A Winter Workland

Well, winter is here and with it comes the snow. In my case, the 6 to 12 inches of snow. And also in my case, I've been asked to clear some of it. Which isn't quite what I like. I mean, sure, you have to clear it if you're having guests come over, but we aren't expecting guests for a while. And I'm not planning on going outside too often. Hell, I'm on break and that means staying warm inside the house! Anyway, I had to clear the front walkway yesterday. Roughly 8 inches of snow along a 50 to 100 foot path went elsewhere on the front lawn. Now, it's snowing again. We're supposed to get anywhere from 3 to 5 inches. Great! More manual labor! And this just in! My brother and I have been asked to clear the back deck! Add the roughly 8 inches from Friday and the expected 3 to 5 inches from today and we're going to be clearing probably over a foot of snow off the deck! Ready the bath salts and the massages!

Bush's Christmas Gift to Us

I found this new BraveNewFilms video on Youtube a little while ago. A bit of a scary Christmas gift, if you ask me.



Merry Christmas to all, and to all, I hope you can sleep well tonight.

Batman + Christmas =

Enjoy.

Project Direct short film

I discovered the Project Direct short film contest on Youtube a week or two ago and came up with the story over the course of a few days. I asked two of my friends, one of them a fellow Youtuber, to participate in the video and they did. The entire shoot took between ten and thirty minutes.
Thoughts? Comments and ratings on the video's page would be greatly appreciated.

Puppies!!!

This has been flying around the interwebs over the last few days and I just had to post it here. It's a live webcam feed of 6 Shiba Inu puppies. Are they adorable or what?

Puppies!

In Regards to the Election-Fest (a Friend's note)

I'm a huge tool for posting this facebook note, but I need to get some feelings off my chest. I did in fact vote for Barack Obama, but this little diddy I've written is not to sway anyone's opinion on our current president. Rather, a reaction to some disturbing, racist, and closed-minded shit I've scanned over on my news feed. Enjoy :D

First off, everyone needs to chill out about BOTH Obama and McCain. Obama's presidency is not going to bring forth muslim propaganda, domestic terrorist attacks, the resurrection of Karl Marx and Stalin, or waves of zombie-ninja pedophiles. And if for some reason he IS in fact a socialist, or brings forth socialist fiscal policies to our country, who the fuck cares? Socialism, in small doses, may be what the economy needs (temporarily) to get its feet back on the ground. So let go of fucking Joe the Plumber, and see that our country is so fucked up, everyone has to pay to help restore it. And for people my age who are complaining about high taxes. YOU DONT PAY TAXES! YOU'RE 18!

And for the Obama fans who are stoked as hell, don't bad mouth people who were for McCain. He may not have been my choice (or the country's choice teehee) but he was far from being as bad as people made him out to be. He was a great man that unfortunately had to sell out his former moderate beliefs to gain support of the republican base. In short, he's not the antichrist; he was just a pushover with the antichrist as his running mate. And if he had won, who knows? Maybe McCain would have returned to his centrist politics since he no longer has to appeal to the republican base. It's not likely, but it's possible.

Anyway, if you've read this far you're probably like "Ok, Stephen Hilger? What the fuck is your point?" Well, I guess this is more of a response than an argument. Basically, if you were for McCain, bite your lip, stop saying racist garbage about our president, and support the country that you're apparently proud of unconditionally. And if you were for Obama, don't rub it in McCain-iacs faces. No matter who won this election, the next four years in this country are going to be fucked up. But the simple fact that candidates were ready to face the problems ahead, and didn't deny they existed like our last president, is a good sign.

So yea. Stop saying garbage. Open up your minds. And accept history.


And besides, no president can match Teddy. He had fuckin boxing matches in front of the White House!

A Very Emotional Piece (from Talking Points Memo)

I Didn't Vote For Obama Today
November 4, 2008, 9:37AM

I have a confession to make.

I did not vote for Barack Obama today.

I've openly supported Obama since March. But I didn't vote for him today.

I wanted to vote for Ronald Woods. He was my algebra teacher at Clark Junior High in East St. Louis, IL. He died 15 years ago when his truck skidded head-first into a utility pole. He spent many a day teaching us many things besides the Pythagorean Theorem. He taught us about Medgar Evers, Ralph Abernathy, John Lewis and many other civil rights figures who get lost in the shadow cast by Martin Luther King, Jr.

But I didn't vote for Mr. Woods.

I wanted to vote for Willie Mae Cross. She owned and operated Crossroads Preparatory Academy for almost 30 years, educating and empowering thousands of kids before her death in 2003. I was her first student. She gave me my first job, teaching chess and math concepts to kids in grades K-4 in her summer program. She was always there for advice, cheer and consolation. Ms. Cross, in her own way, taught me more about walking in faith than anyone else I ever knew.

But I didn't vote for Ms. Cross.

I wanted to vote for Arthur Mells Jackson, Sr. and Jr. Jackson Senior was a Latin professor. He has a gifted school named for him in my hometown. Jackson Junior was the pre-eminent physician in my hometown for over 30 years. He has a heliport named for him at a hospital in my hometown. They were my great-grandfather and great-uncle, respectively.

But I didn't vote for Prof. Jackson or Dr. Jackson.

I wanted to vote for A.B. Palmer. She was a leading civil rights figure in Shreveport, Louisiana, where my mother grew up and where I still have dozens of family members. She was a strong-willed woman who earned the grudging respect of the town's leaders because she never, ever backed down from anyone and always gave better than she got. She lived to the ripe old age of 99, and has a community center named for her in Shreveport.

But I didn't vote for Mrs. Palmer.

I wanted to vote for these people, who did not live to see a day where a Black man would appear on their ballots on a crisp November morning.

In the end, though, I realized that I could not vote for them any more than I could vote for Obama himself.

So who did I vote for?

No one.

I didn't vote. Not for President, anyway.

Oh, I went to the voting booth. I signed, was given my stub, and was walked over to a voting machine. I cast votes for statewide races and a state referendum on water and sewer improvements.

I stood there, and I thought about all of these people, who influenced my life so greatly. But I didn't vote for who would be the 44th President of the United States.

When my ballot was complete, except for the top line, I finally decided who I was going to vote for - and then decided to let him vote for me. I reached down, picked him up, and told him to find Obama's name on the screen and touch it.

And so it came to pass that Alexander Reed, age 5, read the voting screen, found the right candidate, touched his name, and actually cast a vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Oh, the vote will be recorded as mine. But I didn't cast it.

Then again, the person who actually pressed the Obama box and the red "vote" button was the person I was really voting for all along.

It made the months of donating, phonebanking, canvassing, door hanger distributing, sign posting, blogging, arguing and persuading so much sweeter.

So, no, I didn't vote for Barack Obama. I voted for a boy who now has every reason to believe he, too, can grow up to be anything he wants...even President.

The article.

HISTORY!

It has been made.
We now have a black President.
Congratulations, Senator ... I mean, President Barack Obama!

Calling Election 2008

I'm watching the results as they in with a hallmate, Brandon. We've been flipping between CNN and MSNBC. We're now watching Indecision 2008 on Comedy Central.

CNN: Hi-tech holograms and Wolf Blitzer.

MSNBC: Gangster suits, touch screens, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Chuck Todd.

Comedy Central: Stewart and Colbert.

Rock the Vote, Damn It!

Today is November 4th, 2008. Today, we, the United States, will elect a new president. The choices: a black guy or an old white guy. Let's look at their running mates: a younger, old white guy or a right-wing outsider woman.
I voted already via absentee ballot. I chose "That One". I'm proud of my choice.
Folks, go vote.

Vote 'The Doctor'!

Only The Doctor can save you from electing The Master.

Today's Op-Ed

Konichiwa, Mudslingers (Original title) (turned to Twisting up the tall tales)

Imagine that you’re sitting in your house or your dorm or wherever you live. The phone rings. You answer it and you hear a person speaking on the other end. “Hello. I’m calling for John McCain and the RNC. You need to know that Barack Obama has worked closely with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, whose organization bombed the U.S. Capitol, the Pentagon, a judge’s home and killed Americans.”

Ta-da! You’ve been robocalled! It’s one of the disgusting parts of an election year. And did you know that McCain is using the same firm that made robocalls against him during his 2000 campaign to make these robocalls?

Did you hear the one about McCain and Palin palling around with terrorists and other such people? Let me tell it to you.

McCain is friendly with G. Gordon Liddy, one of the men behind the Watergate scandal. Liddy has even donated money to McCain’s various campaigns. Palin’s husband, Todd, has been associated with an Alaskan secessionist party. Palin even recorded a video for one of their conferences! Who’s palling around with terrorists now, hmm? Can you say “hypocrite,” Senator?

Have you heard the claims that Barack Obama’s policy of “redistributing the wealth” is socialist and that he is a socialist? Well, there’s nothing much to them. Redistributing the wealth has been done before. It happened during the Great Depression with FDR. Even Ronald Reagan redistributed the wealth. Why aren’t the RNC and the McCain campaign acknowledging this fact? And guess what? Palin redistributed the wealth in Alaska as governor! Can you say “hypocrite,” Governor?

Did you hear about the McCain supporter/volunteer who claimed that she was attacked by a tall and menacing black man who carved a “B” into her face when he found out that she was a McCain supporter? Falsified and a hoax! Firstly, the letter “B” was backwards! Secondly, the story was started by Fox News and the McCain campaign, and spread from there. Personally, I don’t believe much that I hear from Fox News. And when I saw the picture on the news, before the hoax was broken, I could easily tell that she faked the attack. Who carves a “B” backwards into their face? Someone looking into a mirror!

And have you heard the claim that Obama is a Muslim and doesn’t go to church? Blatant lie! He’s a Christian who did go to the same church for nearly 20 years, until the Rev. Wright story came to the surface. And what about McCain and Palin’s religious associations? You don’t hear too much about McCain attending church, and as for Palin, that’s a whole new story. Her pastor in Alaska is a man by the name of Thomas Muthee. Basically, before he became a pastor in Alaska, he ran a woman out of an African town, claiming that she was a witch. What’s more is that during a sermon, Muthee said a blessing over Palin to keep the witches and evil spirits away from her. Can you say “hypocrite?”

Finally, Sen. McCain, what happened to the respectful and “straight talk” campaigning you promised? Your campaign is currently as straight as a circle and as clean as a pig. Thanks for destroying my faith in the party of Lincoln.

This is Halloween!

Some pictures:






And some videos:

Save Pushing Daisies!!!

Folks, it's one of the most creative, bright, morbidly funny, and colorful (and I don't mean language-wise) shows out there. It's off to a rough start because its first season (last year) was cut short due to the strike, but it had been picked up for a full season. The cast, the acting, the directing, the writing, and the homages are all phenomenal. I bet that if you watch one episode, you'll be hooked. There are petitions going around to save the show. There are even campaigns to save the show. One such campaign is to send in pies and daisies (real and fake/paper) to ABC. Below are some links that are imperative to view if you're a fan of the show and/or you want to save it.

E! Online articles:
Did ABC Cancel PD?
PD is in Danger! Can It Be Saved?

The Petition, which currently has 16540 signatures.

And folks, watch Pushing Daisies at 8 PM Eastern on Wednesdays on ABC. If you can't watch it live, you can watch it at the ABC website. Don't let another phenomenal show disappear forever! And don't forget, have some pie! :)

Recent Discoveries- 10/30/08

Some really interesting stuff I discovered recently:

Stan Lee reading "The Raven".

The teaser trailer for Angels and Demons.


Tom DeLay being a complete asshole (as in a worser asshole than Michelle Bachmann).

Voting for Obama (From the Huffington Post)

An article I found on the Huffington Post website.

In 1952, when I was 16, my father was stationed in the Air Force in London. I was dating a general's daughter. I can still remember her kisses. They were luscious and the best experience to that point of my young life. Then one night in early September, just after a new American high school opened, I received a call from the girl's father, the general.
"Hello, Craig, it's General Kessinger. I understand you are planning a dance for the high school students at the American Teen Club,"
"Yes, sir." I said, "I am working on it." I had never had a call from a general before.
"This coming Saturday night?"
"Yes, sir."
"I don't suppose you will be allowing Negras to come to that dance, will you?"
There was a long pause at my end.
"Yes, sir," I finally said. "They are in school too. It would be only fair."
"It is not our custom to mix the races," he said, "not socially."
I told the general something, I think, about how hard it would be to change the announcement. Technically difficult.
My mother must have been listening. She chose that moment to come out into the hallway where I was standing, holding the phone. "Hold your ground," she said quietly as she walked past, pretending to need something in the kitchen.
"This could cause a whole lot of problems that you do not understand," said the general on the phone, "and I just don't believe that this is the right time or place to make a social statement."
"Maybe," I hesitated, "we could set a good example ...."
Now the pause was at his end.
"And if you were to hold such a dance my daughter would not be able to come. No, she would not come to a dance like that, not at all."
My mother walked back from the kitchen: "Hold your ground," she whispered again.
As it turned out, I won the war but lost the girl. The whole matter eventually went to the commanding general of the Third Air Force who ordered that we be allowed to hold the dance and that everyone should be invited. I remember a young black girl came. Just one. She was dignified and pretty and I was full of admiration for her. In fact, she was stunning. The general's daughter did not come. I never saw her again and never had another one of those delicious kisses.
Sixteen years later, I was practicing law in Denver when Martin Luther King, Jr., was killed. The city erupted in mass protests, meetings, school resolutions and turmoil. In the spring of 1969, I received a call asking if I would organize a lawsuit attempting to integrate Denver's schools. Together with an aroused liberal community hundreds of volunteers began a process that prepared the facts and details of Denver's history of school segregation. That segregation had all been informal and secret, never by rule of law. But there it was, hidden in the records of school admissions and boundaries, teacher assignments, bussing of whites out of black districts; the whole works.
As the trial opened in the Federal District Court in the winter of 1970, twenty-seven of our school buses were blown up. Dynamited. Boom, boom, boom.
Then one night our plaintiff's house was blown up. Boom. Cars began to drive around my house, slowly, headlights off. Inside our house we were pretty nervous.
For nine years thereafter I was awakened with phone calls in the middle of the darkest hours. It was always more or less the same message: "Get up! Send your pretty little blond daughter to school with some niggers!" Click.
That year, later in the fall after the trial, I was the nominee for Congress of the Democratic Party in Denver. Two weeks before the vote, I had a fifteen-point lead in the polls. Then my opponent started running full-page ads in the papers charging me as the person responsible for Denver's massed, forced, cross-town bussing . My 15-point lead evaporated overnight. In November, I was defeated.
Thirty-eight years later, I sat in the stadium at Invesco Field in Denver when 84,000 Democrats shouted and stamped their feet, screamed and yelled, sang and exalted when Barack Obama accepted the nomination of his party for the presidency of the United States of America. The same town that blew up the 27 school busses was holding a celebration that rocked the night. Fireworks and dancing, bombs bursting in air.
Last Wednesday, I went to the Fair Grounds of Santa Fe to vote. When I sat in that small booth and my pen came to the circle beside the name Barack Obama, an indescribable lump rose in my throat. With great care, I filled in the circle, over and over, and over, and over. Oh, my God, I thought, we have done it.
I went on, then, marking the circles in my ballot as if everything was normal. No shouting and exaltation rang out in the polling area. The election of a black man was now going to be a matter of course, of routine, of life in America.
For all of us in this country, this, or a variation of this, is our story. For me, this story began in 1952, when one high school identified and wrestled with the shadow of racism. In 1969, one city excavated, dug, wept and boiled over with the coming to light of the shadow. This year, a whole nation has not only identified, surfaced and called it by name, but has embraced its shadow, exalted over it, and the land of the free is more free than ever before.
---------------
Craig Barnes
Santa Fe, NM
October 26, 2008

Reading this article brought tears to my eyes. Everyone should read this. There's nothing more I can say.

My First Op-Ed Column!

I'm quite excited. Here's the column:

Now Playing
Originally Published October 17, 2008
By Jason Stack
I’m the kind of person who loves to listen to music. I listen while I’m working on homework. I listen when I’m reading books (yes, I actually read books). I listened on the way to and from high school. I’m also the kind of person who follows news stories. Over the last few months, I’ve been following political stories more, mainly because they’re featured on the news more. I tend to turn to “Countdown,” “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” for my daily news. I turn to these sources because they’re reliable, even if “Countdown” tends to bash “Fox Noise,” as Keith Olbermann calls “Fox News,” and even if “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” tend to satirize political news stories. I prefer to hear news stories from reliable sources that have other reliable sources to back them up, not supposed reliable sources that are backed up by mud, shit and lies. Anyway, considering the amount of airtime the candidates and their families are getting, I’ve decided to create a little playlist with songs that best fit either them or the way they’re being portrayed on the news.

For John McCain:

- “I’m Alive” by ELO: His heart just keeps ticking. Or maybe not.

- “Money” by Pink Floyd: How many mansions does he have? How much are they worth? And how much are those Italian loafers?

- “Pretty Woman” by Roy Orbison/Van Halen: His first wife was a beauty queen. His second wife was attractive and rich. His VP pick was in beauty pageants. It doesn’t take too long to connect the dots.

For Sarah Palin:

- “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon and Garfunkel: People are calling her a VPILF. What more can I say?

- “Hey Bulldog” by The Beatles: “What’s the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”

- “All the Young Dudes” by Mott the Hoople, “I’m Sticking With You” by The Velvet Underground, “Anyone Else But You” by The Moldy Peaches: A little something for Bristol Palin. Juno was funnier than her situation.

For Barack Obama:

- “Imagine” by John Lennon: The KKK would’ve rioted back then if they found out that a black man was running for president in the future.

- “Revolution” by The Beatles: Sure, we want change. Peaceful change, though.

- “I’d Love to Change the World” by Ten Years After: Barack’s mentality.

For Joe Biden:

- “The Song that Never Ends” from “Lamb Chop’s Play-Along”: He’s been known to talk. A lot.

- “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin: To quote Biden, “Sarah Barracuda, meet Joey the Shark.”

For the Edwards Family:

- “I Feel Pretty” from “West Side Story”: $400 haircut, anyone?

- “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” from “South Pacific”: Probably what Elizabeth Edwards was thinking when the news came out.

For George W. Bush:

- “A Cockeyed Optimist” from “South Pacific”: Everything always appears to be working for him. Mission Accomplished! But we’re still over there …

- “When the Levee Breaks” by Led Zeppelin: Remember a little clusterfuck named Katrina?

- “Oh Well” by Fleetwood Mac: The lyrics mention “I talk real funny.” I hope that I don’t need to explain myself further.

For Dick Cheney:

- “Gimme Some Money” by Spinal Tap: Halliburton. Oil. Money.

- “Money” by The Beatles: Halliburton. Oil. Money.

- “Pigs on the Wing” by Pink Floyd: Halliburton. Oil. And money.

Pushing Daisies 2x3: Bad Habits

Pushing Daisies is one of my favorite, pleasurable shows to watch. It's whimsical, colorful, and so many other things. On with my thoughts.

Chuck's outfit in the beginning: Did it scream Jackie-O or was it just me?

Olive's digging: Cartoony, yet cute.

Mother Superior and the Father's names: Mary Mary (a song by the Monkees) and Eduardo de Donde (Edward of Where). Punny.

Reviving Sister Larue:
Ned's uneasiness was hilarious.
"Nun on the run!"

The food processor: The Hacken Chop!

Olive revealing the secret to Ned:
They managed to get charades in there, along with The Da Vinci Code. Great!

I really hope that ABC doesn't give up on this show!

Supernatural 4x5: Monster Movie

This was a great episode. It could be because of the fact that the episode was made in the style of horror movies from the 1930s. It could be because of the dialogue. It could be because of ... Anyway, here are my thoughts.

Sam saw the 4th Indy film without Dean. Great moment.
D: I still have to see the new Raiders film.
S: I saw it.
D: Without me?
S: You were in Hell.
D: That's no excuse.

The fake IDs: Agents Angus and Young.
Great! Especially since the new AC/DC album, Black Ice, drops on the 21st.

The style of 1930s horror movies.
The transitions. The music. Some of the camera work. But nothing can quite match the campiness and style of 1930s horror movies.

The Big Lebowski!
D: The Dude does not abide.

Dracula reference:
The other barmaid was named Lucy. In Dracula, Lucy was Seward's fiancee.

The vamp on the motorbike! Hilarious!

And did you recognize the actor playing Dracula? His name is Todd Stashwick. You might recognize him from a few guest roles on The Middleman (Mr. White in "The Flying Fish Zombification" and Psych (Frankjim Ogletree in "Ghosts").

The IVAW at the 3rd Debate- From New Politicus

From New Politicus:

Police Arrest 15 Members of the Iraq Veterans Against the War at Hofstra Outside The Third Presidential Debate.

REPORT FROM IVAW MEMBER:

On Wednesday, October 15th 2008, a peaceful protest outside the third Presidential Debate at Hofstra University on Long Island was met with violence and misconduct by police.

Iraq Veterans Against the War had a clear mission that night: to ensure that the issues most important to Veterans would be at the forefront of the debate. With over 4,183 service members having been killed in Iraq (at the time of the protest), it's unforgivable that the candidates have been allowing the Occupation of Iraq and it's casualties to fall into avoidable talking points instead of focused attention.

At 7:00pm the night of the debate, IVAW members, marching in formation in full dress uniform led a contingent of a few hundred peaceful protesters to the main gate of Hofstra University. As per our letter to Moderator Bob Scheiffer, because we hadn't received notice that two of our Veterans would be allowed to enter the debate to address the candidates, a small, uniformed contingent of Veterans physically attempted entry.

Immediately police began arresting those who "crossed the line". They then began using horses to physically knock protesters back away from the Hofstra gates.

As the order to get back on the sidewalk was being complied to at least one officer charged his horse up the curb, and onto the sidewalk- directly resulting in at least three injuries- including two Iraq Veterans.

Nick Morgan, a former Army Sergeant was trampled, knocked out, and had his face crushed by the hoof of a horse.

Witnesses say that police left him unconscious on the sidewalk for up to ten minutes before arresting him. Nick, disoriented and obviously suffering a concussion, was initially refused medical treatment beyond a simple piece of gauze taped to his face.

When Morgan was escorted onto the bus in handcuffs, he didn't know where he was, or why he was arrested. Police initially refused to bring him to the hospital irregardless of his potentially life threatening condition. It wasn't until other members of IVAW demanded he be allowed to see a doctor, that the police hesitantly put Nick into an ambulance.

At the hospital Morgan received stitches, and it was discovered after an x-ray that his right cheek bone was clearly displaced and pushed back into his skull.

After treatment, the semi-conscious Veteran was brought to Nassau County's Headquarters Jail and shackled to a bench with the rest of us including Matthis Chiroux (Army Sergeant), Kristofer Goldsmith (Army Sergeant), Adam Kokesh (Marine Sergeant), Mike Spinato, Geoff Millard (Army Sergeant), Marlisa Grogan (Marine Captain), Nathan Peld (Navy, 1998-2004), James Gilligan (Marine Corps, 6 years) and Jose Vasquez (Army & Army Reserves, 1992-2007). With fifteen in total sitting in the jail, the officers and detectives began taunting and harassing Nick, with all of us witnessing this misconduct by police.

We, the "Hempstead 15" were issued the same summons and case number for "disorderly conduct" and "failure to obey a lawful order". We include

On November 10th 2008, the Marine Corps Birthday, and one day before Veterans Day, we will be heard in court. We would like to invite you to come out in support of the very Freedoms granted by the United States Constitution that we swore to uphold and defend when joining the military.

First District Court, County of Nassau, Arraignment Part, 99 Main Street, Hempstead New York




----------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO SUPPORT US NOW??
----------------------------------------------------------------------

My fellow veteran brothers need you. We need to call the Nassau County police department and ask them why they would trample IRAQ WAR VETERANS exercising their FREEDOM SPEECH in a peaceful manner. Is this the way members of the military who don the uniform and make an oath to defend the constitution, America, and it's people are treated? We MUST NOT ONLY hold the Police Department accountable but the Presidential Candidates as well for allowing this to happen. THIS IS NOT DEMOCRACY, THIS IS A POLICE STATE.

Below are the numbers. Call now and anytime until November 10th when the court date is set for the detained veterans. Stay posted for a possible action then.


LAWRENCE MULVEY
COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

Public Information Office
516-573-7135
516-573-7138 (24 hour)
516-573-7118 FAX


And the complaint line

Call 516-573-7000 and ask to be connected to the Desk Officer where the incident occurred (Hofstra University).

NC Police Internal Affairs Unit: 516-573-7120
NC District Attorney’s Office, Special Investigations : 516-571-2100
NYS Attorney General, Civil Rights Division: 1-800-771-7755


On November 10th 2008, the Marine Corps Birthday, and one day before Veterans Day, we will be heard in court. We would like to invite you to come out in support of the very Freedoms granted by the United States Constitution that we swore to uphold and defend when joining the military.

First District Court, County of Nassau, Arraignment Part, 99 Main Street, Hempstead New York
11550 (Room 268)

I hope to see you all there, for a Peaceful action.

-Sergeant Kristofer Goldsmith
Iraq Veterans Against the War
"1 of the Hempstead 15"

Thank you for your continued support,

Wendy Barranco
President
IVAW - Los Angeles
Combat Medic
SPC, USA
OIF 05-07
Tikrit, Iraq

Contact Info:
http://ivaw.org
99 Main Street
Hempstead, NY

They're veterans and the police treat them like this? Does this country have no respect for its veterans? First, McCain not voting for veterans, being a veteran himself. Then, Walter Reed. Now this. Honestly! While I'm not in support of the war, I still think that these people who fought for our country overseas should receive better treatment than this.

A Political Cartoon from Matt Bors

Pwned, McCain!

"Circus Circus" Review (Pushing Daisies 2x2)

This was a really great, witty episode. Actually, they all are great and witty.

Anyway, main points:
1) The circus jokes
- I really liked the circus jokes. Getting the revived mime to talk. All the clowns in the clown car. The clowns wanting to create a union.
2) The limerick
- Limericks are so much fun.
3) Emerson's past
- Slowly, we're starting to see Emerson break down a bit. The pop-up book he created in hopes of his daughter finding him, from last week's episode. His fatherly instincts causing him to take the case and find Nikki.
4) Chuck and Ned making a fresh start.
5) And of course, Olive and Lily at the convent.

Quotes:
"I'm Ned. I wake pies and make the dead."
"There once was a name named Van Deenus. They said he had a big ..."

Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on the McCain-Palin smears

Mini-Jukebox Hero

Jukebox Hero @ Yahoo! Video

Big Developments!

Well, let's get down to business.

1) I'm podcasting my shows! I have one of my two shows from September on the site (I could only get the audio for the second one), as well as my show from earlier today.

2) I have a new blog set up for the radio show.

Check both of them out!

Palin's Question and Answer Flow Chart

So, if I asked a question about gay rights or gay marriage, where would it end it?

From Daily Kos.

Also, the flow chart can now be bought on t-shirts and other assorted products!

It's Another Pleasant Valley Saturday

Well, another Saturday is here, and for the college crowd, that means sleeping in late.  Which is what I did.  I was up a bit late, putting together a video and uploading it to Youtube, only to find that the video had to be taken down because Fox got all huffy.  All I did was take clips from four episodes of Fringe and put them together with Crazy Train (Black Sabbath) and Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) as background music.  A frakkin' compilation video, for Christ's sake!  What's wrong with that?  What about other clips people have posted?  Going to take those down, Fox?

Anyway, I'm back on the radio later today from 5 to 5:30.  Listen live on the WHRW website.  The phone number and AIM SN are on the site, as well.  Keep your ears tuned in to that frequency.

The Sarah Palin Test

1) Do you have a passport?

    a) If yes, for how long?

    b) If yes, how many times have you been out of the country and to which countries have you travelled?

2) Name a Supreme Court case besides Roe v. Wade.

3) What would give you foreign policy experience?

4) Do you have any connections to Big Oil?

If you've answered no to 1, something similar to 2, something about Russia to 3, and yes to 4, then you're Sarah Palin.  If you've answered yes and provided decent answers to 1, something similar to 2, something not about Russia to 3, and no to 4, then pass the Sarah Palin test and are more qualified to run as VP. 

A Fun Game For the VP Debate

No, it's not a drinking game.  It's Palin Bingo!

Pushing Daisies season premiere!

Have a piece of pie for Pushing Daisies.

On another note, the pecan pie was okay.  Homemade pecan pie (especially chocolate pecan pie) is better.  Much better.

Johnny Depp News

I follow a few movie sites and I'm also a Johnny Depp fan, mainly because of his excellent performances as Sweeney Todd, Jack Sparrow, Gilbert Grape, Ichabod Crane, and Willy Wonka.  I came upon the following news at Slashfilm.

Johnny Depp has been cast in the upcoming Jerry Bruckheimer produced adaptation of the classic old-time radio and early television show The Lone Ranger created by George W. Trendle. The series followed a masked Texas Ranger in the Old West who rights injustices with the aid of his native American assistant, Tonto. He gallops along on his white horse Silver. The character’s signature quote is “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” Depp will play Tonto. Pirates of the Caribbean writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have been writing the script. No start or release dates have been announced.
Depp must have signed a multi-picture deal with the studio, because it was also announced that the actor would play The Madd Hatter in Tim Burton’s 3D part live-action, part computer animated adaptation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Principal photography is set to begin in November, with a March 5th 2010 release date previously announced. Concept art from the film was shown, showing the classic Alice in Wonderland scenes done in Tim Burton style, complete with curved and slanted corners. Everything is really stylized. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb have huge heads, and are shaped like upward missiles. None of the characters look like a dramatic departure from the traditional designs.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Richard W. “Dick” Cook announced “How about another pirates movie!?” signaling that Depp was now signed for Pirates of the Caribbean 4.

Now, I can see him as the Mad Hatter, no problem. It's another Tim Burton collaboration and I trust that Tim Burton will do quite well with Johnny as the Mad Hatter.
As for Pirates 4? I think that they closed off the third film nicely and I don't see why they would need a 4th Pirates film, unless they were doing a spin-off dealing mainly with Jack Sparrow, not with Will and Elizabeth.
And The Lone Ranger? Is now the right time to bring back classic radio dramas as films? And as Tonto? I don't really know about that. Tonto was portrayed as an American Indian. I guess that Depp could do the role justice, seeing as he was one of three actors who took over for Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and that he can do pretty darn good accents (Sparrow, Todd, Crane). We'll just have to wait and see.

2 Impression Videos (from movies)

The Joker:

Daniel Plainview:

Good News!

I tried out for the Dickinson Community Players play last week.  They're doing an adaptation of Clue.  I got an e-mail a little while ago ... and I made callbacks!!!!!  I'm one of four guys who made callbacks.  There were about eight girls who also made callbacks.  My guess is that all the guys who got called back are staying and four of the girls will be cut.  Let's look at it logically.  In the movie, there were 9 roles: Mr. Boddy, the butler, the maid, Ms. White, Ms. Scarlet, Ms. Peacock, Professor Plum, Colonel Mustard, and Mr. Green.  Oh, drat!  How're they going to cast all 5 male roles with only 4 males on the callbacks list?  Hmm ... well, I'll let you know how things go.  It's going to be a long day tomorrow.  Class from 9:40 to 10:40 and 1:10 to 3:20, then callbacks at 7.  I don't think I'll have that much work to do, but I could probably go over my Calc stuff when I'm not needed at callbacks, just to be safe and productive.

Later!  :)

Something I Got in my E-mail from my Great-Uncle

I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight . . .

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'different.'

If you grow up in Alaska eating moose burgers, you are a quintessential American.

If your name is Barack, you're a radical and unpatriotic.

If you name your kids Track, Bristol, Willow, Piper, and Trig, you're a maverick.

If you graduate from Harvard law School, you are unstable.

If you attended 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a 'real' Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a good Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system, while your unwed teenage daughter gets pregnant, you're a responsible parent.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's values.

If your husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Remember Those Fake Scam E-mails? Well, Look What I Found

This is from Wil Wheaton's blog:

REQUEST FOR URGENT CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP
This was forwarded to me by a friend. It's important to laugh, when the only other option is to cry.

From: Minister of the Treasury Paulson

Subject: REQUEST FOR URGENT CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship
with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country
has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of
800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it
would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my
replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you
may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation
movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need
the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these
funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly
under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for
a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the
funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund
account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to
wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission
for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will
respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used
to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully
Minister of Treasury Paulson

Watching the Emmys

I tuned in roughly an hour in.

Some great moments:
1) Colbert comparing Bush and McCain to prunes.
2) Paul Giamatti winning Best Actor in a Drama Miniseries.
3) Paul Giamatti stating that ANYONE can play the President.
4) Barry Sonnenfeld winning for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy for the Pushing Daisies pilot "Pie-lette".
5) The "In Memorium" video segment. I can't believe we've lost all those creative minds: George Carlin, Bernie Mac, Issac Hayes, Stan Winston, Sydney Pollack.
6) Jimmy Kimmel presenting the award for Outstanding Host for a Reality Show like he was hosting a reality show.

What I'm a little ticked about:
1) Michael Emerson didn't win for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama. Ben is a phenomenally ambivalent character.
2) Hugh Laurie didn't win Outstanding Actor in a Drama. House is wicked cool.
3) Lee Pace didn't win Outstanding Actor in a Comedy. Ned is such a fun, quirky, humorous character.

Prickly City on Sarah Palin

Monday


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday


Friday


Saturday

Sarapalin2008? Who the ...?

Let me give it to you straight, folks. When I got back from my afternoon classes today, I found 11 video comments and one channel comment from a "Sarapalin2008". All of these comments were negative and contained language that would burn out one's eyeballs, much like Castiel's real form in the season premiere of Supernatural.


Below is a screencap of her Youtube channel.



What follows are quotes of what this user posted on 11 videos and my channel.

On History: Barack Obama's Nomination:

obama is a stupid n*****.

One bad day for history....but he is not going to win so thats as close to the Presidency he will ever get.....Jason even you have a better chance...

On Woman in a Man's Closet:

f*** you jason s****...you weird mother f*****.

On Babies on eBay:

you are a f***ed up bitch.

On A Dark Knight Discussion:

you are such a f***ing freak!!!

On Get Smart Review:

Die bitch!!

On Burn After Reading review:

is this the vagina monologues??...you are a talking vagina

Jack S****......F*** You!!

On 9/11, The Presidential Campaigns and Binghamton News:

Jason S****....you are virtually incomprehensible!! Why???? You evil little f***!! Why wont you die!!! You are a disgusting c***!!!

On Comments on McCain News Stories and other things:

Hello "Jason the dumb-ass c***". The SEC chairman is appointed by the President and serves at the President's discretion. In all practical respects if any President asked a chair of a department to "resign" he/she would. Why are you so f***ing stupid? John McCain has more knowledge about the economy (and the accountability needed to build a strong economy) in his left testicle than you will ever have during your worldly existence.

On Odd Jobs:

your voice and uglyness makes me want to hurt small children.

On Who Are You, Sarah Palin?:

Who Are you?? Who?? Who?? Who are you?? The Next VP!! The Next VP!!

Jason S**** is a C***! C***! C***!

On Day 1 at WHRW: Empty Pages and Pump It Up:

Evil Troll!!! Why do you think people want to watch this SHIT??? You are a f***ing moron!! F*** off!

On McCain's POW Excuse:

He is a POW!! You have no f***ing idea what that means!! The only reason you have the right to spew the shit that comes out of your mouth is because of heroes like John McCain. You should thank him. Show some respect!

On Most Embarrassing School Moment:

Jason this shows how stupid you actually are!!! You really need to f*** off. I HATE YOU!!!
~Sarah~

On Searching for Spotted Dick:

Wow you are so gay! Good thing! In the POW camp we don't have spotted dick but we have a good substitute which I believe you will find to your fancy....big dick.

You will never get spotted dick, big dick, small dick, red dick, green dick, definitely not no dick....just your dick
~Sarah~

On We're Still Alive:

You are a stupid ass! Unfortunately are still here....f***!

On Football and Schoolteacher Polls and Sarapalin2008:

Jason you sound stupider with the fake ass accent then you normally do....nice
~Sarah~

and you look like a terrorist Muslim!!! F***!! You are no American citizen......your a f***ing ape/man/woman... AHHHHHH!!!!

On my channel:

Jason S**** is clearly a malfunctioning failure...... he is clueless to the FACT that people do not want to fall victim to his truly retarded videos! What a royal f***ing waste of time! Spend the time you devote to this pure shit and get an education.....then plastic surgery.....but most importantly an education.....well actually plastic surgery is greatly needed.....well do both!! F***!! When I become VP I am going to put you in a f***ing POW prison camp so society does not have to suffer through your F***ING VIDEOS!
With Love, Sarah

A little too nasty, if you ask me, for a "VP candidate". Should I report this user? I think so.

McCain-Palin has Lost and They Don't Realize It ... It Must Be Mental!

Recently, John McCain and Sarah Palin have made comments and have provided such news that people who can think logically would think that their campaign would be over, but it's not.

Part I: The Economy
- McCain has continually said that the fundamentals of our economy are strong. Then, the economy plummeted, no thanks to the major drop of the Dow and the financial bankruptcies. He's still saying that the fundamentals are strong. Then he clarified his statement by saying that he meant that the fundamentals were the workers. Do you mean the workers whose jobs have been shipped overseas? He's also said previously that he doesn't know much about the economy. No duh! He said he'll fire the SEC Commissioner if elected. Hey there, Johnny! You can't fire the SEC Commissioner. Presidents can only appoint them! And Phil Gramm, one of his campaign staff members said "America is a nation of whiners." Damn elitist!

Part II: Foreign Policy
- Apparently, McCain's foreign policy is being a POW for 5 and a half years. Uh-huh. So, if I was a POW for 5 and a half years, I'd have great foreign policy experience? And what about Sarah Palin's "foreign policy experience"? So what if she can see Russia from her house? Actually, Russia can't be seen from her house. It can be seen from an island off the western coast of Alaska. And how many times has she been outside of the US? Once, apparently. Last year, which was when she applied for and got her passport. Living across the strait from Russia isn't exactly foreign policy experience and neither is being a POW.

Part III: Who's Running for President?
- As recently as today, Palin has stated things about the "Palin-McCain administration". Hi there, Sarah. Need a reminder? You're the VP for the Republican Party. YOU'RE NOT THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, DESPITE THE FACT THAT YOU'RE YOUNGER AND CHARISMATIC, BUT LET'S FACE IT, GOVERNOR, YOU'RE NO BARACK OBAMA!

Part IV: McCain's Mind and Health
- We know that McCain was a POW for 5 and a half years and we know that he was broken and beaten and signed confessions. We have videos from former POWs from Vietnam who say that their lifespan has decreased and they've had health and mental problems. McCain has had cancer at least twice. And he only released his medical records for a brief, and I mean brief, period of time, a few hours, in fact, to a handful of medical professionals, I think. They weren't allowed access to technology. The records were well over 1000 pages. You do the math.

Part V: Palin's Controversies and Policies, etc.
- There are many things about Sarah Palin that give me the shudders. Her 17 year old daughter is pregnant out of wedlock. Palin is anti-abortion. She's a member of the NRA. She hunts moose from airplanes. I don't know how many women that she will pull to McCain with policies and ideas like that. She had a tanning bed installed in the governor's house in Alaska. She fired the Public Service Commissioner in Alaska for reasons still unknown, but many people believe it was because he didn't fire a trooper who happened to be her ex-brother-in-law. She isn't cooperating with the investigation, despite the fact that she said she would fully cooperate. Her husband, Todd Palin was issued a subpoena for the Troopergate investigation, but he's ignoring it, for lack of a better word. He also works for BP.

Part VI: McCain v. The Government
- McCain has said that Washington is broken and he can fix it. Yet, he's been in the Senate for 26 years. How could he not fix it in those 26 years? He's also said that he's against lobbyists. Yet, his campaign is run by, in part, 159 or so lobbyists. He's said that he'll fight corruption. How can we believe that?

Okay, folks. How many more reasons do you need to vote for Barack Obama?

Rove and Hannity on Palin's Hacked E-mail

You believe in privacy, yet an administration you helped spies on Americans daily. That doesn't disturb you, Mr. Rove?

So anyway, Palin's official government e-mail account (on Yahoo, no less) was hacked just the other day. The McCain campaign responded by stating:

"This is a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of law. The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them,"

What about the government's invasion of our privacy with the damned Patriot Act. Who ever said that it was patriotic to spy on the citizens of our country? What would the Founding Fathers think? What would Joe McCarthy think? Well, the Founding Fathers would be ready to kill someone and McCarthy would probably wine and dine the current heads of the country.
Also, the Secret Service contacted the Associated Press on Wednesday for copies of the e-mails, but the AP didn't comply. Hooray for prior restraint!

A Pie Chart from Mycrocosm

Hamlet's Facebook

This picture is just great, especially for anyone who's read Hamlet.

You'll Be Missed, Rick Wright

I was quite saddened when I learned that Richard Wright had passed away.  I wasn't hoping for a Pink Floyd reunion tour, but now, all hopes of seeing Floyd live in concert have disappated.  It's sad to see such a visionary pass away at what seems like such a young age, in these times.

WTF, McCain and O'Reilly?

First Blackout of the Semester

Earlier this evening, for about a half hour to an hour, there was a campus-wide blackout. I didn't end up going outside during the blackout, though. I had some work to finish up. Outside, I heard a large amount of rowdy people running around. I heard that there were streakers.

I didn't look to verify that.

I also learned that there was a large group of zombies walking around.

Apparently, the cops tried to break up the zombie mob, but one of the zombies shouted "You can't harm us! We're already dead!". I never knew that zombies could be so articulate. I thought that they were either 1) silent, 2) only speaking in grunts, 3) limited to a few words, like "BRAINS!".
"Well then," said the cops, "we guess that it would be okay to taser you since you can't be harmed." Then, the zombies vanished in a puff of smoke.
I just love articulate zombies, don't you?
Anyway, the power's back and I need some sleep. Have a nice Monday and a nice week. Hope nobody gets a bad case of the Mondays.

My Saturday the 13th

First off, let me say that this was a long day. I started off by having brunch around 11. I did some homework until about 3:30, when I grabbed a bit to eat, then headed over to the radio station for my first apprenticing lesson/radio slot.  The time passed quickly and was quite enjoyable.


The map of listeners worldwide.


At the guest mic.

And I have a rocking show!

Afterwards, I headed back to the dorm, did a little more work, and grabbed dinner. Then I headed back to the dorm, split up and posted the videos you see above, and headed out around 9:30 for Pirates vs. Ninjas Capture the Flag.  It was fun.  It was exhausting.  It was tiring.  It was wet.  It was rainy.  Now, I'm back here, in the dorm.  God, do I need sleep!

McCain, Palin, Lipstick and a Pig

Lipstick on a pig changes nothing. It's still a ridiculous looking pig.

Sarah Palin, Wolves, and Alaska

Burn After Reading review

Once again, the Coen Brothers are out with a dark comedy, after their impressive work on No Country for Old Men.  It's set up like a typical Coen Brothers film, but with a few more plot points.

John Malkovich is a CIA analyst who quits his job after being demoted.

His wife, played by Tilda Swinton, is a pediatrician and is having an affair with George Clooney's character, a married womanizer and a retired federal marshal who works for the Treasury Department.

Francis McDormand and Brad Pitt play two dim-witted gym employees who find a disc with Malkovich's memoirs and Malkovich's financial files, which his wife copied, in preparation to divorce her.  McDormand wants liposuction and various other surgeries.  They attempt to blackmail Malkovich for money, particularly enough to start the operations, and hilarity and death ensue.

The plot is coherent and followable.  The movie does have holes here and there, but they are holes that the audience can fill in, provided that they can comprehend what's going on.  The movie is realistic because of the plot holes and not quite resolved "Happily Ever After" ending.  It highlights the absurdity of spy conflicts quite well.  Two of the funniest moments of the film: Pitt getting punched and Clooney's "workout" machine.

4 stars out of 5.

Craig Ferguson's Monologue: 9/10/08

He has an excellent point.

Palin Watch

I found this on The Jed Report website. They have a load of great videos on Youtube.

Restarting the Blog

Hey there, folks,

If you've been following this blog, you've probably realized that I haven't taken a proactive approach when it comes to operating this blog. My last post, before the Dharma one, was in March. Since I'm up at college and I have a Youtube account, I think I'll use this blog to post my videos, along with videos that I find interesting, along with news stories, cartoons, comics, and movie reviews. I might post some opinion pieces every so often.

Have a nice day.

Indy 4 Widget and Contest