Friday, December 16, 2011

William Melvin Hicks: 50 years old today had he lived

William Melvin Hicks aka Bill Hicks was a fantastic comedy even though many didn't find him funny. In fact, many found him to be offensive, but he never wanted to offend his audience. He wanted them to think, to question, and to challenge what we'd been told. He was a free spirit who wanted us to love each other and stop being afraid, a message that still isn't getting through to people today. I miss the man, and he died when I was 9. We miss you, Bill.

Here is an article with links to Bill's full stand up sets. Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Biggest Loser Winner: An oxymoron for America

Losing 220 pounds is an amazing accomplishment. It really is. However, when you factor in that this weight was lost over the course of only a year,it becomes scary. John Rhode lost weight at a rate of four pounds a week. That's twice the recommended weight loss per week. It comes to an energy balance of -14,000 calories a week or -2000 calories a day. That's the daily recommended intake for an adult woman. I know many people watch the show and feel inspired, but this is a terrible example for people who want to lose weight. So much of the contestant's lives are controlled. While they cook their own meals, their resources are limited. There's no white flour or sugar or any other high fat stuff.

John Rhode did an amazing thing, but much of that weight was lost with the help of personal trainers and a huge monetary prize. My point is the show shouldn't inspire anyone to that level of weight loss, but I'm sure that people do after watching the show. It doesn't encourage a healthy level of weight loss, and, if anything, it encourages people who are morbidly obese to try out for the show instead of changing their ways, maybe even gain weight. It also presents weight loss as something that's easy, but losing four pounds a week is nearly impossible in the real world. Even losing two pounds a week is incredibly challenging, and few, if any, behavioral studies have found a way to do this. John Rhode's accomplishment is indeed impressive, but it's not a lifestyle that people who want to lose weight should inspire to emulate.

More importantly, being the Biggest Loser Winner means that many people on that show didn't win. They lost a lot of weight, and, hopefully, changed their life for the better. However, that weight loss is going to be associated with actual losing. Sure, this may seem like a stupid remark, but imagine working harder than you've ever worked in your life only to fail. Did you want to keep on or just give up? A lot of people just give up.

Also, this may have changed, but there's a psychological aspect to food for these contestants meaning there's a reason these contestants gained so much weight. Eating bad food and not exercising really only gets people to a certain weight. To get to 400 pounds, eating has to be medicinal. It has to be accounting for something be it depression, anxiety, or some other issue, but, until this is treated, the contestants are going to gain back a lot of weight. So, John Rhode is the Biggest Loser Winner, and he's made an amazing change in his life. It is impressive, but it's also unrealistic and probably for someone outside of a controlled setting like the Biggest Loser, dangerous.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

UC Davis Pepper Spray Incident: Way Too Far

At an occupy protest at UC Davis, non-violent demonstrators were pepper strayed by police. There was no reason for this to occur, and, apparently, many agree. A picture of the event was put on the internet, and it went viral. It may not have been a big deal except that this is hardly the first over reaction by police.

A retired police captain is arrested at an occupy protest.

http://i.imgur.com/K1sTv.jpg

A Marine's skull is fractured by a tear gas cannister in the Oakland Occupy Protest.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/26/article-2053502-0E89468100000578-420_964x493.jpg

Police repeatedly try to remove protestors by force.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15779008


http://www.reddit.com/r/occupywallstreet/

It's a disturbing trend when peaceful assembly is disrupted considering that it's a right listed in the 1st amendment. Police are supposed to be on the side of the people, yet they have repeatedly taken action against them. It's a scary thought, and it doesn't get the attention that it deserves. The tea party is heralded as a great movement that almost everyone, at one time, said they could get behind. What's the difference with the occupy movement? Why is this so hard to support? This seems to have a reasonable explanation though. The money doesn't support it. Those with advertising dollars don't like it, so shows are less willing to air it. Tea Partiers get all kinds of love, but those in the Occupy Movement are left out in the cold. Well, that's enough. Tell others about it, about police brutality against non-violent protesters. I can't care who are, but that simply isn't right, ever.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Rick Perry names facts and knowledge as his greatest foes

At an emotional public announcement, Rick Perry announced that he would no longer participate in all of the presidential debates after his ranking in polls took a dive due to his poor performances in previous debates. Perry didn't blame his lack of intelligence or poor preparation for these performances. Instead, Perry revealed his true foes. Those on hand were somewhat surprised to learn that facts and knowlege were Rick Perry's greatest foes in his aspiration to be president.

His problems with facts and knowledge go back to his days in college when Perry explained that he desired to be a veteranian, but knowledge didn't cooperate and refused to help him with this goal. Then, he tried to learn facts, but they didn't agree with his opinions. So, naturally, he ignored them and came to his own conjectured conclusions. Evolution was clearly wrong, but this didn't help with his biology classes. Economics refused to impart any knowledge to him no matter how much he prayed. Admittedly, he found studying to be a ridiculous endeavor saying "that kind of behavior is just as bad as worshipping the devil like atheists do".

As he entered the political arena, he was originally a Democrat until he didn't want to be anymore, so he became Republican where his anti-fact and anti-knowledge stances began to show promise. His willful ignorance seemed to have no limit as he became Lieutenant Governor and, then, Governor of Texas. Even as the recession hit, the number of jobs in Texas grew when other states lost them even though the jobs were at lower wages and the job growth didn't keep up with population growth. It was starting to become clear to Rick Perry that facts and knowledge were wrong. They were things of the past until the presidential debates where facts and knowledge reared their ugly heads.

In his latest press conference, Rick Perry admitted that facts were going to defeat him simply because he refused to acknowledge them. It appears that Rick Perry's only hope is that voters have the same distain for facts and knowledge that he exhibits. That just may be a fact.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Andy Rooney Hospitalized But in Stable Condition

The beloved "60 Minutes" has been hospitalized after a minor surgery resulted in serious complications. The 92 year old just retired from "60 Minutes" after an illustrious run. His segment at the end of the show was a hit among fans, and he often spoke his mind no matter the consequences. While no more information has been released, his family has revealed that his in stable condition but still in the hospital.

Here's an article I wrote about this wonderful man:
http://news.yahoo.com/andy-rooney-finally-retiring-60-minutes-213400768.html

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Does God Have Borderline Personality Disorder?

The Bible has long presented a picture of God as contradictory. A being who inspires two creation stories that don't match, kicks Adam and Eve out of Eden for mistakes it'd knew they would make, and who destroys a good man's life just on a bet. While this may scream jerk, it appears that the being depicted in the Bible may, in fact, be mentally ill.

The disorder in question is borderline personality disorder. Here is an overview of the disorder taken from the Mayo Clinic website:

Borderline personality disorder affects how you feel about yourself, how you relate to others and how you behave.

When you have borderline personality disorder, you often have an insecure sense of who you are. That is, your self-image or sense of self often rapidly changes. You may view yourself as evil or bad, and sometimes may feel as if you don't exist at all. An unstable self-image often leads to frequent changes in jobs, friendships, goals and values.

Your relationships are usually in turmoil. You often experience a love-hate relationship with others. You may idealize someone one moment and then abruptly and dramatically shift to fury and hate over perceived slights or even minor misunderstandings. This is because people with the disorder often have difficulty accepting gray areas and things seem to be either black or white.

Borderline personality disorder symptoms may include:

•Impulsive and risky behavior, such as risky driving, unsafe sex, gambling sprees or illegal drug use (destruction of almost the entire human population or cities, impregnating 13 year olds, testing a man's commitment for unhealthy reasons)
•Strong emotions that wax and wane frequently ("I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy." (JER 13:14) vs."The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." (PSA 145:9) )
•Intense but short episodes of anxiety or depression (sorry, nothing on this one)
•Inappropriate anger, sometimes escalating into physical confrontations (flooding the Earth, Sodom and Gomorrah, kicking the money changers out of the temple)
•Difficulty controlling emotions or impulses (previous example)
•Suicidal behavior (crucifixion of yourself?)
•Fear of being alone (desiring worship?)
When is borderline personality disorder diagnosed?

When five or more of these signs and symptoms are present.

•Intense fear of abandonment (Believe in me or you're going to hell)
•A pattern of unstable relationships (Job, Moses)
•Unstable self-image or sense of identity (Contradicting messages time and again)
•Impulsive and self-destructive behaviors (Destroying cities, lives, and flooding the entire Earth)
•Suicidal behavior or self-injury (Suicide by Roman Crucifixion)
•Wide mood swings ((All-merciful vs. All-just) & (JER 13:14) vs. (PSA 145:9) )
•Chronic feelings of emptiness
•Anger-related problems, such as frequently losing your temper or having physical fights (Mauling children for mocking a bald man)
•Periods of paranoia and loss of contact with reality (Believing you're all powerful and created the entire universe)
It sure seems like a diagnosis is in order.

Source:

http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html#cruel

Thursday, September 8, 2011

People of Texas Plead for Rick Perry to Stop Praying For Help

After two very public prayer days or, well, prayer weekends lead by Rick Perry in Texas concerning the drought and the economy, neither is better. Arguably, both have become worse. If the results of the drought prayer are any indication, this country's economy is about to go into full depression.

When the prayer for rain was first done in April 2011, the drought in Texas wasn't all that bad. Extreme drought had ravaged about 15% of the state. Now, as of September 2011, it has ravaged over 80% of the state, and a major wildfire has broken out.

Texans, in response (not really), have asked for Rick Perry to stop praying. They ask that he simply stop praying in general. At first thought, it may make sense that he pray for the opposite desired outcome, but this may backfire on the people of Texas who seemingly angered God over some injustice. So, Rick Perry, if you wish for another disaster to befall you, just keep on praying, but the people of Texas really want you to stop.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Man claims his invisible friend, Steve, saved his life

The story seemed incredible. A man from west central Minnesota claims his friend Steve saved his life, not once, but four times. Steve sounds like a pretty amazing guy, but what makes him even more amazing is that no one but Clark Higgins has seen the man. You can ask any friend of Clark, but none have never actually met this miraculous man.

When Clark was questioned further, he explained that people just don't believe in Steve, but, if they were to except him into their hearts, Steven can help them as well. Someone suggested that he had meant Jesus or God, but Clark remains steadfast. He even had some not so elegant words about Jesus saying "Forget Jesus, he ain't worth a spit". That line was cleaned up as it was originally filled with expletives. Clark shows no signs of delusions or symptoms of mental illness unless the idea of Steve can be included.

When I asked Clark to tell me more about Steve, he said that he was all-powerful, all-knowing, and had extremely large gentalia. At this point, I inquired whether there was a sexual relationship with Steve, and Clark just smiled and say "Nah, man, Steve don't swing that way, but he doesn't judge either". Steve loves everyone, but they just don't know it yet. They better hurry though cause Clark says that he'll sentence anyone to eternal damnation if they don't love him back. It seems unfair. Barely anyone has heard about Steve and his magical gift. But, based on Pascal's Wager, I thought it might be a good idea to believe anyway.

Then, I asked Clark about his life saving experiences, and they were interesting. The first was a near accident where he swerved just in time to avoid crashing into the ditch. The second time he was pulled out of a pool by a lifeguard after he'd passed out from drinking too much. The third and forth times also included alcohol and, apparently, Steve told him not to drive drunk. Clark admits that he has cut down on his drinking, and that he couldn't have done it without Steve. Personally, this writer thinks that Clark is a little off his rocker, but I can't risk eternal damnation. I love you Steve!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

President Obama continually references ex-girlfriend when discussing Hurricane Irene

President Obama addressed the nation today about Hurricane Irene, but it felt like he was addressing an ex-girlfriend.

"Leaving a terrible trail of destruction, Irene has left many without power and has personally left me heartbroken. I know I'll or we'll look back on the events of this weekend as a turning point when we realized that Irene wasn't worth a damn to me or, I mean, us. She was no good for anyone and, now, we're just expected to pay her bills cause she skipped town. How is that right, Irene? How is that RIGHT?!!!! Uh, this is a terrible event, but we will emerge unified and stronger. Thankfully, the name Irene will be besmirched for a long time. Now, we thought Irene would be a lot stronger than she was, and this is a good lesson to remember. No matter how much we think that we should fear Irene, it turns out that she's mostly talk even if she burns half your clothes and harasses you sporadically for two months after you broke it off. Yeah, I hate Irene, but it appears that we're almost done with her. Trust me, life is better without Irene, and, now, we can repair the damage from her. Sure, we may look back at the heroics of good people during this event and have fond memories, but, remember, the good times had nothing to do with Irene. She was the reason we were in this mess in the first place. It's about time that we're done with this bitch, or, uh, hurricane."

Note: This isn't a real excerpt. No seriously, it's not.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Clint Mansell

This man is utterly amazing. He is an English musician who was the lead singer and guitarist for Pop Will Eat Itself. The band broke up in 1996, but, thankfully, Clint was a friend of Darren Aronofsky who hired him to score the movie, Pi. Since then, he has scored all of Aronofsky's movies, but this may not seem that amazing. It's just movie scores, right? Well, he has some of the most amazing music I've ever heard. Don't believe me?

Here are some examples.

From Requiem for a Dream:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKLpJtvzlEI

From The Fountain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihF_aXi-Huk

Listen and be awed.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Lacking support

This is my second expressive writing post, and I have to admit that it feels a little emo. I remember my mom saying recently that she thought that I didn't believe in myself, and she was right (even though she had no evidence to back it up). I didn't, but this wasn't rocket science. I felt like they'd shot me down at every chance they could get. I was never good enough or productive enough. As an example, I'd had an idea for something. It was a new type of engine. I told my dad about it. He told me time and again, someone else would have thought of it or it doesn't work. The thing he told me my brother was something completely different. He was absolutely supportive of him. Not once, did he say anything negative about it to him. This was the same idea that I had, and we had been talking about working on it together. Eventually, I believed him that it couldn't work and moved on.

Then, I start thinking about stories and realized that I would really like to become a writer. Now, I have three older brothers. The one who is directly older than me was who I had collaborated with on the previous project. My second oldest brother is a great writer who has penned two unpublished novels and multiple screenplays (one will likely be sold soon). Naturally, I go to him for advice and start writing short stories. Also, I write down all of my story ideas and begin writing a novel in the spring of 2010. I don't get very far, only about 30 pages. When I tell my parents about this, my dad says "your brother couldn't get his published" and "Regis Philbin was talking about a book that no one wanted to publish". I took these statements to mean, you're so uncreative and untalented that you shouldn't even bother because, apparently, Rebis Philbin has to have amazing stories. When I told my mom about it, she said "you have such pie in the sky ideas". Hardly supportive.

Still, I developed an idea, and I've written it. It's 240 pages, and I'm in the first editing process. I've proven them wrong, and I still don't understand why they don't support me. I'm a fucking graduate student,and I'm not wasting my life. I understand that they may think that this won't earn me a living, but that's the point of going to school. Although, I hope it gets published, and I can make enough money from it to say "See how wrong you were". That probably won't happen, but a guy can dream. If anyone is interested in my short stories, they are available for Kindle.

Always Second

As I look back at my life, I always felt like I came second. I felt like I didn't put myself first ever (which isn't true), but, with others, it definitely felt that way. With women, I always felt like a second option. A guy to keep on the hook just in case the first option didn't work out. Even with my parents, other things always came first. I remember my dad saying that they were going to do this thing where they just listened to me for two weeks. It didn't happen, and my parents have never paid attention to the things that I say. When something went wrong, it was often blamed on me though it almost never was my fault. My parents projected their anger onto me often because, apparently, your child is a safe outlet (forget the negative consequences of it for that child). It isn't a surprise that I never felt good enough. I was never called smart by them, and my dad told me I did a good job after a day where he made a lot of money. I knew where my worth lied, and it wasn't in my brains. It was alway in work of some form for them.

I think this fostered in me a feeling of self loathing and disrespect for myself which manifested itself in this feeling of always being second. I also became a martyr. When something went wrong, I thought it was my fault. I apologized all the time even though a problem would have nothing to do with me. It shouldn't be a surprise that I became depressed and downtrodden. I couldn't do anything right. No one loved me, and I had no worth. It's taken a long time to realize this is incorrect, but these feelings come back often. It didn't help that I would surround myself with people similar to my father (blameless, lying, and accusatory). I was trying to fix them, and, in doing so, I was hoping I could fix him. It turns out that sort of thing just made me feel worse. So, I began to expunge those relationships from my life even though some were close, and I started anew. It feels great, but I still become sad often, but the period doesn't last long enough to be considered a depression which is good. This is the end of my first expressive writing post. More will likely follow. The take away point is that I'm not second. If you feel the same way, neither are you. I was second because I didn't believe in myself, and I overcame that by proving the doubters wrong.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Who watches the Watchmen?

Watchmen is set in an alternate history where Nixon is still president in 1985, and the US is still embroiled in the Cold War. Masked heroes also exist with one being a genuine superhero, but, after the Keene Act was passed in 1977, only a few remained active. When one of their own suddenly ends up murdered, they are forced back into their costumes to solve a mystery which grows into a larger mystery.

Alan Moore has written some classic comics, but this one may be his best. The characters are wonderful with fun, smart plot twists. It is a joy to read, but the movie doesn't do the comic justice. As further justification of its greatness, it made Time's list of 100 best novels from 1922-2005. You may not think that comics are cool, but you're missing out on great literature if you don't read them.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Opposite Movie Review: The Godfather

So, this is a based on a book by some guy that I never read. It's about a mafia family who do things like kill people and run rackets and stuff. There's a dad and his kids and what not. Long story short, this movie is terrible. It is three hours of garbage. I mean it starts with a wedding. Where's the fucking action? I think there's only one explosion in the entire film, and one crazy shoot out where the good guy doesn't even have a gun. Instead, this film relies on strong characters and plot to carry you through, but I wanted more explosions. Ooo, you build suspense. Big deal! There were not enough explosions and gunshots. Where's Michael Bay when you need him?

Monday, August 8, 2011

The Zodiac Killer: Is the mystery over?

Could it be true? Has the final Zodiac code naming the killer been cracked. That's what Corey Starliper says. What name is it? Well, you can find out here.

Personally, I want the mystery to be over cause this thing creeps me out big time. These murders happened 15 years before I was born, and they still bother me to no end. The attack at Lake Berryessa may be one of the most terrifying encounters in history. A man dresses in a black hooded diguise and ties up his victims, only to stab them repeatedly. Somehow, the man survived the attack, but his fiance didn't. The killer flees and writes letters to local newspapers about his deeds. Just terrifying.

Still, if you're like me and wish to face that fear. Here are a couple of books about the Zodiac Killer by Robert Graysmith.


Monday, August 1, 2011

Zombie Reports Feeling Misunderstood Yet Superior Due To White Skin

I sat down with a zombie named Robert who had been dead for almost four years. After a zombie outbreak, Robert tried to flee his hometown, but he was overtaken by zombies who turned him into one of their own. Robert has largely been able to maintain his intelligence throughout the experience, but his speech center of the brain was damaged. However, Robert is able to write answers to questions on a piece of paper, and this method allowed me to conduct an interview. This was the interview that followed.

KM: Robert, you've written that zombies are misunderstood. How?

RZ: People think that we violent killing machines who crave brain, but people attack first. Just start shooting. We defend ourselves. No one give us food or allow us near healthy stuff. Yes, we eat brains and flesh. Brains are yummy. We like brains.

KM: Interesting. Doesn't turning more people into zombies exacerbate this problem? You now have more competition.

RZ: I guess. It like having kids. Some zombie want them and other don't. Turning someone like have kid except they independent.

KM: That seems a bit reckless.

RZ: We reckless? How minorities? No different from them.

KM: Their children don't turn people into the living dead.

RZ: Some zombie was minority. As skin become pale, they become better people. They raise better kids.

KM: Are you saying that zombies are better parents as zombies? How is that possible?

RZ: No, saying that they better parents because they white now.

KM: Wait, wait, zombies are better because they're white?

RZ: Look at my skin. No get any whiter, and never been better person except eating brain.

KM: That sounds incredibly racist. I just hope that's clear.

RZ: We may eat brains, but we're better than darkies. That fact.

At this point, Robert lunged at me. I was able to dodge and escape from the building, but a group had followed us there. Authorities soon arrived, and Robert died from a gunshot wound to the head, moments later. I guess the zombie white supremicist has a long way to go.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A whole lot of wacky weather

The last three seasons have been some of the worst we've seen in the United States in a long time. Over the winter, blizzards halted travel and inconvenienced millions. This spring has seen multiple tornadoes ravage the south and east with deadly results. Then, there's the wildfires which are destroying thousands of acres and droughts. Floods have also affected huge areas. Minot, North Dakota has been the latest victim of nature as the Souris River is bound to set a record crest today or tomorrow.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/8121943/minot_north_dakota_evacuates_as_souris.html?cat=9

The time has come to ask why. What is the cause of this damaging and deadly weather events? There are two likely culprits. The first and most likely is La Nina, and it is kicking our ass. But, there is something exacerbated the effects of La Nina. It's our old nemesis known as global warming. People don't want to believe it exists, but something is happening. Yet, I think it's only going to get worse until we're seriously willing to address it.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Michio Kaku to Appear at the University of Minnesota on April 7th

For science fiction fans in the Twin Cities area, I have some good news. Michio Kaku, author of Physics of the Impossible, will be discussing his new book Physics of the Future. This book discusses where technology is moving in the future, specifically in the year 2100.



Dr. Kaku, a theoretical physicist, will appear at Coffman Memorial Union on April 7th at 7PM. If you are unfamiliar with Dr. Kaku, he has spoken on many programs ranging from news programs, History Channel's The Universe, his own show on the Science Channel named Physics of the Impossible, and he even recently appeared on Conan. However, I find that it's hard to forget this white haired ebullient scientist who often discusses the theory of everything. This concept tries to unify the four fundamental forces of the universe, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force, gravity, and electromagnetism. This event is a must for any physics fans.