“return and get it”
the assistant who works with Buddy’s vet in the East Village has this cool tattoo on her wrist. it’s a West African Adrinka symbol called “Sankofa”. she saw the symbol on Janet Jackson and liked it. but a fascinating thing happened the day we were in the office… she and the receptionist had just noticed the EXACT same symbol in the iron gates on the building DIRECTLY across the street from their office…

the receptionist said that she’d heard that African slaves incorporated tribal symbols in their work and it can be seen around the city (even as a legacy today in newer work).

looked around the net to learn more. not a lot out there but we found that many of the slaves who helped build New York were great artisans and came from the regions of Western Africa that used these symbols, and these areas/empires were specifically known for their metalwork.

the mystery was heightened, and at the same time possibly answered, with this message found in the Sankofa’s meaning:
“return and get it” – symbol of importance of learning from the past

UPDATE: Black Lilly from I’m So Confused (a GREAT site you MUST check out right now!) sent a cool email thanking us for mentioning the Sankofa (she has the same one on her wrist!) she sent along some comments that provide additional food for thought…

“the one thing that annoys me about tattoos is that many people don’t pay attention to the meaning of symbols. I have heard too many people describe theirs as tribal, but cant tell the meaning, what tribe they came from or even which continent.”

and keep your eyes open… “You can find adinkra symbols everywhere, you just have to look.”

cute works
this is Buddy’s extra cute “can I have a treat” face. we think he pushes his own ear down to add to the effect. it works.

learn to kick ass
many years ago we took a self defense class. and to this day the skills we learned stay with us. Prepare and IMPACT, a great organization that holds defense training classes, is having a graduation open house tomorrow night where you can go and see first hand the excellent training they provide:

graduation/open house
Oct 26, at 8:15 p.m for about an hour
147 W. 25th St. between 6th and 7th Aves (closer to 7th) on the 8th floor.

the opportunity learn defense techniques, simulate being attacked with a padded mock assailant and learn how to react and defend yourself is an invaluable experience and one that will take you through life with great confidence and empowerment. “With this unique physical training method you can deliver full force, full contact, knock out blows to vulnerable areas on the padded assailant’s body in dynamic, interactive fights.”

Laren from SweetBlogoMine is one of the instructors. and shared this with us…
“A friend brought me to a graduation a number of years ago and I was so moved by the power, strength, and confidence in the room that I knew I wanted to be a part of it — and I’ve stayed long enough to become an instructor to I can share what I’ve learned with others. Not only do I now have concrete physical skills that I might use if I am attacked, but I have learned many other skills that have had an impact on the way I approach conflicts … Hopefully I’ll never have to use the physical ones.”

desperately seeking SuperPages removal
after posting last week about the massive waste Verizon irresponsibly fills our city with each year, last night we spotted one of the Lower East Side public trash cans with a load of SuperPages. looks like people are getting desperate to rid their buildings of Verizon’s clutter.

statement
broken heart found carved in old picnic table in new york park (this week’s PhotoFriday submission)…

friday links
Nick CatchDubs is always finding that great shit we don’t see anywhere else, 2 links from this week:
- “Holdin’ down the block – This guy is crazy” (DON’T MISS THIS ONE!)
- “Are you a Sneaker Freak?“

ka-zing… Joey and Kerry are on fire! some hilarious links and lines from today’s Two-Headed Beast Edition Of Tale Of Two Cities:
- “Gimme a Break!: John Stossel recruits help for his mission to fuck every gay man in New York.”
- “Quit Stalking Celebrities: Until you get a better camera phone!”
- “Vegetarianism Suddenly Awful: Thanks for ruining our favorite treat, Bill!”

this post by Lindsay pointed us to a cool article and made us thunk a lot. maybe one day we’ll throw up our own experiences (as a lesbian who used to fuck a bunch of her male friends but for now this kinda nails it… “The girls I know who are most successful with guys are the same girls who have a lot of platonic straight male friends.”

newly launched Screenhead is a fun daily cruise:
- “Because He Says So“
- “The Infinite Cat Project“

Thigh Master’s whackiness of the week

scare tactics
as Witz.org points out, this is a little old, but we hadn’t seen it. everyone knows the Bush campaign is practicing major scare tactics, but check out this edited footage of the bizarre REPETITION TACTICS the Republican party is using to try and brainwash the nation, it’s some INSANE shit. on November 2nd show the GOP we’re not a nation of idiots and vote Bush out!

(shots are from the awesome PSA’s of Baldomero Fernandez)

UPDATE: more on the topic of deception, the Brazilian Muse sent over a link to this very important organization…

ElectionProtectionVolunteer.org
In the last presidential election, millions of votes were never counted. Voters in minority communities were disproportionately disenfranchised through illegal disqualification, intimidation, and faulty voting machines. The Election Protection partnership needs you to stand up and defend voting rights on November 2. Find out how you can be a pollmonitor in key states.

snuggly
such a tough guy when he’s out on the street, but when we get him home he melts like ice cream…