Halloween: Iron Maiden

Halloween: Gods & Goddesses

Halloween: Gone Batty

UFC: Dana White Hires Two New Asian Ring-Card Girls

According to the latest UFC news, the world's biggest cagefighting-circus-act has recently signed-up two newly-minted ring-card girls—Asian hotties no-less—to join the two women who are already a well-established pair.

Arianny Celeste and Brittney Palmer will be joined—at UFC-Macau in China on November 10—by Kang Ye-bin from South Korea and Jessica Cambensey, who was born in Chicago but has Filipino and Chinese roots:

"I'm excited to be the first South Korean UFC ring-girl,"said Ye-bin. "I'm anxious to do a good job, I'll do my best and I hope this helps all three South Korean athletes in the UFC. I want to be like Arianny Celeste. "

Let's just hope Ye-bin isn't referring to Celeste's hard-partying-ways and domestic-assault 'reputation.'

Check out the new girls in the videos below.

I'm @cagestokerblog on twitter.

Happy Halloween

Whoever you are... whatever you do...

or

Whoever you do... whatever you are...

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

That's the way Officer Sara Jean and I want it.

Ooo, and a very special post awaits for Thursday morning.

It might serve as a cautionary tale. But where is the fun in that?

Halloween: Avenge This!

Halloween: Dumb & Dumber Blondes

Halloween: No Pants

Halloween: A Proper Slut

Crime/Horror: Jack the Ripper - Who was He?

The historic letter, seen above, is from one of the most notorious serial-killers of all time: 'Jack the Ripper.'

And even though it makes no reference to the name 'Jack the Ripper,' it's been regarded by experts as the most authentic of all the correspondences sent to the local newspapers and tabloids at the time—and there were many of them.

Seeming looking for fame and attention, many people sent fake "Ripper" letters to newspapers and such.

The authentic letter above, however, was sent to George Lusk—the Chairman of the "Whitechapel Vigilance Committee" in 1888.

It's authenticity stems from the fact that it had the remains of a human Kidney enclosed, and reads as follows:

"From hell,
Mr Lusk,
Sir,
I send you half the Kidney I took from one women -- preserved it for you -- the other piece I fried and ate -- it was very nice. I may send you the bloody knife that I took it out with if you'll only wait a while longer.
-- signed,
Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk"

The letter was written during a time known as the 'autumn of terror.'

Today the note is nearly 125 years old. But it can still bring chills up one's spine. Especially if you know the full story behind it.

The story itself is quite simple.

For ten weeks, beginning in August of 1888, in the east-end London, England, slum, known as Whitechapel, there existed the type psychopathic killer who today has become quite common. A serial murderer who preys only on the weakest and easiest of victims,  prostitutes.

These particular prostitutes were indeed dregs of society, but not whores by choice.

Poor destitute ladies, they sold their bodies as a last resort—mainly in order to get a bed at a local homeless shelter, where they would need a few pennies to secure a bed.

The first prostitute to feel the Ripper's blade slash across her velvet-feminine-body was Mary Anne Nichols, nicknamed 'Polly.'

There were four more innocent victims who came after 'Polly' during the ten weeks before the killings finally stopped.

These women all had the signature of the same killer.

The Ripper's motes-operendi was to crudely dissect his victims..exposing their body cavities—but only after killing them first.

So who was he?

In my opinion this guy was nothing more than a common slaughterhouse worker—there were dozens of such butcher shops, and manufacturing houses in the area at the time; this so-called 'Jack the Ripper' could have been employed at any one of them.

In fact, he had to be a man who was familiar with body cavities.

Perhaps he even had some sort of obsession for the human anatomy—or the field-dressing of animals, or perhaps a craving for dissecting all living things?

He certainly he had some sort of 'fetish' for his female victim's heated and steaming entrails. Why else would he risk the time and effort involved to slice-them-open and expose their inner cavities? He could have been easily captured while doing this.

This case is unsolved.. and likely will never be solved.

Nevertheless, the glamor and romance of the 'Jack the Ripper' story has endured for over a century; and the simplicity of the crimes, and brutality involved, has sadly been overlooked.

Scotland Yard investigators, in my humble opinion, couldn't see the forest for the trees. The ''Ripper'' was extremely easy to catch..perhaps too easy.

In fact 'Jack the Ripper' was probably right around the corner from the police station, maybe even slicing up steaks and roasts for the locals.

That's my two cents worth.

Stay Tuned.

I am cagestokerblog on twitter.

Halloween: BJU

Halloween: Turn A Trick

Itsy Bitsy

Tight Spots

Fairy Tales

Just in time for Halloween...

Daddy's New Job

In Security

Thailand Tattoo

Afternoon Excursion to the Nature Preserve

Today I thought I'd walk the dog, and get in some plein air painting, all in one shot. The weather here has been absolutely beautiful lately, and even some of the trees are changing color! I went to the nearby nature preserve to see if I could capture some of the beauty.

I painted for about an hour, trying to get the late afternoon light (somewhere between 3:45 and 5 p.m.). I love how the shadows slowly climb down trees and hills, and wanted to capture that in my painting.

Although I slipped in the mud a few times -- and got scraped up pushing through untrimmed thickets to get to my vantage point -- I think it was worth it. Not only did I get some wonderful fresh air and time outside, but my painting turned out all right too... and Bella had a great time dashing through the shallow creek! She needed a bath when we got home, but hey... it was fun. :-)

Below: Bella enjoying the water.

Below: the almost finished painting. I'm going to give it a rest and then maybe come back and tweak some edges and values here and there. Oh - and sign it! :-)

"Around the Bend" - 12x9" - oil on linen panel

Halfway There

Boxing Video: Retro Floyd Mayweather Jr. Vs. Juan Manuel Marquez

*Written by Stoker. From July 2, 2009 for tosports.ca

In popular culture, the Mexican standoff is often portrayed as two or more gunslingers with their weapons aimed at one another.

Neither will surrender or lower their weapon by any means except death—as that would mean defeat; and losing a battle, no matter what the odds, is an admission that most Mexicans would rather die than take part in.

The term “Mexican standoff”—when taken literally—is also a brilliant example of the legendary heart and never-say-die attitude of some of boxing’s greatest warriors.

The current 'The Ring' lightweight champion is Juan Manuel Marquez.

Born Aug. 23, 1973 in Mexico City, Marquez is the fourth boxer from that heritage to become a world champion in three different weight classes.

Marco Antonio Barrera, Érik Morales, and Julio César Chávez are the other fighters for whom Marquez now carries the torch, and you can be certain that he intends to carry it proudly.

As proud boxers go, Marquez is one of the proudest and rightfully so. His record speaks for itself.

Since his pro debut in May of 1993, Marquez, at 50-4-1 with 37 KOs has won multiple titles in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. Needless to say, he not only 'talks the talk' he also knows how to 'walk the walk.'

The 35-year-old Marquez is now poised to possibly put a bold and final exclamation mark on his long and stellar career.

On Sept. 19, 2009, he will face the recently returned villain of boxing, the former undefeated No. 1 pound-for-pound welterweight champion, Michigan’s Floyd Mayweather Jr.

If there ever was a man who was born to be a fighter, it’s “Pretty Boy” Floyd.

PBF hails from a family of fighters. All being excellent pugilists in their own right, they have long-ago made a name for themselves in the sport. As a result the name Mayweather has, since the 80's, become synonymous with boxing excellence.

An indelible legacy awaits Mayweather Jr. for sure—but this might be his toughest test. It's not a one-sided tale by any means.

The man he will face in September, Marquez, is an ultra-amiable and extremely-intelligent-ring-technician, one who cannot be ignored as being among the world’s most elite boxers.

The noticeable turning point—for me—in Marquez’s career came when he went head-to-head with fellow countryman Barrera in Las Vegas.

As is usually the rule, Marquez was not the focus in this battle either. The attention seemed to revolve around the great Barrera from Iztacalco in Mexico City, which ironically, is just a stone’s throw from where Marquez himself grew up.

Marquez was led by the terrific trainer Nacho Beristain, and during the ring walk he seemed to glow with confidence. He looked awesome. It was as if he knew.

The Barrera clash was a fantastic and high-class boxing affair between excellent fighters and Marquez deservedly won.

There are no airs, no graces, no bravado, and certainly no trash-talking when it comes to Marquez; he is clearly not a ticket-selling-hype-machine.

That job may be delegated to Mayweather, he's the man who has become the hated villain in this Mexican standoff.

In all seriousness, Mayweather is undoubtedly one of the greatest defensive prizefighters of all time.

Resembling the great Pernell Whitaker, Sugar Ray Leonard, or perhaps the greatest heavyweight of all time, Muhammad Ali, Pretty-Boy-Mayweather is almost as impossible to catch with a clean shot as a common housefly.

However, he may have made the biggest mistake of his career by choosing to comeback against the current lightweight champion, as Marquez won't quit, won't surrender. Nor will he lay down his weapons for anyone, anytime or anywhere.

Marquez will be first on Pretty Boy Floyd's hit list, but ultimately, we all know full-well why he is returning.

It's to claim what he feels is rightfully his, the No.1 Pound-for-Pound status.

Yes, Manny Pacquiao—who has generally been seen as the Pound-for-Pound king in Floyd’s absence—is the real reason that Floyd has returned to the fold.

However, in this writer’s opinion, Mayweather ought to be extremely careful not to trip and fall while ascending the narrow stairway to get to Pacman.

Remember, Marquez is the guy who was knocked down three times in the first round against Pacquiao.

Marquez is the fighter who picked himself up on three occasions in the first three minutes. And the guy who fought back against all possible odds to be awarded a draw in their first encounter.

It’s also many people’s opinion, including mine, that Marquez won their second meeting despite not getting the decision against Pacman.

Herein lies a truly under-appreciated and perhaps highly-overlooked gladiator.

Let's hope Mayweather remembers these things before he steps in the ring this coming September.

“Brave men rejoice in adversity, just as brave soldiers triumph in war.”

—Seneca, Spanish-born philosopher and Roman Statesman

Gaga for Green and Outdoor Light

Wow... I would like to try and post on this blog more than once a month, but it seems that's all I have time for! SOOOO much has happened since Weekend with the Masters!

First of all, as happens every time I return from an amazing workshop, my work begins to evolve rapidly. I'm finally starting to loosen up a little bit, have more fun with my brushwork, and incorporate more complimentary colors in skin and hair. And lately I've been a little bit obsessed with green.

For example, in this recent self portrait, I got a little bit "crazy" (for me!) in the hair. If you look closely, there is a weaving back and forth between hard and soft edges along the outside contour of the hair. There is even some wild color going across the form (going the opposite direction that the hair falls) to loosely indicate the planes of the head. I'm always amazed at how much green I have to use when painting blonde hair. This time it was an eclectic mix, in the appropriate values, of white, lemon yellow, yellow ochre, raw sienna, viridian, radiant green, transparent oxide brown, and cadmium orange. That's a lot of variety, for a generic hair color that we're always told to fill in with the yellow crayon when we're kids!

"Self Portrait" - 20x16" - oil on linen - Private Collection

Painted in afternoon window light (south facing)

The painting below is one that I JUST finished, and I think it's one of my best nudes to date! Thanks to my very talented artist friend, Carol, who volunteered her beautiful (and private!) backyard, I had the amazing opportunity to work with a live model out of doors. I suppose that if I had a north light window, that would be the next best thing, but as it stands, I have very little experience with painting the entire figure in natural daylight. There is something completely different about it, especially when the light is diffused by clouds. Fortunately for us, we still have relatively warm weather here in Dallas! We kept the model comfortable by having a space heater on hand, and Carol's cat, Sadie, kept her company. :-) If I had just an extra inch or so of canvas on the left, I would have put the cat in!

 "Garden Nude" - 18x14" - oil on linen panel - Available

Sadie "modelling" next to the model :-)

We worked from about 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and had cloud coverage the entire time, which kept the lighting pretty consistent. I was continually amazed at how much surrounding color (greens from the surrounding ferns and trees, yellows from the cloth she was sitting on) found its way onto the model's skin. I had to get used to pulling from colors I wouldn't normally use in my studio. The result was a painting with LOTS of Gamblin's Radiant Violet and Radiant Green in areas such as the highlights on the breast and hip bone, the reflected light on her right side, and the blonde hair. There was also very little contrast, so it was a great exercise in turning form using subtle changes in color temperature, rather than value shifts. In the detail below, you can see just how much color I could get away with in the hair and face. I think I could have pushed it even MORE than I did...

 Detail of the legs: I tried my best to work across / around the form rather than along it. This makes for a more solid looking figure and enhances the illusion of three-dimensionality.

I have another new painting I've been dying to talk about, but I'll save that for a later post. Till then, happy painting, everyone!

Fight Video - UFC 153: Dana White: "I will make Anderson Silva say 'Yes, Yes, Yes' to Bones Jones Fight

"I'm not the best. I just believe that I can do things that people think are impossible."

Those were the words of the elite pound-for-pound middleweight superstar, Anderson 'The Spider' Silva after once again proving his dominance in front of his hometown Brazilian fans by stopping 205-pound challenger Stephan Bonnar at UFC 153 in Rio De Janiero.

Bonnar was a huge underdog, but he came prepared. And, with a pregnant wife at home, 'The American Psycho' Bonnar had every intention of becoming a 'game changer' by delivering a thrilling upset victory.

Spider-Silva is no ordinary fighter however.

The current middleweight champion, Spider's kickboxing is the best in the world. And he has the ability to use every part of his body as a fight-stopping lethal weapon.

 Spider seemed to want Bonnar to come forward in the first part of round one and show him something. A 'feeling out' round perhaps.

That, for the most part, didn't happen.

The seconds ticked away and the ending of round one was much different. Silva seemed as if he had been bored during the first stanza and was now ready for business. The spider attacked his prey.

A crowd thrilling spinning back-kick was followed by driving his knee into Bonnar's chest and the 'American Psycho' hit the canvas...and with the final coup-de-gras—a few more accurate punches, Bonnar was done.

The official time of Spider's knockout win was 4:40 of the opening round, which improved Silva's long-running UFC-record win streak to 16.

The downside of all this, if there is any, will be the age-old question, being: "who's next for the aging 37-year-old Spider?"

Silva, during the post-fight-press-conference video posted below, was once again faced with questions regarding the man who the consensus of fans, including President Dana White, feel Spider should fight next—205 champ, Jon 'Bones' Jones.

Boss White says he wants to negotiate with Silva:

"Anderson Silva says 'no, no, no' [to Jones bout] but I know the money that fight would make—and so after I talk to him he'll be saying 'Yes, Yes, Yes!' 

"I will fly down here [Brazil] and lock myself in a room with Anderson, Jones, and his manager and I guarantee you that I will make that fight happen," said White.

Only time will tell. Stay tuned.

You can follow me if you like, I'm at @cagestokerblog on Twitter and  Cage Stoker on Facebook.

Crime News: Op-Ed - Jessica Ridgeway Murder - Blogger Blames Mother

As if the world needed anymore evidence suggesting that certain humans among us continue to be more heinous and even less-civilized than any of our cave-dwelling, primitive ancestors—who once killed each other for sport, food, and entertainment—we now have another episode in the latest and most-horrific crime news.

This past week, an innocent ten-year old child from Denver, Colorado, a little red-headed angel with glasses and a space between her front teeth named Jessica Ridgeway, was stalked, offered candy, and lured into the jaws of the lowest form of life on this planet—a child molester/killer.

After using her little body for his personal sex toy, and with the 'fear of being caught' slowly sinking into his peanut-sized brain, this barbaric 'sicko' then tossed Jessica's lifeless little body aside like a worn-out porn movie—or an old used-up condom. 

The sexual killer then chopped off the incriminating features of the the child, such as the fingers and head—placing the remainder of the tiny unrecognizable pieces into a trash bag—and leaving the entire gory mess in an open field not far from the child's home.

The girl's father is quite obviously, and understandably, devastated.

I have no doubt that the mother is also. But her pain is different.

Grieving is a process.

Seven detailed steps of a long and painful process is needed until a loved one can once-again function properly.

Shock is the first step—and, due to the human brain's built in safety mechanisms, the shock of a loved one's death oftentimes will prevent any tears from flowing. Sometimes no tears are seen until after the initial shock has subsided. 

Pointing fingers helps nothing, and no-one. And because there are no outward signs of grief  from this little girl's mother means very little—and, in my humble opinion, should not be used as a sign of guilt.

'Eyes for Lies' blog is not a FBI agent, a trained psychologist, or even a police officer. Yet she goes on and on regarding how the Mother is somehow involved, acting deceitful, and possibly knows 'who the killer is' and is somehow responsible for her owns child's abduction, sexual assault and subsequent dismemberment.

Crying is way down the list in the stages of the grief process.

I have no idea who the author of the blog called 'Eyes For Lies' is. But I'm certain it's a woman who has been damaged herself at some-point—perhaps during childhood, and is now looking for someone to blame for her own pain.

You can read her entire story by clicking this link or read the paragraph below as a preface to her irresponsible attempt at journalism and asinine allegations:

"Many of you have asked what I thought of Jessica Ridgeway's parents as they plead for the return of her daughter. While police are saying that Jessica's parents are not suspects, her mom's behavior is notable in one area. She gives us a fake cry. We see no oblique eyebrows, no stress in the forehead and no tears when she "breaks down". We don't see fear either. Did Jessica's mom have any boyfriends -- past or present? I'd be curious to know." - Via 'Eyes for lies.'

You can follow me if you like. @cagestokerblog 

" Roses are planted where thorns grow.
And on the barren heath
Sing the honey bees." ~ William Blake

Update: Arrest made in this case. Link click is here.

What's a girl to do?

No Place Like Home

Accidents Happen