Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
McCains an Idiot.
CNN Contributor
Editor's note: Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and was counselor to Clinton in the White House. Begala is not a paid political consultant for any politicians or candidates. Click here for a rival view
Paul Begala says McCain's VP choice, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is completely unqualified to be president.
(CNN) -- John McCain needs what Kinky Friedman calls "a checkup from the neck up."
In choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate, he is not thinking "outside the box," as some have said. More like out of his mind.
Palin a first-term governor of a state with more reindeer than people, will have to put on a few pounds just to be a lightweight. Her personal story is impressive: former fisherman, mother of five. But that hardly qualifies her to be a heartbeat away from the presidency.
For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible. Suddenly, McCain's age and health become central issues in the campaign, as does his judgment.
In choosing this featherweight, McCain passed over Tom Ridge, a decorated combat hero, a Cabinet secretary and the former two-term governor of the large, complex state of Pennsylvania. iReport.com: 'McCain pick might be a gimmick'
He passed over Mitt Romney, who ran a big state, Massachusetts; a big company, Bain Capital; and a big event, the Olympics.
He passed over Kay Bailey Hutchison, the Texas senator who is knowledgeable about the military, good on television and -- obviously -- a woman.
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He passed over Joe Lieberman, his best friend in the Senate and fellow Iraq Kool-Aid drinker.
He passed over former congressman, trade negotiator and budget director Rob Portman.
And he also passed over Mike Huckabee, the governor of Arkansas.
For months, the McCainiacs have said they will run on his judgment and experience. In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown that he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer.
Friday, August 29, 2008
My opinion of John McCain, in someone else's word.
CNN
Editor's Note: Jack Cafferty is the author of the best-seller "It's Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America." He provides commentary on CNN's "The Situation Room" daily from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.
Jack Cafferty says John McCain shows virtually no intellectual curiosity, emulating President Bush
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.
His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.
Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.
I think he made a big mistake. When he was invited last spring to attend a discussion of the role of faith in his life with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, McCain didn't bother to show up. Now I know why.
It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.
Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?
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Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived 71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.
He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.
He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.
One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.
Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?
John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.
He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.
I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.
George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.
He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.
I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Harvey Obama
I believe that Barrack Obama is America's Harvey Dent. Much Like Gotham needed a Hero to save it, America Needs Obama to save us. Save us from War, Bush, Gas prices, the economy..etc. What do you think?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Robert Downey Interview
Which apparently was not the case with the other big summer movie "The Dark Knight". "My whole thing is that that I saw 'The Dark Knight'. I feel like I'm dumb because I feel like I don't get how many things that are so smart. It's like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I'm like, 'That's not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.' I loved 'The Prestige' but didn't understand 'The Dark Knight'. Didn't get it, still can't tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I'm like, 'I get it. This is so high brow and so f--king smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.' You know what? F-ck DC comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."
Well clearly Downey isn't about to do anything for DC Comics anytime soon. "You know, you're never too old to burn your bridges because I believe I have offended everyone," he says, laughingly. "I think I've got a couple more. 'I'll burn that bridge when I come to it' is my favourite phrase I've ever coined."
At least Downey is signed for at least two more films, the aforementioned "Iron Man 2" and the starring role in British director Guy Ritchie's take on Sherlock Holmes. "It's definitely going to be Guy Ritchie's take and it's going to be done in classical 1891 surroundings but not going to be particularly stylised." With a contemporary tone, he adds. "I think what's contemporary about it is that you go back to the real truth of Sherlock Holmes - is that he's a lot more broad and less stoic than I remember seeing him depicted. He's a bare knuckle boxer, a martial artist and a complete weirdo which is why I said I'd love to do this."
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Parkour: Maximizing Body and Mind
Parkour: Maximizing Body and Mind
Overcoming Physical Obstacles as a Means to Empowering the Self
© Luke Armstrong
Many youth across the globe are turning to "parkour" as a means to healthy bodies and fit minds.
Fences, walls and gaps between buildings; things generally considered obstacles, are welcome challenges to the growing number of parkour practitioners worldwide. Parkour (pronounced fittingly like hardcore) signifies, “The art of displacement.” Devotees of the practice are dubbed traceurs for males and traceuses for females. While practicing parkour they can be seen running on roofs, pole-vaulting fences, bouncing over cars and in general doing things that cause their elders to exclaim, “Kids today!”
Though it is often difficult to categorize (Is it a sport? Is it the offspring of martial arts and jogging?), parkour can be surmised as getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible—geometry for the body. Unlike freerunning in which participants use urban areas to perform acrobatics, traceurs and traceuses concern themselves not in aesthetics but in cultivating the mindbody to a state of harmony in which daunting physical obstacles are overcome with apparent ease.
Movement of Parkour
The discipline’s founder, David Belle, said in a BBC News interview, “Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move.” And move is what traceurs do. Their body’s hardware and mind’s software have been cultivated to a point to allow both to fly between buildings, to cruise gracefully over fences and to drop from heights so high that onlookers assume it surely must involve a death wish. “It’s all about how you land,” says traceur David Neil.
Mental Benefits of Parkour
A climber gone traceur, David Neil explains that it’s not just about fitness and exercise. “Sure, you need to be fit, you need to be in great shape to do this kind of stuff, but that isn’t the end, that’s only the means. The end is the mentality, what is going on in your mind, how it changes your way of thinking. It’s seeing the world not in terms of the things that confine us, but the things that define us. Most people see a fence as a preventative thing; a traceur sees that same fence and says, “What’s the most efficient way that my mind can direct my body over that fence.”
David Neal Answers Question about Parkour
Is injury Factors of Parkour
Not as much as people think. People see traceurs gap-jumping 10 feet and dash-vaulting and they think, “these guys are crazy.” But parkour is about knowing the limits of your body. It doesn’t encourage doing anything that you haven’t trained in advance to do. You gotta learn the basic moves like landing, especially landing (laughs), and you need to be in good shape. When I do a move that looks crazy to other people, I’m not asking myself “can I do this?” I know I can do this because I’ve trained hard to be able to do this. My goal is to find the most efficient way to do this.
Parkour Benefits
There’s the obvious one that you are going to be in great shape. But more than that, you are going to find that your whole way of thinking about life is altered. Out in the city, when I’m doing parkour, I see everything as possible, it’s all about finding the way and doing it. When I am not doing parkour, I find myself thinking the same way. You don’t worry as much about little things like credit card bills and stuff. With every obstacle faced, you know that there is not only a solution, but that you are capable of finding that solution.
How to Practice Parkour
Attitude, attitude, attitude. First you need to have the right mind set. The “I can” mind set. PK (slang term for parkour) is a completely individual thing. Yea, we help each other out sometimes, but it’s all about you and maximizing the possibilities of your body and your mind. But to start, urbanfreeflow.com is a good resource for learning the basic techniques such as landing. You also have to get yourself in shape. So first you need a toned mind, then a toned body, then a body that has the basic knowledge of how to do these moves without injury to yourself. After that, you are set to go and you will see parkour changing your life for the better.
David Neal is a senior electrical engineering student at North Dakota State University and has been a traceur for three years.
The copyright of the article Parkour: Maximizing Body and Mind in Personal Development is owned by Luke Armstrong. Permission to republish Parkour: Maximizing Body and Mind in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Naperville, Illinois (Where I live)
Naperville (pronounced /ˈneɪpɚvɪl/) is an affluent city in DuPage and Will counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second and third best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006 and 2008 respectively.[2] [3] As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,358, and the population was estimated at 147,779 in 2006.[4] Naperville is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago, neighboring Aurora, Rockford, and Joliet. Approximately 100,000 Napervillians live in DuPage County, while about 50,000 reside in Will County.
Once a quaint farming town,[5] Naperville has evolved into a wealthy city due in part to a massive migration of professionals in the 1990s seeking jobs and globally renowned public schools.[6] This can be seen in part by the enormous growth of high-tech companies such as Tellabs, Lucent Technologies and the BP North American Chemical Headquarters, all located in Naperville. With 150,000 Napervillians averaging $150,000 family incomes, the construction of thousands of multimillion dollar houses[citation needed] across the city has resulted, making Naperville the wealthiest city (with a population of 90,000 and over) in the entire country.[7] U.S. News and World Report recently ranked both Naperville School District 203 high schools among the top 3 percent of high schools in the country.[8]Also, District 204's Neuqua Valley High School and Waubonsie Valley High School won the Grammy Gold Signature School award in 2005 and 2007 respectively, ranking them top in the nation for a music program in a high school.
Jason Statham Workout
Workout Plan
The Complete Jason Statham Workout
Editor's note: Your November issue of Men's Health includes a letter on page 43 from a slightly miffed Jason Statham, our October cover subject and one tough dude.
Jason -- er, Mr. Statham -- asked why we didn’t list his entire workout in the October issue. Two reasons: It's a very intense workout, and it's a very long workout. So we did some editing.
But when Mr. Statham and his trainer, Logan Hood, offered a comprehensive version of his workout to run on MensHealth.com, we grabbed the chance. As you'll see, even this isn't an exhaustive account of his program, just a glimpse at one typical week. Good luck!
Fair warning: This workout was not designed for you. It was structured specifically for Jason Statham at a certain point in time to account for his goals, his lifestyle, and his conditioning level.
So, this is not Jason's training program, but rather a snapshot of one week in a much longer progression of training. Jason's regimen is continually manipulated to account for the many outside factors that can influence progress.
These factors include but are not limited to nutrition, sleep quality, recovery, career demands, and physical injuries. So consider the pages that follow to be a 7-day glimpse at Jason Statham's ever-evolving workout.
View the rest of the article here: http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=workout.plans&conitem=c33c8cd0a5aa5110VgnVCM10000013281eac____
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008
An Article I agree with from: Joblo.com
Source: Joblo.com's Cool Columns by: Sturdy
... back off of Tropic Thunder!
by Sturdy
When I went to see TROPIC THUNDER over the weekend, I had to walk through about a dozen or so people picketing the film. There were about six or seven ret…err…mentally handicapped individuals running around the front screaming inaudible words while their caregivers chased after them, holding signs. Instead of looking like a picket line, it looked like something out of a weird 80’s horror movie. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of seeing how pathetic people can be when they feel the need to picket a two hour film.
Give me a break.
Thunder isn’t the first film to see picket lines outside the theater. The first film I remember (keep in mind I’m not quite 30 yet) is Scorsese’s LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. Wow. I was just a wee lad when it came out, but I still remember Christian groups lining up down the street to picket that one. There were even reports of violence towards anyone that went to see it. But a lot of films have been picketed or boycotted by various religious groups. It seems every couple of years, a movie will come out that gets all the religious folk in the world in a tizzy.
My favorite “R” word is “radioimmunoelectrophoreses”
That is one of the reasons I find it odd that Thunder is being boycotted by the mentally handicapped. At the risk of being insensitive, please try to help me understand something. It’s my understanding that the truly mentally handicapped people in the world have a disability that prevents them from understanding and comprehending things a normal adult would. Right? So, are there really that many mentally handicapped people paying to go see TROPIC THUNDER and then demanding a refund because they’re so offended? Or is this boycott being led by people that aren’t actually handicapped? (the last question was rhetorical).
It’s nice to see Downey back to being funny.
After watching the film, I think Ben Stiller has pulled off the ultimate joke on these ridiculous groups that claim to be “offended”. Seriously, he has made a fool out of a lot of people. Hopefully, the more intelligent movie-going crowd realizes that the whole film is one big slam towards actors…right? Robert Downey Jr. isn’t making fun of black people, he’s making fun of actors that get obsessed with their roles. Jack Black isn’t making fun of fat people, he’s making fun of lame comedians that use the same schtick over and over despite the fact it hasn’t been funny for decades. Ben wasn’t making fun of the mentally handicapped; he was making fun of talentless action stars that try to do dramas. If anyone should be picketing the film, it should be the SAG because they’re the only ones that got attacked in the film.
Lighten up, it’s just a funny movie.
Overall, people need to lighten up. Stop putting malicious intent where there’s just an attempt (and huge success) to be funny. TROPIC THUNDER is a riot and it shouldn’t offend anyone, other than the aforementioned actors. Stop embarrassing yourself by standing outside an f’ing movie theater, hoping to feel better about your life. It’s…well…retarded.
The Best Movie ever
Matt is a 31-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. Matt achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he'd saved to wander around Asia until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is.
A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt an idea. They were standing around taking pictures in Hanoi, and his friend said "Hey, why don't you stand over there and do that dance. I'll record it." He was referring to a particular dance Matt does. It's actually the only dance Matt does. He does it badly. Anyway, this turned out to be a very good idea.
A couple years later, someone found the video online and passed it to someone else, who passed it to someone else, and so on. Now Matt is quasi-famous as "That guy who dances on the internet. No, not that guy. The other one. No, not him either. I'll send you the link. It's funny."
The response to the first video brought Matt to the attention of the nice people at Stride gum. They asked Matt if he'd be interested in taking another trip around the world to make a new video. Matt asked if they'd be paying for it. They said yes. Matt thought this sounded like another very good idea.
In 2006, Matt took a 6 month trip through 39 countries on all 7 continents. In that time, he danced a great deal.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Currently Reading Hulk Issue #377
The Savage Hulk, Gray Hulk, and Bruce Banner sit around Doc Samson who is sitting in a chair. Samson welcomes them to some genuine un-real estate- the mind of Bruce Banner. Samson says that he supposes that they are wondering why he called them here. Gray Hulk says that he doesn’t wonder anything except what the moron is doing here (pointing to the Savage Hulk). The Savage Hulk says that “Fake Hulk” thinks that he is the real Hulk. Savage Hulk says that he will show the fake Hulk who is real because Hulk is the strongest one there is. Gray Hulk says that he will make Savage Hulk the strongest in the morgue. Savage Hulk and Gray Hulk try to leap at each other, but their forms pass through each other. The Hulks turn and Samson tells them to sit down and shut up. Samson says that a post-hypnotic suggestion is keeping them from beating on each other so that they can concentrate on the more immediate problem. Samson points to Bruce Banner who is sitting in a relaxed state. Samson says that the two of them are tearing Bruce apart and that they are going to have to come to terms with each other. Gray Hulk asks Samson what he is yammering about. Gray Hulk looks around and asks why this place looks so familiar. Savage Hulk notes that Banner is silent, and says that is good because he talks too much. Samson suggests that maybe Hulk listens too little.
Gray Hulk, Savage Hulk, and Bruce Banner’s heads all turn as they react to the word “monster” being shouted. They see an enormous green spikey monster standing over a very young Bruce Banner that had snuck downstairs on Christmas morning and got caught up in building one of his presents. The monster says, “You’re some sort of monster! A freak! A mutant freak!” The young Bruce Banner begs to be left alone and swears that he will be good. He begs not to be hit. Gray Hulk yells at Samson and tells him to take it away. Bruce just covers his ears and shuts his eyes. Savage Hulk says to kill the monster. The giant spikey monster replies, “You’re the monster! The freak that doesn’t deserve to live!” Samson asks Bruce what he is seeing. Bruce tells Samson that it is Christmas day, and that “he” is screaming at them and that he won’t go away. Bruce tells Hulk to do something. Gray Hulk tells Savage Hulk to soften him up. Hulk leaps at the monster and says that he doesn’t soften, he smashes. The spikey green monster swats Hulk to the ground and grabs him up. Hulk tells the monster to let him go and that he is hurting him. Savage Hulk says that nothing can hurt him right before the monster snaps Hulk’s back in half. Gray Hulk tells Banner to be useful and to go get help. Gray Hulk rushes in, but the monster’s claws go right through Gray Hulk’s chest. The giant monster hovers over Bruce Banner and it tells Bruce that it is going to kill him. Samson yells out to bring Bruce out of it now. Samson tries to tell Banner that he could beat it, but Bruce is beyond reason. In the mind of Bruce, Gray Hulk, Savage Hulk, and Bruce all sit in on the ground with their legs crossed around Samson. Samson says that it looks like they have their work cut out for them.
Watched Angel today, Gotta Love Spike..
Spike is seen as something of a paradox amongst vampires in the series, and frequently challenges vampire conventions and limitations. He embraces certain elements of humanity, such as love and loyalty, that would be considered too human (and therefore offensive or impure) by other vampires. With or without a soul, Spike often displays a strong sense of honor and loyalty; leaving anonymous flowers to show respect for Joyce Summers' death[45], enduring torture at the hands of Glory rather than reveal Dawn's identity[23], and continuing to aid the Scooby Gang after Buffy's death.[46] Many of Spike's actions, good or evil, are motivated by love for either Drusilla or Buffy.
Officemax
freelance graphic design here until October. Good times.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Skaar, Son of Hulk
"Skaar's a savage hero on a savage world," explains Pak. "We'll root for him as he struggles for survival the same way we root for the great predators in nature documentaries—the animal inside of us can't get enough of that visceral fight for life and death. But we'll also root for him as this wild child slashes his way towards self-discovery—will he be an animal or a man, a monster or a hero? All of us in our supposedly civilized world make moral choices every day that define who we are—Skaar's story will resonate with our own, but with vastly higher stakes. And swords. And monsters. And Fillian warlords and Imperial princess and deadly Wildebots and secret cities and the terrible truths of Prophet Rock. Dontcha dare miss it!"
But wait—who is Skaar? How dare he claim any intimate connection with the Hulk? "He's the Hulk's son! And his mother was Caiera the Oldstrong, one of the most powerful mortals on Sakaar!" Pak screams, clearly relishing his power as guiding force over All Things Hulk. "And he was abandoned as a scalded embryo in radioactive seas after the incineration of his mother by a nuclear explosion! And have you checked out that insane cover from Carlo Pagulayan? This is the book I've been itching to dig my teeth into for months now, the much-ballyhooed super-secret third part of the trilogy that began with 'Planet Hulk' and WORLD WAR HULK. And it will be awesome.
"Look, the Hulk thinks his unborn child died in the explosion that killed Caiera and incinerated Crown City. Skaar only knows that his father left him to burn in the radioactive seas. Could make for an interesting family reunion some day."
One of the Best Comics going right now: The Ultimates 3
The Ultimates, now disassociated from S.H.I.E.L.D, operate from Tony Stark's mansion, are dealing with the ramifications of a sex tape depicting Stark and the Black Widow that has been leaked to the media. The Wasp assumes leadership of the team when Stark succumbs to alcoholism due to the scandal. Thor begins a relationship with Valkyrie, while the Scarlet Witch is assassinated by a sniper when out on a date with her brother Quicksilver. After being advised by the mutantWolverine that the villain Magneto has taken the Scarlet Witch's corpse to the Savage Land, some of the Ultimates begin pursuit.
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