Monday, December 17, 2012

The Newtown Murders

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It's been about 3 days since those 20 kids and 6 adults were murdered in Newtown CT. And as tragic is it was hearing about it, when the photos of the victims were being posted, it just made it all the more horrific!

And so, once again, talk about gun control rears its head. But it will never happen!

There are just too many people who believe the right to own guns, whether they are pistols, shotguns, hunting rifles or assault rifles, is one that should never be questioned, despite that fact that so many innocent children, teens and adults are being murdered -- on a daily basis.

I'm not saying all guns should be banned. But why is there a need for rifles such as the AR-15, which were designed for only one purpose - to kill people? Or semi-automatic pistols with magazines that hold ten, fifteen, and more, bullets?

Rifles, shotguns and pistols should be registered. You have to register to vote, and to drive, and to own a boat, so why not to own a firearm?

And to all those assholes who say, "Guns don't kill people. People kill people," I say to you -- People with GUNS kill people!!
`


Sunday, December 2, 2012

Spend, Spend, SPEND!

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The past few days I have spent more money than I intended to. (And just how am I any different than anyone else?)

First, I decided to buy a Blu-ray player, and since I don't need one with wi-fi, Netflicks, Pandora, etc., I found one at Walmart for $50. But there was no place on the box that indicated I would need an HDMI cable. So after I got home and discovered this, I went to Best Buy and found one, the cheapest one, for $20, and later found out I could have gotten one at Walmart for about $10 or less, if I had known!

Then, I decided it was time to upgrade to a smart phone, and since I was already an AT&T customer and didn't want to change my phone number, I went to the AT&T store.

It took 45 minutes before I was waited on, but it gave me time to look at all the ones available and decided on the LG Escape (and coincidentally, the Blu-ray player I bought was also LG). And once I was served, it still took almost an hour before I walked out of the store with my new phone and all the accessories (insurance plan, case, leather case for my belt, and car charger).

It cost me about $100 to start with, and I have a feeling I will end up paying close to twice what I was paying with my simple Sony flip phone (about $50 per month).

I started out with a 5 G plan, but if I don't use that much over the course of  a month, I can drop that to 3 G or less.

So, I guess with Christmas coming, I will just consider this as a gift to myself. And time will tell just how much I will like the phone, and if I made a mistake.
`

Friday, November 9, 2012

A New Day

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Couldn't stand it anymore!
Downloaded, filled out, and mailed off to Supervisor of Elections a form changing my political affiliation to the Republican Party.
Don't want to spend the NEXT four years ashamed, and worried people might discover that I was a democrat.
`

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Dry Fucked AGAIN!


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And so, once again, that UGLY hussein obama gets to dry fuck this country in the ass for four more years.

And for another four years, whenever I watch the news, I'll have to keep the remote in hand to immediately change the station when his disgusting face comes on so I won't vomit up everything I had to eat that day.

And for all of you who voted for him, just remember (to paraphrase) - "You'll pay for what you get."
,

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Spring Forward, Fall Back

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(I know I posted a similar blog back when we changed from EST to DST, but here it is anyway.)

Or Eastern Standard Time versus Daylight Savings Time

And so, once again we adjust our clocks for no logical reason that I can understand.

But since that is beyond my control, I'm here to dispel a common misconception -- that we gain or lose an hour of sleep with the change.

Let's start with "Spring Forward."

Just for the sake of argument, let's say you go to bed every night at 10 and get up every morning at 6 -- 8 hours of sleep every night. So on the night of Spring Forward, you go to bed at 10, get up at 6, and then move the clocks a head one hour. You STILL get 8 hours of sleep.

But when you go to bed at 10 that night, it just means that you have been awake for 15 hours instead of 16.  So in actuality, you lose one hour of awake time.

Which then means when you "Fall Back" you are awake for 17 hours instead of 16, and still do not lose any sleep.

I guess the only exception would be if you move your alarm clock ahead  before  you go to bed and get up when it goes off at the "normal" time. But since this is done on the weekend, I don't why you would set an alarm clock (unless you have to be somewhere early in the morning).

But if you are a farmer or rancher, you will still be getting up at daybreak regardless of what the clock says since animals don't care about the time, just the sun.

And since so many of our clocks are digital, in the Fall you are really moving the clocks ahead 23 hours.

That's all.
`

Saturday, October 27, 2012

"Fringe" - "Haven"

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Another review page --

"Fringe" - I never watched "Fringe" when it was airing because it looked to be just like all the other strange goings-on shows, like The X-Files, Supernatural, etc.  But a guy at work bought the DVDs and loaned them to me.

At first I wasn't much impressed. The first few episodes were pretty much like every other WTOTW (Weird Thing of The Week) as in other shows of this genre, but once they got into the alternate universe episodes, with the alternate-but-same characters, it got interesting.

And the fourth season was the best for me, since both sides had to cooperate to find out who was trying to destroy both universes. But in the last episode, they had to close the bridge between worlds.

So in this final 5th season, they are about 20 years in the future trying to take back the world from the Observers. And so far I have been sorely disappointed.

I   WANT   the alternate universe stories back!!  
The very least the writers/producers could do is look in on the alternate-verse to see how everyone is doing.

One more thing - Olivia and Peter had a daughter, and for some reason, the writers named her Henrietta. And she is frequently called Etta, which I think is about the ugliest woman's name I can think of (with apologies to any woman named Etta). Maybe that's why they killed her off in only the third episode.

Hopefully, the stories will get better.


"Haven" - I surprised myself by watching this one because it is one of the WTOTW kind of show I normally don't watch. But so far I have really liked it (it is in the second season now).

The main character is Audrey Parker, played by the delightful Emily Rose. The premise of the show, set in Haven, Maine, is that many of the residents are afflicted with 'The Troubles' - strange, supernatural powers that wreak havoc on the town and its inhabitants. But for some reason Audrey is immune to these "Troubles."

Not much else to say about this show, other than I'd like to see it go on for a few more seasons (13 eps per season).
`

"Once Upon a Time" - "Major Crimes" - "Blue Bloods"

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More TV reviews starting with --

"Once Upon a Time" - this isn't a new show since it's just started its second season, but I like it a lot and so do a lot of other viewers. Its about fairy tale characters that were magically transported to Storybrook Maine by the evil queen of "Snow White" fame. There was no magic in Storybrook until the end of season one.

And now in season two everyone remembers who they were in "fairy tale land" and are angry at, and want to do harm to,  Regina (the queen). Almost all fairy tale characters you recognize have, or will, show up, including Snow White, Prince Charming, the Seven Dwarfs, Red Riding Hood, Jiminy Cricket, Mulan, Captain Hooke, Rumplestiltskin, Pinocchio, and many others.

I like this show and am glad it got a second season.


"Major Crimes" - This is a spin-off from "The Closer" and I really didn't have much of an expectation since so many of the characters remained, but with the replacement of a new captain - Captain Raydor (Mary McDonnell) for Brenda Leigh Johnson, but I have been pleasantly surprised since Raydor was so disliked in "The Closer". The stories have been good and I like all the returning cast members.

I see this one lasting for a few more seasons.


"Blue Bloods" - another returning show, starring Tom Selleck as the New York City police commissioner, Frank Reagan. This is a show I didn't watch from the beginning, but caught up with watching it On Demand (which I still do since another show, "Haven" is on at the same time).

One of the characters - Danny Reagan, is played by Donny Wahlberg, brother of the more famous Mark Wahlberg. Which is a shame because Donny does a really good job in the show. I normally don't care much about male characters, but I can't understand why Donny hasn't been nominated for an Emmy (which is another reason why I don't watch the Emmy awards - the people and shows I think should win are rarely even nominated).

This isn't to say the other characters in the show aren't worth recognition. It IS a really good program and the other cast members are really good - Bridget Moynahan, Jennifer Esposito, Amy Carlson, and all the rest of them.
`

"Last Resort" - " Beauty & the Beast" - "Elementary"

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And continuing with my reviews of new shows --

"Last Resort" - A nuclear-carrying submarine, the Colorado, picks up six SEALS that were on a mission in Pakistan, then receive orders to send a missile into the country, but the order comes from Antarctica -  a secondary site when Washington DC/ the Pentagon is gone. They refuse and are attacked by another American submarine. The Colorado takes over a NATO listening-post island and so the drama goes on.

I have to say I really like this show - a lots of drama, action, and the inevitable good looking women. The only trouble I see is how could this premise continue for a full  season, or two or three. It would make a great movie, but longer than that, I don't know.

And I read that the ratings aren't so good, so this may not last a full season.


"Beauty and the Beast" - I really wanted to like this show, mainly because it stars Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang on "Smallville"), who I think is absolutely gorgeous!!!  But I admit, after three episodes, I still find it hard to see her as a 'hard-nosed' detective. Although she does kick ass (much like Kristin did when she played Chun-Li), but the Beast, Vincent, has to save her at least once during the show.

Also, the stories just haven't been that compelling, I've found it hard to stay interested. And that's a shame - I like Kristin and want to watch something she's in that is good.


"Elementary" - This is a modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes, with Lucy Liu playing Dr. Watson. And I like this show, mostly. It's a lot like "The Mentalist" - not much action, but more investigative. And like "The Mentalist", it's taking me time to get used to the type of show. But if it weren't for Lucy Liu, I'm not sure if I'd be watching.

I never really paid that much attention to Lucy until she showed up on the police drama "Southland", in which she played a really good part really well. But in "Elementary" I wish she had even more air time, and not just with Sherlock.

Apparently enough  people have been watching because it has been given the go-ahead for a full season.
`

"Arrow" - "Revolution" - "Chicago Fire"

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There have been quite a few new TV shows that I've been watching; some good, some not so much. So in the next few blogs I"m going to review them in no particular order, starting with --

"Arrow" - About Green Arrow, although in the show he's just called Arrow. And this is pretty good so far. Got some good looking women it it, always a plus. And the stories are pretty good. Arrow isn't the goody-goody that Batman is - he doesn't mind killing the bad guys (using, of course, a well-placed arrow).

I understand this has been given a green light for a full season. So unless it gets terrible, I will continue to watch it.


"Revolution" - The power has gone out all over the planet for some mysterious reason, and the story picks up 15 years later. So far the stories have been interesting. But I wonder why everyone is wearing nearly new clothes and always seem to be so clean (and the women still use makeup, and shave their underarms and legs).  There are some good characters, and the women in the show are all attractive (I guess all the plain/ugly ones died off).

This also will go for a full season.


"Chicago Fire" - About...Chicago firemen (DUH!).  The actions scenes at the fires and other happenings that require Fire and Rescue are very good. Lots of danger and good effects. But when things are calm and the stories go to the lives and dramas of the men and women, well, it's pretty much the same thing as other shows - the guy who needs pain-killing drugs, the on again/off again relationships, etc., etc. And, as usual, all the women on the show are very easy on the eyes

I hear that this show hasn't generated the audience wanted and it is in danger of being canceled.
`

Sunday, September 16, 2012

They Did It AGAIN!!

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And so, once again, the goddamned TV execs have decided to program Monday nights with too many conflicting shows. Why the hell can't they spread them out during the week?

What I am talking about:

* 8 p.m. --
Bones
Switched at Birth
Alphas

*9 p.m. --
Major Crimes
Warehouse 13

*10 p.m.
Revolution
Alphas (rerun)

Of course I can watch them On Demand later (except Switched), but it just pisses me off because there is NOTHING on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights that I want to watch, so why load up Monday nights?

I think they do this to me on purpose...

...or maybe not.
`

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Leslie Bibb - Again!


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I think this may be the third time I've had an entry about Leslie, but that's okay, she's gorgeous.

Sometime either this year or in 2011, Allure magazine had a few nude photos of some stars (none like you'd find in 'Playboy' ), and one of them was this photo of Leslie.

And I have to say, as far as I'm concerned, Leslie has as close to the perfect ass as is possible (a color photo would have been even better!).

I find nothing sexy or erotic in skinny flat asses that most models have. I like them round from the back and round from the side. And delicious Leslie fulfills both requirements.

I don't know who is making love to her, but I am surely jealous!
`

Sunday, August 19, 2012

The Bourne Legacy


'
Went to see the latest Bourne movie - "The Bourne Legacy."

I hate to say it, but it wasn't nearly as good as I expected. It moved rather slowly during the first half of the movie - setting up for the big finish. And it was almost boring.

The new guy was Aaron Cross, and in the first part of the movie we see him crossing icy streams and mountains in Alaska, with no explanation of why until later.

Interspersed with that we see scenes of people in charge of the Treadstone Project and Operation Blackbriar worried to death about being exposed.
(I suggest you rewatch "The Bourne Ultimatum" - the previous movie, to understand what the hell is going on.)

And it's all kind of tedious.



But the movie picks up when the beautiful Rachel Weisz shows up and "they" try to kill her, with Cross coming to her rescue seemingly out of nowhere.

There is an exciting motorcycle chase with Cross and Dr. Marta Shearing (Rachel) being chased by Manila cops and being hunted by an assassin sent by "them" at the same time.

Of course Cross and Marta get away.
(SPOILER ALERT! Whoops, too late!).

If there had been more action during the first half of the movie it would have been SO MUCH better. As it is I can only give it 5 out of 10 stars. And I'm glad I only paid $5 to see it.

I have the first three Bourne movies on DVD, but I very seriously doubt if I'll buy this one when it comes out.
'

Sunday, August 12, 2012

"Total Recall" # 2

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Went to see the remake of "Total Recall" and I LIKED IT!!

Once the hero went in to Rekall, the action began, and was almost nonstop. Lot's of excitement while he was being chased by his "wife" and other cops, both human and robotic. The story is similar to the original, with a few changes. For one, Quaid never ends up on Mars. The only inhabitable places on Earth are the United Federation of Britain and The Colony (Australia). And the only way to get from one to the other is via a gravity elevator that travels through the Earth's core.

Even when things slowed down the movie was good. The effects were of course excellent and the locations were interesting.

The robotic cops/army looked a lot like the Star Wars storm troopers with elements of Cylons. The city has lots of floating buildings for all the people to have someplace to live.

{For a more comprehensive synopsis click on the link.}

The stars of the movie are Colin Farrell as Quaid, the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale as his "wife" Lori, and the equally gorgeous Jessical Biel as his real love, Melina.

I rate this move a 9 out of 10! And I'll definitely buy the DVD when it comes out (new if it isn't too expensive; used if it is).

Sunday, August 5, 2012

"The Dark Knight Rises"

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Went to see the newest Batman movie. And it was't bad (meaning it was good; not great, but worth the $5 I spent for the matinee. Doubt if I'd pay $10 to see it. I could have paid $9.50 for the 3-D IMAX viewing, but didn't).

It ran over two hours, and they went by pretty fast. The action was pretty good, and even the slow part were interesting. I think I like Christian Bale as Batman over the others (Michael Keaton, George Clooney or Val Kilmer). But maybe it's just because it's the last one I've seen.

The regulars were there - Michael Caine (Alfred) and Morgan Freeman (Fox), and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). And they all were good. (Have you ever seen a movie when Morgan Freeman wasn't?)


Of course the newest addition was Cat Woman played by Anne Hathaway. I like Anne, she's pretty and she always does a good to excellent job in her roles. And she played Cat Woman as you would expect - self-serving until it was crunch time.

But, saying all that, I'm not sure if I would pay full price for the DVD. I've never been a big Batman fan. Maybe I just like my heroes with super powers.

I rate this a 7 out of 10.
`



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Captain America

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Watched the DVD of Captain America. And it was pretty much what I thought it would be - okay, not great, almost good.

Took place during WWII, fighting Germans and their super weapons and the guy with the red head.

I suppose it should have impressed me more, but for some reason, it didn't. The action scenes were good, but it took almost an hour (it seemed) before the action started.

The best thing about the movie was Capt. Am's "girlfriend" Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, who I never heard of before the movie.
(Her photos on IMDb are here - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2017943/mediaindex )

The end was pretty good. But I won't say what it was in case you haven't see the movie yet.

I'd rate this 5 out of 10.
`

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Spider-man 4 (aka "The Amazing Spider-man")

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Went to see the new Spider-man movie today (since PP is in high school, shouldn't it be Spider-boy?).

I actually liked it more than I thought I would. The action scenes were good. The lizard guy was a pretty tough opponent. The guy playing Spider-man did a better job than I anticipated. And I liked Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone, in photo) as much as I did Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst).

The story was pretty much the same as the first one with Tobey Maguire - PP is bitten by a genetically modified (not a radioactive) spider. He makes a fool of some mean kid at school. Uncle Ben is shot dead because of something Parker didn't do.

But from there the story went into the reason Parker was living with his Aunt May and Uncle Ben rather than his parents.

One thing I didn't care for, although it followed the comic book. In the one with Maguire, he was able to produce the web from nipples on his wrists that were modified to produce and shoot out the spider silk. In this movie, Parker used devices strapped to his wrists to produce the web.

This was the first time I've seen Emma Stone in anything. And she was very good in the role of Gwen Stacy (come on now - just how many girls/women do you know named 'Gwen'?). But I found it hard to believe that a gorgeous woman like her would fall for some guy as ugly as Peter Parker (don't know the actor's name; never saw him before).

One more thing: In one of the previews there is a clip with Gwen telling Peter that her dad has a hundred cops looking for him. And Peter asks isn't that excessive, or something like that.

That wasn't in the movie. So I guess it got cut. I know I didn't miss it because I was waiting / looking for it.

Overall I would rate this an 8 out of 10.

And when the DVD comes out I'll buy it.
`

Friday, July 13, 2012

Pecan, Pecan, or Pecan

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Another episode of Who-Pronounces-What-How
(well, actually only the second one).

I live in north Florida, and everyone I know (parents, siblings, friends) pronounce "pecan" as PEE- CAHN (accent on the first syllable, broad 'a' in the second).

But when I hear it pronounced PEE - CAN (accent on the first syllable, short 'a' in the second) I think of Georgia or Alabama Rednecks.

And when I hear it pronounced P'CAHN I think of anybody not from the South.

That's all.
`

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Slogging Through Stargate: SG-1

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I've just about finished the first season of SG-1, and so far, I haven't been blown away. The episodes have been pretty good, some of them really interesting, but they have been basically Stargate-planet-of-the-week stories.

I'm still waiting for that feeling that I can't wait for the next episode. I felt pretty much the same way while watching the "Fringe" DVDs. The first season was like that until they started the continuing story of the alternative universe and the almost identical characters over there.

So I'm hoping that there will be some kind of cliffhanger at the end of Season 1 that will make me want to immediately plug in the first disk of Season 2.

I'll keep you posted.
`

Sunday, June 17, 2012

"Snow White and the Huntsman"

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Went to see the movie yesterday. Thought I was paying for the 3D version, paid extra $2.50. But instead it was just "digitally enhanced for better viewing." That was crap. All it was, was louder.

The movie wasn't bad. Not quite as good as I expected, but I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Not as good as "Thor" or "The Avengers" - all three had Chris Hemsworth in them. (Yes, I have a 'man crush' on Chris.)

Kristen Stewart was pretty good as Snow White, once you got past the Walt Disney idealized version of the clean and helpless Snow White. This is the first time I've seen her in anything, although I do know who she is.

Charlize Theron was very good as Ravenna, the evil queen/Snow's stepmother.

The "dwarfs" had names like Muir, Gort, Nion, and Quert. One got killed so there were only six for the assault on the queen's castle.

And there was the triangle of Snow, William (her childhood friend) and the Huntsman -- who would she choose in the end?

I think I would have rather saved the $7.50 and waited for the DVD to come out.

This isn't to say you shouldn't go see it. The effects were good, and the story wasn't bad. Maybe if I were in my teens or twenties I would have liked it better.
'

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Stargate SG-1

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I recently bought the 10-season set of Stargate SG-1. I never watched the series until the last season when Claudia Black (the fabulous Aeryn Suun of Farscape) joined the cast. But since it was on for so many years, I figured it had to be a great show. (Plus, the set was offered from Amazon.com for about fifty bucks.)

The pilot episode referenced back to the original movie (which I have on DVD). Some of the things mentioned I had to think about to remember. And it was pretty good as pilots go. All the characters were introduced and the premise of the series was shown.

The first episode took up where the minor cliffhanger of the pilot ended. And you pretty much knew what had to happen. Unfortunately, the second episode was kind of disappointing. It reminded me too much of some of the Stargate Atlantis eps (which I watched in reruns) -- the team went to a new planet where the culture was different, and there were problems with Samantha Carter (Amanda Tapping) being captured and having to be rescued.

And I really hope the rest of the shows are better than that one.

A few extra comments: In the pilot episode the bad guys were capturing women to breed. One of the women (Daniel Jackson's wife) was captured, then had her clothes ripped off and she was standing there naked from head to toe - full frontal nudity. But since the show first aired on Showtime I guess they could do that.

A lot of people on the sci-fi newsgroup (now Sy-Fy) mentioned their deep admiration for Amanda Tapping, but I couldn't see it. She has a show called 'Sanctuary' which I never watched until the DVDs were loaned to me. And this Amanda (older, long dark hair) is pretty interesting. But compared to the younger, blond Amanda, not much going on. Maybe she will grow on me.
`

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Thor Versus Everybody Else (almost)

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My last entry was about 'The Avengers' movie and how Thor was weakened so he couldn't be too super compared to the others. But one Marvel Comics hero was left out - Spiderman (or Spider-Man or Spider Man).

Not much Spidey could do against Thor. About his only offensive move would be to zap spidey silk to cover Thor's eyes, which he could easily pull off. Maybe Spidey is agile enough to avoid Thor's hammer, and maybe even a lightning bolt or two, but eventually he would go down.

But there are more superheroes around - the ones in the DC comics world (in alphabetical order) - Aquaman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Superman and Wonder Woman.

There are probably more, lesser heroes, but these are the ones I grew up with.

Batman and Green Arrow we can eliminate right off. Neither have super powers and would be virtually helpless against Thor.

Aquaman doesn't have enough stuff to throw against Thor. One good lighting strike from his hammer and there would be the world's largest fish fry.

Wonder Woman's biggest advantage, her Magic Lasso, wouldn't be nearly magic enough to stand against Thor.

With his super speed, Flash could probably last pretty long, but being that's his only weapon, eventually he would go down.

Green Lantern would be an interesting foe. His major offense/defense would be his mind's ability to withstand an assault from Thor, whether against Thor's strength, or his hammer's two attack modes - the obvious lightning strike (being that sometimes lightning appears yellow - would it be able to penetrate any shield GL could conjure up?), and its tremendous mass/weight/enertia. (According to Odin in the original "Thor" movie, Mjolnir was forged in the heart of a dying sun.) So, I think eventually GL would be defeated.

And that leaves us with Superman versus Thor. And I have to say I believe Superman would come out on top. He certainly could withstand any lightning bolt Thor could throw at him. I know he would have no problem catching the hammer if it was thrown at him, since his strength is so much more than the god of thunder's.

And even using Mjolnir to fly, Thor could never fly as fast as Superman.

So, Superman against Thor --
Superman wins.
`

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Thor is The MAN!

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After watching "The Avengers" last Saturday (May 19th), and thinking about it this past week, I've come to the conclusion that Thor was somewhat emasculated so he wouldn't seem to be too powerful compared to the the others.

But first let's look at the other members of the The Avengers:

Okay, Black Widow and Hawkeye can be eliminated right off the bat since they have no super powers.

Captain America's only real "power" is in his shield, which I will come back to.

Ironman's power is in his suit and his ability to fly and destroy things with it.

The Hulk is really the only "super hero" whose powers can come close to Thor's. Hulk's strength, his virtual invulnerability, and his ability to "leap tall buildings in a single bound" are his only tools.

Thor's powers include almost total invulnerability, his strength, and of course, Mjolnir, his hammer. With the hammer, Thor can bring down lightning, then direct it wherever he wants.

(A single lightning bolt can travel up to 140,000 mph, with a temperature approaching 54,000° F., with an output of about a trillion watts! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning#Properties ).

He can spin it around until it has the momentum to let him fly. And it goes wherever he throws it, it never misses, and it will come back to him. (Norse mythology says it can cause mountains to crumble.)

In the movie, he did all of that - he directed lightning to strike Ironman (with less damage than there should have been). And he used it to knock Ironman back a few dozen yards, or more. He also grabbed Ironman's armored arm and began to crush it, proving his superior strength.

He also caught Hulk's fist and stopped the punch, so that proves he is stronger than Hulk. In fact, all he would have to do is lay the hammer down on Hulk's chest (as he did with Loki in the "Thor" movie) and Hulk would be helpless to get up: when Hulk tried to pick up Thor's hammer, his feet began to break through the steel decking of the aircraft carrier they were on.

Early in the movie, Thor slammed his hammer down on Capt. America's shield and the result was a tremendous shock wave that felled dozens of trees, if not more, all around them. But neither Thor nor Capt. America seemed fazed.

But even if somehow the shield was able to withstand the tremendous crash of Mjolnir , and not break apart or be crushed, the force of the blow should have driven Capt. America deep, deep into the ground, and should have killed him.

Is Thor really that much stronger than Hulk?
Is there magic involved in Thor being able to wield Mjolnir so easily?
Or is Thor's magic the result of Asgard's technological advances, and it only seems like magic to us?

But like I said at the beginning - Thor couldn't be seen as TOO super-powered, otherwise the movie would have to be called "Thor and the Avengers."
`

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Joss Whedon's "The Avengers"

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Went to see the movie today, in 3D. and while it wasn't as good as 'Avatar' it was still pretty damned good. It lasted almost two and half hours, but it moved along and it didn't seem that long.

Thor is my fave, even more so than Iron Man or the Hulk. And there were a few times when he should have been stronger, and his hammer (named Mjolnir, but never called that in the movie; wasn't called anything) should have done more damage, but I guess he couldn't be completely overwhelming.

For example, in the beginning he, Iron Man and Capt America were testing each other (fighting). And a couple of times Thor used his hammer . Once he used it to call down lightning and hit Iron Man with a few million or billion volts, and it stunned him, but didn't put him out of action.

Then he slammed it down on Capt America's shield, and it just caused a huge shock wave that decimated some of the forest they were in. Even if the shield was able to withstand the impact, the force should have driven Capt America a half mile into the ground.

I say that because later on in the movie the Hulk, as strong as he is, couldn't pick up the hammer. When he tried, his feet started breaking through the steel deck of the aircraft carrier he was standing on. Hulk did throw Thor around some, but of course there was no serious damage.

Not sure if I'll go back to see it a second time as I did 'Avatar,' but I'll definitely get the DVD when it comes out.

Just as an added thought, since 'The Avengers' has made over a billion dollars so far, I wonder how much of that goes into Joss' pocket.
`

Friday, April 20, 2012

Vampires and Vampirism

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I was a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan (still am) and sometimes on the newsgroups or other sites there have been speculation about the creation of vampires, and this is my pseudoscientific explanation.

(Okay, for some reason, when some people see the word 'pseudoscietific' they seem to think it means 'kind of scientific' and therefore - is real, legitimate science. But 'pseudo' means "false."
Pseudoscience is false science!)

Vampirism is caused by a virus, and for a lack of a better name, I call it the 'vampovirus'. These vampoviruses are very weak and are easily killed by the white blood cells we have coursing through our veins.

Most of the time a vampire sucks out enough blood to satisfy his hunger, which also kills the person, but any vampoviruses he leaves behind are easily killed by the white cells.

But what if he/she happens to suck out so much blood that there aren't enough white cells to kill the invading vampoviruses? Three of four days later the vampoviruses have reproduced enough of themselves that a new vampire is created (and that is why so many of them have to dig themselves out of their graves).

But - when vampires DO want to sire someone, they suck out most of the blood, then they let the person drink some of their blood in order to flood the body with vampoviruses (but not knowing about vampoviruses, they don't know why it works, just that it does).

And when they do, there are now more vampoviruses flooding the body than the white cells can kill. And in just a few hours -- another vampire.
`

Friday, March 23, 2012

Rick Santorum and Birth Control

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I recently heard that Rick Santorum wanted to do away with all birth control / contraception.

(There are no links here to his specific statements, but you only have to Google "Santorum birth control" to see for yourself.)

So, if that is the case, then he MUST be an advocate for abortion:

People are going to have sex, there is no way they won't (and even HE must realize this). And without birth control, eventually most women will get pregnant whether they want to or not. And those that don't want to be pregnant for whatever reason (economic, rape, incest, etc.) will get an abortion, legal or illegal.

So, repeating the third paragraph, if Rick Santorum is so against birth control, then he HAS to be advocating abortion!
`

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Daylight Savings Time

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Well, once again we are subjected to setting our clocks ahead one hour.

I don't like it, and it's not so bad.

What I hate the most is that it's now dark when I drive to work (around 6:30) and it it SO hard to see the kids walking to the bus stops to wait for the school buses to come. It just doesn't make sense to start DST so early!

But I guess having the extra hour of daylight in the afternoon isn't so bad. But I don't see how that saves us energy. In the summer it is hotter and people are turning on the AC later in the day and having to run them later in the evening.

Also - we have lawn-watering restrictions. And we are told not to water between 10 am and 4 pm because that is the hottest time of day. but when we move the clocks ahead one hour that means the hottest time of day is now between 11 am and 5 pm. But they never say to change the time to water the grass!

And one more thing - "they" say when we change the time we lose an hour of sleep, which is WRONG (even you move your clock ahead before you go to sleep then get up at the same time you will still get the same number of hours of sleep).

Let's say you always go to bed at 10 pm and get up at 6 am, which means you sleep 8 hours and are awake for 16. So now you go to bed at 10 pm, get up at 6 and then set your clocks ahead one hour to 7, but you still go to bed at 10 pm that night.
You are now awake for 15 hours, so you have lost one hour of being awake, not an hour of sleep. (Of course just the opposite happens when you change back to EST in October - you add one hour of awake time.)

The only way you would lose an hour's sleep is if you went to sleep at the same time you always do, your alarm clock reset itself from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., and your alarm went off at its normal time.

But in case you are wondering why you feel so groggy despite all of the above, you are STILL getting up an hour earlier than you normally do.
`

Sunday, February 26, 2012

How to Control Gasoline Prices

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I keep hearing about how the oil speculators cause the prices of oil/gasoline to go up or down, but the way I see it, the oil companies (Exxon, Shell, BP, Chevron, etc.) are the ones who pump out the oil, refine it, and deliver it to retailers, so THEY are the ones who control the price of gas.

So -- if the government REALLY wants to help the consumers they should tell these oil companies that they will immediately cut the price of gasoline delivered to retailers by at least $1 per gallon. And if they don't then they will be fined $1,000,000 PER DAY.

And if, after 30 days they haven't complied, then all the executives of these companies - the presidents, all the VPs, the CEOs, the CFOs, the COOs and all board members will be arrested and will stay in jail, and the fines will increase to $2,000,000 per day, until they do.

Also -- if the retailers don't follow suit and decrease their prices by the same amount, they will be fined $1,000 per day for 30 days, then the owners will be arrested and the fine will increase to $10,000 per day until THEY do.

So what if the oil companies don't make the $38,000,000,000 in profits like they did in 2011? I don't think they will suffer (and I'm quite sure the execs can afford the gas prices they jack up).
`

Monday, February 13, 2012

Rest in Eternal Peace, Beautiful Whitney!



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Saturday we got the horrific news that Whitney Houston was found dead in a bathtub in a hotel room. And the rumors are saying that she died of an alcohol and Xanax overdose. Which may or may not be true, but as far as I'm concerned she started dying the day she hooked up with Bobby Brown!

To my knowledge, there were NEVER any reports of her having problems with drugs and alcohol until they got together.

I've been told that she should have been more responsible for her life, but when you're around drugs 24-7-52, and the one who is supposed to love and protect you feeds the shit to you, it's virtually impossible not to indulge.

And as far as I'm concerned, the only good thing that came out of their relationship was her daughter, Bobbi.

Whitney was a beautiful person, with an amazing voice. And it's a god damned shame she died so needlessly, and so young!!
`

Saturday, February 11, 2012

42" Sanyo Plasma TV - Part 2

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So far I've mostly gotten used to my new TV, but I was having problems with some of the video connections (I found out that Video Input #3 has to have 5 [ FIVE! ] video jacks plugged in so there would be more than just a grainy black and white picture).

So, while talking to the Sanyo tech, I was complaining about the sorry quality of the speakers, and he agreed that with such small speakers, sound quality suffered.

So why in the hell are there so many settings? -- Standard, Dynamic, Mild, Auto, and Manual. And in the Manual setup you have bass, treble, dynamic bass, and four equalizer frequencies. That's crazy!

There should be jacks not only to plug into a home theater system, but for external speakers as well.

But there aren't.
`

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

42" Sanyo Plasma TV

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I finally broke down and bought a big screen TV even though my 10 year old Sharp 27" TV still had a great picture. But Wal-Mart had it on sale for $398, and I figured that was the cheapest one I could find without going to a pawn shop. I see where all plasmas are getting cheaper all the time; trying to get rid of the inventory no doubt.

And for the most part, I'm pretty happy with it so far. But there are a few things I'm not real crazy about.

The speakers don't seem to be very good. No matter how I adjust them, or go with the default settings, they just don't sound -- great. I would think that they would sound excellent, but they don't. Maybe Sanyo figured that whoever bought the TV would have a home theater system and wouldn't be using the built in speakers. I do have a HTS (but the middle speaker does't work anymore, and it's not the speaker itself, the system is just old). And it sounds good, but I don't want to use it all of the time.

Another thing I've noticed, which no one bothered to tell me, is that depending on the channel I'm watching, the picture quality varies from very good to kind of bad. The local channels seem to have very intense color saturation and it seems like there is just too much yellow. But if I adjust the color for those three stations, the others suffer.

One big selling point for plasma TVs is that the blacks are very black, which they are. But the whites are light gray, especially when most of the screen is white. I'm still tweaking the color balance, so maybe more blue and less green might help.

And I've noticed that some movies take up 75% to 80% of the screen, top to bottom, and some only 50%. All are 100% side to side.

But all in all, so far I guess I'm pretty happy with it. I really wanted an LCD or LED TV, but for the price I'm sure once I get used to it, it will be fine.
`

Saturday, January 21, 2012

PIPA and SOPA

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I suppose that anyone who has access to the internet knows that PIPA (the Protect Intellectual Property Act) and SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) have been put on the back burners in Congress for now.

I have never downloaded movies from the internet.

I did download the series finale of JAG (way back in 2005) from bit torrent because I forgot it was on and missed it, and wanted to see it. But I have never shared the episode with anyone, mainly because I didn't know anybody who would want to see it. I guess it's still on my computer somewhere, or maybe on one of my backup HDs.

I have downloaded songs back when Napster, Kazaa and Limewire were up and running. Some of them were songs I remember growing up with, but had no idea where to get them.

But most of the songs I got were the ones I had already bought and paid for - 45s and albums. And the reason I did that was to get clean versions of them to burn to CDs for my personal use.

Since the records were so old (some dating back to the 60s) the sound quality was just too bad to be able to clean up even with software designed to get the pops, clicks and hisses out of them (FYI, Audacity, a freeware program, is great for editing music files - click on the title to go to the Audacity site). And since I already paid for the songs, I didn't see where it would hurt anything to download copies that were digitally "perfect."

I do realize that downloading and sharing songs, movies, computer programs, etc., is a problem for the programmers, artists, actors, and record/TV/movie companies, since they are losing so much money. And I wish I had a solution that would make everybody happy (which I doubt there is one).

Maybe some kind of legislation is the answer, but it will have to be worded VERY carefully so that there will be no trampling on the rights of the legitimate sites that post music, movies, computer programs and original material.
~

Saturday, January 14, 2012

"Billy Jack" the Movie

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Just got around to watching the "Billy Jack" movie I got from my sister for Christmas.

I remember going to the movies to see it sometime in the early 70s (it was first released in 1971 but bombed. It did much better on its re-release in 1973). This was the second movie with Tom Laughlin in the role of Billy Jack. The first movie was called "Born Losers" and Billy Jack was going up against a motorcycle gang led by a friend he grew up with. (And BTW, those gang members would be eaten alive by today's Hell's Angels or Outlaws!)

Watching it tonight was from two different perspectives:

The first was remembering the times, and the attitudes in the late 60s/early 70s about hippies, free love, pot, the Viet Nam war, and the injustice and inequality regarding the different races ("Billy Jack" was about Native Americans and other races on an Indian reservation school).

The second perspective was watching it with today's attitudes, feelings, ideas, etc. Which have certainly changed since then.

The first time I saw the movie I thought it was absolutely great. I talked my brother into going. He didn't want to at first - he had just returned from Viet Nam and didn't know what the story was really about, other than from the previews showing Billy Jack kicking ass. But after the first time, he/we had to go back and see it again.

But after watching it this time, I realized not only how cheesy and corny the dialog was, and what bad actors some of the cast members were, but how inflammatory and biased the movie really was. It pushed every button it could about how bigoted most white men (and women) were when it came to accepting the new and different ideas, concepts, beliefs and lifestyles of the younger generation.

But looking at it from the 1960s/1970s perspective, it was pretty accurate about The Establishment and The Man. (If you don't know what that means, ask your grandparents.)

Was it a good movie? Not really, from an acting/dialog/editing point of view.

Was it an important movie? For the 70s, trying to expose the injustice and inequality of the white established authority, and the attitudes of the older generation, then I'd have to say yes. (Not that it showed anything that people didn't already know.)

There were a few familiar faces, but the only one I can put a name to is Howard Hessman (Johnny Fever on the old "WKRP" series, "Head of the Class" and tons of guest-starring roles). Don't recall ever seeing any of the younger cast members in anything else.
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

"Sorry for your loss."

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It seems like every TV show that has somebody being killed also has somebody, usually a cop or a doctor, saying to the bereaved, "Sorry for your loss."

Maybe it's supposed to give some measure of comfort, but it has gotten SO clichéd that it's like hearing 'Have a nice day" -- it's so over used it no longer has any real meaning.

I don't know if cops and doctors in real life actually say that, but if somebody I knew died, and if somebody said that to me, I think I'd tell him or her to 'take your phony-sounding sympathy and shove it up your ass.'

That's all.
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Friday, January 6, 2012

Do not, "Not" NOT rent a car from Enterprise!!!

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Last week my daughter went to Enterprise to rent a car for the week to go south to visit a friend. She wanted a compact - cheap on gas. Instead, she got a V-8 Mercury Marquis, a gas guzzler. She couldn't wait for another car so she took this one.

You know how they fill the tank and tell you to bring it back full or they will charge an outrageous price for gas? Well this one was just below 1/4 full, so it cost her over $40 to fill the tank before she could leave for her trip.

She got to her destination, and two days later, on a Sunday, a heater hose broke, and the only place open, and close enough to fix it, charged her almost $100.

And as she was waiting, she was looking over the contract, she found they were charging her about $17 per day for insurance she specifically told then she DIDN'T want!

And because she didn't think to call the 800 number for Enterprise (the office was closed on Sunday) they refused to reimburse her for the cost of the heater hose.

And so, I repeat --


DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, RENT A CAR FROM ENTERPRISE!!!!
~

Sunday, January 1, 2012

New Year's Day 2012

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Well, it's a NEW YEAR ... and as far as I can tell -- nothing much has changed.

I will have to get out my check book and deposit slips and write 2012 on the date line because I always forget if I don't.

2011 wasn't so great, work-wise, but it was better than 2010. I'm in construction, and it slowly seems to be getting better, but it would be even better if I could get 52 forty-hour paychecks, something I haven't done since 2008. I lost about $10,000 in pay in 2009 compared to 2008. If I'd had a family to support I would have been in deep d00.

But I guess I should be grateful I even have a job. My sister was out of work almost a year, and she was able to collect unemployment checks. So she and her husband were able to get by, but they had no health insurance (he owns his own business and his work was down and they couldn't afford to self-insure themselves).

But I guess I should be grateful I even have a job.

Maybe 2012 will be better (at least until Doomsday arrives on Dec 21).
~