Help Prevent Rape With Art

Strength and dignity are her clothing...

Proverbs 31:25

Author's Note: I have been enjoined from sharing the details of my true romance adventure until such time that the other party is prepared to present her perspective on the affair arrangement...

When I arrived in Europe on the 20th of June, 2011, I had no plan and certainly no idea that by the end of the week I would be practicing photography with a woman I had never met, a naturist who had never before allowed herself to be photographed nude. It was the first of a whole series of firsts for the both of us.

Though I felt fully formed as a writer, and had been trained in visual language, it was my first time with a professional camera in my hands. I was just learning the ins and outs and had come to Europe to find as diverse a selection of subject matter as possible, preferably something that fit my aesthetic devotion to promoting body acceptance. Enter Margo.

From America I brought with me the American can-do spirit. She saw the car that I had bought, the terrible camp stove I had borrowed, and my sundry canned goods and challenged me to make-do. In my optimism I assured her that if we lacked for anything I would make up the difference. She assured me that if she lacked for anything she would find her way to the nearest airport and fly home. Luckily that never happened.

I've never been married. I've never been divorced. I've never had kids. I've never lost my kids. That doesn't mean I can't try to understand somebody who has. By listening to Margo during our trip across Europe I started to consider her needs as if they were my own. I may not have been in a position to satisfy all of those needs, but I was able to shut up and put my own needs aside if I had to for at least 6,000 miles. We all need to be listened to and it is the one need that we all have a duty to satisfy. When somebody prays to another human, as a human you have a duty to listen. Humanity needs to start teaching itself that skill.

One of Margo's pictures from our trip across Europe. — 6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
**Day 3**
7/22/2011
⚗ 2༛♊²⁵/₂₄♀
FKK-Verein Donaustadt
Vienna, Austria
THE DISAPPEARING WOMAN, THE DISAPPEARING MAN...
a collection of modern art prints and posters
During our trip across Europe, Margo very bravely opened up to me and to the camera. It was a difficult thing to do considering the scars that she carries. I wanted to share with the world her often joyful, often sad, often angry but always liberating experience except that the Internet is full of pictures of naked women and men and full of trolls who abuse them.
I realized that what I really need to point out is not the openness that Margo and I cultivated between ourselves, but the darkness that continues to surround us. When I censor nudity, I do so in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the human body. In censoring the photographs that Margo and I took during our trip, I was quick to notice that in those pictures where Margo was at her most open, at her most unguarded and most relaxed, in a word, when she was herself and basking in the sun I was forced to blacken her completely.
Why does our society drive people into darkness? Why can we not accept ourselves as we are? Why can we not accept our bodies? Have we truly become eunuchs? Or are we capable of defying the sickness that pits us against each other? Together we could conquer the devils that abuse us.
Whether you enjoy being nude or not, whether you've been photographed nude or not, but especially if, for you, like for Margo, it's something you never thought you would do, consider submitting your own photograph to be published in a censored manner as a form of protest against the ubiquitous presence of the human body on the internet, naked or not, that is published and duplicated ad infinitum without context and without regard for the identity or the needs of the individual being depicted.

Previous Image — 6,000 miles across Europe with a complete stranger
**Day 3**
7/22/2011
⚗ 2༛♊²⁵/₂₄♀
FKK-Verein Donaustadt
Vienna, Austria
THE DISAPPEARING WOMAN, THE DISAPPEARING MAN...
a collection of modern art prints and posters
During our trip across Europe, Margo very bravely opened up to me and to the camera. It was a difficult thing to do considering the scars that she carries. I wanted to share with the world her often joyful, often sad, often angry but always liberating experience except that the Internet is full of pictures of naked women and men and full of trolls who abuse them.
I realized that what I really need to point out is not the openness that Margo and I cultivated between ourselves, but the darkness that continues to surround us. When I censor nudity, I do so in a way that does not compromise the integrity of the human body. In censoring the photographs that Margo and I took during our trip, I was quick to notice that in those pictures where Margo was at her most open, at her most unguarded and most relaxed, in a word, when she was herself and basking in the sun I was forced to blacken her completely.
Why does our society drive people into darkness? Why can we not accept ourselves as we are? Why can we not accept our bodies? Have we truly become eunuchs? Or are we capable of defying the sickness that pits us against each other? Together we could conquer the devils that abuse us.
Whether you enjoy being nude or not, whether you've been photographed nude or not, but especially if, for you, like for Margo, it's something you never thought you would do, consider submitting your own photograph to be published in a censored manner as a form of protest against the ubiquitous presence of the human body on the internet, naked or not, that is published and duplicated ad infinitum without context and without regard for the identity or the needs of the individual being depicted.

Samples of Fiction from Michal's Corpus

Michal's Fiction Corpus of Acceptance Literature (FiCAL) is presented under the Bare Bottom imprint. It is currently comprised of six bodies of work, each representing a different pillar of culture and incorporating a wide variety of writhing styles.

If you're wondering...

How do I use this?

Just click on a title to see examples of "fiction" from a particular work. You'll stay on the same spot on the page, only the Table of Contents will disappear. To get back to the Table of Contents just click next to the image of the Bare Bottom imprint where it says "Back to Samples of Fiction: Table of Contents."“And...?”

In the case of common words, a Table of Frequency and a Table of Collocation provide numerical information about how many times a word appears in its original or modified form and with which words. It can help to give you an idea of how common words are used and in what contexts. Find them in the "Common Words of English" part of the Education section.“Ok.”

Why a Fiction Corpus?

The popular understanding of the word "fiction" and its complement "non-fiction" is a reflection of the cultural influence of a classification system. The Dewey Decimal System is responsible for separating "fiction" from all other work and categorizing it by author's name. This has influenced the popular idea of fiction as a narrative that tends to be "untrue" and the product of an individual's fantasy, a bias compounded by modern art's century-long obsession with abstraction, surrealism and self-expression.“So...?”

My idea of fiction rests on the idea that art doesn't have to be factual to be a true reflection of our existence. Adam and Eve didn't have to exist as two individuals 700 generations ago for them to be true portraits of two human beings trying to work together.“And...?”

The Bible is a Fiction Corpus. It is a body of writing that isn't overly concerned with facts and yet its words carry weight. It was written by many different authors living in different places with different audiences in mind, yet everyone gleans something from it.“Right...”

In preparing my fiction corpus, I have striven to see the world through the eyes of others. Through the eyes of my Adams and Eves I hope that you too will glean some truth about our existence. At the very least you will learn some more about how one man can use the English language.“Ok.”

Who are you, Michal?

I'm just a guy who makes art. And if you're interested in making a solid investment in an aesthetic that supports our present and future welfare, then I will help you look for something that you can buy.“How...?”

Everybody makes. Everybody sells. Some people know how to protect their interests. Some better than others. Few people know how to listen. Listening to somebody means considering their interests as if they were your own. Going out and doing something to satisfy another person's interest is how we build a strong economy. Without a strong economy, democracy collapses.“And...?”

Buying 4Occupy is buying for democracy. Don't give your money to somebody who's ruining it. There's no such thing as cheap democracy, quick democracy, or easy democracy. There's good, solid, complete democracy and the tyranny of feudalism. Let's not mix the two. Let's not buy everything on the cheap. Let's not create another tyrant and enslave ourselves because it was easier not to think about what we were doing. Let's protect our interests. Let's listen.“Ok.”

Who's really behind this site?

Have you ever been to one of those post-it-yourself retail websites where there's a really attractive top-seller ready to give you tips on how you can be a top-seller too?“Uh...”

Have you ever been to a "job" interview where you sit in a line, walk through one door, get hired as a contractor and walk out another door, so that the other applicants don't realize that everyone's getting "hired" to work in the same market?“Maybe...”

The internet is full of people who are ready to exploit your ignorance. They are people who want to make money at the expense of our economy. They are cheats.“And...?”

I, Michal, am behind this site. Not some fat plutocrat exploiting my image. I like to do things the right way. I like to work with people who take the time to do things right.“Why...?”

I used to work for a company that didn't do things the right way. My labor was exploited because of mismanagement. That company was the United States Postal Service, an independent agency of the United States Government that is ultimately controlled by Congress. I'm mad because if the Federal Government can exploit labor, who is going to stop every other cheat from doing it?“Labor Unions...?”

Don't say labor unions. I went to my labor union and they did nothing. They ignored me because labor unions aren't democracies. Holding a free and fair election for a "representative" once in a blue moon does not equal people ruling. Democracy means open government. It means we the public need to accept the hard work. It's the only way to secure liberty and equality.“Ok.”

What's the difference between use and usage?

Definition-wise, not much. But the -age suffix is ultimately French in origin and with most things French, at least in American eyes, the immediate thought is that of something precious and arcane whose value should be judged very carefully. This is in contrast to the word France, which is associated with a beautiful place. Thus people in France or from France are beautiful, warm, kind people. Generous even. Unlike French people who suck. Unless you're frenching, in which case you're only sometimes sucking.“And...?”

Along those lines, usage means you're in bed. Use means you're just heavy petting. Also notice that common people, like common words, get used...whereas "proper" things make "appearances." Whether or not you are being exploited is a different story. Exploitation is what happens when somebody uses you or your property without listening to you. Listening is what happens when you consider another person's needs as if they were your own. You don't have to satisfy those needs. All you need to do is consider them. So many of us can't even do that.“So...?”

Help stop exploitation. Buy 4occupy. Buy a better world. Whether or not you feel you can afford to buy art, consider joining my protest. I want to guarantee every working man and every working mother on this planet a 15-day universal holiday. But I can't. Only we can do that. We have to work together. We have to accept the idea that everyone deserves time for himself and we need to build that time into a new kind of calendar. We have to give peace it's own day. We have to make love something you can't avoid. We have to make even the most miserly cold-hearted capitalist among us say that he cashed his check on Love Your Neighbor Day. There won't be any other way to say it once the Acceptance Calendar is widely adopted.“Ok.”

Back to Samples of Fiction: Table of Contents

Samples of Fiction from Death to McDonalds

An aerial view of Dodger Stadium in the foreground, with an imaginary partially submerged Los Angeles behind — A story bible for a comic book series set in a post climate-change California narrated by eight characters who live through a natural disaster that sinks Los Angeles and triggers a war with an expansionist Mexican government covertly supported by China.

Frame #2760

my back is killing me. this low pressure system has something to do with it. i cant sleep.

Sprint "Iphone" Case

26 August, 10:52 AM

Frame #4995

im accessing the automatic identification system. there arent many ships in this area. but i might get lucky.

Sprint "Iphone" Case

5 November, 3:13 PM

Frame #93

yo - if anyone has a problem with the new espn system let me know. im great with short massaging.

Justin Bieber

26 July, 4:10 PM

Frame #3420

the youtube is the greatest machine built by man. we can use it to settle the solar system. a man can live in his own car and take it to pluto.

Chase Credit

6 September, 1:19 AM

Frame #4901

i wonder if the wells fargo crossed paths with the research ship. i should check the automated information system. they must be transmitting.

Sprint "Iphone" Case

2 November, 7:54 AM

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Samples of Fiction from The Gospel of Jesus H.

A picture of the planet Mars — An experimental science fiction Christology that makes Jesus the hard boiled narrator of his own early years on a bizarro earth made dark by volcanic ash and informally ruled by a man from Mars who sells bottled air.

"Money and a little bit of violence, perhaps - but still: it seems impossible - even for the daughter of a Supercapitalist - the richest man on Earth!"

– Verse 352 from the chapter called Bohemia

"Brilliant," said Stalin. "But don't forget that the penalty for killing a Supercapitalist is bankruptcy and death."

– Verse 1115 from the chapter called Security

We offered ourselves to the local governments in Treblinka. Both the town government and the local commune were no less corrupt than anything else, but, thankfully, their operations were limited. Fire control was the worst thing we had to do. Coal investigation was almost as bad. The countryside was restive; so was the town. At night, in the streets of Treblinka, you could almost choke on the fumes. Whenever the wind blew down, clouds of sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide reached around corners and into alleyways. It was almost impossible to find the source. There wasn't enough electricity for streetlamps. They were all dark. In those days, the nights were very dark. People didn't like to leave their homes very often. Despite the rebelliousness, in those days, it seemed like everyone - except for the Capitalists - was in retreat.

– Verse 234 from the chapter called Security

"It's commerce: the capitalistic mechanism has to revolve around something, otherwise there's no profit."

"I'm confused."

– Verses 307-308 from the chapter called Bohemia

"Fake" hand-tinted photographs were everywhere: a whole system of underground painters worked day and night to fake old painting. Most of the middle class had "fakes," but if you were a Capitalist - or from a Capitalist family - and you possessed a "fake," you were liable to be disgraced. Your grandmother once happened to find a "fake" in her collection; it caused a great scandal. It even made the front-page news on a day when thirty Union soldiers from France were killed in a terrorist attack on Bremen's Town Hall. The shame of the whole affair was tempered somewhat by the fact that your grandmother made the announcement herself, took full responsibility for the outrageous tragedy, and refused, out of sheer kindness, to identify the seller, who, being a rich and respectable and therefore presumably innocent young man, had been duped, according to Madame Panzer-Tank's English-language publicists, by some terribly ambitious (and yet, terribly talented) underground and (as yet) underappreciated artist.

– Verse 16 from the chapter called Childhood

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Samples of Fiction from Sex for Children

A drawing of a man between a woman's legs in front of another man in a hospital bed — A literature book narrated by a pair of siblings on either side of the Atlantic whose profoundly weird sexual experiences pose a serious challenge to their traditional understanding of mathematicians, marriage, gay young men and God.

Dear brother: why should we allow ourselves to be frustrated? I for one will not allow it: I will not subject my destiny to the basest feeling. There is no force, no righteous cause that tells me I must be controlled by an orientation I did not choose. Unlike the courts of justice, I will embrace Reason; I will allow her, and only her, to squeeze my breast. She will smile for me, and I will give her hands free roam. She will rub herself against my very soul - but only her - only she can caress me. My body will love Reason; that brilliantly systematic touch excites my flesh. Those cold fingers will make my flesh jump; we shall conceive. Only with Reason may two conceive. How wonderful!

– Title 2, Regarding the Romaniac, Part 1, Section 19, Conception, Paragraph 1

ANDY: So am I part of the system or what?

NIKE: No, not at all: the system is subject to weather: and you're a weatherman like me. But here's the difference: you give it more respect than I do.

ANDY: Well, I can drink to that.

NIKE: To respect?

ANDY: Cheers.

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 2, The Second Day, Part 1, Labor & Economic Reform, Section 11, Talking Politics, Paragraphs 48-52

The subject of my latest vision - although I really should not call them visions: my experiences involve the entire sensual organ system. They are not limited to eyes or ears or the touch. They involve my entire organism, from the feeling of the ground underneath my feet, to the involuntary fancies of the mind's eyes.

– Title 3, Regarding a Dream, Chapter 1, The First Day, Part 1, Victory & Calendar Reform, Section 5, Inflammation of the Loins, Paragraph 1, Clauses 1-3

"There is a new order in the world," she said. "It is marked by freedom. Not rights - I don't mean freedom like liberty: that is something different. I mean power and opportunities. When we were young, our destinies were controlled by things bigger than us: by war, by systems; there were new technologies - these things were controlling the society, so even things like social movements were controlling us, the individuals - even though we didn't know it. And this was true for everybody: West, East, man, woman; these movements were migrations; they were political. It was different in the East: it was more obvious. It was harder. It was like living in suspension. But now: that world has reconciled itself: not only the systems, but the technologies. They are all there; they are all developed. They do not seem like they can really change things more than they have already changed them.

– Title 2, Regarding the Romaniac, Part 1, Section 30, Presenting Oneself to a Potential Husband, Paragraph 3

They were able to use the defendant's argument against her, and turning their judgment on her - even though hers was not the burden of proof - they decided how lovely and just it would be to drown her defense to death by inundating their own decision with frivolous remarks. Mindful of nothing but their own supremacy, the opinion of the Supreme Court seems to be, without question, a comprehensive network of sweeping proclamations and inappropriate accusations, undeniably interspersed here and there with a ridiculous supposition and irrelevant predictions - all couched, unquestionably, in the most superfluous and grandiose verbiage - that serves irrefutably to obscure its own hollowness and its lack of any rational argument, which, thanks to the genius of our Federal system, has incontrovertibly worked a deep and scarring hardship on our tradition of jurisprudence.

– Title 2, Regarding the Romaniac, Part 1, Section 17, The Role of the Judicious Mind, Paragraph 3, Clauses 1-2

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Samples of Fiction from Tsiga Tsiga Tsiga

Bullets whizzing by a statue of Nikola Tesla — A collection of stories featuring a sexy Parisian ghost, a spooky Moon base full of vagina-faced aliens, a policeman with an Irish name, a truck full of watermelons, a flautist, and a man who has to see another man about a diseased horse.

Bei was vexed. She looked everywhere for her precious Jing. She asked Kwon if he had seen her. He turned away. He seemed to be fighting back tears. He murmured, "I think I know what happened. Jing was kidnapped by creatures native to this planet. They took Bo; doubtless Tae as well. One of them visited me. He talked to me through his hands."

Bei shook her head. "Why haven't you told us?"

– from “How Tae & Bo Took Over the World and Kung & Fu Didn't,” an apocryphal bible story set in an unknown solar system

They dropped the matter. Life continued. Bei and Jing stopped hiding. They would kiss each other in front of everybody. Tae and Bo encountered them on their walks. "They're happy," Bo would say. "That's good." Jing was growing a belly. Bei went around calling herself the father.

"It's obviously Kong's child," said Tae.

– from “How Tae & Bo Took Over the World and Kung & Fu Didn't,” an apocryphal bible story set in an unknown solar system

"It's probably limestone. You didn't look at the probe's hydrology file?"

"I saw the chronometer," said Do. "It says we've been traveling for almost one million years."

Tae laughed. "That sounds like a while."

"If you ask me," said Do, "gene therapy was only yesterday."

– from “How Tae & Bo Took Over the World and Kung & Fu Didn't,” an apocryphal bible story set in an unknown solar system

Ferrari, back to his senses, approached the window and rapped lightly on the frame. "Your Majesty," he whispered-his impertinence had only grown-"I would carry you up the Oxus River to Prester Miles's palace on the highest peak of the Hindu-Kush. Though I would place you before his lapis throne and feed you grapes, if I am even to carry you home to your chamber, I must ask of you one thing."

Carmina pulled the curtain. Gracefully cocking her head, she whispered, "You are a shameless young man."

– from “Italy Sucks and Has Sucked For A Long Time,” an adventure story featuring the system as it still stands

"Curious: never in my life have I heard a box speak with a high-pitched whine." Ferrari turned to the servants. Tossing his head, he smirked, "It must be Pandora's box."

– from “Italy Sucks and Has Sucked For A Long Time,” an adventure story featuring a bad system

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Samples of Fiction from Sorry Ms. Jackson

Chiseled letters from an ancient stone tablet hanging on a wall — A real play. With drama in it. Talk fast. It takes two hours. Set in a guest house. In a small community. After a murder. Lots of suspicion. The characters learn to listen to each other. It's funny.

FLETCHER: I didn't really care for him.

GREY GOOSE: Tom the anesthesiologist?

KOKOMO: He was funny.

GREY GOOSE: Douglas the airline pilot?

FLETCHER: At least he wasn't a doctor.

GREY GOOSE: Joe the Gynecologist?

KOKOMO: He made me smile.

GREY GOOSE: What about the oral and maxillofacial surgeon? The computer information systems manager? You were nothing before me. I made you.

FLETCHER: Kokomo will have to wear a burqa for the rest of her life around here. This was a Sunday operation before he came and screwed it all up. Do you know why you kept getting looks in town? It wasn't what he did; it was what he said. He had everybody on Norfolk thinking you had hired the best piece of faffy this side of Hawai'i. Some of them thought that you were in on it - that you were behind it all.

GREY GOOSE: This is some kind of gratitude.

– ACT II, lines 451-460

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Samples of Fiction from Miscellaneous Dingbats

The title of the book at the end of a string of miscellaneous dingbats — A story book full of short fiction stories. An interesting bedtime mystery. A fairy tale. Science fiction romance. Adult life. Uninspiring gay fiction. Horror.

I wondered if she were right. Was it possible for there to be a difference between us? Were our generations so far apart? Were we not experiencing the same systems? Socialism, communism, capitalism, Christianity - were they not as powerful now as they ever were? Perhaps the influence was being overshadowed - by what? Our technologies were trite; our movements, nonexistent. What was my generation doing? Treading water? I took a puff of marijuana. It didn't matter. It was getting late.

– from “St. Andrew's Eve,” a story of love that may ease one's nerves depending on your outlook

People think they know me. They don't know me. Either way, you know, they have an opinion about me. Either I'm a hero or I'm a killer. Just a cold-blooded killer that manipulated the system. That's the stuff they hear, you know. They don't know the facts. I know the facts. I'm the one who killed my sister. I'm the one who has to live with it. I killed a lot of people. Do I feel sorry? I don't know. Should I feel sorry? I don't think so. That's getting into it. I should start at the beginning.

– from “The Testament of Publio Orazio,” a horror story without a lot of knives coming straight out of Roman mythology

Orbitz typed agan. "Why is the life support system on?"

A moment passed before the response appeared. Marriott wrote, "You turned it on yourself, Rishi."

"No, I didn't," said Orbitz out loud.

A response appeared. "I do not wish to argue"

– from “The Death and Life of Captain Orbitz,” a science fiction romance which hopefully would make Lem proud, if you know who that is

"Not by itself," said Orbitz. "It has the maturity of a small child. It will always be like that. The princess was infected with a parasite during the pregnancy. It fused with her child's nervous system. From the belly up it looks like a little girl. Below it has the thorax, the legs, and the abdomen of a large spider. In the abdomen is a poison gland that can be removed surgically. Until then it must be cauterized daily. Its reproductive system cannot be removed. It produces parasites that infect pregnant humanoids. When it sees you onboard it will insist that you be infected." Sara Lee's chest heaved with apprehsion. Orbitz restrained her. "It will sense the child within you," he said. "If you go aboard the ship I am going to let it infect you, Sara Lee." Orbitz's voice almost broke. "I'm sorry for that," he said. "I've paid the price. I want you to know that our son will survive. He will be a beautiful baby boy. He will grow up to love his mother very much. I can't tell you how this is how going to happen. It would betray me to the creature. You have to trust me." Orbitz turned Sara Lee around to face him. "You don't have to go onboard the ship, beloved. You have a choice."

– from “The Death and Life of Captain Orbitz,” a science fiction romance inspired by Stanislaw Lem, if you know who that is

Those other guys weren't cowards. People think I hated them. I didn't hate them. They were doing their thing. Their father was a judge. Our father was a capo. You know. Why wouldn't they go into the family business. They were part of the system. The government. If I was one of them I would've done the same thing. Their way of life was to come to our homes and ruin our way of life. It was a war.

– from “The Testament of Publio Orazio,” a horror story based on good intentions coming straight out of Roman mythology