We know there has been a long tradition of share and share alike for Austin and Jake.And of Jake in pants that are too long.
Last year at the end of August we saw Jake sporting these AG Adriano Goldschmied The Khaki Pants Colonial Beige Ripped pair.And there is Austin getting ready to watch the premier of the eight circle (or season, if you want to be technical)of Dante's.. Crazy Tree in the middle of September last yeah.So are they sharing the same pants or just the same problem?
Looks like they could use some Toughskins.With Reinforced knees!And Austin.... they come in corduroy.
Yes - I'm finally sufficiently awake after a tough week at work to bring you day 1 of the invasion of Tarawa.
This will be interspersed with pics of the day, the John-O-Meter showing how our progress was going and other assorted bits.
So - without further ado....
Pre-game activity As befitting such an epic battle, we had to settle down in the morning for coffee, croissants and banter. John hadn't seen the game table and was suitably impressed. He then saw the beach he was assaulting and was less impressed.
John's face sums it up as Mark shows where his division is coming in.
We then had to don appropriate headgear to reflect the nationalities we were fighting for. We opted for a 'Union Jack Jackson' motif for our snug headgear while Russ and Ian went the whole hog and even got the specs to match their troops.
Ian and Russ get into character
John, Ian and myself - with ceegars and a bellyfull of attitude! Note the snug helmets (John is Union Jack Jackson, I'm O'Bannion, Mark isn't)
The Plan This was relatively simple. We had three bombardments to call in from the fleet and we called in all three on the eastern end of the island. This was to essentially kill everything there to provide a safe area to land the troops and provide a clear line of supply.
We also had to kill the two main guns on the island (these could shoot 360 degrees and killed anyhing it looked at - a bit like a couple of Eyes of Sauron. The pre-bombardment would hopefully kill one - the other would be the target of aircraft and destroyer attacks to keep it quiet.
With the big guns out of the way, we wanted to get as much stuff on the island as possible to preserve the foothold in the face of inevitable counter attacks at night (when the Japanese are at their strongest and we at our weakest).
The eastern beachead comes under intense bombardment
And so it begins...
TURN 1 We had three battleships, three heavy cruisers and six cruisers giving pre-bombardment. This led to lots of dice being thrown but we had no idea as to the outcome.
After the battle, we were informed that the bombardments pretty much wiped everything in that area off the map - indeed our third (and possibly our second) was wasted as it hit nothing but destroyed bunkers and dead Japs. But we weren't to know.
Turn 1 saw the first of these salvos going in...
The area we were going for was designated Yellow 1 and Yellow 2.
Meanwhile at the other end of the island both destroyers managed to suppress Gun 1 on the western tip of the island - which they failed to clear. Another hit and we'd destroy it!
While the ships were banging away, the troops loaded onto the Amtracs and Higgins boats and headed for Yellow beach while the shells screamed overhead.
The Marines 1/8 on Amtracs as were the 1/6. The 2/8 and 2/6 were in Higgins boats, meaning they'd have to wade in through the surf. We thought this would be murderous if under HMG and artillery fire - hence the need to clear the area.
We also pre-planned an airstrike on Gun 2 (sitting atop Yellow Beach) just in case the bombardment didn't kill it. One aircraft was driven off by AA fire so we knew there was still something alive on Yellow. But two more aircraft dived in and dropped their bombs on target.
US Navy planes unload their bombs on Gun 2
The dice were taken off Mark as it was deemed too important. But we needed 11's and 12's - this was encased in concrete - and both bombs got close but (as far as we knew) no effect.
As we'd been shot at by AA we rolled to see if it was revealed - which is was! Two meaty AA guns overlooking Yellow Beach - and (as we found out later) these babies were very effective against Marines. Simultaneously the accusations flew as regards how close the American troops would be to the shore and was settled when Mark threatened to drink all the imported Japanese beer in the fridge. Smoke settled over the island...
Turn 2
More bombardment came in as the Amtracs and Higgins boats raced for the reef. This was John's roll and again we had no idea how effective it was. In fact it was as effective as the first and virtually everything in the target zone was hit. This is where the random effect came in - the Japanese dicing for which bunkers were hit. The destroyers killed Gun 1 ("all that time painting it and it lasted 1 minute!") leading to much celebration on the American side!
Amtracs and Higgins boats coming on towards the reef...
Heading for a apparently quiet shore...
Gun 1 blows up on Green Beach...
...causing huge celebration on our side
But we were not to have it all our own way. Ian started pre-measuring to see if his other guns could get shots in (which was sneakily watched by Mark and John in the reflection in Ian's PC screen).
We then lost two of John's Amtracs to indirect artillery fire which flamed up in the surf. Just as well we'd taken out the big guns because another two would have been smoking as a result.
The first hits - two Amtracs on fire in the surf before we even hit the reef!
The Americans had to close our eyes again as more measurement took place - with accusations that they were tipping up the table to move more bunkers closer to our landing zone! But nothing else came our way.
Turn 3
The Amtracs moved up and over the reef while the Higgins boats stopped to unload their passengers while the last bombardment went in.
Amtracs race for shore as the Higgins debus...
This is where - in hindsight - our first big mistake happened. We should have kept this last one in reserve in case we encountered a problem later in the battle. It hit virtually nothing and so was of no use.
The destroyers carried on their good work by suppressing another gun (close to Gun 1) and so stopping any fire from that corner of the island.
However, we were taking fire from somewhere as John lost another two Amtracs carrying infantry and onw carrying supplies. 5 down in just 2 turns!
John starts losing Amtracs as his troops jump out of the Higgins boats.
My 6th Division was - however - unscathed and it felt like a trip around the bay for my Marines.
Turn 4
Ian looked a bit too happy for my liking (with that being the last of our bombardments) and he started rubbing his hands together. He's a great poker player as we found out Yellow Beach itself had been entirely scoured. The Amtracs got the to the wire and we'd see if any mines would take out our Amtracs. John manages to kill two of my Amtracs while I was taking some notes - I at least got the rest of them safelty through.
I also lost a Sherman in the water - not that they were likely to make it in any event. Meanwhile the Higgins boats turned back for the ships to collect the next loads - and we hadn't lost a single one!
The cratered Yellow Beach sector - extra cover for troops, more trouble for tanks.
Where the incoming fire was coming from - the end of Yellow Beach and a whole heap of trouble for us.
The destroyers meanwhile suppress the gun by Gun 1 again, so keeping fire to a minimum. We think Gun 2 must be destroyed as nothing seems to have been hit from that side. But until we get troops on the island we can't be sure. Shell holes dot the sector to represent the battering its taken - which gives extra cover for our troops but is tricky for tanks.
Russ then started talking in what sounded like Korean but it could have been the effect of an early morning beer. The Japanese guns opened up again from the corner of Yellow Beach. One Amtrac was taken out and another was missed three times and suppressed. But it meant some guns were alinve, kicking and doing damage!
My Amtracs cross the wire as my tanks and remaining troops walk in under...no fire at all.
Except John then loses two of mine to mines on the wire.
Another Amtrac lost, and another becomes the target for every gun the Japanese can bring to bear.
At the end of Turn 4 though we took stock. 7 Amtracs and no Higgins lost. No HMG fire on the troops by the wire - it looked like the plan was working! Supply was coming in with the troops, we were pretty intact and there were more on the way. All we had to do was turn 90 degrees and roll up both flanks!
The John-o-Meter seemed to reflect this...
The John-O-Meter. Blissfully happy with events so far.
Here in the United States, a large percentage of our population seems to be increasingly obsessed with the 'invisible hand' of capitalism and the 'wisdom' of the free market. Interestingly, many of these folks are also the very same people who are highly skeptical (to say the least) of the 'wisdom' of the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection. And of course, they'll try to rationalize away the cognitive dissonance with the kind of twisted logic one should expect in these scenarios.
But that's the point: while natural selection and the free market are incredibly good at eventually producing innovation, they do it at the cost of great losses for the majority of those fed into the grinder. There is no long-term foresight nor moral concern for anyone's welfare in these mechanisms. For everyone who survives and thrives in these systems, hundreds or thousands must perish, by necessity.
So, when large corporations (already involved in a tradition of corruption schemes) try to engineer 'environmental solutions' to the world's problems, we should be extremely cautious, not only that there might be corruption purposely or inadvertently built into the system somewhere along the line, but that the very nature of our understanding of the phenomenon in question becomes tarnished.
The main problem with so-called solutions like Cap & Trade, in my opinion, is not even the possibility of large-scale corruption: it's the fact that it filters our perception of the environment and natural resources so that we start to see them as commodities to be used, abused and manipulated for purely financial purposes. The value of people, animals and the environment is then understood in terms of how they contribute to the accumulation of wealth. If they don't contribute or feed into the system, they are then perceived to have no value, and if they have no value, they're not worth saving or fighting for.
Anyway, the following animation with Annie Leonard beautifully captures some of the devilish details built into the proposal of Cap & Trade and gives us some food for thought.
Looks like Austin's strapped on the boots and showing who's boss of
episode 9.07, but not without some perks.
Scouting in Kinston, NC. If you roll through, Kings has the best country fried steak and hushpuppies. Thanks V.- Aus10
Kinston is about 85 miles due north of Wilmington, so it was total ROAD TRIP.
And with a road trip you gotta get some eats. - Who says country fried steak and hush puppies aren't a bad perk of scouting.
For Austin having a episode full of flashback for his directorial debut looked like he got a bit of raw deal, but now he gets the reward.
Not only doing some shooting on location, he gets a guest star as well, and not any guest start, but the return of Chad Michael Murrary aka Lucas Scott to the Crazy Tree.
And with Lucas coming back it will be one episode that many will be tuning in to see. Big episode means a really big opportunity for Austin to show off his directing skills.
And who knows, it could lead to other directing jobs in TV after OTH wraps.
Or maybe Dancing with the Stars... say whaaaaaaaaaa?
This morning Rob Fleming an exec at The CW, tweeted asking who from the The CW would they like to see on DWTS, and many said Austin.
With his long lean frame and that carriage he has, he would look great on the dance floor.
The outfits? You could see him having a blast with.. but the rhythm, well... what do you think?
Of course, Jake could give him some tips with moves like this.
But maybe not this for prime time.
And while talking about moving - It's Two Wheel Tuesday!
just this time he's ditched the points and the giant smooth sphere his dragging around this time is his noggin, not his bubble.
EoW principle photography and filmining in LA is expected to be over tomorrow, Tuesday, but that doesn't mean Jake's done yet.
Jake will be filming in Vegas this week for additional scenes for the movie. He will be heading to Caesar's Place later in the week, without his partner in crime-fighting .
But what about his partner in crime? SAG makes sure that they have Labor Day off? So with another long weekend what will he do?
You know with Austin's white rubber rain go-go away boots, he could dance at one of the clubs at one of Cousin Eddie's favorite casinos.
Now who of the two would check in under Nick Pappagiorgio?
Or maybe it might be more Elvis and Ann Margaret?
It's could be a remake of that tag line ...of a "go-go" goose and that "bye-bye" guy in the fun capital of the world! "
Just keep Austin away from the jumpsuits and the Capes.
What a way to end production and kick off the Labor Day Weekend. Hot desert and Grey Goose pops. ; )
Today’s Out Spotlight is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and vocalist. Her music frequently confronts social and sexual issues, including racial identity, same-sex attraction, and homophobia. Today’s Out Spotlight is ten time Grammy nominated musician Meshell Ndegeocello.
Meshell Ndegeocello was born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968, in Berlin, Germany, where her father, a U.S. Army lieutenant and saxophonist father Jacques Johnson was stationed, and her mother Helen, a health care worker. She was raised in Washington, D.C. where she attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oxon Hill High School. was stationed. As a teenager she chose the name "Ndegeocello," which is Swahili for "free like a bird." After high school she briefly studied music at Howard University.
Meshell Ndegeocello is pronounced Mee-shell N-deh-gay-o-chel-o. Early pressings of her debut album Plantation Lullabies were stickered with instructions who to pronounce it. She has changed the spelling of this name a number of times during her career; however, the correct spelling is Meshell Ndegeocello.
Throughout her career, Ndegeocello has been open about her bisexuality. In interviews, she has spoken about her relationships with choreographer Winifred R. Harris and feminist writer and activist Rebecca Walker, and she sports a "Rebecca" tattoo on her neck. She gave birth to a son Askia in 1989.
While she continues to sing and write about sexual identity and sexuality, since the break-up of her relationship with Walker, Ndegeocello has become more discreet about details of her private relationships with lovers, friends, and family members. She suffers from photosensitive epilepsy and is susceptible to seizures induced by flash photography when she is performing live.
"My personal life is my haven, my sanctuary," she told Michele Kort of The Advocate, "so I'm going to treat it as such."
She honed her musical skills on the D.C. go-go circuit in the late 1980s with the bands Prophecy, Little Bennie and the Masters, and Rare Essence She unsuccessfully tried out for Living Colour's bassist position, vacated by Muzz Skillings in 1992.
After the birth to a son and she moved from Washington, D. C. to New York, where she performed as a solo artist in clubs and attracted the attention of several record labels. She was on of the first artists who signed with Madonna's Maverick Records and released Plantation Lullabies in 1993.
Her music incorporates a wide variety of influences, including funk, soul, hip hop, reggae, R&B, rock, and jazz. She has received significant critical acclaim throughout her career, and has been credited for having "sparked the neo-soul movement." As a result of her eclecticism, Ndegeocello's music is difficult to categorize according to genre. Commercial radio often neglects her music because it does not fit neatly into stations' mandated formats.
Her biggest hit is a duet with John Mellencamp, a cover version of Van Morrison's "Wild Night", which reached #3 on the Billboard charts. Her only other Billboard Hot 100 hit besides "Wild Night" has been her self-penned "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)", which peaked at #73 in 1994. Also in 1994, Nedegeocello collaborated with Herbie Hancock on "Nocturnal Sunshine," a track for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album, Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time magazine.
In 1996, she had a Dance #1 hit with a Bill Withers cover song called "Who Is He (and What Is He To You?)" (featured in the film Jerry Maguire) as well as Dance Top 20 hits with "Earth", "Leviticus: Faggot", "Stay" and"If That's Your Boyfriend.. Last Night)". She also played bass, was also tapped, at the last minute, to rap on "I'd Rather be Your Lover" for Madonna on her album Bedtime Stories.
The songs on Ndegeocello's second solo release, Peace Beyond Passion (1996), focus on the connection between the spiritual and the sexual, a theme that occurs throughout her work. Rather than envisioning a world of boundaries, her songs explore the intermingling of spirituality and sexuality. Several songs reference the Bible in their titles, as she interpreted biblical texts through the lenses of racial and sexual identities.
Her song "Leviticus: Faggot," ” addresses religious sanctioning of homophobia by addressing Leviticus 20:13: ‘If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.’”
The song tells the story of a father who kicks his sixteen-year-old gay son out of the house while a complicit mother watches, praying that God will save her son from a sinful homosexual life. The son does not need saving from homosexuality; rather, he needs to be saved from the violence and intolerance of his family and religion. The video for the song highlights the heavy price of religious intolerance: the danger the gay son faces hustling on the street is less of a threat than the violence he is subjected to at the hands of his Christian father.
For her album entitled Bitter she shifted that electronic, funk-heavy vibe to a softer sound, that utilized orchestral strings and acoustic guitars. The shift caught many fans off guard, and alienated many. But Bitter was critically well received, and she was compared to such musical legends as Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell.
Her fourth release, Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape in 2002, Ndegeocello explores racial, national, sexual, and cultural identities, as well as individual and social transformations. "Berry Farms,” tells the story of Shorty, a woman who enjoys sex with the female narrator of the song but makes sure that people see her out with her boyfriend rather than with a female lover. Ndegeocello asks, "Can you love me without shame?" Even though Shorty enjoys sex with women, she retreats into the closet, afraid to live her life openly loving someone to whom she is attracted.
Her album Comfort Woman shifted to a soul-infused reggae groove with songs focused on the peace achieved through fulfilling romantic relationships; many critics have noted that the songs on Comfort Woman, which include "Love Song #1" and "Love Song #2," represented a notable departure from those about the disappointments of love relationships found on Bitter.
In 2002, she collaborated with Yerba Buena on a track featuring Ron Black for another Red Hot Organization project, a tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot. Proceeds from the album went to various AIDS charities, per the Red Hot Organization's mission.
Ndegeocello was a part of the documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown, about The Funk Brothers, studio performers who created the Motown sound (ed. note great documentary - if you like Motown or music - see it), singing The Miracles' "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" and The Temptations' "Cloud Nine". In the late ‘90s, she toured with Lilith Fair. She also did a remake of the song, "Two Doors Down" on the 2003 release, Just Because I'm A Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. In June 2010, she contributed a cover of U2's "40" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds went to the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
Ndegeocello‘s music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Lost & Delirious, Batman & Robin, Love Jones, Love & Basketball, Talk To Me, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls,The Best Man, Higher Learning, Down in the Delta, The Hurricane, and Soul Men.
She has appeared on recordings by Basement Jaxx, Indigo Girls and The Blind Boys of Alabama. She also played bass on the Rolling Stones' 1997 album Bridges to Babylon’s song "Saint Of Me". She also played on Alanis Morissette's 2002 album Under Rug Swept she plays bass on the songs "So Unsexy" and "You Owe Me Nothing in Return".
Ndegeocello has expressed her distaste for the commercial aspects of music. Her outspoken insistence upon artistic integrity and her refusal to record more commercially viable music has resulted in some criticizing her for not recording music that appeals to a broader commercial base.
However, her music continues to attract fans who become loyal supporters. FreeMyHeart.com, a web site that Ndegeocello has described as being the "definitive" authority on her career, was developed and is maintained entirely by volunteers without any corporate contributions.
After converting to Islam, Ndegeocello legally changed her name to Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur. Although she still records using the name Meshell Ndegeocello, she produced The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel in 2005 as Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur.
While she rarely speaks publicly about her conversion to Islam, much of her music has always focused on spirituality, and has made references to various religions (including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam). In an interview with Washington Post, she spoke of having been raised as Baptist, where she was used to "fire-and-brimstone ideas going through the house,” and now as a Muslim, she prays five times a day. Prayer, she said "gives you a moment to stop, to think outside yourself, not wallow in your own dismay."
And of Jake in pants that are too long.
And there is Austin getting ready to watch the premier of the eight circle (or season, if you want to be technical)of 
So are they sharing the same pants or just the same problem?
With Reinforced knees!
And Austin.... they come in corduroy.
but not without some perks.
Scouting in Kinston, NC. If you roll through, Kings has the best country fried steak and hushpuppies. Thanks V. - Aus10
but now he gets the reward.
Not only doing some shooting on location, he gets a guest star as well, and not any guest start, but the return of Chad Michael Murrary aka Lucas Scott to the Crazy Tree.
And who knows, it could lead to other directing jobs in TV after OTH wraps.
and the giant smooth sphere his dragging around this time is his noggin, not his bubble.
EoW principle photography and filmining in LA is expected to be over tomorrow, Tuesday, but that doesn't mean Jake's done yet.
he could dance at one of the clubs at one of Cousin Eddie's favorite casinos.
Today’s Out Spotlight is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, bassist, and vocalist. Her music frequently confronts social and sexual issues, including racial identity, same-sex attraction, and homophobia. Today’s Out Spotlight is ten time Grammy nominated musician Meshell Ndegeocello.
Meshell Ndegeocello was born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968, in Berlin, Germany, where her father, a U.S. Army lieutenant and saxophonist father Jacques Johnson was stationed, and her mother Helen, a health care worker. She was raised in Washington, D.C. where she attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Oxon Hill High School. was stationed. As a teenager she chose the name "Ndegeocello," which is Swahili for "free like a bird." After high school she briefly studied music at Howard University.
She honed her musical skills on the D.C. go-go circuit in the late 1980s with the bands Prophecy, Little Bennie and the Masters, and Rare Essence She unsuccessfully tried out for Living Colour's bassist position, vacated by Muzz Skillings in 1992.
The songs on Ndegeocello's second solo release, Peace Beyond Passion (1996), focus on the connection between the spiritual and the sexual, a theme that occurs throughout her work. Rather than envisioning a world of boundaries, her songs explore the intermingling of spirituality and sexuality. Several songs reference the Bible in their titles, as she interpreted biblical texts through the lenses of racial and sexual identities.
Her fourth release, Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape in 2002, Ndegeocello explores racial, national, sexual, and cultural identities, as well as individual and social transformations. "Berry Farms,” tells the story of Shorty, a woman who enjoys sex with the female narrator of the song but makes sure that people see her out with her boyfriend rather than with a female lover. Ndegeocello asks, "Can you love me without shame?" Even though Shorty enjoys sex with women, she retreats into the closet, afraid to live her life openly loving someone to whom she is attracted.
Ndegeocello‘s music has been featured in a number of film soundtracks including How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Lost & Delirious, Batman & Robin, Love Jones, Love & Basketball, Talk To Me, Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls,The Best Man, Higher Learning, Down in the Delta, The Hurricane, and Soul Men.
She has appeared on recordings by Basement Jaxx, Indigo Girls and The Blind Boys of Alabama. She also played bass on the Rolling Stones' 1997 album Bridges to Babylon’s song "Saint Of Me". She also played on Alanis Morissette's 2002 album Under Rug Swept she plays bass on the songs "So Unsexy" and "You Owe Me Nothing in Return".
However, her music continues to attract fans who become loyal supporters. FreeMyHeart.com, a web site that Ndegeocello has described as being the "definitive" authority on her career, was developed and is maintained entirely by volunteers without any corporate contributions.