Monday, December 22, 2014

Favorite Pic of the Day for December 23rd

Above:
Decking The Halls

Happy Birthday today December 23rd

Harry for Attitude

Happy Birthday Harry!

Check out more of Harry HERE:
& more of today's Birthday Boys HERE:

Naked News: The Lord works in mysterious ways...

Naked man claiming to be Jesus burns down church!

'According to CBS46, 24-year-old J Ramirez (below) was found by police naked near the Epiphany Byzantine Catholic Church after he had allegedly set fire to it and three other fires on the property. Ramirez told them that he was attempting to contact Indian gods.'


'We're going to start construction on the repairs tomorrow morning so we're getting right back into it. Hopefully have Christmas in there.'
The Church's Pastor

Twas Two Days Before Christmas


Twas two days before Christmas, when all through Manhattan,
Including the outskirts from Brooklyn to Staten
The tension was rising, the police on alert
All trying to ensure, not another would get hurt


The Mayor tried to nestle all snug in his bed
But thoughts of the insults danced loudly in his head
His wife in her kerchief tried to console
But nothing could lessen the wound to his soul


When out on the roof, there arose such a clatter
They sprang from their beds to see what was the matter
Away to the window, they flew like a flash
tore open the shutters and threw up the sash


The Manhattan Santa was out on his route
100% naked, even the mayor thought 'how cute'
Both bags he was hauling were pulsing and red
but trouble was brewing just up ahead...


The crowd starting fighting about what had occurred
The issue of race began getting blurred
This naked Santa gave all a great site
Though a few seemed perturbed he wasn't 100% white


Did they welcome this stranger with joy or with fear
Did they yell out a scream or just let out a cheer
We're New Yorkers they cried, all races welcome!
Every child under God, sent down from the Heavens!


Because in America, from New York to LA
It's cool to be black, European, now even gay
Just don't be surprised if there's a lock on our door
If you're Mexican, overweight  & especially if you're poor



Stephan Tobias: Opening A Tiny Window


'Advent calendars also have been a childhood fascination. There is something theatrical in opening a tiny window with a day by day outlook into a fantasy scene everyday which is part of a bigger theatrical context.'


The term 'Advent' is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning coming. Beginning on the fourth Sunday before December 25, advent is about the waiting. In this case however, the waiting is about the excitement, the anticipation of what is to come. It is really Christmas foreplay. Most of us hate waiting, but the build up to certain moments in many cases can often be more enjoyable than the moment itself.


For many, the time between December 1st and December 25th is full of crazed busyness, decorating, shopping, work functions, parties, wrapping, baking and preparing. One of the ways that people mark this time, today especially children, is through an Advent Calendar. Each day, the days until Christmas get shorter and with the opening of each calendar window, a visual, and often chocolate, reward awaits. Artist and model Stephan Tobias's fascination with the yearly ritual is at the core of this series of visually stimulating images.


'My way of staging my pictures with those somewhat frozen poses seems to be going along with this quite well. The self indulgence of a sweet baby story is reflected here by my own narcissistic self indulgence. A bit of irony may add to the fun of this sweet season, even if in the end this exercise of mine is about creating beauty, too.'


Born in Berlin, Stephan was raised in Southern Germany and self trained as photographer and graphic artist. Stephan studied history, philosophy and law in Tübingen, Aix-en-Provence, Hamburg, Munich which led to his eventually practicing law in Berlin. For Stephan, photography, even in his childhood days, has been a way of playfully interacting with the world, in search of expression and a personal artistic view.


'The male nude over the last years has been the main focus of my work, and I keep adding to the experience, both as a model and as a photographer. By showing a nude body in an open space I intend to playfully examine the relationship between the subject and the object, between the individual and the world around it. Digital alterations sometimes become a way of extending that process and to re-focus on the subject. Ars lunga, vita brevis - I may be scratching in the wrong corner as I am attracting so many porn lovers, but I do intend to continue playing around in search of a meaningful expression.'


Stephan Tobias
Stephan Tobias on flickr & on ModelMayhem


See more of Stephen's portfolio, including more from his Advent series on flickr HERE: