THINKTANK

Heroes.

2010-03-14T23:16:00.004-04:00

Tonight at 9 p.m. on HBO, the new WWII miniseries The Pacific airs. For the past two months, HBO has been airing weekly, the epic companion Band of Brothers from 2001, as a build up. Band of Brothers is available on DVD now and was quite possibly and arguably the best and most expensive miniseries ever produced. There is also a documentary that ties actual experiences from Easy Company, the company that the miniseries followed through the beaches of Normandy, the liberation of Holland and the push to drive back the Nazis from Bastogne and the Rhine and into Germany during 1942-1945. Its called We Stand Alone Together, and it compiles actual stories and footage from all the battles. The full feature is located in the link.

The reason why EVERYONE should watch and read about these experiences, is because they are the most important acts of humanity to come out of the 20th century. The reason we can do the things we do, the reason we can have the things we have and go the places we go is simply because of the courageous and heroic acts of the brave men and women who faught and died in the World Wars.

So the next time you complain about your cell phone range, your stupid car and the fact that there is a line up at the club, shut the fuck up and relax, at least your not stuck in a fox hole in Bastogne, waist deep in someone elses shit, with German artillery shells landing all around you in the middle of February.

Indo-China Redux

2010-02-28T05:19:00.011-05:00

Oldies but very goodies.... When you can, go to Thailand and Cambodia. Life changing places.

Brad Nowell

2010-02-03T16:52:00.005-05:00

Ever since about 1997, shit, when I was fourteen, I’ve been in love with Sublime. I remember paddling down the Sand River in Lake Superior Provincial Park, bobbing my head to the killer sound of Wrong Way and April 29, 1992 (Miami), in a canoe and on my Sony Discman… Wow, those were the days. There was just something perfect about the ska/punk sound, the lyrics, which were so easy to pick up, and Brad Nowell’s voice rivals any of the greats, living or dead and you all know it. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a party or a cottage or the beach without someone righteously demanding and playing Sublime, it just goes without saying. Sublime means summer and is essential to it, like one cannot be without the other. But, like I think most of us feel, I’ve always been intrigued by what really happened to Nowell, so I figured you guys would too.

Of course Brad Nowell was taken from us way too early, as Sublime only released 3 major albums, and I think that’s what I want to talk about; just what the hell happened to such an amazing guitarist and the lead vocalist of still one of the greatest bands to come out of the 90’s?

Nowell died of a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 at the Ocean View Motel in San Francisco, two months prior to the release of Sublime. The album clearly kicked ass, and included the single What I Got, which made it to #1 at the Modern Rock Chart and has since gone six-times platinum. Besides What I Got, the album included Santeria, Doin Time, Wrong Way and probably my personal favourite Jailhouse.

The downward spiral began in 1993, as Nowell, frustrated by rejection of the major record companies, descended into a two-year heroin "experiment". Brad claimed that his heroin use was justified and that it aided his artistic creativity, fuelling his lyric writing and brainstorming, thus increasing the likelihood that his material would attract the attention of a major label. It reeks of hubris, the tragic flaw; it’s strait out of Shakespeare.

Attention from a major label did not curb Nowell's drug use, which sometimes led him to pawn his instruments, as reflected in Pawn Shop. It’s funny how looking into these things reveals a lot about the actual songs he writes, like in The Ballad of Johnny Butt where he talks about shooting up and killing cops… Or the song Pool Shark is another song that reflects his struggle with addiction. In February 1996, Sublime returned to the studio to record the bulk of their self-titled major label debut, in Texas. Brad's addiction became increasingly unmanageable and he was flown home early from the sessions.

Brad got married on May 21^st, 1996 to his long time sweetheart Troy Dendekker, and the next day Sublime embarked on a five-day tour through some California cities in preparation for a summer tour of Europe. The European tour was intended to promote their upcoming major label debut. Nowell's last performance took place at the Phoenix Theatre in Petaluma, California. On May 25, 1996, after the show in Petaluma, the band was scheduled to head up north. That morning, drummer Bud Gaugh woke up to see Nowell half in bed, with his feet on the floor. At first, Gaugh assumed Nowell had been too drunk the night before to get into bed properly. Unfortunately, on further inspection Bud noticed a green film around Brad’s mouth, and it became obvious that he had overdosed on heroin. He called for the paramedics, but Nowell had past away hours before, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Nowell was cremated and his ashes were spread over his favourite surf spot, Surfside, California. A headstone was placed at Westminster Memorial in Westminster, California in his memory.

Brad was 28 when he died, damn. I’m almost 27 years old and a lot of my fiends are around that same age and older, it kind of puts things into perspective, and when you think about it, his life goes to show how fleeting and fast good things can come to be and pass away. Not to worry though, Sublime will never go away and Nowell’s tale is a cautionary one, you can live life in the fast lane, but Jesus, stay away from the smack. It’s stories like these that showcase the importance of living life to its fullest, because it can end so damn quickly. So in conclusion, play more Sublime and ska/punk in the future, it kicks ass. Hopefully when you’re listening to some right after you read this, it reminds you of the super, wicked, awesome, rad, tubular Spring and Summer that is to come. The beach, the sand, the lake, the ocean and the crazy fun times that we’re reminded of when we pop in that CD, plug in that iPod and jam out to Nowell and Sublime.

If you only knew all the love that I found, it's hard to keep my soul on the ground.
-Sublime

Dundas Falls

2010-01-31T00:01:00.007-05:00

Went for a hike today. It was cold as hell, but gorgeous none the less.

Exquisite Game

2010-01-30T13:11:00.007-05:00

Last night I threw away my vow of staying in and doing my readings and catching up on homework, as I was convinced by my friends that that idea was just way too boring and lame. I got the group at the party to play a game. It's based on an artistic concept called Exquisite Corpse, where an artist would draw the head of a person and then fold it up on the paper and hand it off to the next artist who would complete the torso and so on.

But, instead of drawing parts of the body onto the paper, each person writes down a sentence, folds the paper so no one sees it, and then someone who can yell over top of everyone's drunken giggles reads out the hilarious quotes and blurbs. This game can form some of the most hilarious monologues you'll ever here. Try it out, yo!

Apocalypse Now

2010-01-29T14:37:00.012-05:00

I'm heading up a lengthy, two class seminar on Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, showcasing how the Movie was adapted from Conrad's Novella. Although inspired by Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, the film deviates extensively from the source material. The novella, based on Conrad's real experiences as a steam paddleboat captain in Africa, is set in the Congo Free State during the 19th century. This scene sets up Willard's mission into the Cambodian jungle and showcases Coppola's killer talent for great film making.

Kurtz and Marlow (who is named Willard in the movie) both work for a Belgian trading company that brutally exploits its native African workers. When Marlow arrives at Kurtz's outpost, he discovers that Kurtz has gone insane and is lording over a small tribe as a god. The novella ends with Kurtz dying on the trip back and the narrator musing about the darkness of the human psyche: "the heart of an immense darkness."

In the novella, Marlow is the pilot of a river boat sent to collect ivory from Kurtz's outpost, only gradually becoming infatuated with Kurtz. In fact, when he discovers Kurtz in terrible health, Marlow makes an effort to bring him home safely. In the movie, Willard is an assassin dispatched to kill Kurtz. Nevertheless, the depiction of Kurtz as a god-like leader of a tribe of natives and his malarial fever, Kurtz's written exclamation "Exterminate the brutes!" (which appears in the film as "Drop the bomb. Exterminate them All!") and his final lines "The horror! The horror!" are taken from Conrad's novella.

Photo Stuffs

2010-01-29T10:57:00.009-05:00

Thought I'd land some goodies in here for those who come and visit.

Ted Haggard and Bad Religion

2010-01-14T00:25:00.011-05:00

Recently, I sat down with my brother to watch a documentary film called Religulous, a film that debates organized religion, religious fanaticism and ultimately the bad happenstance that can come from it. In my opinion, the film reaffirmed a lot of what I believe in and stand for and felt a lot like reading the book “The God Delusion”, by Richard Dawkins (an excellent read, might I add).

A montage of clips came across the screen in one sequence and Bill Maher, the host, spoke about Ted Haggard, the self made Evangelical Priest who was recently caught up in a drug and sex scandal, lost his job and was exiled out of Colorado where is practice was. The whole notion was fascinating; because this seemingly well mannered, nice guy stepped over the lines he drew himself, as a founder of a Church and showed exactly why organized religion creates bondage, conflict, discrimination and how easily it can ruin lives.

I’ve watched some footage of Ted Haggard doing what he does best. He is amazing at motivating, uplifting and building relationships with other people. He always seems to have a smile on his face and he is actually a really nice guy, a fantastic guy in fact. A great family man, Ted Haggard has been married for over 30 years now. The guy just seems so likable, aside from his intense beliefs and dealings with the scriptures and such. He just seems clean as a whistle. The man founded his own Church, starting off with sermons in his basement, then moving up to renting larger rooms in strip malls, eventually he had a congregation of 14,000 strong, operating out of a campus in Colorado Springs. After solidifying his New Life Church and becoming a founding member of The Association of Life Giving Churches, he was appointed Leader of the National Association of Evangelicals.

What Ted Haggard and millions of Evangelicals believe in is the sole authority of the Gospels. What the Bible speaks is rule. Evangelicals are those odd folk who speak in tongues, denounce warlocks and witches like Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings and preach at all times a Good God over a Bad Devil. Extreme believers of creationism, angels, miracles and a One God, all powerful, Evangelicals are amongst one of the biggest religious groups in North American society today. This type of religion also denounces homosexuality and in some circles homosexuality is seen as the most obscene form of lifestyle and no one other than biological, heterosexual parents are meant to raise children and interact in society without ridicule or social ruin. To me, it seems like a form of prejudice no different than that of racism and discrimination against women.

Ted Haggard preached against homosexuality regularly, I have seen footage of the man speaking about reforming members of his congregation, who had been “found out” and had “fallen” from the righteous ways. The whole set up was perfect, I mean, it just didn’t get any better for the situation to rear it’s ugly head. The man had set himself up for failure, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

Homosexuality is not a disease, it is not something that is wrong, immoral or bad for society and that’s the bottom line. Homosexuality is something people are born with, in fact, there is strong evidence to believe that there is a single gene in our DNA that can cause it. You’re either homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual, you cannot change this. This is where my article meets it purpose.

In November 2006, Ted Haggard admitted to hiring and soliciting the services of a male prostitute named Mike Jones. He also admitted to using methamphetamine with Mike Jones. Boom! Roasted. There it was, for the entire world to see, for all the 30 million members of the Evangelical community to drink in. They’re Leader, they’re link to God was found delving into the very acts that their religious group so fiercely preached against. Soon after, Ted Haggard was removed from all leadership positions by his fellow Church members and was forced into exile, by law, from the State of Colorado. He was also ordered, by law, to undergo 3 to 4 weeks of intensive counselling overseen by four ministers from his Church to reform and remove the cancer of homosexuality from his psyche.

There is a documentary about this called “The Trials of Ted Haggard”. The man was forced to live with strangers, drag his family to another state, move from place to place with nothing more than his car and a U-Haul truck and find work elsewhere. He lost all of his savings, his home and the best job he could find was going door to door selling Health Insurance. Even though his marriage was still intact and his family still embraced the Ted Haggard they knew, he had gone from being on top of a major corporation (that’s right, Churches are businesses) to a jobless loser with no viable post secondary education to help him get his foot into the door of a good job. It was incredible to watch.

After his “counselling” it was reported that Ted Haggard was now “completely heterosexual” and had embraced his heterosexual side, again, denouncing his homosexuality as “sexually immoral”. Now that’s Religulous.

To this day Haggard is banned from practice as a minister in the Church. He has since been allowed to return home to Colorado, but a recent story still has the Haggard Family struggling to regain stature in the community, jobs and they receive hate mail and threats constantly. Ted also continues to undergo therapy to deal with what he coins “heterosexuality with issues”.

Ted Haggard’s “fall from grace” is a lesson about why, when people program themselves and others to follow doctrines and rules that control how we live and how our lives “should” be, bad things can happen to good people, a lesson I don’t think even he has learned. My problem with the situation is simply the lack of equality, tolerance and understanding that has occurred since the scandals. Doesn’t the Bible preach forgiveness? It does, but there is also that part about stoning homosexuals, punishing the “immoral” and exiling deceivers and liars.

Despite my opinion that Ted Haggard and his family are nice people, I think it is poetic justice that the man fell into the very ruin that he created for himself to fall into. A world of struggle and bondage and exile built up by the very doctrines he had preached for 30 years as a minister. His closest friends turned his back on him, for a mistake? No, for something that Haggard is and will always be, a homosexual, a sentient, incomplete, imperfect human being, just like you and I and everyone else. My question is this: Where is God now Ted?

Quarterlife

2009-04-03T23:24:00.000-04:00

I find myself voicing the same question over and over these days, as if I'm expecting an answer.... What the hell is going on? I have theories, but most of the time they're unfounded or uneducated and based on a lack of life experience. So, I decided to do some research. One particular term I do keep coming across in my search for the answer to my conundrum is the 'Quarter-Life Crisis', a term that quantifies the mass changes from adolescence to adulthood and the complications that branch out from them. I think that in answer to my main rhetorical query is just this, I'm in the midst of the maelstrom of angst, frustration and uncertainty that can creep up on a young person quickly in they're mid twenties. I don't think it is very uncommon, I just don't hear much about it from people close to me, maybe that’s why I feel secluded.

Taking a look at the issue, it appears that most of the difficulties stem from insecurities, confusions, frustrations and an underdeveloped sense that most of the people around you are either doing better or are feeling better than you are. Relationships and emotional interactions can easily fall apart and become much more subtle. The closeness of interaction with like peers fades as we come out of high school and university, thus making it more difficult to renew, gain, and maintain relationships whether intimate or casual. This brings me to something that hits close to home, the Intimacy vs. Isolation crisis, a conflict described by Erik Erikson a German developmental psychologist. After finding one's self in young adulthood, establishing an identity and forming strong opinions about the world and one's self, we seek to form intense, usually romantic relationships with other people. The Catch-22 of this crisis is the state of the emerging young adults in the current economy. Increased demand for more specialized post-graduate training delays the process of forming these intimate relationships by adding more time to explore and find one's self. This can lead to dissolved relationships, financial troubles, but at the same time, much more focussed opinions on worldviews, work and love itself in general. Relationships are mostly doomed in this stage of a young life, at least in the current generations of young people. As the complexity of life increases and goals begin to differ, it becomes much more difficult to parallel a partner or even a fiancée in terms of an intimate connection. So much of the strain is based on the separation and freedom most young people in today’s youth require; travelling, meeting new people, exploring sexuality and the cliché of living life to its fullest. Most people can't do it with another person; they have to be alone and unrestricted.

The term 'Twixter' came up in my research as well. It is a term that describes me almost to my right eyebrow. I am a young adult who lives with my parents (basically meaning I'm not really independent, primarily financially). I am employed, and like other 'Twixters' it is often unsteady and low paying. I recently exited university, and entered my first career but not independently, a cultural shift in Western households. Historically, whenever a member of the nuclear family becomes an adult, he or she is expected to become independent, start a family, and buy a house. Well, not this guy. I didn't like my first career, and botched my first few attempts at solid career launches and independence. So, I guess unlike Twixters in general, I'm different, in that I have been independent, successfully, but it wasn't floating my boat. Finding a career that you can excel in and feel yourself in is an extremely difficult task for a lot of people, and I think its one of the main causes of the Quarter-life Phenomenon. The social structure of a university or high school classroom is far different from the confusion of office politics. There is usually a general feel and closeness you have with a class of peers and a teacher or professor. You are constantly evaluated and graded, whereas in a workplace it can take months for your employer to let you know he or she is completely unsatisfied with your performance. The lifestyle that surrounds a career can be completely unknown to a rookie, it is never taught or thoroughly discussed in school or training. Even the people you find yourself working with are most likely to be a far cry from the intellectual and personal creed of the people you found yourself around in school. All of these points add up to a hurricane of possible ways to ruin a job choice for a new comer. It seems especially difficult for students who have focussed and specialized in one or maybe two distinct areas of employment. If those jobs and lifestyles do not fit with the person, its a hard road to start over and to even realise its best to do so.... Again, the crisis is evident.

I also fall under the category of another term, the Boomerang Generation. A group of young folks like myself that find themselves returning home to cohabitate with they're parental units. This is largely based on economic benefits. The financial burden of independence is taken off of the young person and largely all monetary income is kept and used for personal use (hopefully used in good discretion). There seems to be a debate amongst certain groups that are for or against this idea. I'm on the fence. The up side is a renewed and constructive relationship with your parents. A new ability to argue valid points, change hands in household roles regularly and of course as I said before, less burden on the wallet. I've been fortunate enough to pay off my student loan and make considerable strides in planning for my new future as a student at Guelph University. The downside can be argued that it continues to delay the maturing and development of the young person (I do act 5 years old on much of the clock). Sometimes that freeness and unrestricted social life of college can be drastically changed upon return home. Dating also becomes constricted both in terms of the nature of the social structure in the home and the stigma that there is something wrong with you if you still live at home or "in your Mom's basement". Although, I think even worse than this situation is someone that doesn't live at home at all, and everything from transport to personal fitness training is paid for by the parental unit at a level inconsistent with the skills and job training the young person is undergoing.....

Anyway, I guess I helped to understand more than answer my relatively broad question. Most of the stuff I just discussed helped to solidify what I'm feeling and hopefully most of what others, like me, are feeling.

I guess the main thing that really bothers me the most these days are the stigmas and the delay on everything I felt I was supposed to be doing at this point in my life, a sense of longing, loneliness, frustration and confusion, thus the crisis. I do find myself, a 25 year old, living at home with Mommy and Daddy and the doggy and kitty cats. But, looking at the big picture, just to justify myself to those who have read this far, I think have a good plan, my goals are sound and immodestly, I'm pretty sure I have the smarts and devilish good looks to conquer what lays ahead. So, in conclusion, there is a hell of a lot going on, but it seems to be shared and known to a heck of a lot of others, not just me. Thank god, or whatever governs this tiny floating mass in the cosmos.

Mr. Leash

Commercials

2009-04-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

Ahhhh the joys of television. I certainly can’t deny that a lot of my information, news and entertainment is derived from this marvel of the 20th century. While most of the time I can pick and chose what I watch on T.V. and listen to on the radio, its hard to avoid the major downfall of either one. Advertising….

Commercial advertisements and ads in general are really getting to me these days. I think I speak for most of my peers when a lot of the time what I’m seeing has no relevance to my life or how the product or service will effect it. Even just how the product or service is conveyed and advertised in the first place. Some commercials are just bad, I mean, really bad. So bad in fact, I get angry, furious in some cases. Recently I found myself livid and red in the face over one of the most jaw dropping and shameful commercials out there right now…

Has anyone seen the advertisement for the Sunggie? Apparently the time honoured blanket that has served the hu man race so well for thousands of years is no longer sufficient. Now, we are being coerced into purchasing blankets with sleeves? What in God’s name is going on in the world we live in? This abomination costs thrity US dollars; all for a seemingly warm looking piece of fabric with sleeves you can keep your arms in. Praise Jesus, now when I’m knitting afghan blankets or reading my Danielle Steel paperbacks, my arms won’t get cold and they’re free to answer my constantly ringing phone, or to stuff nachos into my face while I watch Bromance on MTV….. This infomercial is priceless. In one scene there appears to be a family at a baseball park watching a tee-ball game and they’re all wearing a Snuggie. They look like Gryffindor House students from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for Christ’s sake.

Clearly the infomercial is stating that having your family look like a coven of Warlocks, or hard core, life members in a Ku Klux Klan Chapter when enjoying each other’s company outside of the house at a sibling’s tee-ball ga me, is cool, and generally accepted in most North American societies. I know I want one!

The thing about these types of advertisements is they’re sheer cunning at getting people to actually pick up the phone, pull out they’re wallet and make the purchase. I just don’t get it. Guys like Billy Mays, who yell at us for a few minutes about the cleaning power of citrus juices and the awesome cleansing force of oxygen are right up there, even the sales pitch for the ShamWow? Hey, you know if the Germans made it, it must be good….right? My God.

I have asked myself hundreds of times, “Who the fuck actually buys this shit?” Pardon my language, but honestly, who really does make that decision. The thought process from being peaceful in body and mind to being completely convinced that cutting through solid iron with this new knife, has to be done now, and with three easy payments of $29.95.

The answer is staggering. I did some research and the numbers are ridiculous. The Snuggie alone has actually sold 4 million units since the product came to market in 2008, and the product has even developed a bizarre cult following. Products like the Magic Bullet? Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, you know? Set it and forget it? The My Lil Reminder? Or how about the all time worst of the worst, the Tiddy Bear…… Look it Up. Its patent pending, and yes, its real! All of these products are successful and have sold more than 1 million units, at least.

Now, for some reason the above statistics makes me think of the coming apocalypse. Rather than placing our money into something worth while and perhaps better for the whole planet, about 3 to 4 million people decide that the blanket on they’re couch or on they’re bed or in they’re bloody closet, just wasn’t good enough and the Snuggie was a much more viable option…..

There are even generic commercials with no relevance to society at large that use ridiculous scenarios to sell their products. Bounty Paper Towels? When was the last time you used one paper towel section to wipe down and scrub your cast iron frying pan after about six slices of salted pork glory? Buy a cloth towel you can wash and reuse hundreds of times! Does anyone use only 3 sections of toilet paper to wipe down after their mid afternoon bowel regulation? What about the Magic Bullet? I don’t know about you but the last time I used a blender was when I proverbially placed a girls heart in inside and pressed frappe, never! I know I certainly don’t need a motion sensor on my air freshener and no, NO, I do not need to have a small voice recorder in my back pocket so I can remember where my car is parked or whether or not I needed Gouda or Brea from the Metro.

A typical viewer like you and I, has seen enough advertisements to anticipate that most will be bothersome, annoying and useless, prompting the viewer, like myself, to be mercilessly selective in their viewing. Conversely, if an advertisement strikes a chord with the viewer (such as an ad for debt relief shown to a viewer who has received a late notice in the mail), or has entertainment value beyond the basic message (such as a Ram hitting a man square in the junk for Stride gum, or genuinely funny and effective humorous campaign spots), then viewers tend to stay with the advertisement, perhaps even looking forward to viewing it again. So, not all commercials are bad, and of course they’re not. Awareness for breast cancer, stop smoking commercials, public services and commercials that make us laugh or discover new music and ideas are all great.

Many television advertisements feature catchy jingles or catch phrases that generate sustained appeal, which may remain in your mind long after the span of the advertising campaign. Does anyone remember the popular catch phrase “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”? The use of popular music came about in the 80’s and is a strong point in most commercial campaigns today. Like being parodied on SNL for a celebrity, having your song or part of your LP in a commercial or popular news ad can mean a new level of success and generally if the song is well known, the commercial will be that much more effective.

In the United States alone, the T.V. advertisement is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format, and this is reflected by the high prices T.V. networks charge for commercial airtime during popular T.V. events. The annual Super Bowl is known as much for its commercial advertisements as for the game itself, and the average cost of a single 30-second T.V. spot during this game (seen by 90 million viewers) has reached US$ 2.9 million (as of February 2009). My my, that’s quite a figure. This brings me to a question. Do advertisements actively affect your choice in buying a product? I mean, really think about that for a second.

Don't get me wrong; there are some really great commercial spots out there. The Mac campaign had a good run, pitting the p udgey, rude and shameful PC guy against the angelic, slim and hip Mac guy.

The Terry Tate: Office Linebacker commercials, where a freakishly huge Center Linebacker keeps office employees in line and up to date on proper office etiquette, extremely funny. I like the simplistic natur

e of the Stride gum campaign that hired a YouTube celebrity who goes around to every country, picks its main landmark and dances a jig.

The commercial is so short but so effective that I do find myself with a pack of Stride in my pocket right now. These commercials I like, the funny, short and memorable ones, commercials that don’t seem fake or commercials that don't end up over doing the whole product gimmick and sales pitch. I guess keeping it simple works for me.

I think the message I am trying to convey in this article is that marketing campaigns for private business, large corporations, product lines and services are not going to go away and for the most part are just awful and in my opinion ruin the task they are trying to accomplish. Breaking down commercials and advertising on television gave me the creeps; way too much money is spent in the showing off and buying of products that don’t necessarily have any bearing on the lives of everyday North Americans.

In retrospect to all of this ranting and raving, there is a lot more to life than a spotless kitchen, a weed free lawn, and teeth whitening strips or the ability to cook an 8-pound leg of lamb in 18 minutes. I wish it wasn’t so, but it is a fact that advertising will only get stronger and much more wily in the coming years, just make sure you don’t get sucked in somehow, and if you find yourself working in the industry, MAKE IT BETTER!

Mr. Leash