Brokeback Alpha Dog

http://www.youtube.com/w/?v=yeBUsLtnxzY

I was first informed in November of 2004 about Justin Timberlake’s new movie “Alpha Dog” (opens on Feb. 24, 2006).

Timberlake plays a character named “Frankie Ballenbacher” and the movie is based on the real life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI's most wanted list.

Why would a hardcore criminal get a tattoo that says 溜冰 “ice skating” on his arm?

Perhaps he is a “brokeback” alpha dog.


Update: Reader Theresa says:

Here's a link to Tinsley Transfers, a company that apparently provides most of Hollywood with its temporary tattoos. It should interest you to see that characters are not only listed as Chinese/Japanese "symbols", but that they are listed under the TRIBAL section of the webpage. Funny, I don't see one that says "Hakka."


Related: Brokeback Hour, Brokeback Heat, Brokeback to the Future, Broke Mac Mountain

Small Harvest

“Jeff” emailed me asking about this tattoo he got when he was younger. At first he thought it meant “Strength”, he was into Karate at the time. Several recent events have led to him to believe that his tattoo does not mean “strength”.

Both characters are correct.

The character on the left 小 means “small”, “tiny” or “insignificant”, and the other 畜 means “livestock” or “domestic animals”.

Although in the classic Chinese literature 易經 (I Ching), there is a mentioning about 小畜:

Hexagram 9 is named 小畜 , "Small Accumulating". Other variations include "the taming power of the small" and "small harvest".

Just what exactly the “small harvest” is about, only “Jeff” would know.