What's All This Then?

Well this is what am doing to make my month more challenging. Challenge me in the comment section either here or on YouTube in the last week of the month, you'll be able to vote from a short list of challenges to decide what I'll be doing next month!

JUNE 2011 : Photos

AUGUST: Re-run

JULY: ??

JUNE: Listen to Nina Simone

MAY: Learn about the emotion fear

APRIL: Find an object and take a photo of it every day in different locations

MARCH: Create a stop motion animation

FEBRUARY: Keri Smith's 'This Is Not A Book' book

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Did Anyone See My July? I Think I Lost It...

Dear Valued Reader,

Apologies for the lack of communication recently. We at Bought The T-Shirt have been experiencing a particularly busy period in the last 2 months. However as you are aware, this busy period has not happened in the areas of Things I Enjoy Doing, however we have been busy in our Things That I Have To Do In Order To Get Money To Pay Bills areas. Subsequently, our other areas have been overlooked and we sincerely apologise for this. Please understand that we are working on amending this by growing our Being Able To Say 'No' To Our Boss areas as well as downsizing our Must Watch Glee team since the season finale aired.

As time constraints have led to an inability to plan for the month of August, we will be running a series of catch up blogs, to enable us all to remain up to date with our Bought The T-Shirt knowledge. We will be covering topics from past months including, June and May as well as other months. We will endeavour to blog regularly and to include features such as photos and videos which have not been seen before. We are looking for forward to reconnecting with you would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you wish to leave.

Again, we apologise for our unusual lack of blogs of late, we appreciate your understanding during our busy period. We value your support and look forward to helping you grow and LOL in the future.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further queries.


 

Kind regards,

Kate

Bought The T-Shirt | Host and Creator | boughttheshirt@live.com.au

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Mississippi Goddam

After noticing a lot of covers on all the Nina Simone albums I've come across I decided to search out which were originals. I came across one song that I hadn't taken enough notice of. Clearly, not enough notice of because it damn near broke my heart when I listened to lyrics. Nina Simone was a passionate activist of Civil Rights and this passion was easily thrown into her music. In fact, at one concert, Nina Simone refused to play as her parents were not allowed to sit in the front, the front being for white people only. She refused to play until they were moved to the front. (I LOVE THAT STORY) Songs like To Be Young, Gifted and Black an inspiring song emphasising the beauty of the young, gifted and black people. And Why The King Of Love Is Dead written in memory of Dr Martin Luther King, and was first performed 3 days after he died.

However, Mississippi Goddam, is a little different to other civil rights songs. For starters, it is easy to overlook (or overhear?) because the music itself is a happier tune than the lyrics let on. You find yourself tapping your toe and joining in with 'go slow!' but when hear Simone's cry 'goddam!' you can hear the pain and exasperation behind the word. Even the line 'everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam' is so true, we all know it, the inequality and degradation we all know about it. And yet, these opinions still exist because inequality and degradation still exists. And don't think I'm just throwing stones at the USA because there is plenty in Australia too. In fact, just this week, an assistant coach from one of a major state football teams was fired over racist remarks, the incident has forced a player to resign from one of the year's biggest games and the press have been all over it.

Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent, sorry. But honestly, have a read through the lyrics below, they are well worth the read. They are so heavy and so heart breaking when you actually put yourself into the situation of being forced to feel it.


 

Mississippi Goddam (Nina Simone):

Alabama's gotten me so upset

Tennessee made me lose my rest

And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam


 

Alabama's gotten me so upset

Tennessee made me lose my rest

And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam


 

Can't you see it

Can't you feel it

It's all in the air

I can't stand the pressure much longer

Somebody say a prayer


 

Alabama's gotten me so upset

Tennessee made me lose my rest

And everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam


 

This is a show tune

But the show hasn't been written for it, yet


 

Hound dogs on my trail

School children sitting in jail

Black cat cross my path

I think every day's gonna be my last


 

Lord have mercy on this land of mine

We all gonna get it in due time

I don't belong here

I don't belong there

I've even stopped believing in prayer


 

Don't tell me

I tell you

Me and my people just about due

I've been there so I know

They keep on saying "Go slow!"


 

But that's just the trouble

"do it slow"

Washing the windows

"do it slow"

Picking the cotton

"do it slow"

You're just plain rotten

"do it slow"

You're too damn lazy

"do it slow"

The thinking's crazy

"do it slow"

Where am I going

What am I doing

I don't know

I don't know


 

Just try to do your very best

Stand up be counted with all the rest

For everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam


 

I made you thought I was kiddin' didn't we


 

Picket lines

School boy cots

They try to say it's a communist plot

All I want is equality

for my sister my brother my people and me


 

Yes you lied to me all these years

You told me to wash and clean my ears

And talk real fine just like a lady

And you'd stop calling me Sister Sadie


 

Oh but this whole country is full of lies

You're all gonna die and die like flies

I don't trust you any more

You keep on saying "Go slow!"

"Go slow!"


 

But that's just the trouble

"do it slow"

Desegregation

"do it slow"

Mass participation

"do it slow"

Reunification

"do it slow"

Do things gradually

"do it slow"

But bring more tragedy

"do it slow"

Why don't you see it

Why don't you feel it

I don't know

I don't know


 

You don't have to live next to me

Just give me my equality

Everybody knows about Mississippi

Everybody knows about Alabama

Everybody knows about Mississippi Goddam

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Oh Nina...

The one thing that is standing out more than anything else at the moment. Is the fact that Nina Simone was an amazing pianist. Seriously, amazing. She is more well-known for the voice and song writing and the activist side of her career. But seriously, so good.



Monday, May 31, 2010

The Facts On Nina Simone

Born: 21st of February 1933

Name: Eunice Kathleen Waymon

Birthplace: Tryon, North Carolina

Died: 21st of April 2003 (aged 70)

Last Public Performance: Poland, July 2002

Children: Simone Kelly (and 3 grandchildren)

First Album: 'Little Girl Blue' 1958 on Bethlehem Records included 'I Loves You Porgy'

Releases: released over 37 albums between 1958 and 1993

Instruments: Piano, vocal

Little known: she suffered from bipolar disorder, also diagnosed with multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia

Degrees: Two honorary degrees in music and humanities from the University of Massachusetts and Malcolm X College. Honorary degree by the Curtis Institute.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Come On, Don't be Scared to Vote!

If you feel fear at the mention of an online vote, face your fears and vote here and now. We will support you, and we don't judge. There is no wrong answer here.

Don't be scared to vote, just scroll up, look right, and vote. We believe in you! You can do it! Vote!

Some Wacky Facties

  • Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia is the fear of long words.
  • The majority of women count snakes as their biggest fear. For men, it's being buried alive.
  • Only 11% of people who admit to having a phobia have actually sort professional help.
  • In a laboratory study, rats whose amygdalas had been damaged showed no fear when in the presence of a cat.
  • The term for someone experiencing a heart attack brought on by intense fear IE: getting scared to death is 'The Baskerville Effect.'
  • According to Robert Leahy, president of the International Association for Cognitive Psychotherapy, the average child today, has the same level of anxiety as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s.
  • US teenagers were surveyed about their fears and the top ten in order were: terrorist attacks, spiders, death, being a failure, war, heights, criminal or gang violence, being alone, the future, and nuclear war.
  • According to Qigong Energy Healing, fear is stored in the kidneys.

Have You Voted Yet?

No, you haven't? Well get to it! Look right and up. Your vote is only 2 clicks away!

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Small Apology

Just a quick note to apologise for how little time I have spent on May's challenge. May's personal challenge has included a lot of hours at work and being slightly overwhelmed with, well everything. But we still learnt a few things. Like what an amygdala is. And where an amygdala is.

So June's challenge is going to be something I can tie in a little better. Yeah, yeah I promise and I promise and what do I deliver? Not a whole lot! But I promise this one'll be different! June's challenge is going back to my first love. Back to the one and only that holds my heart and interest like nothing else can. Music. I need to discover a new artist and you will decide who.

#1 Led Zeppelin

#2 Bob Dylan

#3 Queen

#4 Eric Clapton

#5 Eminem

#6 Elvis Presley

#7 Nina Simone

#8 AC/DC

#9 Nirvana

#10 Radiohead

These are all bands/artists that I am familiar with but would like to know more on. Be prepared for reviews, bios, best covers, discographies and anything other tid bit I can find. So if there is one on that list you want to know more about, or if there is one on that list that you are shocked I don't know enough about, vote for it!

Fear On The Brain

The timeline of fear is mapped in the brain as such: the thalamus collects information from your senses. When you see or hear etc a possible threat the thalamus sends the information to the sensory cortex and the amygdala. The amygdala reacts to the information by triggering the physiological response that we experience and call fear. The amygdala communicates with necessary regions of the brain to release hormones and change respiratory and motor functions. This is when the heart races, the hands shake, the body sweats etc. At the same time the information is being assessed by the cortex in greater detail. If it needs a response from the body, the amygdala has already prepared the body for action. However if the cortex perceives the information to be non-threatening and therefore no action is required, we feel a sense of relief as our body returns to normal.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

The Who, What, Where and Why

Who? – Everyone experiences fear! From around the age of 7 months we show signs of feeling fear. Poor little things not only experience fear, they tend to fear more than grownups and experience these fears to a greater degree. Don't downgrade the extent of the boogie man's scare power. Apparently, the middle child, too busy thinking 'Marcia, Marcia, Marcia', experience less fear than their siblings do. But yes, we all experience fear, some of us even like it, some of us make a lot of money from it, think of the extreme sports industry and roller coasters!

What? – Fear is experienced on two levels, biochemical and emotional. The biochemical reaction is the one we don't control, it controls us. It's the sweating, increased heart rate, increased adrenaline levels, increased breathing rate that we feel in the first seconds of experiencing fear. This physical response is better known as 'fight or flight'; it is the body getting ready to fight for itself or to run for its life. It is what keeps us alive in sticky situations. Whether you need to fight or flee, your body will need all of its resources so it prepares by releasing hormones to cause changes to heart rate, digestive system, the nervous system and more. I must admit this part intrigues me and I will have more on this part later. The emotional side is personalised and differs from person to person. Think back to the adrenaline junkies who do crazy things just to feel fear. Then are those you will do anything to avoid it, and develop debilitating and prolonged phobias in response to experiencing fear. Again, there will be more on this later.

Where? – Your brain! Like almost everything else, it starts at the top. Your nervous system will release hormones that change your heart rate, that's why you feel it in your chest. Blood is diverted from where it is not needed to where it is (i.e.: your middle) which is why your hands go cold, the blood rushes from your face and you may even faint.

Why? – We have already touched on the why and why not? The why is tied into the what. When you are in situation that may cause you harm, your body reacts. It wakes itself up, dusts itself off and says 'right what's going on here?' Then it gets ready to survive. Whether that is to fight or to run, it will still result in a large effort and to put that effort in, the body does the previously mentioned hormone business. Keep in mind that fear is different to anxiety. Fear is the specific and sudden response to danger. Anxiety is often out of proportion to the threat perceived. And a phobia is the lasting effects of fear, not fear itself.

Well, that's all the basics done, I think. Class, any questions?


 


 

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The May Challenge Begins!

It is the merry month of May and we going to learn about a not so merry topic of 'The emotion fear' thanks to Camilla for challenging this month. Camilla: challenge accepted! Big thank you to everyone who voted! Check out the first vlog for this challenge here:

30th of April


30th of April: Beautiful Sydney, how could I not photograph this view? Birchgrove, Sydney, NSW.



29th of April


29th of April: It's always Happy Hour somewhere and it's always bin night somewhere. Concord West, NSW.

28th of April


28th of April: Just outside the train station, yeah I'm all about trains now. Concord West, Sydney, NSW.

27th of April


27th of April: Sitting on the train, and the train was moving so it's a little blurry, sorry. Going past MacDonaldtown station, Sydney, NSW.


Tuesday, April 27, 2010

26th of April


26th of April: Looking back at the sky doing pretty things, Rhodes, Sydney, NSW.




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Monday, April 26, 2010

The May Challenge – Vote Now!

In May I am going to learn and then teach it to you! That is the theme, so what is the topic? Well thanks to the lovely people who laid down a challenge, we are now ready to vote!

#1 – Mahatma Ghandi (Thanks Camilla!)

#2 – Knitting (Thanks Liz!)

#3 – Greek mythology (Thanks Cori!)

#4 – The emotion fear (Thanks again Camilla!)

Okay, get voting so I can learning!

25th of April

25th of April: ANZAC Day is celebrated on this day every year to remember Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought for their country. There are remembrance services, parades and gambling game that is only legal on this day each year. There is also a lot army, navy and RAAF people wandering around and lots of beer. It is a good day to be Australian! This photo is taken at the Kokoda War Memorial at Rhodes, NSW.

24th of April


24th of April: One of my favourite Saturday things to do is visit Glebe Markets. I took this photo from the park down the road from markets. Yes that is a goose in the background. Broadway, Sydney, NSW.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

The May Challenge

Voting will go up tomorrow for May's challenge. We are going to learn something new! What, you ask? I don't know, you get to pick the topic! Get your last minute suggestions in here, right now and get ready to vote from tomorrow onwards!

23rd of April


23rd of April: My favourite time of day, not the sunset, I am leaving work for the day! Rosebery, Sydney, NSW.


22nd of April

22nd of April: Sitting on the train as it pulled into Central Station, Sydney, NSW.



21st of April

21st of April: The odd statue thing outside the train station at Green Square, Sydney, NSW.



Tuesday, April 20, 2010

20th of April

20th of April: Looking in on the doorway of a local church. St Ambrose, Concord West, Sydney, NSW.

19th of April

19th of April: Did you notice? Did you see what I did? After a battery change I reset the date. To the WRONG DATE! There are two 19s! Aaah!! My anal retentiveness is falling down around my ears. I feel so dirty. Anyway, this 19 which is actually the 19th, was taken on a train heading into Central station, Sydney, NSW.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

The May Challenge!

What's going to happen in May?! You get to challenge, this time there is a theme and that theme is learning, so challenge me a topic or subject that you want me to learn and then share my knowledge back with you! It's time for some thinking caps people!

18th of April


18th of April: Did my usual walk again today which takes me past some horse agistment paddocks. When I took this photo I didn't realise I had left the flash on which freaked out the poor horse. I felt terrible, she's about 106 years old and I think I took about 8 years off her life! Lots of pats and hand feeding some fresh green grass and she was happy again. Concord West, Sydney, NSW.



Saturday, April 17, 2010

17th of April

17th of April: This looks like it was taken from the depths of Australian bush, with the mangroves and grass and all the rest, but actually it's about 15 mins walk from my house in the suburbs of Sydney and just out of shot on the other side of the water is a bunch of housing developments! Concord West, Sydney, NSW.

16th of April



16th of April: Outside the biggest Ikea in the southern Hemisphere! Not that you can see the sign like I wanted because it was night, this whole job business makes taking a daily photo of an object a little tricky! But that makes this photo particularly arty. By the way, it's not rain that's just how dirty my windshield is, didn't realise until I took the photo though. Rhodes, Sydney, NSW.



Thursday, April 15, 2010

15th of April


15th of April: The carpark of my local library, at night so it was closed but you get the idea! Concord, Sydney, NSW.



14th of April


14th of April: Inside the train station at Green Square, Sydney, NSW. I took this photo a little too quickly because I was embarrassed. There were a lot of people looking at me funny. See what you make me do for you!



Tuesday, April 13, 2010

13th of April

13th of April: My lunch spot. Beaconsfield, Sydney, NSWPS: sorry to have clogged your blogger dashboard but I am anal retentive and wanted all the entries to look the same!

12th of April

12th of April: 1st day of my new job! I now spend lots of time on trains and train stations like this one! Concord West, Sydney, NSW

11th of April

11th of April: Bondi Beach! Australia's most famous beach, on a sunny day, packed with people. Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW.

10th of April

10th of April: The wall of a shop near my house, Concord West Sydney NSW

9th of April



9th of April: A park on one of the streets of Haberfield. It was the dark and the street lights weren't doing a very good job, Haberfield, Sydney, NSW.

8th of April

8th of April: Ron Routley Oval playground behind the Concord RSL, Concord West Sydney, NSW

7th of April

7th of April: The 'Baywalk' as it is known around the inner west of Sydney. A park near a 7km walk, Five Dock, Sydney, NSW.

6th of April

6th of April: Inside my car on the way from Byron Bay to Sydney. Um...it was somewhere before Newcastle, I think...