This is a video of me warming up at home, when I had a much longer beard. Enjoy.
Just Kidding. It's Zakk Wylde.
Aug 8, 2006
Aug 7, 2006
Morning Trivia
1. What comment begins and ends the series Seinfeld?
2. Name six movies by the Coen Brothers starring either John Goodman or John Turturro.
3. What was Johnny Depp's first movie role?
4. Who originally turned down the role of Indiana Jones? For bonus points, what did he turn it down for?
2. Name six movies by the Coen Brothers starring either John Goodman or John Turturro.
3. What was Johnny Depp's first movie role?
4. Who originally turned down the role of Indiana Jones? For bonus points, what did he turn it down for?
Aug 6, 2006
Sean Connery in a Japanese Yogurt Ad
I don't want the blog to just resort to a bunch of videos, but I thought this had to be seen to believed. Stars do a lot of ads overseas to, I don't know, make a mortgage payment. I won't post a lot of ads like this, but Sean Connery with a Japanime bunny is pretty funny, if I do say so myself.
Tom Cruise Can't Afford to be a Nutjob Anymore
The New York Times is reporting this morning that Tom Cruise's thirteen-year deal with Paramount was allowed to lapse, mostly because he refuses to take a pay cut.
On the heels of a few failures, Cruise is just going to have to face facts that he is not the draw he once was. He might still be that draw had he not become such a major-league weirdo in the media over the last few years.
Being a religious star is one thing - Johnny Cash was religious - but being an antagonistic know-it-all prick is quite another, and now Tom Cruise is finally paying the price (pun not intended).
Cruise fans fears that, unless the hardworking actor learns some humility, an illustrious career which has matured from the cocky boy of Risky Business and Top Gun to more naunced performances in The Last Samurai and Collateral may burn out. “Right now,” said an insider close to the negotiations, “he is simply too expensive to employ.”
On the heels of a few failures, Cruise is just going to have to face facts that he is not the draw he once was. He might still be that draw had he not become such a major-league weirdo in the media over the last few years.
Being a religious star is one thing - Johnny Cash was religious - but being an antagonistic know-it-all prick is quite another, and now Tom Cruise is finally paying the price (pun not intended).
Robot Chicken...with a Message?
This Robot Chicken video is about as political as I want to get today. It seems ludicrous, but it has a message. Sort of.
It came out during the NSA wire-tapping scandal, so you should notice the small nod to it in the beginning. I'd hate to call it "satire" but it makes a good case. For what?
TERRORISM
It came out during the NSA wire-tapping scandal, so you should notice the small nod to it in the beginning. I'd hate to call it "satire" but it makes a good case. For what?
TERRORISM
Newest Georgia Suspensions Are Disturbing
According to an ESPN.com article, several noted players from the Bulldawgs roster will be missing during the first game(s) of the season.
Thomas Flowers, a junior cornerback, is the latest of the players who are going to be M.I.A. against Western Kentucky and Steve Spurrier-led South Carolina.
According to the article, senior offensive tackle Daniel Inman has been suspended for those two games as well. To read about the other suspensions, visit ESPN.com.
Thomas Flowers, a junior cornerback, is the latest of the players who are going to be M.I.A. against Western Kentucky and Steve Spurrier-led South Carolina.
According to the article, senior offensive tackle Daniel Inman has been suspended for those two games as well. To read about the other suspensions, visit ESPN.com.
Aug 4, 2006
Don't Tell Me What to Say
I'm a fairly big supporter of First Amendment Rights - I know you're excited at the sight of this - and I hate when people try to "backwards-justify" their moral or religious beliefs by scorning people who believe differently than they do.
For example, I say a lot of bad words in my day-to-day life. What can I say? I like the language of the streets*.
What I'm getting to is my dislike of people who say that bad language is the result of poor education or lack of vocabulary. The argument is always framed as though the person who uses profanity is the imbecile, muttering under his breath because he doesn't have the intellect to articulate himself properly.
I thought about that today and had a very light-bulb-over-the-head sort of moment. Aha! All of the people who have ever cited me for bad language were the ones without very many words! Vocabulary, indeed.
It was a revelation bordering on epiphany.
I've always felt like the idiot, musing over why I had to use such "filthy language." But, in fact, I have a pretty extensive vocabulary and it includes the seven dirty words and meekrob.
Obviously, not all people who use the seven dirty words are brilliant, so it doesn't completely overturn the old saying, but at least I am an exception to a pesteringly snide rule. It's always religious people who correct you, telling you can't say this or that because it's impolite or God doesn't like it.
The most ironic thing about it is that these people pretend like God can tell the difference between damn and darn (or dang, or doodlesticks, or even oh man), as if they're beating the system by changing the word around a little. Regardless of the actual wording, the context is still there, people. It's ridiculous. The same God who built the heavens and the earth, the sky and Winona Ryder, isn't smart enough to understand the intricacies of semantics. Wow. Like, "Timmy, you were such a good Christian for saying fiddlesticks instead of Damn. You get to go to heaven."
Okay, I believe in God and I give him/her/it a little more credit than that. I hope he can understand that no differece exists in all of these cutesy sounds we use to express anger/joy/fear/just plain wonderment. Otherwise, we're all in a lot of trouble.
Or, none, I guess, if we can just find small kinks in every facet of the system.
* Not the British rap guy
For example, I say a lot of bad words in my day-to-day life. What can I say? I like the language of the streets*.
What I'm getting to is my dislike of people who say that bad language is the result of poor education or lack of vocabulary. The argument is always framed as though the person who uses profanity is the imbecile, muttering under his breath because he doesn't have the intellect to articulate himself properly.
I thought about that today and had a very light-bulb-over-the-head sort of moment. Aha! All of the people who have ever cited me for bad language were the ones without very many words! Vocabulary, indeed.
It was a revelation bordering on epiphany.
I've always felt like the idiot, musing over why I had to use such "filthy language." But, in fact, I have a pretty extensive vocabulary and it includes the seven dirty words and meekrob.
Obviously, not all people who use the seven dirty words are brilliant, so it doesn't completely overturn the old saying, but at least I am an exception to a pesteringly snide rule. It's always religious people who correct you, telling you can't say this or that because it's impolite or God doesn't like it.
The most ironic thing about it is that these people pretend like God can tell the difference between damn and darn (or dang, or doodlesticks, or even oh man), as if they're beating the system by changing the word around a little. Regardless of the actual wording, the context is still there, people. It's ridiculous. The same God who built the heavens and the earth, the sky and Winona Ryder, isn't smart enough to understand the intricacies of semantics. Wow. Like, "Timmy, you were such a good Christian for saying fiddlesticks instead of Damn. You get to go to heaven."
Okay, I believe in God and I give him/her/it a little more credit than that. I hope he can understand that no differece exists in all of these cutesy sounds we use to express anger/joy/fear/just plain wonderment. Otherwise, we're all in a lot of trouble.
Or, none, I guess, if we can just find small kinks in every facet of the system.
* Not the British rap guy
Aug 3, 2006
David Cross on...Carson Daly's Talk Show?
I don't know why watching this makes me feel so awkward. Maybe because it's the most awkward thing on the planet, watching David Cross - if you know him, you know how he feels about "celebrity" - and Carson Daly - does anybody remember him? - talk (sort of).
This is a great little gem from a few years ago, and though I never watched the Carson Daly show, I can now see why it got canceled.
This is a great little gem from a few years ago, and though I never watched the Carson Daly show, I can now see why it got canceled.
Miami Vice Flick Skinny
The Flick Skinny is an utterly sarcastic little cartoon/movie review published in the Flagpole each week. "Clint and Jeremy" do the reviewing, and no studio release is safe from them.
This week's review is Miami Vice
Enjoy.
This week's review is Miami Vice
Enjoy.
Learning a New Lesson with Morgan Spurlock
I finally got around to watching the Muslim episode of Morgan Spurlock's show 30 Days, and I'm glad to say that I learned something. If you watch it, or just a piece of it, I hope you do too.
A Civil War? How unDemocratic!
The New York Times and other venues printed today that Civil War in Iraq looms nearer every day.
General John Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee that "the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war" in the article.
It's a scary prospect for American soldiers as well as Iraqis, because violence will only increase and lead to more deaths. The Armed Forces then will only be caught in the middle of the war, playing an ineffectual peacekeeper to a country already caught in more turmoil than the land - and the people - can handle.
General John Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee that "the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war" in the article.
It's a scary prospect for American soldiers as well as Iraqis, because violence will only increase and lead to more deaths. The Armed Forces then will only be caught in the middle of the war, playing an ineffectual peacekeeper to a country already caught in more turmoil than the land - and the people - can handle.
iPod-Ready Automobiles and Microsoft's Zune
The Washington Post reported today that Apple iPods will be compatible with 70% of the automobiles released by GM, Ford Motors, and Mazda in 2007. It's a move that's probably got Microsoft thinking, "How did we drop the ball on this?"
Well, the Microsoft project to compete with Apple's iTunes and iPod is called Zune, and it will be a behemoth undertaking, costing several hundred millions dollars over the next few years. Sci-Tech-Today's article explores Microsoft's answer to the iPod, which will be released in the U.S. this fall. Zune is meant to be compatible with PC desktops and XBox 360, its newest gaming system and will offer its own music program, most likely in the same vein as iTunes.
Early predictions indicate that the early expectations are low. "This is something that's going to be a three-, four-, five-year investment," Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, said. Zune is predicted to be released in October or earlier.
The iPod already holds 75% of the portable audio market, the Washington Post article states, and with this new move, the device's reach can only get greater. The iPod is like the pet rock of this generation*! Even Jesus has a Nano**!
And the truth is, they're only getting better. Now, more than songs, you can download videos, podcasts, files, tv shows, Metallica songs, this, that, the thing over there. It's getting ridiculous. By the time Microsoft jumps into the water, the Apple monster will have ravaged some other part of the techno-jungle.
As a side note, the title of the Washington Post article reminded me of the South Park episode Trapper Keeper.
*Not Really.
**Not technically blasphemy.
Well, the Microsoft project to compete with Apple's iTunes and iPod is called Zune, and it will be a behemoth undertaking, costing several hundred millions dollars over the next few years. Sci-Tech-Today's article explores Microsoft's answer to the iPod, which will be released in the U.S. this fall. Zune is meant to be compatible with PC desktops and XBox 360, its newest gaming system and will offer its own music program, most likely in the same vein as iTunes.
Early predictions indicate that the early expectations are low. "This is something that's going to be a three-, four-, five-year investment," Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, said. Zune is predicted to be released in October or earlier.
The iPod already holds 75% of the portable audio market, the Washington Post article states, and with this new move, the device's reach can only get greater. The iPod is like the pet rock of this generation*! Even Jesus has a Nano**!
And the truth is, they're only getting better. Now, more than songs, you can download videos, podcasts, files, tv shows, Metallica songs, this, that, the thing over there. It's getting ridiculous. By the time Microsoft jumps into the water, the Apple monster will have ravaged some other part of the techno-jungle.
As a side note, the title of the Washington Post article reminded me of the South Park episode Trapper Keeper.
*Not Really.
**Not technically blasphemy.
Morning After Blues
The post from last night seems a lot more heated than I initially intended, and I don't want to come off as some angry political guy. It's just that sometimes politicians make me so mad I can barely see straight. I get livid, people!
Maybe this will get you back into my good graces.
Maybe this will get you back into my good graces.
Let the Inquisition Begin!
David Brooks called it the Liberal Inquisition.
Have the Democrats finally killed all of the celebrities making leftist people look like bumbling idiots? No? Well, then, it's not that serious.
Is it an Inquisition? No? It's only Americans exercising the right to a democratic process, and since when did that become such a mystery to everyone?
Old Joe Liberman is being challenged in his district, and the race is pretty close between the former Vice-Presidential candidate and a rich boy named Ned Lamont up in Connecticut.
If you haven't been paying attention to the race for Joe Lieberman's seat in Connecticut, then you're no different than anybody else.
But, if on the offhand chance you follow politics, you might be literally on the edge of your seat. You see, it's so rare that dinosaurs in Congress get booted from their seats before retirement that it actually makes news when it happens. That's what all the hub-ub is about.
The blogosphere is behind Lamont, who has the profile of a Republican (rich guy, businessman, etc.) and opposes Lieberman on so many issues that all the news will discuss is the war in Iraq. And - hopefully - it will become the big issue this fall. Lieberman is not a good representative for his party and should be ashamed.
He says that, if defeated, he will run as an independent, further splitting the (D) vote and ensuring a Republican victory. If he's such a party guy - ha! great pun - he should bow out gracefully and let someone else be elected. I'm all for somebody fighting for something he believes in, but Lieberman is just pathetically trying to save face these days.
Oh, and back to what David Brooks wrote.
So be it. Let there be an inquisition. If a new guy running against the old fogey is an inquisition - maybe democracy is ia better word for it - then somebody 'specs it. The Democratic Party is filled with losers, crybabies, ineffectual morons, and people with little to no backbone to speak of. I'm so sick of these people not fighting back that I want to throw up on every single one of them. Democrats are being bullied and, though I don't believe in negative campaigning, the old adage is true: you gotta punch the bully right in the mouth so he'll leave you alone. I'm not necessarily supporting the Democrats here, but don't you agree? It's like watching a boxer beat the living crap out of his opponent because the other guy won't put up his hands. I just want to see a good match here.
Don't act so shocked. I'm not the first person to say these things, but they're true.
Kick all of the bums out of the party so that elections will become competitive again. I don't care one way or the other. I'm just so sick of congressmen feeling like they have some sort of entitlement to office because they've served for twenty years. Hell, I think it's reason enough to kick 'em out!
Have the Democrats finally killed all of the celebrities making leftist people look like bumbling idiots? No? Well, then, it's not that serious.
Is it an Inquisition? No? It's only Americans exercising the right to a democratic process, and since when did that become such a mystery to everyone?
Old Joe Liberman is being challenged in his district, and the race is pretty close between the former Vice-Presidential candidate and a rich boy named Ned Lamont up in Connecticut.
If you haven't been paying attention to the race for Joe Lieberman's seat in Connecticut, then you're no different than anybody else.
But, if on the offhand chance you follow politics, you might be literally on the edge of your seat. You see, it's so rare that dinosaurs in Congress get booted from their seats before retirement that it actually makes news when it happens. That's what all the hub-ub is about.
The blogosphere is behind Lamont, who has the profile of a Republican (rich guy, businessman, etc.) and opposes Lieberman on so many issues that all the news will discuss is the war in Iraq. And - hopefully - it will become the big issue this fall. Lieberman is not a good representative for his party and should be ashamed.
He says that, if defeated, he will run as an independent, further splitting the (D) vote and ensuring a Republican victory. If he's such a party guy - ha! great pun - he should bow out gracefully and let someone else be elected. I'm all for somebody fighting for something he believes in, but Lieberman is just pathetically trying to save face these days.
Oh, and back to what David Brooks wrote.
So be it. Let there be an inquisition. If a new guy running against the old fogey is an inquisition - maybe democracy is ia better word for it - then somebody 'specs it. The Democratic Party is filled with losers, crybabies, ineffectual morons, and people with little to no backbone to speak of. I'm so sick of these people not fighting back that I want to throw up on every single one of them. Democrats are being bullied and, though I don't believe in negative campaigning, the old adage is true: you gotta punch the bully right in the mouth so he'll leave you alone. I'm not necessarily supporting the Democrats here, but don't you agree? It's like watching a boxer beat the living crap out of his opponent because the other guy won't put up his hands. I just want to see a good match here.
Don't act so shocked. I'm not the first person to say these things, but they're true.
Kick all of the bums out of the party so that elections will become competitive again. I don't care one way or the other. I'm just so sick of congressmen feeling like they have some sort of entitlement to office because they've served for twenty years. Hell, I think it's reason enough to kick 'em out!
Aug 2, 2006
Thanks, Mel. I, Too, Have an Addiction
I'm addicted to the new Snickers jingle. Now, make sure you hear me correctly. I'm not addicted to crack, as many people in the nation are said to be. I'm not even under the spell of the Snickers bar, though they're pretty tasty, if I must say myself.
No. It's the jingle. The new one. I can't help but watch it. I'm transfixed by the utter poppy goodness of the melody and the creamy filling of the lame white guy on the guitar.
I think the trend started with the Darius Rucker Tender Crisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch song - I have no problem with that song, by the way - and continues on with the Snickers commercial.
What is it with Burger King commercials anyway? Do you think they're consciously trying to come up with the most disturbing images to see if you'll still buy their products? Like, "We dare you to eat here next to the creepy King with the big head and Stepford smile!!!Ha!"
No. It's the jingle. The new one. I can't help but watch it. I'm transfixed by the utter poppy goodness of the melody and the creamy filling of the lame white guy on the guitar.
I think the trend started with the Darius Rucker Tender Crisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch song - I have no problem with that song, by the way - and continues on with the Snickers commercial.
What is it with Burger King commercials anyway? Do you think they're consciously trying to come up with the most disturbing images to see if you'll still buy their products? Like, "We dare you to eat here next to the creepy King with the big head and Stepford smile!!!Ha!"
To Throw More Tomatoes at Joel Siegel
Tonight is a night for ridicule, by God, because I'm really tired and this Joel Siegel thing really pisses me off.
I've always thought that most - notice I said most, Drew - critics are unnecessary idiots and don't necessarily gauge the audiences they speak for very well.
Remember, Rolling Stone ripped on Led Zeppelin throughout the seventies.
Below is a quote from a review of a promotional suaree for M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. I didn't think the movie was as bad as most everyone else did, and yet I couldn't love it as much as Joel Siegel Did/Not Did.
From Cinegeek.com.
I've always thought that most - notice I said most, Drew - critics are unnecessary idiots and don't necessarily gauge the audiences they speak for very well.
Remember, Rolling Stone ripped on Led Zeppelin throughout the seventies.
Below is a quote from a review of a promotional suaree for M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. I didn't think the movie was as bad as most everyone else did, and yet I couldn't love it as much as Joel Siegel Did/Not Did.
There was one good thing about this event and one bad thing. The good thing, M. Night Shyamalan, the bad thing, Joel Siegel. Siegel has to be the biggest Hollywood suck up in the world of film critics. He was so in love with Shyamalan I swear I thought he might kiss him! In my mind Siegel destroyed whatever credibility he had when Shyamalan commented that he was worried that critics would have bad things to say about The Village and Siegel replied with something like “ You don't have to worry about me, you know I'll love it”. He's saying the movie is great before he has even seen it. He admitted at the beginning that he hadn't yet seen the film. He was just disgusting to watch.
From Cinegeek.com.
The Kevin Smith/Joel Siegel Showdown
I've already blogged about the whole Kevin Smith and Joel Siegel thing, but here's a partial video of Kevin and Joel going at it on Opie and Anthony. The entire bit is available as audio on View Askew.
Personally, I think it took a lot of guts for Siegel to sit through an entire bit, letting the crew blast him for several minutes, but the fact remains that he didn't even know that he was talking to Kevin Smith until a few minutes in, when one of the guys told him. That's just bizarre.
Personally, I think it took a lot of guts for Siegel to sit through an entire bit, letting the crew blast him for several minutes, but the fact remains that he didn't even know that he was talking to Kevin Smith until a few minutes in, when one of the guys told him. That's just bizarre.
Leave, Comments!!! Or, Leave Comments.
I see that I'm getting a little more traffic now, and I think it's great. Thanks, guys and dolls.
I'd like some feedback, so if you like - or dislike - anything on the site, let me know in the comments section. You're great.
I'd like some feedback, so if you like - or dislike - anything on the site, let me know in the comments section. You're great.
Kevin Smith and Joel Siegel Ongoing Beef
The week before Clerks II was released, Joel Siegel, professional movie critic, walked out on a screening of the movie, causing a strange disruption as he left, calling other people to follow him out and saying that the movie was garbage and such. He claimed that it's the first movie he's ever walked out on and claims it was "so offensive that he could not handle seeing the rest".
Clerks II does contain a fairly provocative donkey show near the end of the movie. However, it was only the mention of the donkey show that drove Siegel from the the theater, at which point he began his tirade and exited loudly.
Needless to say, it got under Kevin Smith's skin a little bit.
He's been on a complete rampage ever since, calling Siegel out on every possible outlet he can, including his own blog. One of the best, it seems, takes place on the Opie and Anthony show, where Kevin Smith actually confronts Siegel on-air.
Craig's MovieBlog lists several of those outlets.
Now, Joel Siegel has the right to do whatever in the hell he wants to do, but Kevin Smith certainly has a point. He's a critic, paid to go see movies. All he has to do is sit through it and bash it in the paper or on the internet the next day. That's all. It's not his job to decide the movie's objective value. He can only give his opinion, and, after thirty years of doing it, he should know better than to disrupt the movie for others.
It's only something I would do.
The Beef So Far
Clerks II does contain a fairly provocative donkey show near the end of the movie. However, it was only the mention of the donkey show that drove Siegel from the the theater, at which point he began his tirade and exited loudly.
Needless to say, it got under Kevin Smith's skin a little bit.
He's been on a complete rampage ever since, calling Siegel out on every possible outlet he can, including his own blog. One of the best, it seems, takes place on the Opie and Anthony show, where Kevin Smith actually confronts Siegel on-air.
Craig's MovieBlog lists several of those outlets.
Now, Joel Siegel has the right to do whatever in the hell he wants to do, but Kevin Smith certainly has a point. He's a critic, paid to go see movies. All he has to do is sit through it and bash it in the paper or on the internet the next day. That's all. It's not his job to decide the movie's objective value. He can only give his opinion, and, after thirty years of doing it, he should know better than to disrupt the movie for others.
It's only something I would do.
The Beef So Far
Aug 1, 2006
The Middle East Crisis
What's going on overseas may not be as interesting as Nicole Ritchie's weight - or a Sega commercial from a decade ago - but it's important. Even though I know you hate being told what is objectively important in the world, it's the truth. You've got to know a little bit about it to keep afloat.
The New York Times has an article that outlines the newest developments in the
A cartoon on Coldbacon.com explains the situation poignantly.
The Blog, Blogging the Middle East, seems to have it down pat as well.
And a sufficient response is posted on the blog too.
Phew! Blogging this issue gets confusing! With all of the opinions out there, how do you know who to trust? It's hard to say. People who support or hate Israel too much tend to be a little idiotic, but they sometimes have valid points.
The article in Newsweek about President Bush's trip to Russia for the G8 Summit is pretty good. I always like to see the inside view of the President in a time like that. Although the article played down the hilariously awkward neck rub that Bush gave to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Some of the players:
This is not a complete list, only a partial collection of the people involved in this newest Middle East Crisis.
King Abdullah II - Jordan's Leader
Hosni Mubarak - The President of Egypt
Fouad Siniora - Prime Minister of Lebanon
George W. Bush - President of the old U.S. of A. (Just to be sure).
Oh and don't forget Iran, whose supreme leader is Ali Khamenei. Iran is the tricky element in this whole thing, along with Syria. Syria's head is President Bashar al Assad. Personally, I'm scared of the guy.
The Newsweek article states that
Hezbollah (or Hizbullah) would like to see the destruction of Israel. The Big H is probably the big ingredient in this current Mid-Eastern goulash, having formerly had tied to Hamas and wanting to see an Islamic Republic started in Lebanon.
To simplify things, Islamic Republic=Bad. If Hezbollah has its way, it proves a strong case that America's involvement in democratizing the region has been a bust thus far. Syria and Iran wouldn't mind seeing that happen, either.
Poor Kim Jong Il His fireworks display did little to terrify the nation in the midst of this latest debacle in the Middle East. And we've never had a very good reputation over there, either. If you get a chance - or can make heads or tails of it - you should read about the history of the Middle East and America's involvement with it.
The New York Times has an article that outlines the newest developments in the
A cartoon on Coldbacon.com explains the situation poignantly.
The Blog, Blogging the Middle East, seems to have it down pat as well.
And a sufficient response is posted on the blog too.
Phew! Blogging this issue gets confusing! With all of the opinions out there, how do you know who to trust? It's hard to say. People who support or hate Israel too much tend to be a little idiotic, but they sometimes have valid points.
The article in Newsweek about President Bush's trip to Russia for the G8 Summit is pretty good. I always like to see the inside view of the President in a time like that. Although the article played down the hilariously awkward neck rub that Bush gave to German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Some of the players:
This is not a complete list, only a partial collection of the people involved in this newest Middle East Crisis.
King Abdullah II - Jordan's Leader
Hosni Mubarak - The President of Egypt
Fouad Siniora - Prime Minister of Lebanon
George W. Bush - President of the old U.S. of A. (Just to be sure).
Oh and don't forget Iran, whose supreme leader is Ali Khamenei. Iran is the tricky element in this whole thing, along with Syria. Syria's head is President Bashar al Assad. Personally, I'm scared of the guy.
The Newsweek article states that
Bush tells the leaders he's trying to calm the situation, by warning Israel not to topple the young government in Beirut. He lays out what he sees as the risks: that Iran is trying to control the region, that Israel might collapse the Beirut government and that Syria might take back Lebanon. Yet his main goal is to win their agreement that the villain is Hizbullah. They all need to apply pressure on Syrian President Bashir Assad, who supports the extremist group. "The real culprit in this case," he tells them, "is the militant wing of Hamas and Hizbullah."
Hezbollah (or Hizbullah) would like to see the destruction of Israel. The Big H is probably the big ingredient in this current Mid-Eastern goulash, having formerly had tied to Hamas and wanting to see an Islamic Republic started in Lebanon.
To simplify things, Islamic Republic=Bad. If Hezbollah has its way, it proves a strong case that America's involvement in democratizing the region has been a bust thus far. Syria and Iran wouldn't mind seeing that happen, either.
Poor Kim Jong Il His fireworks display did little to terrify the nation in the midst of this latest debacle in the Middle East. And we've never had a very good reputation over there, either. If you get a chance - or can make heads or tails of it - you should read about the history of the Middle East and America's involvement with it.
DVD Releases This Week
For all of you too busy to click somewhere else to find out what's coming out on DVD this week, I've compiled a list of movies I care about.
V for Vendetta - starring the guy with the shades from The Matrix - not Keanu Reeves - and Princess Amidala, V for Vendetta is a drama about a man who likes to wear geisha masks and collect bald girls while mocking people on big television screens in the rain*.
*I haven't actually seen this movie. But I want to, and that's why it's my DVD pick of the week.
V for Vendetta - starring the guy with the shades from The Matrix - not Keanu Reeves - and Princess Amidala, V for Vendetta is a drama about a man who likes to wear geisha masks and collect bald girls while mocking people on big television screens in the rain*.
*I haven't actually seen this movie. But I want to, and that's why it's my DVD pick of the week.
More on the Middle East
My ongoing goal is to learn more about the conflict in Middle East, and this next video is just another opinion - albeit a funny one - regarding the violence in Lebannon and Israel.
Trying Something New, So Don't Freak Out
This is an old Sega commercial that pretty much put me over the edge. After I saw it, I just had to get a Genesis. I mean, he wanted chocolate chip.
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