Oops?

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this year was held Feb. 25-28 in Orlando, Florida.  Social Media users quickly noted that the unusual stage design for the event is essentially the "Odal Rune":  

Quoth Wikipedia:

"This symbol was adopted in Nazi Germany as the badge of the SS Race and Settlement Main Office, responsible for maintaining the racial purity of the Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS), as well as by the 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen, the 23rd SS Volunteer Panzer Grenadier Division Nederland, and many neo-Nazi groups worldwide...The symbol was later used by American white supremacists.

....DC-area design firm Design Foundry took responsibility for the staging design, saying that they "had no idea that the design resembled any symbol, nor was there any intention to create something that did." Design Foundry had proposed several stage designs to repeat client ACU, based on the "best use of space", and ACU decided which one to use. Ian Walters of ACU said they would no longer use Design Foundry for their events." 

Pure coincidence?  Intentionally used a wink and a dog-whistle to Trump's more radical supporters?  Intentionally used by the designer in order to make a statement about Trump's racist rhetoric?   

At the very least, it would seem synchronicity is making a comment about the direction the alt-right has been heading under Trump's "leadership".

It's not the first time.  We discussed back in 2015 how a Trump campaign ad included an image of WW2 re-enactors dressed as German soldiers.  Then in 2020 a re-election campaign ad used an inverted red triangle to illustrate an attack on Antifa and other "far-left" groups.  The ad was removed after it was noted the exact same symbol was used by the Nazis in the 1930s to identify Communists, Social Democrats, liberals, Freemasons and members of other opposition parties.  

At the time, one historian noted "It’s hard to imagine it’s done on purpose [not that hard, apparently], because I’m not sure if the vast majority of Americans know or understand the sign, but it’s very, very careless, to say the least."

Or do Trump and co. know exactly what they're doing?  One would suppose those who carried Confederate, Kekistan, and other far-right flags among the mob which attacked Congress on January 6 wouldn't disapprove....

The cold is rising

I've long been a fan of poet Alfred Starr Hamilton, and years back had a web page or two dedicated to him. Those pages have since been transferred to this here blog. So, it is with some surprise I see on the tubes a Band Camp page for the Bye Bye Blackbirds with a song called....Alfred Starr Hamilton. Why? I dunno. Not sure how the lyrics jibe with the man, but hell, why not link to it here for the sake of completism. 

 Alfred Starr Hamilton by Bye Bye Blackbirds. 

Time's a rag doll
With something bright and cold in its chest
Words can strip bark and seep between the buttons of your vest
The cold is rising
Is someone here to tell me it's fine?
So fine
Smoking by the window
Fine
Freezing in the winter

All right, I'll be listening, I'll be listening, baby
All right, right now

You know I love you
Unravelling and troubling the signs
With words that stand still and brighten in the corners of your eyes
So come inside, dear
Where everyone will tell us it's fine
So fine
Smoking by the window
Fine
Freezing in the winter

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth” (Phil 2:10).

No comment....

Open Source Band Names List for as yet unnamed or non-existent bands IV

Just because I have nothing else to post.  These days I just cain't write for shit, because a broken soul cain't hold a pen....

Cats in Heat   
Dr, Medusa   
Death by Divorce   
The A's Teem   
Ostrich Politics   
The Drizzlies   
Little Ugly Annie   
Antibodies Home?   
Negative Slack Value   
Grudge Sale   
Spanish Moose   
The Working Dead   
Yiddish Porn   
Dark Mutter   
Monster Mush   
Mash-up Potatoes   
Edgar Alien Poe   
Edgar Allen Pooh   
Headgear Allen Poe   
Edgar Allen Po-boy   
The Southern Crass   
North Store   
K-Marts on Venus   
Martian Gigolo   
Moron-a-thon   
KISS (and Make-up)   
Elect Tron   
Elf on a Shell   
Mask of Sodomy   
Seldom and Gomorrah   
Pillar of Sodium   
Saccharine Musk   
The Gelded Cage   
The Golden Rage of Rock   
Golden Shower Curtain   
Aluminum Maiden   
Iron Made in China   
Pork, You Pine!   
Rick is Grimy   
Glenn's Dead   
Do you want to live?   
Wanton Wonton   
Boyd Semolina   
The Church of Satin   
Hail Satin!   
Offhand Remarky and the Fun Key Brunch   
Wolves, Low-end   
Mike Roe Dot   
Wolves to Men   
Riyadha   
Welcome to Wooziness   
Groove is in the Fart   
I like Rabbits   
Nina Häagen Dazs   

Birthmark, Redux

I previously posted about a play I adapted from Hawthorne's The Birthmark way back in 1998 (I think) and shared some photos.  

During the story, the "mad scientist" Aylmer photographs his wife Georgina, so our actor actually took a photo during the performance (his idea).   I was the director, and all my decisions were final, but it was fairly democratic and each performer made great contributions in terms of props and stage design -- including spinning hypnotic discs and a plant marionette that could "die" and be "resurrected".  We usually had informal votes on what to implement, though I may have overridden one or two things.  We weren't exactly a pure democracy, more like a democracy where one person could veto the majority.  So not a democracy at all!

I think we did seven performances in total.  

The first three images below were certainly shot during the performance.  Not sure about the second two -- we may have changed the moment he took the photo.  The last two were shot from the audience.

I include the repetitions because you can see that the actor taking the picture (Kevin) is in a slightly different position, but our actor playing Georgina (Korlee) is remarkably consistent with her expression.  

BTW, Kevin and Korlee remain together until this day and have a lovely son!  Oh, and I just heard from Carl after 20+ years!  Carl played Aminadab and made the aforementioned discs and flower....

Anyway, just thought I'd pop these online because I can be a compulsive completist!