by A.J. Focht



A new Dark Knight Rises trailer is out. This trailer seems to have fixed the problem with Bane’s voice. Although, now there are complaints about it sounding like it’s a separate audio track.

The Avengers has released internationally, but we still have a few days to wait until it comes to theatres here in America. Spoilers for the movie have been running high, despite many believing the international version is missing a few scenes. With only a few days till the movie hits, I am avoiding spoilers at all costs. While I can’t tell you what happens in the movie, I can tell you it has already pulled in $178 million overseas. I can also tell you that the positive response to Hulk in the movie is changing the tune of Marvel executives who thought his franchise was dead. With the increase of popularity, it now looks like a new Hulk movie might be coming in 2015.

Marvel has already changed the actor playing Hulk from Edward Norton to Mark Ruffalo, but what do they intend to do when other stars, like Robert Downey Jr, move on? Marvel Studios president Kevin Fiege addressed that issue at CinemaCon saying they would not reboot the series. He said:

Director of Chronicle, Josh Trank, has been signed to develop the script for a Fantastic Four reboot. It is unknown whether he will also direct the movie and as of now it looks like it will be based on how the script turns out. If Trank makes this anything like Chronicle it might be more of a Dr. Doom movie and less of a Fantastic Four film, which I am more than okay with.

The Wolverine will be shooting in Japan and Australia this year, and is set for release on July 26, 2013. Fox is determined to get the most out of the rights to the X-Men and Marvel’s mutants while they have them. Now they are also talking about doing a New Mutants movie, although it is unclear if that will be in addition to a sequel for X-Men: First Class or if it will be the sequel.

Rumored Star Trek 2 spoilers have now been confirmed. If you wanted to see Star Trek 2 completely unspoiled, skip ahead now. Still here? Okay, but I warned you. First up, Leonard Nimoy will be back as Spock Prime. Not surprised yet? How about, the Klingons will be featured in the second movie. That’s not all, we have all been lied to. Benedict Cumberbatch will not be playing a new villain, but will be reprising the roll of Khan in the upcoming Star Trek film. There you have it, three spoilers no waiting.

Last week I mentioned that Peter Jackson was shooting The Hobbit at 48-frames per second (fps). Not everyone was as excited by the change as I was. At CinemaCon last week, fans were unimpressed by the fps change, some complaining it made the film look homemade. Jackson responded to the criticism saying it is something film goers will just come to except. I think he’s right; this is likely just a case of people complaining about change cause it is new and different, not necessarily worse.

Finally, science fiction is catching up with reality. Multiple billionaires including James Cameron and the people behind Google have unveiled plans for mining asteroids. This little bit of science fiction could become a very practical way to extract resources without taking them from the earth. With governments cutting space program budgets around the world, it is good to see someone at least trying to make headway into the final frontier.

by Blogbot



SuicideGirls just got back from Occupy LA's final pre-May Day General Assembly. The assembled 99 percenters noted with some pride that the motion to mark International Workers' Day with a General Strike, which was first tabled by the group in November 2011, has become a reality, with occupations in 100+ cities poised to join in the May 1st action.

At the meeting, held in Downtown LA's Pershing Square, a last minute resolution to take action against employers who retaliate against striking employees was unanimously passed. This was followed by a refresher course in what to do if you are stopped and searched or questioned by the police tomorrow. The three key phrases to remember being:

• "Am I being detained?"


• "I do not consent to a search."


• "I would like to speak to a lawyer."

As Los Angeles occupiers march from the 4 Winds in the North, South, East, and West corners of the sprawling metropolis to converge at 6th and Main at 2.30 PM, hopefully these phrases will be surplus to requirements and the subsequent afternoon actions in the Financial District will be peaceful. Occupy LA plans to close the day out with a special General Assembly at 7 PM. All are welcome. For more info visit: occupymay1st.org/

For a nationwide directory of May Day actions visit: occupywallst.org/article/may-day/

We'll be Live Blogging May Day events nationwide with update throughout the day on suicidegirlsblog.com/

SuicideGirls is proud to be working with The Media Consortium's coalition of free thinking publications and news outlets to bring you coverage of tomorrow's May Day actions nationwide.

More than 25 independent media outlets belonging to The Media Consortium are collaborating to provide coordinated, national coverage of May Day events from around the country.

Calling themselves “Media for the 99 Percent”, these diverse outlets will offer a live TV and streaming broadcast, an interactive map, breaking news reporting, and coordinated social media coverage across their sites, reaching a combined audience of more than 50 million Americans.

“With this May Day collaboration, independent media will show that live national coverage can reflect the breadth, diversity, and complexity of the American people,” says Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, executive director of The Media Consortium.

Outlets involved in the Media For The 99 Percent project include:
Free Speech TV
Mother Jones
The Nation
Truthout
GregPalast.com.

SuicideGirls will be tweeting and posting MayDay updates though out the day before heading down to Occupy LA's post-4 Winds GA at Pershing Square in DTLA. If you have a photo, link, or news item you'd like us to include in our coverage, please Cc. @SuicideGirls and include the #M1 hashtag in your tweet.



Support Media for the 99 Percent by donating here.

by A.J. Focht

I got the opportunity to interview some excellent comic writers at StarFest 2012 in Denver. I sat down with J.T. Krul and we talked about his current projects: Captain Atom, Superman Beyond, and Soulfire, as well as his run on Green Arrow.

A.J. Focht: What’s happening with the New 52 Superman Beyond?

J.T. Krul: They approached me…I’ve never done Superman before, and it’s Superman, so… And the Beyond Universe is a real fun universe to play in, because it’s tied into everything else, but it’s also kind of its own beast. You have a little more leeway to play around with things. It’s not really an alternate setting, but a future setting. You can have a little more fun, and it’s a little outside the box.

A.J.: That’s great. I’ve always been a fan of the Batman Beyond series; it will be great to see what is done with Superman Beyond and Justice League Beyond.

J.T.: Yeah, it’s a lot of fun. The first issue just came out last week, digitally, but also as part of Batman Beyond Unlimited #3. Superman is really at a crossroads in his life, because he really doesn’t know where he fits in anymore. Most all the people he knows are dead and gone.

A.J.: So it’s still Clark Kent, right?

J.T.: Still Clark Kent, but everyone he knows is dead. Bruce Wayne is the only other person he knows who is still alive. Lois Lane is dead. Lex Luthor is dead. He is not a reporter anymore. He is living in the Fortress of Solitude, but it is less of a home and more of a mausoleum. He is really struggling with trying to figure out what the next phase of his life will be, and how connected he is to Metropolis now that everyone he knows is gone.

A.J.: You’ve sold me already. I’ve always wanted to see how Superman would respond in the future since he is immortal and his loved ones aren’t.

J.T.: We actually have a great bit. When the first issue opens up, Superman has created a mausoleum to all things Kryptonian in the Fortress of Solitude. He has all those relics and artifacts from his home world that he has amassed over the years to kind of preserve his past. He is always about preserving his past because he never had one. And now with everybody gone, he has actually coordinated a part of the Fortress of Solitude that seems to be a relic of what Metropolis used to be for him. There is a section where there is a newsstand, a phone booth, and the globe from the Daily Planet. And, that’s just the opening scene.

A.J.: You did the first three issues of Green Arrow. Did you do the full storyline for all of those?

J.T.: Yes.

A.J.: So were you the one who decided to take Oliver Queen the way of a superhero Steve Jobs?

J.T.: That was a big discussion as part of the New 52. When the New 52 was getting established and DC knew that’s what they were going to do, they approached me and Dan Jurgens, for me to continue and for Dan to come on board. We had a lot of discussions about what is the essence of Green Arrow and what direction do we want to go. We talked about a lot of different avenues, and at the core what is he about and what could he be. It’s definitely different than what I was doing with the character in Brightest Day, and I’m really proud of that run. This is just kind of a different direction. Making him younger, giving his super identity back, and kind of going Steve Jobs with him.

A.J.: After you left, they have since switched the creative team on Green Arrow again. It feels like they are catering a little more to the female audience now with both the art style and the writing. While it’s good, I’m still sad you were taken off because you were doing a fantastic job with Green Arrow there for a while.

J.T.: I really like it. I mean, Oliver Queen is one of my favorite characters. It was a hard decision to leave him and go to something else. You know, I think the whole thing with the book going in a different direction is kind of cool. The greatest thing about the New 52 is that there is really a book for everybody.

A.J.: There really is a niche for everyone. I never saw it going over as well as it did.

J.T.: It’s cool because you’ve got your big super heroes. You’ve got your Justice League, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Batman.

A.J.: And the fact we can say Aquaman is a big super hero now, that’s something.

J.T.: I know. Aquaman is a top selling book right now. Then Wonder Woman and Action Comics. Then you have your dark universe where it is kind of like Vertigo coming to DC. You’ve got JLA Dark, Animal, and Swamp Thing. Then Demon Knights, kind of has that fantasy feeling.

A.J.: And then you’ve got your sci-fi section with Firestorm and your own, Captain Atom. Captain Atom has turned out really good. Before now, every time I saw Captain Atom, I couldn’t help thinking of Dr. Manhattan. And, if I’m right, he was originally going to be Dr. Manhattan before they decided to let Allen Moore create the heroes. Still, you’ve managed to start gaining popularity for a hero that had been all but forgotten about.

J.T.: Yeah, it had been twenty years or so since Captain Atom had his own book. I mean, Judd Winnick did a great job with him in Generation Lost. But when moving forward, there is definitely the Dr. Manhattan vibe is there by design. And, you’re absolutely right, in its original incarnation, Allen Moore was going to use the Charlton characters, and it was Captain Atom they were going to use for Manhattan. When DC decided they wanted to keep those characters; that’s when he changed them to all the alternate versions.

What we did was, we liked the power set that Dr. Manhattan possessed and what that brought to the table. But we wanted to keep Captain Atom as who he was, Nathaniel Adams an Airforce pilot. So the powers were there, and the looks a little bit too, in a way. We really wanted to focus on the story of a relatively ordinary person, an Airforce pilot, who gets godlike powers. A lot of the story is really about him dealing with those powers. We are not really what I would call a straight forward superhero comic book. We’re more of a science fiction story about a guy grappling with amazing abilities. What he can do, and what he can’t do. And most importantly, what he should do.

Working with Freddie Williams has been probably one of the best parts of the New 52 for me. We just really click together. Collaboration on the book has been one of the closest collaborations I have had since working with Michael Turner on Soulfire. The book has just come together really well. We find some really different types of stories, definitely outside the box and outside the mainstream.

A.J.: You are working on Captain Atom right now, and Superman Beyond is starting. Do you have any plans to pick up any other books?

J.T.: Right now I’m doing The War That Time Forgot, in the pages of G.I. Combat which is one of the new six coming out.

A.J.: Isn’t that going to be like All Star Western, where it’s going to feature a main story and then an off story, but with combat stories instead of Westerns?

J.T.: Kind of, yeah. My first story is a four-parter, and we are piggy-backing with The Unknown Soldier. And I know there are plans to bring in other combat stories as well.

A.J.: Any other projects?

J.T.: I am actually still working with Aspen Comics, who I’ve been working with pretty much since I first started. We are finishing up Soulfire Volume 3. We have a big event coming this summer called The Search for the Light. It’s going to run weekly starting in June and into July. Its five one shot issues that tie together that all lead into Volume 4 of Soulfire which is going to be the biggest one yet. We just announced that Mike DeBalfo is actually going to be the artist on it. It’s really going to be the story of Soulfire like you’ve never seen before. We will see a lot of characters returning, and almost the biggest threat we’ve ever seen before in the book.

A.J.: That’s four projects you’re working on. Are you insane?

J.T.: [After a good chuckle and some contemplation] They actually stagger pretty good so it doesn’t really bottle up. There are times it gets a little crowded, but luckily, if I schedule my time, I can make sure I get through it. But I like it. I mean, they’re all fun projects to do so as long as I can work them into my life and not make my life to unbearable, I’ll keep doing it. They are all great stories to tell, and any chance to do a comic is a great opportunity.

by SG's Team Agony feat. Aadie

Let us answer life's questions - because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.


[Aadie in Time Out]

Q: My boyfriend of two and a half years and I have been through hell and back on the most emotional roller-coaster imaginable. He's taken me for granted and broken my heart a couple times in the past, but after this most recent break up he came back and really seems to have his stuff together. Everything has been great and he's done an awesome job at proving to me he has turned over a new leaf. The issue I am having is little to no sex drive toward him. I love being around him, he's my best friend, I don't mind a little affection, but when it comes to sex I have zero motivation or interest. I truly can see myself marrying him and I really want this to work out. Did he break my heart so bad that he broke my vagina too?

Help me!

A: Well, well, well, aren't we in a pickle. I believe that it is very important in any relationship to be honest with A: YOURSELF and B: YOUR PARTNER!!!

Without honestly you seriously have zip. Could it be possible that now your boyfriend is really just that, a boy that is your friend? I do doubt your vagina is busted, lol, but it is very understandable that maybe your sexual drive towards this individual has subsided indefinitely.

A sex drive is, as you know, an emotional thing. If your boyfriend has broken your heart in multiples maybe your subconscious has just had enough. Maybe.

Another suggestion, spicing things up in the bedroom?? Maybe have him tie you up? Or whatever your into

If you have tried that already, and you’re still not satisfied, at the end of the day, we're all only going around this planet one time. If you’re not going to make the best of it then what's the point? Right?

This is your decision. You need to be happy in the end. Sit down with him and have this conversation. If it’s really time for him to go – and for you to move on – then that’s what you should do.

Aadie

***

Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com

by Blogbot


[Moxi Suicide in Marquee]

This Sunday (April 29) on SuicideGirls Radio, host Nicole Powers (SG's Managing Editor) will be joined live in-studio by Moxi Suicide.

Moxi has modeled for SuicideGirls since 2008. She is a self proclaimed sexpert and is currently developing her own vibrator line. A CSULA Graduate, she is a passionate advocate for gay rights and women's sexual exploration. She enjoys seeing live music in her spare time. Follow her at @sgmoxi.

Tune in to the world's leading naked radio show for two hours of totally awesome tunes and extreme conversation – and don't let yo’ momma listen in!

Listen to SG Radio live Sunday night from 10 PM til Midnight at: suicidegirlsradio.indie1031.com/

And follow @SG_Radio on Twitter because we like cyberstalkers.

by Darrah de jour



“There’s a degree of cowardice and willful ignorance around this condition.”

- Russell Brand

Testifying before the UK Parliamentary Committee Tuesday, comedian/actor Russell Brand shed light on the disease of addiction. Already perceived as recalcitrant by the somewhat condescending, but well-meaning bunch, he nonetheless tamed down his usual giddiness/mania (saving it for the finale). Brand chose, instead, to peacock with his floor-length leather jacket, allowing his expertise in recovery and addiction to lead quite impressively.

“There’s some confusion and ignorance around addiction, and it’s quite understandable. A lot of drug addicts, speaking personally, are anti-social…Being arrested is not a lesson. It’s an administrative blip… [when] I had access to abstinence-based recovery I was able to…all but obliterate my criminal activity, apart from the occasional skirmish,” the funny man said.

With the aim of providing firsthand knowledge about addiction, the former heroin-addict (and admitted recovering sex addict) who was arrested eleven times, stressed that addiction is an illness, and thus a health issue – not a judicial one.

“We need to have more compassionate, altruistic, loving attitudes [toward addicts]” he says, levying that his mentor, Chip Somers, the founder of Focus 12, has a rap sheet as long as his arm, including armed robbery, but after twenty-six sober years, is a responsible, contributing member of society.

“What’s significant is the way we socially regard addiction,” Brand said. “The criminalization of addicts is symbolic and not functional.”

He advised the Committee to address the “social, mental and spiritual” problems that are leading people to use drugs. He emphasized that this is not just something that affects young people (as the Committee remained focused on) but all ages. He also delineated that not all people that use drugs are addicts, but for ones that are, he passionately believes in abstinence-only treatment, with awareness and compassion for addicts.

Brand called for resources to be reallocated from criminalizing petty possession to research and treatment of addiction. He also stressed that simply doling out Methadone and other state-sponsored drug “treatments” is futile, and that the UK needs to have accompanying abstinence-based programs for addicts, since most Methadone users, he said, are supplementing the use with other drugs both legal and illegal. Brand makes no distinction between legal and illegal drugs, or alcohol, noting keenly that “young people will always wanna get high.”

High note (pun, uh, intended): Brand quotes “the great” Tupac Shakur at 10:25.

[Full video of Russell Brand and Chip Somers’ testimony in the video above.]

***

Post-feminist sex and sensuality expert Darrah de jour is a freelance journalist who lives in LA with her doggie Oscar Wilde. Her writing has appeared in Marie Claire, Esquire and W. In her Red, White and Femme: Strapped With A Brain - And A Vagina columns for SuicideGirls, Darrah takes a fresh look at females in America. Twice a month, she also co-hosts SG Radio on Indie1031.com. Subscribe to her blog at Darrahdejour.com/, friend her on Facebook, and Listen to her wax sensual at WingGirlMethod.com/.



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by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER ELEVEN, PART ONE]

[SUPERBOWL CXC]

[Previous Chapter/ Next Chapter]

Regina reached for Haggerty’s hand as the turbines kicked in and the multimillion-dollar stealth jetcraft fired off. Stelwyn was at the yoke, his bodyguards seated on either side of him. Haggerty watched the receding compound turn to sand beneath the floorview window. He needed to ascertain the situation at headquarters but had to wait until they were far enough away not to lead the authorities to Svoboda’s door.

“How long until we can touch down at the stadium?” he asked Elsa.

“Approximately fourteen minutes, Jason, provided we can land at the coordinates Mr. Stelwyn suggests.”

“We’ll land all right,” Stelwyn promised.

Regina handed Haggerty a small bottle of water and he dosed a celtrex. “Patch me through to the office,” he told Elsa. “Tanner’s line, visual on.”

Elsa punched her codes into the small display comlink above her. Tanner looked like he had not slept and was none too pleased about it. Seeing Haggerty on his display, he spilled his coffee on his disheveled suit.

“Holy shit, Haggerty, do you have any idea —”

“Save it, Tanner. I’m not guilty. What’s Corbin’s status?”

“AWOL, same as you. Heard you tried to pin this on her.”

There was no time to make his case to Tanner. “Are the Dragon and agent Keenan there?” he asked.

“In the boardroom. It’s now the Federal command post dedicated to hanging your ass in a sling.”

“I’ll need you to transfer me, but first I’m calling in favors, Mitch.”

“I’m all ears,” Tanner said.

“I need whatever information you can give me on a double press for a couple named Jennings.”

“Jenkins, double press?” Tanner said, tapping keys.

“Jennings, not Jenkins!”

“Don’t get your panties in a wad. Jennings not Jenkins it is.” Tanner continued to tap keys. “Here it is. Uh-oh, it’s a red flag.”

“Criminal violation?” Haggerty said, surprised.

“Looks like,” Tanner confirmed.

“No time for the full report. Just read me the epitaph.”

“There’s two,” Tanner said. “First one’s Mr. Brent Jennings, 98, and Mrs. Katherine Jennings, 95. Consecutive presses. Eulogic proceedings convened on September 12, 2152 by BBI Agent William O’Connell. Both presses judged clean. Life insurance settlement to be placed in trust and paid in installments to surviving child, Maximilian Jennings.”

Max’s parents, Haggerty assumed. “Who was the insurance underwriter?” he asked.

“Cromwell and Sons.”

Haggerty frowned. Cromwell and Sons was the biggest insurance firm in NewVada. They handled a large percentage of the cases Haggerty reviewed. Still, what were the odds they would be the agency in all three cases he’d become involved with in the past twenty-four hours: Nyuga-Rosenberg, Tyler Stelwyn, and now the Jennings double press?

“The second epitaph is from you,” Tanner said.

The hair rose on the back of Haggerty’s neck. He dug his fingernail into his thumb.

Tanner continued. “KV units exhumed for post-press revisit by senior agent Jason P. Haggerty due to suspicious stamp from the coroner. Mr. and Mrs. Brent Jennings. Consecutive presses judged clean. Date of death corrected to August 12th, 2152. Insurance policy voided. Jesus, Haggerty, you’re a real bloodhound.”

Haggerty remembered now. He’d reviewed the recordings multiple times, acting on a hunch. The parents had pressed legally but the dates reported were false. The original audio timestamp had been altered. Haggerty had caught it and correlated the actual press date with a pair of banshee lights on the board — one of the rare events where a circuit malfunction lit up a box that hadn’t been used (BBI workers joked that such lights showed who was planning to press next). The Jennings couple’s legal suicides had occurred before the allotted waiting period expired and Max, who had worked for the company that made the KV units, had rigged both the boxes and BBI’s light boards. He’d also found a way to crack the coroner’s records and cover his tracks. Haggerty’s discovery had cost Max the proceeds of his parents’ insurance policy.

“There was a criminal investigation pending but no follow-up here,” Tanner said. “What’s this got to do with anything?”

Haggerty recalled the avatar’s words: You will discover yourself as a source of that rage. “I’ll explain later,” he told Tanner. “One more favor before you connect me to the boardroom. I need to know if these five individuals registered for boxes.”

“Haggerty, this could be my ass. . . .”

“You owe me, Mitch.”

“All right,” Tanner grunted. “Gimme the first one.”

“Elsa, read us the birth names of each of the members of Clone Jesus,” Haggerty instructed.

“Processing,” Elsa said. “Alphabetically by last name, the first is Bin Ibriham, Jaleel, aka Whisper.”

“Negative,” Tanner said, his fingers dancing over his boards. “Next.”

“Howard, Gerard, aka Cherub.”

“Uh-uh.”

The next two names were also negative. Haggerty began to doubt his line of reasoning.

“Olaffson, Clifford, aka Zephyr,” Elsa said.

“Match!” Tanner said. “And guess whose name is on the time and date list, same office? Corbin, Nia. That mean something?”

“Only conspiracy to commit mass murder,” Haggerty said grimly. “Thanks, Mitch. Now patch me through to the Dragon.”

Consuela stood beside a tall, youthful-looking man with dark blond hair, dressed in the unimaginative suit apparently required for all FBI agents.

“Where are you, Mr. Haggerty?” agent Keenan demanded.

“On my way to the Superbowl,” Haggerty said. “You might want to meet me there. I’m convinced the next performance is going to be even more dramatic than the one last night.”

“Sonofabitch,” Keenan swore. “Any reason why I should think you’re not involved?”

“I’m afraid I’m short on hard evidence at the moment, but would I be speaking to you now if I was involved? Listen, agent Keenan, I know who’s pulling the band’s strings — Corbin and the owner of that club, a kid named Max Jennings.”

“The club where the only evidence was your DNA?”

“That’s right. Jennings invented the new drug that was loaded into the units at the triple press. He’s got a grudge against Stelwyn for firing him over it, and a grudge against me for getting his parents’ insurance claim cancelled. Corbin’s only twenty-three years old. I’ll wager that Doug Zabrowski found out and she killed him for it.”

“I’m afraid that’s not all you need to clear you, Mr. Haggerty,” Consuela said.

“I’ll vouch for him,” Stelwyn interjected.

“Who is that?” agent Keenan asked.

“Antonio Stelwyn,” Consuela answered.

“We’re about to touch down at the stadium,” Haggerty said. “I believe Max Jennings and Corbin are there. All I ask is that you keep your agents off my back while I try to get at them. Afterwards, I’ll surrender to you.”

“Touchdown in forty-eight seconds,” Elsa warned.

“What if I say no?” Keenan said.

“I can’t afford to give you that opportunity.”

Haggerty clicked off. Stelwyn pulled the nose up hard and powered down fast, dropping the craft directly into the slot reserved for his car — much to the shock of the thousands of spectators observing the game on giant viewscreens in the acres-long parking lot. He popped the hatch and he and his guards deplaned.

Haggerty unstrapped in his form-fitting plasticine seat.

Elsa turned to him. “Jason, I feel it necessary to inform you that I have less than forty minutes of power reserve left.”

Haggerty touched her hand. “What are the options?”

“I can stay with you at full operation or shut down to sleep mode and double my time, or borrow this craft and return to BBI and upload. My primary concern is for your safety. I do not fear reset.”

Haggerty weighed her words. If Elsa drained to zero without upload, the recordings she held would be lost, along with everything she’d experienced since the last time she’d uploaded. The evidence contained within her might be the only effective way of clearing his name and, more important, stopping the conspiracy. Losing it would be disastrous.

“Go to BBI and upload, Elsa. If there’s time.”

“If I leave within the next seven minutes, I should make it,” she said.

Stelwyn stuck his head through the hatch, clearly disturbed by the delay. Haggerty explained the situation quickly. Stelwyn handed him the keycard.

“Go, Elsa. Upload, make encrypted copies of the recordings, and put them someplace safe. Then show them to agent Keenan.”

Haggerty set one foot out of the jetcraft. Elsa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I find myself in a quandary, Jason. My concern for your safety has overridden your desire to salvage the evidence stored within me. I cannot leave you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said, scratching his neck. “The situation is under control and the evidence must not be lost. Now go!”

“I cannot,” she said. “You scratched your neck. You do that when you are not telling the truth. There is a great deal to worry about, and I must protect you.”

A loud horn sounded the start of the second quarter.

“We’ve got to get in there!” Stelwyn urged.

“Elsa, I order you to short your PLC. We must save the recordings.”

“Jason, I—”

“You’re too important to me, Elsa. Command override, two-four-Juliet. Short your PLC now!”

Elsa’s eyes fluttered; Haggerty imagined he could smell the electrical burn as she fried her loyalty chip’s bioelectric synapse. A small blood clot appeared in the upper corner of her left eye.

“Now go,” he said. He joined Stelwyn and Regina on the ground. “Show it all to the Federal agents.”

Elsa brought the hatch down and began her preflight preparations.

Haggerty took Regina’s hand; they followed Stelwyn and his bodyguards toward the South Gate. He glanced back once to see the ascending jetcraft disappear in the sky. Stelwyn’s bodyguards cleared a path to the ticketpoint, through throngs of milling kids calling out for tickets. A young man in a Clone Jesus jacket hawking “Samples, get your free samples!” shoved a small plastic bag into Regina’s hand.

“Try it, you’ll like it,” he said with a glazed stare.

Regina clutched Haggerty’s arm tightly. She held up the small white unit with a trembling hand. Haggerty scanned the crowd. Many of the youngsters carried similar bags. One was on his knees, throwing up.

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

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Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Three
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by Laurelin



It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. I remember the feeling like it was yesterday, a once sharp pain now only a memory that makes me cringe only because of the way I almost remember feeling. It’s faded now, the sharp feeling of loss from so long ago to be replaced with this new experience, one that’s a bit more bittersweet and almost entirely silly.

I remember the first time. I was standing at the Ocean Mist in Rhode Island at an all ages rock show. The bar was perfect; on stilts that went into the ocean so when you looked away from the crowded stage and sticker covered walls you could see only the blue of the ocean. The windows were open in the summer and you could taste the salt on your tongue while you breathed in the bass from the speakers. As a teenager, it was heaven.

I had had a crush on this guy forever, and I had decided that while we were all out that night I was finally going to tell him how I felt. The music faded to a dull pounding in my brain as I walked over to him, and my stomach flipped somersaults. I somehow managed to spit it out, not remembering exactly what I said but distinctly remembering his face, his blank expression that told me that I was wrong, he would never like me back, and I turned and ran. Later a friend told me that he was embarrassed, that I was too tall, disproportionate. I wanted to die.

All these years later, finally comfortable with who I am, how tall I am, my life and my choices. All these years later still struggling with the truth and just finally giving up and telling someone I still have feelings for them even though I know nothing good will come of it. I don’t know why I said it. I don’t know why I felt the need to tell him, it’s not like I couldn’t sleep or live without finally getting this off my chest. I know it was stupid and it does nothing but makes things awkward. (All these years later that still hasn’t changed.)

I don’t feel better. I don’t know if I feel worse. I don’t think things can be the same, but they shouldn’t have to be different. I imagine that in the grand scheme of my life, this is going to be something I look back on and laugh at. A psychic once held my hand and said, “You have already been so lucky, you’ve had two great loves and two great heartbreaks. This thing you hold, this is neither. So why can’t you move on?”

It’s something that now, I can remedy with calling other ex-boyfriends and drinking with girlfriends, where as back then I cried myself to sleep for days. This time, only a train ride home with a bit of smudged mascara, a woeful realization that I’m not as tough as I make myself out to be. I feel bad for myself. I feel bad for making him struggle to find the right words to not hurt my feelings. I feel bad for the past three guys I’ve dated, because I have kicked them all to the curb with a handful of lies and half truths once we hit the one month period. Better off alone until I figure this out, don’t like to be alone so I start things I can’t finish.

“It’s okay, because you know this is silly,” my roommate says as I’m trying not to let anyone at the bar see me cry. “I know,” I mumble, and I DO know. I don’t even notice the guy walking up behind me and ordering shots. “Two please,” he says and passes one to me with a kind smile. My eyes dry almost instantly, and I know how stupid I must look. We cheers and the shot goes down like fire, but I seem to have found my coy smile, and this guy is kind of cute.

“Rough night?” he asks.

“It’s nothing,” I say smoothly, and the lie spreads like butter on warm toast, so well that I almost believe it. Almost.



***

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by Nahp Suicide


[Baz in Let Me Bang]

Shazzy is from Montreal. She currently splits her time between Montreal, Toronto and Tokyo. She has been an SG photographer since 2005 and has shot more than 200 sets.

How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

I had a couple friends (Tao and Raquel) who were interested in modeling for the site. This was February 2005. It was a total coincidence that I ended up shooting their sets a day apart. SG was just starting to blow up in Montreal back then.



What's your background photography-wise?

I have a degree in photography from Dawson College. I graduated just in time - the following year they destroyed the darkrooms and switched 100% to digital photography.




[CurLee in Hell Yes]

What was the first photo you had published?

I think it was a shot of Ritchie Hawtin in the Montreal Mirror. 



How would you describe your style?

Minimal. DIY.

What gear do you use?

Canon 5D Mark II


[Reo in Squeaky Clean]

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

It used to be really important but in the last few years I've really toned it back. These days I usually clear up some blemishes and that's it. Less is more.



What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

LOLCATS.




[Silvia in Stay On The Line]

What is your favorite image?

This one (NSFW) of Silvia from Stay On The Line.

Tell us why it's your fave and how you achieved it?

I'm a huge fan of natural light and I like how the silhouette really accentuates her curves. I achieved it by underexposing a couple stops.



Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't?

A sunset in Nebraska. Or Mick Jagger! He's fuckin ballin.


[Tao in Spider Girl]


[Silvia & Sliver in Candy Kiss]


[Kali in Blue Dog Motel]


[Eli in The Metro]


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by A.J. Focht



The Avengers is just over a week away, and the last batch of promotional material has hit. A new scene from the movie was released, as well as a behind the scenes video. Director Joss Whedon gave more insight to the movie and why you should see it during an interview with some collegiate newspapers this past week.

During an MTV interview with Samuel L. Jackson, the actor described his vision of a S.H.I.E.L.D movie. His casting leaves out Agent Coulson which has again given rise to the rumor that he will die in The Avengers, and even possibly be recreated as Vision. Whedon previously went as far to say they would change his background so he was created by Tony Stark. Could Coulson become Vision? Could Vision be Marvel’s secret unnamed movie for 2013? Guess we have to wait till May 4 to know for sure.

The Dark Knight Rises has been all but forgotten in the wake of excitement for The Avengers. Now, they plan to capitalize on that by releasing their trailer before The Avengers. Christopher Nolan is really pushing the IMAX release with over an hour of IMAX footage. A ‘reliable source’ at Cosmic Booknews who saw the first showing says it is better than The Dark Knight. In a similar vein, Tom Hardy recently compared Bane to the Joker to show why he was worthy to come after the Clown Prince.

While the superhero movies are fighting it out for the summer box office crown, Peter Jackson is using The Hobbit to advance film production everywhere. Jackson has shot the first half of The Hobbit: An Enexpected Journey at 48 fps (frames per second). Current industry standard is 24 fps. Because Hobbit is looking to be such a major movie event, many theaters will be forced to upgrade their equipment to show the film. This paves the way for other filmmakers, who will be able to shoot movies at 48 fps without fear of the theatres not having the equipment to show them.

Before Watchmen will hit comic stands everywhere in June. You don’t have to wait till then to get an idea of what’s in store however. Twenty-one illustrations and concept art pieces were leaked this past week. The leaked images include costume designs for most of the characters, including some you wouldn’t expect like Hooded Justice. There are also a few full page sketches.

Premiering on April 27th on EPIX is With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story. Just before its release, a sneak peek was let out to show fans what’s in store. The documentary covers the life of comic book legend, Generalissimo Stan Lee.

New photos have landed on the Ender’s Game production blog. The pics now include: Ender’s room, the neck implants, and a simulator. The Ender’s Game movie is scheduled for release in November 2013.

Would you like a new Star Trek series? Well whether you get one is apparently up to J.J. Abrams. The creator of Pushing Daisies, Brain Fuller, was really gung-ho about pitching the idea. Now Fuller says that if a Star Trek series were to happen, it would be after the next movie and Abrams would be in command. J.J. Abrams has apparently become ‘the guardian of Trek’ and nothing will happen without his input.

by SG’s Team Agony feat. Lexie


[Lexie in Speres]

Q: I have a question for you geek goddesses and suicidal scarlets. I am pretty good at introducing myself, making friendly, and getting a girl’s number, but I am not good at what happens next. Sometimes I feel like I don’t wait long enough and other times I feel like it’s way too late for me now. But even worse, what do you do? Call? Text? What to say or write? How do you even get to asking her out on a date? How do I use a girl’s number to my advantage?

Much love and respect.


A: You’ve done the hardest part, gotten the girl’s number. Bravo to you on that. A lot of the time sucking it up and making the first move is the hardest part. Everything that comes after should be natural. It sounds like you’re putting too much pressure on yourself to have the “go to” next step as far as dating is concerned. Every person is different, and they handle dating differently. Some people like to move with the speed of a jack rabbit while others are slow and steady like a tortoise.

From this gal’s point of view, after you get a girl’s number, two to three days seems like a good amount of time to wait before reaching out and making contact. This day and age I don’t know of very many people that actually talk on the phone, so texting may be your best bet. Let’s be real, even if you called you may have to leave her a voicemail, now that could get awkward.

So, give it two to three days, shoot her over a text to show a little interest and take it from there. If she seems receptive, ask her out to a movie, dinner, drinks, hell whatever you want. If she doesn’t seem receptive, lay off for a while. She’ll either come around, or it’s a lost cause.

Either way, happy texting!

Lexie
XOX

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER TEN, PART FOUR]

[PURGING THE SYSTEM]

[Previous Chapter / Next Chapter]

Svoboda walked Haggerty out of earshot. “I’m concerned about Stelwyn,” he said, crossing his arms. “I’m also concerned about you knowing what’s going on here.” He indicated a woman leading a toddler with one hand, an infant strapped to her chest, who crossed nearby and flashed them a timid smile. “I have it on good authority that you’ll be interacting with Federal agents when you leave here.”

“Trust me,” Haggerty said. “Even if your predictions are wrong, I won’t be trotting back to my old post.”

“What if I offered you a place in my colony?”

“This is a bit different from the lifestyle I’m accustomed to.”

“There are benefits,” Svoboda said. “Have you thought about having more children? I know that can’t make up for the loss you’ve endured, but it can help you to heal, give you new purpose. There are dozens of beautiful women here who want to be mothers. I’m sure Regina would be more than willing to conceive by you.”

“An interesting offer,” Haggerty said. “But I’m infertile.”

“Annette has an excellent track record of reversing the procedure,” Svoboda said.

“I don’t think producing a family is the most responsible thing I could do right now.”

“It’s not irresponsible either,” Svoboda said. “We’ve simply taken back the rights this government denied us: control over our own bodies and how we live our lives. Not all of us live in the compound and not everyone in our organization chooses parenthood. But we are capable of providing for every child born here.”

“I’ll keep your offer in mind,” Haggerty said. “Whatever I decide, I don’t plan on turning you in.”

“Not today,” Svoboda said. “What about tomorrow?”

“Svoboda!” a voice shouted angrily.

Antonio Stelwyn strode across the sand toward them with two dark-suited giants flanking him on either side. Svoboda tentatively extended his hand in greeting. Stelwyn slugged him in the face, sending Svoboda sprawling. Once he was down, Stelwyn kicked Svoboda in the stomach.

“That’s for introducing that sycophant to my son, you sonofabitch!”

Haggerty stepped back, unwilling to intervene. A dozen women rushed to see what the commotion was about. The guards closed ranks to enable Stelwyn to beat Svoboda without interference.

Stelwyn hoisted Svoboda roughly to his feet, only to floor him again with punches to the stomach and kidneys. “It’s about time you took responsibility for your actions,” he shouted.

“You don’t know the first thing about taking responsibility,” Svoboda spat back through bloodied lips. “Not with the companies you own, and not with your only son.”

Stelwyn kicked him in the face but Svoboda recovered.

“You think you’re so powerful but you’re as much a pawn of the system as Haggerty. You could have had a dozen children and you only had one. Now you’ve lost him to one of your own disgruntled workers.”

Stelwyn pulled out the antique revolver and aimed it at Svoboda. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“Hold on, hold on,” Haggerty begged.

“How dare he imply that I’m responsible for Tyler’s death,” Stelwyn shouted.

“The truth hurts,” Svoboda said. He coughed blood. “But before you shoot me, ask yourself if you’re angry because you lost your son or because someone took something away from you.”

Stelwyn ground his jaw; the veins of his temple pulsed. His knuckle went white on the trigger.

“Killing Svoboda won’t bring Tyler back,” Haggerty urged.

Stelwyn fired point blank into the sand beside Svoboda’s face. Svoboda screamed.

“I want Max,” Stelwyn seethed.

“Then put the gun away and help us work out where he is,” Haggerty said.

Stelwyn holstered the ancient firearm. His bodyguards stepped back. Regina helped Svoboda to his feet.

“All right,” Haggerty said. “Let’s put our differences aside and see if we can get a handle on the situation.”

Ricardo joined them. “You’ll want to see this,” he said, directing their attention to the viewscreen.

A viewcaster stood before the NewVada Central Stadium as crowds of people weaved in all directions behind him, assembling for the Superbowl. “Younger fans are desperately trying to scalp tickets since the announcement that the musical band Clone Jesus has petitioned to appear as scheduled in the halftime show.”

The live feed cut to a media conference taped earlier, in some location Haggerty did not recognize. Shintag Lake, extravagant in black leather and red silk, sat with his attorney as half a dozen coms were thrust toward him by disembodied hands.

“I know I speak for the entire band when I say we are deeply saddened by the events that took place onstage last night, and for any of the young fans out there who would injure themselves because of it.”

“Mister Lake,” a viewcaster shouted, “your lead singer, Zephyr, seemed to condone the act last night!”

“Appearances are often deceiving,” Lake stated calmly. “That is why Zephyr and the other band members wish so strongly to make this appearance today. They want to decry the violence and implore other children to stop hurting themselves.”

“Mister Lake, who are you betting on?” another viewcaster yelled.

Lake smiled. “NewVada, of course.”

The broadcast cut to a roped-off area outside the stadium where reporters pushed their coms toward Zephyr as dozens of JCs stood on the sidelines screaming his name. He looked tranquil, as if the events transpiring made no impression on him.

“I’m very sorry that some of our fans took such extreme actions last night,” he said mechanically. “If you’re listening, please stop and think before you act.” His lack of conviction was palpable.

The transmission cut from the tape back to the live feed. “With the reported blessings of the Surgeon General himself,” the viewcaster said, “Clone Jesus will perform in today’s halftime show.”

Haggerty turned away in disgust. Cherub had told him he would not decry the act, and now Lake had used that very word. Could the band truly just apologize and walk away from this unscathed?

“I don’t care what they say,” Regina told Haggerty. “They’re part of the reason my brother and my friends are dead.”

Haggerty pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder, glad for the silent support.

“In related news,” the viewcaster continued, “there has not been a single reported suicide since it was announced that Clone Jesus would be granted permission to play.”

Haggerty looked to Elsa; she ported back into the BBI system.

“It’s true,” she said. “There has not been a single light on board.”

“They’re waiting to hear from the band,” Svoboda said.

“I’m going to stop this,” Stelwyn said, pulling out his earset.

“Hold on,” Haggerty said, noting the tension on Svoboda’s face. If Stelwyn called from here, the settlement would be traceable. To what lengths would Svoboda go to avoid that? “Let’s exercise that predictive mind of yours, Joe,” he said. “What would you do in Max’s situation, if your message wasn’t heard loud enough to reach your goal?”

“I’m not culpable here, Mr. Haggerty,” Svoboda said.

“I think it’s safe to assume that Max, if he’s still pulling the band’s strings, would institute your methods,” Haggerty responded. “So please indulge me.”

“I’d reinforce the message in some peaceful manner,” Svoboda said calmly.

“Last night at a JC dance club, someone was giving away tickets to the game. I thought they must be counterfeit. Now I’m not sure. I think Max wants to guarantee that the audience is filled with Clone Jesus fans at today’s game. But not for any peaceful reason.”

Svoboda lowered his head into his hands. “You’re right,” he said softly. “Both of you. I am responsible for this. I can see how Max’s mind is working. He’ll do it again. But harder, much more harshly. The children are waiting for further instructions.”

“Can you get us into the Superbowl?” Haggerty asked Stelwyn.

“With no difficulty at all,” Stelwyn answered. “I own the stadium.”

“Are you coming, Joe?” Haggerty asked.

Svoboda shook his head sadly, stifling tears.

Haggerty had no sympathy for him. “I sincerely hope you’ll reconsider getting involved,” he said.

“I’m coming with you,” Regina said firmly.

Haggerty opened his mouth to protest, then realized she needed to do something to strike a blow against the people who had taken her brother and her friends from her.

“I wouldn’t dream of trying to stop you,” he said, smiling crookedly.

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

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Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Seven, Part Five
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Eight, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Nine, Part Five
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Ten, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Ten, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Ten, Part Three

by Nicole Powers

We’ve been busting out editorial for the SG Blog out of investigative journalist Greg Palast’s NYC office for the past few weeks and the continuing story of BP’s Deepwater Horizon blow-out has literally been blowing up around us after a whistleblower has come forward with damning new evidence against the oil company.

In a previous SG interview with Greg, we learned that the oil rig incident that occurred in the Gulf on April 20, 2010 wasn’t an unforeseen accident, as BP claimed, but was almost identical to a blow-out that occurred on BP’s rig off the coast of Azerbaijan in the Caspian Sea in September 2008. The cause was the same in both cases: the use of cost-saving quick dry cement.

If BP had been more open about the incident in 2008, and had stopped using this “penny-pinching cement process” the worst oil spill in US history would probably never have happened and the eleven oil workers who perished on the Gulf rig as a result of the blow-out would most likely still be alive.

In a post published today on Ecowatch Greg writes:

Furthermore, had BP fessed up to the past failure of their drilling methods when seeking permission to expand their drilling operations in US waters, their activities would more than likely have been somewhat curtailed. So instead, they lied by omission to our government under oath:

In the two years following the spill, BP has dumped a lot of resources into a public relations effort to clean up their reputation as opposed to the actual ongoing effect of the spill (we’ve all seen those very expensive and slick looking TV ads). It’s therefore no surprise that this week Al Jazeera posted a story about how the high incidence of “horribly deformed” fish found in the Gulf is alarming fishermen and scientists alike. Eyeless shrimp or clawless crab for dinner anyone?




***

About Greg Palast
Greg Palast’s reports can be seen on BBC Television’s Newsnight. He is a Puffin Foundation Writing Fellow for investigative reporting, and is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and Armed Madhouse.

His latest book, Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates and High-Finance Predators, which he describes as “a tale of oil, sex, shoes, radiation and investigative reporting,” is available now. Visit GregPalast.com and VulturesPicnic.com for more info.

Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are the co-authors of a comic-style voter guide called Steal Back Your Vote. They are also collaborating on a new book and DVD entitled Election Games: Billionaires & Ballot Bandits, which will expose the one percent’s attempt to steal the 2012 election through “hidden cash and vote heists.” Support their investigation via Kickstarter here.

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Greg Palast – Steal Back Your Vote 2012 Part 1: Understanding Super PACs
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Uber-Vultures: The Billionaires Who Would Pick Our President
Tokyo Electric To Build US Nuclear Plants: The No-BS Info On Japan's Disastrous Nuclear Operators
Stick Your Damn Hand In It: 20th Birthday of the Exxon Valdez Lie
Obama is a two-faced liar. Aw-RIGHT!
Why An Asshole Is Always In Charge
The Steal You Won't See
SG Interview: Greg Palast - Steal Back Your Vote
SuicideGirls Steal Back Your Vote

by Blogbot

Born of the internet age, 25-year old flame-haired Laurie Penny aka @PennyRed is front and center of the new guard of left wing activist journalists. Having made substantial waves in the UK with her outspoken opinions on politics, feminism and gender, the London born provocateur is currently putting the cat amongst the pigeons in New York City where she has been reporting on the Occupy movement, among other things. A self-identifying utopian, the revolutionary writer fearlessly makes use of the word socialist. Another word Penny would like to see rehabilitated and restored to the common vernacular is cunt. Here she explains why…



Laurie Penny: In Defence Of Cunt
2 February 2011

It is, according to Germaine Greer, the one word in the English language that retains the power to shock. This week, after the third BBC newsman in two months – this time the revered Jeremy Paxman – dropped the c-bomb on live television, it appears that the world’s best-respected broadcasting operation is in the grip of a collective and extremely specific form of Tourette syndrome, whereby presenters can’t help but slip the worst word of all into casual conversation. One is reminded of those playground horror stories of cursed words, infectious words that, once read or overheard, niggle away in the forefront of your brain until, like poison, you’re forced to spit them out, with deadly consequences. But what – ultimately – is so terribly offensive about the word ‘cunt’?

The word shocks because what it signifies is still considered shocking. Francis Grose’s 1785 A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue defines ‘cunt’ quite simply as ‘a nasty name for a nasty thing’. All sorts of people have a problem with ‘cunt’, even those who normally consider themselves progressive and enlightened: last week, for example, I was invited to speak at a public meeting where I happened to use the word in reference to a member of the audience.

Horrified silence fell in this roomful of hardened activists, followed a few seconds later by nervously appreciative laughter. The incident later exploded on the internet, with some complaining that I had had no right to use such a provocative and shocking word at a meeting; that the word is too aggressive, too graphic. These, for context, are people who are currently cheerleading calls for a general strike and/ or the overthrow of the government, but they still consider a young woman saying ‘cunt’ in public a little too, too much.

What is it about that word? Why, in a world of 24-hour porn channels, a world with Rihanna’s ‘Rude Boy’ playing on the radio and junior pole-dancing kits sold in Tesco, is the word ‘cunt’ still so shocking? It’s a perfectly nice little word, a word with 800 years of history; a word used by Chaucer and by Shakespeare. It’s the only word we have to describe the female genitalia that is neither mawkish, nor medical, nor a function of pornography. Semantically, it serves the same function as ‘dick’ or ‘prick’ – a signifier for a sexual organ which can also be used as a descriptor or insult, a word that is not passive, but active, even aggressive.

There are no other truly empowering words for the female genitalia. ‘Pussy’ is nastily diminutive, as if every woman had a tame and purring pet between her legs, while the medical descriptor ‘vagina’ refers only to a part of the organ, as if women’s sexuality were nothing more than a wet hole, or ‘sheath’ in the Latin. Cunt, meanwhile, is a word for the whole thing, a wholesome word, an earthy, dank and lusty word with the merest hint of horny threat. Cunt. It’s fantastically difficult to pronounce without baring the teeth.

It is this kind of female sexuality – active, adult female sexuality – that still has the power to horrify even the most forward-thinking logophile. Despite occasional attempts by feminists such as Eve Ensler to ‘reclaim’ the word cunt as the powerful, vital, visceral sexual signifier that it is, the taboo seems only to have become stronger. Media officials avoid it with the superstitious revulsion once reserved for evil-eye words, as if even pronouncing ‘cunt’ might somehow conjure one into existence. The BBC wouldn’t be in half so much trouble if James Naughtie had called Jeremy Hunt MP a ‘prick’ or a ‘wanker’ or a ‘cold-blooded Tory fucker’.

For me, ‘cunt’ is, and will always be, a word of power, whether it denotes my own genitals or any obstreperous comrades in the vicinity. The first time I ever used it, I was 12 years old, and being hounded by a group of sixth-form boys who just loved to corner me on the stairs and make hilarious sexy comments. One day, one of them decided it would be funny to pick me up by the waist and shake me. I spat out the words ‘put me down, you utter cunt’, and the boy was so shocked that he dropped me instantly.

Ever since then, ‘cunt’ has been a cherished part of my lexical armour. I use it liberally: in conversation, in the bedroom, and in debates. I only wish I could hear more women saying it, more of us reclaiming ‘cunt’ as a word of sexual potency and common discourse rather than a dirty, forbidden word. If the BBC continues its oily pattern of vulgar logorrhoea, I’d like to hear Julia Bradbury saying it on Countryfile. I’d like to hear Kirsty Young saying it on Desert Island Discs.

Men have so many words that they can use to hint at their own sexual power, but we have just the one, and it’s still the worst word you can say on the telly. Let’s all get over ourselves about ‘cunt’. Let’s use it and love it.

***
Laurie Penny is a journalist, feminist, and political activist from London. She is a regular writer for the New Statesman and the Guardian, and has also contributed to the Independent, Red Pepper, and the Evening Standard. She is the author of Meat Market: Female Flesh Under Capitalism (2011). She has presented Channel 4's Dispatches and been on the panel of the BBC's Any Questions. Her blog, "Penny Red", was shortlisted for the Orwell prize in 2010.

In Defence Of Cunt is excerpted from the book Penny Red: Notes from the New Age of Dissent, and is reprinted with the kind permission of Pluto Press.

by Nahp Suicide


[Above: Sawa in Fascination Game shot by Zoetica]

Sawa is a model and a photographer who has worked with SuicideGirls since 2004. She has shot more than 100 sets and has been featured in SG’s films.

How did you first get involved with SuicideGirls?

I first started with Suicide Girls as a model. It was about 8 years ago. Missy shot me in my friend’s Hollywood apartment at dusk. I have to admit, one of my main motivations for getting in the mix for SG was to get on the other side of the camera too. I was already shooting a bit and convincing my friends to get naked for me.



What's your background photography-wise?

Originally I took some photo classes at a few community colleges. I did some darkroom classes at Pierce College and did the whole photo program at Pasadena City College. But back then everything was shot on film. I remember I once spent a few years only shooting on 4"x5" film. I had to re-learn a lot of things when I switched to digital. 
I also learn a lot from working on set. I do camera work on commercials and movies, and I'd say this is where I have done the most learning. They light things differently. I used to use only flash and natural light, and now I've become partial to continuous lighting. 



[Moxi in Revenge]

What was the first photo you had published?

That's hard to say. I think some of the first photos I had published were in the metal scene. I'm pretty sure it was for my friend Chris Dodge's label Slap-a-ham. I shot a lot of grindcore and noise bands back then and he put some of my black & white photos in the "Short Fast and Loud" compilation. I think most of my early published photos had to do with bands.



How would you describe your style?

I think certain styles or "looks" vary per shoot and what you are going after. I do like certain photos to look like a still out of a movie instead of a posed portrait. When I'm not shooting SG stuff, I like a lot of conceptual portraits. One of the trademark series I have been doing is my "Viva Banditas" series and those are a bit more raw and gritty and street art style. 




What gear do you use?

Usually a Canon 5D. Lately I've been shooting a lot more Polaroids. When I shoot film I use a Mamiya RZ67 Pro II. I also have a panoramic camera and a whole collection of vintage medium format cameras. I also have a LOT of fun with Diana and Holga cameras.

For lighting my favorite portrait light is a gem ball (learned this from movie lighting), and I use Diva Kino lights a lot. Sometimes I use strobes...and for outdoor shooting it's always good to carry a shiny bounce. 




[Friskey in Road Trip]

How important is Photoshop in your final images?

Sometimes you can create a cool look with Photoshop but I believe all of your exposure control should be done in camera. I would never want to rely on Photoshop to save an image. I try to be consistent throughout a shoot. Photoshop can definitely help polish an image, which is good for fashion stuff. But for SuicideGirls we like the girls to be real so I think it's important to not go too heavy on the Photoshop.



What gives you ideas and inspires you to create such amazing sets?

I love shooting inspiring girls that naturally give you great ideas. It’s such a treat to shoot a muse like that. I also get a lot of ideas from music. I sometimes get images in my head of an idea for a shoot and I have to write it down or else I will forget it for sure.




[Amina in One For The Road]

What is your favorite image?

Impossible! It’s too hard to narrow it down. 





Is there anybody or anything you would love to photograph that you haven't?

As far as the site goes, I've been really lucky to shoot some amazing girls from around the world. I still haven't shot Lass or Manko and I hope that will come soon. I have ideas for both of those girls!
In general, I have ideas to last me for like the next 10 years and a huge blessing would be to one day have the time to devote myself full time to these projects. And just to add more things to my plate, I'm in prep to start directing some music videos. In the meantime, I've also started running a gallery in the arts district of Downtown LA (Get Her! La Compound gallery) so I'm getting a huge kick out of collaborating with other fellow artists. Everything from street art, to fine art, and most definitely photography. I sometimes wish there were more hours in the day.

For more on Sawa visit: thesawa.com and lacompound.com


[Sarabi in Super]


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by A.J. Focht

The world press premiere of The Avengers was last week, and there’s been nothing but good reviews. While lips have been sealed to avoid leaks and spoilers, all the news that has come out has been positive. Despite many fans raving that Hulk was their favorite character, it doesn’t look like Hulk is getting another solo movie. Seems Hulk’s success in The Avengers was the high note that Marvel producers wanted to end him on, for a while at least.

While The Avengers has been pumping out trailer after trailer and multiple previews from the start, The Dark Knight Rises has been more subtle with their media releases. While many of the photos and previews from The Dark Knight Rises have been unofficial, Entertainment Weekly just published six new official shots from the film and a cover exclusive.

Dylan Sprayberry, who plays young Clark Kent in the upcoming Man of Steel, has revealed a little more about the film. Following in the path of the Batman series, Man of Steel will be edgier and center on making Superman more realistic. The start of the movie focuses on Superman growing up, and how his early life is filled with dilemmas and drama.



A new international trailer was released for The Amazing Spider-Man. The trailer features more of Peter Parker’s past struggles with his parents and his battle against the Lizard. That wasn’t the only Spider-Man news this last week either, Marvel announced that the Spider-Men comics will officially feature the crossover between Spider-Man, Peter Parker, and new Spider-Man, Miles Morales.

One last superhero update, Joss Whedon dropped more information about the upcoming Dr. Horrible sequel during a Reddit question and answer session. All the cast member will be returning for their parts, but Whedon said, “Penny will be… um… I don’t want to say decomposing.” So what does that mean? Will Penny be a zombie? Will Dr. Horrible have her frozen, working on a resurrection method? Only Joss knows, but they are currently working on the script and plan to start filming this summer.

Hunger Games director Gary Ross has officially stepped down from doing the sequel. With Ross out, Lionsgate has started a short list of directors for the sequel. The list currently contains Alfonso Cuaron, David Cronenberg, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu.

Robert Rodriquez and Frank Miller are moving forward with a Sin City sequel entitled Frank Miller’s Sin City: A Dame to Kill For. There isn’t much more information on the project, but we can all rest a little easier knowing it’s at least going to happen.

The popularity brought to the Tron series by Tron: Legacy has spawned a sequel, but probably not the sequel you wanted. Tron: Uprising is a new graphic series that will appear on the Disney Channel.

Finally, the Ghostbusters series has long talked of a third movie, with Bill Murray being the only hold out. But during a recent interview, the funnyman said the project was ‘a possibility’ which is more hope than we have gotten from him previously. So while the project still remains in what actor Dan Aykroyd calls a ‘state of suspended animation,’ there is still hope.

by Blogbot







Since April 9, Occupy Wall Street protesters have been physically occupying Wall Street. Armed with sleeping bags and a copy of the 2000 Metropolitan Council Inc. v. Safir court ruling – which sets a precedent for legal overnight street vigils – protesters have been camping out on the sidewalk at the intersection of Broad Street and Wall Street, in the shadow of the New York Stock Exchange and the Federal Hall National Memorial, which stand cater-corner to one another.

With temperatures rising from nighttime lows of 43 °F earlier in the week to 66 °F on Sunday evening, sleeping outdoors has been transformed into a positively pleasant prospect, which no doubt has the NYPD on edge. As one protester put it when we visited last night, sleeping on the street under these balmy conditions was actually preferable to spending the night in the confines of her dank and dusty Brooklyn basement residence.

However, the increasingly idyllic vigil got a rude awakening at around 6 AM this morning, when the NYPD apparently decided to move in and remove the protesters – despite the fact that the law appears to be on their side in this instance. Indeed, campers had taken care to ensure they complied with guidelines suggested by the National Lawyers Guild. These included taking up no more than 50 percent of the pavement so as not to block it, and not utilizing any kind of cots or structures, which might easily attract the contention of authorities.

When we left the Wall Street “Sleep-In” at around 4 AM, the atmosphere was distinctly jovial and relaxed, with protesters noting that unlike the President they were actually making a positive difference as they slept. However, less than two hours later, the NYPD apparently broke up the OWS slumber party.



OccupyWallSt.org reports:

And New York Magazine, which carried more detail on specific arrests, noted that:

Photography: © Nicole Powers 2012

by Atlea

Let us answer life’s questions – because great advice is even better when it comes from SuicideGirls.



[Atlea in Temptation Waits]

Q: I’m head over heels in love with him. We have a rich, intoxicating, romantic, sexual energy between us that I’ve never experienced with anyone else before. I’m smitten. He makes me smile, laugh, swoon, and my stomach fill to the brim with butterflies every time our eyes meet. The only problem is, he’s my roommate. And he has a girlfriend.

Let’s call him “Blue.”

Blue and my relationship extends back about 8 months now. I was living in my own place, with different roommates. We met in the summer, via mutual friends, at a cookout and later a party. A party where I proceeded to get rather intoxicated, and we became inseparable for the rest of the night. He was in the middle of teaching me a card game when I felt a puke coming along. I nonchalantly excused myself and scurried away to the porcelain god and began my worship in private.

Moments later he was there, taking care of me. Rubbing my scalp, hair, my back with a firm, confident delicacy, warm with affection. I remember, in a state of drunkenness that was beginning to fade to sleep, looking up at him, with his sheepish, clever smirk. Now I remember thinking to myself, and honestly I really don’t know even to this day if I actually spoke this aloud, but I remember looking up in those beautiful brown eyes and knowing “I’m probably falling in love with you.”

Ding, ding, ding! Right-o!

Over the next few days numbers were exchanged, the texting and phoning frenzy ensued, and the “platonic” sleepovers began. Platonic = nibbling, cuddling, poking, and prodding, tickling and giggling, massages, caresses.

Well, the platonic sleepovers digressed (or progressed, depending on how you look at it) into something a little less than innocent. Roving hands, love bites on the back of our necks. But he was still the with girlfriend.

We’ll call her “Pink.”

I interrogated him. I pushed him. I demanded a solution, because I had no intention of being anyone’s mistress. He said he “didn’t know how to breakup with her.” Personally, this girl and I have very different in values, interests, and lifestyles. I really don’t care for her.

He said he felt bad breaking up with her, because he was the only friend she had. It had been a few years, but it finally started to crumble and she wouldn’t have sex with him. She was very uninterested in sex, and Blue is quite the opposite. He said to me: “What’s a relationship without sex or passion? A friendship.”

The days oozed by, still, nothing done about Pink. Sexual tension began mounting. We addressed it by deciding to try to avoid being alone with one another. We tried to establish a “no-touchy” agreement, and kept things on a “just friends” basis while he was in a relationship. However, we’re both creatures of passion, and self-control is a fleeting thing.

We’d drunkenly make out in the conveniently empty kitchen at parties, play footsie and hold hands under the table, whisper dirty words in secret, and then the following day we’d “have to talk about it” again, say we’d be good, this can’t happen again, etc. The cycle repeated and repeated.

There were indiscreet butt-grabs, exploring fingers in backseat car rides, dirty texts. We even ended up back at my place one night after a night out at the bars and the inevitable happened.

Time passed, my lease approached its end, I began looking for a new residency and still nothing was done about Pink. My feelings only intensified. Our scandalous secret remained.

Everything happened so fast. His house had an open room, I’d be saving tons of money on rent, I’d be just blocks from work, plus his other roommates were my best of friends. I went for it. We talked it over, we both agreed we could be roommates. I tried to have no expectations, aside from two hopes:

1. We’d move past all this BS, cultivate a great friendship, and forget any of this ever happened. I’d start dating someone else and things would be dandy.

2. Blue and Pink would separate. Blue would express his undying love for me and we’d get married and have babies and live happily ever after. (I tried to avoid admitting this one to myself).

So that was then. Now, here I am, sleeping just 25 feet away from him (and usually his girlfriend) every night, my heart aching. I love him more than ever. We’re badder than ever. We’ve had sex, we’ve fooled around, and kissed, and touched, but furthermore we’ve grown even closer emotionally, yadda, yadda yadda…

I’ve lived here for some months now, and I live with my love moment-to-moment. Pink is still around. Blue seems unhappy in his relationship. I can’t say anything. I’m his “roommate.” I want to tell him more than anything that I love him, but I entertain the idea that it would be wise not to. I’m back and forth between treating him with indifference, to trying to express my love in silent ways. Some days I feel used. I feel like I’m lying to Pink every time I see her, chat and pal around with her. Some days I feel as if I should be patient. A part of me feels – and pardon the cheese – that we’re meant for one another.

SG lovelies, am I a fool to think that we may end up together in some perfect fairytale one day? Do I express my feelings and risk freaking him out and creating an awkward living environment? Or am I making this too easy for him, letting him have me on the side while he avoids dealing with breakup?

My, what a mess I’ve made.

Xoxox



A: Wow, what a situation! While most people might decide to back away to avoid getting hurt, it seems you’ve actually made it so that you pretty much have to think about it all the time. I can’t even imagine how fast your little hamster must be running up in there.

It’s a little unclear to me if you guys are still fooling around on the downlow, or if the shenanigans have come to a stop since you’ve moved in. I’m going to assume they haven’t. Personally I think that, for you to get a clear perspective, they probably should for the time being. There’s no way to evaluate your feelings while he’s nibbling on your ear every time you walk by him, your brain can’t compete with that. At least mine wouldn’t.

Let’s first check out your two hopes post-moving in. On the one hand, you seem to want to cultivate a friendship. On the other, you want a happily ever after with Prince Charming in your arms. Let’s pretend that his relationship would fizzle, or that he would put an end to it. What happens next? You guys immediately go out? Would you start a courtship from the beginning, or just go into it as is? Would you feel that much better going into it right after the breakup, considering you already have guilty feelings towards Pink? As much as it may be true that their relationship isn’t good, they’re the only ones who can truly do anything about it. Believe me, I have friends in shitty situations that in my opinion should really not be dating, but it’s not my place to decide that for them, it’s something they need to resolve on their own to grow, and to keep themselves from making the same mistakes.

Putting Pink aside, and focusing on Blue, I think that you are definitely giving him too much of yourself. I’m in no way saying that he’s taking advantage of you and is aware of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not happening. He’s got the comfort of a relationship, albeit not a great one, and when things go bad he’s got available you 25 feet away. When you’ve talked about your situation with him, did you ever discuss how he’d feel if you started bringing someone home? If you met someone and started dating that person, would the housemate relationship be strained because of past feelings on your part, and possible jealousy on his? Not that he’d have a right to say shit, but those feelings are still to be considered since you are both living under the same roof. And if we forget that you may meet someone else, being honest with yourself, could you live there knowing nothing’s going to happen between the two of you? It sounds like moving there was a great decision financially, but you should really think about what it’s doing to you emotionally. I know you’re friends first, and you don’t want things to get weird, but sometimes in life we have to think about ourselves first, because if we don’t we end up pushing people away anyway.



Finally, be true to yourself. It’s the only way to go. Going back and fourth between treating him with indifference and secretly showing him love isn’t fucking with him as much as it’s fucking with you. At the end of the day, he’s sleeping soundly with a warm body next to him, and you aren’t. Showing him contempt when he knows you have feelings for him isn’t having the effect you probably want it to. Instead, it’s probably working you up into over analyzing everything he does. Did that little smile he shot you while holding her hand mean anything? Did those footsteps sound like they stalled half a second when he walked past your door?

Honestly, if he’s incapable of dealing with the situation he has on his hands now, I highly doubt that he’d be ready for another relationship. At least not now. I think that if you are going to continue living there and being pals with him, you need to do just that. Set limits for both of you, and maybe ask him to not share what’s happening in his relationship with you. And if you guys are so close that you can’t handle that, maybe a bit of distance would do some good. If you’ve talked and talked about how bad his relationship is already, then maybe some sort of ultimatum is in order. Not for you to start dating or not, but for him, as a friend of yours, to get his life together. He won’t be any happier with Pink than he is now if they don’t deal with it, whether that means moving forward as a couple or calling it quits. But until they deal with it, try to get yourself to a place where you won’t be going crazy. Sometimes, unfortunately, that means admitting that nothing will happen. Being in a slump is a terrible, terrible thing emotionally, and you should do everything in your power to keep yourself from getting there.

Atlea

***
Got Problems? Let SuicideGirls’ team of Agony Aunts provide solutions. Email questions to: gotproblems@suicidegirls.com

by Blogbot

A gathering of the Occupy tribes was held in NYC’s Central Park on Saturday, April 14th. The event, which was intended to serve as a Spring Awakening for the movement, succeeded in its goal, attracting a large and diverse crowd. Among them was Christopher Sean Grosek and his Occupy Lego Land miniature friends.


Lady Liberty wants to be GMO free.


Occupying Central Park.


The People's Assembly.


A Spring Awakening.


Kai Wargalla (Right), founder of Occupy London and one of the Freedom Seven challenging the legitimacy of the unlimited detention provisions in the NDAA.


A working group in action.


Lego artist Christopher Sean Grosek.


Spring has arrived in Lego Land too!

Photography: Nicole Powers
For more Spring Awakening images visit our gallery on SuicideGirls.com