Oh goody! More psychopathic raving from another child nation!
North Korea warn of pre-emptive nuclear strike against neighbour
Read more here.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Why Rogers is hated
If you are a Rogers internet user here in Toronto, you got "the letter".
Yes, a letter informing you from now on there will be caps on bandwidth..even though I know I signed up for "unlimited".
Silly me.
A friend of mine was so annoyed he immediately cancelled his internet at Rogers.
They were not amused.
Rogers is a near monopoly and are acting as all do, not in their users interest.
Perhaps they'll console themselves by putting another extra large logo on a famous building.
Yes, a letter informing you from now on there will be caps on bandwidth..even though I know I signed up for "unlimited".
Silly me.
A friend of mine was so annoyed he immediately cancelled his internet at Rogers.
They were not amused.
Rogers is a near monopoly and are acting as all do, not in their users interest.
Perhaps they'll console themselves by putting another extra large logo on a famous building.
Friday, March 28, 2008
I hate Borat part8
I hate Borat and whatever other personna he returns in.
Instead of the wacky world of anti-Semitism, he is tackling homophobia as only a genius of his stature can achieve =/
Again his fans will explain away his brutal form of "humour" with layers of meaning that just isn't there.
"He is exposing the idiocy of average Americans"
True and those idiots are his fans.
Speaking of assholes on NBC..
On Thursday, March 20, 2008, Jay Leno welcomed as his guest on The Tonight Show the actor Ryan Phillippe, who, early in his career, played a gay character on the daily soap One Life to Live. During the interview, Leno hounded Phillippe, telling him to look into the camera, pretend it was his "gay lover…Billy Bob," who "has just ridden in shirtless from Wyoming" (still milking the Brokeback jokes), and give it his "gayest look."
I didn't pick up on this right away, but it has legs.
The unity of reaction is a joy to behold.
Read more here.
Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of NBC Universal appears to be a cheap soar loser asshole
Here's a rich CEO, seemingly making fun of having to actually pay people what they're worth.
No one has sympathy for the suits during the strike, and this sure as hell won't win them any now. Asshole.
Oldest recorded voices sing again
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Griffintown project doesn't need the high density and commercial development
oh baby
...the borough and its professional team do not have the competence to oversee the development of this significant Montreal territory.
Translation: Yuk!
Much of this driven by suburban car culture. Many of these people couldn't care less if city streets are devoid of life (like the suburbs) as they drive everywhere and only walk around in malls and waterfronts. Condo development is also doing this to urban centers as well.
Read more here.
Elton John to Croon for Clinton
Thus providing a powerful argument for ridding us of Hillary now.
The British pop icon -- who was knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II -- announced today he will be performing to raise money at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser April 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Read more here.
The British pop icon -- who was knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II -- announced today he will be performing to raise money at a Hillary Clinton fundraiser April 9 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.
Read more here.
Canadian ISPs furious about Bell Canada's traffic throttling
And we're also under the boot of fucking monopolies up here too, they they know it.
Rogers isn't hated for nothing.
Mandatory DSL line-sharing is a common practice in other developed countries, and was in the US as well until an FCC decision ruled that DSL was an "information service" and not subject to the rules. Line-sharing is what enables much of the competition in other countries and allows small ISPs like Wireless Nomad to thrive in Canada and offer innovative services. But line-sharing has its drawbacks; chief among them, of course, is that without control of the line, an ISP is not ultimately in control of the service it is selling. Canadian DSL resellers learned that lesson the hard way this week as ISPs learned that Bell Canada now runs traffic-shaping hardware even on the lines it resells.
Read more here and here.
Rogers isn't hated for nothing.
Mandatory DSL line-sharing is a common practice in other developed countries, and was in the US as well until an FCC decision ruled that DSL was an "information service" and not subject to the rules. Line-sharing is what enables much of the competition in other countries and allows small ISPs like Wireless Nomad to thrive in Canada and offer innovative services. But line-sharing has its drawbacks; chief among them, of course, is that without control of the line, an ISP is not ultimately in control of the service it is selling. Canadian DSL resellers learned that lesson the hard way this week as ISPs learned that Bell Canada now runs traffic-shaping hardware even on the lines it resells.
Read more here and here.
Creationists visit the museum
Hilarity ensues. Thus is stupidity passed from one generation to the next.
Personally, my money's on the T-Rex praying for the Fall.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Griffintown
Fighting Devimco over Griffintown, it's the Gobeils and some other guy.
The dog had no comment.
Yes I know, you all really want to know is what "Fuck Buttons" are.
Sarkozy threat to Olympic opening
French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he has not ruled out boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in China over the situation in Tibet.
His aides said France was still opposed to a full boycott but that it might pull out of the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.
The recent unrest in Tibet has sparked worldwide concern.
Olympics chief Jacques Rogge said last week he was "heartened" that no major government had backed a boycott.
No shit. It would be hard to turn down an invitation to the wedding of Don Corleone's daughter too...
Read more here.
His aides said France was still opposed to a full boycott but that it might pull out of the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.
The recent unrest in Tibet has sparked worldwide concern.
Olympics chief Jacques Rogge said last week he was "heartened" that no major government had backed a boycott.
No shit. It would be hard to turn down an invitation to the wedding of Don Corleone's daughter too...
Read more here.
The Love Guru
In the tradition of Borat, a former funny man thinks it's ok to dress funny and make fun of ethnic stereotypes.
Sorry no, just go away Mr. Myers. 1908 was a long time ago.
Bison bones bolster idea Ice Age seafarers first to Americas
A series of discoveries of ancient bison bones on Vancouver Island and nearby Orcas Island in Washington state is fuelling excitement among researchers that the Pacific coast offered a food-rich ecosystem for Ice Age hunters some 14,000 years ago -- much earlier than the prevailing scientific theory pegs the arrival of humans to the New World.
Read more here.
Anglo-Saxons honoured their dead with household objects
The archeologists need to get out more...duh
MUNDANE household objects were used by our distant ancestors to honour their dead according to an expert from Chester University.
Combs, tweezers and razors were among the distinctive artefacts used by the Anglo-Saxons.
According to new research conducted by an international expert at the University of Chester, the popular perception that the early Anglo-Saxons would mark death with grandiose gestures is untrue.
Read more here.
MUNDANE household objects were used by our distant ancestors to honour their dead according to an expert from Chester University.
Combs, tweezers and razors were among the distinctive artefacts used by the Anglo-Saxons.
According to new research conducted by an international expert at the University of Chester, the popular perception that the early Anglo-Saxons would mark death with grandiose gestures is untrue.
Read more here.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Beatles' ally Neil Aspinall dies
Neil Aspinall, who ran the Apple Corps music empire for the Beatles, has died at a hospital in New York, aged 66.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Hillary must go
For the good of your party, your country, in fact everyone, you should step aside now.
Thank you for listening.
Thank you for listening.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Comfort Zone raided again
Obviously someone missed a pay-off somewhere. Don't you hate when you miss those in your day planner?
Read more here.
Read more here.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Gold cup find led to Anglo Saxon graves discovery
An important archaeological find by Broadstairs man Cliff Bradshaw prompted further excavations which uncovered centuries- old Anglo-Saxon graves.These later finds, thought to be the graves of women from the fifth and sixth centuries, were the subject of an inquest held last week by coroner Rebecca Cobb to decide if the finds should be declared treasure.
Read more here.
Cave sculptures go on display for first time in 15,000 years
Prehistoric cave sculptures never seen by the public will be revealed today thanks to the most advanced, computerised techniques of laser-copying and visual display.
A museum to open near Poitiers, in western France, will span one-a-half millenniums of human image-making, from stone chisels to computers. The star of the show, at Angles-sur-L'Anglin, in the départementof Vienne, will be a 60ft-long frieze of bison, horses, cats, goats and erotic female figures, carved into the limestone of western France 15,000 years ago.
Read more here.
A museum to open near Poitiers, in western France, will span one-a-half millenniums of human image-making, from stone chisels to computers. The star of the show, at Angles-sur-L'Anglin, in the départementof Vienne, will be a 60ft-long frieze of bison, horses, cats, goats and erotic female figures, carved into the limestone of western France 15,000 years ago.
Read more here.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Obama’s Passport file was breached
MSNBC is reporting that there was a breach of Barack Obama’s passport file that led to two firings at the State Department and a suspension…
Read more here.
Read more here.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Paul Scofield dies at 86
Paul Scofield, one of Britain's most acclaimed Shakespearean actors and an Academy Award winner, has died at the age of 86, his agent has said.Scofield won the Oscar for best actor in 1967 for A Man for All Seasons, and was also nominated in 1995 for best supporting actor for Quiz Show.
Read more here.
Earth, Mars, Moon Have Different Origin, Study Says
A new study is challenging the long-standing notion that the whole solar system formed from the same raw materials.
Until now most scientists had believed that the inner solar system bodies—Mercury, Venus, Earth, its moon, and Mars—had the same composition as primitive meteorites called chondrites.
But, problematically, Earth's chemistry doesn't quite match.
Read more here.
Until now most scientists had believed that the inner solar system bodies—Mercury, Venus, Earth, its moon, and Mars—had the same composition as primitive meteorites called chondrites.
But, problematically, Earth's chemistry doesn't quite match.
Read more here.
Na na na na na
The understudy for mass murderer and all around scum bag Osama Bin Laden [cause there's no way this guy is the real thing] is now wagging his finger and threatening Europe.
Don't you wish these people would just go away and let thing be run by the adults for a change?
Subprime, as seen by Australians
The Subprime issue from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with John Clarke and Bryan Dawe.
See it here.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Cheetos for Psychos
New campaign for Cheetos. Seems now they're only for those who hear *voices*....oh and are jerks as well. It will sell millions of Cheetos...
Charles, Sharon is a little piggy. She needs "correction". You got the tools to fix this....
Ron Paul: The High Tide
And for today's strangest piece of political propaganda, it's CG Ron Paul.
See more here, it's stranger than you think.
Wall-E
I got the same impression from the trailer, that the upcoming Pixar Film "Wall-E" will be mostly silent.
Pixar is proud of it, and they’ve been pretty open about describing WALL-E as a “space-set remake of a 1931 Charlie Chaplin film about a blind girl wooed by a tramp she mistakenly believes is a rich man.”
Kinda looks like ET too, no?
Read more here.
Condo Sheep cont.
Baaahhhh.
It's really quite sad and pathetic to see these *poor* people lining up to be fleeced.
Despite recent doom and gloom predictions for the Canadian real estate market, people are still lining up for condos here in Toronto. Case in point: College Park Phase 3: Aura
Prrrreeetentioussss.....
Read more here.
The President of Poland is an Homophobic Monster
And that's putting it nicely.
What a complete cretin.
Via Towleroad:
Polish President Lech Kaczynski broadcast a video of American couple Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton at their wedding on Poland's national television to illustrate a presidential address he was giving warning the nation that supporting the Lisbon Treaty, which is linked to the EU Charter of Human Rights, would mean that same-sex marriage could come to Poland.
Yup, this crackpot used footage of a gay marriage in Canada, without the permission of the people involved, to illustrate his fears.
"My inital reaction was one of surprise and shock really. Our images clearly were being used in a campaign by the president of Poland against lesbian and gay persons, and fostering intolerance and fear among the people of Poland."
Fay [one of those in the video] submitted a letter of complaint to the Polish consulate condemning the use of his video and expressing anger that it would be used "as part of a homophobic campaign,"
Won't mean a thing to those type of people. We aren't really people with equal rights in their eyes, aren't we? And we're the bad ones....
You Lech Kaczynski, are an idiot. You have no right. We are people too.
Fuck you, politely.
Asshole.
Read more here.
What a complete cretin.
Via Towleroad:
Polish President Lech Kaczynski broadcast a video of American couple Brendan Fay and Tom Moulton at their wedding on Poland's national television to illustrate a presidential address he was giving warning the nation that supporting the Lisbon Treaty, which is linked to the EU Charter of Human Rights, would mean that same-sex marriage could come to Poland.
Yup, this crackpot used footage of a gay marriage in Canada, without the permission of the people involved, to illustrate his fears.
"My inital reaction was one of surprise and shock really. Our images clearly were being used in a campaign by the president of Poland against lesbian and gay persons, and fostering intolerance and fear among the people of Poland."
Fay [one of those in the video] submitted a letter of complaint to the Polish consulate condemning the use of his video and expressing anger that it would be used "as part of a homophobic campaign,"
Won't mean a thing to those type of people. We aren't really people with equal rights in their eyes, aren't we? And we're the bad ones....
You Lech Kaczynski, are an idiot. You have no right. We are people too.
Fuck you, politely.
Asshole.
Read more here.
Tibet WAS,IS,and ALWAYS WILL BE a part of China
Giving the other side in the Tibet "debate", we present this little gem. Note the calm rational tone throughout.
=/
We conquered it, it's ours, fuck off.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Mills soaked McCartney's lawyer
No, you're a loser...
Heather Mills poured a jug of water over the head of Sir Paul McCartney's lawyer Fiona Shackleton at the end of their divorce case, she has admitted.
Ms Shackleton was seen leaving the High Court in London with wet hair after the hearing on Monday.
Ms Mills told the BBC she approached Ms Shackleton and said: "I'm not a loser."
She then "poured the whole jug of water on her head", she said. "I was very calm," she added. Ms Mills was awarded £24.3m from Sir Paul in the divorce.
Outside court on Monday, Ms Mills had criticised Ms Shackleton's handling of the case.
Heather Mills poured a jug of water over the head of Sir Paul McCartney's lawyer Fiona Shackleton at the end of their divorce case, she has admitted.
Ms Shackleton was seen leaving the High Court in London with wet hair after the hearing on Monday.
Ms Mills told the BBC she approached Ms Shackleton and said: "I'm not a loser."
She then "poured the whole jug of water on her head", she said. "I was very calm," she added. Ms Mills was awarded £24.3m from Sir Paul in the divorce.
Outside court on Monday, Ms Mills had criticised Ms Shackleton's handling of the case.
Bronze Age burial 'with beer mug'
A 4,000-year-old Bronze Age skeleton has been unearthed by archaeologists working on a site in east Kent.
Canterbury Archaeological Trust said the curled-up skeleton was an example of a "Beaker" burial because of the pottery vessel placed at its feet.
Education officer Marion Green said the "beautifully decorated" pot could have been "a type of beer mug".
Read more here.
Canterbury Archaeological Trust said the curled-up skeleton was an example of a "Beaker" burial because of the pottery vessel placed at its feet.
Education officer Marion Green said the "beautifully decorated" pot could have been "a type of beer mug".
Read more here.
The Neanderthal-Human Split: (Very) Ancient History
Neanderthals and humans once shared a common ancestor, but we split from the stocky, hairy hominid group as long as 400,000 to 350,000 years ago, concludes a new study.
That estimate matches prior DNA studies, putting a date to the time when human beings first emerged on the planet. But would these first humans have been anatomically just like us? Probably not, suggests lead author Timothy Weaver, an anthropologist at the University of California at Davis.
"Early fossils along this lineage are quite different from later ones," he told Discovery News.
Read more here.
That estimate matches prior DNA studies, putting a date to the time when human beings first emerged on the planet. But would these first humans have been anatomically just like us? Probably not, suggests lead author Timothy Weaver, an anthropologist at the University of California at Davis.
"Early fossils along this lineage are quite different from later ones," he told Discovery News.
Read more here.
A film by Arman Noory
Kid Does His War on Terror School Project using Porn (Clean) from Arman Noory on Vimeo.
I chose to make a video for my culminating task for senior-year (Canadian) Politics class was regarding the war on terror and whether or not it's effective/justified. I wanted to incite a variety of emotions in the viewer while still being educational and entertaining - so I took a porno from '81, remixed it into an an American-perspective War on Terror Porno Musical where the main character goes into trances at the subject of discussion and, gradually, the true nature of the porno begins to rise (especially the ending).
Time magazine invents facts to claim that Americans support Bush's domestic spying abuse
Ok, so some Americans are brighter than the average...No matter how corrupt and sloppy the establishment press becomes, they always find a way to go lower. Time Magazine has just published what it purports to be a news article by Massimo Calabresi claiming that "nobody cares" about the countless abuses of spying powers by the Bush administration; that "Americans are ready to trade diminished privacy, and protection from search and seizure, in exchange for the promise of increased protection of their physical security"; and that the case against unchecked government surveillance powers "hasn't convinced the people." Not a single fact -- not one -- is cited to support these sweeping, false opinions.
Read more here.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Sharks with frickin' laser beams
Too funny. I kept the original Wired. Their upcoming April cover is on the right.
Do Americans Care About Big Brother?
They don't seem to, but then they're not the brightest nation on earth.Pity America's poor civil libertarians. In recent weeks, the papers have been full of stories about the warehousing of information on Americans by the National Security Agency, the interception of financial information by the CIA, the stripping of authority from a civilian intelligence oversight board by the White House, and the compilation of suspicious activity reports from banks by the Treasury Department. On Thursday, Justice Department Inspector General Glenn Fine released a report documenting continuing misuse of Patriot Act powers by the FBI. And to judge from the reaction in the country, nobody cares.
Read more here.
Rare piece of Neolithic art discovered in Orkney
A rare piece of Neolithic art has been discovered on a beach in Orkney.
The 6,000-year-old relic, thought to be a fragment from a larger piece, was left exposed by storms which swept across the country last week.
Local plumber David Barnes, who found the stone on the beach in Sandwick Bay, South Ronaldsay, said circular markings had shown up in the late-afternoon winter sun, drawing his attention to the piece.
Read more here.
The 6,000-year-old relic, thought to be a fragment from a larger piece, was left exposed by storms which swept across the country last week.
Local plumber David Barnes, who found the stone on the beach in Sandwick Bay, South Ronaldsay, said circular markings had shown up in the late-afternoon winter sun, drawing his attention to the piece.
Read more here.
'Comfort Zone' Busted in Early Morning Raid
A mix of plainclothes and uniformed officers, some wielding shotguns and outfitted with bullet-proof vests stormed an after-hours club early this morning.
Many people were taken to awaiting police wagons in handcuffs as police executed a search warrant at The Comfort Zone at Spadina Ave. near College St. shortly after 6:00.
Police are not releasing many details about the incident other than it was a routine sweep of the club by officers from the Emergency Task Force, the Drug Squad and members of 14 Division.
Authorities have said they will reveal more about the case at a press conference tomorrow morning.
One apparent witness says:
dude, it was not routine!!! there were 200 cops in there, with at least 50 swat team members. They ran a HUGE operation, shit was hitting the fan. 90% of the people in there got charged, all the doors were broken down, walls were taken down, pool tables, bathroom stalls couches - nothing was left unturned. they even had to call in paramedics, people were kicked around, strip searched, even molested. what a horrifying experience, and to think it was our first time in the place after hearing about it for so long...
Update
"Right now, there's nothing to stop them from opening this weekend,"
Maybe, but would *you* go?
Despite 33 arrests and more than 65 drug charges after an early morning raid Sunday on a downtown after-hours club that one detective described as "a flea market for drugs," police acknowledged Monday they are powerless to close it down.
Detective Sergeant Ed Roseto said nearly 100 officers surrounded the Comfort Zone, a rave club on Spadina Avenue that is notorious for open drug use and sales, and began clearing out the cavernous building, arresting patrons and staff alike as they went.
"The floor, the seats, the tables . . . were covered with little vials and pill," he told a news conference Monday.
Read more here.
Many people were taken to awaiting police wagons in handcuffs as police executed a search warrant at The Comfort Zone at Spadina Ave. near College St. shortly after 6:00.
Police are not releasing many details about the incident other than it was a routine sweep of the club by officers from the Emergency Task Force, the Drug Squad and members of 14 Division.
Authorities have said they will reveal more about the case at a press conference tomorrow morning.
One apparent witness says:
dude, it was not routine!!! there were 200 cops in there, with at least 50 swat team members. They ran a HUGE operation, shit was hitting the fan. 90% of the people in there got charged, all the doors were broken down, walls were taken down, pool tables, bathroom stalls couches - nothing was left unturned. they even had to call in paramedics, people were kicked around, strip searched, even molested. what a horrifying experience, and to think it was our first time in the place after hearing about it for so long...
Update
"Right now, there's nothing to stop them from opening this weekend,"
Maybe, but would *you* go?
Despite 33 arrests and more than 65 drug charges after an early morning raid Sunday on a downtown after-hours club that one detective described as "a flea market for drugs," police acknowledged Monday they are powerless to close it down.
Detective Sergeant Ed Roseto said nearly 100 officers surrounded the Comfort Zone, a rave club on Spadina Avenue that is notorious for open drug use and sales, and began clearing out the cavernous building, arresting patrons and staff alike as they went.
"The floor, the seats, the tables . . . were covered with little vials and pill," he told a news conference Monday.
Read more here.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Regarding the riots in Lhasa
Via Global Voices Online, following the Chinese reaction to events in Tibet:
经常在新闻中看到伊拉克战争，或是哪里又发生袭击事件，当时我就在里面感慨，还是做中国人幸福，至少是和平的，至少不会会有战争，至少人们不用生活在对战争的恐惧中！但今天发生在西藏的暴乱事件，却让我深深的感觉到，原来也有些人不想让我们中国平静、和平！不知道以后别的国家的人在看到我们中国的战争新闻时，是不是和我当初看伊拉克战争时的心情与感慨一样！
I often see the news about the war in Iraq, or attacks happening somewhere, and at the time I just sigh inside, reminded how lucky I am to be Chinese, where here it's at least peaceful, at least there are no battles, and people don't have to live their lives in fear of battle! But the riots which took place in Tibet today just make me see very clearly that in fact some people don't want our China to be a calm and peaceful place! I wonder, when people in other countries see the news about our battles here in China, will they feel the same thing that I did when I saw the news on Iraq?
Interesting isn't it, that which we see as repression is seen by this Chinese writer as "people [who] don't want our China to be a calm and peaceful place!"
We will be greeted as liberators...
经常在新闻中看到伊拉克战争，或是哪里又发生袭击事件，当时我就在里面感慨，还是做中国人幸福，至少是和平的，至少不会会有战争，至少人们不用生活在对战争的恐惧中！但今天发生在西藏的暴乱事件，却让我深深的感觉到，原来也有些人不想让我们中国平静、和平！不知道以后别的国家的人在看到我们中国的战争新闻时，是不是和我当初看伊拉克战争时的心情与感慨一样！
I often see the news about the war in Iraq, or attacks happening somewhere, and at the time I just sigh inside, reminded how lucky I am to be Chinese, where here it's at least peaceful, at least there are no battles, and people don't have to live their lives in fear of battle! But the riots which took place in Tibet today just make me see very clearly that in fact some people don't want our China to be a calm and peaceful place! I wonder, when people in other countries see the news about our battles here in China, will they feel the same thing that I did when I saw the news on Iraq?
Interesting isn't it, that which we see as repression is seen by this Chinese writer as "people [who] don't want our China to be a calm and peaceful place!"
We will be greeted as liberators...
Bill C-10 fixes non-existent problem
The federal tax credit change that sparked a film censorship uproar is designed to fix a problem that has never presented itself, a government spokesperson has confirmed.Bill C-10, currently seeking Senate approval, contains an amendment that would allow bureaucrats to withdraw tax credits for Canadian films and TV shows deemed in violation of the Criminal Code.
Yet the problem is a hypothetical one, because no such film has ever been presented for tax credit consideration, said Andrew House, a spokesperson for Heritage Minister Josée Verner.
"Canadian Heritage has not received an application for a production containing criminal content," House said via email.
Read more here.
New Mozart portrait found
The new portrait (right) could change the established but post-humous image of Mozart by Barbara Kraft (left)
A rare portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been unearthed which gives a true picture of the famous composer's looks at the height of his fame.
It shows him in 1783, aged 27, dressed in a red tunic and a white ruff, with a wig of grey hair and an elegant but slightly hooked nose.
Until now the enduring image of Mozart has been largely based on the posthumous 1819 portrait by Barbara Kraft, painted 18 years after his death. But this discovery could help change that.
Read more here.
Put young children on DNA list, urge [U.K.] police
Why don't these people just say they want everyone fingerprinted and their DNA on record..because that would be unpopular...
So, they'll do it bit by bit..a school here, an airport there. Then will come that time when you will stand out as strange if you *won't* be fingerprinted. "He must be hiding something..."
Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert.
Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five.
'If we have a primary means of identifying people before they offend, then in the long-term the benefits of targeting younger people are extremely large,' said Pugh. 'You could argue the younger the better. [Well yes, as an underage person cannot stop this invasion of privacy, or even understand its long term consequences. How convenient...] Criminologists say some people will grow out of crime; others won't. We have to find who are possibly going to be the biggest threat to society.'
Pugh admitted that the deeply controversial suggestion raised issues of parental consent, potential stigmatisation and the role of teachers in identifying future offenders, but said society needed an open, mature discussion on how best to tackle crime before it took place.
Wonder how one sided any "discussion" would be?
Read more here, you fucking criminal.
So, they'll do it bit by bit..a school here, an airport there. Then will come that time when you will stand out as strange if you *won't* be fingerprinted. "He must be hiding something..."
Primary school children should be eligible for the DNA database if they exhibit behaviour indicating they may become criminals in later life, according to Britain's most senior police forensics expert.Gary Pugh, director of forensic sciences at Scotland Yard and the new DNA spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said a debate was needed on how far Britain should go in identifying potential offenders, given that some experts believe it is possible to identify future offending traits in children as young as five.
'If we have a primary means of identifying people before they offend, then in the long-term the benefits of targeting younger people are extremely large,' said Pugh. 'You could argue the younger the better. [Well yes, as an underage person cannot stop this invasion of privacy, or even understand its long term consequences. How convenient...] Criminologists say some people will grow out of crime; others won't. We have to find who are possibly going to be the biggest threat to society.'
 |
| "society needed an open, mature discussion on how best to tackle crime before it took place" |
Pugh admitted that the deeply controversial suggestion raised issues of parental consent, potential stigmatisation and the role of teachers in identifying future offenders, but said society needed an open, mature discussion on how best to tackle crime before it took place.
Wonder how one sided any "discussion" would be?
Read more here, you fucking criminal.
Motherfucking Chinese in Tibet
Why is anyone going to the Olympics this year?
Personally I despise the Chinese government. I can still say so, I don't owe them money.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
China hits back at US on rights
I think China and the U.S. should both STFU, as one is a repressive police state, and the other wants to be...
China on Thursday accused the United States of human rights hypocrisy, as it branded the US invasion of Iraq the "greatest humanitarian disaster" of the modern world.
Read more about these two asshole states here.
China on Thursday accused the United States of human rights hypocrisy, as it branded the US invasion of Iraq the "greatest humanitarian disaster" of the modern world.
Read more about these two asshole states here.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The UnDeer
Join "The Friends of the UnDeer" on Facebook here. Help restore the UnDeer to the level of cultural importance he so richly deserves.
The UnDeer was a Christmas time character for 7-Up, sometime in the 1971 period. It was a spin-off of their UnCola theme.
The UnDeer was a dude in a reindeer costume, sitting in a chair...
"Hi! I'm the UnDeer! How's your Hoofieees!?"
Information regarding the UnDeer on the net is sparse (most results come from a misspelling of "under")...Wikipedia has nothing (*see update below)...eBay has nothing...YouTube has nothing...strange for such a high profile product such as 7-Up. Is it a skeleton in their closet?
OMG, someone has found a UnDeer tv ad. (December 2010)
[Update: a major breakthrough has occurred in UnDeer research, see bottom of article]
Image searches result only in 2 roadkill hand puppets based on now fading memories...
A new search has revealed this from eBay:
As late as July 2010, the Undeer remained relatively unknown as this posting indicates;
Undeer Christmas mascot
Question
What year(s) was your Christmas mascot the 'Undeer' and is there any information available about this terrific mascot?
Answer
The Uncola campaign started in 1967 and through at least the mid-1970s. We were not able to locate a specific date for this particular piece of advertising that the reindeer appeared on, but think it is probably early 1970s. There are not many examples of this reindeer in the 7UP advertising pieces we have and so we hesitate to say that it was the Christmas mascot of 7UP during the Uncola campaign.
The net is filled with a post here, a post there from people such as I, claiming to have spotted this mythical beast long ago.
MacDonald & Associates' Television Commercials Mixed Ads 51-60:
#56) 7 UP: reindeer says he is an un-deer and loves this un- Cola
"Does anyone besides me know what an undeer is?" - Homesurfer, Professional Contrarian 2006
"I also remember the voice as being more like Beauregard, the janitor dog on the old Muppet Show" - rodpie 2008
"...but my favorite was the 7-up un-deer commercials. But for the life of me I can't find copies of them anywhere. - Ratt1959 2008
"I remember the UnDeer and he spoke French!!!!" - Carmen 2009
"The UN-DEER is an elusive creature last seen in Canada in the 70's on 7up commercials. has anyone seen him? - UN-Deer Hunter 2008
This last note may be a clue to why there is nothing on the net about the UnDeer...if it didn't happen in America, it didn't happen...[although the audio clips below seem to indicate the UnDeer was known in the U.S.]
The voice was provided by Paul Frees, who also was the voice of Disney's Ludwig Von Drake, and John and George in the television cartoon series The Beatles, among much other work (Craig at WFMU says: "Yes, Paul Frees did both George and John. He also did Boris Badenov, Inspector Fenwick on Dudley Do-Right, and such commercial voices as Toucan Sam and the Pillsbury Dough-Boy" Read more here.).
The voice resembled Marvin the Martian of Warner Brs. fame, which such catchphrases as "Wrong-O!" and "Hoofies!"
Yes Virginia, there really was an UnDeer.
*Update June 2009: Wikipedia doesn't believe there was a UnDeer, as an article on this very topic (submitted by yours truly) was rejected as "an obvious hoax"...
*Update September 2009: Gregory [My original tape was a dub from the broadcast cart at WLAP-AM in Lexington] has sent along audio proof of the Undeer's existence! Actual 1970's radio ads. Take that Wikipedia...
The UnDeer was a Christmas time character for 7-Up, sometime in the 1971 period. It was a spin-off of their UnCola theme.
The UnDeer was a dude in a reindeer costume, sitting in a chair...
"Hi! I'm the UnDeer! How's your Hoofieees!?"
Information regarding the UnDeer on the net is sparse (most results come from a misspelling of "under")...Wikipedia has nothing (*see update below)...
OMG, someone has found a UnDeer tv ad. (December 2010)
[Update: a major breakthrough has occurred in UnDeer research, see bottom of article]
A new search has revealed this from eBay:
As late as July 2010, the Undeer remained relatively unknown as this posting indicates;
Undeer Christmas mascot
Question
What year(s) was your Christmas mascot the 'Undeer' and is there any information available about this terrific mascot?
Answer
The Uncola campaign started in 1967 and through at least the mid-1970s. We were not able to locate a specific date for this particular piece of advertising that the reindeer appeared on, but think it is probably early 1970s. There are not many examples of this reindeer in the 7UP advertising pieces we have and so we hesitate to say that it was the Christmas mascot of 7UP during the Uncola campaign.
The net is filled with a post here, a post there from people such as I, claiming to have spotted this mythical beast long ago.
MacDonald & Associates' Television Commercials Mixed Ads 51-60:
#56) 7 UP: reindeer says he is an un-deer and loves this un- Cola
"Does anyone besides me know what an undeer is?" - Homesurfer, Professional Contrarian 2006
"I also remember the voice as being more like Beauregard, the janitor dog on the old Muppet Show" - rodpie 2008
"...but my favorite was the 7-up un-deer commercials. But for the life of me I can't find copies of them anywhere. - Ratt1959 2008
"I remember the UnDeer and he spoke French!!!!" - Carmen 2009
"The UN-DEER is an elusive creature last seen in Canada in the 70's on 7up commercials. has anyone seen him? - UN-Deer Hunter 2008
This last note may be a clue to why there is nothing on the net about the UnDeer...if it didn't happen in America, it didn't happen...[although the audio clips below seem to indicate the UnDeer was known in the U.S.]
The voice was provided by Paul Frees, who also was the voice of Disney's Ludwig Von Drake, and John and George in the television cartoon series The Beatles, among much other work (Craig at WFMU says: "Yes, Paul Frees did both George and John. He also did Boris Badenov, Inspector Fenwick on Dudley Do-Right, and such commercial voices as Toucan Sam and the Pillsbury Dough-Boy" Read more here.).The voice resembled Marvin the Martian of Warner Brs. fame, which such catchphrases as "Wrong-O!" and "Hoofies!"
Yes Virginia, there really was an UnDeer.
*Update June 2009: Wikipedia doesn't believe there was a UnDeer, as an article on this very topic (submitted by yours truly) was rejected as "an obvious hoax"...
*Update September 2009: Gregory [My original tape was a dub from the broadcast cart at WLAP-AM in Lexington] has sent along audio proof of the Undeer's existence! Actual 1970's radio ads. Take that Wikipedia...
Flashing the Shocker
Those wacky young folks are at it again, with another hand gesture fad that has them giggling in the aisles.What will they think of next?
I know what it means, do you?
Hint: 2ITP1ITS
AD 900 - The Origins of the English Village
When did the typical English village begin? That is, when did the outlying farms join together to become a nucleated village? Professor Mick Aston has been finding out.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Bush doesn't want you to read this
Christopher Hitchens
Stand back from the screen, because you will spit out your drink at it...
Are women funny?
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Regarding Clinton
“In place of a Dark Lord you would set up a Queen. And I shall not be dark, but beautiful and terrible as the Morning and the Night! All shall love me and despair!”
St. Patrick's Day parade too English
I know this comes for "a new hardline sovereignist group" in Quebec so thinking and logical thought are not options, still...
Complaining Montreal's St. Patrick's Day parade is too English, a new hardline sovereignist group says its members will march during Sunday's event, distributing leaflets and waving Quebec, Patriote and Irish flags.
But parade organizers say the Réseau de Résistance du Québécois is not authorized to take part and they will ask police to remove RRQ members if they attempt to take part in the official parade on Ste. Catherine St.
On its website, the RRQ asks supporters to meet at the beginning of the parade route on Sunday, 30 minutes before the event starts.
The St. Patrick's Day parade has traditionally "taken place entirely in English," RRQ co-founder Patrick Bourgeois told The Gazette. "We want to throw a soupçon of French in there."
Now one sees how stupidity is passed on to a new generation...
Read more here.
Complaining Montreal's St. Patrick's Day parade is too English, a new hardline sovereignist group says its members will march during Sunday's event, distributing leaflets and waving Quebec, Patriote and Irish flags.
But parade organizers say the Réseau de Résistance du Québécois is not authorized to take part and they will ask police to remove RRQ members if they attempt to take part in the official parade on Ste. Catherine St.
On its website, the RRQ asks supporters to meet at the beginning of the parade route on Sunday, 30 minutes before the event starts.
The St. Patrick's Day parade has traditionally "taken place entirely in English," RRQ co-founder Patrick Bourgeois told The Gazette. "We want to throw a soupçon of French in there."
Now one sees how stupidity is passed on to a new generation...
Read more here.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
World’s oldest animation, 5,200 years old
An Italian team of archaeologists unearthed the bowl goblet in the 1970s from a burial site in Iran’s Burnt City, but it was only recently that researchers noticed the images on the bowl tell an animated visual story.
The oldest cartoon character in the world is a goat leaping to get the leaves on a tree.
See more here.
The oldest cartoon character in the world is a goat leaping to get the leaves on a tree.
See more here.
The Taj Mahal
Chester and Miss Denny had a wonderful time in India, and even managed to slip in a trip to the Taj Mahal.
I like this video though, for its view of everyday India.
Astronomers searching for meteorite that crashed in Ontario
Astronomers from the University of Western Ontario are searching for a meteorite that landed in central Ontario last week.
The "large fireball" was captured falling last Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET by sky-monitoring cameras at the London, Ont.-based university. Astronomers narrowed the impact site down to about 12 square kilometres centred on Parry Sound, which is around 220 kilometres north of Toronto.
Read more here.
The "large fireball" was captured falling last Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET by sky-monitoring cameras at the London, Ont.-based university. Astronomers narrowed the impact site down to about 12 square kilometres centred on Parry Sound, which is around 220 kilometres north of Toronto.
Read more here.
Republican Morality
"I think that waterboarding is torture and illegal, but I will not restrict the CIA to only the Army Field Manual,"
John McCain 2008
This is why all their protestations about other groups and their moral decay are pure hypocrisy, one need only point to this and all their words are as nothing.
John McCain 2008
This is why all their protestations about other groups and their moral decay are pure hypocrisy, one need only point to this and all their words are as nothing.
Migraine Art Slideshow
In his post “Patterns,” Oliver Sacks wrote about the repetitive geometric nature of the visual effects experienced by some migraine sufferers — “fortification patterns,” zig-zags, swirls.
Read that post here.
See the slideshow here.
David Lewis-Williams in his book "The Mind in the Cave" also postulates that some cave paintings are representations of this phenomena.
I've always though this sfx from "Star Trek The Motion Picture", especially when moving, also gives some impression of this visual effect.
Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island busted for pot in Idaho
A surprise birthday party for Dawn Wells, the actress who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," ended with a nearly three-hour tour of the Teton County Sheriff's Office and jail when the 69-year-old was caught with marijuana in her vehicle while driving home.
Read more here, with mug shot
Read more here, with mug shot
McCain Votes Against Waterboarding Ban
Today, the Senate brought the Intelligence Authorization Bill to the floor, which contained a provision from Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) establishing one interrogation standard across the government. The bill requires the intelligence community to abide by the same standards as articulated in the Army Field Manual and bans waterboarding.
Just hours ago, the Senate voted in favor of the bill, 51-45.
McCain voted against it...
Just hours ago, the Senate voted in favor of the bill, 51-45.
McCain voted against it...
Ice Age axes found in North Sea
Axes from the Ice Age used by mammoth hunters when the North Sea was dry have been found from under the water off the Norfolk coast.
Dutch amateur archaeologist Jan Meulmeester found the 100,000-year-old hand axes in gravel dredged from eight miles (13km) off Great Yarmouth.
Read more here.
Dutch amateur archaeologist Jan Meulmeester found the 100,000-year-old hand axes in gravel dredged from eight miles (13km) off Great Yarmouth.
Read more here.
"The Griffintown development will silence its critics"
Of course it will, no one will be living there that cares anymore...
Bland, isn't it?
Btw, the original story from the Montreal Gazette has a terrible punish headline "Griffintown naysayers arrive by horse".
Such wit.
It's not every day a protest group arrives by horse and buggy to make a statement.
But the Committee to Save Griffintown said last night that horses symbolize the unique character of the neighbourhood they're trying to preserve. For that reason, five group members came in a horse-drawn carriage for the first of four nights of public briefs on a planned redevelopment of the area at the foot of Peel St. between downtown and the Lachine Canal. They were one of several groups that presented briefs or made comments last night to the Southwest borough council at the École de Technologie Supérieure engineering school, at Peel St. at the corner of Notre Dame St. W.
"Griffintown is the place where horses built Montreal," group spokesperson Chris Gobeil said. "This is where many horses live. The proposed project would get rid of all those stables."
The firm Devimco has proposed to redevelop 10.2 hectares of the neighbourhood into a mix of residential and commercial units. The project could start as early as this year and Devimco plans to complete construction over 10 years.
In its brief to the council, Gobeil's group took issue with the development, specifically the plan to built large high-rises, saying the scale of the development is way too large. That point was echoed by several groups, including Pro Point, which represents residents of Point St. Charles who are experts in urban design and architecture.
"The density is way too high, when you can get that same density, as in the Plateau Mont Royal, with three or four storeys," said Juliette Patterson, the group's spokesperson.
However, well-known architect Claude Provencher, disagreed.
Provencher, who designed the World Trade Centre in Victoria Square, told the council that people also said Montreal's Quartier International would be a failure, but they were proved to be wrong. Like the Quartier International, he said the Griffintown development will also silence its critics.
The process will continue tonight at ETS starting at 7 p.m. Additional sessions will be held Thursday from 3 to at 10:30 p.m. and Friday from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at the Georges Vanier building in Little Burgundy at 2450 Workman St. at the corner of Vinet St.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Mummys are Mortal
A new Mortal Combat movie? Ok I guess but..hey wait a minute, that's not Mortal Combat...The Mummy?
Terrible poster.
The greatest nation on Earth?
You hear the same crap here in Toronto. "Are we a world class city?"
No and no.
My American friends, you torture. Just for that, your "Greatest" of anything status has been rescinded. Thanks for playing.
I think Canada should now take its rightful place as Greatest Nation. Poutine for everyone.
Read more here.
No and no.
My American friends, you torture. Just for that, your "Greatest" of anything status has been rescinded. Thanks for playing.
I think Canada should now take its rightful place as Greatest Nation. Poutine for everyone.
Read more here.
OOOklahoma
 |
| Yeeha! No more of that pesky lernin |
The Oklahoma House of Representatives Education Committee has just approved House Bill 2211. The bill is expected to pass the full House, and then to go to the Senate. Its authors describe it as promoting freedom of religion in the public schools. In fact, it does the opposite...
...The bill requires public schools to guarantee students the right to express their religious viewpoints in a public forum, in class, in homework and in other ways without being penalized. If a student’s religious beliefs were in conflict with scientific theory, and the student chose to express those beliefs rather than explain the theory in response to an exam question, the student’s incorrect response would be deemed satisfactory, according to this bill.
Yes kids, no more need for that pesky book lernin, now just say "God did it!" and it's straight A's all the way!
Morons. This could tie in with Sally Kern...hummm
Read more here.
'Exceptional' Roman ruins found at Wansford
An "exceptional" ancient Roman site has been discovered in woodland near Peterborough.
Despite numerous digs and excavations across the region over the past two centuries, the huge site, hidden deep in woods at Bedford Purlieus, had miraculously gone unnoticed.
Early work has only scratched the surface of the Roman remains, but indications have left experts stunned by how well preserved the remains, of what appears to be a building of some importance, are.
Read more here.
Updated info here.
House of Augustus opens to public
Almost 50 years ago, archaeologists searching for the ruined house of Augustus found a tiny clue buried deep in 2,000 years' worth of rubble overlooking the Forum in Rome.The single fragment of painted plaster, discovered in masonry-filled rooms, led the experts to unearth a series of exquisite frescoes commissioned by the man who would later become Rome's first emperor.
Read more here.
“My view is history is going to judge us all.”
It already has. The turn to torture the U.S. has taken is repulsive and wrong, but you'd never know it from this article in the New York Times...
President Bush on Saturday further cemented his legacy of fighting for strong executive powers, using his veto to shut down a Congressional effort to limit the Central Intelligence Agency’s latitude to subject terrorism suspects to harsh interrogation techniques.
Read more here.
President Bush on Saturday further cemented his legacy of fighting for strong executive powers, using his veto to shut down a Congressional effort to limit the Central Intelligence Agency’s latitude to subject terrorism suspects to harsh interrogation techniques.
Read more here.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Beatles coming to iTunes
British singer Paul McCartney has reached a $400 million agreement with iTunes for the distribution of the Beatles' back catalog.
Read more here.
Bound for Glory
I've never actually seen Hal Ashby's 1976 "Bound for Glory", but I know it contains perhaps the earliest use of the steadycam which unfortunately this trailer do not show.
Damn those kung fu commies.
At Long Last Love
I've recently finished reading Peter Biskind's "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls", a history of 70's Hollywood.Though it is now fashionable to call the 70's a golden age, and it is true many fine films were made then, there were also a great number of films of that period which are unwatchable today.
Unwatchable not only because they have not aged well, but because they are just not available on DVD.
But, thanks to Youtube, fragments are out there. Once such film is Peter Bogdanovich's 1975 cocaine sprinkled masterpiece "At Long Last Love". The audio was captured live, so the singing you hear was live as well.
Thank good it preserves the singing and dancing talents of Burt Reynolds & Cybill Shepherd for all time.
Follow this link to see some samples (the user has disabled embedding)..if you are brave.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
History of the World Part One
History of the World Part One is not Mel Brooks' finest hour, but this number just may well be.
The Inquisition.
Woohoo! Bush officially a war criminal!
President Bush said Saturday he vetoed legislation that would ban the CIA from using harsh interrogation methods such as waterboarding to break suspected terrorists because it would end practices that have prevented attacks.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Child in Clinton’s “3am Phone Ad” supports Obama
Too funny
Casey Knowles, a High School Senior in Washington state, recently discovered she was one of the sleeping children in Clinton’s controversial “Children” ad appearing prior to the Texas primaries.
Knowles, a supporter of Barack Obama was shocked that she had contributed to the national security message of a candidate that she passionately opposes.
“While I love Hillary, I would much rather hear Barack Obama’s voice at the other end of the phone at 3am. Its hilarious and ironic that the child in Hillary’s ad is now of voting age and not her supporter. I’ve been campaigning for Barack since October and was a caucus precinct captain. I’ve been a very avid advocate of his and recruited a lot of folks to caucus for him in January. He’s inspired and mobilized so many already, he’s refreshing and quite simply the best option for people who want to change this country.”
Casey Knowles, a High School Senior in Washington state, recently discovered she was one of the sleeping children in Clinton’s controversial “Children” ad appearing prior to the Texas primaries.Knowles, a supporter of Barack Obama was shocked that she had contributed to the national security message of a candidate that she passionately opposes.
“While I love Hillary, I would much rather hear Barack Obama’s voice at the other end of the phone at 3am. Its hilarious and ironic that the child in Hillary’s ad is now of voting age and not her supporter. I’ve been campaigning for Barack since October and was a caucus precinct captain. I’ve been a very avid advocate of his and recruited a lot of folks to caucus for him in January. He’s inspired and mobilized so many already, he’s refreshing and quite simply the best option for people who want to change this country.”
Heathrow airport first to fingerprint
"The data will be destroyed after 24 hours. It will not be made available to the police or anyone else. This is purely for border and immigration control."That is a lie and we all know it. And here all along I thought only criminals got fingerprinted. Silly me, I forget we are all suspects now.
Millions of British airline passengers face mandatory fingerprinting before being allowed to board flights when Heathrow’s Terminal 5 opens later this month.
For the first time at any airport, the biometric checks will apply to all domestic passengers leaving the terminal, which will handle all British Airways flights to and from Heathrow.
The controversial security measure is also set to be introduced at Gatwick, Manchester and Heathrow’s Terminal 1, and many airline industry insiders believe fingerprinting could become universal at all UK airports within a few years.
Read more here.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Teaching your children to hate part II
More hate filled religious themed wisdom, this time from Oklahoma State Legislator Sally Kern, Republican (NO!!!)Seems this woman has a long history of antigay work, so perhaps justice is being served.
Substitute "jew" for "gay" in her speech and she sounds remarkably like another well known group.
Teaching your children to hate
 |
| Cal shows you how to stroke the pussy |
His site says "Cal Thomas is America's #1 nationally syndicated columnist. He also writes for USA Today, is an author and speaker and regularly appears on FOX News Channel as well as numerous radio stations with a syndicated commentary"
What he actually is is another of those hate filled Christian nut cases, who is worried the next generation isn't as hate filled as he is.
He is making sure they will be...
As one group attempts to use California public schools as laboratories to assist children in "coming out" with their nontraditional sexual orientation, another is urging parents to come out from these schools and educate their children with their values at home or in private schools.
Last Sunday, a group called "Exodus Mandate" (www.exodusmandate.org) began placing literature in scores of Southern California church lobbies, urging parents to take charge of their children's education and oppose attempts by activists and politicians to shape the worldview of young people, a worldview that runs counter to what many taxpaying parents believe and teach in their homes and places of worship.
It must be nice to be able to hate openly, and then claim it is the word of God...
Fuckers.
Read more here.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Star Wars. The Best and Worst
Best Movie
Star Wars
without a doubt. As close as you can get to a perfect movie.
The Empire Strikes Back
The epic becomes well, epic
Revenge of the Sith
and moves from epic to operatic
Attack of the Clones
the move to operatic, with some missteps
Return of the Jedi
made for kids, way too cute
The Phantom Menace
made for idiots, way too dumb
Worst Movie
That's a tough one. I'm torn between "Return of the Jedi", with its Ewoks, bad overdubbing, and Harrison Ford's appalling acting, or "The Phantom Menace" with its poor pacing, dull characters and JarJar Binks. I'm afraid I must go with "The Phantom Menace". A trade dispute? Fart jokes? Whoopee!
Worst Scene
"Revenge of the Sith", Darth Vader's reaction to the news of Padmé's death, a cliched "Noooo!". Awful. Terrible. It made me laugh, not the reaction they'd hoped for I think - Runner up - "Attack of the Clones" Anakin rides the space cows to impress Padmé (this was a contender for Worst SFX). Didn't anyone turn to George and say "You have to be fucking kidding..." No, I guess not.
Best Good guy
Yoda. Rest my case I do.
Worst Good Guy
Other than JarJar? - Qui-Gon Jinn. The man is a slightly unprincipled idiot. Perhaps Lucas knows this and kills him off for it. Face it, the man's choices get them in all sorts of trouble, and he does use a child to raise money and further their cause. Obi Wan learned this lesson well.
Best Villain
Other than Darth?...General Grievous, if only for his fighting skills. On this point, Darth Mull would have to be a close second. Both are disposed of far too quickly. Nod to the Senator/Supreme Chancellor/Emperor as well.
Worst Villain
The Trade Federation. These hand wringing nobodies are Star War's wimpiest villains (See Worst Accent). Even their droid army can't hit shit (see Worst Robot).
Best Babe
"Return of the Jedi". Slave Leia. Not much to choose from really, is there?
Scariest Babe
"The Phantom Menace" Padmé, Queen of the Vampire Women. She's looking at you Anakin.
Best Robot
R2D2. He has attitude, although this was overdone in "Attack of the Clones". Flying indeed. Yeah, I know C-3PO has attitude as well, but he became JarJar's understudy (also see "Attack of the Clones"). Runner up - Jabba the Hutt's TT-8L Gatekeeper Droid. How rude.
Worst Robot
"The Phantom Menace" The Droid Army. Dogfaced clowns who can't hit a thing. Roger roger. Runner up - "Revenge of the Sith" the birthing droids. "She's dying, opps sorrryyy"
Worst SFX
"Return of the Jedi" The Rancor. Matte lines a mile wide (sorta fixed in the Special Editions). This scene does provide the pretense for Star War's only nude scene...
Best Cinematic moment
"Revenge of the Sith" silent (music with no dialog) montage between Anakin and Padmé. Lucas can do it sometimes.
Darkest Moment
"Star Wars" The death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Nasty. - "Revenge of the Sith" - The killing of the younglings at the Jedi Temple.
Best Minor Character
"Return of the Jedi" General Akbar. It's a Trap! No one can withstand eyes of this magnitude. Runner up "The Empire Strikes Back" Admiral Piett.
Most Annoying Character
Oh gee let me see... The first film's humour was sparse and controlled. By 1999, the part of the annoying sidekick had grown, and Jar Jar is in this tradition. He is also remarkably ill conceived and irritating. Didn't anyone turn to George and say "You have to be fucking kidding..." Oh right, I asked that already. Runner up - "Star Wars". Luke whining about power converters, and those bloody Ewoks (Return of the Jedi)..Leia would be here but she is no longer viewed as a "bitch", in 1977 the most common word used to describe her.
Creepiest Plot Element
The Anakin/Padimai romance, especially the early period (later it just gets unbelievable). Runner up - Luke/Leia, brother/sister. No matter what Lucas claims, "Star Wars" gives no hint of their actually relationship but in fact gives quite the opposite impression..ewww.
Worst Acting
"The Phantom Menace" the kids gathered around Anikan's speeder. Cheap shot I know, knocking kid's acting, sooo - Runner up - "Return of the Jedi" Harrison Ford is awful. "Proper?"
Worst Plot arc
Anakin/Darth Vader. I mean, wtf. Any clear eyed observer would have locked Anakin up early as a dangerous psychotic. The Jedi though keep going on about "The Prophecy", so their eyes are closed. But what's up with Padmé? Didn't she get out much? He just seems to go too far too quickly.
Best Space Battle
Opening of "Revenge of the Sith". The sequence owes something to "Starship Troopers" (which itself owes something to..etc), but on a much larger scale.
Best Land Battle
"Attack of the Clones", The Battle of Geonosis. Very digital but great to watch. Runner up - "The Empire Strikes Back" The Battle of Hoth. Very analog but great to watch.
Best Space Chase
"The Empire Strikes Back" - The Falcon chased through the asteroids. I might be wrong, but it is the first use of camera shake in an SX shot.
Best Ground Chase
"Attack of the Clones*" Chasing the Bounty Hunter. Runner up - Speeder chase from "Return of the Jedi". The race in "The Phantom Menace" is warmed over Nascar but fits comfortably into the IQ range of its target audience.
* thanks to Juice for pointing out an error here.
Best Lightsaber fight
"The Phantom Menace" The Jedi vs. the Sith. The film comes alive for those few moments. Runner up - "The Empire Strikes Back" Luke and Darth's final fight (of this film).
Worst Lightsaber fight
"Star Wars". I know, it looked fine in 1977, but really. Your powers are weak, old man. Parts of this sequence were in the running for Worst SFX.
Most Operatic Moment
"Revenge of the Sith" Mace Windu breaks a window. The Emperor and Yoda's redecoration of the Senate chamber is a contender as well.
Worst Mismatch between old and new
Obi Wan and the droids. He doesn't remember haven't owned any droids? Did he have his memory erased too? (Uncle Owen has a similar memory lapse). Runner up - Leia's memory of her mother. Huh? The Midichlorians rank up high up the list of blunders.
Worst Accent
Our old friends the Trade Federation again. What were they thinking? I know I though of WWII Japanese villains. Honorabre gentremen excuse prease but we are brockading your pranet. Ah so.
Worst Dialog
"Attack of the Clones" Anakin, sand and where it can get to. Ewww. In fact anytime Lucas has his lovers chatting away to each other, it is too painful.
Best Ship
"Attack of the Clones" Senator Amidala's shuttle, the one the gets blow away at the beginning. Neo Deco. Great design.
Worst Ship
Tie Fighters. Look at it, you can't see to the side of you. Not much good in a fight. The Empire's strong point was never design. Two Death Stars blown up? Two? One I can understand.
Worst SciFi moment
"Star Wars" Hans Solo: "I made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs." Say what? Even Obi Wan doesn't get it.
Greatest Rip Off
Just the one? Coruscant. Direct steal from Issac Asimov's Foundation and its city planet Trantor ("Foundation" was heavily mined by Lucas). Parts of "Star Wars" are a bit Dune-ish as well. In the music department, a theme used in "Star Wars" has reminded me of one from "Star Trek" from the first time I heard it.
Recently the publishers of the Bible have threatened to sue Lucas over the virgin birth storyline.
Most Wasted Opportunity
Mace Windu. He sits most of the time, nodding and agreeing with Yoda. He does get to kick some ass, but not enough. Runner up - Count Dooku could have been more, oh I don't know, Transilvanian, also how Bobafett meets his end (although this last may better fit under Worst Mismatch).
Worst case of Lucas's love for Nazi themed imagery
The end of "Star Wars". The Rebels have been watching their Leni Riefenstahl, haven't they? It's a triumph if you will.
Best case of Lucas's love for Nazi themed imagery
Darth Vader in "Star Wars". From the first second you see him, you know he's bad.
Best Special Edition addition
"The Empire Strikes Back" Cloud City. The additions really do add to the story and the film.
Worst Special Edition addition
Guido shoots first. Hands down. Stupid move. Audiences howled with agreement at the original version. There's a reason George, get over it. It's only Guido. Others include the dance number at Jabba the Hutt's ("Return of the Jedi")., followed by Luke, Obi Wan and the droids arrival in Mos Eisley in "Star Wars". An unsuccessful layering of digital and real footage (Jabba's appearance in this film is also not entirely successful, no matter how many times they tried and fix it). Hayden Christensen's substitution at the end of "Return of the Jedi" is mildly disturbing.
Best Surprise
Hans Solo's return at the end of "Star Wars" or Luke's father's actual identity. Shocking!
Star Wars
without a doubt. As close as you can get to a perfect movie.
The Empire Strikes Back
The epic becomes well, epic
Revenge of the Sith
and moves from epic to operatic
Attack of the Clones
the move to operatic, with some missteps
Return of the Jedi
made for kids, way too cute
The Phantom Menace
made for idiots, way too dumb
Worst Movie
That's a tough one. I'm torn between "Return of the Jedi", with its Ewoks, bad overdubbing, and Harrison Ford's appalling acting, or "The Phantom Menace" with its poor pacing, dull characters and JarJar Binks. I'm afraid I must go with "The Phantom Menace". A trade dispute? Fart jokes? Whoopee!
Worst Scene
"Revenge of the Sith", Darth Vader's reaction to the news of Padmé's death, a cliched "Noooo!". Awful. Terrible. It made me laugh, not the reaction they'd hoped for I think - Runner up - "Attack of the Clones" Anakin rides the space cows to impress Padmé (this was a contender for Worst SFX). Didn't anyone turn to George and say "You have to be fucking kidding..." No, I guess not.
Best Good guy
Yoda. Rest my case I do.
Worst Good Guy
Other than JarJar? - Qui-Gon Jinn. The man is a slightly unprincipled idiot. Perhaps Lucas knows this and kills him off for it. Face it, the man's choices get them in all sorts of trouble, and he does use a child to raise money and further their cause. Obi Wan learned this lesson well.
Best Villain
Other than Darth?...General Grievous, if only for his fighting skills. On this point, Darth Mull would have to be a close second. Both are disposed of far too quickly. Nod to the Senator/Supreme Chancellor/Emperor as well.
Worst Villain
The Trade Federation. These hand wringing nobodies are Star War's wimpiest villains (See Worst Accent). Even their droid army can't hit shit (see Worst Robot).
Best Babe
"Return of the Jedi". Slave Leia. Not much to choose from really, is there?
Scariest Babe
"The Phantom Menace" Padmé, Queen of the Vampire Women. She's looking at you Anakin.
Best Robot
R2D2. He has attitude, although this was overdone in "Attack of the Clones". Flying indeed. Yeah, I know C-3PO has attitude as well, but he became JarJar's understudy (also see "Attack of the Clones"). Runner up - Jabba the Hutt's TT-8L Gatekeeper Droid. How rude.
Worst Robot
"The Phantom Menace" The Droid Army. Dogfaced clowns who can't hit a thing. Roger roger. Runner up - "Revenge of the Sith" the birthing droids. "She's dying, opps sorrryyy"
Worst SFX
"Return of the Jedi" The Rancor. Matte lines a mile wide (sorta fixed in the Special Editions). This scene does provide the pretense for Star War's only nude scene...
Best Cinematic moment
"Revenge of the Sith" silent (music with no dialog) montage between Anakin and Padmé. Lucas can do it sometimes.
Darkest Moment
"Star Wars" The death of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. Nasty. - "Revenge of the Sith" - The killing of the younglings at the Jedi Temple.
Best Minor Character
"Return of the Jedi" General Akbar. It's a Trap! No one can withstand eyes of this magnitude. Runner up "The Empire Strikes Back" Admiral Piett.
Most Annoying Character
Oh gee let me see... The first film's humour was sparse and controlled. By 1999, the part of the annoying sidekick had grown, and Jar Jar is in this tradition. He is also remarkably ill conceived and irritating. Didn't anyone turn to George and say "You have to be fucking kidding..." Oh right, I asked that already. Runner up - "Star Wars". Luke whining about power converters, and those bloody Ewoks (Return of the Jedi)..Leia would be here but she is no longer viewed as a "bitch", in 1977 the most common word used to describe her.
Creepiest Plot Element
The Anakin/Padimai romance, especially the early period (later it just gets unbelievable). Runner up - Luke/Leia, brother/sister. No matter what Lucas claims, "Star Wars" gives no hint of their actually relationship but in fact gives quite the opposite impression..ewww.
Worst Acting
"The Phantom Menace" the kids gathered around Anikan's speeder. Cheap shot I know, knocking kid's acting, sooo - Runner up - "Return of the Jedi" Harrison Ford is awful. "Proper?"
Worst Plot arc
Anakin/Darth Vader. I mean, wtf. Any clear eyed observer would have locked Anakin up early as a dangerous psychotic. The Jedi though keep going on about "The Prophecy", so their eyes are closed. But what's up with Padmé? Didn't she get out much? He just seems to go too far too quickly.
Best Space Battle
Opening of "Revenge of the Sith". The sequence owes something to "Starship Troopers" (which itself owes something to..etc), but on a much larger scale.
Best Land Battle
"Attack of the Clones", The Battle of Geonosis. Very digital but great to watch. Runner up - "The Empire Strikes Back" The Battle of Hoth. Very analog but great to watch.
Best Space Chase
"The Empire Strikes Back" - The Falcon chased through the asteroids. I might be wrong, but it is the first use of camera shake in an SX shot.
Best Ground Chase
"Attack of the Clones*" Chasing the Bounty Hunter. Runner up - Speeder chase from "Return of the Jedi". The race in "The Phantom Menace" is warmed over Nascar but fits comfortably into the IQ range of its target audience.
* thanks to Juice for pointing out an error here.
Best Lightsaber fight
"The Phantom Menace" The Jedi vs. the Sith. The film comes alive for those few moments. Runner up - "The Empire Strikes Back" Luke and Darth's final fight (of this film).
Worst Lightsaber fight
"Star Wars". I know, it looked fine in 1977, but really. Your powers are weak, old man. Parts of this sequence were in the running for Worst SFX.
Most Operatic Moment
"Revenge of the Sith" Mace Windu breaks a window. The Emperor and Yoda's redecoration of the Senate chamber is a contender as well.
Worst Mismatch between old and new
Obi Wan and the droids. He doesn't remember haven't owned any droids? Did he have his memory erased too? (Uncle Owen has a similar memory lapse). Runner up - Leia's memory of her mother. Huh? The Midichlorians rank up high up the list of blunders.
Worst Accent
Our old friends the Trade Federation again. What were they thinking? I know I though of WWII Japanese villains. Honorabre gentremen excuse prease but we are brockading your pranet. Ah so.
Worst Dialog
"Attack of the Clones" Anakin, sand and where it can get to. Ewww. In fact anytime Lucas has his lovers chatting away to each other, it is too painful.
Best Ship
"Attack of the Clones" Senator Amidala's shuttle, the one the gets blow away at the beginning. Neo Deco. Great design.
Worst Ship
Tie Fighters. Look at it, you can't see to the side of you. Not much good in a fight. The Empire's strong point was never design. Two Death Stars blown up? Two? One I can understand.
Worst SciFi moment
"Star Wars" Hans Solo: "I made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs." Say what? Even Obi Wan doesn't get it.
Greatest Rip Off
Just the one? Coruscant. Direct steal from Issac Asimov's Foundation and its city planet Trantor ("Foundation" was heavily mined by Lucas). Parts of "Star Wars" are a bit Dune-ish as well. In the music department, a theme used in "Star Wars" has reminded me of one from "Star Trek" from the first time I heard it.
Recently the publishers of the Bible have threatened to sue Lucas over the virgin birth storyline.
Most Wasted Opportunity
Mace Windu. He sits most of the time, nodding and agreeing with Yoda. He does get to kick some ass, but not enough. Runner up - Count Dooku could have been more, oh I don't know, Transilvanian, also how Bobafett meets his end (although this last may better fit under Worst Mismatch).
Worst case of Lucas's love for Nazi themed imagery
The end of "Star Wars". The Rebels have been watching their Leni Riefenstahl, haven't they? It's a triumph if you will.
Best case of Lucas's love for Nazi themed imagery
Darth Vader in "Star Wars". From the first second you see him, you know he's bad.
Best Special Edition addition
"The Empire Strikes Back" Cloud City. The additions really do add to the story and the film.
Worst Special Edition addition
Guido shoots first. Hands down. Stupid move. Audiences howled with agreement at the original version. There's a reason George, get over it. It's only Guido. Others include the dance number at Jabba the Hutt's ("Return of the Jedi")., followed by Luke, Obi Wan and the droids arrival in Mos Eisley in "Star Wars". An unsuccessful layering of digital and real footage (Jabba's appearance in this film is also not entirely successful, no matter how many times they tried and fix it). Hayden Christensen's substitution at the end of "Return of the Jedi" is mildly disturbing.
Best Surprise
Hans Solo's return at the end of "Star Wars" or Luke's father's actual identity. Shocking!
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