Click image to enlarge.
First Day Issue: Shaving
Tierra de los Sueños / TdSPosta
Copyright (c) 2007 Robert Merkin
All rights reserved.
Tierra de los Sueños / TdSPosta
Copyright (c) 2007 Robert Merkin
All rights reserved.
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6 Comments:
27 September 2007
15 comments:
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Anonymous said...
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fun. i love the whole ritual of shaving.
always use a brush. and don't use gel. use cream.
buy a straight edge too while you're at it.
check it out.
http://www.emsplace.com/bristle_types_and_bloom.htm
oh and ebay has some awesome straight edge razors by zeepk. -
Saturday, 29 September, 2007
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Anonymous said...
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whoa straight edge shaving ??? i mean Minor Threat from DC ruled but straight edge shaving ???? Take a break mate and thing about a redesign of your blog, looks a bit hazy.
Shaving is indeed a ritual , women will never understand it. i like to listen to loud hard rock like Van halen or Rush, screw those modern shavers, i would like to have one of those old ones that look like butterfly knives.
Very good image there, maybe I will print it and hang it up in the bathroom somewhere
hey Bob btw have you heard anything from ub re the Zivilcourage Mail Art ? -
Saturday, 29 September, 2007
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James J. Olson said...
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Yeah...you need a real, damascus steel straight-edge razor that you've sharpened yourself and honed on a strap. You can't get a closer shave. I only shave once a week these days since I'm not really working, but on Sunday mornings before I go to preach, its the straight edge for me. Its sort of a ritual preparation for preaching.
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Saturday, 29 September, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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the absolutely craziest thing about this blog is the Things that generate huge controversy and tons of comments, versus the things I post which just elicit Niagaras of Total Silence.
But now that I give it a 2nd thought, I guess that (for males who grow facial hair) Shaving is one of the most Intimate Matters in Life.
Forget Religion, forget Politics, forget Economic Systems.
They are insignificant compared to What Razor Should I Shave With?
Okay, so why am i a member of the Kartridge Kult? Why have I turned my back on the Obvious Holy Truth of the Straight Razor?
I tried, I really tried to be a Good StraightRazorite. But it just didn't work out, and finally I fled the Kult.
1. Keeping the sharp edge requires far too much care and maintenance (although that leather-stropping ritual is certainly one of the loveliest, most deeply satisfying things a man can do in a bathroom).
2. One accidental nick in the straight razor, and the whole damned expensive thing is permanently ruined.
3. I finally decided I was most comfortable with a Shaving Tool which can't also in a pinch be used as a Murder Weapon or a method of Suicide or Self-Mutilation. I wanted a guarantee that no matter how lousy I was at shaving myself, I would never cut my own throat, or slice an ear off.
Since the 19th century, women have traditionally favored the Straight Razor, tucked discreetly in the stocking, as a very effective self-defense weapon. (For this purpose, I guess you don't need to spend as much time and energy stropping.)
4. Modern metallurgy and industrial machining have evolved to produce a convenient and safe tool with a shaving edge that -- prepare for Blasphemy -- is every bit as good as the shave offered by a Straight Razor.
My image shows the fairly recent new Gillette Mach 3. (Schick has a comparable new product, but Schick has well-known right-wing fascist politics.)
DOWNSIDE: Replacement cartridges are ruinously expensive -- possibly my supermarket's most expensive cost-per-weight item.
UPSIDE: A cartridge keeps its sharp edge amazingly long -- easily 10 or more shaves. The cartridges of just 5 years ago kept their edge for a far shorter number of good shaves.
I am SO GLAD everyone has so much passionate feeling about this subject! Buddhist monks and nuns are being shot and hauled away by the Myanmar Junta, the Middle East continues to spiral down the crapper, the War in Iraq ...
But let's Shave! -
Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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But mainly the reason I care, and the reason I made the stamp ...
It's about the Badgers.
It's because for me to have My Perfect Shave, some poor Badger has to have his or her hair yanked out.
I don't know if the Badger survives this processes or not. I've never wanted to ask.
All I know is -- the Perfect Brush for the Perfect Shave Must be made of Badger Hair. I don't want to know anything more about it.
(But if you have a good URL all about yanking hair from Badgers, by all means, please post it.) -
Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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Oh and you bet I would be deeply honored indeed if any of the Shavers of Earth copied and framed my stamp and hung it in his (or her) bathroom. It was sort of designed for that purpose to begin with. In my bathroom it would go very nicely with my authentic William Marvey rotating illuminated barber pole -- the envy of all shaving males everywhere.
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Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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James J. Olson said...
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Hmm...I wonder how "Professional Badger Plucker" would look on a resume. They're not terribly nice animals, I fear that the way you get good badger hair is much more unpleasant for the badger than simply having plucked out. I wonder how much a badger pelt goes for these days?
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Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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James J. Olson said...
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oh, and as for what elicits comment or not, I think it has more to do with our desire for the odd and interesting...not your choice of topics or excellent writing.
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Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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James J. Olson said...
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The internet is a scary, and wonderful thing.
Bristle Sourcing:
http://www.emsplace.com/bristle_types_and_bloom.htm
"As a company dealing in badger brushes the question about the source for badger hair comes up quite often. We have had conversations about this with many of the manufacturers we work with. Mr.Philip Watterson ,Managing Director, Progress Shaving Brush (Vulfix) Ltd provided us with what we consider excellent information on this subject, and is our basic understanding within the industry. He said this information could be shared as necessary and we think it would be educational here...
"Badger hair is imported from China. British, American and Canadian Badger are of no interest to brush manufacturers and cannot be connected with today's limited trade. China being the main export of Badger hair does so with very strict control on the amount exported each year, clearly displaying their awareness of environmental conservation. The Badger population is carefully monitored avoiding any decrease in its numbers. (It should be remembered that the Badger is a source of meat to the Chinese people and is available in the markets). Chinese Badger are collected from the wild and are not in contravention of the Washington Treaty of Endangered Species."
"This has been an industry for the people of China for hundreds of years and it should be remembered that an increase in the Badger population would quickly be regarded as vermin and a pest to agriculture. The high prices paid for Badger hair, its removal being a costly operation, means that any significant growth predicted in its demand has little foundation. Such an expensive product will never be part of the mainstream fashion boom. Britain, Europe and America all operate very strict import controls ensuring that any Badger hair brought into these countries is done so with all legislative agreements being strictly adhered to. The ecologists in both the exporting and importing communities of Badger hair have created a system preserving the Badger, an important source of livelihood for hundreds of years in the Far East and ensuring that a small market does exist, creating valuable work in an industry which dates back to the time when wet shaving was first recorded."
In addition, sometimes a customer has mentioned hearing that badger are sheared like sheep and ask if this is true? Mr. Watterson indicated that from his vantage point badger are not sheared like sheep. Em's Place has never heard that from any of the other brush makers we communicate with either. In regard to boar brushes, our understanding is those bristles are primarily sourced from China, India and Russia." -
Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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Oh great, my hopes and wishes for the Humane Treatment and Environmental Welfare of the Badgers depend on the Peoples Republic of China. Thanks for sharing.
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Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Anonymous said...
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Me dad still has one of those. do not know what it is made of tho. He is very Alte Schule when it comes to that, I think he would still use one of those old shavers if they were still around (btw apologies to a.r., I was not aware of what you meant by straight edge shaving, i had a different concept in mind). I would like to get one of those things. We ALL have been lured into the Gilette Principle (the shaver is pretty cheap, the replacement blades are more expensive. Same thing with HP printer cartridges, the replacement cartridge will cost about as much as the Printer itself. Say Hello to Capitalism and Globalisation.
Time for shaving now I reckon and because it is Sunday and in order to worship Sunday and the Shaving Ritual I think I will put on some Slayer he he (I have also noticed that my neighbours are still asleep, time to get up I think) -
Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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this from memory, but the headline was so memorable that i am pretty certain it's accurate:
"4 out of 5 teens who kill
listen to Slayer."
-- headline of Esquire magazine article about and interview with Slayer -
Sunday, 30 September, 2007
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Anonymous said...
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i have a brush made from muskrat hair which works for me. one of the best things about going back to pakistan is that i don't need to shave myself. my barber will do it for me with a straight edge for 40 rupees. (includes tip and back massage) and makes for a perfect goti down to the millimeter.
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Monday, 01 October, 2007
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Vleeptron Dude said...
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Hi hi Joannah,
Oboy, thanks for bringing me back to this crazy faux postage stamp.
Vleeptron writes about everything in two galaxies -- politics, science, math, literature, Truth, Beauty, volcanos, pirates, music etc etc etc --
but Shaving absolutely made the crowd go wild, Vleeptron got more Comments about Shaving than any other topic we ever posted.
I certainly didn't see that coming.
How'd you end up on Vleeptron?
I belong to the Glenn Gould Kult, did I wh*re my blog on one of my posts to F_Minor ?
Where were you when I needed you before Christmas? Too late now, I bought my wife a Casio, the household finally has a keyboard, a wonderful adornment.
If I could only figure out how to rip out the Auto Bossa Nova and Auto Polka ...
Hopefully before I croak I can teach myself to play the Turkish Rondo. I'm very hung up on Mozart.
So who are you where are you what are you? Where'd ya study keyboards? What composers do you like?
(My least favorite keyboard composers are Steve Reich and John Cage.)
Bob -
Thursday, 09 April, 2009
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sateen sheet set said...
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I tried, I really tried to be a Good StraightRazorite. But it just didn't work out, and finally I fled the Kult.
full black plain black salwar suit
plain black salwar kameez womens -
Tuesday, 22 March, 2022
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fun. i love the whole ritual of shaving.
always use a brush. and don't use gel. use cream.
buy a straight edge too while you're at it.
check it out.
http://www.emsplace.com/bristle_types_and_bloom.htm
oh and ebay has some awesome straight edge razors by zeepk.
whoa straight edge shaving ??? i mean Minor Threat from DC ruled but straight edge shaving ???? Take a break mate and thing about a redesign of your blog, looks a bit hazy.
Shaving is indeed a ritual , women will never understand it. i like to listen to loud hard rock like Van halen or Rush, screw those modern shavers, i would like to have one of those old ones that look like butterfly knives.
Very good image there, maybe I will print it and hang it up in the bathroom somewhere
hey Bob btw have you heard anything from ub re the Zivilcourage Mail Art ?
Yeah...you need a real, damascus steel straight-edge razor that you've sharpened yourself and honed on a strap. You can't get a closer shave. I only shave once a week these days since I'm not really working, but on Sunday mornings before I go to preach, its the straight edge for me. Its sort of a ritual preparation for preaching.
the absolutely craziest thing about this blog is the Things that generate huge controversy and tons of comments, versus the things I post which just elicit Niagaras of Total Silence.
But now that I give it a 2nd thought, I guess that (for males who grow facial hair) Shaving is one of the most Intimate Matters in Life.
Forget Religion, forget Politics, forget Economic Systems.
They are insignificant compared to What Razor Should I Shave With?
Okay, so why am i a member of the Kartridge Kult? Why have I turned my back on the Obvious Holy Truth of the Straight Razor?
I tried, I really tried to be a Good StraightRazorite. But it just didn't work out, and finally I fled the Kult.
1. Keeping the sharp edge requires far too much care and maintenance (although that leather-stropping ritual is certainly one of the loveliest, most deeply satisfying things a man can do in a bathroom).
2. One accidental nick in the straight razor, and the whole damned expensive thing is permanently ruined.
3. I finally decided I was most comfortable with a Shaving Tool which can't also in a pinch be used as a Murder Weapon or a method of Suicide or Self-Mutilation. I wanted a guarantee that no matter how lousy I was at shaving myself, I would never cut my own throat, or slice an ear off.
Since the 19th century, women have traditionally favored the Straight Razor, tucked discreetly in the stocking, as a very effective self-defense weapon. (For this purpose, I guess you don't need to spend as much time and energy stropping.)
4. Modern metallurgy and industrial machining have evolved to produce a convenient and safe tool with a shaving edge that -- prepare for Blasphemy -- is every bit as good as the shave offered by a Straight Razor.
My image shows the fairly recent new Gillette Mach 3. (Schick has a comparable new product, but Schick has well-known right-wing fascist politics.)
DOWNSIDE: Replacement cartridges are ruinously expensive -- possibly my supermarket's most expensive cost-per-weight item.
UPSIDE: A cartridge keeps its sharp edge amazingly long -- easily 10 or more shaves. The cartridges of just 5 years ago kept their edge for a far shorter number of good shaves.
I am SO GLAD everyone has so much passionate feeling about this subject! Buddhist monks and nuns are being shot and hauled away by the Myanmar Junta, the Middle East continues to spiral down the crapper, the War in Iraq ...
But let's Shave!
But mainly the reason I care, and the reason I made the stamp ...
It's because for me to have My Perfect Shave, some poor Badger has to have his or her hair yanked out.
I don't know if the Badger survives this processes or not. I've never wanted to ask.
All I know is -- the Perfect Brush for the Perfect Shave Must be made of Badger Hair. I don't want to know anything more about it.
(But if you have a good URL all about yanking hair from Badgers, by all means, please post it.)
Oh and you bet I would be deeply honored indeed if any of the Shavers of Earth copied and framed my stamp and hung it in his (or her) bathroom. It was sort of designed for that purpose to begin with. In my bathroom it would go very nicely with my authentic William Marvey rotating illuminated barber pole -- the envy of all shaving males everywhere.