R.I.P. Tom Ledford 12-10- 2011

So I was thinking how to approach writing up an piece that describes Tom to someone who wasn't
fortunate enough to spend time with him. I could write for days and days of all the great times and adventures we've shared together,
the stories he told of his travels, the second hand stories others have told; not one of them negative. You couldn't say a bad word
about Tom; there were none.

I decided to jot down the first FEW adjectives that come to
my mind.

Laughter - the first word that popped in my head.
Everyone that knew him has more than one story of a time spent with Tom that broke out in
everyone laughing so hard at something he said or did.

Adventurer - It would be interesting to have a map that showed all the places on this earth Tom traveled to. All on his meager budget.
By no means would his accommodations be
described as 5 stars. I'm pretty sure he was happy with a warm spot on a sandy beach or if
he was lucky, someone would put him up for awhile. He was always able to get by on little to no funds. He got to see the sights and touch
other folks' lives.

Artist - His photo projects, his drawings, the infamous Mango Fish(with the instructional booklet), the Pterodactyl that hung for years in the What's Up,
his homemade hang glider, the Monkeys and Chicken book he was working on... so much creativity in one man.. he had so many ideas.

Generosity - I doubt anyone would ever accuse Tom of being rich. That said; anything he did have, you can bet he was willing to share it.
And more importantly his generosity spread into the real things that matter in life.. he was never short on kindness,caring, good will and his
ability to put smiles on all of our faces.

Brother - You can take comfort in knowing that your brother touched so many lives in such a positive way.

Son - I can't imagine the loss of a child. Please know that you raised a son that brought love and laughter to everyone he came across.
You can be proud of that.

Inspiration - He proved on a daily basis that you can do what you want in life and we learned that life is so much more than possessions
or anything monetary.

Friend - Myself and anyone that called him friend did so with great pride.

Personality - In a world of conformity and social standards, Tom was above all of that. He was the person people could look up to. He
was free of society's chains.

Life scholar - Tom's travels, interactions with people he met, his understanding of people and their characteristics was something
no one is able to learn from any text book.

I'd like to thank Tom for all the great memories and making all of our lives much more enjoyable. Take solace in knowing
that much like we're used to, you traveled again. You may not be with us in body, but you will always be with us in spirit.
And who knows.. it's been said there's this utopia where good people end up when they pass on. If that's the case, you'll
be the first person we see when it's our time. 

Religious Joke Of The Day

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, "Don't do it!" He said, "Nobody loves me." I said, "God loves you. Do you believe in God?"

He said, "Yes." I said, "Are you a Christian or a Jew?" He said, "A Christian." I said, "Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?" He said, "Protestant." I said, "Me, too! What franchise?" He said, "Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?" He said, "Northern Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?"

He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist." I said, "Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region." I said, "Me, too!"

Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?" He said, "Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912." I said, "Die, heretic!" And I pushed him over.

The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

That's right the Hold Steady have a new album set to come out on May 4th. Although NPR is streaming it as of right now for your listening pleasure. Check it out here

12 Uses For Coca Cola

This list of uses was tested on ordinary, original Coca Cola, not the diet kind, or any of the variations there are available.
1. Cleaned a burned saucepan by pouring Coke into it and boiling. This takes out all the staining.
2. It’s easy to make a modern photograph look like an old sepia one. Just lightly brush the photograph with Coca Cola and dry quickly. Don’t wet it too much or it will buckle. Photocopied black and white pictures make great looking “antique” prints, if you treat them in the same way. Maps photocopied and treated this way, look fantastic in antique style frames.
3. If you dye your hair and the result is too intense, flat Coca Cola will help to lighten it.
4. Give old coins a soak in Coke. This gives a brilliant shine for collections and decorative items.
5. Pour Coca Cola into your kettle and leave all day. This will remove limescale and leaves it clean inside.
6. A can of Coke poured into the toilet will clean it. The acid in the drink gets to work right away.
7. Make an excellent barbecue sauce by mixing Coke and Ketchup , half and half. Coat chicken, meat, etc with this before cooking. It’s mouthwatering.
8. Flat Coke makes a good hair conditioner. Pour it over your hair, rinse and dry.
9. Put Coke into flat wide dishes in the garden and it will help to rid your plants of slugs. They are attracted by the sweet smell and once they fall in, they can’t get out.
10. Rusty bolts can be loosened by soaking a rag in Coca Cola, and wrapping it around the bolt. Leave for a few hours and it will be easier to move.
11. Clean your jewelery in a glass of Coke. Brush with a toothbrush and rinse well. (Not recommended for valuable items, or those with gem stones in them.)
12. Flat Coca Cola helps to settle upset stomachs. Don’t use fresh, fizzy Coke as this could irritate the condition. (Take the fizz out by adding a little sugar, if you need to.)

20 Strange and Mysterious Medical Syndromes

Doctors have come across some baffling day-to-day ailments, but few conditions are as strange as these 20 disorders, which range from biological to psychological to cultural in nature. 


Foreign Accent Syndrome
Foreign accent syndrome (FAS) is a speech disorder that causes sudden changes in speech pattern, intonation and pronunciation so that the victim is perceived to speak with a "foreign" accent. FAS usually results from severe trauma to the brain, such as a stroke or head injury, and typically develops within one or two years of the injury. Of the 50 to 60 cases that have been verified since 1941, only a few FAS sufferers regained their normal speech pattern, although some experienced success through speech therapy.

Sexsomnia
Sexsomnia is a sleep disorder that, much like sleepwalking, compels the sufferer to engage in sexual activity while asleep. Identified in 2003, sexsomnia has since been cited to acquit defendants accused of sexual assault in British and Canadian criminal cases.

Exploding Head Syndrome
People with exploding head syndrome intermittently hear loud, explosion-like noises that seem to originate from within their own head. The "explosions" usually occur within an hour or two hours of the victim falling asleep. There's no physical pain, but sufferers understandably experience fear and anxiety after such attacks. While it's not clear what exactly causes the syndrome, it's been linked to stress and fatigue and often vanishes without any treatment.

Fatal Familial Insomnia
Fatal familial insomnia (FFI) is a genetic sleep disorder that causes increasing sleeplessness, typically starting around the age of 50. The victim's brain develops a plaque that inhibits the ability to sleep, and with less and less sleep, mental illness -- including phobias, panic attacks, paranoia, dementia and hallucinations -- set in. Within six months to three years after onset, the patient dies. There is no known cure.

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain
People with a congenital insensitivity to pain (CIPA) cannot feel physical pain, typically due to the mutation of a gene associated with the transmission of pain in the body. As such, they are more susceptible to death by trauma, since they might not be aware of the extent of damage done to their own bodies. There have been around 100 cases documented in the US.

Genital Retraction Syndrome
Genital retraction syndrome (GRS) is a mental condition prevalent in specific cultures that causes sufferers to believe that their external genitals are shrinking or slowly disappearing into their bodies. The widespread belief of the occurrence in portions of Asia and Africa has led to so-called "penis panics," episodes of mass hysteria in which thousands of cases, often tied to local beliefs in witchcraft, may be reported in a short period of time.

Werewolf Syndrome
Hypertrichosis, or werewolf syndrome, is a medical condition that causes the excessive growth of body hair -- typically on the upper body, including the face.
There are only 50 or so documented cases, and sufferers generally acquire it through genetic inheritance. In 2008, scientists at Columbia University found that an injection of testosterone significantly helped in long-term hair loss in patients with hypertrichosis; the finding was hailed by many as a cure.

Pica
Pica is a compulsion to eat non-edible objects. Sufferers have been known to consume paper, dirt, paint, hair, glue, rocks, lint and laundry detergent. Related disorders include acuphagia (the eating of sharp objects) and hyalophagia (the eating of glass). There is no concrete cause, but pica is believed by many to result from a mineral deficiency, and as such, it's found most frequently in pregnant women and children in lower-income areas.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
AIWS is a neurological condition that causes distorted visuals that make objects appear either much smaller (micropsia) or larger (macropsia) than they are. It's a temporary condition that's often associated with migraines, although it can also be caused by brain tumors and hallucinogenic drugs.

Capgras Delusion
The Capgras delusion is a mental condition in which the sufferer comes to believe that someone close to him -- typically a spouse or family member -- has been replaced by an identical imposter. The sufferer may continue to live peacefully (though distrustfully) with the "imposter," or he may violently attack the loved one. Some people with Capgras delusion even second-guess their own reflections. The condition is typically caused by brain injury or mental illness like schizophrenia and dementia.

Alien Hand Syndrome
Also known as Dr. Strangelove syndrome and "anarchic hand," AIS is a neurological disorder that makes the victim feel like he has lost control of one of his hands. In extreme cases, sufferers have been reported to engage in violent wrestling with their own hand, with the appendages even trying to strangle the patient while sleeping. Alien hand syndrome is caused by trauma to the brain -- such as a stroke, aneurysm or head injury -- and the symptoms can be treated, although the condition itself has no cure.

Stendhal Syndrome
Stendhal syndrome is the name given to a feeling of anxiety -- dizziness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, even hallucinations and fainting -- upon seeing beautiful works of art. The overwhelming sensation can come from the exceptional beauty of one particular piece of art or from the abundance of art in one location. The condition is most widely associated with the art of Florence, Italy, although it has been applied to similar reactions to overwhelming beauty of any type.

Walking Corpse Syndrome
Sufferers of walking corpse syndrome, also known as the Cotard delusion, believe that they are dead, decaying or have lost body parts or internal organs. In some cases, victims believe that they don't even exist. Like the Capgras delusion, walking corpse syndrome is typically the result of brain damage or mental illness.

Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Jumping Frenchmen of Maine is a form of the exaggerated startle reflex known as hyperexplexia, so named because it was first observed in French-Canadian lumberjacks in the Moosehead Lake region of Maine in 1878. Sufferers were reported to react abnormally to loud, sudden noises -- screaming, flailing, muscle seizures and, most puzzlingly, obeying commands in a reflexive, involuntary manner. For instance, when instructed in a loud, authoritative voice to hit someone, they would do so without question. It's believed to be a genetic condition caused by a blockage of an amino acid that calms the central nervous system.

Jerusalem Syndrome
Jerusalem syndrome is a form of religious mania resulting from, or leading to, a visit to the city of Jerusalem. Typically, a sufferer (of Christian or Jewish background) experiences a sudden religious fervor upon visiting the city, leading them to the belief that they are on a religiously significant mission and quite possibly that they are a specific biblical figure. People experiencing Jerusalem syndrome often end up dressing in a white robe and delivering a sermon at a religiously significant site in the city. Since 1980, there have been an average of close to 100 cases per year reported. It's debatable whether or not sufferers had previous mental problems before visiting Jerusalem.

Spasmodic Dysphonia
Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movement of the larynx, causing muscle spasms that impair speech. Strangely, however, sufferers usually have no such hindrances when singing, whispering, laughing, speaking in a high pitch or even in rhymes. There is no known cure, although injections of Botox into the larynx have been shown to provide short-term relief.

Medical Students' Syndrome
Medical students' syndrome is a temporary, hypochondria-like mental condition that strikes medical students, causing them to believe that they are suffering from the diseases that they're studying. By some reports, up to 80% of medical students experience it at some point as a result of studying such frightening diseases in such a highly suggestible environment.

Moebius Syndrome
Moebius syndrome is a neurological disorder that affects people from birth and is characterized by the inability of its sufferers to form facial expressions. People with Moebius syndrome are unable to move their facial muscles, meaning they can't smile, frown, suck or even blink their eyes. They are also unable to move their eyes from side to side and have difficulty swallowing.

Fish Odor Syndrome
Fish odor syndrome, or trimethylaminuria, is a disorder that causes the sufferer's breath, sweat and urine to give off a strong fishy smell (not that breath, sweat or urine otherwise have great odors). It's caused by the inability of the body to break down a specific, fish-odored compound in foods. There is no cure, but sufferers can control the symptoms by avoiding certain foods and taking antibiotics.

Synesthesia
People with synesthesia ("synesthetes") associate a stimulus with one of the five senses not typically related to it. For instance, they may describe a certain sound as having a color. There are several different types of synesthesia, mixing sight, sound, taste and other sensory elements, and by some estimates, as much as 5% of the population has some level of incidence. It's a harmless condition and is often genetic, although some people have reported experiencing it as a result of a stroke or loss of sight or hearing. Perhaps because of its sensory nature, synesthesia is frequently reported amongst artists and musicians.

East Coast Skate Rock Tour

This looks RAD!



Altamont presents
Skate Rock
East Coast Tour
April 25 - May 4, 2010
Featuring Bad Shit and The Goat
with the Altamont skateboard team
plus special guests TBA...
Monday, April 26
Caledonia
256 West Clayton Street
Athens, GA 30601
Doors 9pm
Show 9:30
Tickets at door
Ages 18+
$2 over 21 / $4 for 18 - 20
Thursday, April 29
The Soapbox
255 North Front Street
Wilmington, NC 28401
Doors 9pm
Show 10pm
Tickets online or at door
All ages
$5 over 21 / $8 under 21
Saturday, May 1
Sonar
407 East Saratoga Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
Doors 8pm
Show 9pm
Tickets online or at door
and at VU Skate Shop
All ages
$3
Sunday, May 2
Exit Skate Shop
825 North 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA 19123
215.425.2450
Matinee Show 5pm
All ages
Free
Tuesday, May 4
Autumn Bowl
67 West St
Brooklyn, NY 11222
Door 8pm
Show 8:30
Tickets at door
All ages
$5

More info HERE

Toy Machines Ed Templetons Art Exhibit.

The Cemetery of Reason from Emerica Europe on Vimeo.