Yep, summer is finally here; with a vengeance. And you know all those people who were complaining that summer would never get here are now cry-babying about the frickin’ heat. Cripes.
I just got a Playstation 2 (used) but it works and now I am re-addicted to SOCOM 2: Navy SEALs. So far I just have the one game, which is fine because I remembered what a time-filler video games are. If you know of any good, fun PS2 games, drop me a line, hey? Man, if I can just figure how to stealth kill….
Let’s get started, shall we?
:[ First item of the month: Cash4Gold appraises the Lakers’ NBA trophy. Besides the obvious absurdity of this news item I have to question a few things:
First: When the hell did Cash4Gold become a legitimate assayer of gold? Are we that hard up in these economic times?
Second: When the hell did Cash4Gold become a legitimate source for news coverage? Are we that hard up for news?
:[ I am so used to taking the stairwell in my building when I leave to work or whatever. So much so, that when I have occasioned to walk to the elevators of my building to exit through the front, I almost always press the “5” button. On my way home, I take the elevator back up to my fifth floor apartment as to be able to check my mailbox. So, I go through the front of the building to do so and take the elevator up.
So, I stand there for a second before I realize the elevator is not moving and that I have to push the “1” button to go down.
:[ “Read This If You Want To Live” – Terminator: Reviewed! CLICK IF YOU WANT TO LIVE.
:[ Why is everyone soooo happy about the slight recovery of Goldman/Sachs? They made enough money this last quarter to pay back the TARP funds that were given them. Which is a nice thing, gets them press, shows that the capital system works, but, how many families still cannot ever pay back their mortgages to these same banks that got them in deep, and yet were not lucky enough to get a $700 Billion bailout to help them?
What’s wrong with this picture?
:[ First Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett and Michael (sic) Jackson on the same day. Add to that Billy Mays the infomercial guy. And now Karl Malden and football star Steve McNair! As the Man said, “We all have it coming, Kid.”
:[ The stupidest headline from Yahoo concerning the death of Michael Jackson: “Jamie Foxx Moon Walks!” Really?
On that same note, I was so absolutely ready to, oh you know, not-fucking care about the death of Michael Jackson figuring a ton of people will be doing that anyway. Hey, I bought the “Thriller” LP, I learned a few of the dance moves, but he had become so irrelevant in music that when he passed, I could not bring myself to even care. That is, until I saw this. (Wait for the 1:00 mark!) So, I will miss you Michael. You were a singular talent.
On the other hand, why couldn’t people say all this nice shit about him while the fucker was alive? Hm? When he needed to hear it. Instead, we gave him our scorn. I am a hypocrite in this myself but I will not try to hide it by “honoring” him.
Don’t you find it kind of hypocritical than Mister Foxx, whom openly mocked MJ in his routines, suddenly has the sense to “honor” him by doing a very self-centered stunt at an awards show?
:[ A Quick Review of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen: CLICK HERE
:[ According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the most dangerous sport is STILL Cheerleading! Yep, you read that right. According to their studies, while recent changes to safety standards have lower the number of reported injury, cheerleading still has the highest number of disabling and deadly injuries among all sports. I have to take off my hat to cheerleaders now.
Still, the article posted on Yahoo continues, “the dangers of cheerleading have long been known”. Which begs the question: If this has long been known, why the fuck hasn’t anybody really taken a look at this before? It is sad that we expect young women to do this because of societal expectations of school spirit and beauty, yet we make no mention of how dangerous it is, because, phht, what the hell, they’re girls, right?
Meanwhile, we pamper the twisted knees and ankles of male basketball and baseball players, yet when it comes to the safety of being tossed into the air, without the complex padding of big manly football players? Meh, girls are supposed to be cheerleaders. It’s not as important as hitting the game-winning homerun or the buzzer-beating basket, or the game-turning touchdown.
I tell you, we men have it soooooo fucking easy.
I will do my best to never disparage cheerleading again.
:[ So, I bought a new book the other day, an illustrated version of Miyamoto Musashi’s “The Book of the Five Rings”, which again, deepened my knowledge, especially about this superficial thing we call “Art”, but that is not why I mention this book. (I’ll get into that later on.) It is a book that I promised myself that if I ever found it again, and if I had the money, I would buy it, as it seems to be very hard to come by. I did, I had, and so I purchased.
It seems that that I bought a book that someone killed a mosquito inside the pages of. Someone must have snapped it closed on the little bug and then, just put it back on the shelf. I get on the train afterwards, I turned the page and there’s a dried, squashed bug in it. Oh well. I’m still glad I got it, aren’t I?
:[ Bernie Maddof: see what it takes for the full arm of justice to come down hard? Rich, white celebrities getting robbed! 150 years for stealing from rich, white folk. Imagine if he robbed poor, brown people? Nothing, business as usual.
:[ Another Quick Review of Pixar’s “UP”. CLICK HERE
:[ According to some researchers: a vegetarian diet “weakens” bones. I always believed that the human body can digest anything, (Because we can, does not mean we should) and were made to absorb nutrients from any source, back when we were hunter/gatherers. You know, when the human race was dependent on its physical activity for survival.
Human beings are omnivores by design. But I got nothing against people that choose a vegetarian life. But I found this study to be interesting, is all I’m saying.
:[ In case you are wondering, I think I figured out what “God” is. It is really simple if you think about it for a while. Weird.
:[ Now presenting: Ernest M. Whiteman III’s Patented Look-Smart Film Talk Blurb! This Month: Scene analysis: Café Scene from “Heat”, dir. Michael Mann, 1995
Short discussion piece that you can use in any movie discussion so as to make you seem smarter without doing the work of actually going to film school! Try it. It’s fun! The next time someone starts talking movies and you feel totally left out, just spit out one of Ernest’s Patent Look Smart Film Talk Blurbs and instantly be rewarded with knowing nods and “ah’s”.
It’s simple and easy to do. When there is a lull in the movie conversation you simply begin by interjecting with “I always found it interesting that….” And simply recite the following memorized blurb:
“…In the ‘Diner Scene’ of “Heat”, which is great enough for having DeNiro and Pacino on-screen together for the first time ever, that, when they talk about the opposite sides of the coin, and Pacino remarks that if he’s between McCauly and “some bastard whose wife your gonna turn into a widow, buddy, you are going down”, that the next time they come face-to-face Pacino IS THAT bastard whose wife McCauly is gonna turn into a widow!” then, smile and walk away.
There you go. Use it. Enjoy it. Live it. (I used to do this for the Chicago Bears. Every season I’d give Bonnie a single item to recite when her cohorts inevitably talked about the Chicago Bears.)
Next month’s blurb: The opening scenes of “Ghost Dog” and “Le Samouraï”.
:[ Of late there has been a call to impeach Nancy Pelosi. My problem when we call for impeachment of any public figure is than more often than not, we simply want them impeached because their ideology is the opposite of our own. Either, they are doing something morally wrong, in which case, they should be ousted, or; they are simply doing their jobs but not in the way that YOU nor I want them too or agree with. Simple as that.
And another thing; why is it whenever a news program or show that espouses an ideology opposite of your own, it automatically becomes “Propaganda”? I think people forget the definition of the word. Also, that propaganda has to come from the people in power and how good a job they are doing and how everything is fine with them in charge and how everyone who is against them is the enemy and must be destroyed. Now, I know what you’re thinking: FOX News.
During the G.W. Bush Administration, I honestly never thought of FOX News as propaganda. A bit vexing, sure, but so is anything that espouses a contrary opinion. It’s not like the Dems were doing anything about it, the spineless wimps. Besides, I never watch TV News anymore, not even local news. (I’ll get into why another time. Don’t let me forget!) I always felt that Rupert Murdoch was simply the egotistical type who thought he bandied influence over that Administration, that’s all. We get delusional like that from time to time.
:[ Art by Native Americans not as valued as other art. It seems that a college student simply walked up to the gallery and took two pieces of art by Native artist Edgar Heap of Birds in Champaign, Illinois. For two or three days, he was searched for. He eventually returned the pieces but was only charged for a misdemeanor because the judge on the case did not deem that art to be worth the trouble. The Anglo student wrote a quasi-apology and plead “not guilty” to which all experts agree, that is enough, “No sense ruining a good man’s life over something as silly as committing a crime, you know?” Besides, phht, it’s only Indian art. The State Attorney in Champaign decided not to charge him.
One comment in the local paper’s website was “Good to see the kids of the Left finally take crime seriously.” Actually, leftist kids do take crime seriously, but it is sad the right-wing judges, do not. Not when it comes to crimes involving Native Americans. As you all well know by now, the concept of art, the art market, and art galleries, are a scam, plain and simple. Nothing more, nothing less.
:[ Yet Another Quick Review of “Public Enemies”:
:[ The US International High School Football team is set to play for the World Title after winning its last two games by a total of 144 points. They beat France and Mexico to reach the title game. Really? Why make a big deal when we are the only team that fucking plays American-style FOOTBALL!? Shit, we breed our kids to play American style football, you know? It's not like soccer, which, you know, requires some skill.
:[ From the “This Just In” File: I guess Sears Tower is no longer Sears Tower, but now “Willis Tower”. I say who cares? The building is still there, isn’t it?
:[ The last Item for the Month: The Nomination of Sotomayor. Name me any one of the Supreme Court Justices who has never, NEVER once voted in favor of their political party’s ideology. Give me fucking break. Unbiased?
Plus, I love how all the congressmen talk down to her because she is a woman. I tell you, we men have it tooooo easy. Before I go I have to tell that this a great learning opportunity for any student of government. For example: Di you know that the Supreme Court is just like regular court? Except that it comes with sour cream and tomato. Hah!
That will do it for this month. I hope the beginning of summer finds you well. Please feel free to comment, question, ask, or dispute anything I have written. My ego is not such I will rebuke you for it. Shoot, it’ll sting, but what the Hell, it’s only my ego. I'm still the best.
Until Next Time; “You. You just couldn’t live without me, could you?”
© 2009 Ernest M. Whiteman III
