. He employs principles of NLP [4] to embed commands into his unwitting victims, and, other times he has you believe he’s using such hypnotic techniques. The fun is not knowing which is taking place.
More added…
Cheesy and cheeky, Mr. Brown specializes not in illusion as much as the art of disillusionment. He may seem like a tonic to Americans disenchanted with the elaborate artifices of the so-called reality genre.
Mr. Brown is a charlatan, but at least he admits it.
Read more of “Derren Brown: Mind Control”
Labels: Best of, Derren Brown, Magic, Television
