SoulPancake

:: witches snapped by geishaboy500 & SophieLawson

It used to be that a ballerina or wicked witch outfit would suffice for girls to get as decked out as boys come All Hallow’s Eve. But these days, we might as well call Oct. 31 Hookerween: Women everywhere don’t seem to be content with their costumes unless it can also pass for “slut.” Just ask a woman what she’s supposed to be for Halloween, and you get a groan-inducing litany of skankiness:

“I’m a sexy nurse.” OR “I’m a sexy cop.” OR “I’m a sexy vampire.” OR “I’m a sexy… ”

... uh, prostitute? What’s worse, the trend of Halloween whorification is quickly moving down the age brackets. My 12-year-old niece was Snow White this year—complete with fishnets and a garter belt. So what gives? Have our youth devolved into a totally uninteresting, unoriginal demographic? Is it all Britney Spears’ fault? Maybe the better question:

Do we live in a society resolved to sexually objectify adolescent girls? Or are women just embracing their inner skank gender and sexual identities?

:: @CSW

[SP EXCLUSIVE]

What is God? That's the question that Peter Rodger has asked all in his path—from Ringo Starr to David Copperfield, from Princess Michael of Kent to Zen masters, from gun-toting Texas fundamentalists to Kashmir extremists—in his soon-to-be-released film, Oh My God.

Frustrated by a globally prevailing schoolyard mentality of religion, a concept he summarizes as “My God is better than your God,” commercial filmmaker Rodger—whose father George was a founding member of the Magnum Photography collective—ditched the cosmetics and Toyota ad contracts, grabbed two HD cameras, and hit the road, spending two-and-a-half years filming across 23 countries to complete this feature-length documentary, which explores people’s diverse opinions and perceptions of God.

Along the way, Peter lost all of his equipment in Morocco, was turned back at Palestinian and Israeli checkpoints in the Holy Land, and conducted interviews from behind the barrels of machine guns. Still, Oh My God ultimately uncovered a less visceral but more profound truth for Rodger, a truth that is delicately but deftly realized in the film’s final cut: that the world, for all of its publicized and glorified nastiness, is ultimately a surging sea of humanity and that the beauty of religion and spirituality lies in its simplicity. Those who embrace their religions with honesty, kindness, and a larger respect for the world in which we live are the truly faithful.

Rodger sat down with SoulPancake to talk about his film and how he hopes it will help audiences take away a new appreciation of their own beliefs and the beliefs of others.

:: swirls-to-suits by Matt Goold

Memo to Ikea: You may be spatially conscious, but your stamina sucks. We'll take a hand-crafted log chair like this one any day.

List 3 things you wish the world could go back to doing the ‘old-fashioned’ way.

1. Move over, eHarmony. I want a real date, not a flirtatious two-month text-athon.
2. Throw out the elliptical, treadmill, and rower. What ever happened to putting Adidas to asphault or kayaking on an actual river?
3. I've forgotten where my mailbox is. Don't send me an e-mail. Write a damn letter.

:: @golriz

:: soul-spy by -Vik-

Even if the Big Guy is watching us “from a distance,” isn’t it a little creepy to think that nothing we do goes without notice? Sure, there are plenty of things we like to keep private and away from heavenly voyeurism, including the times when we’re a little “into” ourselves. But there are also those moments in life when we want to banish the outside world—including the other-worldly—for a little “me” time. 

Do you resent or appreciate the notion that you are being 'watched'?

[LIFE'S BIG LISTS]

:: photo by Malcolm Browne

Back in 1963, prior to the whole Vietnam War sh*t hitting the fan, Thích Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, wanted to send a message to South Vietnam's Ngo Dinh Diem regime about their oppression of Buddhists. Instead of creating picket signs, Thích Quang Duc chose to pour a can of gasoline over his body and light himself on fire. He didn't move or make a sound during the ordeal, and he died from severe burns to his body. In the aftermath, images of Thích Quang Duc's self-immolation and act of extreme sacrifice called world attention to the policies of South Vietnam. President John F. Kennedy withdrew support of the Ngo Dinh Diem, and the regime fell four months later. We're not advocating flaming, public suicide, but what extreme sacrifices would you be willing to make in order to bring about change?

List 3 sacrifices that would cause you to stretch your boundaries in order to make a difference.

1. Sell my car and donate the proceeds to job counseling for the homeless. I'll figure out another way to get to the job I'm lucky enough to have.
2. Join Big Brothers/Big Sisters. My real family gets on my nerves anyways.
3. Stand up and say something to right a wrong on someone else's behalf. Even if everyone turns and stares.

:: Todd Steinberg

What is the most beautiful thing you've experienced this week?

[SP EXCLUSIVE]

Brace yourselves. This is a column about … cue scary music … poetry. What does that mean, aside from the obvious? Hell if I know, but here’s the thing: We like to de-lamify things here at SoulPancake, and since poetry often gets written off as (and sometimes is, in fact) lame, I’ve put on my English major superhero cape and set to typing. The basic idea? To explore and discuss the use of words—beautiful, glorious words—while perhaps sparking more interest in (or at least a lesser aversion to) poetry.

Perhaps you’re wondering, “Why does it matter if I’m open to poetry?” Well, you’re still reading, aren’t you? Beyond that, the thing I love most about poetry is how it can capture a feeling, a moment, a life in a way that nothing else can. A poem can be deeply personal, with meanings only its writer understands, and at the same time, it can be relatable or appealing to everyone else.

Think about it. Poetry is one of the most flexible art forms we have. And today, art has reached the point where rules don’t apply. Translation: Poems don’t have to rhyme! You don’t have to count meters and feet, come up with a rhyme scheme or even a specific object, feeling, or person upon which to ponder. Feel that? It’s freedom. You can, of course, stick to some rules—structure’s not all bad, especially when trying something a little or a lot different. And pushing those boundaries are the poets themselves. Stodgy old men smoking pipes in velvet armchairs? Heck no. Today’s poets are graffiti artists. Heavy metal lyricists. Kindergarteners. Soldiers. Teachers. Preachers. And assorted fictional creatures.

[CHALLENGE: QUICK WRITE]

“Every man’s work, whether it be literature or music or pictures or architecture or anything else, is always a portrait of himself.” —Samuel Butler

:: moleskin-me by hawktrainer

Whether it’s that new guitar riff you’ve perfected, your masterful french toast recipe, or your trusty moleskin filled with unfinished sketches and scribbles, describe one of your ‘creations’ that could best stand in as your self-portrait.

BONUS: Snap a picture of it and post the link below.