Clean Congressional Living

A True Story
The first community of cavemen a few million years ago, invented the process of lobbying. This is what happened.

The Leader of the cavemen and his popular assistants, were approached by the man who supplied him with the customary wooden clubs imbedded with sharp stones. He explained that he feared that other wooden club, in effect of slightly great quality than his own was being made in the caves down the road, and he was afraid that this new club would be chosen by the Cavemen's Head instead of his own.

Japanese School Girls

To attract the concentration of the Leader of the cavemen he presented him with a consolidate of his best pigs, several hens and a string of freshly caught trout. They struck a deal and thereafter he supplied the clubs to the Head caveman and the other dwellers under his leadership, who, following his guidance continued to use the customary clubs. This enabled the customary club constructor to contribute more clients in the neighboring caves and to continue production improvements to his popular stone imbedded clubs!. Of procedure he also continued to contribute the Leader Caveman with gifts that eventually included human beings of both sexes that the Head Caveman employed as servants. The rest is history.

The Senator was in a hurry. other meeting at the White House would probably take up the whole morning and he had a number of things to do. He pressed the interoffice phone system and spoke to his secretary: "Lorna, have Mickey bring today's list"
In a few moments, his Chief of Staff appeared carrying a black leather- bound three ring binder. A big smile provided some correction to his acne-pocked face.
"Senator, we hit the jackpot!"
The Senator smiled knowingly and putting his index finger in his temple said:
"I know, I Know. We have my sharp brain to thank for it!."
Mickey sat down and placed the black leather briefcase on one side of the desk. He opened it and read:

"Senator, these are the entries for only this week: A new set of golf clubs, along with the new omni-directional putter. Six pair of Rossignol skies for you and your family and the vouchers for plane transportation to Zurich, a reservation for a Eurocar with driver and a two week stay at the Palace Hotel in St. Moritz. The monorail people have sent the laptop they promised. It is a new Toshiba that includes the latest communications software, movies, television, telephone, fax, copying attachment, alarm, world clock..."

"Can the thing be used for typing letters?"

"I don't know. But we can all the time return it and get a Smith Corona if you wish.."

"What else?"

"The Aerobics people have sent other of those walking machines. We already have three in the office plus the ones you have at home, Senator"

"Send them all back. Attach a polite note letting them know that I can only profit from Aerobics if I have a place to walk, not a walking machine, for Chrissakes! They know all about the ranch in Wyoming that my wife and I like so much. . ."

"We are getting new furniture in the office. The department Store lobby called. They have just received the French lamps and the Italian sofas. They'll be here Monday.."

"How about the media?"

"Nothing doing so far. They refuse to take the bait. Not even a ticket to a high school concert."
The senator looked at his solid gold Rolex, a small gift from a canned food processor in his state and frowned. "What does the President want with me today?" The appointment would keep him from seeing his tailor who -- thanks to the motorcycle relationship -- had imported several cuts of fine British and Italian woolens, alpaca mixes, gabardines and a choice piece of Vicuña that would be excellent for a top coat. He smiled at Mickey and asked him to continue.

"We have also received your lifetime passes to the Senators games, the Miami Dolphins, Notre Dame, the Orlando Bullets, Wimbledon, the Augusta Masters and the finals of the Girls National Soccer Championships in Akron, Ohio. But, wait, here comes the jackpot!"
The senator relished Mickey's enthusiasm and cheerfulness. Besides, he was a workaholic and did practically everything around the office. When it was time to send those constituent letters, Mickey was the first to start the folding, labeling and the stuffing and licking of the envelopes. And he did not have to keep him on the payroll. Mickey was a courtesy of an Hmo.

"Quick, tell me!"

"Senator, hold on to your amendments! The Japanese Electronics Group, you know, they gang Sony, Matushita, Mtsubishi, Fuji, Panasonic, Sharp, Canon, Aiwa, and a hundred others have decided to celebrate your birthday by giving you Costa Rica!"

Clean Congressional Living

Tattoos - A Living Form of Art

Tattoos and body piercings have grown in popularity over the past few decades. Once only reserved for tribes, sailors, or criminals, the meaning of tattoos and the reasons for population getting them have changed dramatically.

A Brief History

Japanese School Girls

Like body piercings, tattoos are created by the constant application of ink just under the subcutaneous layer of the skin with a needle. At first, many tribes, sailors, and other groups used to apply the ink by hand. This was a long, painful process and the marked population were regularly of high status. The tattoos were often a sign of respect, rank, and social status. Since the tattoos are permanent, the owners were guaranteed respect for life.

The interest of tattooing for the normal social spread throughout the world in fads. A sailor would bring over a fully tattooed indigenous man and interest would spread like wildfire. In London, a sailor brought over a tattooed Polynesian from the South Pacific, and many of the population of London began to regain their own small tattoos in private places. However, interest in tattooing waxed and waned due to its long, laberious process of applying every dot of ink by hand.

The electric tattoo machine is a relatively modern invention, created in 1891 by Samuel O'Reily, and has revolutionized tattoos into an art form. Tattooing can still be long and painful but now the many punctures in the skin are done automatically at thousands of punctures per little and can allow for great information and shading. Skin is the most unique canvas and a tattoo that is settled onto the skin is permanent, requiring extra notice for the right tattoo, the right artist, and the right placement. That piece of art will consequent throughout one's lifetime.

In New York City, Samuel O'Reily trained a partner named Charley Wagner, who continued teaching after O'Reily's death. For a brief while, Chatham square flourished with tattoo artists while the rest of the world remained unimpressed with tattooing. For a long time tattooing was generally stigmatized and most population with tattoos were stereotyped to be scary, dangerous, or freaks. During the 1920s tattoos began to be recognized for where a man has been in their travels, as tattoo artists set up shops in Coney Island. An outbreak of hepatitis, blood poisoning and other disease even worsened the prospects for tattooing in American culture.

Finally, a tattoo artist named Lyle Tuttle changed America's perception of tattooing by introducing celebrities to the art form. He tattooed them, mostly women, and used the media to convert their stereotypes about the types of population who got tattoos. Together with the heightened awareness of the importance of sterilization and the improvement of training, tattoo popularity began to surge in the last few decades.

Changing Views

Today, the tattooing business booms with new talented artists, schools and apprenticeship for budding tattooists, enlightened knowledge about sterilization, and condition code regulation. Tattoo suppliers are well known and there are a wide range of brands to choose from inks, tattoo machines, needles, and even tattoo shop supplies such as flash designs, chairs, and more. Younger generations are catching onto this art form and have made having a tattoo practically a rite of passage when one turns 18 in America. As more and more population of all walks of life have tattoos, the old stereotypes of tattooing that previously kept tattooing private and unsafe has become outdated.

Now getting a tattoo is easier, mildly less painful, and relatively faster than ever before. The results of sitting in a chair in one position for a few hours are much more satisfying to see a beautiful piece of art with the outbursts of new and unique tattoo artists, each with their own style. Some tattoo designers stick with what is known as Old School tattoos, which have the look of tattoos done before the Second World War. They include original designs like maritime stars, pin up girls and mermaids, Old English letters, sparrows, skulls, hearts, roses, symbolic animal spirits (tigers, eagles, fish), and more. Old School tattoos keep the look straightforward with mostly black ink and a little bit of color because in the older days of tattooing there was not a great range of ink colors to choose from. Old school tattoos are also notorious for featuring a ribbon with Old English letters writing a word or name inside the papyrus. The infamous Sailor Jerry Collins was the man who designed most tattoos that are now carefully original or Old School. Today many women interested in 1950s retro fashion choose Old School tattoos and place them on their arm like a sailor would back in the day. Many sailor tattoos are symbolic. For example, the maritime star means that a man has gone straight through an prominent event or has been somewhere far and has returned safely.

New School tattoos include any new techniques done after this war. After the 1961 hepatitis outbreak which forced the tattoo movement private for a while, tattoo designs were picked up by younger generations. They used bold, consuming colors and utilized more shading thanks to advancements in needle range and great quality ink. The condition code regulations and great use of sterilization machines brought tattooing back in the forefront again. New school tattoos still have the same list of tattoo designs as old school but are captured in a unique way that is difficult to construe but easy to see the difference. Also many population today get new school designs that are convention made, compared to the old school tattoos which were generally picked off a wall of flash.

Today there are dozens of consuming tattoo styles to choose from: Celtic, Japanese, religious, spiritual, tribal, bio-mechanical, feminine, military, black and gray, traditional, neo-traditional, modern, and more. The best part about getting a tattoo is designing a convention piece. Then it is wholly unique and meaningful for the person. Today, tattooing is more than ink on skin; it is expression of the soul.

Tattoos - A Living Form of Art