Thursday, April 30, 2009
12seconds - Toy of the Day: Do...
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12seconds - 12challenge: Ask a...
Orignal From: 12seconds - 12challenge: Ask a...
12omercial - Star Trek Spork r...
Orignal From: 12omercial - Star Trek Spork r...
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (2009)
Check out trailers! |
Technically any good? Bleh, not really. They changed the story dramatically, which makes it a crappy adaptation, and the way the script is structured, the character arc the lead travels is ultimately useless, so nothing resonates. The acting was meh, Jackman's always believable, but when the script is crap, who cares?
How did it leave me feeling? That the comic-book-movie curse has returned!! Each X-Men movie has gotten progressively worse and this is the worst one so far. I think they should just stop before they murder the franchise entirely.
Would you sit through it again? No.
It's not just me. Apparently other folks don't like this movie either.
Orignal From: X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (2009)
@rationalDude Ahhh, I always t...
Orignal From: @rationalDude Ahhh, I always t...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Jay ThePal in 2-D Form Compliments of Ro!
12challenge: Look what I can do! on 12seconds.tv
Isn't that awesome?
As Jay would say: YEAH!!
Check out a colored version here: http://12seconds.tv/channel/theLOVESENTproject/149678
Orignal From: Jay ThePal in 2-D Form Compliments of Ro!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
@hrheingold "That is an immens...
Orignal From: @hrheingold "That is an immens...
@ilovemakonnen TELL me about i...
Orignal From: @ilovemakonnen TELL me about i...
@lisarokusek time to call in t...
Orignal From: @lisarokusek time to call in t...
Link got cut off in my last Tw...
Orignal From: Link got cut off in my last Tw...
Think Specter's Switch to the Democrats Means Anything? You Need to Understand Our One-Party/Two-Head System
Think Specter's Switch to the Democrats Means Anything? You Need to Understand Our One-Party/Two-Head System, originally uploaded by thepetecom.
Think about it: our system allows for legalized bribery. Every
politician is pro-corporate because that's where the overwhelming
majority of their campaign contributions come from. To keep those
contributions flowing (which allows them to keep getting re-elected)
politicians will do anything these corporate donors ask. Does it
really matter if one of them takes money from Coke instead of Pepsi?
Or barters favors with agribusinesses instead of the oil industry?
What happened to government for the people, by the people?
What's worse is that some companies and industries will give to both
parties to make sure that whomever wins, they'll have influence.
Back on April 13, 2009 Noam
Chomsky was on Democracy Now and he addressed this issue this
way:You can learn a lot from campaign contributions. In
fact, one of the best predictors of policy around is Thomas Ferguson's
investment theory of politics, as he calls it—very outstanding
political economist—which essentially—I mean, to say it in a sentence,
he describes elections as occasions in which groups of investors
coalesce and invest to control the state. And he takes a look at the
formation of campaign contributors, and it gives you a surprisingly
good prediction of what policies are going to be. It goes back a
century, New Deal and so on. So, yeah, it can predict pretty well what
Obama is going to do. There's nothing surprising about this. It's the
norm in what's called political democracy.
I know I'm quoting the infamous Noam Chomsky, but he's quoting Thomas
Ferguson and who cares as long as what they're both saying is
accurate?
Sure, there may be some slight ripples, but ultimately, the problems
with our system will still be there no matter which side of the aisle
Specter iss sitting on. Our system is built on corruption. Is it any
less corrupt because companies you like get their way?
Orignal From: Think Specter's Switch to the Democrats Means Anything? You Need to Understand Our One-Party/Two-Head System
OK, wrist feels like it's on f...
Orignal From: OK, wrist feels like it's on f...
@ablu272 LARPer? Not familiar ...
Orignal From: @ablu272 LARPer? Not familiar ...
Monday, April 27, 2009
@AtheistBlogger what is at tha...
Orignal From: @AtheistBlogger what is at tha...
Laughing my ass off to this ep...
Orignal From: Laughing my ass off to this ep...
Jay ThePal's Jay TheVlog for April 26, 2009 2nd place win and WILD Weekend Plans, Man!! YEAH!
Here is a 47MB mp4 of the above video in case you wanna watching it on your iPod/Phone/Touch/Thing.
Thanks as always to Lisa Rein of OnLisaReinsRadar.com for providing hosting space to me for so damn long that I started forgetting to giver her credit!! Arg!!
Orignal From: Jay ThePal's Jay TheVlog for April 26, 2009 2nd place win and WILD Weekend Plans, Man!! YEAH!
@tomzer1 ahhh, I see. It all m...
Orignal From: @tomzer1 ahhh, I see. It all m...
@waxkrayon thx! Yeah I'm weird...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon thx! Yeah I'm weird...
@quantumparticle that's our go...
Orignal From: @quantumparticle that's our go...
@tomzer1 but thanks anyway! Ma...
Orignal From: @tomzer1 but thanks anyway! Ma...
@tomzer1 a running commentary ...
Orignal From: @tomzer1 a running commentary ...
K, got some anime loaded on th...
Orignal From: K, got some anime loaded on th...
@waxkrayon Ohhh :( Hey, when M...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon Ohhh :( Hey, when M...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
@waxkrayon haha, *I'm* not a p...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon haha, *I'm* not a p...
@hisanc はい!はい! ^_^...
Orignal From: @hisanc はい!はい! ^_^...
@hisanc I'm a reformed Trekkie...
Orignal From: @hisanc I'm a reformed Trekkie...
http://twitpic.com/42qfp - Got...
Orignal From: http://twitpic.com/42qfp - Got...
RT @TokyoDan Market perception...
Orignal From: RT @TokyoDan Market perception...
@mpoppel he's just going to an...
Orignal From: @mpoppel he's just going to an...
Virgin Megastore in Union Square is Closing
This is right next to a Circuit City that is closing, too. When major
chains in major tourist areas like Times Square and Union Square are
unable to make enough money to stay open you know things are bad.
After all, this is New York City for crying out loud.
But with all these Virgins closing I just want to know where I'm
supposed to score my hipcool, preweathered, retro-t-shirts. I'm going
to have to find other ways to announce my alma mater of Nintendo
University and proclaim my love of American popculture translated into
Japanese.
Either way I'll survive, but the economy is still bleeding out.
Orignal From: Virgin Megastore in Union Square is Closing
@ilovemakonnen not familiar wi...
Orignal From: @ilovemakonnen not familiar wi...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The premise of "Real Drive" co...
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12seconds - [Qik] Hloy crap! I...
Orignal From: 12seconds - [Qik] Hloy crap! I...
@tomzer1 if they're all as goo...
Orignal From: @tomzer1 if they're all as goo...
@tomzer1 I lean more toward te...
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Friday, April 24, 2009
thanks also for the #followfri...
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thepete.com: Dems Debate Wheth...
Orignal From: thepete.com: Dems Debate Wheth...
Finished late lunch with TheWr...
Orignal From: Finished late lunch with TheWr...
The Virgin Megastore in Times Square has Shut Down
BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040 (1998) (anime)
Buy the entire series! |
Technically any good? The story is solid and there is a really nice, strong arc that you can follow for the entire series. It's not perfect, and the show falls prey to the classic "what the hell?" kind of ending that a lot of anime suffers from. Still, the characters are well developed, the character and mecha designs are great, and while the animation isn't perfect, it's perfectly reasonable. The music is also awesome (and is probably my favorite of all of the music in the BGC universe). The acting is spot on and it's great that they cast a woman for Priss who sounds like the previous voice actors who have portrayed her.
How did it leave me feeling? Definitely satisfied, though as with all anime that ends with the "WTH?" ending, I do wish there was a bit more of a recap. Sadly, there's still no talk of a sequel series, despite the enduring cult following the BGC universe has around the world. Ah well.
Would you sit through it again? I'm SURE I will sit through this series again--this is actually the second time I've seen it and I still love it. It's so great to see female characters being heroic, daring and still feminine. Who said women were the weaker sex, never messed with the Knight Sabers.
Orignal From: BUBBLEGUM CRISIS TOKYO 2040 (1998) (anime)
Dems Debate Whether to Investigate Crimes of Bush Admin or: Why I Refuse Party Affiliation
Dems Debate Whether to Investigate Crimes of Bush Admin or: Why I Refuse Party Affiliation, originally uploaded by thepetecom.
Geh... This is just sad beyond words. WashingtonPost.com is reporting
that the Democrats in Washington are torn as to whether or not to go
after Bush Admin officials for approving torture.
So, FOR YEARS there have been loads of evidence that the Bush
Administration committed crimes. The GAO actually found that they had
violated federal law (go to the GAO website and do a search for
"covert propaganda"). We all know that acts of torture were committed
in Iraq, we know the Bush Admin misled us into war in Iraq and
mismanaged our war in Afghanistan.
Yet, no investigation let alone impeachment hearings for any Bushites.
The excuse while Bush was in office was "We can't impeach him now,
there just aren't enough votes."
Then, once the Democrats took the majority in Congress, the excuse
became "Well, there's not enough time left before Bush steps down."
For anyone who thinks the law should be enforced the last eight years
have been very hard.
But it's not getting any easier now. If EVERYTHING ELSE wasn't enough
for you, Obama just released memos PROVING Bush officials were down
with torture--those of us with morals would THINK we'd finally see
some criminal charges.
Maybe we still will--but not before the Democrats debate about WHETHER
TO ENFORCE THE LAW.
This is why I refuse to be in either political party. The Democrats
are wondering if international and US law needs to be enforced and the
Republicans feel the law can go to hell if the cause is just.
The most depressing thing of all is that Obama was supposed to change
all of this. Now we see that Democrats and Republicans, alike,
believe that the law is to be enforced on the little people and that
for the rich (mostly white) folks in government, the law is simply not
a concern if one's motives are pure.
I said mostly white, above, because now, apparently, Obama is in
violation of the law too--international law demands that war
crimminals be prosecuted.
So while I'll never call him "King Barry," Barack Obama is, and will
continue to be, above the law until he goes after the Bush
Administration.
Progress?
Orignal From: Dems Debate Whether to Investigate Crimes of Bush Admin or: Why I Refuse Party Affiliation
RT @siskita RT @MuppetNewsflas...
Orignal From: RT @siskita RT @MuppetNewsflas...
@waxkrayon no thanks, I'm too ...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon no thanks, I'm too ...
@Skwirrelicious is it still ra...
Orignal From: @Skwirrelicious is it still ra...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
12 Second Japanese Lesson #14: I Am Well
12 Second Japanese Lesson #14: I am well! on 12seconds.tv
The hiragana and romaji are:
げんきです genki desu (well am = "I am well")
Remember, when you have an "n" that isn't followed by a vowel sound it's more like the "ng" sound at the end of "ring" or "thing". Also, the vowels on the end of words are sometimes dropped, which is why I didn't pronounce that "u" on the end.
"Genki," as Phlow pointed out in the comments of lesson #13 (http://tiny12.tv/UBHEV ), means "energetic, vigorous or healthy." However, it's used in a way that makes it like asking someone if they're "fine" or "well." Check out Phlow's 12stream here: http://12seconds.tv/channel/phlow
Did I get something wrong? Tell me! I've got a LOT to learn still, so please help me and others by commenting. ありがとうございます! (arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much!)
To learn more Japanese online, I recommend checking out Alex Brooke's LearnJapanesePod.com (also visit his site AlexBrooke.com to check out what else he's up to). You might also check out JapanesePod101.com or pick up the book Japanese from Zero: Volume 1 if you want to learn offline. I have also found My Japanese Coach for the Nintendo DS to be of HUGE help in learning the basics. Also, there are quite a few cool apps for the iPhone that I use for studying, as well.
Orignal From: 12 Second Japanese Lesson #14: I Am Well
12seconds - What's Right with ...
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As a pacifist is it wrong for ...
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@Mediumjones interesting--than...
Orignal From: @Mediumjones interesting--than...
Condi Rice Gave OK to Torture but...
...so what?
TimesOnline.co.uk is reporting that Rice, as Bush's National Security
Advisor, "approved" of torture techniques being used. The thing is,
her position was advisory back then--her advice was just that. Nothing
she said or did at that point was binding on anyone. She could have
called for free chocolate bunnies to be handed out to Abu Ghraib
prisoners and it would not have happened.
The only reason this story does matter is that it serves as more proof
that Rice lied to us and that she's horribly amoral--both of which we
already knew.
Should Rice be brought up on warcrimes charges? Of course--she's as
guilty as any member of the Bush Admin for not trying to stop these
horrible things from happening. But let's get our facts straight--Rice
approving of torture had nothing to do with whether it happened or not.
Orignal From: Condi Rice Gave OK to Torture but...
@waxkrayon good for you and yo...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon good for you and yo...
@tomzer1 but I have Parasite D...
Orignal From: @tomzer1 but I have Parasite D...
@tomzer1 the Kindle allows oth...
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009
@knatchwa it seems like the on...
Orignal From: @knatchwa it seems like the on...
@knatchwa and who can blame th...
Orignal From: @knatchwa and who can blame th...
12seconds - 12challenge: What'...
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12seconds - Toy of the Day for...
Orignal From: 12seconds - Toy of the Day for...
@knatchwa I'm not sure what th...
Orignal From: @knatchwa I'm not sure what th...
@MariAdkins Yep, you're on my ...
Orignal From: @MariAdkins Yep, you're on my ...
Apple Inc. Thinks My Mom Wants an iPod Touch for Mother's Day
This from the morons who thought "cut and paste" wasn't anything
people wanted on an iPhone.
Tee-hee! This is where marketers are really starting to piss me off.
"Let's try to convince EVERYONE that they need to buy our stuff--even
people who would NEVER buy it!! Who cares if we waste a bucket-load
of money and alienate customers who actually WOULD buy our stuff!! WE
MUST BRAINWASH MORE PEOPLE TO BUY OUR CRAP!"
It must be tough believing your own line of bullcrap.
Well, my mom doesn't own an iPod now and she seems pretty confident
that she doesn't want an iPod ever. She wants a Kindle long before
she'll go for an iPod, so, all Apple has managed to do with their
recent email to me is piss me off and make me hate them more.
IT'S A RECESSION DICKWEEDS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY TELLING US HOW YOUR
STUFF IS CHEAP.
Hell, it's really a depression, in which case, it's downright immoral
to be trying to convince people to buy an iPod for Mom rather than,
you know FEED themselves.
But hey "they've got to make a living, right?"
Sure! And that's much more important than me EATING.
Sorry, Mom! No iPod for you this Mother's Day. I hope you'll forgive me!
Yes, I am a Mac person, but I prefer to stay loyal to my soul rather
than some stupid company, thanks.
Orignal From: Apple Inc. Thinks My Mom Wants an iPod Touch for Mother's Day
266 Times the Bush Admin Tortured.
...and appatently, according to international law, if those that
torture are not brought up on charges, it's then the Obama
Administration that is violating international law, as well.
So much for that "change" Obama promised.
"Yes we can" break international law and get away with it!
Sigh.
Orignal From: 266 Times the Bush Admin Tortured.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
AudioBoo: ThePhlog: An Evening...
Orignal From: AudioBoo: ThePhlog: An Evening...
@MariAdkins it's got your most...
Orignal From: @MariAdkins it's got your most...
@shindotv screw that then! I'm...
Orignal From: @shindotv screw that then! I'm...
@MariAdkins haha, I can't imag...
Orignal From: @MariAdkins haha, I can't imag...
GALAXY OF TERROR (1981)
Buy the poster! |
Technically any good? Visually, the movie is actually kind of impressive. The sets look pretty reasonable for a movie that is essentially a cut-rate Alien. The story is interesting enough, but the dialogue is cheeseball and hokey. The acting is OK, for the most part, but there are a few, obvious train wrecks. Sid Haig (yes, THAT Sid Haig) puts in a pretty good performance for a character as underwritten as his is. Erin Moran, best known for playing "Joanie" on Happy Days, is in it and takes her job seriously enough. Other notable actors in this are Edward Albert (handsome son of Green Acres' Eddie Albert), a pre-Freddy Krueger Robert Englund and Ray "My Favorite Martian" Walston is in this, too, and is, well, he's always good, isn't he? Finally, the FX are a weird cross of solid and crappy.
How did it leave me feeling? Pretty dirty, actually. There's a rape scene it this movie between a woman and a worm. Yeah, 'nuff said. It's not even particularly convincing--it just seemed to be there to make the viewer feel gross. It worked!
Would you sit through it again? Um... NO. And you really shouldn't sit through it the first time and HEY, you're in luck! This film is no longer available on DVD. Awwww! You can click above to buy the movie poster which features a scene that doesn't appear in the film! Yay!
Orignal From: GALAXY OF TERROR (1981)
@micknugent well, ya gotta adm...
Orignal From: @micknugent well, ya gotta adm...
RT @jaythepal @thepete and I a...
Orignal From: RT @jaythepal @thepete and I a...
@MichaelBarley ah, I see. I kn...
Orignal From: @MichaelBarley ah, I see. I kn...
@waxkrayon aww, move your desk...
Orignal From: @waxkrayon aww, move your desk...
Monday, April 20, 2009
12seconds - ThePeteToy of the ...
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12seconds - News of the Moment...
Orignal From: 12seconds - News of the Moment...
OK, been using Tweetie for Mac...
Orignal From: OK, been using Tweetie for Mac...
@MariAdkins I'm glad I'm not t...
Orignal From: @MariAdkins I'm glad I'm not t...
@allicette I can? I tried the ...
Orignal From: @allicette I can? I tried the ...
MainStream Media Love teh Pirates NOW, but Where were They Last Year?
MainStream Media Love teh Pirates NOW, but Where were They Last Year?, originally uploaded by thepetecom.
News.bbc.co.uk reported on this over the weekend and it struck me as
very odd. The media seems to be making such a big deal out of these
pirates now, but with pirates commiting statistically approaching 1
attack per day last year, where has the MSM been?
That said, I don't think the pirates should be getting that much
coverage anyway since they're really not pirates in any real sense. I
mean, these are Somalis for crying out loud--it's not like they're
plundering ships for gold--what kind of funding do they even have?
Orignal From: MainStream Media Love teh Pirates NOW, but Where were They Last Year?
New Custom Toy In-Progress...
Not super happy with it so far, but we'll see how it looks once it's
further along...
Orignal From: New Custom Toy In-Progress...
Remember Our Leaky Ceiling? Well, It's Getting Fixed!
Luckily, it hasn't been leaky the whole time. In fact, the only
reason it was leaking was due to a plumbing issue. Still nice to have
them fix it.
Orignal From: Remember Our Leaky Ceiling? Well, It's Getting Fixed!
The12log for April 19, 2009
Feel free to grab the mp4 here!
Orignal From: The12log for April 19, 2009
@ilovemakonnen the weekend was...
Orignal From: @ilovemakonnen the weekend was...
US Gov to Boycott Racism Conference in Rare Show of Honesty
Reuters.com reported over the weekend that the US will not be
attending a United Nations conference on racism. The reason?
Apparently, the declaration the conference wants everyone to sign onto
calls Zionism racist.
I don't know about you, but when a single religion/race gets it's own
country, I'm thinking that's racist.
Regardless of that, however, it seems pretty ridiculous for the USG to
decide that because of this one difference of opinion they're going to
boycott the whole thing. For a country founded on the blood of
millions of Native Americans, built on the backs of generations of
African American slaves, which has exploited cheap immigrant labor
from the beginning (and still does to this day) this move by the US
seems like a rare example of honesty.
How ironic that we have a black president right now. I suppose it just
goes to show you that there is no real difference between the races--a
black man can be just as racist as the white guys who came before him.
Or maybe... could this be Classism? After all, the idea here is that
we are boycotting the UN conference on racism, thus sacrificing our
support of all races in favor of just one--and it's a race (well,
religion, really) stereotypically known for controlling wealth (not
that I believe this--I just know others do).
I've got nothing against anyone's belief system (believe what you need
to in order to get by, I say) but when you use your religious beliefs
to harm the rights of others (COUGHpalestineCOUGH) I start to have
problems.
Orignal From: US Gov to Boycott Racism Conference in Rare Show of Honesty
Whaaa? It's in the 40s today--...
Orignal From: Whaaa? It's in the 40s today--...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Finally! AudioBoo.fm allows fo...
Orignal From: Finally! AudioBoo.fm allows fo...
ThePhlog: On My Way To Trader Joe's When We All Get Kicked Off The Subway
Originally posted: 01.44pm EDT, 16 Apr 2009
Subscribe to ThePhlog!!
Orignal From: ThePhlog: On My Way To Trader Joe's When We All Get Kicked Off The Subway
Awesome Jesus joke for anyone ...
Orignal From: Awesome Jesus joke for anyone ...
@bibles4kindle I'm an atheist ...
Orignal From: @bibles4kindle I'm an atheist ...
Saturday, April 18, 2009
RT Holy Crap! TimeOut Mag publ...
Orignal From: RT Holy Crap! TimeOut Mag publ...
Jay ThePal's Jay TheVlog for April 18, 2009 1st Place Tie and MORE!
Here is your standard issue, 46MB mp4 ripe for iPod playing!!
Orignal From: Jay ThePal's Jay TheVlog for April 18, 2009 1st Place Tie and MORE!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Stateside Secretive Prisons for Mostly Muslims (Questionably Guilty, too)
Stateside Secretive Prisons for Mostly Muslims (Questionably Guilty, too), originally uploaded by thepetecom.
Damn, I wish this didn't make me feel so gross. Let me quote from the
post on DemocracyNow.org that the included screencap comes
from:While President Obama has pledged to close
Guantanamo and the secret overseas CIA prisons, calls are increasing
for him to reexamine the treatment of prisoners detained as part of
the so-called war on terror being held inside the United States.
With little public scrutiny, the Bush administration opened two
secretive prisons in Indiana and Illinois, known as Communication
Management Units, or CMUs, that are designed to severely restrict
prisoner communication with family members, the media and the outside
world. Dozens of Muslim men are still being held at the CMUs, as well
as other prisoners, including environmental and animal rights
activists.
Man, do we really think America is so weak that it can be threatened
by folks fighting Global Warming and trying to free monkeys from labs?
No wonder we think Al Qaeda are so bad-ass and killing a bunch of
Somali pirates is something to be proud of (come on, they're
pirates... from Somalia).
Here's a bit more from the DN transcript:Prisoners
held inside the special unit include Dr. Rafil Dhafir, the Iraqi-born
doctor from upstate New York who is serving a twenty-two-year sentence
for violating the Iraqi sanctions by sending aid to Iraq through his
charity Help the Needy; Yassin Aref, the Kurdish-born imam from
Albany, New York, who was convicted in a controversial FBI sting
operation; and also the environmental activist Daniel McGowan. He's
serving a seven-year sentence for his role in two acts of arson.
Some critics have suggested McGowan and other non-Muslim prisoners are
being held in the CMU, because the federal government wants to avoid
accusations that the CMUs are designed to only hold Muslim
men.
And from a bit further on lawyer for one of the prisoners of a CMU
prison, Kathy Manley says:Well, yeah, it's
unconstitutional to treat people more restrictively in a prison
context because of their race or religion. And they're clearly doing
that. I mean, the CMU in Terre Haute is almost 90 percent
Muslim.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: New boss (almost the) same as
the old boss.
Orignal From: Stateside Secretive Prisons for Mostly Muslims (Questionably Guilty, too)
12omercial - ThePeteToy of the...
Orignal From: 12omercial - ThePeteToy of the...
12seconds - 12challenge: Inven...
Orignal From: 12seconds - 12challenge: Inven...
BUBBLEGUM CRASH (1991) (anime)
Buy it! |
Technically any good? The animation is noticeably worse and the designs, while very similar, are different from the original designs used in Crisis. However, all of the same charm of the characters are intact, visually, in the story and in the acting. The stories themselves, I found to be a little lackluster and not terribly memorable. There were some nice moments that made this OVA worth watching for original BGC fans, however.
The music is good, as always, as is the voice-over acting (duh, it's anime).
How did it leave me feeling? Sadly, in the end, I didn't feel that strongly for Bubblegum Crash. I love cyberpunk, though, so I didn't mind sitting through it--especially since the original series was what sucked me into anime in the first place.
Would you sit through it again? Not by itself, but I assume I'll eventually sit through every episode in the Bubblegum Crisis universe again one day and I'll be happy with watching these three eps when I do.
Orignal From: BUBBLEGUM CRASH (1991) (anime)
Obama Administration Lets the Bush Administration Get Away with It
Obama Administration Lets the Bush Administration Get Away with It, originally uploaded by thepetecom.
From the above capped post on the Obama
Administration releasing memos admitting that the Bush administration
tortured available now at DemocracyNow.org:
The so-called "torture" memos from the Bush
administration's Office of Legal Counsel were released as part of a
lawsuit and freedom of information request filed by the ACLU. Three of
the memos were authored by Steven Bradbury in 2005, then a lawyer in
the Office of Legal Counsel, and one in 2002 by then-head of the
office, Jay Bybee.
The memos dispassionately describe the use of tactics such as
waterboarding, holding prisoners in small dark boxes, exploiting
prisoners' fears of insects, forced nudity, and shackling and
depriving them of sleep for as many as 11 days. They also include
extensive legal arguments as to why these tactics do not amount to
torture under US and international law.
Also from the post:
President Obama issued a statement calling for
'reflection not retribution' and reassured CIA officials that they
need not fear prosecution.
I guess this shouldn't be too surprising. In America, if you're rich,
a politician (or, let's face it, white), you can get away with
anything. The banks and auto industry failed to make the best choices
for the American people and for themselves, but rather than let them
fail, they get rewarded with bailouts.
Likewise, when the previous administration violated laws, ethics and
the very principles this country was founded on, they are now being
rewarded by being given the gift of "getting away with it" from the
Obama Administration.
I'll tell you, though--it makes you wonder just what Barrack's boys
have in mind for his first four years... I mean, why cover the last
guy's ass unless you think your own ass will need covering?
Orignal From: Obama Administration Lets the Bush Administration Get Away with It
@cspanwj definitely! Sold my c...
Orignal From: @cspanwj definitely! Sold my c...
Thursday, April 16, 2009
FLOW (2008)
Buy it! |
Technically any good? While it does come across as very heavy-handed and preachy and doesn't try too hard to present any opposing view points (though it does try), the facts it presents are undeniable and incredibly disturbing. It's downright scary how much power big business has over the water in the ground. And just think about how important water is to commerce--as a result, water ends up being the number 3 commodity behind oil and electricity. Yeah. I didn't know that either. Another fact it presents is that humans account for just 10% of the water use in the world. The rest is split unevenly between agriculture and business--the majority of which goes to business.
How did it leave me feeling? Angry, for two reasons. First, because no one seems to be aware of or have a problem with these giant companies using and controlling so much water. Second because the film pretends that a few isolated victories against these corporations means that we can stop them. Protests have stopped some companies from essentially stealing water, but Coca-Cola, for instance, is a huge company. They didn't lose that battle in India, they just put their resources someplace else instead of wasting time with a bunch of protesters. So, I could have done without the corny, "speak truth to power" BS and stuck with the fear-mongering since that's what is needed.
Would you sit through it again? YES! I want to go over the facts presented again and try to pick up on things I missed the first time through. This docu is jammed with interesting stuff and interesting people.
Seriously, watch this movie!!
Orignal From: FLOW (2008)
JP Morgan Shows Larger Profit than Expected...When does that crap start to trickle down?
JP Morgan Shows Larger Profit than Expected...When does that crap start to trickle down?, originally uploaded by thepetecom.
This is what I'm wondering right now: if one of the biggest banks in
the country can show a profit in today's tough times WHY IS THAT?
And also: when the hell do we see some benefits of their profits in
the economy and OH YEAH: when do we see the money that bailed out
banks paid back to the government?
ONE OTHER THING: are We, The People going to see any of those profits
in our own pockets in the form of stimulus checks? Seems only fair--
after all, we're putting up with this horribly flawed, lopsided (in
favor of the rich) system, shouldn't there be something in it for us?
Orignal From: JP Morgan Shows Larger Profit than Expected...When does that crap start to trickle down?
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Rich Folks Still Setting Agenda, Still Pretending They're Not
Doesn't $1.1 trillion seem small to you?
Earlier this month, the twenty most powerful/wealthy nations got together to talk about how to solve the problems Earth's economy is facing. It seems it's set to contract for the first time in thirty years. Huh. Neat.
This was Obama's first big deal abroad and here is, in part, what the above-displayed article from NYTimes.com reported about him back on April 2, 2009:
"Today, we've learned the lessons of history," Mr. Obama declared in a news conference in which he was noticeably relaxed, taking questions from journalists from India and China. But he also said that getting more than 20 countries to agree to common steps was particularly hard because "each country has its own quirks."
The meeting, he said, exemplified the power of developing nations, heralding a new age in which decisions about the future of the global economy will no longer be made by an elite club of Western powers that have set the global rules since the Bretton Woods agreement in July 1944.
Really?
What do you call 20 rich folks in a big room in the UK, exactly?
Another thing that bugs me about this is that $1.1 trillion is nothing compared to the amounts we've been spending here in the US on our own economy. Wasn't it over $4 trillion we spent just last autumn when we bailed out banks?
What's worse is that this is a lot of money to prop up an economic system that just may have reached it's shelf-life. There's talk of creating one super-sized mega-system--a single, global economy with one currency.
I really hope that doesn't happen. Not just because it would make the New World Order freaks pee themselves with "I-told-you-so" flavored glee, but because bigger is NOT better.
The whole problem here is that things got so big they crumbled under their own weight. I think we need more, smaller economic systems. I'm fine with trading with other nations, but "globalism" doesn't appear to work when taken so far.
Just my ¥2, of course.
Orignal From: Rich Folks Still Setting Agenda, Still Pretending They're Not
CORALINE (2009)
Technically any good? The animation was an interesting mix of CG and stop-motion, but at times I found it distracting that it was one and not the other or vice-versa. There were moments of animation that really did blow me away, but mostly I found myself not caring for the designs. This is just a personal gripe, but I felt like the characters weren't consistent with each other and regardless of that, were a bit stereotypical.
Acting-wise, Dakota Fanning was great, but I felt Teri Hatcher was a little bland. It was nice to know that John Hodgman got a paycheck, but I didn't think he was that well cast (or maybe I just think he's BRILLIANT on Daily Show. Keith David was awesome and was cast against type, which was GREAT.
Sadly, the script was lacking in much emotion and I found myself wondering why I didn't care about anyone. I was also disappointed to see that there was little motivation for Coraline to be a hero, aside from that it's her duty.
How did it leave me feeling? The 3-D and spectacle aspects of seeing it in the theater made me feel satisfied, but the film itself really didn't make me feel anything at all.
Would you sit through it again? No chance. :(
Orignal From: CORALINE (2009)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Nobel-Winning Economist Says Obama's Plan Hurts the Folks Who Elected Him (that's us)
Read it! |
"Ersatz," in case you're curious, is defined by Merriam-Webster.com as "being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation." So, in this case, it's not capitalism that Obama is practicing here. Thankfully, he's not saying it's socialism, either, but here's what he does say:
What the Obama administration is doing is far worse than nationalization: it is ersatz capitalism, the privatizing of gains and the socializing of losses. It is a "partnership" in which one partner robs the other. And such partnerships — with the private sector in control — have perverse incentives, worse even than the ones that got us into the mess.
So what is the appeal of a proposal like this? Perhaps it's the kind of Rube Goldberg device that Wall Street loves — clever, complex and nontransparent, allowing huge transfers of wealth to the financial markets. It has allowed the administration to avoid going back to Congress to ask for the money needed to fix our banks, and it provided a way to avoid nationalization.
But we are already suffering from a crisis of confidence. When the high costs of the administration's plan become apparent, confidence will be eroded further. At that point the task of recreating a vibrant financial sector, and resuscitating the economy, will be even harder.
I've been saying, for a while now, that the government has been using the same old tricks to try and fix a failing system. Obama's government is no different in this sense. He is trying the same tricks that got us into this mess in the first place. Instead of forcing the men in suits to take responsibility for their choices, he's letting (almost) everyone keep their jobs and money while the real cost of the failure gets dumped on to us little people.
Gotta love that (crisis-of-)confidence builder, Obama. I almost miss Bush who you could always tell was a lying bastard. Obama seems like such a nice guy, but now he's ignoring the needs of actual Americans in favor of the needs of made-up businesses with corrupt people running them. Lovely.
Hay, Barry, where's my universal health care, man? I haven't seen a doctor in a decade. Yeah, you're welcome for your vote, jerkweed.
Orignal From: Nobel-Winning Economist Says Obama's Plan Hurts the Folks Who Elected Him (that's us)
HARVEY (1950)
Buy it! |
Technically any good? There's only a bit toward the end where the script starts to let us down--it's just a slow patch where I found myself confused as to what the heck the movie was doing. However, everything around that slow patch is pretty solid. The movie is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play and it shows in the witty dialogue and ironic situations. The acting is as spot-on as you'd expect. However, I found Jimmy Stewart's pantomime to be a bit less convincing than I would have liked, though I'm sure it was fine for the day and certainly didn't knock me out of the movie.
How did it leave me feeling? Warm and fuzzy inside. I usually don't like to feel that way, so I give the movie even more credit for making me not mind. Three-cheers for being a bit darker, too. I'm sure if someone ever (god forbid) remade this movie it would be a good deal lighter.
Would you sit through it again? I would sit through it again, but it's one of those movies that does a great job--so good that I don't think I'd want to sit through it again for a while.
Orignal From: HARVEY (1950)
Monday, April 13, 2009
@gypsyjr we are planning to do...
Orignal From: @gypsyjr we are planning to do...
@gypsyjr we are planning to do...
Orignal From: @gypsyjr we are planning to do...
12seconds - 12challenge: Who w...
Orignal From: 12seconds - 12challenge: Who w...
Look what we did as a communit...
Orignal From: Look what we did as a communit...
Media Does Its Job: Calls Obama on the Whole "Dog Thing"
Wow! Thank goodness we've got the media doing their job! I didn't even
KNOW that Obama had promised to adopt a dog from a shelter--I am so
glad the Christian Science Monitor takes its job so seriously that it
calls the president on his broken promises.
NOW, if we could only get the press to go after Obama for not
investigating the Bush Administration for its crimes.
What a bunch of hypocrites the press is. Maybe if those fools would
do their job and tell the American people what we need to know and not
what they think will sell newspapers things wouldn't be as bad as they
are right now. Hell, I'm an unpaid blogger and I've been warning about
our weakening economy for years! How did I get it right when the real
media couldn't be bothered?
When the New York Times was mindlessly repeating Bush Admin rhetoric,
I was citing the handful of news sources that were reporting on
experts who said there were likely no WMD in Iraq.
Who is wondering why old media is dying?
Not me.
Orignal From: Media Does Its Job: Calls Obama on the Whole "Dog Thing"
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Jay TheVlog for April 12, 2009 Back-to-Work Edition!
Orignal From: Jay TheVlog for April 12, 2009 Back-to-Work Edition!
How I (don't) Celebrate Easter (as an Atheist)
1) The majority of Americans are Christian.
2) A tiny fraction of Americans are atheists.
3) Atheists don't get holidays.
4) When we get snarky in the face of quite a few public displays of affection for God, Jesus, etc, why aren't we just ignored like we usually are?
It seems disingenuous, to me, that the majority feels the need to defend itself against the minority. As an average atheist, it seems like I should have the right to be exponentially louder than the average Christian since there are so many of them out there. I need to speak up in order to be heard over the voices of all those believers.
Yet, I feel like I get lectured when I do speak up for myself and my beliefs.
I don't need to be told about how there's a God, or how Jesus died for my sins or whatever else. I've heard it all before. None of it is enough for me--not that I'm saying anything against you.
My friend explained that he felt the need to defend the intelligence of believers despite me not saying anything about the intelligence of believers in the first place. Really, it's not about how smart or dumb you are--it's about what you choose to believe and what you choose to do with that belief.
If it helps you to believe that there is a benevolent being watching over us that can be appealed to for help, by all means, believe in Him. Personally, I'd rather assume that there is no God and behave according to my own morals.
What bothers me is when people who normally talk about politics, current events, or other non-God-related things start talking about how "He is Risen". Suddenly, I'm wondering why they felt the need to say such a thing to me. Yes, OK, you're Christian, Happy Easter, enjoy the chocolate.
Then I see it again and again and I'm suddenly feeling like a freak for not believing that Jesus even existed. But whatever, man--people believe what they want and I'm fine with that. But on days like today, it's hard to move on, so I joke about how I'm going to take a moment to marvel at how the seasons work at keeping us alive and then watch "The God That Wasn't There" again.
Of course, my snarkiness is taken as disrespectful, or, at the very least, in need of a reply/counter-argument/etc. It seems like the majority can't leave the minority to it's whinyness. And that's ultimately, fine, too--I mean, it's the Internet, right? The majority of the web is porn and what isn't porn is divided up between illegal file sharing and useless arguments (it would seem).
What bothers me is when a belief in something un-provable replaces the known facts of a situation.
I could die of an aneurysm before I finish typing up this post. However, some of you would suggest "well, say a prayer, make sure God is happy with you and He won't let that happen."
Right, or I could just understand that I could die and move forward with the idea that I should live my life to the fullest because I could die at any time.
See? It's up to personal choice.
No right or wrong answer. Both sides can't prove they are right.
So, if you're a "believer" please, the next time you see one of us "non-believers" commenting about how we don't believe or are annoyed by religious holidays or whatever, keep your opinion to yourself. You're the majority. Anything you say is going to sound just as pompous, self-righteous and insulting as what we said in the first place. The difference is, we've already heard what you have to say and that's why we're atheists.
It might serve you to listen to our opinions since you may not have heard them before--it's not like we atheist have dramatically influenced culture for centuries the way y'all have.
Orignal From: How I (don't) Celebrate Easter (as an Atheist)
@spam @funnyonion pretended to...
Orignal From: @spam @funnyonion pretended to...
Rabbits running around is a si...
Orignal From: Rabbits running around is a si...
Saturday, April 11, 2009
ThePete’s 12 Second Japanese Lesson #13: How Are You?
So, here is #13: How are you?
12second Japanese Lesson #13: how are you? on 12seconds.tv
The hiragana (romaji and English) for this lesson is:
げんき ですか (genki desu ka? - fine are?)
You can add an "oh" or "お" to the front of that to make it polite.
Please remember that my Japanese kind of sucks, but the stuff I put in these lessons I know is generally accurate, though my pronunciation is not perfect. I also don't usually differentiate between formal and informal Japanese since these lessons are just 12 seconds long and I think most Japanese people will cut you some slack.
Did I get something wrong? Tell me! I've got a LOT to learn still, so please help me and others by commenting. ありがとうございます! (arigatou gozaimasu - thank you very much!)
To learn more Japanese online, I recommend checking out Alex Brooke's LearnJapanesePod.com (also visit his site AlexBrooke.com to check out what else he's up to). You might also check out JapanesePod101.com or pick up the book Japanese from Zero: Volume 1 if you want to learn offline. I have also found My Japanese Coach for the Nintendo DS to be of HUGE help in learning the basics. Also, there are quite a few cool apps for the iPhone that I use for studying, as well.
Orignal From: ThePete's 12 Second Japanese Lesson #13: How Are You?
Jay ThePal with TheJay Report for April 11, 2009
Orignal From: Jay ThePal with TheJay Report for April 11, 2009
12seconds - 12seconds.tv featu...
Orignal From: 12seconds - 12seconds.tv featu...
Friday, April 10, 2009
ThePhlog From "Rock Of Ages" ROCKIN'
Here's a direct mp3 download: http://boos.audioboo.fm/attachments/18137/Recording.mp3
And as always, you can subscribe to ThePhlog here: http://audioboo.fm/users/1038/boos.atom
Orignal From: ThePhlog From "Rock Of Ages" ROCKIN'
Thursday, April 09, 2009
[qik] at "Rock of Ages" with @...
Orignal From: [qik] at "Rock of Ages" with @...
Now waiting for "Rock of Ages" the musical to begin
Special thanks (again) to Brian for getting us in!
Orignal From: Now waiting for "Rock of Ages" the musical to begin
Waiting in line for the Daily Show with our pal Carrie
Jay TheVlog for April 8, 2009 1st Place at Last!!
Orignal From: Jay TheVlog for April 8, 2009 1st Place at Last!!
RT @jaythepal: ThePete is uplo...
Orignal From: RT @jaythepal: ThePete is uplo...
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
12seconds - Jay ThePal makes m...
Orignal From: 12seconds - Jay ThePal makes m...
@siskita w/all of your excitem...
Orignal From: @siskita w/all of your excitem...
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
All of Your Paranoia about Government and Corporations is Accurate (and then some)
Above: money doesn't make the world go 'round--but it does keep the system moving.
Yeah, pretty sad when things in the real world happen like they would in a novel--you know when the people you trust betray you in a way you would never have expected? Let me get more specific.
Remember that thing called "government" that's supposed to protect your rights and help organize society in a way that allows humanity to have an easier, more enjoyable time?
How about corporations? Remember them? They're the groups of smaller businesses that team up to help better provide for the communities they exist in.
Well, that's the way both were originally supposed to work, anyway. Alas, they've supplanted those wonderful ideals with concerns only for themselves. Corporations have the same rights as we individuals and, while they can't vote, politicians make sure big businesses are more than equally represented in government.
Capitalism is dead and probably has been for years--it's only recently that we've discovered its body. See, Capitalism too, has been supplanted by the system of Corruptionism.
The basic idea is that our leaders (both political and corporate) tell us that they care about all humans, our rights, the environment and our morals, but all they really care about is taking from us and giving to themselves. We give our money to corporations in exchange for products and services we don't need (but are literally brainwashed to believe are necessary) and the corporations take that money and pay off politicians to make laws that make it easier for corporations to make even more money off of us.
Politicians are corrupt because they take money for favors. We are corrupt because our money comes from corporations that we then use for things we don't bother realizing we don't need. Corporations are corrupt because the people who run the corporations take money, ignore their own morals, and keep the corporate interests going.
Everyone is corrupt in this system.
Maybe the Corruptionist system (like most systems) can actually function to make life easier for us. However, take it to the extreme and we get what we have now.
Last month Matt Taibbi wrote an amazingly in-depth piece that you can find at RollingStone.com that covers the bail-out, the AIG mess, corrupt politicians and most importantly how this whole thing has functioned as a non-violent coup meant to wrest control of government (and therefore us) from our elected leaders. Of course, I'd suggest that our elected officials haven't had any substantive power for years. Regardless, the reality seems to be that now they don't. Here's a bit from Taibbi's article:
People are pissed off about this financial crisis, and about this bailout, but they're not pissed off enough. The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d'état. They cemented and formalized a political trend that has been snowballing for decades: the gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations.
The crisis was the coup de grâce: Given virtually free rein over the economy, these same insiders first wrecked the financial world, then cunningly granted themselves nearly unlimited emergency powers to clean up their own mess. And so the gambling-addict leaders of companies like AIG end up not penniless and in jail, but with an Alien-style death grip on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve — "our partners in the government," as Liddy put it with a shockingly casual matter-of-factness after the most recent bailout.
The mistake most people make in looking at the financial crisis is thinking of it in terms of money, a habit that might lead you to look at the unfolding mess as a huge bonus-killing downer for the Wall Street class. But if you look at it in purely Machiavellian terms, what you see is a colossal power grab that threatens to turn the federal government into a kind of giant Enron — a huge, impenetrable black box filled with self-dealing insiders whose scheme is the securing of individual profits at the expense of an ocean of unwitting involuntary shareholders, previously known as taxpayers.
That article has been sitting in a tab in Firefox since last month and is so incredibly long I still haven't finished reading the whole thing. It's a pretty good read, so far, though.
As much as I'd like to be wrong about this, the moral of the story seems to be that, ultimately, every ounce of stereotypical paranoia any of us have had about politicians and businessmen being liars has been accurate.
Politicians and businessmen are all lying--all the time. They may not even be aware of their own dishonesty, but the reality sure seems to be that eventually, any corporation and every politician will sacrifice what ever it/he/she needs to in order to make as much money as it/he/she can.
Click here to see visit my Disgusting People (magazine) page which I set up just days after 911. |
I emailed the editor and complained. She replied with a bunch of rationalizations and apologized only for my offense. Members of an email list I was subscribed to at the time seemed nonplussed by my offense at People Magazine's behavior.
"They have to make a living don't they?" said one person on the list.
Here we are 8 years later and things have only gotten worse. We're all just fodder for the machine of Corruptionism--we seem generally OK with that and so do our political leaders. So much so that, morals are put aside in favor of bringing in the cash so we can buy our iPods, pay our bills, and feed our kids. Our government takes our money (both directly through taxes and indirectly by having the Fed inject new cash into the system) and gives it to these corporations to keep them going and to quite literally reward them for their horrible behavior.
Just keep doing what you're doing, the government seems to be saying.
But "corruption" is the right word for it, isn't it?
Orignal From: All of Your Paranoia about Government and Corporations is Accurate (and then some)