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The Film of the Week

The WORD of the Week

Matthew 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Stupid Fact of the Week

There was only one civilian casualty during the three-day Battle of Gettysburg

30 November, 2007

R.I.P.

Evel Knievel

10.17.1938-11.30.2007

[img source]
"Knievel died on November 30, 2007, aged 69. He was assassinated by ninjas under the command of hip-hop musician Kanye West. Rest in peace."

posted by Rockel @ 2:12 PM 1 comments

You think I'm f--kin' with you? I am not f--kin' with you

Birthdays are for closers.

Happy Birthday, David Mamet.

[img source]

posted by Rockel @ 10:56 AM 0 comments

27 November, 2007

Award Season Officially Open

Guns only allowed the first week, so make it count.

The nominees have been announced for the 23rd Annual Film Independent's Spirit Awards.

More of an emotional milestone than anything else, the Indy-only nods draw from a far smaller pool of candidates than that of the globes and the Academy, and although they are the first to be announced, they aren't handed out until the day before the Academy Awards, so don't count on their results helping you pick your Oscar winners.

Even so, here's the full list with my analysis:

2008 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS by category

BEST FEATURE
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
I’m Not There
Juno
A Mighty Heart
Paranoid Park

"Juno" might have a shot at an Oscar nod and possibly "I'm Not There" as the Academy loves ensembles.

BEST DIRECTOR
Todd Haynes - I’m Not There
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Gus Van Sant - Paranoid Park

Right now I'm not considering any of these directors for an Oscar Nod. But if I had to pick one: Todd Haynes (they just don't like Gus all that much).

BEST FIRST FEATURE
2 Days in Paris
Great World of Sound
The Lookout
Rocket Science
Vanaja

The Spirit awards are great for up-and-coming films/filmmakers... none of these will get Oscar love.

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000; award given to the writer, director, and producer)
August Evening
Owl and the Sparrow
The Pool
Quiet City
Shotgun Stories

Again, awesome award... no Oscar.

BEST SCREENPLAY
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages
Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner - Starting Out in the Evening
Adrienne Shelly - Waitress
Mike White - Year of the Dog

Jenkins, definitely Jenkins.

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Jeffrey Blitz - Rocket Science
Zoe Cassavetes - Broken English
Diablo Cody - Juno
Kelly Masterson - Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
John Orloff - A Mighty Heart

Cody and Masterson. Maybe Orloff just because the film's getting so much love early on. But Jenkins, Cody, and Masterson will all be in my predicted nods.

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Sienna Miller - Interview
Ellen Page - Juno
Parker Posey - Broken English
Tang Wei - Lust, Caution

Jolie is pretty close to a sure thing for this award as well as an Oscar nomination. My current predictions also have Page garnering a nod. I wouldn't even be too horribly surprised to see Tang Wei sneak into the Oscar running, but I'm not betting on it.

BEST MALE LEAD
Pedro Castaneda - August Evening
Don Cheadle - Talk To Me
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
Frank Langella - Starting Out in the Evening
Tony Leung - Lust, Caution

I really like Langella for this award and possibly an Oscar nod. Cheadle and Hoffman are both awesome and deserving of any award, I suppose, but I doubt either one will get Oscar love this year (at least in the lead category)

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Anna Kendrick - Rocket Science
Jennifer Jason Leigh - Margot at the Wedding
Tamara Podemski - Four Sheets to the Wind
Marisa Tomei - Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Blanchett is the closest you're going to get to a "sure thing" this year outside of "Transformers" for visual effects. But then again, "Cars" was pretty much a sure thing and we all remember what happened there. I'll still take Blanchett to win this award as well as the golden boy and Jason Leigh will be my long shot. I'm pretty sure the ladies from "Atonement" will fill at least two Oscar nods in this category.

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Chiwetel Ejiofor - Talk To Me
Marcus Carl Franklin - I’m Not There
Kene Holliday - Great World of Sound
Irrfan Khan - The Namesake
Steve Zahn - Rescue Dawn

Oh, man. Zahn. Come on. You gotta give it to him. He's Zahn. As for Oscar potentials... Franklin? Maybe. That's about it.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Mott Hupfel - The Savages
Janusz Kaminski - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Milton Kam - Vanaja
Mihai Malaimare, Jr. - Youth Without Youth
Rodrigo Prieto - Lust, Caution

It's gonna be hard to beat Prieto. I'll take him to win and also get an Oscar nod. Longshot for the win and an Oscar nod: Kaminski. Everybody else: just stay home.

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Crazy Love
Lake of Fire
Manufactured Landscapes
The Monastery
The Prisoner or: How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair

The only one of these on the Academy's Shortlist is "Lake of Fire," which makes it the (only) one with the best chance at an Oscar nod, which I believe it will get. I haven't yet decided if I think it will win the Oscar, but with the massive overdose of (Iraq) war docs in the running this year, a hard-hitting documentary about abortion by an acclaimed director might be the winning ticket (although, I wouldn't mind seeing "War/Dance" win).

BEST FOREIGN FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
The Band’s Visit (Israel)
Lady Chatterley (France)
Once (Ireland)
Persepolis (France)

As the Oscar's only accept one entry per country and the spoken language in the film must be no more than 49% English, the only nods here with a chance at Oscar glory are "4 months...," and "Persepolis." I've currently got both down as nominees and I'm pretty certain that Persepolis will win either Foreign Language or Animated (it'd be nice to see Austria pull an upset in Foreign), so I'd really like to see "Once" take this award.

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
I’m Not There

This award recognizes a great film with an outstanding ensemble cast, which has me rethinking "I'm Not There" as a possible contender for a Best Pic nod at the Oscars. I don't know if this is going to be enough to convince me to bump one of my other strong contenders. We'll see what happens when the Globes are announced.

posted by Rockel @ 11:34 AM 1 comments

24 November, 2007

This next post is only dedicated to beautiful people here tonight...

That means all of you. Thank you for coming along.

It was 16 years ago today that Freddie Mercury passed away, which is as good a reason as any to play some Queen. Enjoy.

posted by Rockel @ 4:31 PM 0 comments

21 November, 2007

Steee-rike 2

Still the same strike; here's your second update.

Some articles:
Letterman Opens His Wallet
Family Guy Sans MacFarlane?

Both articles are pretty self explanatory from their titles, but a good read none the less if you are bored and need material (though rather old, sorry, I've been planning to get back to this topic for a while and failing). The one thing I will point out is the Letterman article, which deals with Dave paying his crew through the end of the year, discredits the (apparent) rumor that Jon Stewart was paying his crew out of pocket. As I had previously posted this as fact, I now apologize and correct.

Alright, so the big news now is that talks are set to get back underway this coming Monday. Fingers crossed, maybe they can get this resolved. Other than that, things have quieted down quite a bit here at the Sony lot, which is nice. It no longer takes me 15 minutes just to drive passed the picket lines. Good stuff.

In the interest of keeping this short, I'll just let the writers and producers speak for themselves. First a video from the writers followed by an open letter from the producers...

An Open Letter...

Like so many other facets of modern life, technology is rapidly changing the way Hollywood works. The Internet, mobile devices, TiVo and similar innovations give audiences a chance to watch movies, television shows and other content in ways undreamed of just a few years ago.

The negotiations between producers and writers over a new contract have taken place in the context of this paradigm shift in how entertainment is distributed and consumed.

That, in turn, has led to a lot of confusion about what the writers' strike is all about, even among many with a stake in the outcome. Some respected writers have even made public statements about the issues that demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of what is on the table and how they are being paid.

Given the complexity of the residual system itself and the often technical nature of the proposals submitted by writers and producers in their recent negotiations, such mistakes may be understandable. But they contribute to an atmosphere where bridging the gap between us seems harder than ever.

That is why we would like to set the record straight on key issues.

First, how should writers be paid when content is offered in "new media" formats, such as on the Internet?

It is important to make clear that writers currently do receive residuals for digital downloading (regardless of whether the download is temporary or permanent).

That means every time anyone pays for movies or television programs on the Internet or through other new media channels, writers are getting paid. So the notion that we are not sharing new media revenue with writers is simply not correct.

The Writers Guild is proposing to change the formulas for digital downloading. For electronic sell-through (like buying a movie on iTunes), the Guild is seeking at least a 700 percent increase over what writers currently receive, and more than a 200 percent increase over what they receive for Internet "pay per view." There is no way that these increases can be deemed reasonable.

A second issue of concern for writers and producers is this: what happens when content is streamed over the Internet for free?

The AMPTP has offered to pay writers a percentage of the revenues the producer receives from licensing streamed content on the Internet. However, the Writers Guild is asking that writers get a percentage of what the Internet site owners receive in advertising revenues connected with the streaming content, even if producers are getting none of that money themselves.

Simply put, what the Writers Guild is asking for has no precedent. No labor agreement in history has given writers, actors or directors a portion of advertising dollars. There is no way that this change can be deemed reasonable.

We believe common ground can be found once reasonable people take the time to understand the issues. We hope this letter can help move us all closer to that goal.

Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers
For questions and comments please contact: www.amptp.org
On behalf of the 350 producers of motion picture and television currently represented in negotiations with the Writers Guild of America

posted by Rockel @ 11:06 AM 0 comments

20 November, 2007

Lars and Oscar

Last weekend the roomie and I checked out "Lars and the Real Girl." I gotta say, I was a little apprehensive. It seemed like an interesting premise, and Gosling, who's been picking up critical praise left and right lately, was once again lapping it up in reviews, but it also seemed like it could very easily fall into the slow, methodical, boring trap of the modern "indie" flick surrounding a socially inept protagonist.

I'm pleased to report, however, that I was quite wrong. I laughed harder and more frequently than I have in a theater in recent memory and the moments in between, though there were some heart-felt, dramatic moments, were very often of a pleasant, light-hearted nature. It was quite the joy to watch.

Goslings performance (as Lars) did flirt mightily with the aforementioned trap, and although he had some nice, organic moments of greatness, the delivery on the whole seemed disjointed and somewhat uninspired.

All of that was completely overshadowed, however, by Paul Schneider's brilliant portrayal of Lars' older brother, Gus. Brilliant comic timing, presence, and reactions transitioned nicely into honest, warm discussion of more serious content that remained believable without destroying the feel of the character.

Mortimer was good, as usual, and Kelli Garner was completely adorable in an awkward, endearing way (major points to her makeup/wardrobe peeps) as the Real Girl.

All in all it was a very enjoyable flick with some solid performance and a well-written, original script that has me considering it for Oscar contention in the Original Script category, which leads me to my next point.

Oscars.

They're coming. Soon. Those of you who have been following the Rockel for a while are well aware of the embarrassing semi-loss Rockel suffered almost a year ago in the big Academy Awards showdown. Fear not, for the Rockel will return better and stronger this year. So, pencil it in. Jan 22, 5:30am PT the nominees will be announced and the race will be on.

The rules will remain the same. Select the one nominee in each category that you believe will walk away with the golden man. One (1) point awarded for every correct prediction. EXCEPTION: There are three (3) categories worth only one-tenth of one point (0.1) for a correct prediction. These are the tie-breaker categories... the shorts: 1) Animated Short, 2) Documentary Short, 3) Live Action Short. A perfect score, then, would be 21.3. Stay tuned for more leading up to the big night.

For those of you who like a bit more of a challenge, the Cathey hopes to throw together a little competition of his own which will involve predicting the NOMINATIONS. Booyah. More to follow.

posted by Rockel @ 8:12 PM 0 comments

12 November, 2007

Paul, Revisited

I received some excellent comments on the Dr. Paul post a while back that I never responded to due to lack of time.

Now that I've got a few minutes, I'd like to revisit some of the ideas brought up by Mr. Mills (ArtisianWell) and Edwards...

First on the war:

"I do believe that there was an incitation of War made against the U.S."
Even the current administration has given up on attempting to link the current war in Iraq with the inciting events of September Eleventh.

"We need to finish this war and allow the Iraqi people to setup their 'Own' Democratic Republic."
Before any of that, we need to actually establish what it means to "finish" this war. The people running it have changed the definition of success so much that it seems we have already finished it several times over. As to allowing Iraq to establish their own republic, we've been doing that now for over a year. It's about time we stopped "allowing" them and began forcing them (or leave them).

"I am sick to death of people all over saying it's an illegal war,... the point now is that we are in there. All discussions should flow from that point: we are there, how do we best resolve this."
I really don't mind people calling a spade a spade. All the discussion within the administration (aka the people [supposedly] running the war) should flow from the point "what do we do now?" However, I think it only appropriate to discuss the legality and implications of such activity at the highest level of our government.

"An analogy would be stabbing someone in a major artery. Once the knife is there, it doesn't matter how it got there. If you pull it out just because it was put there wrongfully (i.e., attempted murder) the shit is going to hit the fan instantaneously. The person will bleed out in seconds and be dead. You have to plan how to strategically take it out and do as little damage as possible. "
The analogy certainly works on it's own. However, so does the following: sticking your hand in a tank full of piranhas. Once your hand is in there, it doesn't matter how it got in there. If you keep it in there just to prove how tough you are, your arm is gonna get messed up. You have to remove it immediately to avoid maximum damage. Neither analogy is perfect and both, in my opinion, are worthy of debate.

The PATRIOT Act:

"I believe we need something far stronger against Terrorists without sacrificing Rights of Privacies."

"[Something] that guarantees the rights of it's people and one that enable us to root out the evil these men do."

"There needs to be something that gets terrorists but leaves citizens alone."

The reason I took so long to respond to these comments was I wanted to go back and reread the PATRIOT Act to solidify my argument against it. However, I was unable to motivate myself to get all the way through it. So my argument against it remains what it has always been. September Eleventh didn't change everything. The attacks on that day were incredibly unavoidable. The government failed us. Either by their complete incompetence, complete lack of communication, or complete lack of organization. Adding more money and another incompetent federal department does little more than give the illusion of security. Some accountability and small reforms to existing agencies would do much more good than unnecessary legislation paving the way for diminishing civil liberties.

posted by Rockel @ 7:23 PM 0 comments

11 November, 2007

Oh, So Good Stew!

Again, I didn't come up with the name. The internet did.

3 Lb. stew meat, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Large onions, chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 C. dry red wine
1/3 C. all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1 Tsp. dried thyme
1/4 Tsp. black pepper
4 Cups beef broth
1 12 oz. Beer
3-4 Lg. potatoes, cubed 1-1/2 inch
4-5 Lg. carrots, sliced 1/2 in thick
2 C. coarsely chopped cabbage
3/4 C. coarsely chopped celery
2 Bay leaves
Salt

Combine the meat, onions, garlic, and Worcestershire in large pot. (No, you do not brown the meat first.) Cover and cook over med. heat for 30 minutes. Uncover and stir often until the liquid evaporates. Add wine and stir to release browned bits. Mix flour, sugar, thyme and pepper with one cup broth and stir to a smooth consistency. Add to pot along with the remaining 3 cups of broth. Add beer, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, celery and bay leaves. Cover and simmer until meat in very tender and vegetables are cooked. Season to taste with salt. Enjoy!

ROCKEL's notes:
~ The directions are a bit loose, but it's a stew, if all else fails throw everything together and let it stew.
~ As you've already discovered (unless you're reading this post in reverse order), this is just your basic "Meat and Potatoes/Veggies" stew. It's relatively simple and quite delicious, so I gave it relatively high marks.
~ I used sweet onions. They were delicious.
~ I love Worcestershire sauce so I added a bit more than suggested. It definitely worked.
~ I used a Pinot Noir for my red wine. Not my first choice in a cooking wine, but I so rarely cook with wine that I figured for 1/3 of a cup I could just buy a bottle of wine (on sale for 5 bucks) that I wouldn't mind drinking. Either way, the result was delicious, so... win, win.
~ Of all the things not to have, John and I have no (white) sugar in our kitchen. I, of course, assumed we did (why wouldn't we?) and didn't purchase any when I went to the store pre-cooking. As I didn't feel like returning to the store, I used some brown sugar that I had bought for a previous cooking escapade. I cut the amount to about 1-1.5 T because I wasn't sure how it would effect the flavor. It was fine.
~ I used Guinness for my beer. I already had some in house because of the birthday and, well, it's Guinness, why wouldn't you use it? It was delicious.
~ I'm a big fan of cabbage in stew. I upped my cabbage to about 3 c. It still could have been much more.

Labels: ***, recipes

posted by Rockel @ 7:57 PM 0 comments

10 November, 2007

Steee-rike

I'm sure most of you have heard that there's this strike thing going on that's pretty much rocking Hollywood. Here's your little update on what it is, who it's effecting, the latest developments, and what's going to come of it.

First off: What is it?

The "Writers Guild of America" is on strike. In reality, there is no "Writers Guild of America," there are two unions: "Writers Guild of America East," and "Writers Guild of America West." It's just easier to use the one name. But basically, the two unions are on strike due to the inability to arrive at an amicable solution to several issues surrounding the guilds' contracts with the "Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers" (AMPTP) a trade organisation that represents producers of, you guessed it, movies and television.

Who does it effect?

Let's start with television. First to suffer it's effects were the late night talks (conan, leno, leterman, etc.), and the daytime chats (oprah, ellen, etc.)... basically any show that didn't have "scripts" in production several weeks in advance (sitcoms and dramas). However, the "scripted" sitcoms and dramas were next to be effected. Once the producers had shot all the scripts that had been finalized, that was it. No new scripts. No rewrites. Most shows have now, or will in the next week or so, run their course and production has/will shut down. That means the crews for all of these shows are on an indefinite, unpaid hiatus.
Next, to movies. Rest assured unless the strike ends quickly there will be some effect felt by the film studios. Most of the large studios have enough shows "in the pipeline" to continue on basically unscathed for several months, if not longer. However, again, the sames rules apply. No new scripts. No rewrites. So if you're not 100% confident with the script as you have it, you're going to have a tough time getting a producer to agree to green light it.

Who DOESN'T it effect?

Thankfully, me. Right now I'm in a pretty good position at a desk at Sony. It doesn't look to be ending any time soon and even if it does I've got some really good connections there and a temp agency that wants to continue to get paid (aka continue to get me paid). Plus, most of the production work I've gotten out here has been on independent projects and the Biggest Loser, which is... Reality TV. Our favorite kind of television. Contrary to popular belief not all Reality TV is completely unscripted (aka Writer-less), but several are, including Biggest Loser, and those that aren't could easily transition into a Writer-less environment if they chose to. So, it's business as usual for most Reality TV. Interestingly enough the "birth" of reality TV (though not the boom of recent years) was a direct effect of the 1988 Writers strike (more details below). COPS, in particular, was one show that was formed during those 5 months.

What are the latest developments?

Not a whole lot in the way of reaching a resolution. The writers continue to picket and voice their complaints loudly, most recently throwing a HUGE protest outside of Fox's studios in Century City. And the producers continue to say they refuse to sit down and negotiate while the writers are demonstrating as such. We'll just have to see.

What's going to come of it?

Hard to say. First off, let me give you a little background about what the big issues are involved in the dispute. The last time the writers went on strike was almost twenty years ago (1988). They did so because "home video" (aka VHS) was starting to become a popular means of entertainment consumption and the writers felt they deserved, along with all other "above the line" positions (producers, directors, actors, designers), residual payment for their work. I don't know how many of you remember this, but back in the day (aka 1988) a VHS copy of your favorite movie could run you up to 100 dollars. Hollywood threw this outrageous price tag on these beauties not because it cost that much to produce a VHS cassette, but rather because they calculated the cost of taking your entire family to see a movie in theatres several times (which, apparently, they felt was comparable to watching a VHS on your 20 inch wooden-cabinet-enclosed, no-remote-control television with on-board, blown-out, factory speakers). Anyway, at the close of the '88 strike the producers and writers came to an agreement on residual payment for home video. However, the agreement was based on a product priced at 50-100 dollars (it was something crazy like three tenths of one percent per video), so now that the 20 dollar DVD is the market standard, and with things shifting toward digital acquisition, the writers are looking to capitalize a little more than their current 4 cents per DVD. The writers were hoping to get 8 cents per DVD (yes, this strike is over little more than 4 cents) and also tap into the "new media" (aka digital downloads/viewing) market. On Oct. 31 the contract between the writers and the producers expired. On Nov. 1 the Writers Guild held a meeting in L.A. where they endorsed a strike. The next day, Nov. 2, they announced the strike would begin at 12:01am Monday, Nov. 5, 2007. In a latch ditch effort, a Federal mediator was brought in on Nov. 4 to bring the two sides to the bargaining table one last time. The effort, obviously, failed as the strike began as scheduled Monday Nov. 5, however, the details surrounding what happened on Nov. 4 are incredibly varied and completely unsubstantiated. Even so, here's the story I've heard most frequently:
The two sides came to the table. The Writers agreed to drop their demand for 4 more cents per DVD and settle for the current 4 cent per. The Producers, in response to this were giving serious consideration to giving the writers everything (or close to everything) they wanted in regard to "new media," however, they were still a little hesitant and the meeting was now stretching into the late evening so they broke for a late dinner. While they were at dinner, the Producers discovered that the Writers Guild East members (in NYC) had already begun to strike (as it was 12:01pm on the east coast), and since the Writers had promised not to carry out any of their strike actions until after the last ditch negotiation had been completed the Producers returned to the table grumpy, removed any offer they had previously made, said take it as it is now or strike, and the Writers said, "Strike."

So, anyway, what was I talking about? Oh, yeah. What's going to come of it? Obviously, one side will have to give in more than they are now. There really is no telling who or how much. But first, the writers have to stop demonstrating so the Producer can talk to them again without "a gun to their heads." As to how long it will take... The '88 strike lasted exactly 5 months and cost the industry an estimated 500 million dollars (that's 1988 dollars, mind you). So this thing could easily cost the industry over a Bil. Time-wise, the estimates are as follows:

- It will be over in a few weeks. For this to happen, the writers will have to stop making large demonstrations, return to the table and be a little humble. The Producers have to remove the silver spoons from their asses and maybe compromise a little.

- It will be over in 9 months. Most people agree that if this isn't resolved soon while it's fresh and in the news (and before everyone in the industry goes and finds another job) both sides will lock into their stubborn "long-term," "marathon" mentality. The next big opportunity for a resolution would be next summer when the contracts for the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Director's Guild of America (DGA) run out. Unless something very drastic happens between now and then, both guilds are expected to side with the Writers and go on strike themselves.

- ????. If it's not resolved in 9 months it's because SAG and DGA are striking which basically means the Producers have as much pressure on them as is possible and they will either cave or it'll only be a matter of time before the scabs build a new industry.

Finally, the highlights/lowlights. Here is a list of a few things that have happened that you may or may not be aware of:
- Ellen crossed the picket lines, causing quite the commotion.
- Jay Leno bought the strikers doughnuts.
- Eva Longoria bought them pizza.
- Jon Stewart is paying his full staff (as well as the full staff on The Colbert Report) their normal salary (even though they have halted production indefinitely) for two weeks.
- NBC, in an effort to hardball the writers into hightailing it back to negotiations, made a point of formally firing the production crew of "The Office."
- It's spreading. All the way to Local One. That's right. For those of you who missed it, Broadway's dark.

Alright, there you have it. That's about all I can tell you on that. Stay tuned for more.

In other random stuff:
~ My new most favorite-est ad campaign: Accident by T-Mobile
~ Holy crap! Pairs and Group Gymnastics! Yeah, you heard me. Oh, you didn't? Then I'll say it again. Pairs and Group Gymnastics!

~ In response to Bethany's comment asking me my thoughts on Nov. 5 being Ron Paul's big money day: It was a clerical error, I assume. It was supposed to be the eighth, my birthday, but I'll overlook that. I'm delighted that his campaign has raised so much money for two reasons: 1) I really like him, his positions, and his politics (or lack thereof) so I am delighted that he is seeing success; 2) I am encouraged to see that so many of my fellow Americans support him, his positions, and his politics. As to Nov. 5 being the day that most people chose to give, I think the meaning inherent in the date is less impressive than the general outpouring of support. The giving on the date obviously symbolizes his supporters' willingness and readiness to see our current government (both the structure and the accountability) radically reformed, but that is, in effect, his message as a whole, so I believe it was more or less convenient that that particular day of infamy fell on Nov. 5 (had it fallen on March 5, well after the important primaries, I don't believe his supporters would have waited until then).

posted by Rockel @ 5:58 PM 1 comments

05 November, 2007

5 November

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow;
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, make the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope.
A farthing o’ cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’ Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!

posted by Rockel @ 7:50 PM 1 comments

02 November, 2007

WWJA10.9MDT?

(Whom Would Jesus Award 10.9 Million Dollars To?)

Skipping for a minute the fact that Jesus probably wouldn't end a phrase with a preposition ("TWW... " just doesn't work as well), I'm sure you've all heard (and quite possibly rejoiced) that the Westboro Baptist Church (famous for it's leader Rev. Fred Phelps and his controversial "God Hates Fags" campaign as well as others) has been ordered by a jury to pay $10.9 million in damages to the family of deceased soldier Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder.

Let's also set aside the concept of Jesus suing or awarding damages to anyone, as well as a Christian, or Jesus-like, response to the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church. Basically, ignore the title. I needed something clever and couldn't come up with anything else.

Finally, before I proceed, let me acknowledge what hopefully all of you already know: I do not agree with the message of the Westboro Baptist Church and find their actions, to the extent of my knowledge, in this instance and many times in others, morally reprehensible.

All of that being said, I'm about to defend the Westboro Baptist Church. Here we go.

What is the price of freedom? It's easy (difficult as it may be) to put a figure to it when citizens of the united states are engaged in combat for the sake of American freedom. But apart from the horrible method of counting coffins (new and old), what price are we willing to pay on a daily basis.

Doyle just recently posted on gun control. The price we pay for the right to bear arms is that sometimes someone (otherwise law abiding or no) will abuse that right (whether by accident or direct malice) and another individual or individuals will be injured or killed. But you cannot deny the rights of the many due to the misuse of the few, especially when doing so (as with the right to bear arms) would put the many (law abiding) at a greater disadvantage to the few (those who would take advantage).

Now, in the case above, where the abuse of the right results in a criminal act (if performed intentionally), criminal and/or civil charges may be filed and a judgement may be handed down. Shouldn't the same, then, also apply to the right so speak freely?

The answer is, of course, "Yes." Just as your right to bear arms does not protect you from criminal actions such as murder, manslaughter, and assault with weapon, your right to free speech does not protect the speech you use to conspire to commit criminal acts such as treason, assassination, or grand theft. But does this apply to the Westboro Baptist Church?

I believe the answer here is, "Absolutely not."

During the trial..

"The [Westobro Baptist] church members testified they are following their
religious beliefs by spreading the message that the deaths of soldiers are due
to the nation's tolerance of homosexuality." [source]

This belief is controversial to say the least. It is not held by myself, anybody reading this, or most (if not all) of the mainstream political analysts and religious leaders. But it is their belief. And it is not criminal. So it is protected.

My heart goes out to the surviving family of this fallen marine. The price they paid in the name of their country was a steep one. But the (nearly) $11M price they have demanded from the Westboro Baptist Church for protesting at a public event, an amount that "far exceeds the net worth of the [church]," [source] is not only excessive, but completely unwarranted.

In closing, I'd like to honor the young marine by posting the article, "MD. Marine dies in Iraq Humvee accident," taken from Honor the Fallen's website...

WESTMINSTER, Md. — A Marine from Maryland was killed last week in Iraq in
an accident while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Defense Department
said Monday.

Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, of Westminster, died March 3 after an
accident in the Anbar province of Iraq. The accident did not involve combat, the
Defense Department said. Snyder, 20, was assigned to Combat Service Support
Group-1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, in Twentynine
Palms, Calif.

Family members are still reeling from the news of his death. Julie Snyder,
Matthew’s mother, was too saddened to talk, but she allowed her sister, Cathy
Menefee, to speak for the family. She told The (Baltimore) Sun of his keen sense
of humor and an unwavering sense of responsibility, which culminated in his
decision to join the military. “It’s sounds so cliche, but he died doing what
he wanted to do,” Menefee said. “He always wanted to be a Marine.”

Snyder enlisted on Oct. 14, 2003. He had been based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.,
before being assigned to Twentynine Palms in August 2004 as a generator
mechanic. He was the middle of three children, with sisters Sarah Snyder, 22, of
Hanover, Pa., and Tracie Snyder, 18, who lives with their father in York,
Pa.

Reached by telephone at his home Monday night, Albert Snyder wept. “I just
want it to be over,” the father told the newspaper. “And I want answers. They
said he was the gunnery on top of the Humvee and the Humvee rolled. When is this
senseless war going to end?”

Matthew Snyder, who family members said had an exuberant personality,
enjoyed fishing and playing intramural soccer as a teenager.

David Brown, an assistant principal at Westminster High School where Matthew graduated in 2003, said he was “devastated” upon hearing of Snyder’s death. Brown said he had coached Snyder in an intramural basketball league, from kindergarten through second grade.

“The first image that clicked back in my head was that 6-year-old boy, in
the team picture, with the big green shirt that said ‘Terrors,’ kneeling in the
front row. I can still see the photograph,” Brown said. “I’ve known him as a
much younger child, and as a high school student, so it’s difficult. You see
faces and you hear on TV, but it’s always kind of distant until it comes home.
And now it’s home.”

posted by Rockel @ 2:12 PM 2 comments

Va-Jay-Jay

{{My most sincere apologies to those of you who (like myself) never thought this blog would venture into the worlds of Tyra Banks or female anatomy}}

This is from the actual press release, direct from Tyra's "people":

----------

TALK SHOW HOST TYRA BANKS DEDICATES AN ENTIRE SHOW TO “DOWN THERE,” “GROUND ZERO” AND “HOO HA” — OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE VAGINA, ON “THE TYRA BANKS SHOW” AIRING ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Talk show host dedicates an entire hour to discussing the vagina with her audience, on “The Tyra Banks Show,” airing on Monday, November 5 (check local listings for stations and times). From the look of the vagina to the newest ways to prevent HPV, Tyra holds a no-holds barred discussion with her audience about the least talked (and looked at) about part of a woman’s part. Tyra says, “I have wanted to do this show for two years. I know for a lot of women talking about what is going on in our bodies is extremely difficult, but it is incredibly important. We should be able to talk to our daughters, sisters, mothers and friends about our bodies and not be embarrassed. I hope after this show women will not be ashamed about what’s up down there.”

Tyra begins the hour giving her audience a test to see if they can name all the parts of the vagina to unbelievable results – only 11% of her audience filled out the anatomical chart correctly. Shocked by the results, Tyra welcomes gynecologist Dr. Debby Herbenick to give her viewers a quick tour of their nether regions with a velvet and satin “vagina puppet” pointing out the clitoris, the labia minora and labia majora and the urethra.

Having avoided the doctor for 28 years, Tyra takes a Plano, Texas woman, who happens to be a registered nurse, to her very first gynecological appointment. After the woman breaks down in tears, Tyra gives her support and holds her hand of the woman while she has her first PAP test and breast exam with Dr. Michelle Francis of New York. Tyra says, “As we were getting closer to the exam, I could literally feel how tense she was.” Tyra welcomes the woman and Dr. Francis back to her stage to talk about her experience and to give her the results of her PAP – and to make her promise to go again next year.

Also on the show, Tyra introduces gynecologist Dr. Donnica Moore who educates Tyra’s audience on the importance of PAP smears and the newest vaccination for young women that can prevent the human papillomavirus – a virus that can cause cancer.

Tyra also shares with the audience the moment her mother gave her a hand mirror and told her to look at herself “down there.” Tyra says, “My mother told me to look at myself because, ‘It’s just another part of your body that needs to be healthy just like your eyes, your nose, your ears, your mouth and everything else.’”

----------

Quick comments:

- First of all, "Ground Zero?" That's just in poor taste.
- "Otherwise known as the vagina?" (emphasis added) Yeah, so far you're doing great work to bring this "taboo" item to a very serious forefront.
- Puppet? Really? "We're gonna have a serious talk... here's a puppet." Granted, I realize it's daytime network t.v. and you're only afford so many options... but, seriously, a puppet? At least it's a velvet and satin puppet.
"-" I can't "imagine" why "people," more particularly "women," have such a "hard" time "talking" about what they "feel" to be such an "uncomfortable," "taboo," or "socially awkward" topic"."
- How long before we get Geraldo or Maury doing the same for the guys? Because guys should be able to talk to their sons, brothers, fathers, and friends about "what's up down there?" And apparently the way to do that is have some hack of a t.v. host put together a "serious" discussion of it.
- For those of you who thought I was too hard on Tyra in that last bullet point, keep in mind this is the woman who will be hosting this discussion:

posted by Rockel @ 12:55 PM 0 comments

Redirect

Another Matt is talking about Gun Control,

while yet another Matt is talking about Voter Fraud.

Also, the roomie has begun yet another blog.

posted by Rockel @ 9:42 AM 0 comments

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