top 10's music 2005

trying to write up a top 10 best/worst of music that came out in 2005 makes me realize how little "new" music I listen to these days...I guess after a lifetime (or half a lifetime?) of voraciously devouring every new release that came my way, I'm done...just put on a good reissue or an old favorite and I'm happy...anyway, this is the best I could do - certainly not a good reflection of what's in "top rotation" on my iPod mini but whatever...

no particular order - cds that came out in '05 that didn't suck
black eyed peas "monkey business"
green day "american idiot"
big & rich "comin' to your city"
john doe "forever hasn't happened yet"
dwight yoakam "blame the vain"
george jones "hits I missed & one I didn't"
dylan, "no direction home" (soundtrack)
"jarhead" (soundtrack)
neil young, "prairie wind"
cash, "legend" (box set)

more top 10's

This was the year that Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul, at the urging of the New York Times Book Review, declared that fiction is dead. [from salon.com] Gee, guess all those great books I read this year & all the wonderful stories that appeared in various lit. journals don't count? Perhaps those who deem fiction "dead" should go off & do something else for a living & leave fiction to those of us with a true love for it. ahem.


I'm sure I'll think of several that I've left off the list but here are 10 books (or so) that came out in '05 that I think were worth the read:
Joan Didion, "the year of magical thinking"
William Vollmann, "europe central"
Joyce Carol Oates, "missing mom"
Cormac McCarthy, "no country for old men"
J. Lethem, "the disappointment artist"
C. D'Ambrosio, "orphans"
Chs Burns, "black hole"
marilynne robinson, "gilead" (though, I admit, I haven't finished it yet)
gaiman, "anansi boys"

most over-hyped books:
brat easton ellis, "lunar park"
curtis sittenfeld, "prep"
frey, "a million little pieces"
rowling, "half-blood prince"
foer, "extremely loud & incredibly close"
zadie smith, "beauty"
grisham, "the broker"
ishiguro, "never let me go" (enough already!!)

books I wish I'd read that came out this year
china melville, "looking for jake"
jeanette walls, "the glass castle"
john berendt, "city of fallen angels" (first chapter is great!)
tom reiss, "the orientalist"
judith moore, "fat girl"
doctorow, "the march"
iweala's, "beast of no nation"
and that stack of about 30 some books that I'll eventually get through in the next few months...

year end top 10's and all that

I haven't really been in the mood to write up top 10's though various & sundry friends & acquaintances have sent me their year-end wrap ups...since it's briefly quiet at the dayjob (probably because no one else in nyc is actually working today), I'll make an attempt:

movies - in no particular order
Walk the Line (who knew either of 'em had it in 'em? I mean, sure WAA-keen has proved he's a great actor but...)
Jarhead - a decent job of adapting an incredibly powerful book & yes, there is the santa hat dance & the sex against the wall scene - the horse covered in oil was the scene that gutted me completely...
Grizzly Man - werner herzog's documentary that proves there are people in this world weirder than he is - though perhaps not as brilliant & hey, I'm always up for anything with GRIZZLIES
Sin City - great job of bringing comix to the big screen & who knew Mickey Rourke could still look kinda sexy?
Mirrormask - Henson manages to NOT ruin a wonderful Neil Gaiman story & to actually bring Dave McKean's brilliant artwork to a less static medium. I loved this movie - yes I am a geek.
Batman Begins - great movie though Bale had a weird voice every time he had the mask on & I couldn't stop thinking about Tom & the Scientologists every time Katie Holmes was on screen - eek.

Movies that I'm sure will make the list once I've had time to see them: Munich, Brokeback Mountain, King Kong, Narnia (oh shutup!)
there are many, many more great movies I saw this year but these are the ones that come to mind.

photo of the day for today

one of my favorites images of '05 - "i love you" graffitti

today's word for the day: dyspepsia

dyspepsia \dis-PEP-shuh\ noun 1 : indigestion *2 : ill humor : disgruntlement

Example sentence: "As his prestige grew," wrote historian Daniel Boorstin about Sir Isaac Newton, "so did his dyspepsia, his unwillingness to give credit to others or share credit for his great discoveries."

Did you know? When people get indigestion, they are often affected by nausea, heartburn, and gas -- things that can cause the world's greatest gastronome to curse the world's most delectable dishes. So, it is no wonder that "dyspepsia," a word for indigestion, has also come to mean "ill humor" or "disgruntlement." The word itself is ultimately derived from the Greek prefix "dys-" ("faulty" or "impaired") and verb "pessein" ("to cook" or "to digest"). To please the wordmonger's appetite, we would like to end with this tasty morsel: "Dyspepsia" has an opposite, "eupepsia" ? a rarely used word meaning "good digestion" that can be found in _Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged_.

[from dictionary.com]

today's words of wisdom

A good many young writers make the mistake of enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, big enough for the manuscript to come back in. This is too much of a temptation to the editor. -- Ring Lardner, "How to Write Short Stories"

U.S. Casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan reported 12/29/05

Spc. Aaron M. Forbes, 24, of Oak Island, N.C., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Forbes was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas

1st Sgt. Tobias C. Meister, 30, of Jenks, Okla., died south of Asadabad, Afghanistan on Dec. 28, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat patrol operations. Meister was assigned to the Army Reserve's 321st Civil Affairs Brigade, San Antonio, Texas.

Pfc. Jason D. Hasenauer, 21, of Hilton, N.Y., died near Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Dec. 28, when his HMMWV accidentally rolled over during patrol operations. Hasenauer was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.The incident is under investigation.

word for today "quiddity"

quiddity \KWID-ih-tee\, noun: 1. The essence, nature, or distinctive peculiarity of a thing. 2. A hairsplitting distinction; a trifling point; a quibble. 3. An eccentricity; an odd feature.

Quiddity comes from the scholastic Medieval Latin term quidditas, "essence," from quid, "what."

[from dictionary.com]

& of course, there's a 4th meaning, as any Clive Barker fan will tell you.

photo of the day

sleepy hollow, NY

UNDERGROUND WINDOW Jan. edition is up

From the Underground Window newsletter:
Welcome to another edition and a new year for Underground Window: First (and most importantly), UW is proud to present the following poets in the January edition: Corey Habbas, Marianne LaValle-Vincent, Suchoon Mo, Yvonne Garrett, James Keane, Harold Lorin, Nathan A. Baker, Goldie Tompkins, Mark Haughton, Peter Schwartz, Jeanpaul Ferro, Robert Bradshaw, Christopher Barnes and Corrine De Winter; and the following fictioneers: Charles P. Ries, Tim Spurr and Jeanpaul Ferro.

Here's the direct link to my poems:
http://www.undergroundwindow.com/garrettjan06.html
And no, I don't know who that is in the photo though it does sort of look like a bad photo of Allison Krauss (sp?).

Habitat for Humanity - Harlem Home Dedication

by far the best day's work I did all year was helping to build a wooden floor in a new home on 128th Street in Harlem.

Though I didn't make it to the dedication ceremony, here are some photos of the Habitat for Humanity Harlem Home Dedication ceremony a few weeks ago. 6 homes on 128th Street were built - note the REALLY well built wooden floor :)

http://www.habitatnyc.org/html/events/home10.shtml

arizona winter 2006

michael farantino's new project

got this recently from a friend of mine - this is from the lead vocalist/etc. of the band "love in reverse" - signed by Howie Klein during my brief time at Reprise.

Greetings my friends,
I am proud to announce that my new project:
Transfusion M (Life part 2)
is now available for your listening pleasure?
After a tumultuous and exciting year of soul-searching, writing, recording, and morphing I present to you my most ambitious and eclectic piece of work in its entirety?a 100% FREE streaming MP3 album (+ a few surprises!)
The album was produced by Grammy award winner Jason Corsaro (Madonna, Clutch, Duran Duran, Soundgarden, Steve Winwood, PIL) and Tony Fortuna (Joe Jackson, Yoko Ono)
Mixed by Jason Corsaro with Shelly Yakus (Tom Petty, Alice Cooper, U2)
And mastered by Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, White Stripes, Franz Ferdinand)
go to:
www.dreammakersmp3.com
click on Transfusion M
we are one of the featured artists and also in the top 5 this week (to the right)
click on the music tab
and listen...........the entire body of music will play if you click on the first song and just let it play through...
but, first you have to start a FREE account with the site...and it's all FREE right now...

Thank You all in advance for your time and for all of your support throughout the years
I hope you enjoy listening as much as I did creating

Please pass this on to anyone and everyone you think may enjoy this!

Cheers and all my best,
M Ferentino


www.dreammakersmp3.com
http://www.myspace.com/transfusionm
http://www.myspace.com/bedtimeforrobots

another annoying questionairre

TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey
Name:	yvonne
Birthday:	may 3rd
Birthplace:	seattle
Current Location:	nyc
Eye Color:	brown
Hair Color:	depends
Height:	5'5"
Right Handed or Left Handed:	mostly right
Your Heritage:	scots-irish swiss-german
The Shoes You Wore Today:	adidas
Your Weakness:	bookstores, chocolate
Your Fears:	low flying planes & helicopters
Your Perfect Pizza:	don't eat pizza
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	in four days?! getting more sleep would be good
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	jk
Thoughts First Waking Up:	gym? sleep? gym? sleep?
Your Best Physical Feature:	eyes
Your Bedtime:	depends
Your Most Missed Memory:	my brother
Pepsi or Coke:	diet coke
MacDonalds or Burger King:	neither
Single or Group Dates:	single unless we all get along well
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	neither
Chocolate or Vanilla:	food: chocolate, scent: vanilla
Cappuccino or Coffee:	espresso
Do you Smoke:	never
Do you Swear:	I live in NY
Do you Sing:	sometimes
Do you Shower Daily:	sometimes twice
Have you Been in Love:	sometimes
Do you want to go to College:	done that
Do you want to get Married:	sometimes
Do you belive in yourself:	I believe I can spell well :)
Do you get Motion Sickness:	sometimes
Do you think you are Attractive:	sometimes
Are you a Health Freak:	not a freak but I try
Do you get along with your Parents:	sometimes
Do you like Thunderstorms:	yes
Do you play an Instrument:	several
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	yes but not to excess
In the past month have you Smoked:	no
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	only prescription
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	yes
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	I live in NY we don't have them here thank g*d
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	nope
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	nope
In the past month have you been on Stage:	nope
In the past month have you been Dumped:	nope
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	it's december
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	nope
Ever been Drunk:	yes
Ever been called a Tease:	yes
Ever been Beaten up:	yes
Ever Shoplifted:	not telling
How do you want to Die:	content in my bed when I'm old
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	changes daily
What country would you most like to Visit:	ireland
In a Boy/Girl..
Favourite Eye Color:	blue or green
Favourite Hair Color:	prefer short/shaved
Short or Long Hair:	short
Height:	5'10" & over - 6'2" is a great height
Weight:	at least 175-180
Best Clothing Style:	on a boy? nothing too metro-sexual
Number of Drugs I have taken:	been there, done that
Number of CDs I own:	too many
Number of Piercings:	ears
Number of Tattoos:	a few
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	many
CREATE YOUR OWN! - or - GET PAID TO TAKE SURVEYS!

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/27-12/28/05

Spc. Sergio Gudino, 22, of Pomona, Calif., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 25, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M1A1 tank during combat operations. Gudino was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Spc. Anthony O. Cardinal, 20, of Muskegon, Mich., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 25, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Cardinal was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Dominic R. Coles, 25, of Jesup, Ga., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 26, when his HMMWV came under attack during combat operations by enemy forces using small arms fire, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars. Coles was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.

Spc. Dane O. Carver, 20, of Freeport, Mich., died in Khalidiyah, Iraq on Dec. 26, when his HMMWV came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. Carver was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Saginaw, Mich.

Chief Warrant Officer Richard M. Salter, 44, of Cypress, Texas and Chief Warrant Officer Isaias E. Santos, 28, of Ancon, Panama were killed in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 26, when their Apache helicopter collided with another military aircraft in mid-air and then crashed. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. The incident is under investigation.

Spc. Lance S. Sage, 26, of Hempstead , N.Y. and Pvt. Joshua M. Morberg, 20, of Sparks , Nev. were killed in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 27, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their dismounted patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

U.S. Casualties in Iraq 12/21-12/26/05

the following U.S. Casualties in Iraq were reported in DOD releases dated 12/21-12/26/05

Sgt. Myla L. Maravillosa, 24, of Wahiawa, Hawaii, died in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Dec. 24, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Al Hawijah, Iraq, when her HMMWV was attacked by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades. Maravillosa was assigned to the Army Reserve's 203rd Military Intelligence Battalion, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md.

Master Sgt. Joseph J. Andres, Jr., 34, of Seven Hills, Ohio, died in Balad, Iraq, on Dec. 24, of injuries sustained earlier that day in Baqubah, Iraq, when he was attacked by enemy forces during combat operations. Andres was assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sgt. Regina C. Reali, 25, of Fresno, Calif. and Spc. Cheyenne C. Willey, 36, of Fremont, Calif. were killed in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 23, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army Reserve's 351st Civil Affairs Command, Mountain View, Calif.

1st Lt. Benjamin T. Britt, 24, of Wheeler, Texas. and Spc. William Lopez-Feliciano, 33, of Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. were killed in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 22, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their position during a dismounted patrol. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary, 24, of Dallas, Pa. and Spc. Richard Junior D. Naputi, 24, of Talofofo, Guam were killed in Taji, Iraq on Dec. 20, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

Staff Sgt. Johnnie V. Mason, 32, of Rio Vista, Texas, died in Al Mahmudiyah,Iraq on Dec. 19, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Mason was assigned to the 717th Ordnance Company, 184th Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group (Explosive Ordnance Detachment), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Lance Cpl. Samuel Tapia, 20, of San Benito, Texas, died Dec. 18 from small-arms fire while conducting combat operations in Ar Ramadi,Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms,Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Cpl. Adam R. Fales, 21, of Cullman , Ala. , died Dec. 16 from a non-hostile gunshot wound in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to Combat Service Support Detachment-21, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. The incident is under investigation.

finally...a voice of sanity

Judge Rules Against Pa. Biology Curriculum [from Yahoo news]

By MARTHA RAFFAELE, Associated Press Writer

HARRISBURG, Pa. - "Intelligent design" cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.

Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said. Several members repeatedly lied to cover their motives, he said.
The ruling will not likely be appealed by the slate of new board members, who in the November election ousted the group that installed intelligent design, the new board president said Tuesday.
The school board policy, adopted in October 2004, was believed to have been the first of its kind in the nation.
"The citizens of the Dover area were poorly served by the members of the Board who voted for the ID Policy," Jones wrote, calling the board's decision "breathtaking inanity."
"The students, parents, and teachers of the Dover Area School District deserved better than to be dragged into this legal maelstrom, with its resulting utter waste of monetary and personal resources," he wrote.
The board's attorneys had said members were seeking to improve science education by exposing students to alternatives to Charles Darwin's theory that evolution develops through natural selection. Intelligent-design proponents argue that the theory cannot fully explain the existence of complex life forms.
The plaintiffs challenging the policy argued that intelligent design amounts to a secular repackaging of biblical creationism, which the courts have already ruled cannot be taught in public schools.
The judge agreed.
"We find that the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to a pretext for the Board's real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom," he wrote in his 139-page opinion.
The Dover policy required students to hear a statement about intelligent design before ninth-grade biology lessons on evolution. The statement said Darwin's theory is "not a fact" and has inexplicable "gaps." It refers students to an intelligent design textbook, "Of Pandas and People," for more information.
Jones wrote that he wasn't saying the intelligent design concept shouldn't be studied and discussed, saying its advocates "have bona fide and deeply held beliefs which drive their scholarly endeavors."
However, he wrote, "our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach ID as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom."
The controversy divided the borough of Dover and surrounding Dover Township, a rural area of nearly 20,000 residents about 20 miles south of Harrisburg. It galvanized voters to oust eight incumbent school board members who supported the policy in the Nov. 8 school board election. The ninth board member was not up for re-election.
Said the judge: "It is ironic that several of these individuals, who so staunchly and proudly touted their religious convictions in public, would time and again lie to cover their tracks and disguise the real purpose behind the ID Policy."
The board members were replaced by a slate of eight opponents who pledged to remove intelligent design from the science curriculum.
They also will likely drop the old plan now that the judge has ruled, new board president Bernadette Reinking said. "As far as I can tell you, there is no intent to appeal," she said.
Reinking said the new board will likely move the subject of intelligent design into some undetermined elective social studies class. She said the board will need to talk to its attorney before determining specific actions.
Eric Rothschild, lead attorney for the families who challenged the policy, called the ruling "a real vindication for the parents who had the courage to stand up and say there was something wrong in their school district."
Richard Thompson, president and chief counsel of the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Mich., said he would like to appeal the decision, but it was up to the school board.
"What this really looks like is an ad hominem attack on scientists who happen to believe in God," Thompson said of Jones' ruling.
It was the latest chapter in a debate over the teaching of evolution dating back to the famous 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, in which Tennessee biology teacher John T. Scopes was fined $100 for violating a state law that forbade teaching evolution. The Tennessee Supreme Court reversed his conviction on a technicality, and the law was repealed in 1967.
Jones heard arguments in the fall during a six-week trial in which expert witnesses for each side debated intelligent design's scientific merits. Other witnesses, including current and former school board members, disagreed over whether creationism was discussed in board meetings months before the curriculum change was adopted.
It is among at least a handful of cases that have focused new attention on the teaching of evolution in the nation's schools.
Earlier this month, a federal appeals court in Georgia heard arguments over evolution disclaimer stickers placed in a biology textbooks. A federal judge in January had ordered Cobb County school officials to immediately remove the stickers, which called evolution a theory, not a fact.
In November, state education officials in Kansas adopted new classroom science standards that call the theory of evolution into question.
Kansas Board of Education Chairman Steve Abrams, who supported that state's new standards, said the circumstances in Kansas and Pennsylvania are much different, given that the Dover board mandated intelligent design in its curriculum.
"We're not doing that," he said. "It's about teaching good critical thinking skills."

women are from Venus, men are from...

[this one's going around but I'll credit nicole since she sent it to me first...]

http://www.marktaw.com/culture_and_media/ProfMillerAssignment.html

Prof. Miller's In-class Assignment for Wednesday.

Remember the book "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus"? "Well, today we will experiment with a new form called the 'tandem story'. The process is simple. Each person will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another copy to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another paragraph to the story and send it back also sending another copy to me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on back and forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in order to keep the story coherent. There is to be absolutely NO talking outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been reached."
The following was actually turned in by two of my English students: Rebecca (last name deleted), and Gary (last name deleted).

THE STORY:(first paragraph by Rebecca) At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out of the question.

(second paragraph by Gary) Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to Geostation 17,....", he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a hole through his ship's cargo bay. The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across the cockpit.

(Rebecca) He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4. "Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel," Laurie read in her newspaper one morning. The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and carefree, with no newspapers to read, no television to distract her from her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her. "Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered wistfully.

(Gary) Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live. Thousands of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched the first of its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed the Unilateral Aerospace Disarmament Treaty through the congress had left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the passage of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his top-secret Mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which vaporized poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"

(Rebecca) This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.

(Gary) Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh shall I have chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of f*****g TEA??? Oh no, I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele novels."

(Rebecca) Asshole.

(Gary) Bitch.

(TEACHER) A+ - I really liked this one. Only group to get an A

U.S. Casualties in Iraq & Afghanistan reported 12/16-12/19/05

Spc. Joseph A. Lucas, 23, ofAugusta, Ga., died in Balad, Iraq on Dec. 15, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Lucas was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. 1st Class John D. Morton, 31, of Stanton, Ky., died in Shah Wali Kot, Afghanistan on Dec. 15, when his dismounted patrol came under attack by enemy forces using small arms fire. Morton was assigned to the 74th Infantry Detachment (Long Range Surveillance), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Vicenza, Italy.

Sgt. Timothy R. Boyce, 29, of North Salt Lake, Utah, died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, on Dec. 15, of a non-combat related cause. Boyce was assigned to the Maintenance Troop, Support Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.

Washington State Forests continue decline

from Conservation Northwest... http://www.conservationnw.org/wildlife/owl/Nov_05_board_ruling.html

State Refuses Real Protection for Owls and Old Growth
No other animal better symbolizes the lush, old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest than the northern spotted owl. Yet their old forest habitat on state and industrial forestlands continues to be logged, and the spotted owl continues its sharp decline toward extinction.
In November, the Washington Forest Practices Board considered action to protect habitat for the spotted owl on Washington's industrial (private) timberlands. The Board, part of the Department of Natural Resources, had mulled over this issue for two years, as spotted owls continue to lose ground. Spotted owls rely on mature and old-growth forests for their nesting and foraging needs, much as we rely on these places for our clean water and air.
Unfortunately, the board chose not to impose rigorous environmental reviews for logging on 115,000 acres in 10 "special emphasis" areas--an option proposed for helping conserve habitat for the imperiled bird. The Board did pass, on an emergency basis, two new rules that slightly tighten restrictions on cutting near spotted owl nests: a 120-day moratorium on cutting in areas where spotted owls were previously documented but do not presently occur; and a prohibition on landowners taking credit for neighbors' conservation efforts.
The Board missed a real opportunity to dramatically improve the plight of the beleaguered owl, with a moratorium on spotted owl decertification (which allows for nest site buffer circles to be delisted as habitat and completely cut). Hundreds of Conservation Northwest supporters submitted letters and emails urging the Board to take action. Dozens of activists turned out to the weekday morning hearing in Olympia and spoke passionately about the need to protect wildlife habitat for future generations. The Board was unmoved and sided with the timber industry, whose representatives were also present in force.

today's photo - alligator juniper - northern AZ

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/15-12/16/05

Cpl. Michael B. Presley, 21, of Batesville, Miss., died Dec. 14 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany of wounds sustained from a suicide, vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq, on Dec. 12. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Staff Sgt. Michael S. Zyla, 32, of Elgin, Ore. Sgt. Brian C. Karim, 22, of Talcott, W. Va. Spc. James C. Kesinger, 32, of Pharr, Texas and Spc. Peter J. Navarro, 20, of Wildwood, Mo. died in Taji, Iraq, on Dec. 13, where they were conducting combat operations when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV. The Soldiers were assigned to the Army's 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Fort Riley, Kan.

Staff Sgt. Kenneth B. Pospisil, 35, of Andover, Minn., died Dec. 14 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in the vicinity of Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

52 books in 52 weeks updated 12/14/05

Here's the update as of today 12/14/05...52 books in 52 weeks...[re-reads marked with * and ** if I've re-read more than once] ...is there some kind of prize?? Also, I don't count poetry collections, literary mags (even though I guess you could call them short story collections) & I'm not sure if I should count easy reads like Rowling or Dan Brown books.
BTW? I'm all done & working on 3 more & yes, before a certain person asks, I do indeed have a job & a life :)

1. denis johnson: jesus son*
2. stars at noon
3. resuscitation of a hanged man*
4. name of the world**
5. seek
6. jeanette winterson: passion
7. lighthouse keeping
8. sexing the cherry
9. written on the body*
10. chris offutt: out of the woods**
11. no heroes*
12. kentucky straight**
13. the good brother*
14. nick flynn:another bullshit night in suck city
15. ian rankin: resurrection men
16. knots & crosses
17.let it bleed
18. black & blue
19. haruki murakami: the wind-up bird chronicle
20. eugenides: middlesex (or as much of it as I'm going to read...)
21. the DaVinca Code: dan brown (as a part of my promise to myself not to condemn what I have not yet read...it takes about 2 hours to read & yes, it's as bad as you might think)
22. gould's book of fish
23. john koopman: McCoy's Marines: darkside to baghdad
24. evan wright: generation kill*
25. secret society of demolition writers
26. elizabeth gilbert: the last american man
27. phillipa gregory: the queen's fool (okay...read it for work)
28. gregory maquire: mirror, mirror 29. emile zola: nana
30. bastard on the couch (daniel jones, ed.)
31. men seeking women (mainly for the chris offutt piece)
32. JA Jance: name withheld
33. tony hillerman:sacred clowns
34. tony hillerman: sinister pig
35. tony hillerman: hunting badger
36. james lee burke: cimarron rose
37. james lee burke: bitterroot*
38. bill bryson: a walk in the woods
39. aimee bender: the girl in the flammable skirt*
40. aimee bender: willful creatures
41. aimee bender: a true sign of my own
42. Best American Non-Required Reading 2003
43. Best American Non-Required Reading 2004
44. Larry Brown: rabbit factory
45. denis johnson: already dead**
46. james salter: sport & a pastime
47. don delillo: cosmopolis
48. harry potter & the half-blood prince (should I count this as a book?)
49. neil gaiman: anansi boys
50. lori moore: frog hospital
51. jonathan lethem: gun with occasional music
52. ian mcewan: atonement

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/13 - 12/14/05

Staff Sgt. Curtis A. Mitchell, 28, of Evansville, Ind. , died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 12, when an improvised expolosive device detonated near his M1A1 Abrams tank during combat operations. Mitchell was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Spc. Jared W. Kubasak, 25, of Rocky Mount, Va. , died in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 12, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his M2A2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle during patrol operations. Kubasak was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colo.

Spc. Lex S. Nelson, 21, of Salt Lake City, Utah, died in Tikrit, Iraq on Dec. 12, when he fell from a guard tower. Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. The incident is under investigation.

Staff Sgt. Keith A. Bennett, 32, of Holtwood, Pa. , died in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 11, as the result of a suicide, vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Bennett was assigned to the Army National Guard's 28th Military Police Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Johnstown, Pa.

Staff Sgt. Travis L. Nelson, 41, of Anniston, Ala. and Sgt. Kenith Casica, 32, of Virginia Beach, Va. died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 10, as a result of enemy small arms fire. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

granite mountain, AZ summit

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/12/05

Staff Sgt. Milton Rivera-Vargas, 55, of Boqueron, Puerto Rico, died in Kalsu, Iraq, on Dec. 8, from a non-combat related cause while on guard duty. Rivera-Vargas was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 296th Infantry Regiment, Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico.

Sgt. Adrian N. Orosco, 26, of Corcoran, Calif. , died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 9, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted position during combat operations. Orosco was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Fort Irwin, Calif.

Sgt. Julia V. Atkins, 22, of Bossier City, La. , died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 10, when an improvised explosive device detonated near her HMMWV during patrol operations. Atkins was assigned to the 64th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas.

Sgt. 1st Class James S. Moudy, 37, of Newark, Del. , died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 11, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Moudy was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N. Y.

Sgt. Spencer C. Akers, 35, of Traverse City, Mich. , died at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Dec. 8, of injuries sustained in Habbaniyah, Iraq, on Nov. 21, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV during combat operations. Akers was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, Saginaw, Mich.

Sgt. Clarence L. Floyd, Jr. , 28, of Newark, N. J. , died in Taji, Iraq, on Dec. 10, when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using small arms fire during combat operations. Floyd was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/9/05

Cpl. Joseph P. Bier, 22, of Centralia, Wash. , died Dec. 7 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Bier's unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

1st Lt. Kevin J. Smith, 28, of Brandon, Fla. , died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 8, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Smith was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

Sgt. Michael C. Taylor, 23, of Hockley, Texas, died in Balad, Iraq, on Dec. 7, when an improvised expolsive device detonated near his Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck while his unit was conducting combat operations. Taylor was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery, 214th Field Artillery Brigade, III Corps Artillery, Fort Sill, Okla.

yet more quizzes...this is what happens when work is slow

what kind of nerd are you?

NY or LA?

what kind of movie star are you?

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/8/05

Cpl. Jimmy L. Shelton, 21, of Lehigh Acres, Fla. , died in Bayji, Iraq on Dec. 3, when his forward operating base was attacked by enemy forces using mortars. Shelton was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Pfc. Thomas C. Siekert, 20, of Lovelock, Nev. , died in Bayji, Iraq on Dec. 6, from non-combat related injuries. Siekert was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.
The incident is under investigation.

Spc. Brian A. Wright, 19, of Keensburg, Ill. , died in Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 6, when his HMMWV struck a mine during combat operations. Wright was assigned to the Army National Guard's 135th Engineer Company, Lawrenceville, Ill.

winter solstice

stumbled across this cool site re: Newgrange and the Winter Solstice. & no, I'm not a hippie so just shut the f up okay? :)

http://www.knowth.com/winter-solstice-date.htm

word for the day, "logorrhea"

logorrhea \law-guh-REE-uh\, noun: Excessive talkativeness or wordiness.

By his own measure, he is a man of many contradictions, beginning with the fact that he is famous as a listener but suffers from "a touch of logorrhea." [NY TIMES]

Logorrhea is derived from Greek logos, "word" + rhein, "to flow."

[from dictionary.com]

Al Gore to Co-Host Moving Image Premiere of Tommy Lee Jones film on December 12

Museum of the Moving Image is pleased to announce that former Vice President Al Gore will co-host the New York premiere of Tommy Lee Jones’ acclaimed new film The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada at the Paris Theatre in Manhattan on Monday, December 12, 2005, at 6:30 p.m. Vice President Gore was the Harvard roommate of Tommy Lee Jones, the film's star and director. Jones placed Gore’s name in nomination for the presidency at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.After the screening, Jones will participate in a Pinewood Dialogue moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz. The film will be released by Sony Pictures Classics on December 14th.Jones’s directorial debut was one of the most highly praised films at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, winning him the Best Actor award, and the Best Screenplay award for Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros, 21 Grams).Tickets are $18 for the general public and $12 for Museum members, and are available by calling 718-784-4520 (between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.). The Paris Theatre is located at 4 West 58th Street in Manhattan.The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada stars Jones as Pete Perkins, a grizzled ranch foreman investigating the killing of one of his hired hands, a young illegal immigrant named Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cesar Cedillo). When Pete discovers the killer, a young border patrolman named Mike (Barry Pepper), he forces him to dig up Melquiades's body and journey with him on horseback into Mexico to bury Estrada near his family in his native land. Featuring stunning widescreen cinematography by Chris Menges, Melquiades Estrada is an atmospheric, intriguing tale of life, death and justice that was described by Variety as “the best Sam Peckinpah movie since the late maverick himself ventured south of the border.” (2005, 121 mins. Sony Pictures Classics. Directed by Tommy Lee Jones. With Jones, Melissa Leo, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam. In English with some Spanish dialogue.)

Museum of the Moving Image is located at 35 Avenue and 36 Street in Astoria.Trains: R, V (R, G on weekends) to Steinway. N, W to 36 Avenue. For more information about screenings and events, please visit movingimage.us.

crazyhorse fiction prize deadline 12/16

crazyhorse.cofc.edu
Deadline: Dec. 16, 2005.

The Crazyhorse Fiction Prize and the Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize:
$2000 each and publication in Crazyhorse
Each year Crazyhorse offers the Crazyhorse Fiction Prize and the Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize. The prize awards are currently $2000 for each genre, and the winning poem and piece of prose are published in Crazyhorse. To enter:
Send your manuscript of up to twenty-five pages of prose or a manuscript of up to three poems (of no more than ten pages). Include a detachable cover page with your name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number; please do not include such identifying information on the manuscript itself. Enclose an entry fee of $15 (check or money order, made out to Crazyhorse), which includes a one-year, two-issue subscription to Crazyhorse. Enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope to receive notification of winners. The two winners of the Prizes will be announced in April, 2006. All entries will be considered for publication.
Recent judges: The 2002 judges for the prizes were Charles Baxter for fiction, Mary Ruefle for poetry; 2003 judges were Michael Martone, fiction, and Dara Wier, poetry; 2004 judges were Diana Abu-Jaber, fiction, and Nance Van Winckel, poetry; 2005 judges were T. M. McNally, fiction, and Albert Goldbarth, poetry. This year's judges will be disclosed when the winners are announced in April, 2006.
Multiple manuscripts of either genre may be entered; please enclose an additional $15 subscription per additional fiction or poetry entry. Your subscription to Crazyhorse will be extended accordingly.
Current subscribers can renew or add on to their subscription by entering the prizes for only $12 per entry (our renewal rate): mention that you are renewing or adding on to your current subscription on your manuscript's cover page.
Prize subscriptions will begin with Crazyhorse Number 69, to be mailed out April 1, 2006; please indicate on your manuscript's cover page if you’d like your subscription to begin with a different issue.
The deadline for this year's prizes is December 16, 2005.
Send your entry to:
Crazyhorse Fiction Prize / The Lynda Hull Memorial Poetry Prize
Crazyhorse
Department of English
College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424U.S.A.

Glimmer Train "very short fiction" deadline 1/31

Competition: Glimmer Train's Very Short Fiction Award.
Eligibility: Open to all themes, all subjects, all writers, published and unpublished.
Your original, unpublished story must not exceed 2,000 words.
First-place winner receives $1,200, publication in Glimmer Train Stories,and 20 copies of the issue in which it is published. Second- and third-place winners receive $500/$300, respectively, and acknowledgement in that issue.
To submit your story, go to our site, www.glimmertrain.org, click on theSubmissions tab, and log in to click on
VERY SHORT FICTION AWARD. Reading fee (payable by visa or mc) is $10 per story.Entries will be accepted through January 31st. Winners will be called by May 1st. Top 25 list will be emailed to all participants by that date.Please let your email provider (ISP) know that you want emails from glimmertrainpress.com and glimmertrain.com so we can reach you.
We are eager to read more of your work!

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported 12/5-12/6/05

Staff Sgt. Philip L. Travis, 41, of Snellville, Ga. Sgt. Philip A. Dodson, Jr. , 42, of Forsyth, Ga. and Spc. Marcus S. Futrell, 20, of Macon, Ga. were killed at Tallil Air Base, Iraq, on Dec. 2, of injuries sustained earlier that day when their truck accidentally rolled over. The soldiers were assigned to the Army National Guard's 148th Forward Support Battalion, 48th Brigade Combat Team, Forsyth, Ga. The incident is under investigation.

Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Schild, 40, of Tabor, S. D. and Staff Sgt. Daniel M. Cuka, 27, of Yankton, S. D. died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Dec. 4, when improvised explosive devices detonated near their HMMWV during convoy operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, S. D.

Cpl. William G. Taylor, 26, of Macon, Ga. , died Nov. 30 from small-arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N. C.

Sgt. Grzegorz Jakoniuk, 25, of Schiller Park, Ill. , died in Taji, Iraq, on Nov. 30, from non-combat related injuries. Jakoniuk was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Campbell, Ky. The incident is under investigation.

self-congratulatory post

a friend bugged me for this info, so here go:

3 poems up currently at poeticdiversity www.poeticdiversity.org

one short story in current (and apparently last b4 they go on hiatus) issue of BARDSONG JOURNAL. This is a print journal but they have a website at: http://www.bardsongpress.com/current_issue.htm

one short story in the current issue of THEMA http://members.cox.net/thema/issues/bookstore_cowboy.htm

& stuff (poetry) upcoming in Underground Window, ROUX Magazine, and The Baltimore Review.

U.S. Casualties in Iraq 12/2-12/3/05

U.S. Casualties in Iraq reported in D.O.D. releases dated 12/2-12/3/05:

Staff Sgt. William D. Richardson, 30, of Houston, Texas, died Nov. 30 of wounds sustained from a non-hostile vehicle accident near Al Taqaddum, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron-372, Marine Wing Support Group-37, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). The accident is currently under investigation.

10 Marines were killed & 11 injured on Dec. 1 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Clay, 27, of Pensacola, Fla., Lance Cpl. John M. Holmason, 20, of Suprise, Ariz. Lance Cpl. David A. Huhn, 24, of Portland, Mich. Lance Cpl. Adam W. Kaiser, 19, of Naperville, Ill. Lance Cpl. Robert A. Martinez, 20, of Splendora, Texas Cpl. Anthony T. McElveen, 20, of Little Falls, Minn. Lance Cpl. Scott T. Modeen, 24, of Hennepin, Minn. Lance Cpl. Andrew G. Patten, 19, of Byron, Ill. Sgt. Andy A. Stevens, 29, of Tomah, Wis. and Lance Cpl. Craig N. Watson, 21, of Union City, Mich. All 10 Marines were assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, their unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

Sgt. 1st Class Brent A. Adams, 40, of West View, Pa. , died in Ramadi, Iraq on Dec. 1, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military five-ton truck during combat operations. Adams was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division, Washington, Pa.

U.S. Casualties in Iraq 12/1/05

U.S. Casualties in Iraq announced in D.O.D. releases dated 12/1/05

Sgt. Donald J. Hasse, 28, of Wichita Falls, Texas. and Sgt. Jerry W. Mills Jr. , 23, of Arkansas City, Kan. died in Taji, Iraq on Nov. 29, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 13th Armor Regiment, Fort Riley, Kan.

Cpl. Joshua D. Snyder, 20, of Hampstead, Md. , died Nov. 30 of wounds sustained from small-arms fire while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Fallujah, Iraq. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N. C.

photo of the day

word of the day for 12/1/05

scumble \SKUM-bul\ verb 1 a : to make (as color or a painting) less brilliant by covering with a thin coat of opaque or semiopaque color b : to apply (a color) in this manner *2 : to soften the lines or colors of (a drawing) by rubbing lightly

The history of "scumble" is blurry, but the word is thought to be related to the verb "scum," an obsolete form of "skim" (meaning "to pass lightly over"). Scumbling, as first perfected by artists such as Titian, involves passing dry, opaque coats of oil paint over a tinted background to create subtle tones and shadows. But although the painting technique dates to the 16th century, use of the word "scumble" is only known to have begun in the late 18th century. The more generalized "smudge" or "smear" sense appeared even later, in the mid-1800s. [from dictionary.com]