David Beckham's latest work of art.

David Beckham has a heavenly new tattoo: an image of Jesus on his chest.

Beckham unveiled his three-month-old ink and the tattoo artist who did it is Mark Mahoney — on his Facebook page Saturday, with a video message explaining the meaning behind his body art.

"It's Jesus being carried by three cherubs and obviously the cherubs are boys," he says, referring to sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz. "My thought of it is, at some point my boys are going to need to look after me and that's what they're doing in the picture."

But Beckham might want to make room for one more cherub: Wife Victoria Beckham is expecting their fourth child this summer.

Beckham has at least 19 other tattoos, each of them personal. "Most of my tattoos are memories," he says. "There's not one tattoo that I've got on me that doesn't mean something."

It doesn't pay to toy around with Autec

This month's Alicante News features the OHIM Invalidity Division's German-only decision ICD 7100 in which toy-manufacturer Autec-- whose European litigation in Case C-48/05 Adam Opel v Autec won toymakers the right to reproduce logos on their scale models of real cars -- has scuppered Volkswagen's registered Community design in the new, revised version of the much-loved Beetle.


It wasn't the original Beetle that caused the problem.  Like Mickey Mouse, the Beetle has had a few facelifts in its long life and the first version is quite different from the later ones.  It was the two designs represented below that sunk VW.  New, smart Beetle concepts from the 1990s, they formed a body of prior art against which the originality of the challenged design was measured.

   

That was Community design RCD 111596-0001, which VW registered in 2003. It possessed the following side view:

The OHIM Invalidity Division had no trouble deciding that the later-registered design lacked individual character under Article 6 of the Community Design Regulation and declared the registration invalid.  

Given the deep purses and deep commitment shown by the automotive industry when contesting every type of registered intellectual property right in pretty well every jurisdiction, one wonders whether an appeal might be on its way ...

At The Village Creek Bayou Thinking About Killing Indians In The Battle Of Village Creek & Wal-Mart

That is the Village Creek Bayou in Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, you are looking at in the photo, today, around noon.

In 1841 many tribes, like the Caddo, the Waco, the Waxahachie, the Wichita and others had a series of villages along both sides of Village Creek, extending about 5 miles.

The Indians grew around 300 acres of corn.

And then the Texans decided they wanted the Indian's land. And so they took it in the Battle of Village Creek in 1841.

I think I've mentioned before the history of eminent domain abuse has long been the norm in this part of Texas.

Change of subject. My mom called this morning. Mom and dad are getting an iPad. Mom asked me if I wanted their computer. I may be going to Phoenix in late March. My favorite aunt, she being my dad's big sister, is going to be there.

Change of subject, again. My aggravation with First Inconvenience Bank got less aggravating this morning when I saw my Google Direct Deposit had finally shown up in my account. Four days after Google made the Direct Deposit.

Change of subject, again. Having lost my latest aggravation I needed something new to be aggravated about. So, I went to Wal-Mart after finishing with being natural and historic at Village Creek. I needed coffee. I bought 5 items.

Only 5 items.

One of the items was Wisconsin Sharp Cheese. Price on the shelf said $1.98. Rang up $2.18. As soon as I saw that I stopped the checker and told her the price is wrong. And now I don't want the cheese.

It's the principal of the thing. How can Wal-Mart make mistakes like this so often? With nothing being done about it.

So, the checker finishes checking the 5 items. I hit the ok button on the debit machine. Then when she handed me the receipt I saw she'd not removed the $2.18 for the cheese.

She yelled across to Customer Service for someone to come over when they had a minute. I decided it was not worth it to wait, at that point in time, so I told the checker to just give me the damn cheese.

I have my ways of making things right with Wal-Mart.

How is it I have never had a pricing error at ALDI Food Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Town Talk or any of the Asian grocery stores I go to in Arlington? I have lost count of the number of times I have bought only 5 or 6 items at Wal-Mart to have one of them priced different than the shelf price.

And then to add insult to injury (or is it injury to insult?) the cheese ended up being not remotely sharp.

I really need to re-think going to Wal-Mart.

A Windy Morning On The Last Day Of February In Texas

As you can see, looking out my viewing portal on the world, the last day of the second month of 2011 has dawned windy.

Very windy.

I only lasted about an hour watching last night's Academy Awards Show. I made it through the wobbly part with Kirk Douglas and turned off the TV soon after James Franco turned into Marilyn Monroe.

The Grammy Awards and Emmy Awards used to be way more boring than the Academy Awards. But, the Grammys and the Emmys have improved, particularly the Grammys.

The Oscar show is a real snoozefest for me anymore.

It is under 50 this morning, as in, 46. I have learned to attempt swimming only when the 24 hour average is 50 or above. We got in the 70s yesterday. I'm guessing the average over the past 24 hours has been above 50. I'll let you know how the swimming attempt went later.

Tattoo

Originating from time immemorial, from Neolithic and Paleolithic eras, tattooing still remains popular and wide-spread in the modern evolved and high-tech world. In different times it served different purposes, from identification a person's social status or belonging to some social group, to purely aesthetic function, as we may often see it today.

Considered by the contemporaries to be a decorative body modification, tattooing lived through the periods when it was treated as an inherent and absolutely necessary body marking, as well as through the times, when it was thought to be a pagan and evil activity.

The real breakthrough of public tattoo perceiving and the greatest change in its significance for the people of the 20th century was made when Janis Joplin, one of the greatest rock musicians ever and practically the first woman in this music style, got a wristlet and a small heart tattoo, created by Lyle Tuttle.

Thus, since the beginning of the 70s of the previous century tattoo is widely accepted as a form of body art, and the tattoo masters are said to be real artists. Although some negative associations concerning tattoo still exist in our society, and many of them are quite reasonable, people nevertheless believe that this type of body modification is worth of admiration if it is the aesthetics, beauty, and genuine art that the creators of the pictures on the human skin want to display.

Our today showcase offers you the diverse examples of the true tattoo art, which is created with the intention to beautify a human body and to show the skills of an artist.

Virginia's Flowers Forecast Spring

This is a quick one for Monday morning, on the last day of February, with spring looming just around the corner. Here's one of Virginia's tattoos:

Virginia is a long-time reader and fan of Tattoosday who I have met on anumber of occasions. This is the first piece she has shared with us.

This floral tattoo is at the top of her right shoulder and was done by Craig Rodriguez at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn.

She explains further, "We are all hoping for an early spring. Daffodils and forget-me-nots. It is a memorial tattoo. I always bring yellow flowers to the cemetery when I honor my family members."

Work from Hand of Glory has appeared previously here on Tattoosday. A piece of Craig's was featured here.

Amen to the early spring! Thanks to Virginia for sharing this lovely tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Hiking The Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Before It Rains While Thinking About Bank Robbers

In the picture you are standing on a Tandy Hill looking west towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth under a stormy sky.

I hit the hills earlier than the norm today. I had need of the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium. And wanted to make sure I took the cure before rain fell.

I believe Severe Thunderstorms are scheduled for later today. So far the main weather action has been wind. And it's 74 degrees out there, so my windows are open.

I'm being aggravated at myself for not doing any Googling for info about First Convenience Bank before I got an account there because I thought it would be so convenient with its Wal-Mart location. Til I solve the problem of the missing Google Direct Deposit I am going to be in aggravated mode.

MLK, former Fort Worther, currently exiled in Tacoma, pointed me to the Fort Worth Community Credit Union. A branch is near my abode. So, I think I will be getting out of this First Inconvenience Bank and going to FWCCU instead.

Who do you call when a bank behaves badly in Texas? Anyone know?

Mark's Tattoo is Bound by Faith

I met Mark in Penn Station on Friday, as I was passing through the New Jersey Transit waiting area. It was a rainy, unseasonably warm day, so I spotted his tattoos easily, as he sat in a short sleeve shirt waiting for his train.

Mark has six tattoos in all, and he shared this one on his left forearm:

There's a lot going on here, in this tattoo which was completed in two sittings.

In essence, this is a religious tattoo, which Mark considers an expression of his Christian faith.

The base of the tattoo may look familiar, as it resembles the caduceus, which is now a symbol of the medical profession.

However, Mark explained that this symbol was originally attributed to the cult of Mithraism that existed in Rome in the first to fourth centuries, before the city became the center of Christianity. The caduceus was originally attributed to the Roman god Mercury, and the symbol also important to the god Mithras. The Vatican in Rome is built over the remnants of Mithraism and Mark bears this symbol that represents that which Christianity replaced.

At the base of the tattoo are the letters "XIVI". This is the Roman numeral for "17". Again, there is more to this than meets the eye. Many may think that the number 17 in Roman numerals is written differently, as XVII. However, Mark explained that this reversal of letters is intentional. According to wikipedia, "In Italian culture, the number 17 is considered unlucky. When viewed as the Roman numeral, XVII, it is then changed anagramatically to VIXI, which in the Latin language it translates to "I have lived", the perfect implying "My life is over." (c.f. "Vixerunt", Cicero's famous announcement of an execution.)". It is this "I have lived" phrase that resonates most with Mark, who told me that the "XIVI" number is often seen on gravestones. 

And finally, the word "SINNER," which runs vertically down the caduceus, is the belief that "we are all sinners". Again, this ties in deeply to Mark's faith.

The piece was tattooed by Matt Pope at Another Tat2 Shop in South Amboy, New Jersey.

Thanks to Mark for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

The Last Sunday Of February With The Academy Awards Tonight

The last Sunday of the second month of 2011 has dawned at a balmy temperature of 65.

You can not tell from the picture looking through the bars of my patio prison cell that it is cloudy. I do not know this portends for rain to be falling today.

Tonight the Academy Awards start up at 7, I think, on ABC. I pretty much lost interest in the Academy Awards show by the time I moved to Texas.

The Academy Awards used to be sort of like watching living history, with stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood in attendance. In 2011 most of the stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood are no longer glittering.

James Franco and Anne Hathaway are the hosts tonight. I like James Franco. I don't know that I've ever seen an Anne Hathaway movie. When someone like Bob Hope was the host it somehow lent more stature to the proceedings. Maybe that was just my youthful perception.

The Academy Awards is not time delayed. So, in my current location the show starts up at 7. In Washington it started up at 5. Starting at 7 puts the way too long show's ending past my bedtime. Very inconvenient. I'll likely watch The Amazing Race while the DVR records the Academy Awards. And then fast forward through the Academy Awards til I get caught up to it being live.

And then go to bed.

In the meantime I am going swimming.

Witnessing The Resurrection Of The Tandy Teepee While Talking To Steve Doeung & Thinking About A Bad Inconvenient Bank

I was surprised whilst hiking the Tandy Hills today to find that the Tandy Teepee has been resurrected.

Today Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung went hiking with me. Sort of.

I had myself an aggravating morning.

Way back in December I opened a new bank account because I was tired of the inconvenience of Chase Bank.

In Wal-Mart and Kroger there is a bank called First Convenience Bank. I thought due to the bank being in Wal-Mart it'd make it real convenient.

I was wrong. First problem was I did not realize the bank's ATM's don't accept deposits. You have to wait in line. That is inconvenient.

Once a month Google makes a direct deposit into my account. Google has been doing this for over 3 years. Towards the end of the month I'll log into my Google Account and see a "Payment in Progress" message.

Within a few hours the "Payment in Progress" message changes to "Payment Finalized." At that point the money is in my account.

Yesterday I saw the "Payment in Progress" message. This morning I saw the "Payment Finalized" message.

But the money is not in my First Convenience Bank account.

So, I called customer dis-service at First Inconvenience Bank. Via the phone I had to enter all sorts of I.D. info, like SS #, PIN, zip code. I forget what else. I then go through a phone tree, eventually getting to the talk to a live person option.

I think that live person was in India. She asked me for most of the I.D. info I'd already punched into the phone. After the answer to each question she'd say in a thick Indian accent, "Thank you for the information you have provided me."

Eventually we got to the point where I asked where my money was. It took a lot of talking to sort out what I was asking. Then she asked if I could kindly wait while she contacted something called ACH. She then gets back to me a couple minutes later to tell me ACH is closed on weekends, that I must call back Monday. She then asked if there was any other service she could provide me.

When I opened the account I asked for the business card of the Sudanese woman who convinced me a First Inconvenience Bank account would be good for me. Her name is Randa.

Randa was with another customer, but soon she was on the line. I explained the problem. There was some confusion. Randa has a very thick accent. I think after I repeated myself enough times Randa finally understood what I was saying. She then told me she was calling ACH and would be right back.

When Randa got back on the line she told me the same thing the Indian told me. That ACH is closed til Monday. But, Randa said she would contact ACH first thing Monday morning to get to the bottom of this and then call me.

We'll see if that happens.

So, I'm looking for a new convenient bank. I don't trust First Inconvenience Bank anymore.

Tattoosday Weekend Recap

I just wanted to share some interesting tidbits that have come my way over the last few weeks:

First, someone has been sharing links in the comments section anonymously on several recent posts. As is my custom, I only approve comments if they are related to the post in question. Nonetheless, the links point to a YouTube channel for Sullen TV. I thought I'd share one here, which features the artist Nikko Hurtado, and interested parties can explore their YouTube channel here.

~

The other day I came across a cool site called FreshTrends.com that has a really nice collection of body jewelry, a lot of which would look great with a new tattoo. It's definitely worth a look!

~

Last June, I featured this tattoo by artist Scott Campbell. I was recently told about this short film on the site Nowness.Be sure to check it out!

~

And finally, we're about a month away from April, and our third annual installment of the Tattooed Poets Project. I wanted to give a shout-out to one of last year's poets, Erica Rivera, whose tattoo was featured here. Her new book Maneater is available on Amazon:

Visit the Man Eater Facebook page for a taste of Erica Rivera's writing.

The anatomy of an $11 billion myth in New Jersey | NJ.com

Hello again everyone. I'm back after taking a week off that was greatly needed. I'll be adding some new and original posting very soon, but first I'd like to link up this January 16 post from The Star Ledger's Tom Moran.

Be sure to read this prior to watching this Sunday's edition of Face The Nation when host Bob Schieffer will interview New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Moran's column explodes the myth that Christie reduced the state's deficit of $11 billion dollars. The real story, according to Moran, is that the deficit actually rose despite the draconian cuts made by the Christie administration and the deficit will be almost the same for the next fiscal year.

In a related story, yesterday about 3,000 public employees and other union members rallied in Trenton yesterday in a driving rainstorm with 35 mph winds to show support for public employees in Wisconsin. Some protesters displayed their anger at Christie, who along with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida's Rick Scott, and Ohio's John Kasich are at the forefront of an apparent assault on public employee unions' benefits and their right to collective bargain.



The anatomy of an $11 billion myth in New Jersey | NJ.com

The Last Saturday Of February In Texas

The last Saturday of the second month of 2011 has dawned with a blue sky and a temperature of 10 degrees above freezing.

Not exactly balmy.

But over 20 degrees warmer than my previous location in the Pacific Northwest.

I have no idea what I am going to do today. Other than go hiking on the Tandy Hills, then going to Town Talk.

And swimming. Which I am going to go do right now.

Repost: The World is Full of Kings and Queens

In lieu of something new, something borrowed, or something blue, I am offering up a post from three years ago, in Tattoosday's infancy, from January 2008:

I've been relying heavily on Tattoos I Know since the end of summer, but today, in the chill of January, I spotted a cool tattoo on a stranger and added him to the Tattoosday gallery:


It was in the mid-30's when I asked Frank about his tattoo. He gladly offered up his newest piece, this playing card queen.

Frank is heavily-inked. He briefly flashed a leg and an arm covered with tattoos. But we stuck with this one. This particular piece, his newest, was done by Mike Profetto at Designs by Michael Angelo in Brooklyn.

When I asked him why he had this queen of hearts, he said it only made sense to complement the king of diamonds on the right side of his neck:


Incidentally, that's a spider on the back of his neck, between the two royal tattoos.

The queen, being the newer piece, is much brighter and crisper.

Frank is the first Tattoosday subject to offer up side neck pieces. He gave me his contact information, so I hope to feature Frank's work again in the future, with more detail about his tattoos, and the stories behind them.

Thanks again Frank!

*******

February 26, 2011: Alas, we never heard from Frank again....

Taking A Hike On A Texas Desert In Arlington

Looking at the picture you might think you are looking at an isolated Texas desert landscape with civilization hundreds of mile distant.

You would be thinking wrong.

In the picture you are in Arlington, looking west, in Veterans Park, in the rugged, hilly area of the park.

The air chilled to just a few degrees above freezing by this morning. It has warmed to 51 now.

Because we got into the 80s yesterday, even though it got near freezing, the water in my swimming pool was at a temperature well above the air temperature this morning. In other words I had a nice long swim.

Being able to be back swimming again has quickly melted away that layer of insulative blubber that I'd grown due to way too much weather caused sloth.

I've gotten multiple reports of snow woes from Washington yesterday and today. People living in the lowlands of Western Washington handle snow about as well as North Texans do. As in not too well.

Ironically, I've gotten way more practice dealing with severe Winter Weather in Texas than I did living way up north near the Canadian border.

As you can see by looking at the flags not waving in front of the soldier who stands guard over the Veterans Park Memorial, it is being dead calm out there today. Absolutely no Wind Chill Factor.

Swimming In The Center Of Paradise As The Last Friday Of February Dawns Cold In Texas

Stepping outside this last Friday morning of the second month of 2011 I looked up to see the recently full moon is now but a sliver of its former full self. That sliver is that little white spot in the photo.

It is only 4 degrees above freezing out there this morning in my zone of Texas. It got above 80 yesterday. I don't know if the water in the pool retained enough of that heat to make swimming pleasant this morning.

But, I aim to find out.

Up north, in my old hometown, in what is known as a banana belt due to its usual imperviousness to winter type weather, the ground is currently covered by a foot or more of snow, chilled to 19 degrees.

Total change of subject. The blog I wrote a couple days ago about my disgust regarding the Paradise Center Scandal has generated some interesting comments. Some pro Teresa Davis, some pro MHMR.

With the pro Teresa Davis comments seeming, well, intelligent and reasonable, while the pro MHMR comments seems, well, I don't want to use the word "retarded," even though I guess that is an acceptable term to use. Let's use the word "stupid" instead.

One of the stupid pro MHMR commenters was too stupid to note that comments are moderated. So, the commenter repeated the comment a couple times when it did not instantly get published.

It is time to go swimming now.

Lost and Found: Toni's Cameo

I'm calling this a "lost and found" post because it features a tattoo that was a buried treasure in my e-mail archives. I was sitting on my living room couch when the existence of the photo surfaced in my head. "Whatever happened to that e-mail?" I asked myself and, after a brief search I found it. So, let me explain....

At the end of November, my wife Melanie received an e-mail from someone she met through her job. She often encounters people with tattoos and, if the work is interesting, and the subject arises, she will act as an ambassador to Tattoosday.

Toni is one such person who checked out the site, took pictures of her tattoo, and sent them to Melanie. She showed me the photos and promptly forwarded me the e-mail, which then sat for a spell in my in box before I inadvertently filed it away until I recalled it two months later.

So, without further ado, here is Toni's tattoo:

Not only did Toni send along this picture of the small cameo tattoo on her wrist, she sent along a healthy story to accompany the piece. We'll let her tell us about it in her own words:

My mother passed away six years ago on 11/17/2004. For a long time I wanted to get a tattoo in memory of her without doing the RIP MOM thing I’ve seen so many times before. I think it’s nice, but it is not my style. A little over two years ago my sister and I were going out with some friends for dinner and my sister was wearing this very Victorian-style blouse. Pinned to the front collar of the blouse was a cameo that has been in my family for many years. It was passed down from my Grandmother to my mother and now to my sister. As soon as I glanced at it, it hit me! I will get a tattoo of this Cameo and then realized it would not only be for my mom. My mother, my sister, and I are obsessed with the Victorian era! We love everything Victorian. My grandmother loved the Victorian times as well. 

 

So I decided to bring the cameo with me to Twin Moon Tattoo shop [in Floral Park, Long Island] and had the artist Cindy sketch the cameo ... I love this tattoo so much, not only because it represents an era that I love but it also represents the three most important women in my life: my Grandmother, my Mother, & my sister! [Cindy] thought it was a little strange that I wanted it just below the inside wrist of my right arm and suggested I put it on the back of my neck or make it really big and put it in the middle of my back. I had explained the meaning behind the tattoo and how important it was for me that I see it everyday....That being said, she agreed and sketched it the actual size of the cameo and tattooed it on the inside of my arm right below the wrist.

Thanks to Toni for sending along the photo and the story behind it to Melanie, and for consenting to share her lovely cameo tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

80 Degrees With No Snow In Fort Worth Or Anywhere Else In Texas

The rain rained down as predicted on my zone of Texas this morning.

The predicted Thunderstorms, however, did not arrive in my zone of Texas. At least not so far.

A couple counties to the east went into Tornado Alert mode earlier today.

Because the skies were a bit unsettled, with periodic dripping, I decided to take my daily walking constitutional at the park closest to my abode, that being Quanah Parker Park.

Quanah Parker Park has some really big, old trees standing. I assume these are old growth trees that have been there since the beginning of time. Or soon thereafter.

I thought these were giant oak trees, but a certified know-it-all informed me these were giant, old pecan trees. I don't like questioning a certified know-it-all's knowledge, but wouldn't you think if these are pecan trees that you'd see some pecans laying on the ground?

I'd been wondering where the Scrabble Queen of Washington was. I'd not heard from her for over a week. She'd been iPading from Hawaii, still being a Scrabble Queen. Well, this morning I learned that the Scrabble Queen is back on the mainland and the reason I'd not heard from her was she was deathly sick. As in stay in bed with anti-biotics level of deathly sick. Was sick on the islands and flew back sick.

I do not like being stuck on a plane. I can't imagine being stuck on a plane while deathly sick.

Currently the Scrabble Queen of Washington is no longer sickbound, but, she, like most of Western Washington, is snowbound.

The Scrabble Queen of Washington lives about 15 miles west of the Wild Woman of Woolley, Betty Jo Bouvier. The snowy photo shows the current condition of Betty Jo's vehicular conveyance.

That is a lot of snow. That is more snow than I remember ever seeing on the ground in the not prone to a lot of snow Skagit Valley of Washington zone.

As you can see below, the conditions are not favorable right now for snow in Fort Worth.

I've got my windows open, with a nice tropical-like breeze blowing. I immensely enjoyed swimming in the rain this morning.

Thursday Morning Texas Drizzle While Washington Gets A Foot Of Snow

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell I experienced some minor drippage drizzling from above. The drizzle is scheduled to possibly turn into Thunderstorms today on the last Thursday of the second month of 2011.

It is currently a semi-warm 64 in my zone of Texas.

Meanwhile up in Washington, this morning in the flatlands of the Skagit Valley, it is 27 and snowing.

Betty Jo Bouvier, she being the Wild Woman of Woolley, as in Sedro-Woolley, reports this morning that she is being a wild woman with a snow shovel, trying to remove a foot of snow.

I do not know why Betty Jo is shoveling snow. With a foot of it on the ground it's not like she's going to be driving anywhere.

I can say for certain that I will not be shoveling any snow today. I can also say for certain I will not be hiking any hills today. I can say for certain I will be going swimming in the drizzle today.

As in, right now.

Cat's Hands-ome Tattoos

I met Cat earlier this week at Borders, which has been the go-to locale for inkspotting during a very sparse winter.

He has fifteen tattoos, but we discussed the two I noticed, on the tops of his hands:

The tattoos are variations on Celtic pagan designs that he modified to make his own.

The right hand represents the chalice of the goddess, who represents expressiveness and creativity. Wiccan principles acknowledge that the goddess is the source of all expression.

Cat's other hand is decorated with a Celtic triquetra. The three markings around the design are letters drawn in the Theban script, each corresponding to the first initials of his three children.

Cat says that these, as well as his other tattoos, were inked by Neo at Village Moon Tattoos in Jackson Heights, in the borough of Queens.

Readers interested in these tattoos may also be interested in checking out our old friend Livia Indica's site NeoPagan Ink.

Thanks kindly to Cat for sharing his tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

The Paradise Center Scandal Has Me Mad As Hell At Fort Worth

The Paradise Center Scandal now has a blog covering the ongoing scandal.

The troubled sky over the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth is a good metaphor for my foul mood.

I thought a late afternoon hike at the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium might break me out of this I'm mad as hell and I don't wanna take it anymore Howard Beale mood I've been in.

I think it may be the bizarre Fort Worth Paradise Center Scandal that has pushed me near the edge.

I've have had it happen to me, having something taken away with no warning. Unfairly and wrongly.

I've often been troubled, during my Texas Exile, as to what in the world is wrong with Fort Worth. Is there an Empathy Deficit in this town?

I'm not much of a religious person. Well, actually, I'm not a religious person. But I sure get some of what Jesus tried to teach people. As in, what you do to the least among you, you do unto me.

In the Paradise Center you had a place that helped the least among us. And you had a lady running the place of whom I think Jesus would have approved.

Running the Paradise Center in the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

Where are the Christians coming to the defense of these wronged people?

It is incidents like this that make me have very little respect for way too many who go about claiming to be Christian.

Why was Teresa Davis fired? What is the justification for disrupting her life and the lives of those she helped?

This is a woman who went way beyond the call of duty. Over the years she took adult disabled children on adventures they otherwise would never have experienced. Overnight trips to Sea World in San Antonio, the Space Center in Houston, Diamond Digging in Arkansas.

Why is there not a LOUD outcry from all the people who had family who were helped by the Paradise Center and Teresa Davis?

Why is the Fort Worth Star-Telegram not interested in this scandal?

Am I the only person who sees that something is very wrong here? I've already opined that the reason Teresa Davis was fired needs to be made public. An investigation needs to take place into who made the decision to fire Teresa Davis. And why. This may end up needing to be a criminal investigation. There may be some serious wrongdoing in play here.

And another note as to what bothers me about this. Teresa Davis is married to Steve Doeung. Teresa and Steve were put through a living hell by the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy in their fight to protect their home from having a non-odorized natural gas pipeline placed underneath it.

I watched Steve defend himself in court. I saw Chesapeake lawyers tell the judge that the judge was incorrect on some point of law. That Steve was correct.

I am embarrassed, as an American, at what the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy put this proud Cambodian-American through, after he went through so much to get to America.

America.

Where Steve was under the delusion he would finally be free of Communist type oppression.

Yet now, once again, Steve and his wife are subject to oppression, in America, oppression that is of the sort of bureaucratic bullying practiced by the Communists and the Nazis.

And yet nary a voice speaks out, demanding that this wrong be righted.

I really do not think Jesus would be all that proud that this sad part of the earth is known as the Buckle of the Bible Belt.

It's more the Center of Divine Hypocrisy.

I've told Steve Doeung, previously, that he and his family might be a lot happier if they moved to the part of America that is the America he thought he was moving to, when he left Cambodia.

Move to Seattle. Anyone in Washington reading this. Can you provide asylum to a Cambodian-American and his family and help them finally live in the America of Steve's dreams?

If Steve does move out of Texas and into America, I must warn you, if you meet him, he has a good Texas accent. And speaks way better English than a lot of Texans I've met over the years.

Riding The Trinity Railway Express From Fort Worth To Dallas With Gail Galtex

I have not taken the ride on the rails to Dallas on the Trinity Railway Express, also known as TRE.

I have ridden a TRE train in Dallas though. From a parking lot east of the State Fair of Texas to an entry gate to the State Fair.

I live very close to the Richland Hills Station of the TRE. I don't know why I've never hopped on board.

And then this morning I got email from a young lady I will call Gail Galtex which leads me to think I might not enjoy riding the TRE to Dallas.

Below is what Gail Galtex had to say about the TRE....

Your question got me thinking about Dallas and the TRE.

We used to go there a lot on the TRE train. We were members of the Dallas Museum or Art, and would go there for the day, visit the Nasher, take the DART to Uptown to a pizza place we like, go to the State Fair, sometimes meet friends @ Union Station, and come home before the last train.

That was when a 2-zone day pass on the TRE was $5 a person. Now it is $10 bucks a person, or $20 for us to ride the train to Dallas for the day. Now we'd be better off driving, especially if we can park for free.

We take the TRE to the airport (Centerpoint stop) at least once a month when we travel. It now costs $14 round trip for both Mike and I to ride to the airport. We leave our apartment and roll our bags nine blocks to the ITC train station on Jones (there is no bus from where we live) and there is no park and ride there either. Even the park and rides along the train route won't let you park overnight. The price of the train has doubled since 2007, and sometimes on short trips we now drive and park in the DFW remote south lot ($8 a day) for up to 4 days because it is more convenient and doesn't cost that much more. The train is a no-brainer if we are gone for a week or a month because we don't want to pay to park the car that long.

Don't get me wrong. I love the TRE -- it is one of the coolest things around here because it is a real train. But there are some major problems.

The price has gotten too high for occasional users like us, probably for commuters too. And to make matters worse, they rarely check tickets. Even if they do, they don't enforce the fines. As a result, the trains are often loaded with homeless and questionable characters who don't smell too good.

The train doesn't run on Sundays, which means we can't travel in or out of DFW on this day. The last train from downtown Dallas back to FW is now @ 9:20pm. So people who go to games/concerts probably can't take the train now. The last train from Centerport to FW is at 9.48pm, so we can't fly back into DFW much past 7:30ish and expect to catch a train back home if there are flight delays. And if we miss the 8:48 train back home, we have to wait on the platform with our bags for another hour until 9:48. ONE train per hour in the evenings.

Since we've moved here, the TRE has added an extra rail line and doubled prices, but the service schedule and hours have not improved. And they still don't run on Sundays. I don't mind paying double, or even more -- if they give us something back in return. I would even go to Dallas more.

Even with all the problems, Dallas and FW are light years ahead of Austin in public transit. Austin is a complete joke and traffic is horrible. You'd think a city as progressive as Austin could get something like this right, but they are way behind.

Thanks for listening to my rant of the day. :-)

Gail Galtex

The Last Wednesday Of February Pondering Planetary Insanity

You are looking out one of my viewing portals on the world on the last Wednesday of the second month of 2011.

Today has dawned a lot warmer than yesterday's dawn, already heated up to 57 degrees. Meanwhile my old hometown in Washington is chilled to one degree above freezing. With snow incoming.

My computer is acting up again. Which just adds to the anxiety I'm already feeling.

What's got me anxious?

Well.

You've got the Middle East seemingly spinning out of control, into chaos. Which is causing the cost of oil to soar. North Korea is getting ready to test another nuclear bomb. Budget woes in several states, as in American states, have paralyzed those state's governments. This paralysis will likely be spreading. America's daily federal budget deficit is somewhere in the $5 billion range.

Then you mix in the local nonsense like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and Fort Worth's Paradise Center scandal and I just get real tired of thinking that way too much of the world is way too insane.

Which right now is making me think I'll escape for awhile into a pool of semi-warm water.

Frank's Laserbeak Tattoo Transforms His Flesh

I met Frank in the Penn Plaza Borders yesterday and stopped to ask him about his tattoos.

"How many do you have?" I asked and he responded vaguely "a lot". That generally means at least a dozen, if not more, and he offered up this two-part tattoo, from his right arm:

This is a Transformer. More specifically, "Laserbeak," a Transformer that does reconnaissance.

This is one of the first tattoos that Frank got and, as one would expect, he had this done because he likes Transformers.

He credited the tattoo to Cort Bengston at Cort's Royal Ink Tattoo Studio in Patchogue, New York.

Thanks to Frank for sharing these cool tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

The First Wildflowers Of 2011 Are Showing Their Colors In Fort Worth

Just this morning I mentioned that in less than a month it will be Spring. I did not say in less than a month it will be Spring and Texas will be putting on its annual wildflower show.

Today for my mid-day constitutional I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

Upon arrival I was a bit surprised to see color carpeting the ground in blue and purple wildflowers. And some of those beautiful yellow wildflowers that someone at some point in time told me are called Dandelions.

The pleasantly high temperatures that followed our unpleasantly cold temperatures must have confused some confusable plants into thinking Spring had arrived. And so they woke up and turned on the color.

It is 63 right now, a little before 3. I don't know if it is being warm enough to wake up the cold-blooded reptiles. Like snakes. Where does a big reptile, like an alligator, go when it gets way below freezing?

Elsie Hotpepper called me soon upon my arrival at Oakland Lake Park. I'd gotten out my camera and had it turned on to take a picture of a deflated boat that had joined the collection of litter that trashes up Fosdic Lake.

I turned off the camera and turned my attention to Elsie Hotpepper. Elsie was driving down the freeway at a high rate of speed when she called. It sounded like she was on a motorcycle.

I just saw incoming email on the other screen. Stenotrophomonas says it was not he who demolished the Tandy Bamboo Teepee. I fear the mystery of the Tandy Bamboo Teepee is going to remain an unsolved mystery.

Face Tattoos are not for everyone

I don't understand what's wrong with some people this days. They seem not to get that a face tattoo simply don't go with everyone and they ignored the fact that a tattoo must look appealing to themselves (seriously) and that it should be made appealing for those who are not into tattoos at all.

Gucci Mane recently got an ice cream cone stamped on his face and now Young LA got a "pink" duck tattooed on his. Those tattoos look stoopid and they're not easy on the eyes and people simply don't get it. There's other ways to get noticed (if that's the case), than simply stamping something on the face, other people will do eventually and it won't be interesting anymore.

Do they really have a meaning or someone is simply trying to star a trend? Is it a war or simply decoration of the body? What about the soul and the true meaning of the design chosen.

Tattoos in the Work Environment

Millions of Americans have at least one tattoo. It's a growing way to express creativity, individuality or solidarity, and a certain aesthetic. However, some employers are still a little leery about workers having visible ink.

It's a fairly common story these days: someone interviews for a position (usually dressed in a business suit or "business casual," and once he or she gets the job, the jacket comes off and the tattoos come out.

Many people feel that unless it's a job that requires tattoos, they can't go into most office settings with a sleeve of tattoos. But when people get to know the person underneath the ink, they often see that they're more than just the images.

Some bosses say they feel the tattoos have no impact on job performance. But many employers may not have that same vision. Most people say they don't judge a book by its cover, or a person based on appearance, but the reality is many do.

But there's little doubt tattoos are more mainstream than even twenty years ago. A 2008 survey showed a quarter of US adults in their 30's, and 32% of 25 to 29 year-olds have at least one.

But it's the placement of body art that could be the issue at hand. Taking into account what kind of career a person wants is a factor in where on the body a person gets a tattoo.

Despite their popularity, visible tattoos could still lead some people to question the wearer's professionalism. Whether or not the idea of visible tattoos is unprofessional, many with ink stand behind the decision they made. And the beauty, as well as the shock.

Body Modification & Cultures

A very strange in our society and culture of many societies around the world is that of body modification. body modification has been around for hundreds of thousands of years for various reasons. The first change had something to do with the cultural significance in many cases, but do so in other cases it was just vanity. People from cultures around the world during the time they were with their physical appearance, and wants to go to great lengths. Improving

The concept of beauty is one that seems the same all over the world and time, but that simply was not the case. In particular, a long-necked African culture are considered beautiful. It 'really so important that women have a long neck, in which metal rings around the neck by a very young age and gradually add more rings around the neck in force have taken an unusually long time. This change is so serious that when the metal rings were removed from their necks, these women would not be able to hold my head up.

At one point, small feet were considered beautiful and very important to have women in Japan. It was considered so important for a firm base of small women who have one child, Japanese women have their feet bound in narrow bands to prevent their feet from growing.

One of the most common types of change is the tattoo. The tattoo has been through age and is only becoming more popular over time. One reason for this increase in popularity is based on television programs that have glorified the culture of tattooing. People from all walks of life are tattooed in those days. In recent days, tattoos were reserved for specific social groups. This is no longer the case and the people themselves are tattoos, just because it's popular to do and what it has become more culturally accepted.

The most severe forms of Body Modification includes branding. If a person is stigmatized, the temperature is very hot super high heat metal device, and that means the skin for a few seconds on hold, causing severe burns. This particular type of body modification is very dangerous because it burns easily become infected.

A modification of the body is very strange that come into fashion with the Underground pop culture systems. A stainless steel or Teflon implanted under the skin piece, shocks form on the outside of the skin. This is quite rare, but it's still popular.

Another strange kind of body modification is "gauging". After the pierced ears is certainly not new, but this particular spin on the ear piercing is something new. It starts with an individual simply bored with their own ears. Then a larger device is inserted into the hole every week or so until the hole expands to 2 inches in diameter.

What type of Body Modification choose whether it is a tattoo or implanted under the skin with the metal, the reasons are usually very personal. Although there are more popular for people with strange body modifications, many of these changes in the body is still pretty taboo. The only exception would be a tattoo. This is a particular kind of change in the body.

Protesting Because Paradise Seems To Be Lost In Fort Worth For Now

Yesterday I blogged the Press Release about a protest planned in front of the Tarrant County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Headquarters protesting the ham-handed, possibly illegal, actions of the officials running TCMHMR.

It was only this morning I learned that the the MR part of TCMHMR stands for Mental Retardation.

For some reason I thought the term "Mental Retardation" had fallen upon disfavor.

But, now having learned that mental retardation is perfectly okay terminology, I guess it is politically correct to say it seems to me that maybe someone in a position of power within TCMHMR may be a bit retarded.

Drivers driving by yesterday's picketing protesters obliged the picket sign asking them to "Honk for Justice!"

Someone drove by the protest, honked their horn in support, then left a blog comment, saying...

This must be pretty serious because we drove by on Hulen this morning and honked in support of several people in yellow shirts holding signs saying "honk 4 justice for Paradise". An important looking man and woman were trying break them up or something. On our way back the group was still there but with a news cameraman obviously interviewing some of them. Keep us updated because this is both interesting and disturbing.

The news cameraman referred above was a WFAA, Channel 8, operation. As far as I know, Fort Worth's pathetic excuse for a newspaper of record, you know, a newspaper that actually reports the local news, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, has not told its readers about the Paradise Center Scandal.

However, Fort Worth's actual only real newspaper of record, it just isn't daily, Fort Worth Weekly, sent Jeff Prince to take a look into the Paradise Center Scandal and yesterday's protest. The resulting FW Weekly article is titled "Paradise Center Visitors Protest MHMR."

FW Weekly did not uncover what is behind the firing of the Paradise Center's only full-time employee, Teresa Davis.

However, comments made in response to the FW Weekly article seem to shine some possible light on the Paradise Center Scandal...

FWISD Product says:
Nice story. But whispers around MHMR is that there is a scheme to use the established reputation and leadership and skills of those people running the place as volunteers to keep attracting mental health consumers so MHMR and a private company can bill Medicaid for providing an essential component of mental health treatment/recovery.

There’s also talk of emergency meetings by the Board of Trustees and the executives to prepare for legal actions and possible investigations related to the whole affair, which those in the know say could cost a bunch of money and even executives’ jobs.

Please stay on this story because something doesn’t smell right about what MHMR is trying to present.

Carol says:
MHMR may not have plans of closing Paradise Center or reducing services, but will it truly be a “client run” organization as it has been in the past? It seems that MHMR has other plans for the building which may include serving individuals with mental illness, however, Teresa Davis and the consumers have kept Paradise Center “alive” for the past 10 years. As a consumer run organization, Paradise Center has given many individuals suffering with mental illness a reason to continue in life. It has given them hope, encouragement, and a place where they truly felt needed….because the organization did not “run” without the consumers or Mrs. Davis! So, will MHMR keep it a consumer run organization or just allow the clients to participate in what they tell them to do? Paradise Center has opened their doors on weekends and every holiday such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. Teresa Davis, her family, friends and volunteers were the ones there to help, not MHMR faculty and staff. And, why would MHMR need a “change in management”, as Massey said, when Teresa Davis has not had an evaluation in 8 years (because she was the director of a non-profit, not an MHMR employee) and has been a dedicated worker. Why the sudden change???? Something’s not right! What is MHMR trying to hide?

Linda says:
The clients of Paradise Center are family. They care about each other and help each other stay well. I have heard so many from other areas comment that they would love to have a safe place like Paradise and someone like Teresa. I know of no other that understands and helps clients like she does. Football season found her preparing weekly for the football games. Cooking and providing rides so that the group could get together to cheer for the Cowboys. They were able to have get togethers like friends do. Her phone turned on 24/7. She takes them to grocery shop, doctor appointments, out to eat and on and on. You do not find someone like Teresa that has dedicated her life to helping those that suffer from an illness that so few understand. She keeps these folks well and out of the hospital. She has respect for them and they love and respect her. This situation with the loss of their “home” is pitiful. No,it is shameful. Teresa deserves respect.

Bob C. says:
Teresa Davis deserves better than this, as do the people who are served by Paradise Center.

emey says:
They threw away her papers and stuff from her office!

Glenda says:
Not only did Teresa keep many patients out of the hospital
she gave up all her holidays for the patients. So the patients would not be home alone and could be with “family”. She does deserve better. I think someone should look into “the reasons” she was terminated.

________________________________________

I agree with Glenda. Someone should look into the reasons why Teresa Davis was fired. I think the first comment above, the one from Fort Worth Independent School District Product, aka FWISD Product, may contain a big clue as to the reason for these retarded actions.

Since this is a government action, as in isn't this being done by a Tarrant County agency? Isn't there supposed to be transparency regarding actions by a public agency?

At this stage in the Paradise Center Scandal I've pretty much come to the conclusion that Teresa Davis needs to be re-instated.

An investigation needs to take place as to why she was fired.

And then whoever instigated that firing needs to be fired.

Five Degrees Above Freezing In North Texas With Less Than A Month Til Spring

The last Thursday of the second month of 2011 has dawned with a blue sky heated up to only 5 degrees above freezing.

I think I will skip swimming this morning.

Looking out my viewing portal on the world it looks cold out there.

We had a run of a week or so of being 30 or 40 degrees warmer than my old hometown in Washington. This morning my zone of Texas is only 3 degrees warmer than Mount Vernon.

And snow is in the forecast for Western Washington. I hope we are done with snow being in our forecast for North Texas for the remainder of the particularly cold, snowy, icy Winter in Texas.

We have less than a month to go before this miserable Winter is history. Spring is currently scheduled to arrive on March 20.

Sal's Tattoo Takes Wing

Today's tattoo comes to us courtesy of Sal, who is making his third appearance on Tattoosday. We first met him in 2008 when he shared this Guns N Roses tattoo, and then again, in 2009 with this quote, inked on his forearm.

Both times I ran into Sal at the video store where he works in Brooklyn Heights. He alerted me to the fact that he had new ink, so I just had to stop by and see in person:

The collage might not bring out the finer details as seen in a closer view:

The bird is an American Robin. Why this particular bird? Sal explains: "Robins mean a lot to me - not just for their beauty, but for their meaning of hope and new beginnings".

American Robin -- Humber Bay Park (East) (Toronto, Canada) -- 2005, by en:User:Mdf

The tattoo artist is the phenomenal Mark Harada at East Side Ink in Manhattan. Work from Mark and other East Side Ink artists has appeared previously on our site here.

Thanks again to Sal for sharing his awesome new tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Alligator Awareness Is Fort Worth's Latest Craze

Today I am finding myself learning all sorts of new things. Like I did not know that Inner Tubing in the Trinity River was Fort Worth's latest craze. I am so un-trendy and un-cool, these type things just escape my attention.

Then Water Baby, she being the Water Baby who yesterday sent me a picture she took of a gator enjoying the Trinity River, in the same part of the Trinity River that is so popular with those caught up floating in Fort Worth's latest craze, sent me a couple links to City of Fort Worth informational webpages about Alligator Awareness in Tarrant and Wise County. Why Wise County gets added to Tarrant and none of the other counties surrounding Tarrant County, I don't know.

The other link Water Baby sent me was to another City of Fort Worth webpage, titled "ALLIGATOR AWARENESS FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS."

One of the frequently asked questions was, "How many are there?" As in how many alligators, I assume. The answer only focuses on the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, saying "preliminary findings" indicate the alligator population is between 15 and 25. No mention is made of how many are living in Lake Worth. Or how many relatives of that big 10 footer that was run over near my abode, last year, are still in my neighborhood.

Water Baby pointed me to an amusing part of the AA FAQ in the Public Education Program section where it advises, "Avoid swimming and doing other water activities in areas where alligators are known to exist."

So, you've got one part of the City of Fort Worth government advising the public to avoid swimming and other water activities in areas where alligators are known to exist, while another part of the Fort Worth City Government organizes Happy Hour Inner Tubing Parties in part of the Trinity River where alligators are known to exist. And has turned this activity into a craze that has swept fad prone Fort Worth like a hula hoop attached to a frisbee.

How can anyone not get why I love living in this nutty, craze prone town?