Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Monday, November 06, 2006
Spanglish
"Honey, lately your low self-esteem is just good common sense."
"So tell me again why I can't call him again?"
"Besides his cell phone being turned off?"
"Yeah."
"Forty messages start to look needy."
That's from the movie Spanglish, which to my delight is rather more than Just Another Silly Sandler comedy. It's delightful, actually. Sandler is subtle as the cook. Tea Leoni is great as the poster girl for High Strung Wife in SUV. And the kids are awesome. I keep telling you, it is indicative of rising human awareness how child and teen actors keep reaching new levels of power.
That reminds me, I meant to mention MirrorMask, Neal Gaiman's and Dave Mckean's fantasy film. It is a family film, and the story did not glue me to the LCD screen, but the visuals are fantastic, and so is the acting, particularly the lead, Stephanie Leonidas as Helena. Both subtle and powerful.BTW, this pisses me off about the film industry (and MirrorMask is not even a Hollywood picture): when the lead is a child or teen actor, he/she does not get first billing as she would if she was an adult! For shame!
The Disappearance Of The Universe
You have heard that it was said 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist one who you think is evil.
- J, quoted in The Disappearance Of The Universe
You'll notice much of the debate in the world goes along "how should we fight evil?" and "who should we fight?", not "should we fight?".
- J, quoted in The Disappearance Of The Universe
You'll notice much of the debate in the world goes along "how should we fight evil?" and "who should we fight?", not "should we fight?".
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Crazy Korean Girls
Culture is surely a manifold thing, lo the Crazy Korean Girls video.
What's interesting is that it isn't clear whether these girls have great comedic talent, or it is unintentional.
I like one of the viwer reviews in Engrish:
Sakaii wrote: Ours you they are a show whenever I enter in the Youtube I visit voceis. You have that to mainly make shows for the countries in Japan, Brazil and United States. Well for where stroll says of you two. I am its fan? e clearly has that to make more video Good bye
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Alien Resurrection
Last week I saw Alien, which was a pleasure. I think I only saw it once before, back in the eighties on VHS. The commentary was great too, featuring everybody including Ridley Scott and Sigourney Weaver.
And today I watched Alien Resurrection. I never did originally, because I had not been so impressed with Aliens and Alien3, so I figured, how good can the fourth one be?
Turns out, much better than expected. I was never bored, which is unusual for me and action movies.
And I found it funny, well acted, beautiful visually, and with fresh ideas, surprisingly.
Winona Ryder is lovely, and Sigourney was no less hot for being 47 when she made it.
The creatures looked totally real, even when they had to be CG. I liked how they finally moved away from the silly humanoid body the original alien had. Ridley Scott said in the commentary to the first one that it was humanoid because it was adaptive to the host, but it feels like a justification for the fact that it was either that or stop-motion, which would have looked even worse. (See Robocop II.) And of course there was the final creature, which looked even more different, I liked it.Sigourney wrote a fun article about shooting the film. There is a cool scene where Ripley, who is now superhuman due to having been mixed with Alien DNA, shoots a basketball into the hoop from 20 meters away, without looking, over her shoulder. It turns out this shot was real, not special effects! It didn't even touch the sides of the hoop. Amazing.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Stealth fascism?
A couple years ago I gave up conspiracy theories as being a bad habit, but this video shows some things that do seem to be real and quite worrisome.
Featured comment by Justin:
I'm afraid this film is pure propaganda. The law that demands that we pay income tax is Title 26 United States Code §1. This law is supported by the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and has been sustained by the U.S. Supreme court, the supreme interpreter of the law. These people who claim that the I.R.S. won't tell them what law requires them to pay income taxes are either liars or utter morons. Every day the I.R.S. sends letters to tax cheats explaining exactly which laws they have broken. We have a Federal Circuit court entirely devoted to issues of this supposedly non-existent tax law.
The movie references an ad placed by an anti-tax advocate claiming that he would pay $50,000 to anyone who could show him the law requiring the payment of income tax. Well, lots of people, many law professors among them, showed him the law and requested their $50,000 reward. Of course, he wouldn't pay. He and others like him are snake oil salesmen who make loads of money off dupes who pay for seminars and booklets purportedly teaching them how to avoid paying taxes.
The really sad thing about this is that the tax burden in the U.S. is far lower than the tax burden in Europe. We should gladly contribute the modest portion we are required to pay. It is only greed an selfishness that makes people try to avoid paying their fair share. I really wish people would internalize John Donne's brilliant Meditation 17, and realize that the bell tolls for all of us.
Sincerely, Justin
... Others say other things. Just goes to show it is time to reinforce my old personal policy about never getting involved with or concerned with politics, it's a rat's nest of lies and contradictions and viewpoints and interests. So just ignore this. :)
Update: comment by Through The Lens:
The legal basis for income tax in the U.S. is explained in the Wikipedia article 'Income tax in the United States'.
Note, however, that this wasn't the main point of the video. Whether written in law or not, confiscation of any part of the fruits of one's labor is not what the founding fathers intended.
The rest of the video gives alarming examples of the path we are in (actually the U.S. but other countries will follow).
The thing is, of course, that even if there wasn't a law, it would take them five minutes to write one. But that does not make taxation right or wrong.
I have realized that taxation is not done by the government, it is done by the people. The government is the mind of the people, nasty as that is. And most people, while they hate to pay their own taxes, love getting things paid for by other people, especially those who have more, rightly or wrongly.
Featured comment by Justin:
I'm afraid this film is pure propaganda. The law that demands that we pay income tax is Title 26 United States Code §1. This law is supported by the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and has been sustained by the U.S. Supreme court, the supreme interpreter of the law. These people who claim that the I.R.S. won't tell them what law requires them to pay income taxes are either liars or utter morons. Every day the I.R.S. sends letters to tax cheats explaining exactly which laws they have broken. We have a Federal Circuit court entirely devoted to issues of this supposedly non-existent tax law.
The movie references an ad placed by an anti-tax advocate claiming that he would pay $50,000 to anyone who could show him the law requiring the payment of income tax. Well, lots of people, many law professors among them, showed him the law and requested their $50,000 reward. Of course, he wouldn't pay. He and others like him are snake oil salesmen who make loads of money off dupes who pay for seminars and booklets purportedly teaching them how to avoid paying taxes.
The really sad thing about this is that the tax burden in the U.S. is far lower than the tax burden in Europe. We should gladly contribute the modest portion we are required to pay. It is only greed an selfishness that makes people try to avoid paying their fair share. I really wish people would internalize John Donne's brilliant Meditation 17, and realize that the bell tolls for all of us.
Sincerely, Justin
... Others say other things. Just goes to show it is time to reinforce my old personal policy about never getting involved with or concerned with politics, it's a rat's nest of lies and contradictions and viewpoints and interests. So just ignore this. :)
Update: comment by Through The Lens:
The legal basis for income tax in the U.S. is explained in the Wikipedia article 'Income tax in the United States'.
Note, however, that this wasn't the main point of the video. Whether written in law or not, confiscation of any part of the fruits of one's labor is not what the founding fathers intended.
The rest of the video gives alarming examples of the path we are in (actually the U.S. but other countries will follow).
The thing is, of course, that even if there wasn't a law, it would take them five minutes to write one. But that does not make taxation right or wrong.
I have realized that taxation is not done by the government, it is done by the people. The government is the mind of the people, nasty as that is. And most people, while they hate to pay their own taxes, love getting things paid for by other people, especially those who have more, rightly or wrongly.
Appreciation
Here's a good one though:
Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. -- Margaret Cousins
Indeed. The world could use a lot more of that. And I am trying to educate myself to visibly and audibly express appreciation whenever there's a chance. From the smallest things like saying a sincere "thank you" to a waiter, to giving a loved one a gift.
I was a very quiet child and my little sister was very loud, so she naturally attracted more attention. Not that I did not get appreciation or acknowledgment, for I did, but I still remember a couple of small incidents, like me arriving for an event at school, and a teacher saying "Ah, there you are, just the person I need!" Or the gym teacher once referring to the team I was in as "Eolake's team". Just goes to show you how much such small acknowledgements can mean.
I think the right acknowledgement from the right person can change a person's life. The memory of it can for example become a crucial bolster in a difficult time later in life.
Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. -- Margaret Cousins
Indeed. The world could use a lot more of that. And I am trying to educate myself to visibly and audibly express appreciation whenever there's a chance. From the smallest things like saying a sincere "thank you" to a waiter, to giving a loved one a gift.
I was a very quiet child and my little sister was very loud, so she naturally attracted more attention. Not that I did not get appreciation or acknowledgment, for I did, but I still remember a couple of small incidents, like me arriving for an event at school, and a teacher saying "Ah, there you are, just the person I need!" Or the gym teacher once referring to the team I was in as "Eolake's team". Just goes to show you how much such small acknowledgements can mean.
I think the right acknowledgement from the right person can change a person's life. The memory of it can for example become a crucial bolster in a difficult time later in life.
Hard work
The sweat of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to appear favored by the gods.
-- Maxine Hong Kingston
Why? What is not graceful about hard work?
Also I think one is doing a disfavor to others who are less successful, making them think they are not 'favored by the gods', if the fact is that their hero simply works very, very hard and that's why he is so successful.
I think people deserve the truth. Life is hard enough without navigating in a sea of lies.
-- Maxine Hong Kingston
Why? What is not graceful about hard work?
Also I think one is doing a disfavor to others who are less successful, making them think they are not 'favored by the gods', if the fact is that their hero simply works very, very hard and that's why he is so successful.
I think people deserve the truth. Life is hard enough without navigating in a sea of lies.
Painting
I am a bit occupied with painting. I have a couple works done, but it's all developing rather rapidly, so I'll wait with posting any pictures until I feel I have a pretty good handle on it all.
I am reading The New Acrylics, it's a very inspiring book about the development and possibilities of that exciting arts medium.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Laughter
Beware of too much laughter, for it deadens the mind and produces oblivion.
-- The Talmud
I don't think I've ever seen a quote which was more wrong!
Laughter is about the healthiest thing there is, and apart from laughing so hard you crack a rib (which is possible), I don't see how it can be anything else. :)
-- The Talmud
I don't think I've ever seen a quote which was more wrong!
Laughter is about the healthiest thing there is, and apart from laughing so hard you crack a rib (which is possible), I don't see how it can be anything else. :)
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